Sibling Rivalry...and, back to the original Great Loop route

Yes, my siblings have arrived! On Sunday, August 1, Cheryl, Janet, Rick and I arrived in Toronto and met up like clockwork with no delays or hassles. We've been cruising along swimmingly now for three days since leaving Parry Sound on Tuesday. The Georgian Bay of Lake Huron continues to be beautiful and full of narrow passages flanked by rock formations of the "Canadian Shield" (their rocky base). Numerous protected anchorages are everywhere, and we've taken advantage of several.

I should point out that the current predictions are that the Gulf of Mexico oil spill will not adversely affect boaters by the time I would arrive there in early November. Therefore, I have decided I can continue with my original plan to cruise the Great Loop and will not need to turn around in a few weeks. Yeah!

This photo is when I was still with Brian before we left Parry Sound. We anchored next to a pretty island just outside of the Sound. The next morning we headed into the marina where I would be leaving the boat for two weeks. That day and the next I did four loads of laundry and a host of other chores to prepare for when my siblings would be joining me upon my return.

Here's the welcome sign in Parry Sound, Home of Bobby Orr, the famous hockey player. We walked all over the downtown and harbor area, which was quite crowded this time of year with tourists. There was lots of cleaning and chores to catch up on since it was our first town in many days.

I phoned a friend from Nestle Canada, who retired in 1996 and lives here. Roger Gould dropped by the boat for a nice visit. You could see the Canadian flag at his home straight across the bay.

On Wednesday, July 20, Brian and I locked up the boat and boarded a bus, headed for Toronto.

When our bus arrived in Toronto, Brian and I were picked up by another Nestle friend, Andrea Papamandjaris, and her two girls. We joined husband Marco DiBueno and their son at their home, and for one evening and morning, we got to enjoy the hectic lifestyle of a family of five on the go! Soccer games, day camp, quick dinner for the kids, baths, sibling challenges, changing clothes, etc and more etc. It was a blast. After the kids were asleep, the adults got some local Indian food take out and visited warmly. The next morning, more hustle and bustle, and pretty soon it was all quiet; Brian and I were alone. We soon took a taxi to the airport.

Brian flew home to Columbus to begin the process of moving to his new job in Columbia, SC. I flew to Spokane to spend 12 days with Janet and her family. She had already arrived in Lewiston, ID where she had lived and raised her family for 25 yrs or so (before moving to Ohio in 2000), and where her parents moved from Hawthorne in 1990.

We drove from Spokane to her parents' home, where we stayed until we drove to Boise for the Basque Jaialdi festival six days later, on Tuesday, July 27. The day after I arrived, however, I needed to do two important things now that I was back in the U.S.: get my cell phone fixed so it would work in Canada when I returned, and get my computer fixed to rid it of its many viruses. It had finally stopped working completely two days before leaving Parry Sound. The Verizon people worked on my phone situation for at least 90 minutes and assured me it would work in Canada. I'm here now, and it doesn't. I cannot believe it. (If you need to reach me, call on Rick's, sister Janet's, or Cheryl's cell phones.)

The very next day, Janet and her son Aaron and I drove a few hours south to the Wallawa Lake area of NE Oregon. We stayed in the cabin belonging to Aaron's dad, but which used to be Janet's too, and it was really cool and beautiful up there. It was fun hearing about all the projects they did over the years (mid 90s) to get that cabin in shape for actually living in for vacations or weekends. We took a cable car up from 4100 ft to the top of Mt Howard at 8600 ft, to hike around and sight see, where this photo was taken. Isn't it gorgeous up there?

The drive to Boise with Janet's parents and Aaron was about 6 hours and had many scenic spots along rushing rivers, lakes, railroad trestles, rocky hillsides, mountains, and the valley where Chief Joseph battled (and defeated) the U.S. Cavalry, which spelled his Nez Perce tribe's doom in the months to come 140 yrs ago.

Once in Boise, I became Basque over the next five days! Fun! They said 30,000 people came from all over the world for this festival, which occurs only every five years. There were about 15 in the Amuchastegui clan there, plus many family visitors coming and going. Dancing, music, sporting events, costumes, culture, history...it was a total blast! Janet's grandfather was a sheepherder in the area and was active in the Basque community there after emigrating from the Basque homeland in the 20s. His name was engraved in the sidewalk with other "founders" of the Basque Block in the city.

This picture is a bit out of order, because first my siblings and I arrived in Toronto and did a bunch of stuff. See the final photo.

But the day after we arrived, Rick and I drove about 90 miles north to visit Dave and Sandy Thompson, and their dog Abby. They have a BEAUTIFUL "cottage" on a lake near Sudbury. I met Dave on my bike ride across the country in 07. We've remained friends, and they've visited me in Simi, in Virginia, and in Maryland on the boat last May. They pretty much built this home themselves, and it's an incredible place. Sandy served a yummy lunch, and we visited out in their gazebo over the edge of the lake.

Cheryl, Janet, Rick and I finally untied and cast off from Parry Sound at about noon this past Tuesday. Quite soon we were right back into the incredible scenery of the 30,000 Islands area of Georgian Bay, with its frequent narrow channels between rock formations. My sibs oooed and awed all the way for two days now. This photo shows just one of many lighthouses we've passed.

The first night we anchored in a bay all to ourselves and Rick and I kayaked around while Cheryl and Janet watched birds with their binoculars. The next morning, yesterday, we lazed around and Cheryl made us a nice pancake breakfast. We anchored midday for lunch, a long exploring dinghy ride among hundreds of the 30,000 rocky islands, and kayaking and swimming. Last night we have found another private anchorage, other than the black bear we watched hustling along the nearby shore and swimming among the islands. Of course, we have also shared this cove with billions of bugs and flies, but hey... Oh, and during our "happy hour" last night, we shared the Sibling Rivalry wine Janet A. and I purchased back in Trenton for this eventual event when my sibs would be here!

Both nights we grilled our meats and Janet's veggie burgers, and ate up on the flybridge. This morning, Rick kayaked to the nearby island and hiked, and now Janet's out there while I've been writing this blog. Pretty soon we'll be off to perhaps make it to Kilarney, which ends Georgian Bay and begins the North Channel of Lake Huron. See you soon!

This final picture is out of order because it's in downtown Toronto. The first thing we did after the airport was drive to a Shoe Museum (if you know sister Janet...). The history of shoes...(I liked the First Nation moccasins the best). Anyway, directly across the street was Mercurio Bar. After Rick and I got through the museum and Janet was still at the beginning, we decided to check it out for a cold one. But they were closed on Sunday. But Rick asked next door and they had another Mercurio Bar just a block down the street that was open. We each had a little something and got this photo. We kept the Mercurio paper cups as souvenirs.

We then headed north to Parry Sound, where the boat had been docked for two weeks. On the way, we stopped at the final lock of the Trent-Severn Canal, to watch it operate. Brian and I had been there just a few weeks earlier. We arrived in Parry sound about 7 pm. My sibs got acqainted with the boat, then we went out to dinner and fought the mosquitos since we ate outside.