YES, YES, WE ARE ON OUR WAY BACK TO OBX!!!

Well, it has finally happened - we have both cars loaded up - and we are on our way back to the OBX. We plan to arrive home on Monday evening. Hope the house is done, Greg!!!! If you need to reach Eddie or Debbie, please call there cell phones: Eddie 202-3339 or Debbie 202-9831.

ARE WE EVER GOING TO GET BACK TO OBX?

We are trying desperately to get back up to the OBX. We have been remodeling our house in Colington Harbour and it just isn't quite finished. So, we don't have a house to come back to.

We are hoping to leave the Keys on Thursday, August 28th and arriving in the OBX late Friday night. Let's keep our fingers crossed that this will happen!!!!

We loved Lake Michigan with the Kohuts!!!!

Okay, this boating stuff is getting very addicting. After cruising in the Great Lakes aboard Kohut's really neat "Blue Chip" 42 Foot Grand Banks, it's been decided, WE NEED A BOAT!!!

THE "BLUE CHIP"


Mike, Linda and Jake have it all figured out. They got the best of both worlds, winters in the Keys and summers in the Great Lakes. And, Mike and Linda were nice enough to share part of their summer in Lake Michigan with Eddie and I.







A typical day in the life of the Kohut's cruising the Great Lakes is easy, laid-back and just plain fun. No fuss, no schedule, no problem! So, we would get up whenever we got up, have our coffee and breakfast and leave at the (as Mike would say) crack of noon. And, we would go to where ever 3 to 5 hours would take us. What a easy, relaxing way to live. It just doesn't get any better than that. At least, that's what Eddie and I think.



So, after spending a week on "Blue Chip", a delightful boat by the way, we do need a boat! Blue Chip is a beauty. She is a Trawler with all the graceful lines and teak that one would expect in a classic boat. Her layout is very accommodating with the two private staterooms on either end of her. Her salon/galley is very comfortable and her bridge is just the place you want to be as you cruise the Great Lakes or watch the evening sunsets.


It is very evident that Mike and Linda love her as they have taken quite good care of her to the point that she looks brand new.

Eddie and I had planned to drive up to the Lake, but plans suddenly change around here occassionally, so we flew to Traverse City Int'l Airport to meet the Kohut's Saturday evening. The town is quite nice - green, clean with gleam! Now we need to tell you, that you may not want to always rely on Mike's choice of restaurants. The reason I tell you this is that he took us to an Italian restaurant called "Stella's " which was an old "StateMental Hospital" AND the restaurant is housed where the morge used to be!!!! Do you see what I mean? That should have been our first clue (wouldn't you say), but when the taxi driver suggested that we don't order the liver, well, . . . All kidding aside, we had a good evening!

The plan was to take off Sunday morning but the wind said "I don't think so" so we stayed one more day. This turned out to be very fruitful as we rented a car and our wonderful tour guides "Mike, Linda and the Jakeman" showed us most of their favorite ports along the Leelanau Peninsula - Sutton's Bay, Northport, Lealand, Glen Arbor, Empire and Frankfort. They were all picture perfect pretty in their own rite - just like what you would expect for a shoreside Lake town. Eddie and I especially enjoyed Lealand, also known as the "fish town" and walked the city docks. Mike showed us the Bakery Cheese Store where they purchased Cheddar Curds - they were goood! Eddie came upon "the" local fish house and bought smoked salmon - I must say it was the best we had ever eaten. The four of us went to a outside cafe, ordered coffee's and eat our "curds and salmon". We ate the whole slab of salmon! Of course, we went back and bought another slab for later in the week. Our last stop for the day was Frankfort where we had dinner at a delightful oriental restaurant called "Fusions". We would recommend it to anyone who goes to Frankfort.

The next day brought much calmer winds, so as I said before, at the crack of noon, off we cruised for Charlevoix. This is another pretty, green, clean town with houses around the marina area that had boat garages under them. You actually opened your "garage door" drove your boat under the house, and closed the garage door again. Charlevoix is known for a special type of roof architecture that a famous architect claimed as his name to fame. Very pretty sloping, slightly bumpy uneven roofs that give the house a feel of ages old European, yet beautiful.

One of the nice things that w didn't know but were soon to find out about on this trip is that all the port towns in Michigan have these great city docks with all the necessary facilities. These facilities were very clean, new looking, in great areas of town with town activities scheduled. The ports of Lake Michigan know how to welcome their visiting boaters!

Mike took us to Beaver Island, a very remote area of Lake Michigan, and it was just plain beautiful. We were at the end of their summer season and one of only three boats in the public marina. But, it was just breathtaking. And, believe it or not, Eddie roade a bike as you can see in this pic. I figured I had better take a pic of this or people just wouldn't believe me!

We met up with Floyd and Maggie on their 46 Ft Grand Banks trawler and spent a day with them in Petosky. Since we are all We meet up with the Floyd and Maggie Lewis with their 46' Grand Banks Trawler and spent a couple of days with them in Petosky. Since we are all Marathon Yacht Club members, we had a meeting - isn't it when two or more couples get together that consititues a meeting? Anyway, as you can see here, we all had a great time once more.

The week went too fast, Eddie and I weren't anywhere near ready to go home, (next time we won't fly so we can change plans) but Mike and Linda were the perfect hosts and made us feel at home in the "Blue Chip".





Thank you Mike, Linda and the Jakeman for a wonderful time!