A Visit at Home

We have driven home while work is being done on TOM-KAT. We were shocked to see a lush green lawn and a host of weeds in the gardens! July is normally a very dry month and lawns are usually brown by this time and even the weeds struggle for water. The area has received about 10 inches of rain for the month, while normal rainfall is closer to 3 inches.

We returned home right after our visit to Griswold Island and have been busy visiting with family, friends, retired co-workers and neighbors. We were able to catch sailing buddies before they crossed Lake Ontario for a two week vacation. We all gathered at Scuttlebutts Restaurant on the Genesee River for dinner.

Loop boats don’t normally stop in Rochester (most leave Oswego and head straight across the lake), but we saw Skylark and recognized them from Kentucky Dam Marina. We had a nice chat with Ken and Nancy and welcomed them to Rochester. They had completed the Loop in Baltimore and were headed home to Toronto, CN. We offered them a ride to the grocery store, but another kind Rochesterian had already taken them to the nearby market.

I was lucky to be able to attend a Woodside Garden Club meeting, as well as stopping in to say “hello” to one of my bridge groups. It was wonderful to visit with everyone and catch up with some gals that I hadn’t seen in over a year!

Bob enjoyed some “guy time” with another retiree friend, Bernie, when they attended a Thunderbirds Air Show, as well as a Classic Car Show. We saw this Osprey flying down in North Carolina, but here’s a picture of one, up close! GM’s fuel cell car was on display at the Air Show and Bob and Bernie enjoyed examining the car and engine. For several years before Bob retired from GM/Delphi, he worked on the Hybrid vehicles.

A great deal of time at home has been spent working on the outside of the house and in the yard. Bob climbed up on the roof and removed thousands of little maple seedlings growing in our gutters. Our wonderful neighbor, Tom, had already removed all the seedlings from the first story gutters. What a guy!! Thanks again, Tom! The next picture shows one of our whisky barrel planters with a lovely, blooming weed growing very happily in it. I pulled it out and filled the barrels with mulch in hopes that the covering will control the weed growth. We also hired a tree service to come and remove several large locust limbs that were overhanging the roof.

Over the weekend of August 3, our 40^th wedding anniversary, we were fortunate to have Katie, Bob’s Mom and our daughter-in-law, Kelly with grandchildren, Shannon and Connor home for a visit. We were also happy to help Connor celebrate his 5^th birthday with a “Pirate” party. Happy Birthday, Connor! We missed our son, Tom, but we know he was busy keeping all the customers of Frisco Bay Marina happy!

Bob keeps in touch with Essex Boat Works and TOM-KAT’s bottom work is finished and the stuffing box is in, but attaching the shaft and aligning it with the engine will have to wait until the boat goes back in the water. The last item on our list was a thorough washing and waxing of the hull and upper decks. We won’t recognize the boat when we get back!!

Thanks for Visiting With us!

Griswold Island, Connecticut

On Saturday, July 19, Bob and I, plus daughter, Katie hitched a ride (with brother-in-law, Bill) over to Griswold Island for a couple of days. There are nine properties on the island and all are privately owned. My sister and brother-in-law own one property with my niece and nephew right next door, a true family compound!

First order of business was a kayak tour around the island for me, Katie and niece Kathy.

We then walked around the island and met several of the islanders. In the center of the island is the fire bell. Fires are always a concern on an island, but the islanders have fixed up a great system for fighting fires until the fire department can get over in a boat. There is a 1400 gallon water tank buried on top of the island with water lines leading off in three different directions. Good to be prepared!

The kayak beach.

Dinner on the deck.

Katie at low tide on Sunday morning. Our travels to and from the island are all planned around high tide. At low tide, the island boat would be in the mud.

Ed and Doris Jean, my nephew and sister.

Thanks for Visiting!