Day 32

Perth is our new favorite. To get here we wound through 20 miles of twisting Rideau River. Trees s often hung over the edges and the everything would open up to beautiful marsh. After 12 locks we entered the much smaller Tay Canal. This was seldom much wider than Lydia and never got over 5' deep. It was all marsh or forest primeval and non stop pastoral beauty. After 7 miles of Tay Canal we found Perth. All very old
Stone buildings and the canal running through town. Sort of like Merrickville, but bigger and more. Beautiful. So, we stayed an extra day. The weather is nigh perfect and we probably will make our goal of Manatowac, Wisconsin by the first week of October. We are tied up at a town dock, minimal cost and great view of the Tay as it comes through town. Surrounded by a beautiful park

Disturbing news Arrived yesterday, that our little friend Noah has a liver tumor that has spread some to his lungs. Hepatoblastoma is a tumor that is almost exclusive to infants. For those of our Christian friends we earnestly ask for your prayers for Noah and his parents, Joe and Jenna Blakely.For those not yet Christian, get with it, not too late yet.Joe , Jenn and later, Noah lived in our Wilton house for about 3 years. One year of that was with us.

Tomorrws plans call for us too leave early and head to Westport, Ont. We hope to meet Ashley and some Cramers  in Kingston on Saunday. No wi/fi tomorrow so next blog tomorrow night or Sat.

Day 30

So, yesterday we only made 25 miles to Merrickville, ONT. Total locks from the start of the trip is 50. After leaving Ottawa the river was beautiful, but lined with very fancy homes. Now the river is even more scenic as the houses have given way to occasional farms, trees and gorgeous swamps.

Merrickville has won the title of Jewel of the Rideau. Voted most beautiful town in Ontario. Today we will stay here and do a tour of the small shops in ancient stone buildings. We will bike the canal trail for a bit and then go to the Canal Museum.

Our boatyard is"funky". It is cluttered with the largest collection of wooden vessels, most built 1900 to 1940s, that I have ever seen. Some are floating and some will not float in their present condition.One particular vessel, a sedan style from 1930s is in mint condition and is for sale for only $15,000. A steal even if not in good condition. The Peter Ayling and Assciates Boatyard is right off the canal in a very quiet bywater. A five minute scenic walk takes us to the center of this storybook village. All is good and we are back on schedule to reach Kingston around Sept first and Wisconsin the first week of October. That being the case we will be home in mid October.

Day 29

Yesterday took us to Hurst Marina which is out in the country. Beautiful setting. We only made 20 miles in 5 hous as we spent a lot of time locking. Nearest town would be Kars, Ont.  we got our first Canadian telephone bill. $580.00. Ouch!!!! The Canadians have a wonderful country and are a little bit more socialistic than the USA, but I am not sure why their phone system is so outrageous . We plan to e mail more and talk less.

Day 28

We left the Casino in Gatineau and started toward Kingston. Six hours later we had gone 5 miles. We waited in Ottawa to get into the Rideau Canal. The wait was 3 1/2 hours in bright sun temperature 95f and humidity 90. So, we got permission from the lockmaster to go for lunch downtown, which was just a short walk away. We were joined by our new boater friends, Tim and Pat. The long wait was caused by the nature of theses first locks. They are called the staircase. Eight locks, each opening into the next lock, four boats in the lock at a time. All trying really hard to not bump anyone else. Tim's boat is 42 feet 35,000#, single screw with no thrusters. He did an amazingly good job of it.  Once locked through into the canal we went though a tunnel under downtown Ottowa. From there the canal winds all through Ottowa and is surrounded by parks and beautiful buildings. Just wonderful.  In winter, when it is frozen it becomes the world's largest skating rink and connects Ottawa to Dow's Lake. On the way to Dow's Lake we had to wait quite a long time for one of the bridges to open for us.
     At Dow's we had a much needed shower and had a fabulous evening with Pat and  Tim.  Now it is morning and we will continue on to Kingston while the Cass's will stay and tour Ottawa.

All is well on board Lydia. Hoping to get to Kingston by the first of Sept. Anyone wanting individual pictures let me know by e mail or phone messenger.

Love to All.

