Life On Orion

 After consulting with Dewey's vet and with a surgeon at the emergency clinic, we decided it was best to go ahead with the urethra surgery now instead of waiting to see if he blocked again and was unable to pee. When they understood he was returning to a boat, not a house and I didn't know where I might be when there was another emergency, they agreed it was best to take care of any issues now.  He had his surgery this morning and the procedure went very well.  The surgeon said his tissues all looked healthy and it was to his advantage that he wasn't sick and his labs were all normal.  They were going to watch him today and tomorrow and if he is doing well and urinating, we can bring him back to the boat tomorrow afternoon.  He will be on meds, prescription wet food, be wearing a cone and have to restrict his activity for 2 weeks.  We might have to have him sleep in his carrier at night so he doesn't jump up and off the sofa or bed.... I just want him back with us and h

 It was a hot one here in Brewerton and the river was very busy with boats going past our marina for a cruise out on the lake.  I had a conference call with Dewey's vet and his night went as well as can be expected.  They will watch him today and possibly remove his catheter tomorrow and see how he pees. So I wait... We used the day to try to relax, get some boat cleaning done and Tom hoisted the dingy down from the top of the boat.  His patch job seems to finally have worked, and we have a functioning dingy! We took a short spin up the river in it and docked it at a Tiki bar where we had a cool drink before returning to the boat.  One of the Looper gals shad a birthday yesterday, so another couple of the gals went to pick up a cake and ice cream so we could have a "birthday party" on the lawn. As always, it was fun gathering with our fellow loopers and kept my mind off my sick cat for awhile.

 Days like today are difficult to experience and sometimes harder to write about.  After a short night with not a lot of sleep, we left Utica and our intent was to stay at a free city dock in Rome NY, a short 10 miles down the canal.  We cast off at 6:45 am and an hour into the days cruise I noticed our cat, Dewey, sitting in the cat pan for long periods of time and upon checking, realized that he was not urinating and in fact, was unable to.  Having lost a cat to urinary blockage 2 years ago, I immediately became sick with fear, and knew Dewey needed to get to an emergency vet right away.  Not an easy task when you are in the middle of the Erie canal. The funny thing about the Erie canal journey is, that you feel you are in the middle of nowhere, but you actually are close to several cities and will sometimes even see a major highway running alongside of you. I was frantically doing an online search for emergency vets (remember, animals always get sick on the weekends....), checking i

We didn't have to leave early this morning, so we slept in and I made french toast for breakfast. Our intended destination today was Ilion NY where the Remington Museum is and we planned to walk there from the dock.  When we pulled in and tied up the dockmaster informed us that the museum went bankrupt about a year ago.  Seriously?? Not one place was this mentioned...  As the dockmaster was telling us this he was standing in front of a huge billboard advertising the museum!  😧 We took Madison for a short walk to Aldi's about 4 blocks away to pick up some essential grocery items and then pushed off to continue west on the canal. One more lock and we tied up at the city dock in Utica NY.  There is an Italian Restaurant here right on the wall and you pay for your overnight stay in the bar.  We have electricity and water and we scored one of 2 spots on the floating dock so Madison can get off the boat easily. We went up to the restaurant for lunch and met the owner (Bev), her husb

 After only 2 locks we arrived in Little Falls, NY - a stop I have been looking forward to since I was here last September when we were moving the boat south. Most of the boats on the wall with us at St. Johnsville locked through with us today, so that got a bit crowded.  Lock 16 was just 2 of us, but Lock 17 is the biggest lift on the canal, takes a long time and you can only be on one side of it due to the amount of water moving into it.  There were 6 boats and the lockmaster got us all in by having 3 boats on the wall and the other 3 "rafted" to those boats.  Yikes!  We were the last boat in and rafted up with another boat which was a nerve-wracking experience since I didn't know how to do it.  Well, I do now.... We were lucky and got a spot on the floating dock part of the city wall with electric and water, so life is good.  Madison and I can get off the boat without risking a swim... Some of the folks that arrived after us we knew and we met 2 new couples.  All such

 Yesterday we went through 5 locks after leaving Amsterdam at 7 am and were the first boat to tie up on the wall at St. Johnsville, NY.  There is somewhat of a race to get a space on these walls, as there is usually only room for 5 or 6 boats.  Turns out I do have a tiny bit of competitive nature and was pleased that we were the first boat.  Winning! The weather was perfect and as the other boats began to arrive we connected with some previous boat neighbors and met several new couples.  There was a nice park area and we were able to stake Madison out and bring our chairs out to sit with her on the wall, so she had a very good dog day! I finally got to relax and read for hours and we felt rested.

