Pubs vs Bars

Having lived most of my life within the state of Indiana where children cannot enter a drinking establishment or even pass through a bar, I did not ever cultivate or understand the habit of stopping at a neighborhood beer joint. I was already married and a mother by the time I turned twenty-one so when I could legally enter a bar within the state of Indiana I had neither the inclination nor the money to do so. In addition, I really do not like the taste of beer.

When we moved to Chicago, where neighborhood bars are often the best dinning spot as well as local watering hole, I saw a little clearer the appeal of the neighborhood tap. However, as drinking and smoking often go hand in hand and I cannot tolerate being in a smoky environment (and Chicago had not yet banned smoking in public places) I still did not frequent bars very often.

I often read about people gathering at their local “pub” and of course watched the television show Cheers, but I still could not grasp the appeal of why anyone would want to spend more money for a glass of wine and/or watch a baseball game with a bunch of other people when doing these two things at home in my jammies would be much more comfortable and cheaper. I never really got the difference between a bar and a pub – they seemed the same to me…but I could not have been more mistaken.



Two of my knitting heroes, Lucy Neatby and Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, who both happen to be Canadians, often mention “going to the local pub for a pint” from time to time and I still not did not get it…THEN, while we were in Kingston, Ontario, I finally got it. We were having lunch at the Kingston Brewing Company and I looked around the Pub and I fell in love with the atmosphere, camaraderie (even though I did not know anyone present other than Captain Mark) and the wide selection of ale products. People were watching the sporting events on the TV while laughing and chatting as they ate lunch. As I looked around, I could understand how easy it would be for me, like Lucy and Stephanie, to bring my knitting with me as I joined my buds and had a pint every once in a while.

Clearing Canadian Customs

This is our first time to travel into international waters and there is a very specific and formal protocol that must be followed by boaters. At all times we are to fly on our stern the colors of our home country, which in our case is the US flag. Upon leaving US waters and entering Canadian waters, we are are required to fly the yellow international quarantine flag until such time as we are cleared by Canadian Customs. Only after we have been cleared or “invited” to stay in Canada may we fly the Canadian Courtesy flag. This flag must be smaller in size than our US flag, must be placed forward of our stern and displayed on the starboard side of the boat.

Across Lake Ontario to Canada

Bright and early we were up and ready to head across Lake Ontario to Kingston, Ontario, Canada. The winds were favorable which meant that the waves upon the lake made travel very comfortable. We pumped out the head while still in the US as we have heard that the cost to pump out in Canada can be pricey – we shall see.


This is Fort Ontario which played a huge role during the War of 1812 as a strategic outpost for the US forces.



Finally we were left the Oswego River and entered the waters of Lake Ontario.
Traveling was quite easy and in fact, so easy that after about an hour, First Mate Dottie and I were lulled to sleep leaving Captain Mark to fend for himself at the helm. What is interesting about traveling in open water is that all open water looks the same. It does not matter if one is in Lake Michigan or the Gulf of Mexico or the Chesapeake Bay or the Atlantic Ocean – water is water is water. Only when we were in the Florida Keyes did the open water appear different due to the beautiful blue color of the Caribbean waters otherwise the water is an almost green color lighted by the white caps of the waves.

We travelled through the western most area known as the Thousand Islands. This part of Lake Ontario is spotted with almost two thousand small islands. Known for their remoteness and some truly spectacular homes these islands are also bird and wildlife sanctuaries.

It has been tremendously hot for the past few weeks so it felt wonderful to be on the open water with the “sea breeze”. Again I was thankful for the enclosed pilot house so that we were not exposed to the heat and sun as would have been with a fly-bridge. It was also extremely hazy and we were rather close to the shoreline before we were able to make out the city of Kingston. We found our slip at Confederation Basin and as soon as we were settled Captain Mark (and Dottie) went to check us in with Canadian Customs.



Hours on the water: 6.25
Nautical miles traveled: 51
Number of bridges to be opened: 0
Time spent waiting at bridge: 0
Number of locks: 0
Next Destination: 0
What we are listening to: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Lesson for the day: It felt so good to be out in deep water again
Obligatory knitting report: Navy Cardigan for me

Tell Tale Community Traits

As we travel we have had the opportunity to experience many different ways of life, culture and local trends within both urban and rural settings. I have found that the best way to get a “feel” for an area is by paying close attention to the local grocery store. Almost every town has one and they come in all sorts of different shapes and sizes. I have taken every opportunity that I could to avoid the almost ever-present Wal-Marts as they are the same no matter where one travels and they seldom give one a flavor of the area unless one is doing a sociological study of the native inhabitants but that is a blog story for another time.