Day 27

Casino life not soo much for us. Yesterday we broke out of the quarry, took the bus from Gateneau to Ottowa. We had a great. Time on the Greyline tour of Ottowa and Dow's Lake area.  In the afternoon we prowled Parliament and got a wonderful history lesson and tour of Parliament building. The stone work is amazing far eclipsing most of the architecture of Washington, D.C. Except the National Cathedral. We also went inside and up the Peace Tower. There is a lovely chapel in the Tower where the name of every fallen Canadian warrior is beautifully recorded and there lies their unknown soldier. A solemn and reflective place.

While the food at the Casino is neither good nor cheap we found a real gem of a place in downtown Ottawa called D'Arcy McGhees.

In about an hour we will shove off and start the Rideau Canal. It winds through Ottawa then goes country for a couple of days and ends in Kingston on Lake Ontario. Altogether it has 47 locks and this morning alone we will start with 8 in a row.

One observation: for the past 3 weeks we have been hearing, eating, speaking French. The Outtauouais River divides Quebec Province from Ontario. We were stunned that on the Ottawa side English is the oreferred language and it took a bit of getting used to different customs. Here on the Gateneau side it is more French and more laid back. Both sides would appear to carry a pridefull chip on thir shoulders.

Day 26

Yesterday we left Montebello for Ottawa. Prior to taking this trip I always thought that the St Lawrence was a fast moving Chanel of water. Somewhat like one sees on Quebec City. However, it is a meandering relatively shallow (25'-60') river with many marshy islands. To do this trip without a GPS would be totally confusing and probably fraught with multiple groundings.

So, leaving beautiful Montebello we were treated to miles of beautiful marsh and then small villages and farms. Very few boats on the river on the weekdays. Always there is the clown in the fast moving Bayliner that is proud of his 4' wake and likes to zoom by real close. Could this be R.G.?

We had been told by quite a few boaters that when we got to Ottawa we should stay at the Casino because it was free. Well when we got there they had changed the rules and now you have to pay. So we did. They have a rule that if you spend a certain amount of money you get the dockage fee back. We were $2 short of the the required limit so thought we would put a few bucks into the slot machine. Actually Marti wanted to play blackjack but chickened out. Thanks to the house rule we not only got the free dockage, but another $28 as well.

The casino is actually built on the edge of two quarry's. Each quarry is now a lake and to get into the quarry you have to get off the Ottawa River into the Gatineau River and then thread the needle by traversing a very, very narrow cut in almost a tunnel to get into the quarry lakes. A bit intimidating, but very protected once inside. Today we will tour Ottowa.

Day 24

OKA was a great find. Just a lovely small town so we could walk to the store. The storm was more threatening than real in the AM we awoke to a cool, crisp autumn day with perfect blue sky. This day we traveled up the Rivière des Outaouais to Montebello, QC. More amazing proof that God is an artist in his creations. We locked just once today, but this lock took us up 65 feet! At the lock we made friends with Alain who was attempting to sail up the river , but kept getting stranded aground. I think he probably did not have a working GPS.
In the afternoon we toured the amazing Chateau Montebello. We took many pictures, but I am still not able to get them into the blog. We bike around Montebello on some gorgeous wooded bike trails that connect the Chateau to the town. In the evening whi should show up, with a broken rudde r, but Alain so we stayed up late speaking French/English. Altogether, a perfect day. Slept well and now underway to Ottowa.
Love to all who take the time to read this. And to these who don't.

Day 23 continued

Well we traveled through the Canal du Chine. Another gorgeous experience. Then, through  Lac St Louis through  the St. Anne de Bellvue  lock into the lower Ottowa River. We finally made it into the Lac deux Montagnes to a village called OKA. No mishaps today and had a great supper on board and are getting ready for a storm at the marina.Very safe and again an amazing day. The people are very friendly. And the canals are just pastoral and beautiful.

Day 23

We spent most of yesterday on sea trials. Robert Grappin, the diesel mechanic, pushed Lydia to her limits. He bragged that he was the best diesel man in Canada. He is the 5th repair man to gove it a try and was pretty critical of those who had failed before him. After 5 1/2 hours he said, this is a good engine , but it is giving me a headache. We got a temporary fix by simply turning up the idle speed. So, we can safely continue our trip and today will take the Canal du Chine to Lac St Louis. Plan to spend the night near Saint Anne de Bellvue.
Montreal is a wonderful place to be. We will miss it. So many beautiful,cathedrals, parks, and the people are very friendly and laid back.