 No Wi-Fi for several days, so I have to catch you up on our travels. We ended up staying a 3rd night at the docks in Scotia and left there early Monday morning.  Our friends, Wes and Leanne elected to leave Sunday afternoon, so we have parted ways. We went through 3 locks before tying up to the city dock in Amsterdam and it was cool, windy and rainy, so not a lot of fun and a lot of work holding the boat onto the lock wall with the hanging ropes. We were tied up on a concrete wall, which makes it difficult for Madison (and me) to exit the boat safely. No electric hook-up here either, so we had to run the generator to cook.  Thankfully, no A/C needed...  One night here to rest was plenty.

 The beauty of being retired and doing this loop is that we don't have a schedule and plans can be changed....  When we got up this morning all 4 of us decided we wanted to stay here for the day today and not travel through more locks. It turned out to be the best decision ever - Tom and I took Madison for a long walk through the park where we are docked, into town and through really pretty neighborhoods with historic houses. The main street is hopping with stores and businesses! We stopped at a Dunkin Donuts for coffee on the way back to the boat and then set up our chairs on the back cockpit area of the boat and relaxed in the shade. I read some of my book on Kindle and Tom went back over to the park to watch them play some baseball. A walk to Jumpin' Jacks for lunch and another walk downtown for the collectible car show before more lounging on the back deck. There is a ski show team based out of this part of the river and they were rehearsing today, so we got a free show. Do

 Our first day of the Erie Canal is behind us! We did the first 5 locks, which are in a series, close together and are referred to as the Waterford flight. Each lock raised us up about 35 feet, so we gained some altitude today. We and our buddy boat were the only 2 boats in each of the locks, which is nice because it gives you some room and time to learn what you are doing without crowds.  All went well, we did one more lock (lock 7) and then tied up at the city dock in Scotia NY.   There are only 3 boats here, although there is room for about 6 and we are right at a beautiful city park complete with ball fields, picnic areas and walking trails.  Madison got to play some fetch in the grass which was a huge treat for her! We made dinner, cleaned up and then walked to Jumpin' Jack's Drive-In for ice cream.  I've never seen such crowds and such a huge drive-in with a walk-up.  It certainly is the place to go in town and the ice cream was a treat. The other accomplishment for t

 The last 2 days we spent at the city dock in Waterford NY with no WiFi, but it was a great stop.  We got to the end of the Hudson River and took a turn to where it joins the Erie Canal to start our canal segment and pulled up to the long city dock where there was water and electric for a nominal charge.  The visitor center is right there and the town was very walkable.  There were about half a dozen looper boats there but thankfully, no docktails or dinners.  I'm warn out!  LOL! We moved the boat down to the concrete wall where there was a parking lot yesterday morning and took a diesel fuel delivery from a company in Albany.  It was much less per gallon than we can find on the Erie, so it felt good to save some $$$. Across from the dock was an island which was a wildlife preserve so the animal watching was good! We docked very close to Erie Lock 2 which is the start of the Erie locks. (Lock 1 doesn't exist anymore and they didn't feel like re-numbering all 43....)  We too

It was an early morning, but we had a gorgeous, traffic free trip up the Hudson to Shady Harbor Marina here in New Baltimore NY. Huge vacation homes continue to line the steep banks of the river and quaint small towns dotted the shore. There are old lighthouses in the river as you cruise north that look like houses from Mary Poppins or some other Disney movie.  I have included picture of a couple of them. We picked up big wind about half way here which made docking pretty interesting, but we haven't hit a darn thing yet... 😂  Wes and Leanne helped us lower our arch on top of the boat, flatten antennas and remove canvas to prepare for the low bridges we will encounter on the Erie canal.  Thankfully, our boat has that capability - some folks can't do the Erie and Canada is not open yet, so they are deciding what to do. We pumped up fenders in preparation for locks and I did one load of laundry. At last count there are 12 Looper boats here and there was an impromptu gathering at

 Our trip up the Hudson River today was the most beautiful boat trip I have had so far.  Pictures don't do it justice - both sides of this very wide river are filled with lush greenery and huge, impressive homes as well as universities and picturesque towns.  To make it even better, the weather was sunny and 70 and the water was like glass.  No other boat traffic to speak of so it was really peaceful. The highlight of the trip was passing West Point and it goes on forever! What a beautiful campus.  We also passed the Vanderbilt mansion and FDR's home and monument. I drove the boat quite a bit today since it was not crazy and Tom is teaching me a little more each day.  Not nearly as easy as driving a car for sure... We are at the Poughkeepsie Yacht Club and I use the term loosely.  LOL! It is a collection of ancient docks, very old boats and a Yacht Club building right out of the 40's.  They very graciously allowed our friends and ourselves to spend the night here and we met

