March---Jan flew to Oxnard, California for the March 1st wedding of her neice, Shelby.  After the wedding, Bryan and Jan took a 1-week road trip, driving up the California Pacific coast.  What a beautiful drive!  Then Jan flew to Minneapolis to babysit her grandson, Jacob. 

February---We're home in Punta Gorda, FL.  Ou niece, Shannon, and her girlfriend Amanda who live in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, came to visit!

 January---We're home in Punta Gorda, FL.  Our long-time friend, Al Hayward, visited us the week of January 5-11th!  The end of January, we flew north to celebrate Bryan's 32nd birthday.  And also to visit our new grandson, Jacob.

2007

December 31, 2007---We were in Minneapolis/St. Paul for the birth of our first grandson, Jacob Roscoe Nelson.

November & December---Back home in Punta Gorda, Florida.   Duluth friends, Riki and Cary McManus visited us in early December. 

 October---Touring Scandinavian countries.

October 5 - 9, 2007:  Russia.     October 9 - 11, 2007:  Finland.     October 11 – 14, 2007:  Denmark.     October 14 - 15, 2007:  North Sea Cruise from Denmark to Norway.     October 16 – 20, 2007:  Norway.     October 20 - 23, 2007:  Sweden.     October 23 – 26, 2007:  Iceland.

June, July, August and September---We're at our Wisconsin home for the summer!

May---Jan was in Prescott, AZ this month visiting her 90-year-old father.  Memorial Weekend, Stuart and his father-in-law, Dick Ross, were in Florida trying to catch the elusive tarpon with Tracy.

April---We flew north for a quick Easter weekend with our children--and there was about 5 inches of snow in Wisconsin.  Beautiful!  Tracy's brother, Darryl, and his fiancee' Cindy came to visit in late April.  Darryl and Cindy live in Grand Rapids, MN.

March---A couple days after we returned from Key West, Linda & Tom Vukelich from Duluth, MN arrived and spent a week at our home.  The end of March, Jan's brother and sister-in-law, Jere & Carol Avenson came for a short visit.  They live in Chesapeake, VA. 

February---Our company continues. Ron Rostad from Duluth, MN was one of our welcome visitors.  We were so pleased that Kris & Gary Imbrie who live in Portland, Oregon came to visit.  We ended the month by spending a week in Key West with Nancy & Rich Ojard and Carol & Ken Clark at Clark's condo.  What a fun time!

January---We had more visitors!  Tracy's nephew, Josh Nelson, visited us from Sacramento, California.  Ruth & Sheldon Gustafson visited and they're from nowhere or everywhere depending on your view, because they live full-time in their RV and travel around the United States.   

2007---HAPPY New Year!!! 

2006

December---We had visitors to our Punta Gorda home this month.  They included Riki & Cary McManus from Superior, WI; Bill McGee from Grand Rapids, MN; and our children:  Bryan Nelson from Superior, WI and Stuart & Sara Nelson from Plymouth, MN.  Finally, we ended the year and brought in the new year with Tracy's sister, Shari Nelson, and three of her children, Joe, Lydia, and Rochelle who life in Grand Rapids, MN. 

November 

October 20th---We're at our Florida home for the Fall, Winter, and Spring. 

September 12th---We're back at our home in Superior, WI.  Hopefully, we'll be here for about a month and then we'll head south to our Florida home.

September 10th & 11th---We're in Plymouth, MN at Stuart and Sara's home.  We got to watch Stuart coach football for Wayzata Middle School boys.  This was their second game of the season and it was an exciting one with the final score of 13 to 12.

August 12-September 10th---Tracy's been in Wisconsin and Florida.  Mostly in Florida, preparing for a potential hurricane for a short time, but mainly taking care of our commercial buildings called Sunstate Commerce Center in Punta Gorda.

August 12th-September 10th---Jan flew directly from Vancouver, B.C. to Arizona to help care for her 89-year-old father who had open-heart surgery that was complicated by pneumonia, bleeding ulcers, and then another bout of pneumonia.  He's now in an Extended Care Facility and will be moving to Las Fuentes Assisted Care Center when he's able.  

We're traveling in Alaska via bus, train, and boat: 

May 20th---We're on a road trip, headed up to Wisconsin for the summer!

May 14th-19th---We're still on the boat at the dock of our Punta Gorda Isles home.  We're getting the boat ready, so we can leave it here while we're in Wisconsin for the summer.   

