Another sailing season comes to an end.

 Just like last year our sealing season came to an end much too soon. Being on State run docks, the season ends on the last day of September. With that being on a Friday this year we decided to go over and spend on last night aboard and bring her home this past Sunday since the weather was supposed to be nice.
 Of course there was no wind when we finally arrived at the boat. We got there a bit later than we had wanted as we both had to work and then someone, no names mentioned (Cindy), discovered that she had left the lights on in Juicy when she went into work so I had to go rescue my damsel in distress before we could head to the lake. We got to the boat to discover a literal mess all over the top of her. Seems the spiders have taken over and their nest provide to be highly effective at trapping more flying critters than they could eat. All the dead carcasses were laying on the decks. So while Cindy motored us to Boy Scout cove I gave our girl a bath with the new collapsible bucket I got.
 After dropping anchor and pitching the pop top and cockpit tent I aired up Cindy's paddle board so she could go paddle while I cooked dinner. I had pre made shrimp kabobs at home while I waited on Cindy to get done at work so they were ready to go. I mixed up some cheddar bay biscuit mix and fired up the grill to bake them in. I am really getting into baking in the grill and if I say so myself I am getting pretty good at it as well. Here they are going on the grill

 Baking on a grill is not a set it and forget it type affair as the wind blowing past the grill can greatly affect the temperature of the "oven". I had to stop up the vents on the right side of the top to get it to stay warm enough. But after 15 mins of baking they were ready to be coated with melted garlic butter!

 Cindy came paddling back up just as I was finishing the biscuits and trying figure out how I was going to get the cooking stone off the grill so I could cook the kabobs. I did not think of that before I started. Well my idea of using my pot holder to hold onto it as I dipped it into the lake to cool off turned out to be a bad idea as it cracked right in the middle and dropped into the lake. I let the other piece I was still holding join it on the bottom and went about cooking the kabobs. Lesson learned.
 Dinner was delicious and we both ate way more than we should have. Seems 5 biscuits is very filling. Ask me how I know?
 The last sunset on the water for 2016 turned out to be a real beauty!

It is such a shame we loose the whole month of October. The wind that has hardly evened puffed for the last 2 months usually starts blowing again in October and the leaves typically start changing color although that seems to be getting later and later each year.
 After doing dishes we cuddled up into the v birth and watched a movie on the fire. Well, one of us watched the movie, while the other one napped. I am proud to say I saw all this movie as it is usually me who is sawing logs before the first scene is even over. Cindy was pooped from working all day at a volleyball tourney so I let her snooze peacefully with her head resting on my chest.
 The moon finally started to rise about 3 am and it was a gorgeous night. The stars we out very bright and the sky was clear. We stood in the cockpit to take it all in for a few minutes and then retreated back to bed till sometime past 9:30 the next morning! I awoke to the sound of fish jumping so I swiped Cindy's paddleboard and headed off with my fly rod in search of a lunker. The fish evaded my every cast but the biting black flies sure found me. Heading back to the boat to make breakfast I found Cindy swatting flies while she tried to read her book.
 We debated our options but wound up choosing to go ahead and load our girl onto the trailer and then go up to the Log Cabin for breakfast before returning to break her down for the ride home. There was no wind and no wind forecasted so we figured we might as well get it over with. It wasn't going to be any easier if we waited till evening. Cindy dropped me off at the boat ramp dock so I could retrieve the truck and trailer. Cindy did her usual excellent job of expertly guiding the Memory Maker into the keel slot as I hooked the winch hook onto the bow eye. In mere minutes she was hooked, winched and locked down ready to pull out. We actually look like we know what we are doing now.
 After dropping the trailer in the trailer lot we headed up to get breakfast as I was getting a bit hungry. The Log Cabin does not look like much but the food is super yummy and very reasonably priced. After eating way too much of my hay stack special which is a large platter of hash browns covered in biscuits and gravy with two eggs over easy on top we headed back down to the boat to start preparing her for the journey home. Someone had a 7 month nap coming up.
 Once we were all done taking her apart and securing all the pieces we headed out en route to get our weekly skillet cookie dessert at the Big Woods brewery in Nashville IN. Talk about yummy! Just think about two large dollops of chocolate chip cookie dough in a small cast iron skillet cooked just long enough to turn brown on the outside but still be soft and gooey on the inside, then cover that with ice cream, whip cream, and caramel sauce. Can we say heavenly??? We have been on a cast iron skillet buying spree so we can try to make these at home. Our first attempt will be very soon.
 Looking back on our sailing season it was the typical up and down of sailing in Indiana. We started the season with good winds and new sails. We sailed every chance we could and even made it to the dam and back in one day! Then there was the honeymoon trip that did not go anything like I had planned or hoped. Bringing the boat back to the lake after returning from the North Channel and making repairs at home I was not even in the mood to sail. The boat really let me down after all the work I had done to her but I think I let myself my down even more. We had good wind maybe one time after we returned then it just died. We still came over to the boat at least once per week to check on her and give her a bath but several times that is all we did as the wind just wasn't there. We got suckered out once as the flags at the boat house were blowing but the stopped as soon as we got out of the slips. We sat in the lake bobbing up and down in the wakes of power boats as butterflies passed us by. We dropped sails and returned under motor power. It just really sucks to pay for 5 months slip rental and only get wind descent enough to sail in for maybe less than half that time. I can see why people loose interest in sailing so easily around these parts. It is just so dam frustrating!
 Monday after I got home from work I started the yearly task of removing the mast and getting it hung up in the garage so I we can back our girl into my slot in the garage. While I am not thrilled at the thought of having to scrape frost off my car each morning the thought of having to get the rain and snow off the tarp covering the boat if we stored her outside sounds even less appealing to me. I did that the first winter we had her and ripped holes in two pairs of jeans getting in and out of her. A boat bay addition on our garage is in our future and I can't wait!
 With or girl all tucked away safe and sound in the garage it is that time of year that our, ok, my thoughts start drifting off to snow days and ski trips! Maybe a little early yet to be thinking about snow but hey, we did have our first fire of the 2016 fall season that same night