Most groceries are pretty routine with the basic staples of life such as bread, milk and People magazines. I discovered that two areas of a store truly make a grocery outstanding; these areas are the bakery aisle and the meat counter. If fresh bread is baked within the store that is a dead give-away that the store will have quality produce and savvy consumer goods. I love vegetables and since I am the only crew aboard the Lolligag that eats any fresh vegetable other than celery and white potatoes, I am always excited when I enter a grocery store and the smell of fresh baked bread because I know that yummy vegetables will be part of my next meal.

The next area is the fresh meat counter. I love it when I find a grocery that has a real person, in an apron, standing behind a tall glass case just waiting to assist me with my choice of meat or fish items. I love being able to point to the salmon filet that I want and to tell the “butcher” how I wish to have the fish wrapped. I know that the person waiting on me is most likely not a butcher but pretending that he/she is completes my grocery shopping fantasy experience.

Now if a store has both an in-house bakery and a fresh meat counter then it is guaranteed that I will also find a delightful deli, choice cheeses, and scrumptious snacks along with a plentiful soda/pop selection. Using these standards as the basis of comparison I am able to deduce an unscientific but very accurate assessment of the local community. It is interesting that some several of the “best” grocery stores have not been in the “best” communities from a socio-economic perspective. Also interesting is the fact that often the grocery store is the social hub of a community and a place where the community spirit is most evident. This is especially true if the local high school sports team will be facing a long standing rival on Friday evening.

Now with all of this being said I will reveal my top five favorite grocery stores based on our travels thus far:

#5
Farm Fresh which is located in the south


#4
Kroger which is located in the Midwest

#3
Buehler’s Buy Low which is located in Lionville and surrounding Southern Indiana towns

#2
Harris-Teeter which is located in the Mid-Atlantic states. This grocery chain came in a very close second to Wegmans. Harris-Teeter did have an unfair advantage in that these stores are allowed to sell wine while the grocery stores in New York state are not allowed to do so…

#1

Wegmans which is located in New York State. This is by far my favorite grocery store in the whole United States. If I could get the company to branch out to the Midwest, I would be in hog heaven for sure (pun intended). Since this is highly unlikely to happen, I did the next best thing and that was to shop in as many Wegmans stores as I could while I was in the area even if I did have to go to another store to purchase my wine.

The Making of a Future Chicago Cub

I love baseball…I am a Die Hard Chicago Cubs fan and I know baseball inside out. Mark my words when I say that we have, in our family, a young man who is destined to be a Major League baseball player. His name is Nathanial and he is our youngest nephew. Nathanial is a member of the Indiana Baseball Academy from Carmel, Indiana and his traveling team was recently invited to Cooperstown, New York to participate in a national tournament. Fortunately for us, Cooperstown was only a drive of a few hours from where the Lolligag was currently, so we eagerly rented a car to watch Nathanial play ball. My brother Bill, as well as Nathanial’s parents Lisa and Greg, also came to watch the tournament and it was nice to visit with my sibs while watching some outstanding baseball.

I was not exactly sure what to expect, HOWEVER, I could never have imagined the wonderful baseball program and experience that is offered at Cooperstown Dreams Park. It truly is beyond even Kevin Costner’s Field of Dreams park…every detail of a quality wholesome baseball experience has been conceived and executed for the enjoyment and skill enhancement of the participants and fans. With twenty-two baseball diamonds available for tournament games, literally hundreds of youngsters have the opportunity to be invited to Dreams Park each year to play. The players and their parents are given an orientation by park personnel and then the players are “housed” in team barracks where they will spend the remainder of the week away from their parents. This allows the players to experience what it is like in a training camp environment and to focus on the hands-on skills training seminars that they each attend during the week.

While Nathanial is a very talented athlete, he is also a very humble young man and not one to seek the limelight. He takes his training and coaching advice very seriously and even at this young age has that “Major League Baseball Player” look about him. He is a well-rounded player who can play multiple positions but pitching is where his heart lies. He also wields a mighty bat and while at Cooperstown, Nathanial hit three home runs. One of which we were present to witness as well as the wide smile on his face as he rounded third base.