May 13th---Hooray!  We're home!!  We're back at the dock of our Florida home in Punta Gorda Isles.

May 12th---We continued west across the Okeechobee Waterway into the Caloosahatchee River which brought us into Fort Myers.  Tonight we are docked at the Legacy Harbor Marina, formerly known as the Centennial Harbor Marina.  Perfect weather both days!  We finished the day with dinner at Joe's Crab House.

May 11th---Today we left Stuart, Florida, cruised up the St. Lucie River into Lake Okeechobee.  Docked for the night at Roland and MaryAnn Martin Marina in Clewiston.  That evening, we had dinner at the beautiful old Clewiston Inn.

May 10th---CHANGE OF PLANS!  Instead of taking our boat up the 32 degrees latitude (Savannah GA) for the summer, per our boat insurance requirements, we changed boat insurance and we can now keep the boat at the dock of our Punta Gorda home.  Hooray!!  This evening, Joan and Ronnie Pac from Cape Coral have joined us for our cruise across the Okeechobee Waterway, something they've always wanted to do.
 

May 6th to 10th---Wahoo!!!  We fished all the way from Fort Lauderdale to Stuart, Florida.  Caught a mahi-mahi and a wahoo.  What fun.  The marinas in Stuart were very full, so we're on a mooring ball on the St. Lucie River (still in Stuart) at Southpoint Anchorage.  A beautiful spot.  It’s only ten bucks a night for mooring--think we'll stay here for a few days.
 

May 5th---Finally, we left Marina Bay this afternoon (our boat maintenance work is done) and we are docked at Pier 66 Marina (www.pier66.com) for the evening.  Pier 66 is close to the Fort Lauderdale entry to the Atlantic Ocean (Port Everglades) while Marina Bay is about 1 hour west up the New River.  We had dinner reservations at Grill 66 for the evening (I got to be lazy and not cook).  We start cruising north in the morning.  HOORAH!!!!!  Feels good to be going again.
 

April 20th to ???---We're back in the USA!  We're currently at Marina Bay (on the New River) in Fort Lauderdale, getting some maintenance work done.
 

April 20th---Goodbye Bahamas!  We cruised back to the states today.  Tracy was fishing/grinning all the way across the gulf stream!  See slide show for photos of mahi-mahi caught.
 

April 19th---We're back on the boat at Bimini Sands Marina.
 

April 13th thru April 17th---We have flown to Minnesota to celebrate Easter with our family.  Easter will be at Stuart and Sara's home in Plymouth.  Let me tell you, flying with Bimini Island Air was a real experience!  You wouldn't believe me if I told you---it's something you have to experience to believe!! 
 

April 11th & 12th--We’ve moved to Bimini at Bimini Sands Marina.  The winds are blowing from 20-30 mph out of the Northeast with seas in the gulf stream at 9-11 feet.  Obviously, we're not crossing the gulf stream until we get the right weather---and so we wait.  We want to be in the twin cities for Easter (this coming Sunday), so will need to figure out flights soon.
 

April 10^th---A calm morning, so we left Spanish Wells and headed for Florida.  The winds started blowing with thunder showers, so we pulled in to Cat Cay Yacht Club Marina.   Need to wait for better weather, before we can continue to Florida.
 

April 9^th---This afternoon, we left Harbour Island and returned to Spanish Wells, both in Eleuthera.  We hired a pilot again, Bandit, to navigate our boat back across the Devil’s Backbone.  He said that every year there are 35-40 boats, that they know of, that hit the reefs when trying to cross without a pilot.  Bandit said that his descendents left Boston (for religious freedom) and arrived in Eleuthera in 1648.
 

April 8^th---Today, we hired a cab driver, Ben, to drive us all over Eleuthera.  We headed down to the southern tip by Bannerman Town and stopped a various places on the way back including Cotton Bay, 10 Bay Beach in Savannah Sound, Windemere, Cocodimama Charming Resort, Ocean Hole in Rock Sound, the Glass Window Bridge north of Gregory Town, and the Preacher’s Cave (where folks from a shipwreck found refuge and sermons where held there for next 100 years) in North Eleuthera.
 

April 7th-9th---We're relaxing at Valentine's Marina in Harbour Island, Eleuthera.  This is a great spot to be!
 

April 7th---Bob and Ann Johnson left us today after a week's visit aboard Wanderin' Star.  It was great having them aboard!  They hopped the ferry today, leaving Harbour Island to get to the North Eleuthera airport which will take them to Florida for their connection back to Minnesota.
 

