June 25th: Fun with Rahns in Orillia

 

I decided to put up a couple maps in case you are not familiar with the Trent Canal System. The first map shows where I am related to Toronto. I am between Peterborough and Port Severn on the map.

I started from Bobcaygeon and cruised with Gary to Orillia where I met the Rahns.

Craig, Karen & Linda, 2017

For those who tuned into the blog recently, Karen and Craig Rahn are wonderful boating friends Linda and I met on the Trent Canal, Ontario, Canada, about 7 years ago. We enjoyed boating with them for several summers and became the best of friends. Their home is in San Juan Capistrano, California, but like us, they enjoyed spending the summers on their boat on the Erie Canal, the Trent Canal, and the Rideau Canal. 

After Linda passed away, I moved to Encinitas, CA and I was only 45 minutes from their home. We have enjoyed a lot of time together. The Rahns sold their boat. Then Linda passed away and COVID hit. No Canada boating for 3 years. Finally, this year I was able to launch Guppy on the Trent Canal with the help of my Canadian friends. (See previous blog.) The Rahns decided it would be fun to join me for a week in Orillia. They rented a cute little VRBO for a week that was within walking distance to the marina where Guppy is. 

The VRBO is working out great. 

Rahns' VRBO back yard

It has a nice back yard and a deck for "Docktails," or I guess Decktails. There were huge trees at the back of the yard, provided evening shade.

This picture shows the name of the VRBO. Interesting pronunciation.
We assume the owners are Welsh. 

There is a nice barbecue grill. Craig found a Welsh Apron in the closet. It fit him nicely! He looked spiffy in the "Coat of Arms". He did a great job with dinner! Chicken kabobs, and I made asparagus. Karen of course provided appetizers as usual.

Karen is very much into art and I also enjoy seeing different artistic creations. There was a very nice Art/history museum. We were fortunate to be in town for a display.  Homage by Donald Stuart. The necklaces he created are very unique and wonderful. If you check the link and blow up the pictures you can see his wonderful work.

There were other paintings by a variety of artists. Most picked up the Ontario Canada natural landscape. If you enlarge the pictures on the walls you can get a flavor for the artwork.

It just so happened that it was Craig's 75th birthday while we were here. Craig selected a restaurant where he said, "We don't have to read the menu on the wall!" Karen and I were in, after all, it was his birthday. Even though it was a Tuesday, Craig made a reservation, just in case. We arrived and were surprised that we were the only ones in what seemed to be a very nice restaurant. The waiter, possibly the owner, explained that they just opened for the summer. He also said they had prime rib as a special tonight served with grilled brussel sprouts, grilled carrots and garlic mashed potatoes. Craig and I were in, except Craig said no brussel sprouts. 

Happy 75th birthday Craig

The dinner was very good. The prime rib was served with something heavier than au' jus, on top, which I was skeptical about, but it was actually quite good. Plus the prime rib was rare, just as I ordered. Craig asked if he could get an end cut. Given we were the only customers at that point it was not a problem. The brussel sprouts were delicious. Craig didn't know what he was missing.

Earlier, Craig had picked out a chocolate fudge cake for dessert with ice cream, to be consumed  back at the VRBO. So no dessert at the restaurant.

Orillia Playhouse

We walked up Mississauga St. where there are many shops and restaurants. Toward the top of the hill are the very distinctive theatre and a beautiful library. 

Orillia Library

There were some decorated Maple leaves from a previous year displayed in front of the library. There is an art emphasis to Orillia. 

At the marina, little sailboat sculptures added to the fun.

I had a number of projects to work on. One was a leak in the fresh water tank. I had patched it previously but after tree years there was a small leak. Fortunately, after two tries, with some good marine epoxy, I was able to make the repair.

View from our anchorage at
 Chief Island

We were watching the weather to plan a cruise on Guppy to Chief Island. It is part of the First Nation Reservation, but we were always  allowed to anchor in a very protected bay. It is a very popular place, especially on the weekends. On the weekends it had gotten ridiculous, with way too many boats partying well into the night. 

The weather looked very promising for Monday so we went for our day cruise. The weather was perfect, almost no wind and pleasant temperatures. When we arrived at the bay there was a line of buoys saying "Private". We had never been allowed to go on shore so thought maybe that was the point. There were a few other boats anchored closer to shore so we assumed it was okay to anchor there.

We relaxed, read our books and had lunch on the water. It was a very enjoyable day at sea! 

When I got back to shore, I checked online to see why the buoys we noticed were there. Turned out things have changed significantly. This link tells the history and story. Chief Island I don't see any more anchoring at Chief Island for Guppy!

Walking around the Orillia waterfront brought back many fond memories. The performance stage has been in place for many years.

Lake Couchiching Picnic Area

This dock was the place to dock prior to the City Marina being built. We stayed at this dock several times with Linda's parents in the late 70's. The covered picnic area has been well maintained over the years.

