Sunday, June 25 - Rest Day

Sunday, June 25 - Rest Day       

Our plan was to move on to Oswego today, but Danny’s back was bothering him and I was a little “stove up” from my bicycle fall, so we decided to stay here another day.  The river around us is so pretty, and there are so many boats to watch!

Our adventure of the day was a dinghy ride.  Here’s what we saw.

We loved the waving flags!  And lots of houses had screened areas out back.  The bugs must be pretty bad up here. 

There were lots of big boats out on the water.

This was one of the prettier houses we saw.  Most were more like cabins. 

Isn't this a good looking boat?  We may be a little prejudiced! 

This is the park that Helen, our new friend, has been working on.  And I’ll bet she will get everything she wants for it! 

This “wavy” boathouse appealed to me for some reason.  I would love to explore. 

We stopped at Waterfront Bar and Grill for lunch.  There were lots of people fishing, we especially enjoyed watching this family of four.  The little girl took care of the worms just like Lily! 

This stuff grows underwater everywhere around here. 

How bout this house?  It was right at the entrance to the river.

We saw the most incredible clouds on our dinghy ride.  Wish my camera could do them justice, 

A late afternoon thunderstorm provided excitement, Fried Green Tomatoes provided entertainment, Danny got in a little fishing - another great day on the water!

Saturday, June 24 - To the Doctor

Saturday, June 24 - To the Doctor

Checking in yesterday, I had asked Wayne about a Prompt Care Clinic, or some type of medical facility close by.  Danny’s back is no better, and getting medical attention in Canada could involve some insurance issues, so I pushed to go here.  At first he said no, but I put on my best “Jane Bolus” look, and it worked!  Wayne said someone would take us Saturday.

Wayne was at the boat bright and early to replace the transmission fluid cooler.  When he took it out, he found pieces of water intake impeller and removed them.  They must have been there when we bought the boat because we had replaced the impellers. 

About 8:30, Helen, Wayne’s wife, arrived to take us to the clinic.  She was a hoot!  We had the best time talking with her.  The doctor gave Danny prescriptions for prednisone, a muscle relaxer, and some pain pills.  Of course Helen then had to take us to the drug store to get the medicine.  People are so kind.  

And this is Helen’s rescue dog, Stormy.  Her coloring was so unusual.  And I am a sucker for German Shepherds.

We had not eaten breakfast, so as soon as we got back to the marina, we got the bikes down and headed for the Brewerton Diner.  The lady on the boat next to us had recommended it.

Our first stop was the bait and tackle store to get Danny a New York fishing license.  We saw a nice bass right behind the boat yesterday and that got us fired up.  As we turned into the shopping center, a lady pulled out right in front of me.  I screamed, she stopped, and I stopped in a pothole and fell down.  If I follow Danny too closely I run into him and fall, if I follow too far behind, I get almost run over and fall.  My leg was bleeding a little and I’m sure I will have a bruise, but I was a lucky girl.

The bait and tackle store didn’t sell licenses, but the owner told Danny to order it online and it would be effective as soon as he submitted it.  We bought worms and headed to The Brewerton Diner again.

I don’t post a lot of food pictures, but you just have to see this.  I like to try regional dishes, so when I saw this “Classic Fretta” I had to have it.  I had never heard of a fretta, but it sounded good.  Jim Odum, you would have loved both the ham and the sausage. 

I really wanted to try the Breakfast Greens, but they were sold out.

Riding with Helen to the clinic, we saw a BBQ Chicken fundraiser at the fire station, and then we smelled it as we biked by.  We stopped on the on the way back to the marina, but they had sold out and the last cooking wasn’t ready.  This is big time chicken cooking!

Back at the Boatyard.

Friday, June 23 - Oneida Lake

Friday, June 23 - Oneida Lake

We have conversation starter napkins on the boat.  Look at the one Danny pulled out this morning. 

Gabe came over and offered to take us to breakfast.  When he first came on board, he said, “I’m sorry you folks had such a bad time yesterday.”  We hadn’t said anything to him, his son saw the Utica news and called him.  I guess now we will be known as “the people who found the body.”

This marina has has limited service, but Gabe owns a pump out truck, so we paid him $20.00 to hook up to our boat and clean us out, so to speak.

Wayne from Brewerton Boatyard called back and said he could look at the transmission fluid cooler, so we left Snug Harbor, at the east end of Oneida Lake about 2:00 headed for Brewerton, at the western end of the lake.

We got to see a title more of Sylvan Beach as we left the marina.  There really is a beach, but the day was too overcast and we were too far away to get a good picture.  The amusement park was small, but it looked like a fun place to take a family. 