April 5th-7th---  Look at the upper right-hand side of the map---we're in Dunmore Town.  We hired a pilot to navigate the "Devil's Backbone" so we could visit Harbor Island in Eleuthera.  LOTS of boats wrecked or damaged while crossing this.  Our pilot goes by the nickname of Bandit and his family first arrived in Spanish Wells around 1648....so they've been there a looooong time!  
Harbour Island has a beautiful marina (Valentine's Marina), a colorful pretty town (Dunmore Town), and gorgeous light pink-tan beaches on the Atlantic side of the island.  http://www.harbourislandguide.com/
 

April 4th---We crossed an area called "The Current".  There's a very swift (maybe 6 knots) current with the tide flowing one direction or the other----so we crossed carefully.  Now we're back in Spanish Wells, Eleuthera.  It's not a tourist destination, but we really like this pretty town that's spotlessly clean.  Many people here are decendents of Loyalists who lived in "the colonies of America" and were loyal to England, and had to quickly move when the Revolutionaries (our fore-fathers like George Washington) won independence from England in 1776.  Many folks arrived in the 1600s, in a search for religious freedom.  And many folks throughout the Bahamas are of African descent, with their forefathers originally arriving as slaves.
April 3rd---We stopped at Allen's Cay in the Exumas to check out the iguanas today.  Then we crossed from the Exumas to Eleuthera.  Tonight we're at Cape Eleuthera in the southwestern end of Eleuthera.  The guys went fishing in the dinghy and Ann & I went shelling along the beaches.
 

April 2nd---We're anchored in a bay on the west side of Major Cay.  The sandy bottom of this bay is perfect for the anchor digging in and giving the boat secure hold.  We had a lovely dinner at Fowl Cay this evening.  This is a tough place into--we made reservations ten days ago and this was the first night they had an opening.  www.fowlcay.com
 

April 1st---The winds finally calmed a bit and we headed out of George Town north to the Staniel Cay/Sampson Cay area.  Ann caught a barracuda which we released (don't want to eat because of possible reef disease).  Bob caught a nice mahi-mahi which we kept and ate.  Delicious!  We snorkeled at Thunderball Grotto and also fed four pigs at Major Cay.  (See photos under Slide Show.)  We anchored for the evening at Major Cay---a beautiful night.
 

March 31st---Hooray!  Bob and Ann Johnson from Grand Rapids, MN, flew into George Town and they're spending a week with us aboard Wanderin' Star.
 

March 26th-30th---We're at the Tropic of Cancer which is a latitude of 23 degrees 30 minutes north.  We are relaxing in George Town while we wait for guests to fly in for a visit.
 

March 20th-24th---Phil and Babs Strom from Duluth are cruising with us for a few days.  We stayed in the Georgetown to Staniel Cay area of the Exumas.  Phil caught a nice Spanish Mackeral.  At Major Cay, we fed one of the pigs that lives on that little island.  The pig actually started swimming out to our dinghy, to get food from us.  Swimming pigs--amazing.
 

March 15th-19th---We're in Georgetown in the Exumas.  Our son, Bryan, and his girlfriend, Melissa, left us on the 15th after a week of cruising in the Exumas.  I already miss them!! 
 

March 14th---We snorkeled and dived the caves at Thunderball Caves in Staniel Cay.  Wow!  What fish and coral!
 

March 13th---At Warderick Wells and the Exumas Land and Sea Park, we saw the remains and evidence of a pirates' lair, a 52 foot sperm whale skeleton, Boo Boo Hill, and more.
 

March 12th---We saw iguanas at Allan's Cay and lots of nurse sharks at Highborne Cay.  See Slide Show for photos.
 

March 11th---We're at Hurricane Hole Marina in Nassau.  We're having fun with our son, Bryan, and his girlfriend, Melissa, who are on board with us until the 16th.
 

March 6th-10th---We're at Atlantis Marina in Nassau.   Hooo-leeey buckets!  What a place!!  Among other things, this is the largest man-made open air marine habitat in the world with 34-acre waterscapes, 100 million gallons of fresh and salt water, 11 lagoons containing 50,000 sea creatures of 200 species.  Sharks, stingrays, sawfish, spiny lobster, turtles, manta rays and more.   www.atlantis.com
 

March 3rd-6th---We've headed south and are in the Eleutheras including Royal Island and Spanish Wells.
 