Because the waterfront is being renovated, there is no parking nearby nor easy walkways to town. The park is still accessible so many people are still walking the boardwalk all along the park. Craig and Karen made the hike from their VRBO. It's only a 15 - 20 minute walk.

The Rahns on the boardwalk, picture taken from Guppy

About 5 or six years ago the Rahns, Linda and I boated in Georgian Bay with Peter and Cheryl Webb. We had  a lot of fun. Linda and I have boated with them many times including part of the Great Loop where we first met. The Webbs just completed having a house built only 50 minutes from Orillia by car. Fortunately, the Rahns rented a car for the week.

We decided to do a road trip Wednesday. See the Webbs' house, take them to lunch and then drive to Honey Harbour in Georgian Bay. Honey Harbour is a picturesque area in Georgian Bay where virtually all boaters stop.

Webbs' new house.
From left, Lois, Cheryl, Karen and Peter

The house is very nice. Still a work in progress, but they have moved in. Lois, Cheryl's Mom, joined us. We spent many fun boating trips with Peter, Cheryl and Lois. I love Lois. She has a wonderful mischievous sense of humor and is a good balance for Peter. I could say, "Lois keeps Peter balanced!", but it wouldn't be true. Lois recognizes her limits. Cheryl, like her mom, also has a laid back, quiet sense of humor that is very entertaining. Seems like between Peter, Cheryl and Lois we are always laughing about something.

Peter, Lois, Steve & Linda
21012 on Deja Vous

I was looking for a better picture of Lois and ended up down memory lane. We were so fortunate to find each other and be able to spend quality time together.

I hope to spend some time boating in August with the Webbs and Lois.

The Webbs' boat, Deja Vous

Karen and Craig at Picnic Island Marina store 2023

We made it to Honey Harbour and all agreed, arriving by car is just not the same as by boat. 

View from Picnic Island Marina

Picnic Island Marina was not open during the week but we were able to walk around, see the boats going by and reminisce.

Picnic Island
From left, Jim Murray, Lois, Cheryl, Peter and
Linda Murray, 2012

As I was looking for a picture of Lois, I also found this one from 2012 on Picnic Island. You'll note, not much has changed. It's great! Jim and Linda Murray were with the Webbs and us for a large part of the Great Loop. They are the Edisto Island folks I mention periodically in the blog. I thought I understood southern hospitality until Linda and I met the Murrays. 

They are generous to a fault and extremely welcoming. We have enjoyed several visits to their plantation home on Edisto Island, South Carolina. I always felt like I was in "Gone with the Wind" when we stopped there. They have a private dock, up a very difficult to navigate river, but Jim meets us in a small boat and he pilots us in.

The Murrays' home

Yesterday's Dream at the dock, surrounded by marshland

Kawartha Voyageur docked at Orillia

Craig dropped me off at the marina and I was surprised to see the Kawartha Voyageur docked for the night. It is a small cruise ship that travels the Trent Canal. Nice for people who want to experience the Trent but don't have a boat. In case you are interested here is a link to learn more. Kawartha Voyageur on the Trent Canal

Christmas in June was coming on the weekend. People decorate their boats and party into the night. We had checked the Island Princess boat several times to see if the ice cream parlor was open and it wasn't. But given Christmas in June we were hopeful. Karen was looking for Kawartha Ice cream Tiger Tail. It's vanilla ice cream mixed with orange and licorice. My daughter Rebecca liked it so much she learned to make it herself because no one in the United States has it.

Here is the sign we found. Funny but annoying. It was closed yet again. By the way, the "Now Open" sign is a cruel hoax!

There are a lot of ducks, geese, terns, swans, etc. 

Eastern Kingbird

My favorite is a little Eastern Kingbird. He flies around catching bugs continuously. I finally got this picture. He lands on my railing often.

One day I was on the boat working on the numerous projects and I thought I heard an accordion. I immediately thought about my brother-in-law Jim who played the accordion. The tune was "Those were the days my Friend, I thought they'd never end." I looked out and there was a guy sitting on the bench in front of my boat playing the accordion. He was quite good.

With all the construction going on I wondered if the ice cream place in the park would survive. It has been there for many years before we started going there in the 1970s. When I walked close to where the building was I saw this plaque. The building is still standing despite the construction so I am hopeful it will be spared. I'm certain they would have had Tiger Tail if they were open. The owner established the business to provide summer jobs for school kids long ago. School is still in session so hopefully, come the end of June it will be open.

More info on French's Stand:French's Stand

Latest info: French's stand to open

My time with the Rahns was coming to a close. They came to the docks to see Christmas in June in Orillia. There were a lot of fun decorations.

Here is the winning decorated boat.

I personally liked the wooden soldier.

We all appreciated the creative use of the float noodles used for swimming, although it had nothing to do with Christmas!

And of course someone was selling something. These inflatables were over the edge of anything we'd seen!

