Back, Back in the USSR

Jack’s WW II Compass

On Thursday, with heavy hearts we left Malden, Maren, David and Declan. It was so nice visiting with them all. We went to Montreal and enjoyed two nights of big city life. Party on! Saturday, we drove as far west as North Bay, on the shores of Lake Nipissing, which is known for its fishing, but neither of us fish. Still, North Bay is about halfway between Montreal and the cabin, where we are this Sunday. The tittle o this post has no political connotations for me. I have probably been listening to too much sixties satellite radio. Anne and Bill have generously offered to fête us for dinner. The question is, where do we go from here? It is cooler here at the cabin then before, but not too much. It is not quite as hot in Saint Louis as it has been, but it is still warm. I have reached the point, where I am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed. So, future travels are unlikely. It is more a question of timing as to when we will head south. I feel like one of the migrating birds we were discussing today, trying to time our lake crossing to catch a favorable wind.

A Pair of Juvenile Bald Eagles

A Pair of Juvenile Bald Eagles

Jay, Carl and Joanie left the cabin today. I am glad that they made it up here, if only for a little while. They were fun to have around, if a bit too phlegmy for my tastes. We leave tomorrow, headed east, with a stop first in Rochester and then on to Boston and our new grandson, Declan. Harry (and Jane) made another unscheduled trip to the ER this week. Same thing, different day. It seems that he is getting fed up with modern medicine and on this go around he elected to not check himself into the hospital for another overnight stay of no sleep, bad food and waiting on doctors. Pictured are this year’s crop of neighboring Cedar Point Bald eagles. They or more correctly their parents have been massacring the local seagull population, as evidenced by the many carcasses on the sand. We will swing by the cabin one more time, on our way back from Boston and on our way home.

Trans-Superior Race

Trans-Superior Closeup – Black Sails

Today, we watch the beginning of the Trans-Superior race, from the Soo to Duluth. There was a light southerly wind and with the boats headed north to round Whitefish Point on the first leg of their voyage, they were all quick to deploy their colorful spinnakers. They started at one and as of writing, most of the racers have yet to clear Whitefish. They will not be setting any speed records on this run but based upon reports of the amount of beer that they had uploaded for this two-day cruise, it may not be just about the speed.

Colorful Trans-Superior

The weather was bright and sunny, with temperatures in the seventies. We managed to find some shade along the boardwalk at Point Iroquois and while I was trying to get the perfect shot, Anne spent her time speaking with a couple from Paradise. They had visited the marina in the Soo and gave us the inside skinny on things like the beer consumption and that most of the boat’s crews will be flying home from Duluth and getting back to work, leaving just the captain and his first mate to pilot the boat home.

Trans-Superior Pano