Nathanial’s family are tried and true St Louis Cardinals fans and as everyone knows, the Cards are the nemesis of the Chicago Cubs. Several years ago when we still lived in Chicago, I had the pleasure of taking Nathanial to his first Major League baseball game…of course it was Cubs vs Cards and the Cubs actually won the game. I have often been chastised by my family of Cardinal’s fans when I have referred to Nathanial as a Future Chicago Cub…but I think his father Greg said it best when he said “…if Nathanial gets drafted by the Chicago Cubs organization EVEN I will become a Cubs fan!”

Phoenix to Oswego, New York

The weather has cooled off and it was an absolutely perfect day when we waved good-bye to the darling Bridge House Brats as we departed Phoenix. Our journey today was still within the New York Canal System but in realty we will be upon the Oswego River which will empty into Lake Ontario. The Oswego River is part of the New York Canal System because it has a system of 7 locks which lowered us a total of 118 feet to the water level of Lake Ontario. There is no lock #4, so our destination is the Oswego Marina located immediately outside Lock 8 in the heart of downtown Oswego. However in all of our travels thus far this is the first time that we have ever seen a bridge in the middle of a lock! We could not go forward until after the water level had been lowered so that we would fit underneath the bridge.



Since we were traveling in a river, the shoreline was considerably different than it was within the man-made canals. Trees lined the shore and for most of the way, we were able to enjoy the undeveloped wetlands. The area reminded us of the Illinois and Tennessee waterways with many of the same trees and water fowl.



I hardly had time to knit…every time I took my yarn and needles out of my bag, it was time for Deck Monkey lock duties. FINALLY, after the third lock, I remembered the special “lock line” I made last year for securing us to the lock wall cables. Once I found the line and used it, my Deck Monkey lock duties became much easier.



Dottie does not seem to mind her life jacket and has found the courage to come outside the boat whenever either one of us is outside. She has not even come close to falling off (knock on wood) and is totally unbothered by the ducks and geese. She just hangs out looking cute and knowing that she is in charge.

We arrived in Oswego Marina and will stay here until the seas are favorable for us to cross Lake Ontario. Look who has the slip next to ours…these guys come and go all around the clock and carry very serious looking weapons. Of course, they are extremely nice, polite and love the Lolligag. I think that they would much prefer to be driving the Lolligag but is it doubtful that they would capture any bad guys at 7 knots.




Hours on the water: 4.5
Nautical miles traveled: 19
Number of bridges to be opened: 1
Time spent waiting at bridge: 0
Number of locks: 7
Next Destination: Kingston, Ontario Canada
What we are listening to: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Lesson for the day: Don’t forget what you learned last year
Obligatory knitting report: Navy top down cardigan for me

Bridge House Brats

Located in the center of Phoenix, New York, at Henley Park, on the Oswego River next to Lock One is the Bridge House Museum. Here The Brats have made a place for boaters to feel most welcome. The kids that work in Henley Park are called the "Bridge House Brats". They maintain the park and historical museum all summer long, keeping both the park and museum clean, operational, and safe.



The Bridge House hours are from 7am to 4pm on Monday through Thursday and from 7am to 8pm on Fridays and 7am to 3pm Saturday during the months of June, July and August. Closed Sundays. Free lemonade and coffee are served every day to all. The Brats are at our service from 7 in the morning until 4 at night, to run errands or serve you dockside. We are welcome to order from any of the restaurants in Phoenix. We simply ordered from the menus and one of The Brats will phone in the order, and gladly bring it straight to our boat. On Friday night, I had some of the best pie in world for only $1.

The following services are also available from The Brats:
* Wash your boat - Free
* Docking - Free
* Watch your boat while away and we're open - Free
* Deliver Dockside Meals - Served at no extra cost
* Run local errands - Free
* Museum tours - Free
* Walk your friendly dog - Free
* Pick up groceries - Free
* Waste Dumping - Free
* Rest Rooms - Free
* Rides to local stores - Free
* Water connection - Free
* Electricity (110 volt 15amp & 2 30amp lines) - Free
* Local Phone calls - Free
* Telephone line for Modem connection - Free (time limited)
* WiFi 802.11g Wireless Internet Server - Free
* Three-Wheeled Basket Bikes - Free Rental



Not only are these young people the cutest and most friendly, they are some of the hardest workers as well as some pretty shrewd business people. Frugal Captain Mark would never pay $10 for two bags of ice but with The Brats “working for a donation only” even Captain Mark was willing to ante up some cold hard cash.