I said good bye to the Rahns who were leaving early Sunday morning. It was a very fun visit. I will spend a couple days continuing to work on Guppy projects and then head to Lake Temagami to spend a couple weeks with the Peterson family.

June 14th: Success, docked in Orillia, work begins in earnest!

 

Gary was ambitious enough to start washing the boat before we left Birch Point Marina. I of course joined in and we at least got most of the bugs off. Our plan was to allow Gary some time to enjoy Orillia. Eric, was supposed to detail the boat early in the week, but couldn't because the boat didn't get launched. So he couldn't do it before we left, but he could do the job in Orillia later next week. Okay, better than not getting it done.  We didn't want to travel 2 days with a filthy boat so washed off pretty well and weren't embarrassed when we pulled into Orillia on Guppy.

We walked up to the Breakfast Club to get some food after crossing Simcoe. It was about 11:30am. We both ordered Eggs Benedict. Gary ordered The Classic which had pea meal bacon, and I went for the Florentine.

We both agreed they were the best Eggs Benedict we ever had. Seriously! We decided to come back for another breakfast Monday before Gary left.

Gorilla tape water leak repair

After breakfast we walked to the hardware store to get some stuff. There was some deterioration of the back wall on the stern deck that would leak. Not an easy fix so we were looking for some temporary options. We settled on clear gorilla tape. Rain was coming Sunday so we were just happy to get it sealed.

Gary is a true friend and a true boater. I really appreciated his help. First, Gary suggested we get the bikes in working condition so we could ride Sunday morning to the Gordon Lightfoot sculpture in a nearby park. The park even has a community center that serves breakfast. The rains weren't supposed to start until after noon.

We were both very happy that all we needed to do was put air in the tires!

Gary was still willing to work so we investigated why the shower drain pump wasn't working. I was afraid that after 3 years the pump was broken. Fortunately, Gary found a wire had just come loose. Easy fix.

Next we tried to determine why the forward bilge pump wasn't pumping the water out. With Gary's help I finally remembered that the bilge pump had an independent float switch. There is a bilge pump that comes on every 3 minutes to check if there is water in the bilge and it drains the water to almost nothing. I remembered, however, that when the old pump died we couldn't get that type so had to go with a float switch. I need to hold the float switch up to completely drain the water out. Again, problem solved. Just so you know, if enough water came in, the float switch would come on and the pump would drain all but about an inch of water.

We did some other repairs and by the time we were done the interior of the boat was littered with all kinds of tools and supplies. Hard to remember where things are after three years.

We decided on Chinese for dinner. There is a very good place very close by. We walked over and discovered it was now take out only. No problem, we took our food back to the boat. It was very good. 

We spent the evening swapping boating stories and went to bed early. It was a long couple days.

Sunday morning we were up early and on our way. We had a nice bike ride, partially along Lake Couchiching, to the Community center for breakfast. It was pretty good. Not as good as the eggs Benedict but enjoyable with a table overlooking the water. Then we rode through the park to see the Gordon Lightfoot Memorial Sculpture. 

Gordon Lightfoot Memorial Sculpture

 

Gary getting a good picture

Be sure to read the information about the sculpture. It is very well done with every leaf  depicting something from a song. 

Here is a link Gordon Lightfoot Golden Leaves Sculpture, Orillia, Ontario

We enjoyed seeing swans in Orillia. We very seldom saw any and they never hung around. These seem to be residents.

Gary was going to be heading to Little Current, North Channel, where he and Karen would stay on their boat for the summer. He said going out to eat was tough there so we opted to go to Studebaker's for dinner. It was a 5 minute walk and the food was very good. I didn't take a picture but here is a link. Studebaker's

Orillia rain

As forecast, the rains came in Sunday afternoon. We desperately need rain given the forest fires up north. Fortunately, the smoke went around us in Orillia. We worked on a few minor projects and just enjoyed being on the water and reconnecting in person after 3 years.

Linda on Guppy

 It was hard for either of us to accept being on the boat without Linda, but we shared many good "Linda Stories".

As planned, Gary and I went to the Breakfast Club again for more Eggs Benedict. Excellent once again. I will definitely take the Rahns there for brunch. They would be arriving Saturday so I had ample time to get the boat squared away. They are staying in a VRBO but I'm sure boating will be included.

When Gary was here we tried to hook up the television but couldn't find an HDMI cable. Not a big deal, but Monday I went looking. Tried two stores with no luck. Then decided to try Uncle Bucks's. We've always had fun shopping there. A little bit of everything and thousands of movie, TVshows and music DVDs. Linda spent many hours in that store! I asked the lady if she had an HMDI cable. She said, "I think I saw one." She rummaged around in a big box of cables and said, "Yep, here it is." I said, "Great, how much?" She said, "Just take it" I love Canadians! I've been watching the Fringe series Linda bought the last time we were here.

On my way back to the boat I stopped to enjoy watching the black squirrels in the park. The kids spent many summers hand feeding those cute little squirrels.