Thursday July 19: Peterborough

Liam and Mea arrived Sunday afternoon to Buckhorn. They are Randy and Cindy's grandkids and were here to spend 5 days on Margaritaville!

First - how about some fishing from the Guppy's swim platform? Using fishing net :-)

Didn't work so well until Steve threw some instant oatmeal into the water and then it worked so well Mea actually caught 2 at once! Sunfish of course. Not eating size but still fun for the kids to catch - fun for us to watch!

There was still more work being done but mostly by Randy. He wanted to add a couple of portholes to their front v-berth.

Cindy was the "catcher" of the oval piece of fiberglass which was cut out of the side of the boat.

Somehow it always makes me nervous to see any cutting done on the side of anyone's boat! Randy did his usual excellent job - not sure when the other side will get done. Most likely after the kids go home :-)

Steve had Liam and Mea's attention when he pulled out the leeches. There was definitely some hesitation on the part of the kids to touch and hold them but in the end both decided they were ok to handle.

They just kept saying how slimy the leeches were - and they of course were right. I know I'm not a real fan of fishing with them!

Course I'm not a fan of fishing in general so there's that :-)





The beaver mascot (of the Trent) was visiting at the lock today. It was about 85 degrees and how this person managed to survive in this furry beaver costume was beyond me. Seemed like cruel and unusual punishment  ....

The first dinghy trip of the season was somewhat of a bust. No fish and Steve couldn't get the engine started so he and Cindy decided to give it up.

Fortunately they hadn't gone too far and were able to use the kayak paddles to make it back to the boat. Maybe next time we should send a phone along with them!



We headed on to Lovesick Lock on Monday. Strangely enough we were the only two boats that spent the night at the lock.

Typically this is a difficult lock to even find a spot at as it's very popular. So much so that there is a one night limit on docking. With no road access it makes for a very quiet night.

The water is now almost 80 degrees so swimming was a hit for the kids. And of course jumping off of the boat and the dock was fun!

And of course the climbing wall was an attraction as well. Both Liam and Mea made it to the top! This is the same wall that my brothers and I climbed back in the 50's :-)

Guess some things never change ....

Mea, Steve and Liam

Including the fishing opportunities for Steve! He lucked out with a nice bass which was dinner. It was actually a group catch with Steve hooking the fish and Cindy manning the pole while Steve managed to reach low enough to net it. Good thing Steve wasn't alone as the fish would have gotten off the hook for sure.

Mea also caught a small bass which became part of our dinner.

All in all it was a great stop for the night! And a nice sunset to boot :-)

There was an ice cream stop early in the day on Tuesday at Burleigh Falls after a walk around the rocks at the lower end of the falls.

Steve was able to keep up with the kids but not by much!!






Tuesday night we spent at Young's Point. Steve was hoping to replace his lost Tilley's hat at the Lock Trading Post located here but the sizes were limited.

Apparently there is quite the demand for these hats!!

It was a nice spot at the bottom of the lock with little current going over the dam so there was no concern with the kids being swept downstream in the current.

We were sucked into ordering another chelsea roll from the lady at the Young's Point General Store - this time it was perfect!!

What a sugar rush first thing in the morning though. Must be something wrong with that since Steve and I both ended up searching for the Tums bottle later in the day :-)

The weather turned a bit during Thursday so it was a bit cool and windy so we didn't stop at the sandy shoreline on the way to Lakefield.



We did spot a couple of loon chicks along the way. Unusual in that most times at least one of the parents will stay on the surface if there is any danger to the chicks.

Both parents were around though - definitely keeping an eye on the two young ones!

We stayed at the marina so we could pick up a replacement air conditioner. There was an "oops" moment when Steve and Randy were making a drain hole in the one we installed just a couple of weeks ago :-(

Not only did the replacement air conditioner come to the marina as ordered but Steve and Randy had it once again permanently installed using the 2x6x8 that Steve strapped to his bike! Safety did prevail however and he walked the board and bike back to the marina :-)

We're now in Peterborough and will stay a few days!