May Journal

May Ann's Journal Notes:                               

CANADA:  After a couple of days in Washington, we ventured into Canada.  We cleared in with ease in Canada at Friday Harbor.  We had experience with this process four years prior.  However, the dock with the customs phone was under repair so we had to call the office directly.  It was still no problem.  We stayed the night at Friday Harbor and revisited the town.  A new high rise apartment building replaced the location of the Whale museum which was right on the harbor.  The waterfront had been upgraded and the town seemed prosperous in the years since we'd been there.  It was nice to see.  The marina was still very nice and the tides still fluctuated many, many feet.

After one night, we moved on to Salt Springs Island to visit Margaret and Jeremy.  It was so good to see them.  Margaret was seven months pregnant and looked great.  She has really taken good care of herself, eating right and getting exercise.  They are planning on a home birth and do not know the sex of the baby.  They are renting a cozy cabin in the woods where they have lovely neighbors (landlords) with whom we had dinner.  We feel really good about the support system they will have as their family expands.

Margaret and Jeremy joined us on the hook for an evening in Montague Bay.  We tried out their new crab trap and had crab hors d'oeuvres that evening.  We returned to Ganges (the town on Salt Springs) for a couple more days then returned to Seattle.

SEATTLE:  Having secured the boat near the Nordhavn office in Lake Union, we enjoyed a couple days in Seattle.  Eric's friend, Dave Thorbeck, showed us around the city.  Bear and I were the ultimate tourists, going to the top of the Space Needle and visiting the Children's Museum downtown.  We tried out the public transportation system which is an adventure to find the correct electric trains to take.  Don Kohlman, of PAE, was so gracious and helpful.  He came through the lock system with us and ferried us to the airport.

ASHEVILLE, NC:  Eric's oldest daughter, Elizabeth (EB) got married in Asheville, NC on May 17th.  We arrived early to help get things ready.  The wedding took place at EB's house and there was much to do to get ready.  We helped paint, clean, fix up and get the yard ready.  It was fun work and good to be around the atmosphere.  EB had everything figured out how she wanted it and the day turned out perfect!  It was one of the most beautiful, intimate, relaxed weddings I've even been to.  Brian, the groom, is a good guy and we see them being happy for many years to come.

ANACORTES, WA AND TRAWLERFEST:  Immediately upon returning to Seattle, we headed North to Anacortes.  Nordhavn had arranged to have our boat in the Trawlerfest boat show and we needed to get it up there to have it cleaned and ready to be shown.  Cathy and Tom came for that week which was great.  Eric and I got to attend all the seminars and dinners while Auntie and Uncle spent time with Bear.  It was a nice week, weatherwise, so it was easy to spend time outside during show hours.  The area was gorgeous too. 

BACK TO GANGES:  For her baby shower present, I had made a deal with Margaret that I would shop in the states for the "practical" baby things she would need and bring it up on the boat with us.  Things in Canada are more expensive, and on Salt Spring Island, even more expensive.  By bringing it on the boat rather than air, we could avoid duty at customs.  So I had shopped in Anacortes and we stopped in Ganges as we began our Inside Passage trip.  We spent two nights there.  Since we had been there a few weeks before, the community center opened and Margaret took us swimming there.  Bear loved that.  It was also fascinating to see how much their garden had grown in just two weeks.  They truly have green thumbs.

INSIDE PASSAGE:  At Trawlerfest, we met fellow Nordhavn owners, John and Linda Landger on Seabird (a 47), who were on the same passage schedule as us.  They also had friends in Ganges so we buddy boated to there.  We continued together and had a great time planning the days passage and having dinner together.  The Inside Passage schedule will be on another page.

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