Log 10; Day 36; June 26, 2008; Heritage Harbor, Ottawa, IL

Zac fishing with me and a friend (John Mobely) on a small lake on the Illinois River Another fishing shot...
Log 10
Day 36
Thursday, June 26, 2008

12:00 PM CDT
Location: Heritage Harbor, Ottawa, IL.
Weather: 87* hot and sunny...storms predicted for this evening

I hope this note finds everyone as happy as we are. Hard to believe it’s been 36 days since we got on the boat. On one hand it seems much longer...and another seems like yesterday (does that make any sense to anyone but me?)

What we’ve been doing...Fishing with grandson Zac was great. We didn’t catch many fish (only 3) but enjoyed our time together. After he left last week (on Thursday), we packed up and headed to our home in Chillicothe, IL. Debbie’s sister’s son (Andy Ruhland) got married and we wanted to be there for that. We also took the time to do a lot of work around the house. Mostly outside yard work so the neighbors didn’t turn us in to the authorities. We came back to the boat on Tuesday (June 24) and have been doing chores since then. There is always something to clean or fix. It’s not as if we do this 8 hours a day, but it does seem to be a constant effort...but we are not complaining, we love it. I also finally went to the doctor (local medical clinic) to have them look at my thumb. Before we got on the boat I had a cut on my thumb that somehow got infected, and it has not healed yet...so the doctor said I need a dose of penicillin. It’s been a couple of days now...and it seems to be getting better.

The boat...everything is working perfectly (although I have not started it since we got to Ottawa 25 days ago). As I said, I clean everyday to keep up with things and it has never looked better. I even waxed a couple of places to stay ahead of that chore. The Whaler is working great as well, and is a joy to jump in and head out on the river. It is parked right behind Headquarters, so it could not be better.

The cruising life...we have absolutely no complaints, and are actually kind of “giddy” about our life at this point. Not sure, we are in any type of routine yet, and maybe will not be for some time. I have a long list of things I am doing to the boat while we’re here and enjoy doing each of them (someone asked me...is this a written list?...absolutely...updated daily). I miss moving the boat often...but that will come soon enough. The thing we have not really done yet is get into a relaxing mode. I thought we’d read more and lay around more. Has not happened yet.

The weather...it’s been pretty good. You learn very quickly that when you live on a boat weather is much more important. In a home it can be a distraction...on a boat it can be a big issue. Many storms (the ones that have caused such a mess with the Mississippi River), but they have seemed to go around us most of the time. Last night we had another one about 3:30 am. I got up and got on the computer to check the radar, and it was a nasty storm but went south of us. We only got a little wind and some rain. As I write this there is a line of storms coming across Iowa, heading our way. Could be an interesting evening.

What’s coming up...tonight we are going out to dinner with the owner of Heritage Harbor (the marina we are staying in) and another couple from the Ottawa area we know well. I’m looking forward to hearing the stories of what the plans are for this place. The potential is unbelievable...but the timing (economy) is tough. Next week I’m going to see my Mom (about 1 hour from here) and start to get the Whaler ready for our trip to Kentucky Lake where we will meet our daughter and her family for a week on a houseboat. We’ll trailer the Whaler down and pull it behind the houseboat so we can have it to run around in. Some folks would say we were crazy. We live on a boat and when we take a vacation, we go and rent a houseboat. Boating...we have it bad.

When are we leaving here...I don’t want to leave too early because the southern heat can be tough, and also we have to monitor the Mississippi River to see when that gets back to normal. Most places (along the Mississippi) have crested now or in the next few days. 1993 was the worst flood in history in that area and most of the area did not get water that high...but within 6 to 8 feet of a record. I just hope they don’t get too much more rain for a while.

I'll keep you posted.

BK.