 Today was a fun trip out of Great Kills Harbor on Staten Island, a cruise by the Statue of Liberty and a leisurely trip up the Hudson River to Croton-on-Hudson, NY. We were with Wes and Leanne along with another couple and spent about 45 minutes passing back and forth in front of the Statue of Liberty to snap each others pictures.  I haven't been sent mine yet, but will share when I get them. It was great fun passing that close to Manhattan in the water and seeing places from the river that we had visited on foot the day before. One bit of excitement happened right before we went under the bridge to enter the Hudson River.  Wes and Leanne lost power to both of their engines. Yikes! Their alternator was bad as it turned out and didn't charge the batteries to keep the engines running.  Wes is an electrician by trade, so was able to rig something up to charge the batteries enough using the generator and we didn't have to tow them up the river.  We had a long line ready just i

  It was a grey, rainy day today but we still packed a lot in.  Wes and Leanne came over to our boat this morning so we could route plan and pick marinas to stay in.  She and I called and got reservations at places north of here for the next couple of nights so we are set for awhile. Around 2 pm we called a taxi and the 4 of us went 9 miles up the road to the Croton Dam. It is strictly for water retention and the area was beautiful.  We walked across the top and then took the trail down to the bottom where there is a pretty park.  Called another taxi and had them drop us off at the grocery store to stock up again.  We won't be in places handy to restaurants for the next segment, so we needed to have enough provisions! I had just loaded all the grocery bags onto the boat and was starting to put things away while Tom returned the cart to the marina office when Madison decided she needed to go out. I was trying to be helpful and leashed her up to wait for Tom, but she got anxious and

Finally are close enough to a laundromat to have clean clothes and bedding.  We made the short walk with Wes and Leanne and spent a couple of hours there getting everything washed and dried. Some other Loopers were there as well as a really nice couple here in their RV.  Usually waiting for the laundry is a boring proposition, but the time flew by. The afternoon was spent getting organized, putting clean clothes away and Tom did a small repair on the dingy.  We had planned to go eat at the Croton Tavern (about a 25 minute walk away) with 2 other couples, and as boats kept coming into the marina our group grew to 10! People we had met a few stops ago were arriving and so we all went for a fun dinner on the outside patio.  It really felt good to share stories and laugh! I guess it is true about the people you meet on the Loop being the best part...

 Today was our day to explore NYC and we left mid-morning to take the local commuter train to the Staten Island Ferry station.  It was a hefty, mostly up hill walk to the train, and a 30 min ride to the ferry, but the ferry ride to Battery Park was pretty short.  Again, one of those iconic things I wanted to do.... Wes and Leanne had never been to New York, so they did the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and 911 Memorial while Tom and I took the subway to Hudson Yards and poked around that area.  We walked some of the High Line again, ate at a burger place and walked to a new area built out over the water called The Island.  It is a series of concrete pods that look like large planters or women's high heels and are filled with greenery.  It was featured on Good Morning America a few weeks ago and really is quite unique.  New Yorkers are so clever about creating green space. By the time we re-traced our steps and got back to the boat it was late afternoon and my feet were feeling al

Today was a nice mix of boat work, relaxing and exploring the town of Great Kills. There are some great walking paths here and a cute waterfront park and downtown is convenient too.  Tom heard about an Italian Deli (Frank & Sal's) where you could get food to go and got rave reviews from the locals, so that is what we did for dinner.  The chicken parm and stuffed peppers did not disappoint and I can't believe how little we paid for that food! The marina we are staying at is a working man's yacht club and our looper association has a reciprocal agreement with them, so we got discounted slips and privileges at the "clubhouse" for happy hour. What a hoot! We went up there with Wes and Leanne and were certainly entertained.  Tommy, the bartender was straight out of a movie and made a mean margarita. No Wi-Fi here, so we popped in a movie and watched the old fashioned way - a DVR player....

 Today was a grueling, long day that started out with a 5 am departure and 10 hours on the open ocean. The weather was pretty favorable, but we did have a couple hours of fog in the morning.  It burned off about 9 am and the water was pretty flat, so a much better ride today!  Plus we were only a mile off shore, so I felt safer and there was more to look at. Endless stretches of beaches, vacation spots and amusement parks – it really must be where everyone goes to play during the summer. We are in a very protected bay on Staten Island in the town of Great Kills and I’m looking forward to exploring the area.  We went to dinner at a great Italian restaurant next door to the marina with Leanne and Wes and then made it an early night.

