Bonjour from Ontario and Quebec

This is a long blog because we have seen and experienced so much but have little to no wifi.

Brewerton, NY Winter Harbor

June 12th-15th Waiting out rain and wind

Friday, June 15 Cruise to Lake Ontario

We traveled with these 5 boats all day.  Together, we were 6 in a lock at the same time.

We left the Erie and traveled the Oswego Canal to Lake Ontario where we spent the night in Oswego Marina. We only traveled 33 miles, but transited 8 locks! 

An average lock takes about a half hour. Most of the locks, and for the size of our boat, the Captain holds a line on the bow area so he can be closest to the helm and the first mate grabs a line on the stern. We hold on to the line to keep the boat steady through turbulence caused by the intake or draining of the water. That makes for a tiring day.

Downtown Oswego.

Colorful street bistro.

Crossing Lake Ontario to Clayton, NY

Spent the night in Clayton where we joined other Loopers for dinner and breakfast.

1st view after crossing the Lake.  Ontario.

How would you like to live in the green house?!  Lovely house, but the house behind it is abandoned and looks pretty spooky!

Dinner at Bellas with Coconuts, Sabbatical,  & Phanthom.

Our sunset at Bellas.

Sidewalk Clayton NY.

Saturday, June 16th.  Happy anniversary to Kyle and Maggie. Can you believe it has been 2 years since they wed. We planned their wedding as we were cruising on the Tennessee river. I sent her pictures of purple flowers then, because that was the color she chose to use in her wedding. I still send her pictures of purple flowers.

Cruising the 1000 Islands from Clayton to Brockville via St. Lawrence River

Canada on the left (port) and NY on the right (starboard)

Little houses.

AND BIG ONES. . . 

Boldt Castle : George Boldt, owner of the Waldorf-Astoria in NYC and the Bellevue-Stratford in Philadelphia, was the most successful hotel magnate in the country. This castle on Heart Island was built as a birthday and Valentine's day gift to his wife, Louise. From 1900 to 1904, the Boldt family spent summers there, while 300 workers transformed the island into a palatial paradise. In 1904, at the age of 32, Louise died and all work stopped immediately. The grounds and building languished for more than 70 years until the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority took it over in 1977.

Singer Castle: A hunting lodge of Commodore Frederick Gilbert Bourne used to be known as the “Dark Island Castle” until recently it was named Singer Castle. Bourne was president on the Singer Manufacturing company, producer of Singer Sewing Machines. In 2006, it was for sale for $22 million.

Hospital at Alexandria Bay.  Alan used to moonlight here in the summer.

1000 Islands

Sunday, June 17

Happy Father's Day and Welcome to Canada!

Brockville Municipal Harbour, Ontaria

St. Lawrence River

We checked into Canada and immediately began 2 fun-filled days in Brockville. Sunday night we enjoyed a concert in one of the parks adjacent to Sea Jamm.

To check into Canada, you had to call customs from this phone booth and they asked you several questions and gave you a number to post of your boat.  Sometimes, it's not so easy.

The following 3 photos are of Canada's First Railway Tunnel, a 158 year old tunnel runs from the Brockville's waterfront. The tunnel has been refurbished and still stands strong. You can walk end-to-end through it and enjoy a dramatic program of dazzling and colorful LED light show highlighting the tunnel's interior.  Enjoy pictures with Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald playing in your mind.

"Amazing Place?  It is somewhere that fills you with awe and wonder.  The Frontenac Arch Biosphere Network asked the public to tell us what places took their breath away.  (This railroad tunnel was one of them; these pictures do not do it justice.)  Each has a story to tell, though that story is different for each person who visits it.  Some stories tell of a memory or simply a feeling being there.  One thing they all have in common, is that you know one the moment you see it."  

What is your Amazing Place?

For lunch we ordered fish & chips to go.

Fish & chips in the park.

View from Sea Jamm of Brockville.

June 19^th, crusing to

Marina Salaberry-de-Valleyfield

St. Lawrence River, QC

Have you ever seen so many bird nests?  This is McNair Island.

Valleyfield for the night.

I sure wish I could remember a little French from high school! I thought this area spoke some French and lots of English. Wrong. Many do not know English at all. It makes it a little difficult to make reservations at the marinas and to get the help you need when you get there.

