Thursday, August 14^th , we awoke to dense fog. This made for a lazy morning as we waited for it to lift before getting underway.  It may have been a lazy morning, but not with out its trauma.

We spent the night at Mays Point in the Montezuma Wildlife Refuge.  The Lock Master warned us about mosquitoes, but no one mentioned the spiders.  Spiders are a fact of life on the water, especially along the lock walls.  When Dennis brought the Honda Generator back on to the boat a HUGE spider jumped off the bottom and landed at my feet.  Dennis will tell you that the body of the spider was half dollar size. But with his legs out-stretched, he would have filled my palm. Thankfully, the fly swatter was within easy reach and I stopped him cold.  I shuddered to think he could have found a hiding place and attacked at night.

Mosquitoes and spiders do not bite Dennis, but they do bite me.  A little spider has been nibbling at my feet for the past few nights.   You can tell spider vs. mosquitoes as they usually bite three times close together. I get a reaction much like a mosquito bite.  Dabbing regular old kitchen ammonia on either bite neutralizes the acid they leave beneath the skin. The swelling goes down and the itch stops.  Apply as soon as possible.  Ammonia also works for sand flea bites.   Ok, enough of that.

 Sadie B has plied the waters of the eastern section of the Erie Canal many times. The western section was crossed in 1999 with an organized "Trek" by the Erie Canal, staff, stopping at a limited number of towns.  It was a one way trip as Sadie B continued west into Lake Erie, through the Welland Ship Canal into Lake Ontario and points beyond. 

 A round trip of the western section was completed by Dennis in 2004. I had jumped ship prior to Mays Point and traveled with Dennis' mother to Scotland.  On my return I joined Dennis near the west end of the Erie Canal.  This was also the summer that we worked four events for TrawlerFest.  This scheduled caused us to bypass many towns.  

 With all that noted, Mays Point, and many of the towns from here west are new territories for me.  The plan is to stop and explore every town.

 In the last log, I reported that as we proceed through Lock 25 we enter "the ditch".  Not true.  The Clyde River has been canalized, taking out the extreme "s" curves, but there is still a current against us as we cruise through the gentle curves for 8 miles to the town of Clyde.

 Clyde was abuzz with preparations for the Firemen's Festival which was to start at the stroke of 6 PM.  The carnival was set up, the town square was being raked, side walks swept and traffic barricades installed.  We walked around town checking out points of interest.  These usually include the library, old hardware stores, thrift shops, grocery stores, etc.  With this mission accomplished we returned to the boat for the afternoon.  We needed to rest for the evening festivities.

 By the time we arrived at the square, introductions were being made for the 3^rd contestant of the "Miss Clyde" Competition.  There were eight high school seniors, dressed in beautiful gowns, each escorted by a Fireman in dress uniform. The girls had spent the day being interviewed by a panel of 3 judges.  Some silly questions were asked before the new "Miss Clyde" was announced. 

 The other contest was among the 50 Classic Cars.  After a brief walk through the carnival grounds, to smell the fried dough, we returned to the boat. That was enough excitement for us.

 The train tracks were across the river from our dock, but the river is not wide. The trains ran frequently, but thankfully, did not have to blow a whistle. 

Friday, August 15^th , an early morning walk on a bright, sunny day revved up our appetites.  A feast of fresh peach and pecan pancakes with Vermont Maple Syrup prepared in Sadie B's little galley was the perfect solution.

 Lyons was our next destination 8 miles west, and no locks.  After docking, we did the usual walk around town.   Lyons is the county seat, so the town has a few more stores, a lovely town square, a McDonalds and beautiful bathroom and showers for boaters in the Fire Station which backs up to the docks. 

 We are noticing much less boat traffic this year.  There have been just 2 other boats docked with us the last couple of nights.

 Saturday, August 16^th was declared project day, by the Captain. 

The stuffing box was still leaking.  So together we removed the packing and replaced it with Gortex which had been shipped to us in route.  You can go back a couple of weeks and read the detail from the first time we tackled this project.

