Lamprey Release into the St. Marys River

A Day for 1,000 footers

According to my  research there are 13 footers, or 1,000 foot, boats on the Great Lakes.  I got my information from Know Your Ships.  Know Your Ships is the bible for boat watchers.  I've been using it since I was a young girl watching the boats from the same spot I do now.  It was my grandparent's place when I was small.  A new edition is published every year with the latest information on the boats that sail the Great Lakes.

 It was a wonderful day for boat watching. We had temperatures in the low 60's with a dew point at 37.  I could work in the yard while watching the boats and enjoy both activities. 

There were six 1,000 foot boats that passed by today. This afternoon,  two vessels from the Interlake Steamship Co. passed out front.  The Mesabi Miner was up bound and the James R. Barker was down bound.  They sounded a salute of one long and two short blasts.  I recorded the second salute.  I hope you enjoy the pictures of the James R. Barker and the Mesabi Miner.

I also saw the following boats today:

Walter J. McCarty Jr.

Edwin H. Gott

Quebecois

Sedna Desgagnes

Burns Harbor

Indiana Harbor

Back at My Post

Canadian Enterprise heading down bound on June 1, 2011

 My husband and I arrived back at our cabin on the St. Marys River on Monday.  When we drove down the driveway we were greeted with the effects of a wind storm earlier in the spring.  We had received calls from the neighbors telling us that there were trees down but we weren't prepared for what we saw.  There was a tree across the driveway and several more in the yard including one on our neighbor's garage.

So our first few days at the cabin will be tree removal and clean-up.  But I've had some time for boat watching.  This morning, the Edwin H. Gott and the Walter J. McCarthy Jr. passed each other in view from my recliner while drinking my morning coffee.  That is the way summer is supposed to be.

What's New in the Sault

We arrived in the Sault last night.  There is a quiet busyness here as things are starting to spring to life.  I took a walk around town and saw several new businesses.    The above picture is Soo Brewing Company which opened recently to rave reviews.  I've heard lots of good things about it and I'm looking forward to visiting there this summer when we officially move up here.

 This is a new building on the west end of Portage Street.  There were no signs or indication who owns the building.  Readers, does anyone know what this building is?  It is large and sits acjacent to the Corp of Engineers Visitor Parking Lot.

 I stopped by the Locks and watched the American Spirit and the tug Missouri lock down.  There is lots of activity in the Locks Park.  You can see in this picture that the observation deck has been enlarged.  I hope it will be completed soon for the summer season.

A new book store!  Great news.  I didn't have time to stop here but Island Books and Gifts is located in the old 1st National Bank/Traverse Bay Woolen and most recently the St. Vincent Thrift shop building.  I hope they feature lots of local books!

If you've found any other new things in the Sault this spring, let me know so I can enjoy too.

Shipping Season to Begin

It is a happy day for all of us 'boatnerds'. The shipping season will officially begin tonight at midnight. The Paul R. Tregurtha will go through The Locks as she sails up into Lake Superior. There are wonderful pictures on Facebook "I Love the Sault". I will try to post them later today.

The Cabin in February

My grandchildren spent the weekend with my husband and I this past week. I have four grandchildren who are an absolute delight. All of them love coming to the cabin and watching the boats but the 8 year old boy is my up and coming 'boatnerd'. He came with me to the watch the passage of the first ship of the season for 2010 and stood out in the cold to welcome the Lee A. Tregurtha through the Locks.

Yesterday he said to me, "What do you think is happening at the cabin right now?" I couldn't help but feel lonesome for the cabin. I know it is empty, cold and just waiting for our family to come back, open it up and begin our summer fun time. The flowers are probably covered in snow. There is probably some sweet pea vines still on the frame although they aren't the beautiful colors of summer but a brown, limp vine of winter.

This is the time of year to start planning our gardens for next summer. I also want to think about what I will need for the kids to play with this summer. We bring each grandchild up for their own special time there and they also come with their parents for a week-long visit. I get crafts, kites and anything fun I can secure. I'm thinking this summer we should have some toys for water fun. I'm thinking of a water trampoline. Anyone out there know a good source or have any other ideas of good play equipment for the St. Mary's River.

The Cabin in December

Last weekend we made a trip to the Soo. We were there to help my mom host the Annual David Mitchell Family Christmas dinner. This annual event has been held for at least 80 years and probably more. That is how many years my mother has attended. I have attended since I was born too but rarely make it to the dinner now that there is a 350 mile drive involved. Especially with the early December date. Road conditions can be very iffy this time of year.

Although our cabin was closed for the season in Sept., we made a visit to pick up my Clavinova for use at the dinner. A Clavinova is a electronic piano and I used it to accompany the Mitchells as we sang Christmas carols.

It was difficult to just stop by the cabin. We couldn't drive in the drive-in because of snow. We used the neighbor's driveway and trooped across several yards. It made us wish we could spend the winter there because it was so beautiful.






It was a beautiful sunny day. You can see there are no geese around anywhere!