Day 9 – September 28th – Our last day on the Illinois River

I am still being eaten alive by the mosquitoes and the itching is about to drive me insane. So I took a Benadryl which stopped the itching but then promptly put me to sleep. Today I totally wimped out on Mark as a communications officer and navigator. I crashed on the couch in the salon and slept most of the day. Since I do not have any pictures from today I thought I would send some personal messages to the folks back home.

To Lisa and family:
Here is the fruit that you so gracious sent.

Here is the fruit gone.

Note of explanation to everyone else. When my sister Lisa asked if there were any concerns that I had about making this trip I told her that the only thing that I remembered from my history studies about explorers and people who lived aboard ships was that they always seemed to get scurvy. So I guessed that scurvy was something that I needed to be on top of. Being the very thoughtful and resourceful sister that Lisa is, she sent Mark and me a basket of flowers filled with wonderful fruit so that we could start our journey in good health.

To Nancy:
The following is a not so subtle hint (message) from your Mom and Dad (as well as from me). When your Mom was visiting our boat, she noticed that we keep our life jackets on our bed for quick and easy access whenever we leave the dock just in case we need them. You really should not have told your mother about that rough crossing that you and Jim made in the 5-7 footers on Lake Michigan – moms tend to worry and obsess about stuff like that…

To Bob:
I am working on getting maps uploaded to a permanent spot on the blog so that you can easily access where we are at all times. It will have print large enough for you to see clearly. I will get this done as soon as I figure out how to accomplish the task. I love that you are my editor and official spell checker. I take great comfort in knowing that one of Chicago’s most influential and high priced lawyers has my back.


To Terry, my gardener and Dearest Soul Sister:
This is the tree that I want in the front yard at the Indiana house.

To Diana:
Here are the socks that I finished for Mark. I can not wait to see your first completed pair.


To Kathy and Lee: We miss you and the kids very much.


To Sam and Beth: We miss you and love you very much even if you have no talent for decorating.