March 2nd-3rd---We're anchored at Little Harbor at the southern end of the Great Abacos.
 

February 23rd-March 2nd---We're still relaxing in the Abacos at Marsh Harbor.  We're docked at Harbour View Marina and having fun with the other boaters here.  Tracy had a great time bone fishing.  And we've taken the ferry over to the charming Hope Town.
 

February 22nd---HAPPY Birthday, Tracy!!!
 

February 15th-21st---Tracy is on the boat in the Bahamas.  Jan is at her nephew's wedding in California.
 

February 14th-15th---We're in the Abacos at Marsh Harbor.  The Harbour View Marina, which is where we're docked, is a great place to stay!
 

February 11th - 13th---We're at Green Turtle Club at Green Turtle Cay in the Abacos for few days.  The wind blew at 30 knots out of the NW on Sunday, so Green Turtle was a nice protected place to hang out at.  www.greenturtleclub.com.  They served a great rum drink called a tipsy turtle.  They also had a special during their low season (high season begins April 1st through summer) where anything you paid for dockage could be applied to your dinner and liquor bill.  Amazing special!  And delicious fine dining.
 

February 10th --- We’re in the Abacos Islands in the Bahamas.   Headed out from the Old Bahama Bay on the West End of the Grand Bahamas about 6:30 a.m. and had a beautiful trip across the turquoise blue water of the Little Bahama Bank.  About a dozen dolphins greeted us as we started our trip and we watched the funny flying fish along the way.  The water depths ranged from 6 feet to 20 feet, and mostly around 12 feet--pretty shallow.   We’re docked at Spanish Cay tonight http://www.spanishcay.com/.  Water is $.40/gallon--as you’ve probably guessed, we said no thank you, and our watermaker is working right now.  Spanish Cay Marina is a pretty place and we had a perfect view of the sunset.  I was hoping to see the green flash as the sun set tonight, but no luck.  We’ve never seen the green flash yet, but we keep trying!!
  
February 9th---We left Lucaya and are spending the night at the West End of the Grand Bahamas at Old Bahama Bay Resort.  This is a charming spot and the staff is exceptionally friendly. http://www.oldbahamabay.com/marina/overview.htm
 

January 26th - February 9th---We're at Lucayan Marina east of Freeport in the Grand Bahamas.  The staff in all of Lucaya are so friendly and helpful. http://www.lucayanmarina.com/
 

February, March, April---We're on our boat somewhere in the Bahamas.  There are over 700 islands in the Bahamas and we plan to explore a few of them while doing some fishing, snorkeling and just being lazy.
 

January 24th---Hooray, we're in the Bahamas!!  We left Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades) entry about 6:30 AM and arrived in Lucaya, Grand Bahamas at 1PM.  A great day to cruise!
 

January 23rd---Still waiting!  We're at Pier 66 in Fort Lauderdale, still waiting for the winds to die so we can cross to the Bahamas.  Hopefully, tomorrow is the day.
 

January 22nd---Still waiting to cross to the Bahamas.  It's really blowing so decided to cruise south to South Beach (Miami Beach Marina).
 

January 21st---We've moved to Pier 66 in Fort Lauderdale which is closer to the entry, waiting for a weather window to cross to the Bahamas.  Will it happen tomorrow?
 

January 19th-20th---Waiting for the winds to die so we can cross to the Bahamas.
 

January 18th---My brother and his wife, Jere and Carol Avenson, are on board with us for a week.  They live in Chesapeake, VA.
 

January 12th - 18th ---We're in Fort Lauderdale staying at Marina Bay Yacht Club while we get some maintenance work done. 
 

January 5th- 11th---We're at Islamorada Key at the Holiday Isle Marina.  On January 7th, we swam with the dolphins at Theater of the Sea.  What fun!! 

On January 10th, we spent the day with Dick, Betty, and Laura Ross (Stuart's in-laws).  On January 11th, we had a fun time with Michele and Jim Henrichsen, former neighbors from Grand Rapids.  The Henrichsens keep their sailboat in Islamorada and are here for a couple of weeks.
 

January 2nd - 4th---We're at Marathon Key.  Ruth and Sheldon Gustafson are here with their motorhome and spending time with us.
 

January 1st ---  Carol and Ken Clark from Superior, WI joined us for New Year's Eve last night and will be spending the next week with us.  We did some fishing around Key West today and then headed northeast and anchored at Big Pine Key for the evening.
 