We left Cape May NJ this morning around 7 am, so we could sleep in...  LOL! As we were leaving our marina Tom noticed a sailboat that couldn't get off the dock because of the wind and tide, so on our way out we gave them a tow.  You never know what each day will bring... This leg of the loop is best traveled outside New Jersey on the Atlantic Ocean.  I have been nervous about this segment since I'm not crazy about big water and I can't say today was my favorite... We were 3 miles off shore so I could see some land for awhile, but about 2 hours into the trip we were fogged in.  Ugh! And we got some big swells and did a lot of rolling around. We have our new radar and boat identification system so it was not impossible to travel, just unnerving. Fortunately, you follow a GPS route already in your computer because I didn't "see" land until we were turning into the bay at Atlantic City and heading for our marina. The marina is attached to the Golden Nugget Hotel a

 Let me just say that I am so tired I'm not sure I can type this whole entry.  We got up at 4 am and left the dock at 5:15 am for the run down here to Cape May.  The weather was beautiful, hardly any commercial traffic and not too many swells and waves. The current got a little dicey after we enter the channel to Cape May, but we were all tucked in safe and sound by 11:30 am.  Floating docks this time - yay! We met another couple last night who are from Nashville and doing the Loop and they are staying at the marina next door, so we went to an early dinner with them.  We plan to travel together as buddy boats to travel up the Atlantic to Atlantic City tomorrow.  Not such an early morning, though, as we plan to leave at 7 am.

It was a short trip today - just 15 miles through the end of the C&D canal to Delaware City.  We stayed at the City Marina where all the "loopers" stay and stage for the run down the Delaware Bay to Cape May.  There were 5 looper boats docked there and Tim, the marina owner gave a thorough weather briefing at 5 pm so we would know what to expect.  The report was favorable for the morning, but becoming more unstable as the afternoon progressed.  So, given we have a slow trawler that goes 8 knots top speed, we plan to pull out at 5:30 am.  Tim will check the weather one more time at 5 am and then help everyone pull lines and get on our way.  So little sleep tonight.... 

 We finally left Baltimore today and had calm seas all the way to Chesapeake City. We left the Bay and headed up the C&D canal and that's where the fun started....  I have always heard that to travel on a weekend day is much more stressful and boy, that was sure the case.  Because the weather has been crummy, this weekend was beautiful and everybody was out on the water on whatever floated - waterskis, speed boats, fishing boats, jet skis, etc. The canal was rather narrow in spots and I've never seen so many idiots aiming for us...  LOL! Our dockage for the night was at Schaefers Canal House and Marina, and it really was just a long fixed dock right next to the restaurant and bar with live music till 10 pm. 😲 Pictures below....  There is a pretty swift current that runs through the canal and a tide that rises and falls 6 feet, which means that the water with your boat in it floats up and down every 12 hours and if the dock you're tied up to also floats, you never notic

We left Dan & Andrea's house late yesterday afternoon and moved back onto the boat in anticipation of leaving today for Chesapeake City MD, but the weather didn't cooperate and we were here for one last day.  We treated ourselves last night to a nice dinner at the Rusty Scupper at the entrance to the marina and early this morning we went to breakfast about a 30 minute walk from the marina and had a delicious breakfast.  The reviews for South Side Cafe were great and didn't steer us wrong.  Then a quick stop at a grocery store to grab a few last minute items (including a flat of water) so having the cart to haul it back to the boat was so helpful!  Then the cleaning started - inside the boat and out. Scrubbing decks, hosing out the dingy, and cleaning out and organizing the hose compartment on the bow for starters.  Everything looks good and feels clean for the next phase of our loop! This afternoon we took a walk along the harbor with Madison and stopped at Rita's f

 Unlike our bay crossing on Saturday, we had a very pleasant and uneventful return trip to Baltimore yesterday afternoon.  Lots of boat traffic, especially close to Rock Hall, since everyone was anxious to get out on the water after the crappy weather but less as we approached the Inner Harbor of Baltimore. We unloaded the boat and drove a carful of stuff to Dan's house where we all took much needed showers and ordered pizza for dinner.  Watched the Friends Reunion Special on HBO and called it a night! We will be in Baltimore all week getting small jobs done and taking care of some personal business.  I got my 2nd Covid vaccine this morning and am relieved that is done.  I had to wait 90 days to get my 2nd shot since I received the antibody infusion after I tested positive on March 1.  So far no terrible side effects, so my fingers are crossed.  Tom has spent the day on the boat doing small repairs and taking care of some pesky details, while I head a few blocks over to get a hairc