Here's a photo I meant to post showing carnage on the hard top...see what I mean about BUGS!!!??? Floyd has been on several killing sprees...My hero!!!!

July 4th...back in the STATES...DeTour has a parade at noon and then fun in the park this afternoon. So we'll take the camera and participate...somewhere in here we'll make a trip to the grocery store (no French labels this time)...planning for Lake Michigan has begun...and surprise surprise I'm caught up with the blog!!!! Tomorrow we plan to head to Mackinaw City and tour the island on Wednesday...then Thursday to Charlevoix...hoping to hook up with Mary Kay friend Linda Bemis...can't wait...

July 3rd...spent the morning cleaning boat...Floyd worked outside and I did inside duties...gas and pump out...off to De Tour Village...about an hour away...but there was no doubt that the weather had improved and that it was a holiday weekend. These folks are all fishing the same spot!!! Arrived safe and sound in lovely downtown DeTour Village marina. Well protected break wall...and busy shipping channel...we felt right at home when freighters passed...and there was a pretty constant stream of them...no holiday for them.

Cool and windy...gheez, it is July ...returned to charts and guide books...decided to pass on Thessolan and go straight to DeTour Village...then discovered that US Customs was located at Drummond Island...right on the way to DeTour...so made an over-night stop there. Americans everywhere...gas by the gallon...no more Canadian money...sailboat next to us owned by folks whose son-in-law is big shot with Clear Channel radio stations in Wichita...yep, he got the hate mail and phone calls when KFDI changed formats....ha, small world. She just about collapsed when we said Wichita, Kansas.

Floyd decided since we were plugged into shore power to try his hand at Key Lime Pie ...you know, old family recipe!!! a la Phil Giovanni!!!! it turned out pretty darn good...I had the supervisory role...oh, and quality control...I tried to tell him it was no good and he should just let me do away with it. Needless to say, he didn't fall for that.

We spent a peaceful night anchored behind some islands in Jackson Cove...the next day we passed three trawlers headed the other way...so we knew there was life out there somewhere...we pulled into Blind River July 1st... AH AH, in Canada for Canada Day...a few folks were adding lights to their boats so they could take a night run...sort of a mini boat parade...and there were fireworks...boat traffic seemed to be increasing...though some of them were just part of the festivities...

Scenery up here is GE-Or-geous....well protected anchorages...and primitive. We have gone days without seeing another boat or talking to people...even on the radio. We have certainly been ever so glad that we decided to postpone this part of the trip rather than rush through it last summer. We have been in long pants, long sleeves and even jackets....boating comfortably...sleeping with windows open...and can we talk about BUGS??? The mosquitoes are the size of small cows...mayflies die all over the boat every night...and big black flies dive bomb at various times. We have gone through several OFF Lanterns, using them both inside and out. Every guide book warns about RoCks, rOcKs, and more ROCKS...most are actually big slabs of granite...and we've found that to be the case...but channels are well buoyed and well marked...we have had no trouble avoiding them. Though Floyd will tell you, we almost followed Skipper Bob's advice right into a rocky cove...but First Mate Linda read in another guide book that only locals should go there...so we made another plan to stay in Bell Cove instead. A short dinghy trip over to Sturgeon Cove proved beyond a doubt that we'd made a smart decision.