Day 21

So the GPS which was critical to the St Lawrence River was repaired in less than the three weeks as prediicted.  Dennis installed it on Friday night and Sat. AM we were on our way to Montreal. A glorious day with bright sunlight and puffy clouds. The banks are lined with beautiul trees and small towns. As we neared the Montreal Vieux Port area the current picked up to six choppy knots and Lydia had to really struggle. Once inside the breakwater we motored effortlessly through the usual marina maze. As we approached our designated slip the dockhand suddenly decided we should put the brakes on and aback into an other slip that we were passing. Here the excitement begins! Lydia has no brakes . After a long ride she will not idle slowly or reverse. Hence, the slow, uncontrolled glide into a multimillion dollar yacht just imported from Italy. Custom built. Gorgeous. And now no longer new, but with a small and superficial scratch on her starboard bow. Fortunately it is not bad and the owner was extremely gracious. Thoroughly  scared that this might happen again we are yet again tied up for a few days to see how the engine can be repaired so that it runs well , when warm, as it runs exceptionally we'll when cold. 4 previous attempsts to fix this have failed. We are still enjoying the adventure but you may surmise that we suffered an extreme blow to our self esteem.
Stay tuned to the adventures of Frog and Toad, Days of Our Lives or is it Stella Dallas and Bert!

Day 19

The GPS has been repaired, bu failed to make it back to Sorel from Toronto ,as hoped, on the Friday.
Yesterday was really fun. We cleaned and polished Lydia, and met a number of boaters. Many of the boater with large and beautiful boats prefer her size an looks to their own and to a man , all feel she is the ideal boat for doing the great loop. The boaters are a very friendly lot. However, the bicyclists  we meet on the many bike paths are not so friendly and our bonjours go unanswered.

In the afternoon we rode to the ferry that takes you to Isle St Ignace and bicycled there enjoying the rural atmosphere and many small houses on the water. This was a treat.

Today it was cooler and so we biked out to the country again and then went shopping at Canada Tire which is a cross between WalMart and Lowes. At present Marti has biked out to the little old farmer that gives us delicious corn. She is cute and iI think that is why the corn is free. If I went likely we would have to pay. At Canada Tire we got an indoor/outdoor thermometer, as the heat and humidity have been very bad. When we set it up we found that it only reads I degrees Celsius. 31C this afternoon.

One thing we have noticed is that Canadians live a life much like America in the 40s & 50s. Much conversation, all park benches full day and evenings. community gardens in some of the parks. People bicycle averywhere and there are great, two way bike lanes on many of the city streets. 4 way stop signs on almost every corner make biking safe and efficient. Traffic is very polite to the bicyclist.

Our French is improving as are our quads.

Aurevoir
B&M

More day 10

Spen the day enjoying Montreal. A lovely, friendly, cosmopolitan town. Finished up at the Cathedral de Notre Dame light and sound show. Fantastic! Due to the extraordinary kindness of John Lossee we shared sips frm a $750 bottle of wine.

Day 17

Seems unreal that we have been nomading for 17 days. Now that we are stationary for a few days a routine has developed.
At 5AM Bert wakes up. At 5:15 he is back asleep, thankful not to be getting ready for work.
By 7 the day is underway, breakfast, then computer lessons and then cleaning the boat.mid afternoon has us off on a bicycle trip somewhere. Today's trip will be on a bird sanctuary bike trail that ends at a dairy farm that makes their own ice cream. Most days end up with us very hot and sticky, hence the shower then we watch NCIS before retiring. Most night we have rain showers as well as people showers.Devotions are a regular morning event.
Here in Sorel we speak French much of the time. We have found that in the smaller town most people have never heard of Maine. One man had heard of Maine, but thought that it was part ofNew Hampshire. Funny, We have been traveling for weeks  and are in a foreign land that is not completely facile with our language, geography or culture, yet we are only 4 hours away by auto.
On the St Lawrence there are many very big ships, and we are unable to scope out the small raft Chanel's without a GPS. Much of yesterday I learned how to download all the Naviocs charts and their GPS unto the IPad as a back up for the regular system that is being upgraded.
Our love to all our family and friends.
B&M