 So the snow can't be far behind! We also tried our first skillet cookie at home

 I need to fine tune the ingredients and cook time but I think we are on the right track!

 It was yummy but not quite the same as Big Woods. It is going to be a long winter so I have plenty of time to perfect it!!!

Honeymoon, the last days

7-25-16

 Waking up in the Empire room at the Cottonwood Inn brings back memories of the first time we stayed here back in 2013. It was our first vacation together and to be honest I was about to burn out. I had just been through two very hard years and building our house had about wiped me out. I needed a break. So when Cindy suggested we go north to Michigan to sail with friends of hers I at first thought she was crazy but then I realized we needed some time away, I needed some time away. So we went. Our first sail was the type of event that you never forget, for all the wrong reasons, much like the first night of our honeymoon LOL! Who knew that one fateful day in July would lead us back here again 3 years later. Oh the memories we have made along the way!
 Neither one of us was really eager to get started with our day as we knew it was time to start heading back south. That meant that we would be returning to the real world soon and no longer would I have my beautiful lil best friend by my side all day long. Cindy is just so much fun to be with and we get along so well that I honestly think we could spend day in and day out together. But that is not to be right now and we knew that.
 After breakfast we packed up and said good by to Carrie at the inn. We let the boat sit and made one more trip down to the beach as it was beautiful day and neither of us wanted to leave.

 It is amazing to see how much the beach changes from day to day. The water never stops moving and it is constantly rearranging the grains of sand and the pebbles it washes up from the bottom of the lake. Each walk is like walking on a new surface with new treasures to find. With pockets full of rocks we headed back to the inn to get our leaky little boat and head south.
 We wanted to stop back in Saugatuck and do some shopping so I booked the night at the Captains Quarters on the north side of town. The reviews were good and they said they had room for the semi and the trailer. We took our time working our way south and arrived there sometime in the midafternoon. Someone needed a nap after all the excitement paddling the day before

 The Captain's Quarters turned out to be a great find.

 It was a old road side motel that set back off the road but it had been totally redone and the rooms were very nice. Not huge, but they had everything we needed. Not only was it nice but the young couple running the place also had one very pretty pup for a mascot!