Before starting the next project, we walked to the Farmer's Market in the Town Square.  Wonderful produce was purchased.

 The next project was the exterior teak.  A few weeks ago, I had started to sand and prepare the teak for refinishing, but weather prohibited us from completing the task. Now we must start over. Dennis used the electric sander on some portions and I did the hand sanding.  The sawdust really aggravated Dennis' allergies so I sent him to the library.  It took most of the day to prepare the wood.  The teak needs 3 coats of Cetol and we have the perfect three day forecast.

 Sunday, August 17^th,   After our morning walk, we decided to cruise 6 miles to the town of Newark  (mile 226) and let the wood dry from the morning dew.  The fun thing about boating projects, is that you can change the scenery while you work on the same project.   Once Dennis had masked all the areas, I applied the first coat. 

 The wonderful thing about the towns on the western section of the Erie Canal is that many of them have bathroom and shower facilities for boaters.  This town also provides a washer and dryer, con-venient, but not efficient. We needed to do multiple loads, so it took most of the day!

Monday, August, 18^th  started with the routine walk for exercise.  After breakfast a second coat of Cetol was applied to the teak. Then Sadie B cruised another 8 miles to the town of Palmyra.  What a lovely town. It was one of the few "planned" towns. Four churches mark the four corners of Church and Main. A fifth church is adjacent to the corner church.  Streets are lined with great architecture, huge old trees, fun shops and a couple of wonderful museums. This is the town where the Book of Mormon was revealed to Joseph Smith, founder of Mormonism. The LDS maintains a large presence here.

 The library was housed in an old brick house, with a huge veranda complete with rocking chairs.  Needless to say, it was the perfect place to enjoy the beauty of two magnificent trees: a weeping beech and a gingko.  Dennis said he had never seen larger specimens of each.

 Lightening and thunder rattled around us for hours in the night.  Just as I thought it was past, the rains came hard and heavy.  Sadie B floats and keeps us dry, but rain is noisy.

 Tuesday, August 19^th, started out cold, damp and dark.  The forecast was for clearing with a high of mid 60's.  This morning called for a repeat of the peach and pecan pancake menu.  This town was so enchanting I went back for another look and found a couple of interesting shops I missed the day before. 

 The skies were clearing and Sadie B was ready for a ride.   She made 4 miles and 2 locks before stopping at the Macedon Lock wall.  I applied the 3^rd and final coat of finish while Dennis rode his bike to the marina a couple of miles up the road. We needed ice, and he needed to make an official "WaterWay Guide" call.

 Wednesday, August 20^th , started out with the routine walks for exercise. Dennis was happy to find a McDonald's along the way so he could drink coffee and read the paper.  I don't usually share this routine, but the Olympic section of the paper has been our only connection to this event, so I have indulged myself. There is no TV on Sadie B.

 Back at the boat, we remove the masking and ooh and ahhh over how great the teak looks.  The project is about two thirds done, as we did one side and the front windows.  

The project of the day is replacing the joker valve in the toilet.  Marina toilets do not have room for the standard trap so a joker valve does the trick. When it gets warn out water and other stuff can flow backward into the toilet.  YUK! This is another area that is tiny and hard to reach.  So once again, I am the one with dirty hands and Dennis instructing and encouraging me from outside our tiny little head (bathroom).   All went well!!!

 We cruised to the marina, where Dennis went yesterday, to have the manager evaluate our needs for over wintering.  While there, we discovered cruising friends not seen in many years.  We boarded Don and Ruth's 38' Endeavor Trawler Cat and chatted for a couple of hours.  What fun!  Our paths have crossed on the Chesapeake, the Trent Severn WaterWay, the Erie Canal and at Trawler Fests.

 We cruised on, another 8 miles to the town of Fairport;  one of the first towns to welcome boaters with docks that offer electric, water, showers and bathrooms.  Unlike most, this one charges a nominal fee.  Seven dollars was a bargain to be in this lovely little town.  As we get closer to Rochester, the towns are more prosperous and upscale. 

 Dennis and I go in opposite directions both seeking hair cuts, both successful.