2006
2005 

December 26th, 2005-thru-January 1st, 2006---Still in Key West at the Galleon Marina, enjoying the Conch Republic.
 

December 19^th-26^th---We’re in Key West celebrating Christmas with our sons and their sweeties. 
 

December 18^th---We cruised from just outside Everglades City to Key West, FL docking at the Galleon Marina.  It was a beautiful day in the Gulf of Mexico with almost flat seas.  We watched sea turtles, dolphins, and flying fish along the way.
 

December 17^th---We’re in Everglades City.  Riki and Cary McManus left us this morning after spending a week with us.  What fun we had with them!  This evening we’re anchored in a secluded bay in the Everglades just outside of Everglade City.  Went fishing in the dinghy, but the no-see-ums drove us back into the boat.
 

December 16^th---We were at Marco Island this morning, when Mary and Bob Faulkner left us, returning to their Tampa home.  Riki and Cary McManus were still aboard and we cruised to Everglades City, FL where we docked at the historic Rod and Gun Club.  Checked out the town a bit and found out that a main industry is commercial fishing for stone crab.  Since Hurricane Wilma, this area has been plagued with fruit flies and they filled our boat---yuk.  In the afternoon, we headed out in the dinghy to catch fish.  The mullets were jumping like crazy!   Tracy caught a nice redfish and Riki caught a blue crab.  We added these to yesterday’s catch of sea catfish and sheepshead for a delicious dinner of fresh fish.
 

December 15^th---What a GREAT DAY with many family and friends calling to wish Jan a happy birthday.  Aboard celebrating with us were Riki & Cary McManus (from Superior, WI) and Mary & Bob Faulkner (from Lake Wayzata, MN).  We started the day at Sanibel Island and cruised to Marco Island.  Jan drove a rental car north to attend her Kiwanis Club Christmas meeting in Punta Gorda.  That evening the six of us had dinner at the historic and beautiful Old Marco Inn on Marco Island. 
 

December 14^th---Mary and Bob Faulkner have joined us, which makes six on board since Riki and Cary McManus are also with us.  We started the day at our dock in Punta Gorda Isles.  Cruised out into Charlotte Bay to Cabbage Key for lunch.  Jimmy Buffet wrote his “Cheeseburgers in Paradise” song about Cabbage Key, so of course, we ordered cheeseburgers and they were delicious!!  Continued south and ended the day at Sanibel Marina in Sanibel Island just before sunset.  Riki and Cary created a gourmet dinner for six as we dined aboard the Wanderin’ Star.
 
 
December 13th---Did you hear the champagne cork popping?  We are at the dock of our Punta Gorda Florida home in Punta Gorda Isles.  That means we officially completed our Great American Loop which began on April Fools’ Day, 2005.    Hooray!!!!!   Riki and Cary McManus are aboard and tomorrow Mary and Bob Faulkner join us.  Because we’re not done cruizin’.  We’re just spending two days at our home and then will be heading to Key West for Christmas.
 
 
December 12th---We're docked at the free dock in Venice Beach with fellow Loopers, Darcy & Ken on "Just Us" and Ginger and Laura on "Laura Jean".  We celebrated Darcy's birthday during Happy Hour.
 
December 11th---We're in Sarasota, FL at Marina Jack.  Riki and Cary McManus are now cruising with us from Sarasota to Marco Island. 
 
December 10th---We're still in Tarpon Springs.  We went snorkeling with the manatees at Crystal River.  We counted around 20-30 manatees, snorkeled next to 9 of them and I was able to pet and scratch the tummy on two very friendly manatees.  These gentle giants would peer at me with their little eyes and then kept rolling over so I could rub their belly.  What an experience!
 
December 6th-9th---We're in Tarpon Springs, Florida.  Shrimp boats, boat-building, and it's supposedly the "Sponge Capital of the World".  We're at the municipal marina located down by the sponge docks and there is an unbroken string of Greek restaurants down here.  I would guess that half the people are speaking Greek in the waterfront area.  Baklava, here I come!
 
December 3rd-5th---We're in Dunedin, Florida.  There was a Christmas Boat Parade at the Marker 1 Marina Saturday night.  What a pretty sight!
 
