THE SUMMER IS WINDING DOWN

I hate to face it, but the summer is coming to a close.  The September long weekend is over, our Marina's Fall Supper was this weekend and so now we have had to face, choosing a pull out date.  

Dan wants to get a head start on a couple of projects he has in mind for Thunderbird, so he would like to have it sooner rather than later, maybe Sept. 15th.  But I don't want the summer to end, so I would like to stay in the water until Sept. 30th.  So, we have compromised and our pull out date is set for Sept. 25th.   I was hoping for a cruise up the Red River and into the city this fall, but I guess that is not to be. 

Even though we are heading to our little Texas home earlier this year (early November) I can't seem to get my mind to go there yet.  It's the arrival of the cold weather that makes me want to be in Texas and that has not arrived yet. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, I've got a couple more weeks of boating, before our pull out, so let's enjoy it. 

2 1/2 WEEKS AND COUNTING

 

 

 



GET OUT THE BIRD BOOK

This is the time of the year I start pulling out my trusty bird book, as the water foul start to come and go from around the harbour.  I am trying to identify this one.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it's a Least Grebe. 

 

 

 

We don't have that many different ones during the height of summer,

 

 

maybe a family or two of geese and our resident Heron. 

 

 

And sometimes the odd visit from a cormorant fishing in the creek. 

 

 

 

 

But come fall, we see many different varieties as they spend time in the farmers fields feeding during the day then spend part of the day either on the lake or in the harbour.  They rest around this area and fatten up a bit before they form up into huge flocks and continue on with their arduous journey south. 

 

 

 

This local Mama has had her brood very late this summer.  I hope the weather holds and she has enough time to get them reared and strong enough to make that long journey down south.  These late hatchlings always worry me. 

 

 

 

THESE SCENES ARE JUST ONE MORE PERK TO LIVING ON A BOAT

 

 

AN OVERNIGHTER IN THE CITY

We have to go and spend a night in our condo.  We have a Friday morning funeral to attend, so we will go into town on Thursday morning and spend the night.  That will give us a chance to do some errands on Thursday, then we can come straight back out here to the Marina on Friday afternoon. 

There are far to many of these sad occasions cropping up lately. 

CRUISING ON LAKE WINNIPEG

Saturday was another hot and humid day at the beach, but the forecast was for a cold front to move in later in the afternoon, with accompanying high winds.  So, we thought we had better take advantage of the nice day and go out for a cruise and a swim. 

It was the perfect day for it.  Sunny, warm and a very calm lake.  Who could ask for more. 

 

When we pulled up and stopped, Sea-enna could hardly contain her excitement, as Dan put on her "Bathing Suit".  (see July 17th blog "My Dogs Bathing Suit".) 



In no time at all she was out onto the swim platform and waiting for her throw to be thrown and impatient that Dan was taking so long to get his bathing suit on. 
 

 

 She loves to swim. 

There is nothing Sea-Enna loves more than playing fetch in the lake with her throw. As soon as she brings it back she is ready to go again.  In no time at all she wears herself and us out. 

 

 

 

 

We were planning on going swimming as well, but with the boat not moving the usual flies of August had found us and were starting to get annoying.  So we decided to keep the boat moving and just idled along. 

 

 

 

So, I threw together some snacks and we bubbled along down to the south end of the lake and back. 

We ate our lunch and had a few drinks and just putted along for the entire afternoon. 

 
"Hey, I gotta keep an eye on that food, in case some of it suddenly falls.  "

 

 

I found that as long as the boat was bubbling along the movement was keeping the flies away. 

 

 

 

So I was able to sit out front and enjoy my cruise.  It is always so peaceful out there, all you hear is the lapping of the water on the hull.  The motor noise seems so distant. 

 

 

 

What a difference a few hours can make though.  The winds had started to pick up a little by the time we were entering the harbour and by the time our Annual Boundary Creek Corn Roast was underway that night the temperature had dropped down drastically, the wind was howling and there was a misty rain.  Not nice at all.  And today it is really cool. 

 

 

 

 

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY AND A COLD FRONT CAN MAKE.   