Season Four Begins

The most important factor in making this “Loop Trip” for us was that we allow ourselves the time and money to truly see the areas in which we travel. First the trip was going to take two years and then we both fell in love with the Chesapeake. We certainly did not want to hurry through the Chesapeake Bay area and so we decided to stay there a year. We probably could have and more likely should have completed the “loop” last year but I have to admit, right up front, that I whined until Captain Mark agreed that we could “stay out” one more year. SO…that means that this summer will find us returning to Chicago or Traverse City, Michigan to cross our wake to complete our circle of travel.


As we travel farther north in the hemisphere, the boat season becomes shorter which meant we did not head back to upstate New York until the middle of June. Over the winter the Lolligag was snug as a bug in a rug inside Ess Kay Yards in Brewertown at the junction of the Erie Canal and Lake Oneida. Upon our arrival we found the Lolligag ready for adventure as we prepared to head west on our journey back to Chicago.



Our friends, David and Lenore aboard Mr G greeted us warmly as did the gracious family staff at Ess Kay. We spent several days provisioning and cleaning the interior of the Lolligag as well as making sure that, First Mate Dottie, was acclimated and comfortable aboard her summer home.

Our departure was delayed for several days due to extremely high winds on the western New York area waters. While this is not a factor on the NY Canal System since the water way is relatively narrow, it is a major factor when planning to cross Lake Ontario, so we just stayed put for a few days longer at Ess Kay. Thursday morning, July 1st found the “seas favorable” and it was off we go from Brewertown to Phoenix, NY for our first days travel in season four of our adventures.



It was fun and exciting to be underway again and I think we both amazed ourselves in that our boating skills returned to us quickly after a long period of non-use. At first, Dottie was not too sure what was happening but she also quickly adjusted to her role as First Mate.


We came to the junction where we had our choice of the Erie Canal or the Oswego Canal and this year our route takes us in a different direction upon the Oswego Canal. For our first day out, the day was short and sweet with only one lock and peaceful scenery. We docked at the City Dock of Phoenix, New York and were greeted by the Bridge House Brats.



Hours on the water: 2
Nautical miles traveled: 10
Number of bridges to be opened: 0
Time spent waiting at bridge: 0
Number of locks: 1
Next Destination: Oswego, NY
What we are listening to: Just the sounds of nature
Lesson for the day: It is great to be back on the water
Obligatory knitting report: Navy top down cardigan for me

Meet Crew Member: Dottie

We are delighted to introduce the Lolligag’s newest crew member, Dottie. Captain Mark and I have been “cat” people for a long long time since our family dog, Muffin, ran away from home in the late 1970’s leaving us all heart-broken and devastated. When planning and preparing for this trip, we very reluctantly and sadly for us but happily for the felines found homes (thank you Nina) for our two cats who literally and undeniably HATED the boat.

During our journeys we have met and seen many boaters who have pets aboard and the animals seem to actually love living on the boats. This made us (me) sad about not having our cats with us but neither of us was sad about not having a litter box on board. So we resigned ourselves to the knowledge that we would get a critter when our trip was completed.

Everything changed when we met Dottie for the first time at our daughter Beth’s house last summer when we were home for a visit. I must admit for all three of us, it was love at first sight. Beth rescues Pugs and it seems the older and sicker the Pug, the more Beth loves them. So following the passing of her most recent Pug rescue, Buddy, Beth decided that she would NOT rescue any more dogs – for at least six months. WELL, it did not surprise anyone who knows Beth that less than two weeks later, she announced that Dottie had been rescued. Beth selected Dottie from the “pound” because she looked so much like Muffin. As Beth soon discovered, Dottie is indeed a perfect dog = for OLD people. Dottie does not play well with others and favors her “only child” status. Most notably, Dottie is very protective, loyal and does not share her owners well so when Beth served as a rescue/foster home, Dottie did not welcome the Pugs or any little children who visited.

As much as we can tell, Dottie is a Cairn Terrier/Lhasa Apso mix and has the cutest and best features of each breed. It was all that we could do to restrain ourselves from taking her last summer but we all agreed to wait until October when we returned to Lionville before allowing Dottie a trial visit to our home. A wonderful transformation occurred as the bond between Dottie and us cemented immediately. She loved having us entirely to herself and we both fell hard for those huge brown eyes and constantly wagging tail. She adores spending her days sitting on Captain Mark’s lap only interrupted by their long walks all around town. We have found that she does not like going into pet stores as she thinks she will be left for grooming but loves having her hair blown dry following a delicious bubble bath.

