You Know You're a Boatnerd When

You know you're a boatnerd when your friends take pictures of boats just for you. My friend Bonnie was calling on clients in northern Michigan this weekend and send me these photos with this message:

Took this just for you! Off the harbor just north of Rogers City.

Can’t see the name of her though…

OK, readers, now I'm challenging you to identify this freighter for me. I know you can do it.

Pictures from Bill K.

Boatwatcher Bill Keetley sent me this message and pictures this week. I'll post a few of the pictures now and more to come. Thanks Bill for the beautiful pictures. I'll post the rest later this week.


I took these down at the river last week. The Frontenac was headed down the river past Mission Point and the Drummond Islander III was behind her. The Robert Pierson was up bound and the 3 met just before the rock cut.
My favorite Picture is the one of the guy fishing on the riverbank with the boats in the background. The salty is the Jumbo Vision.

October 13 at the Locks

My sister-in-law Linda just sent me these pictures that she took this morning at the Locks. For those of us not at the Soo, they are a treat to see. This is the American Century locking through this morning. Thanks Linda!

Cabin Close-up

Our plans for the fall were to return to our home near Grand Rapids to finish a contact I had which finished Sept. 30. We were then going to return to the cabin in October and have a leisurely fall. But things didn't work out that way. Our home sold after having been for sale for months and our move-out date is Oct. 23. So our month has been full of downsizing after 20 years in this house and raising 4 children here. But each step of the way has gone well.

This past weekend, we headed north to bring a load of furniture from our house to the cabin and then to close up for the season. But even those plans got changed. We brought our 7 year old grandson who is really a great worker and he wanted to come and help. I joked that we are training him for close-up in 20 years when we don't feel like doing it.

Friday night we went to bed and at 1 AM, Jack woke me up to tell me there was a boat passing in the river. What a treat! Yes, he is a boatnerd in training. It got me thinking about how we can provide activities for children to develop a love for the boats in them. That is a subject I'd like to spend more time thinking about. Do you readers have any ideas?

Unfortunately, that wasn't the only time Jack woke me up Friday night. He came down with a flu and spent the rest of the weekend on the couch. We cut our trip short and returned home yesterday so that Jack could be with his mom and dad.

Here are some pictures from the weekend. The first two pictures were taken by Bill Keetley. You see the Drummond Islander III which is doing the Sugar Island run while the Sugar Islander is in dry dock for some repairs.

The colors were fantastic around the Gaylord area and on Scenic Drive near the Soo. Sugar Island was in full glory.

Saturday & Sunday we were treated to snow flurries. Yes, there was snow.

We saw several ships Sat. and Sun. Sun we saw the Edwin H. Gott, Algosoo and our last ship of the season was the Paul R. Trugurtha. Those memories have to keep us until next spring.

We will be returning early next year because I know our life will have settled down by then-at least I hope so.

Memories of Summer

Bill Keetley keeps close tab on the goings-on at the Soo. He sent me some photos of boats before we headed downstate but in the busyness of this month, I hadn't gotten them posted. So here they are. It is fun to look at boat pictures anytime. Thanks for sending them Bill.

We're hoping to be in the Soo later this week. We will be moving a trailer load of stuff from our house here. We sold our home here in Caledonia and will be bringing lots of furniture and 'stuff' up to the Cabin. We hope to be spending lots more time in the Soo but won't be living there in the winter until we get our cabin winterized a bit more.