Dinner at McBroue.

Another concert in the park: Les Portageux. They were a French Celtic folk group and they were so good that Alan and I bought their CD.

Not only was it fun to listen to the music, but it was refreshing to watch the interactions of  community.

Local Catholic Church.

We have lost our Looper buddies. Only Sabbatical is cruising with us. Most Loopers went on to Trenton (they are taking a shorter version of the Loop). We will go to Trenton also, but have opted to take a sidetrip and see Montreal and Ottawa via St Lawrence River, Ottawa River, and the Rideau Canal.

June 20^th

Port de plaisance (pleasure) de Lachine

Montreal, QC

First day of summer. It's high of 22C/71.6F. Sunny. A perfect day to spend walking in Montreal.

The sunrise is at 5 AM each morning. Sunset is at 9PM. We have to wear night masks to be able to sleep past 5 in the morning.  Seriously!

Notre Dame of Montreal

Man feeding sea gulls at the sea port.

The English Pub and the French Poodle

"A dashing looking English man holding his pug, is giving a superior stare at Notre-Dame Basilica, symbol of the religious influence on French Canadians.  200 feet away at the northern corner of the edifice, a woman in a Chanel style suit, poodle against her, shoots an offended look to the Bank of Montreal's head office, symbol of English power.  With their masters oblivious to each other, the two dogs on the alert have already sniffed out the opportunity to unite".

Montreal street performers.

22 June Friday

Traveled to Hawkesbury Ontario

The largest religious denomination in Ontario is the Roman Catholic Church (approx 32%). In Quebec it is 67% of population. They do have beautiful churches.

We are on the Ottawa River traveling north west. Quebec is on our starboard (right) and Ontario is to port (left). We locked twice today. These were easy locks. All we had to do was tie up to their dock and the whole dock raised along with the water. There were two college kids on school breaks there to help.

65' Carillon Lock. This lock raised Sea Jamm 5 million gallons of water in 20 minutes!

This is inside the Carrilon lock when we entered.  All you see will be underwater in a few minutes and we will go out the gate at the very top.

23 June Saturday

Happy birthday Mama!

Spent the night in Hawkesbury, Ontario. We walked into the town for dinner last night and walked back there for a huge breakfast this morning which might be my best breakfast yet. The strawberry jam was French and so tasty on our grilled toast.

During our cruise today we passed Chateau Montebello, reportedly the largest log structure in the world built in 1930.

This little treasure cruised with us all day on the dash of Sea Jamm.  According to Google, dragonflies signify good luck, purity, harmony and prosperity.  I don't know how much faith I put into Google, but I do know that I like dragonflies and that God is good.  All the time. 


Coming soon:  Ottawa and Anna and Molly!

Let's do the Erie Canal

Wanda & Donald
Hannacroix, NY

This blog is dedicated to Donald & Wanda who keep their boat in Shady Harbor. They are not Loopers, but we met them briefly one weekend night during the time our boat was out of the water being worked on. Later in the week, Wanda came by the marina one day to check on something and saw that Sea Jamm was still out of the water. (And, although we were living on the boat with electricity, we couldn't cook on board because the water running from the sink would run into the boat yard.) Seeing our situation, Wanda invited us over to their house for dinner that evening. What gracious hospitality offered to us, pretty much strangers. Well of course, we went, and shared a lovely evening meal and fun conversation getting to know one another. Donald and Wanda will not only be placed on our Christmas card list, but have a place in our hearts as well.

During Sea Jamm's convalescence and after we had taken the rental car back to Albany, Alan and I would take walks into New Baltimore every day. New Baltimore is a little village along the Hudson. It has no stores. Only a small post office which is “for sale”. But it has charming houses, and even more charming inhabitants. We stopped to talk to a lady gardening. She had just got back from her last chemotherapy and needed a diversion she said. When we were ready to walk on, she invited us into her home for a cup of tea. We declined reluctantly, but once again, we are reminded that kindness matters. I passed by a couple of times after that to take her up on her offer, but she wasn't home.

Little village & community of New Baltimore

One of my favorite houses.  The gentleman that lives here was always outside and we would enjoy stopping to chat with him.

The gentleman that lives in the stone house grows white poppies.

