HOT in Hammond

Tuesday August 28th, another beautiful day in our northern paradise.  Blue skies and calm waters.  Temps are suppose to reach mid 90's today and muggy and hazy.  Not so go for my asthma.  As we started out Don new GPS did not seem to what to start up right, so I got out the IPad with the Navionics on it and we were okay.  We stopped just outside the harbor at Michigan City and Don played around with it and all was well again.  It was such a smooth cruise to Hammond.  I called the Marina and mentioned that there would be a few Looper's coming and if we could be together.  No problem, we were and it was on the last dock "X" just before the rock break water.  But that is as far as it goes for service at this marina.  They have been unfriendly, uninformed and it is like we all were an inconvenience to them.  Great rate to stay but that is all.  All the docks are covered in bird stuff and no one cared to clean them off.  We would not recommend this marina  Our slip could not have been farther away from everything.  Loopy Kiwi was right behind us.  As we pulled in the boat beside us was also a Looper.  Jack and Denise and their daughter Beatrice from Brazil, on their boat Jade.  I can not believe that they brought their boat all the way from Brazil, and now they are doing the Loop.  It has taken them six years.  Wow!!!!  Really nice couple and a quite daughter.  As Phil was backing in, the wind came up from no where and blew him away from the docks, but he was great at backing in and all done with a remote control. After he was settled in we all stood there for a few minutes and just looked at the Chicago skyline, amazing....

After we tied up, it was so hot out.  We came inside and cooled off.  Phil came over with a large bottle of Pinot Grigio.  Carolyn stated on their boat.  Well in was not long and the bottle was going and so had the time.  It was after 9PM.  We made a lite dinner and Don put another movie on. Because it was a "feel good movie/chick flick" he went to the bedroom and watched CNN.  I came back down after the movie and cleaned up and locked up.  We were warned at another Marina about thefts at this Marina, so Don went up to do another quick check upstairs.



Scott & KC on Jet Stream

Next morning the 29th.  The water was like glass and what an amazing color of blue.  The temps were already in the 80's, and blue, blue sky's.  Phil and Carolyn dropped by and we talked about the next few days and if they were going to the Looper's get together in Chicago on the 1st.  Just before 12:00 Scott and KC on Jet Stream arrived.  The Looper's just keep on coming....  After they got settled in we all had decided to ride our bike to the Walmart since we all needed stuff, and we needed wine....  Not a far ride, but not a biker friendly area.  After shopping we all tried to load everything on our bikes in baskets, on on the handle bars and on our backs.  I am sure that the Looper six, all "medium old" people riding those bikes all loaded up must have looked strange....  We made it back retreated to our prospective boats, some for lunch and some for a nap for some.....  We had talked about getting together at 6 for cocktails and hors'doeuvres and then as they call it in New Zealand "a barby" which means BBQ.  It was fun.  I do not think that we were suppose to have our propane BBQ's on the dock, but we figured that since the Marina closed at 4:00PM and the security was no where to be found and we all were on the very last dock before Lake Michigan, no one would see us or better yet, who would want to walk all that way to tell us no you can not have your BBQ's on the docks.  We had a great time and dinner.  We all       brought something to start with and then our own food for dinner.

Jerry & Janet on Wind Song



Phil & Carolyn on Loopy Kiwi

After dinner Phil brought out his guitar and serenaded us till late in the nite.  All we needed was a camp fire.  Jerry and Janet on Wind Song had pulled in late but on a different dock, and already had dinner but arrived just as Phil had started to play.  Great time, great dinner and great friends...



 

 

August almost gone, it is now the 30th.  We decided to stay one more nite. 
Why not $50.00 for 5 nites...  My back is still a bit sore so I will take it easy so I can enjoy Chicago tomorrow.  Don watching the weather to see if the hurricane will come far enough north to affect our trip.  Temps today are to be in the high 90's and again very humid and muggy....  We worked on a few small repairs on the boat and later I worked on this blog.  the group whanted to go to the buffet at the Casino, but I thought they were going in the evening, but they wanted to go at 2:00PM.... So off we go in our summer dresses and riding our bike.  We must have looked real nice!!!!  It was quite a buffet.   We all ate soooo much, but it was good and the food was hot.  We all went  down to the Casino and I decided I wanted to leave them some of my money, and I did.  Road back to the boat and again today, it was a very hot day.  We went inside to cool off and we ended up falling asleep.  Can't eat a buffet dinner in the middle of the day....  Had a relaxing nite.  Sat outside with Phil, and watched the moon come up.  It looked like a full moon.  Jerry and Janet dropped by for a bit.  They were leaving early in the morning.   After they left, I went to bed and left the men to shoot the breeze, or what-ever....