December 2nd and 3rd---A SUCCESSFUL GULF CROSSING!  HURRAH!!!We cruised from Panama City early this morning into Apalachacola.  There was a "weather window" to cross the Gulf.  So at 5:30 PM, we left the panhandle of Florida and cruised 180 miles across the Gulf of Mexico.  About 1 AM, we heard a boat in distress talking to the Coast Guard.  They were "dead in the water" about ten miles away (about 80 miles from land), so we called and asked if we could help.  They asked if they could use our battery to get their engines started.  We cruised east to them, removed the battery used for our bow thruster, and gave it to them.  They wanted to pay us for the battery, but when we found out they were from Biloxi and during Hurricane Katrina they had lost their boat, home, and appliance business and were bringing this boat back from Norfolk, VA to use in Biloxi as their home, we refused to let them pay us.  We continued cruising in the dark. arrived at the eastern edge of the Gulf of Mexico at sunrise, and continued on to Dunedin where we tied up at the Marker 1 Marina at about 10 AM. 
 
December 1^st---We're in Florida now and it was a great day for cruising the Panhandle.  The winds were calm, the skies were blue, and we enjoyed the dolphins that were playing as we cruised along.  We pulled into Panama City Marina in the late afternoon and discovered that the Russian Ballet performance of The Nutcracker Suite was that evening at 7PM.  And amazingly, we got tickets with great seats--I think someone must have canceled or something. 
 
November 30th---We've left Dog River Marina in Mobile and headed east cruising in the ICW (Intra-Coastal Waterway).  This afternoon, we stopped in Gulf Shores, Alabama at Lulu's Restaurant.  Lulu's is owned by Jimmy Buffet's sister and has a very Caribbean theme---rum punches, tropical colors and music.  
 
We were boarded by the Coast Guard when cruising through Mobile Bay.  We passed their inspection test.  They didn't pass my test--they didn't know my cousin, Paul, who works for the Coast Guard in New York City.
 
Right now we're still in Alabama anchored for the night in a bay called Ingram Bayou.  Very pretty and peaceful with a gorgeous sunset.  Although it's weak, I actually have an internet signal and connection here.  Amazing!!
 
November 27th-29th---We're STILL in Mobile, getting service done on the boat.  Will we ever get out of here?  But we're doing a little touring while we're waiting. We have traveled south and west to Dauphin Island, then east to Pascagoula, Biloxi, and Gulfport.  The destruction by Hurricane Katrina was astonishing and sad.  We have also toured the beautiful town of Fairhope.  And our top vote for dining in the area is the Original Oyster House.  Delicious.
 
November 13th-26th---We're docked in Mobile, Alabama!  Our boat is saying "Yikes!  What's with this saltwater?"  We're out of the river system and into the Gulf now.  The boat is staying put, but we're flying north for Thanksgiving, and will return and continue cruizin' after that.
 
November 12th---Continued down the Tombigbee and spent the night anchored with five other Loopers in the Alabama river cutoff.  A quiet, peaceful night.
 
November 11th---Cruised down the Tombigbee with many other Loopers and we all seemed to end up at Bobbie's Fish Camp.  We were rafter three deep off the marina which turned into quite a party up at the restaurant eating all-you-can-eat catfish.
 
November 10^th--- Today we passed the remains of the old Rooster Bridge where, in April 1979 while the river was at a record of 24 feet above flood stage, the tugboat Cahaba was swept sideways down under the bridge. The tugboat reappeared on the downstream side with one of its two engines still running and water pouring out of the windows. If you have not seen this, you can find it on the Internet at (Google search: Rooster, Cahaba, Tombigbee). The tugboat was eventually sold, repaired and renamed the Capt. Ed Harris. It now works out of Charleston, West Virginia.  We stayed at Demopolis Marina tonight and had dinner at the restaurant next to the marina with the folks from Proctor Anne and Mamacita.  A great night.
 

 November 9^th---Decided to tour the Tom Bevill Visitor Center with the southern style mansion and 108-foot snagboat Montgomery.  While spending the evening at Marina Cove, we ran into Hali Kai again.  (We’ve now spent great times with them in Baltimore, Cape May NJ, and Pebble Isle Marina in Tennessee.)
 

 November 8^th---Waverly Marina was our stop today, so we could tour the beautiful Waverly Mansion built by Col. George H. Young in 1852 (it is now owned by the Snow family).  Prior to the Civil War, Col. Young owned 50,000 acres and 1,000 slaves. It is one of the South’s most impressive antebellum homes.
 

 November 7^th---We docked at Aberdeen Marina and the following morning we toured downtown Aberdeen.  Founded in 1837. the land was acquired from the Chickasaw Indians and named after Aberdeen, Scotland.  Aberdeen has been the seat of Federal District Court since 1882, is located in a beautiful southern-style building.
 