 

 

 

 

DIY: MORE CANVAS TO SEW

A couple of years ago I made a windshield cover of Levelor type Blind fabric.  It blocks a lot of the sun's rays and heat, but still allows us to see out.  It has served us quite well, but during the last couple of weeks it has been very very hot and humid.  With this very hot weather we need even more coverage on our front window. 

We put a piece of canvas, under the screen, across that area this week, and that really dropped the temperature in here, even more drastically.  It blocks our view out of our front window, which I don't like, but really makes it more comfortable in here in the this extreme heat. 

So, this fall, I am going to make another windshield cover exactly the same as our shade cover , but out of solid canvas.  We will only use it in the extreme heat, but that should really help. 

THE LIST OF WINTER PROJECTS IS STARTING

WE WENT "OUT" FOR DINNER

 

We had a very busy weekend.  What with our disastrous cruise on Friday, then Art's memorial on Saturday afternoon.  Then that night we were invited to our friends Gord and Ellie Gowie's Anniversary party.  While we were there we arranged to take them and their out of town guests for a cruise Sunday afternoon. 

 

Ellie had a lot of leftover salads etc. from her wonderful party, so she volunteered to bring the leftover food and we would make it a "Dinner Cruise". 

 

So, Sunday afternoon Ellie arrived, with Gord's sister Brenda and Brenda's husband John and a cooler full of food.  Gord is the Gimli harbour master and was working until late afternoon, so we cruised on up to Gimli to pick him up.   

 

 

 

 

I took pictures, while Dan and John chatted and the bathing beauties basked in the sun on our cruise north. 

 

 

 

 

After picking up Gord we cruised on out of Gimli Harbour and headed south towards the mouth of the Red River with Gord and Ellie on the bow this time.  

 

 

 

Then around 6:00pm we shut Thunderbird down and bobbed around out on the lake just off of Winnipeg Beach for dinner. 

 

We had a wonderful dinner and I didn't even have to cook.   

 

 

Then we putted on back into the harbour. 

 

 

When you hang around a marina "Out" means, "Out there on the water". 

 

ie. What's it like " out " there?  You taking your boat " out" ?  You been " out" yet?  Out means anywhere out of the harbour. 

 

So if we go for a cruise and have a Bar-B-Q, That's what Dan calls " Taking me out for dinner." 

 

 

HEY, IT WORKS FOR ME. 

 

 

 

 

 

ART'S FAREWELL CEREMONY

The ceremony for the sprinkling of Art's ashes was planned as a "Raft Up" at South Beach, which was one of his favourite spots on the lake.   

 

Art was a regular reader of my blog and would regularly comment to me about my posts and I really appreciated his input and Dan was one of the regulars at Art's Captain's table.  So, we certainly would not miss his send off for any reason. 

Now a raft-up is not a simple thing to accomplish.  Especially when there are so many boats that want to take part.  Art was a much loved man in our boating community, so there was a very large turn out.  It starts with two boats rafted (which means tied together, with fenders in between) that go ahead of where they want the raft to end up, drop their anchors, then back up until they are being held into position on their anchors. 

Then very carefully one by one you add boats to each side of the raft, tied together with fenders in between.  Every few boats must have an anchor.  So that means that, that boat must set it's anchor then back into position.  (A tricky manoeuvre) 

 

There were so many boats they had to start a second raft out front of the main one.  Those in that raft-up had a great view.   

 

Then it was our turn to pull in at the port end of the main raft.   

 

Once rafted, the swim platforms of all of the boats should line up, and everyone gets a chance to walk along the swim platforms and socialize with each other and share stories, condolences and memories.   

 

 

 

Then when all was ready everyone was summoned to the bows of their boats for the actual ceremony. 

 

 

Orange was one of Art's favourite colours to wear, so because of that the family all wore some orange, which was nice for us as we could pick them out from a distance. 

 

 

 

 

Art and Gay's three son's Ryan, Chris and Nick, escorted their mother to the bow of "Misprint" and she poured his ashes into the lake. 

 

 

 

 

Everyone said their farewell, and raised a glass in a toast. 

 

 

"TO ART"

 

 

 

What a lovely ceremony it was.  Very casual, just like Art would have liked, but also very poignant and moving. 

 

That's the way to do it.