Oneida Lake was such a refreshing change from the straight, narrow, and boring Erie Canal.  The mountains to the south were gorgeous. 

It’s really hard to see, but there is a house at the very end of this island.  They have quite a view!

We pulled into Brewerton at 6:00 and tied up at Brewerton Boatyard. 

The boat in the slip next to us had passed us in the canal yesterday while we were anchored working with the body.  She immediately came over and talked to us.  As I said earlier, we will be known as the people who found the body.

Wayne, the owner, came out to help us and looked at the transmission right away.  He was such a nice guy, we liked him immediately.  He brought the big vacuum out to the boat, saying it would be easier to pull the oil while it was warm.  He checked and he did have the part we needed, so we were all set for repairs tomorrow.

We ordered pizza from Top This Pizza and watched a movie.  Danny was so excited that we can get television here.

Thursday, June 22 - Sad Day

Thursday, June 22 - Sad Day

Today was the most unusual and upsetting day of our trip.  We were approaching Utica, NY about 10:45 when Danny pulled back abruptly on the gas.  He said he thought he just saw a body floating in the water.  I pulled out the binoculars but we still couldn’t be sure, so he turned the boat around.  Danny kept saying maybe it was a big doll, but it was definitely a woman’s body.  I called 911, they stayed on the phone until the rescue truck arrived.  Danny anchored our boat to protect the body from any passing boats and to indicate where we first spotted the body.  When they arrived, neither the rescue truck nor the fire department had a boat, and this town is ON the Erie Canal.  They asked us if we could use our boat to pull the body over to the shore.  Uh, NO.  Danny offered to get our dinghy down and use it.  He went to shore and picked up one of the firemen, then took him back to the body so he could do the handling.  The body was facedown in the water, so Danny never had to see the face, thank goodness.  The fireman grabbed her clothing and they motored very slowly to the shore.  They had to wait about 20 minutes for the big ladder fire truck to get there and extend its ladder down from the bank to the water, about 10 feet, so they could slide the stretcher up.  Danny was behind the fireman the whole time, and the body stayed face down. 

The Chief of Police asked Danny to pull over at a canal-side restaurant just past the bridge to give a statement.  Just as the investigator was finishing, a lady came up and asked if she could talk to us.  She was a reporter for the local television station in Utica and wanted to interview us.  (Thank goodness Danny had a haircut yesterday!) They saw our boat from the bridge when they came to cover the activity, and figured we would be at the restaurant dock.  The cameraman said he thought we were going to get a really strong drink, at least that’s what he would do.  The interview with Danny was put on the station’s web page, WKTV.com., click here for the story with Danny interviewed: http://www.wktv.com/story/35728974/womans-body-pulled-from-barge-canal-in-north-utica

Statement and interview complete, we headed west again on the Erie Canal.  We were saddened, shaken, and exhausted, but yet glad that we were able to help her family find closure.   We read online that her death was ruled a suicide.

  

Now to the “normal” events of the day.

We called Snug Harbor Marina in Sylvan Beach and they had space for us, so we left Ilium headed west.  We past three dredging operations.  Aren’t these little tug boats cute?  I guess they are used to ferry the workers back and forth. 

This was another barge terminal left from canal days, in Rome, NY.  These gentleman were fishing at the end of the park, reminded me of my Daddy fishing “below the dam.”

More locks - at least we are going down.  It’s much easier to grab the ropes that way.  This picture was taken as we exited the first downward lock.

The Erie Canal had been straight and dull all day!  There are very few houses, and no boats.  It finally dawned on me that there are no opportunities for recreational boats.  No rivers feeding in to the canal, no lakes connecting, just a straight ditch.  I thought we would see lots of little villages along its edges, but since it has been moved and modified several times, I guess those villages got left behind.  It reminded me of the Tenn-Tom.  As you can tell by the little blue line on the map, it was REALLY straight!  

As we got closer to Oneida Lake, we began to see houses again.  I didn’t realize how much I had missed them!

Sylvan Beach is at the eastern end of Oneida Lake.  It’s a resort town, with its own boardwalk! 

We pulled in to Snug Harbor Marina to a welcoming committee!  Gabe, the dockmaster, his wife and her friend were all standing by to help us with ropes.  And to give Danny advice.  They were delightful!  Once we were tied up, the gentleman on the boat next to ours brought Danny a beer and a bag of ice, he had heard him say he needed to buy some beer.  This gentleman, by the way, had 5 dogs on this boat.

Gabe and his wife and their friends had a nice little set-up on the shore.  They work here during the season, then take their motor homes to St. Mary’s, Georgia for the winter.

Gabe took Danny to the package store, and we settled in for a quiet evening.  We were drained!