Charlie's First Post

Well, this is my first post on the blog, so don't expect too much! Not as much 'touchy feely' as Linda has done. I use a lot of quotes, exclamation points and parentheses for emphasis, so get used to it! This is our 3rd week. For those of you in the "Freedom's Turn Distance Pool" that had Manistee---you lost! We are now in Grand Haven and will be spending our 4th night here. The first 3 nights were planned, but today we are weathered in with a "small craft advisory" which means 3-5 ft. waves or larger (no fun unless you are a seagull). We were going on to Saugatuck today or tomorrow, but at $100/night marina fee (typically we pay a nightly marina fee of $37-44, governor's tax included!), we will skip it and go on to South Haven. So much for liberal towns.

We got here from Frankfort to Manistee (4 hrs) then Pentwater (5.5 hrs) . This time of year salmon fishing is the dominant thing to do in these towns. All these towns are unique but possess this commonality. Boats going out fishing at 5:30 AM and returning at 11:00 AM and then repeating it at 6-10 PM. I mention the time because that is when Freedom's Turn is a rockin', and I mean from the wakes of the fishing boats! We've seen many 15-20 lb. salmon with the most and biggest in Frankfort. In Manistee we stayed at the city marina on the river; this is where Carrie and Jody got engaged at the light house. We didn't get to the casino, but enjoyed the 'up north small town atmosphere', esp. the cigar lounge (me not Linda). Speaking of Linda, she has been a god-send on this trip. I'm not too sure where I'm at after retirement, but she keeps us focused and is forever busy, and tolerates my highly unusual and infrequent mood swings. Enuf said.

Pentwater was great for a couple of reasons. We got to visit and have breakfast with some good friends, Ralph and Cherrie Lundberg. Ralph was my boss in the State Police crime lab and left to run the family farm near Pentwater in the late seventies. We had kept in touch with them, but not for several years, so this visit was very special. Ralph wants to have the first functional windmill in the area on his farm! Only business and politics stand in the way! Pentwater is also a stronghold for Michigan State fans and supporters. We had lunch one day at a restaurant owned and run by the Perles family. I even got to weigh on a scale gauged from 0-500 lbs. (probably for George) in their store (I have lost 5 lbs---I need more ice cream). We anchored out both nights there near Perles' home. I'm sure they loved it!

We came from Pentwater to here, Grand Haven (7.5 hrs). Last night we had a Friendly, WV childhood friend, Randy Rutherford, and his wife, Mary Ann, on board for happy hour and then out to dinner. They have lived here for over 15 years. I know I could have talked to them forever. It's funny how two friends both moved to Michigan, live a couple of hours apart, and only found out about it nearly 45 years later at a class reunion. Of course, I reminded Randy of the time he stuck a knife in my foot playing 'stretch' (absolutely against my Mom's rules!).

Take care until next time. Then again, maybe I'll continue writing (Linda has wiped down the boat and finished two loads of laundry while I have been doing this!). By the way, to see the new, larger photo in a full size, just double click on it.

Charlie (aka Charles to family!)

PS We have only used slightly more than 1/4 tank of fuel, about 80 gallons, in 257 nautical miles (295 'normal' miles, 3.7 mpg. Donations needed for next fill-up!

Our first week

We had spent countless days, weeks and months planning a different life away from our home in Okemos. Our goal of making our boat a cozy new home was finished. Our daughter, Carrie drove us up to Freedom's Turn on Wednesday, August 6. She left us there the next morning. We had no car. We could not nor did we wish to turn back. When Charlie and I woke up early on Friday, August 8, 2008, snuggled in our berth on Freedom's Turn, we could prepare no more. This was the day. We pulled out of our slip with a full boat and a full feeling of anticipation; saying good by to our slip and our dock for one year! It was our time to go. It is impossible to explain our excitement. We do not begin to know what a year will feel like; all we know is what that morning felt like. We felt free, being both retired at last. We were ready to live our dream.

We left Cheboygan and cruised to our first destination; the annual Duncan Bay Rendezvous in Government Bay, located in the beautiful Les Cheneaux Islands, in Michigan's Upper Peninusla on the southeastern shoreline. Some of us from the boat club came a day early before the weather became turbulent. The rest of our boater friends never came and had their own event back in Cheboygan. We had a wonderful send off, complete with the campfire, great food, and sharing stories that we always have each year.

Next we cruised to 51 miles west and south to a favorite place of ours; Beaver Island. We stayed at the municipal marina for two nights. Beaver Island is the largest island on Lake Michigan and is located in the northeast section of the lake. We have been to the island a few times before and we always feel like we are on an adventure as we enter the St. James Harbor, especially this time! On our way into the bay we saw one of the Tall Ships anchored there. The magnificent ship looked like the pirate ship in the movie 'The Goonies"! We cruised at our normal speed of 7 -8 knots which is about 9 miles per hour with light breezes on our stern. The weather was
wonderful, we got lots of exercise riding our bicycles and walking to the ice cream stores! I was happy to visit one of my friends, Joyce Bartels who is the island's historian and lives on the island every summer. And our delicious meal at Nina's at the Beaver Island Lodge on the patio overlooking the beautiful sunset was a big treat.

The next two nights we spent at the the new city marina in Charlevoix; a beautiful beach town with the best of all worlds. Quaint downtown with their sidewalk sales going on, farmer's market, artist galleries, fancy condos, and the beautiful Lake Charlevoix. We cruised this big lake in our dinghy and decided this was the life! We had our first visitors as well; the Spitzleys of Portland and the Poniers of Charlevoix.

Then on to Leland with it's historic "Fish Town" a popular place to buy the fresh caught lake trout, whitefish, and salmon right off the docks. We bought some and have it in our ship's freezer. Another sidewalk sale and artists galleries and I felt like staying for weeks! Charlie says the boat is too full already; the water line is already way up the hull! Oh well. We traveled four hours on this this day and was glad to get in; the trip over was very bumpy with 3-5 foot waves and the winds coming on our beam.

Today we are at the municipal docks in Frankfort. Another bumpy day on Lake Michigan. So far we have traveled close to 150 miles. Just another 5, 800 to go. Looks like a fun place but it is the day to finally do laundry. As I get ready to do my chores, what do I see but an art fair and a used book sale at the library... there just isn't enough time in the day.

Charlie says hello and offers to compose the next entry. "Enough about feelings", he says with a smile. I guess he will write more about the facts. Oh, well. Hope all is well with you and yours.