We walk, browse and poke around the unique shops.  My favorite is called Bits and Pieces.  It consists of donated craft items.  The volunteer staff sort through fabric, yarn, buttons, silk flowers, etc, repackage the quality stuff and mark with bargain prices.  (One yard of fabric for $1)   The proceeds go to help senior citizens.   Unfortunately the store closes at 2.  I had to shop fast.

Late afternoon, we had a guest.  The Dock Master told the Director of Tourism that Dennis was an editor for WaterWay Guide.  He came to chat about the town of Fairport. He was fun and interesting.   He asked Dennis if he would be available at 5:30 AM to be interviewed on Rochester TV.  They were doing a remote, here on the Erie Canal, and needed 4 people for 5 minute segments on the half hour from 5:30 to 7.AM   This is right up Dennis' alley.  (He didn't tell any one that he used to do live TV, Call-In Horticulture Questions)

 We purchased Chinese take out for dinner, and received enough for 2 meals plus a lunch.  It's good to have a break from cooking.

Thursday, August 21^st , arrived early for Dennis.  Fearing he wouldn't wake up for the TV interview, he didn't sleep well and finally got up at 4:30.  It was cold,   high 40's, and of course he refused long pants.  I slept in, while he went off for his moment of....fame, glory.  Whatever !!

 He returned around 7:30, chilled.  I made perfect sense to go out to breakfast and warm up with a hot breakfast.  Then he truly enjoyed a HOT shower.  

Cool temperatures were the perfect opportunity for us to continue the teak project, but we didn't think it appropriate to do with other boats around.  We cruised west on the canal and found a launching ramp with a dock and a lawn.  This part of the project would require the removal of the bimini. The lawn was the perfect place to spread it out and scrub it clean.  Dennis tackled this project while I busied myself with sanding.  Dennis' project (1 hour)  didn't take as long as mine (four hours), and he was a little self conscious when the tour boat passed by and he was sitting in a chair in the shade of a beautiful tree and I am on the boat working my fingers to the bone.  The 3^rd time the tour boat went by Dennis jumped up, picked up a boat hook and made like he was directing me.  He got an applause from the passengers.  With the sanding finished, the wood treated, we scrubbed the boat, rolled up the bimini and stowed it on the aft cabin and headed for Pittsford.  Yes, that's right, another 8 miles.

 There was plenty of space for Sadie B on the dock.  We were both pooped and very happy to have the remainder of the Chinese take out for dinner.

 Friday, August 22^nd, was another cool morning, but not as cool as the previous day.

Our walks took us in opposite directions before returning to the boat for breakfast.

Dennis masked the areas to be worked and I applied the first coat of Cetol to the teak.

 Pittsford is probably the wealthiest community on the Erie Canal.  It is a beautiful town with great Canal-side shops, but no facilities (showers) for boaters.  So I take a cold shower and clean up.

 We had made arrangements for a rental car and Enterprise picked us up at 2:30.

Dennis drove south following the road he took from his high school, here in Rochester, to his home in Lima.  It was all rural WAY back then. We made the traditional call at the American Hotel, where he visited with the owners.  Pat greeted us, but we didn't recognize him as he had lost 200 plus pounds. 

 The rolling hills of this part of New York are beautiful as was the drive to Conesus Lake, where Uncle Bill and Aunt Jane live.  We drove to the local country club where we were joined by cousins Peter, Michelle, Tricia, Joan and Chuck for dinner.  Bill and Jane had 9 children, so cousins are plentiful.

 Before returning to the boat, we made one more stop in Lima to see Dennis' niece.

It was a good day.

 Saturday, August 23^rd ,we made use of the rental car by d riving east to Baldwinsville (80 miles), and retrieving our car, which we had left there when I returned from the wedding.  I drove it to the marina in Macedon, where we intend to over winter the boat.  At least that is the current plan.  

Groceries were purchased and stowed on the boat before returning the rental car.

No time for teak today.  Tomorrow there will be plenty of time.

Ahoy from Pittsford, NY on the Erie Canal.

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