day15

Nothing is perfect and I still cannot get blogger to work with my photos.
Chambly was the most perfect little town. People were very friendly and they have. A fabulous bicycle path system. At .the grocery store the bike racks were full.
We met a man named Luc whose boat was next to ours. He lives in Saint Hubert and on weekends relaxes on his boat. And feeds the carp. He said that they could
Here his fot steps and would meet him at
 The boat. We saw th
Is to be true. Hea has a friend who a owns a restaurant and she gives him
Huge buckets of bread ends. The carp love it and he had perhaps 10-15 carp
Swimming across his feet, on had a small lamprey eel attached to it's back. The carp probably averaged 12-20+ pounds each.
     Monday phad us finish the Richelieu River. We locked through the last lock at St Ours sand eventually got to Sorel. As we left the Richelieu and headed into the St Lawrence we were immediately impressed with h
Ow much traffic is on this river. Very, very large boats.
Since our GPS is not reading the river correctly we will probably stay at Sorel until it is fixes as the St. Lawrence is no place to be lost.

Day Fourteen , Chambly, Qu.

Yesterday was amazing. After finishing the exhaust repairs we headed down river to St Jean Sur Richelieu. At St Jean we entered the Canal Chambly. For the rest of the day we traveled at 5 knots/hr and went through 9 locks, all going down. the canal parallels the Richelieu River and we had many glimpses of swamps and rapids. The canal meanders through farm land as well as small picturesque villages. The canal terminated at Chambly, the most beautiful of towns that we have visited. It is also home to the best Italian restaurant in the world. Tre Colore!! We like Chambly so much that we plan to bike it and in addition will bike part of the tow path that follows the entire canal.Yesterday several joggers passed Lydia, jogging faster than we were motoring. Still, Frog & Toad are enjoying their adventure.

Day Twelve

Being stuck in Montreal wile the boat exhaust system is being repaired is pretty wonderful. We had planned to spend time here while tied up at a local marina, but now will skip Montreal when we eventually get back. Funny, it took us about 45 minutes to get here by bus and will take several days by boat as the river Richelou runs
Due north to the St Lawrence then we go up the SL to Montreal.
Yesterday we had a real
Great experience as we toured the L'Oratoire Saint Joseph du Mont Royal the former home of Frere Andre. Those at Togus will remember Richard Steinberg (now known as Richard the Retired), in his previous life he also was also known as Brother Andre. It was an amazing place. Beautiful and inspiring Basilica and grounds and a wonderful chapel to Ste Joseph as well as the Chapelle de Frere Andre. Brother Andre has just been elevated to Sainhood.
We have gorged ourselves on French cuisine and will have a special visit to the Montreal Poutine just before we take the bus back to Saint Paul Sur Richelou.

Day 10

Well,well. As Pangloss said, "this is the best of all possible worlds". A melted water-lock forced us to make some adjustments in our plans. It has also forced us to revisit our French lessons.
Due to the lack of safe propulsion we headed to Montreal. Fate has provided duck confit, rare Polish foods, museums and gorgeous parks. Scott and Cinda have provided excellent company.
Plans for today include Apple University, pastries and strong coffee, smoked meat at Schwartz,s and perhaps a taste of Chateau Lafite Rothchild. Oh yes, also a  visit to Notre Dame for the lumiere.
The bus ride back to St Paul Sur Richelou will take about 45 minutes. The same trip by boat on Saturday will take 2 days.

day 9

We were not bored. In fact, incredibly happy with the beauty of the scenery and the great company of Cinda and Scott. We had planned to get them to Montreal from whence they would depart for California. We spent an idyllic evening in Isle aux Noix (Nut Island), Quebec.
this morning we cleaned weeds out of the filter and started out for Sorel. it has been several days since our last disaster, so I created one. After getting under way the alarm signaled over
Heating and we burned a hole in the plastic device that mixes exhaust and cooling water? It looked like we were burning up when in fact it was just exhaust coming into the cabin. Fortunately it will be a cheap fix, but likely to take a day or two for the part to arrive then another 15 minutes to install it.
     The bad news is there is only one eatery here, with two tiny outside tables, a 1/2 mile away and only serves fish & chips. There is no grocery store.so Montreal is now several extra days away.
     In spite of this, life is really good and God is great!

Whitehall to Westport NY

Whitehallwas a dismal, empty, hot (98) town. On to Burlington but a big, bad storm sent us to Westport, NY wich was fantastic . We went to a play and Bert unwittingly be ame a cast me
Bed and bright the house down. His stage. name is Mr. Lee. All is great. We are going to learn more about sending photos in Montreal