 November 5^th-6^th ---We’re anchored out, in a large bay called Five Fingers on Bay Springs Lake part of the Tenn-Tom Waterway in Mississippi.  A gorgeous quiet spot, and we caught several catfish right from the back of our boat.  Fresh fish for dinner!!
 
November 5th---We're heading south now on the Tenn-Tom Waterway (connects the Tennessee and Tombigbee rivers).  We'll be on this for about 450 miles, first going through Mississippi and then Alabama until we reach Mobile, Alabama and the Gulf of Mexico.  This waterway was built by the Army Corp of Engineers starting in 1971 and finished in 1985.  More dirt was moved to build the Tenn-Tom that was moved to build the Panama Canal.
 
November 2nd-4th---We're in Mississippi!  Believe it or not, we can see Tennessee and Alabama from our marina.  We'll be touring Shiloh, Pickwick Landing State Park, and more.  There are LOTS of "Loopers" here at Grand Harbor Marina.
 
November 1st---Cruising up the Tennessee river on a cloudy day, locking through at Pickwick Lock and Dam, and finally reaching Grand Harbor Marina in Mississippi. 
 
October 31st---We continued cruising up the Kentucky Lakes and into the Tennessee River.  We spent the evening at Clifton Marina in Clifton, Tennessee.
 
October 30th---We have been at Pebble Island Marina in Tennessee for the past two days.  Yesterday we toured a state park that honors General Nathan Bedford Forrest from the Civil War.  The only time in U.S. history where a Calvary Infantry (Confederate) defeated Naval forces (Union).  Yesterday, we ran into Loopers that we first met in Baltimore, then ran into again in Cape May, NJ.  Great seeing them again. Today, we went on a half-day fishing charter.  Had a great time, but the fish weren't biting.  We got no catfish.  We ended up with 9 crappies, and the guide caught 6 of them.  :-)
 
 
October 28th---We're back on the boat and cruising!  It's a gorgeous autumn day, the fall colors are just starting to change as we're cruising on the Tennessee River.  We're in the part of the Tennessee river where it has been dammed and it's called the Kentucky Lakes. 
 
October 24th - 27th---Cleaning up after Hurricane Wilma brushed by Punta Gorda.  Our home came through fine.  Our office buildings had some damage:  some of the vents blew off the roof and water got in, some rain blew in under a few of the doors, and the sign got damaged.  Not too bad, we're very happy the damage wasn't worse. 
 
October 20th - 24th---We're waiting to see what Hurricane Wilma does to Punta Gorda, FL.
 
October 14th - 20th---We're at beautiful Green Turtle Bay Resort and Marina in Grand Rivers, Kentucky.  On October 13th, we cruised up the Ohio River and then turned onto the Cumberland River and cruised up that.  A very scenic trip on the Cumberland, through the Barkley Dam and now into Lake Barkley.  We've rented a car and plan to tour this area for a few days.
 
October 13th---Awakened to fog, so we slept in until 7:30.  The fog lifted slightly but not enough so we felt good about going.  Luck was with us and we got behind barges pushed by the Connie Mays towboat that was going up the Ohio.  Talked to the captain of this towboat for about a half hour.  Fascinating conversation!!  It's now 10 a.m.  We hope to get thru three locks today.  Depending on how much commercial traffic we have to wait for (pleasure craft go last through locks--sometimes you can wait for a couple of hours), and how often we have to slow down so our wake doesn't damage boats tied up along the side of the river, we MAY make it!
 
October 12th---We cruised down the Mississippi starting at mile 117.  Stopped for lunch at mile 52.5 where we tied up at a red-roofed barge and walked up the hill to the quaint town of Cape Girardeau.  Beautiful murals painted onto the wall that retained water during the spring, although we were tied up about 35-40 feet below this wall.  Had shrimp and crawfish po'boy sandwichs at the Royal N'Orleans Restaurant.   Continued on our way and stopped for the night at mile 1.3 just north of where the Mississippi and Ohio river meet.  Anchored off to the side on the Mississippi for a lovely peaceful night.
 
October 11th---Ken and Carol Clark joined us at Hoppie's Marina, and we cruised 40 miles down the river.  At mile 117 on the Mississippi, we turned up the Kaskaskia River and spent a peaceful night at the lock.
 
October 3rd thru 10th---We're at Hoppie's Marina just south of St. Louis, MO.
 