Hard to believe she was 13 years old. Scratching her ears made me miss our boys who were being spoiled rotten back home. We found a place to park the boat along the drive so all was good there. After dropping the boat we took off in search of treasures. We spent the afternoon going from shop to shop, buying way more stuff than we needed. But hey, its our honeymoon, plus we were stimulating the local economy.
 We had dinner outside next to the marina in Saugatuck. I had to ask the waitress why the sailing club was called the Singapore Yacht club to which she was clueless. Later I found a sign talking about the old town of Singapore that was there before Saugatuck and how it was buried in the sands from lake Michigan. I think I had my answer.
 We were both beat from all the walking and shopping so we returned to our room at the Captain's Quarters to watch some tv and relax. I lasted about 5 mins before I saw the back of my eyelids for the last time.
 I slept like a rock and so did my new bride, or at least I think she did as I did not notice her waking up any in the night. It was a sad day as it was the last day of our honeymoon. We were going to drag our feet as much as we could but we knew by the end of the day we would be back home and the real world would be waiting on us.
 After checking out and saying good by to the mascot we left the boat behind for a bit as we went to check out the Saugatuck beach as we had heard it was very nice. It was a bit of a drive to get there as we had to go south into Douglas and then back up around the harbor to get to the beach road. I was a bit miffed that they charged 8 bucks to park and no dogs were allowed. I paid the 8 bucks but grumbled as I did it. The beach was very nice and went probably at least another mile north to the pier.

 It got wider the further north we walked. We splashed about in the water which was probably 10 degrees warmer than the water at Empire but sadly there were very few rocks to be found.
 We headed back to pick up our boat before turning south for South Haven. You did not think we would pass up the chance to visit South Haven did you??? What a fun little town. Not sure I would like to live there but we sure enjoy visiting. We lucked out ad the parking spot we had on the way up was still there waiting on us when we got back!
 It was only about 11 am when we got to South Haven but it is never too early for a tall cold glass of SHIT

 We had a late breakfast/lunch a the Idler Riverboat. Such a neat little place and the South Haven iced tea is to die for. While we ate a new class of future sailors was getting towed out for their lesson.

 Always good to see a new generation take up the sport as it is dying a slow death today for several reasons.
 After our snack and beverages we took of for our two favorite shops in South Haven, Divana G's and the antique store just down the street. Diavan G's is a neat little boutique with a lot of pretty clothes for Cindy. Not much for me but I do enjoy a good fashion show.
 The antique mall down the street always has some great finds just waiting on us to sniff them out.
 This time I scored a awesome wood sailboat for 20 bucks! I also got Cindy a sharp pair of sailing pants probably from the 70's. I wanted them for as soon as I saw them but she said they would not fit. I made her try them on right there in the booth. What do you know, they fit. SOLD!
 After our shopping was complete, as in we spent too much money, we walked down to the pier for the first time as husband and wife. I am sure we took a selfie there as we always do but heck if I can find it now. If you have seen one selfie of us in front of the light house at South Haven you have seen them all LOL!!
 Someone told us about the Viking ship that had sailed there from Norway so we had to go check it out. It was docked on the other side of the Black River so we had to walk across the Black River on the drawbridge to find it. It was at the Coast Guard museum and we did not feel like paying 50 bucks for us to see it up close. But what we did feel like paying 50 bucks for was eat, drinks, and t shirts at Lou's bar right next door!
 We had put it off long enough, sadly it was time to head south and face the challenges the rest of the world would throw at us as husband and wife!
 We made it home a little before 9 that night and Edward and Wilson were super happy to see us.

 The chicken tenders I brought them as a peace offering probably helped them forget we just left them for two weeks LOL!
  While it was good to be back home it was miserable all that same time. The temperature was in the mid 90's and the humidity was 90% plus. It just felt like a sauna outside. Again I say, nobody chooses to live in southern Indiana because they like heat and humidity. I think it had rained almost everyday we had been gone and the grass was a foot tall. But what really made the fact that we were home so hard to deal with was because I knew I only had one more day with Cindy all to myself. Call me selfish, but I love when it is just my bestie and me side by side doing anything. We still had to take the rental truck back and go to West Marine to get supplies to fix leaky. I was going to make the most of every minute we had left together before we both returned to work...