Family & Friends

My cousin Dave with my Aunt from Huron

While our boat takes a rest from its travels, we continue our travels to visit all our relatives & friends in the area.  The boat likes it here at Huron Boat Basin, because the dockage rate during the week in only $25 per night!  That’s about ¼ to 1/3 the amount we would normally pay.

Sue's Uncle Dallas

We first visit my aunt, who lives only 3 miles away from the marina.  She has been eager to see our boat for the past 2 years, so she treks on down to the marina and, even though she’s in her 80’s, she climbs the vertical ladder on the side to come aboard.  She still lives at her home by herself, still drives locally, and is still a spry lady.

We next rent a car to drive back to Chattanooga (all roads lead to Chattanooga).  But as we leave Huron, we take a slight detour to Ashland OH for a quick visit to Sue’s uncle, who is in a nursing home in relatively good health at 87.  Since he never married nor had children, Sue has become his closest relative and has volunteered to handle his medical and financial affairs.

In Chattanooga we stay at the “mountain top retreat”, the home of our very good friends John & Susan.  They have graciously offered their home to us even though they were not there (Susan was in Texas taking care of HER mother), and we can’t thank them enough.

A Happy 93rd Birthday!

Chattanooga friends Bob & Gail

Sue then spends a couple days with her mother at the memory care facility, and holds a birthday party to celebrate her mother’s 93^rd birthday.  Her mother still loves sweets, so as soon as the cake is presented in front of her, she swipes her finger into the icing to get a sample of what is to come.  While I’m missing all the festivities, I’m back at the house planning the next legs of our trip, as far as Chicago.  I’m frequently frustrated at how much time is spent to plan our travels, having to read & research several sources of information to find potential destinations, along with alternate stops.  And the changing weather can alter those plans overnight.

We take time in Chattanooga to visit some other boating friends, Bob & Gail, and to be entertained in their beautiful home.  Bob owns a couple antique wooden boats, and was instrumental during our visit last month to Clayton NY and the antique wooden boat museum.

 

Power Squadron friends Doug & MJ

Once back in Huron, we host some other boating friends whom we originally met this past winter with the Power Squadron in Myrtle Beach.  They live on their boat at Catawba Island OH, and will be departing next month to move their boat home south to Myrtle Beach via the Welland Canal, Lake Ontario, Erie Canal, Hudson River, Chesapeake Bay, and Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway – the exact route that we just took during the past 3 months!  In boating, no matter where you’re headed, you can find someone who’s already been there & will gladly share their experiences.

Sue's cousin Anne & her husband Larry

Towards the end of the week, we drive to Cleveland OH (that’s the place where the first prize in the contest is one week in Cleveland; the second prize is TWO weeks in Cleveland!)  We first visit the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame (“I know, it’s only rock ‘n roll, but I like it, like it”) which is right down at the lakefront.

My kids think this must be my pilgrimage to "Mecca"

Then we swing over to Strongsville to visit Sue’s cousin & her husband, whom we just don’t visit often enough.  Her cousin’s maiden name was Anne Frank, and no, I don’t know whether she kept a diary.  We eat a great dinner & get caught up on all the other relatives & happenings around Strongsville.  Hopefully we’ll see them again when we get back to northern Ohio this fall.

Sue stands beneath the Pink Floyd wall

So we’ve visited with all the relatives that we’re gonna, at least in this neck of the woods.  Sunday we motor over to Middle Bass Island for a week to visit more relatives and re-visit the island where Sue & I first met.  Middle Bass is located very close to the infamous Put-in-Bay party town, which I found nearly every boater on the Great Lakes has visited.  I guess it’s changed since the 1950’s & 60’s when I used to haunt the area.