October 2nd---We're now on the mighty Mississippi river at Alton, IL.  Missouri is across the river.
 
October 1st---We're at Hardin, IL.  Had gooseberry pie for the first time and it was delicious.
 
September 30th---We're in Peoria, IL at the Illinois Valley Yacht (IVY) Club.  We've been watching pelicans and egrets and geese.  And flocks of seagulls followed our boat most of the day, looking in our wake for their dinner.  Spent the day traveling with new boating friends:  Ronda & Frank of La Nostra, and Helen & Ted of Act II.
 
September 29th---We're at Starving Rock Marina on the Illinois river.  We saw our first pelican today.
 
September 28th---Today we cruised down the Calumet river (Indiana) into the Cal-Sag canal and then into the Illinois river.  Lots of intimidating tows but we've found the towboats exceptionally helpful.  Tonight we're docked at the Wil-Joliet Bicentennial Park in Joliet, Illinois.
 
September 27th---We're in Hammond, Indiana tonight.  Tomorrow, we start crusing down the Calument river/canal.
 
September 24th-27th---We're in the Windy City...Chicago.  Their waterfront has been beautifully developed and looks like one big park.  On our first night here, were were welcomed with beautiful fireworks.
 
September 23rd---We're in St. Joseph, Michigan tonight.
 
September 21^st thru 22^nd---We’re exploring the sights around Grand Haven, Michigan.  We took the walking tour of downtown which included beautiful Victorian homes.  At night, right from our boat we could watch the Grand Haven Musical Fountain, built in 1962 as the "World's Largest Musical Fountain".  Over 90,000 gallons of water travel through 1.5 miles of pipe and 1300 nozzles with water reaching heights to 125 feet.  Very pretty.
 

 September 20^th---The rollers were big as we left Manistee early this morning, but definitely doable.  As the day progressed, the seas got better and smoother.  Stopped for fuel in Muskegon and continued on to Grand Haven.  
 

 September 18^th and 19^th ---Instead of spending a second day at Mackinac Island, we decided to get going.  The weather was forecasting some nasty stuff for the afternoon.  It was a lumpy and bumpy ride down to Manistee, Michigan on the east shore of Lake Michigan.  The municipal marina in Manistee was very quiet with only one other boat besides us.  We stayed a second day since the forecasted weather arrived and there were 20 knot winds with 30 knot gusts.  Happy to be in a safe harbor.    
 

 September 17^th---Cruised across the north end of Lake Huron and arrived at Mackinac Island.  There are no motorized vehicles allowed on the island, so you see people walking, biking, or riding in horse-drawn carriages.  As we tied up at the marina, I could smell the candy shops making fudge and caramel along with the scent of horse apples.  What an interesting combination!  That evening, we took a horse-drawn carriage ride up to the Grand Hotel for an elegant dinner.
 

 September 16^th---Started early this morning and cruised into the Sault Ste. Marie.  Went through the Canadian Soo Locks, refueled at George Kemp Marina, and continued down the St. Mary’s River.  As the big ol’ moon was rising in the east and shining on the water, we pulled into the DNR marina at DeTour. 
 

September 15th---Left Bayfield, WI early this morning with beautiful seas all the way to Houghton-Hancock.  There were 2-5 seas from the southeast on the way to Marquette.  Pulled in to Marquette about 8:30 PM.  A nice day for our beginning to the "Cruise South".
 

August 1st through September 14th---We are at the western tip of Lake Superior.  We arrived at Pike's Bay Marina in Bayfield, WI. on August 1st.  We've been visiting with family and friends, either in the Apostle Islands or else the Superior/Duluth area.
 

July 31st---We cruised from Grand Marais to Houghton-Hancock, Michigan.
 

July 30th---We continued east through the North Channel into the St. Mary's River.  Cleared customs at Sault St. Marie and went thru the Soo Locks.  Hooray!  We're cruising on Lake Supeior!
 

July 29th---We spent the evening at Thessalon, Ontario in the North Channel.  Listened to the live music and watched the terrific fireworks display celebrating Canada Days.
 

July 27th - 29th---We're with the "Looper's Flotilla" in the 30,000 Islands of Georgian Bay, at Parry Sound, and at Killbear Marina.  We're with about a dozen other cruisers who are "doing the loop" and or member of Americas Great Loop Cruisers Association.  What fun getting to know other people who have been cruising up the east coast, thru the Great Lakes and are going down the middle of the U.S. thru the river