Back in East Chicago

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

 

After a challenging set of transportation details we arrived back in East Chicago last evening to find a very filthy boat.  It seems Benji was too busy holding off the furry pirates to wash the boat while we were away marrying off our son.  The nearby steel mills cause the boat to look like it has coal dust in every nook and cranny.

 

 



 

Yesterday morning Steve drove us to the Buffalo airport to pick up our one way car rental.  Thanks Steve!  It seems one way car rentals need be airport to airport.  The nine hour drive was hampered by endless construction on 80 West.  It  seems they are rebuilding the whole interstate BUT most times there were no workers in sight and just three lanes merging into one with nothing going one!   Grrrrrr-your federal tax dollars at work!

 

We finally arrived in East Chicago, went grocery shopping and headed to Midway airport to return the car. A 45 minute trip.  Simple right?   No.

We returned the car and waited in a very long line to make sure we got the taxi from hell.  After I punched in the address for him in his gps we were off.  A fairly $$$ cab ride but what 'cha gonna do?

On the way back he stopped for gas twice! $5.00 and $10.00.  Who does that?  We paid.  We also paid the $5.50 tolls on the way back.  Obviously he was scamming his cab company.  The last time he asked for $ I lost it!  I started hysterically laughing and couldn't stop.  Dave looked at me in horror but he should be used to this by now.  I choked out "maybe he would like an oil change while we're at it !".  I finally got control of myself and the taxi scammer gave us a cheaper ride than it should have been.  What a day! Dave has a pretty nasty cold.  Thanks Cooper! I'm trying not to catch it.

So now we are on the boat sea trialing the troublesome auto pilot with the Raymarine tech.  Not going so well but he will get it.

 

Remind me again why we are doing this?  haha!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Emotional Overload and the Circle of Life.

Sunday, September 15, 2013

This whirlwind trip home has seen the joys of a long life come to fruition; all in 2 weeks.  While home we celebrated our Carmen's 4th birthday.  Now I know it was only a few weeks ago she just learned to walk and now she is asking me for my ITunes password so she can buy an app for her ipad!  How did that happen so fast?

We also got to enjoy some time with our 4 year old Lili; who we do not get to see nearly enough, and her 6 month old brother Cooper.  They came all the way to BA-TA-VI-A from Florida to help us celebrate my  Bobby's marriage to his lovely Kristin.  So here is where the emotional overload kicks in:  The same morning that we were getting ready for the wedding we were holding and playing with Cooper. He is one new world beginning.  Later the same day I was choking back tears (almost) as I watched my baby (o.k. he is 32 but he is still my baby!) marry his long time love.  There's another new world starting.  Grandchildren and weddings all in the same day are emotional bombs! In a good way of course.

Dave and I are so blessed everywhere we turn.  Our family and friends came together with us yesterday to celebrate a really important day in our family and we love them for it.

So what does all this have to do with boating?  Nothing - it's just part of the larger journey we are on.

Carmen turns 4!

 

 

Carmen and Lili.

 

 

Cooper and Captain Grandpa.

 

 

Flower girl Carmen.

 

 

 

Kristin, Bobby & Proud Parents,

Kristy, Toby and Carmen

 

 

So Tuesday we are heading back to the Blue Moon.  No train this time.  We are renting a car one way to haul all the stuff back they we have accumulated.  We hope that Benji has not let those dastardly furry pirates take over .the ship.  Guess we will see when we get back. 

 

Stay tuned.

 

 

Pirates sending in the big dog!

MONDAY, SEPT. 9, 2013

East Chicago - In their unrelenting mission to take over Blue Moon, the fluffy rogue pirates have sent in their big canine panzer.  They hope by sending in the heavy, but soft and cuddly, artillery they will succeed in Benji's overthrow.  It seems the pirates will resort to any means necessary !!

Oh the humanity!!!!!

HANG IN THERE BENJI...HELP IS ON THE WAY!!

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Late this afternoon a boat load of snuggly, but fierce, reinforcements set sail from Pt. Breeze, NY enroute to aid their comrade-in-arms, Benji who is valiantly holding off attack from rogue, but fluffy, pirates who are attempting to take over the Blue Moon in a harbor in East Chicago.

With any luck the reinforcements will reach their objective in time to save the ship from being destroyed and salvaged by the evil, but cute, pirates.

Reinforcements rushing to Benji's aid.

BREAKING NEWS...Blue Moon under siege!!

Sunday Morning, September 8, 2013

Early this morning our sources report that a rogue team of fluffy pirates are attempting a take over of Blue Moon as she sits in an East Chicago harbor.  Spokesman for the pirates state that as an "abandoned ship" they have salvage rights.
Captain Dave and Admiral Robyn have left the state on a trip home until later this month when they will return and continue their journey down the Mississippi and beyond.
  Benji, their faithful crew member, was left behind to watch over the ship.  The fluffy pirates have attempted to hold Benji hostage while they negotiate for the vessel.

We have contacted a member of the state department and they offered to bomb East Chicago, just to "show them a lesson" but the Tufts' have declined their offer of help.

Benji is valiantly defending the Blue Moon and has contacted reinforcements back home.  More on this continuing drama later.

 

Fluffy rogues attempting a hostile take over.