Nearby trail that carried us along the Hudson and to streams with a waterfall.

Our delay at Shady Harbor brought us many Loopers.  Some new and many we had met earlier.  They have caught up to us!

Kip entertaining us during one of our many docktails.

Grilling out one night with Phanthom, Nellie Mae, and Contentment.

Brian, the owner of the marina and the restaurant, treated us with "Little Beers," a Licor 43 topped with heavy whipping cream served in a small shot glass that resembled a beer glass.

Docktails aboard Phanthom, Herb's 54' Trader yacht.  He said he bought this boat for its "big porch" so he could entertain.  He is our 77-year-young friend who is looping (for the 2nd time) all by himself.

Nick and Nikita watching as they lower Sea Jamm back into the water.  Nick is manager and dock master of Shady Harbor.  He lives above the marina office and store.  During the Winter, they bring in the docks and boats and completely close the place down because of the ice and snow.

The guys in the red shirts are the mechanics who labored to make Sea Jamm new again.  They have her safely back into the Hudson.

Last of the Hudson

Finally after 10 days we are back on the water

Saturday, June 09

With her shiny new propellers, a strut alignment, and clean bottom, Sea Jamm is finishing the Hudson and headed to the Erie! Because we have seen Albany, Troy and a lot of the Erie by car, we are wasting no time.

You got to love those fishermen.

State university in downtown Albany.

Crew rowers enjoying their Saturday morning.

The Erie Canal connects the Hudson River with Lake Erie and Ontario. It took about 8 years to construct the original canal. The present canal was completed in 1903 with 34 locks. There are 3 parts and we are only doing the eastern and middle sections (We'll be taking the Oswego canal to Lake Ontario). We have about 220 miles to cover, with 27 locks and many villages along the way to explore or shop. So sit back and enjoy the cruise with us.

Part of the original Erie Canal.
Waterford, NY

Bob, the lock master of Lock 2 painting between locking boats.  The machine in his little building is what he uses to raise and lower his lock.

Saturday, June 9^th

Lock #8 wall

Scotia, NY

Lunching at Jumpin' Jack's Drive-in restaurant.
Scotia

When we are walking around after lunch, we find the "cotton" of the tree I've been trying to name.  In our last blog I had no idea what was blowing around like snow.  It is the Cottonwood!    And the locals call it "June snow". 

Back on the water. . . 

Saturday night. 

Many of the locks have free walls where you can tie up to and spend the night. Locks close at 5 PM, so you have to schedule your traveling around those closures.

Chicken for dinner. I actually cooked! We have no electricity, so we used the generator for the first time in a long time.

Sunday, June 10th

Bronze Mother and Child on the Mohawk.
Amsterdam, NY

Look at the detail of the fish and bait he's about to bite.

St. Johns- St. Marks Lutheran Church
Canajoharie, NY

Sleeping Under a Bridge

Sunday Night

Lock #17 wall

Little Falls, NY

This lock was impressive as being the highest lift lock on the Erie. It's also believed to be one of only two locks in N. America where the entrance gate is lifted above the boater, like a guillotine. And, yes, we slept under a bridge.

Next morning after sleeping under this bridge.

Monday, June 11th

A guard gate, used to protect the river and locks from flooding.

My friend Karen got a shot of us locking up.  These Amish were watching the lifting and talking to the Captain as the first mate was busy keeping the boat steady from the stern.

An old blue tug.  See the old fashioned fenders.

Monday Night

Sylvan Beach

Instead of shrubbery or flowers, Sylvan Beach decorates with pieces of driftwood.

There is a rather large carnival in the town that is there year-round but only open on weekends and during the week when it's warmer.  And, it is not open because it is not warmer yet. 

We pulled right up to Crazy Clam and had dinner.  See Sea Jamm's reflection in the window to the left of the red umbrella.

Tuesday morning

One of our favorite things is to find the local breakfast place.  Today for breakfast we shared one of the best frittatas made with Italian sausage, mozzarella, and fresh vegetables.

Leaving Sylvan.

Our wake crossing the calm and sunny Oneida Lake.

Tuesday night

Winter Harbor, Brewerton, NY

Our home for the next 3 nights waiting out rain and wind. No one wants to do a lock in a 25-knot wind!  We will see you again, soon, on the great Ontario.