Labor Day in Chicago

Sunday, 09/01/13

Morning bike ride but there isn't really anywhere nice to ride bikes nor are there any stores.  Our dock neighbors were nice enough to offer to take us grocery shopping with them.  You really do feel vulnerable without a vehicle.

Archie, our RayMarine tech is also the commodore of the Indiana Harbor Yacht Club which is right next door.  He invited us to their annual Island Party tonight.  Their yacht club is a bit different than our Oak Orchard Yacht Club.  They are open 24/7 (except Christmas day) for lunch and dinner and have a full time restaurant staff.  They never do the "dish to pass" thing.  They have 300plus members and seem to be primarily power boaters.

The dinner was good and music was great.  With Chicago musicians to pick from it should be.

Falling down drunk lady showed up.  Literally.  She fell over and took another lady (?) with her while drunk dancing.  Gotta love it.

This marina and yacht club has been so friendly and hospitable to us.  New friends, Ken and Janice on our dock met on Match.com and now have a house together.   They are going to keep an eye on our boat when we go home for a couple of weeks.  So thoughtful of them.

Bought the Amtrak train tickets for home today.  We leave Tuesday night and get into Buffalo Wednesday morning.  We have never used a train for transportation.  We'll see how it goes. The tickets cost less than the gas would have if we rented a car! 

Monday, Sept. 2, 2013

We had breakfast on the docks with our dockmates.  We were going to take them out for a boat ride but Lake Michigan was in a bad mood, windy and too wavy so that didn't happen.  So for kicks Dave and I got a taxi and went to Walmart on Labor Day to reprovision the boat!  Whoopee!  We did manage to fill up a mini-van full of stuff so when we get back in a couple of weeks we will be ready to tackle the Chicago and Illinois River on our way to the mighty Mississippi River.

I must say that I am looking forward to some at-home time.  Hang in there Aja, Mommy is coming!

Sweet home Chicago!

Saturday, August 31, 2013
Last evening we got to experience a Wizard of Oz type of Midwestern storm.  Well, almost, no tornado thank God.  We were sitting on the aft deck enjoying talking to our nice dock neighbors.  I had just finished asking them about tornadoes and storm cellars.  Just then the skies went from daylight to midnight darkness.  The winds started blowing the chairs around and the skies opened up with thunder and lightning thrown in just for fun.  We bungied the chairs to the rail and waited out the storm while listening to NOAA on our radio.   They were advising people to take shelter and if the tornado sirens went off to go to their cellars.  We're on a boat! We don't have a cellar!  After a bit the storm died out and that was that.  Welcome to Indiana!  No Brandon, we didn't die!

We were all psyched about going to Chicago for the day so we waited for a taxi at the casino next door to the marina.  While we were waiting we started talking to the doorman.  He was quite the character. He was a 50 ish African American with shoulder length dread locks.  He told us he has 3 granddaughters.  Grandpa with dread locks.  Could this be a new look for Dave?  His last name is Bond and his mom had a thing for Sean Connery so, yes, his name is James.  Shaken, not stirred please.  We told him that we are disappointed that Buddy Guy is not playing at Legends; his blues club, this week.  He said, and I'm not kidding..."Who is Buddy Guy?"  Really!  How could a 50 something black guy not know who Buddy Guy is?

The taxi finally showed up and off we went.  Question, what IS the proper etiquette for asking your driver Mohammed to stop texting while driving 75 m.p.h.?

The 1/2 hour drive into the city took us through a virtual Michael Moore documentary on the sad state of American industrial communities.  It has it all here: humungous decaying and abandoned steel mills, weeds growing up through old cracked pavement, shabby public housing, endless grime on tired old buildings, rusty chain link fences and a feeling of gloom.  I saw a sign at a convenience store that said you could get 10% off by showing your union card.

I wonder what it was like here in it's "day'?

Was its shining moment producing the war machines that helped us save the world in WWII or during the post war boom years?  Rosey the Riveter lived here with her blue collar guy and times were good when the plant was working overtime.  Are those days gone forever?  Sure looks so.

We arrived at Millenium Park and the 35th annual jazz festival.

 

 

 

 

We stopped for a famous Chicago hot dog and it was o.k. but has nuthin' on Zweigles back home.  Besides, it was steamed !! :(

 

The jazz festival was pretty  much what I expected.  We stopped and listened to some musicians and toour uneducated, untrained, un-HIP ears it seemed that too many of them were engaged in musical masturbation solos.  You know, the only person enjoying it is the person playing it!  I've never been a big fan of the self indulgent too long drum solos or screaming saxes that sound like when I step on Aja's tail.  So we moved on.

 

We were headed to the touristy Navy Pier and got sidetracked by an architectural boat tour of the river.  I'm glad we did because in a couple weeks we will be headed there on our way to the Mississippi and going smack thru the city.  It was interesting to hear about the buildings.

George Jeston lives here.

 

We went to Navy Pier and while walking there I asked Dave that if 18 years ago, the last time we were in Chicago, he ever imagined that we would be here on our boat someday??  He just smiled.  I think he had this planned all along.

 

We passed a Segway kiosk and I wanted to give it a try but Dave said he didn't really feel like spending the night in Emergency with me.  Smart ass.

 

We had a nice, overpriced dinner and took a taxi back to the boat.