Not that she is spoiled or anything like that BUT we did have to purchase a new bed…we have had the same bedroom suite since we were married (42+ years ago) that included a standard double bed. After four nights of the three of us sleeping in that small area, the frugal Captain Mark readily agreed that we needed to upgrade to a queen sized bed and all three of us have been much happier ever since.

While Beth and Chris are very disappointed that Dottie does not live at their house any longer, they quickly admit that Dottie has it made as the Lolligag’s newest crew member.

Our Daughter, the Snake Handler

I am always talking about how wonderful the Wunder Kids are but I really should take a minute to talk about their mother. Today is her 42nd birthday and while I am sure that she probably will be mortified that I am telling everyone her age, she will just have to bear with me even if it is her special day. She was born while Captain Mark and I were still kids ourselves and in spite of us, not necessary because of us, she grew up to be a very wonderful mother, wife, sister, daughter, teacher, medical practice manager, special education advocate and dear friend to many. She has the patience of Job and I don’t think that I have ever heard her raise her voice in anger since those couple of minutes when as a teenager she wanted to stay out later than we thought was necessary.

As parents when our children are small we tell them that they can be whatever they wish to be as adults. I think this was especially true of my generation while raising daughters as the employment gender barriers imploded. Education and going to college was never an option in our household it was an expectation. The rule was always that as parents we would be responsible for the undergraduate degree but both Sam and Beth were on their own for advanced degrees. We were fortunate enough to be able to keep our end of the bargain as did both girls.

Sam is a teacher by education and training but instead of getting a Master’s degree in education, she choose to become certified in each grade level and almost every subject from pre-school through grade 12. I think the only subject that she is not eligible to teach in any of these grades is art.


She called us very excited one day last fall to tell her father and me that she had just obtained THE best job of her life – one that tops all the educational jobs that she has done previously and one for which she was immensely trained. She was hired by one of the best zoological parks in the Midwest as an educational liaison. Now I have been her mother for a long time so I cut through the fancy jargon and said “So what…you are going to be a snake handler!?” Samantha giggled and stated that “Yes indeedy, she would be the Jack Hanna for the northern tundra of Indiana. That she would be ever so cool as she drove the Zoo Mobile.”
She later told us that the snake was just fine to handle but the owl was pesky. As if to prove her point, we received the above photo within a few days of her call. AND we could not be prouder of our daughter, the snake handler. AND YES, she can be whatever she wishes when she grows up.. Happy Birthday, Sam!

Ravelympics

Ravelympics, you say…what is that? Well, it is the way that knitters, spinners, and those who crochet have fun during the Winter Olympics. If you notice on the left side of the blog, there is a link to Ravelry along with my id. Ravelry is an online social site for fiber people of the world. The last time I looked, there were in excess of 600,000 members world wide. One can participate in/on the Ravelry site as much as one wishes but the hardest part for most of us is actually leaving the site to do some knitting or fiber work. With literally thousands of groups available for every possible life interest, one could potentially spend the rest of one’s life interacting with fellow members and never knit again.


In addition to the groups, Ravelry provides a platform to inventory one’s stash (yarn or fiber), needles, books, patterns as well as linking all of these items together when making a project. Projects can then be shared (or not) with fellow Ravelers so one has a documented history complete with pictures and comments of the project. Because this history is online and not on one’s own computer, the worries about losing the data are reduced for those of us less computer savvy. Ravelry is a wonderful resource for determining if that really expensive yarn that you have been drooling over (and quietly transferring money from the grocery allotment to pay for) is really as good as your fantasy OR is it just overpriced? Is that less expensive yarn you have heard so much about even better for the project? With over 600,000 members you know that someone will have already purchased/worked with the yarn and will be more than happy to share their opinion.



So back to the Ravelympics…like the real Olympics that will be held in Vancouver starting on Friday, February 12th, we Ravelers have picked up the knitting needle torch to participate in our own form of winter games. We have divided into teams and entered events. While there are guidelines/formats to keep us in order and focused, there is only one rule to rule them all: We must challenge ourselves by starting and finishing projects during the 2010 Winter Olympics with the goal of expanding our fiber horizons above and beyond normal expectations.

I am a member of Team Master Seekers. What defines our team is not geography but the fact that we all are seeking to become Master Knitters. Members of our team may be working on any of the three levels and have the choice of what event(s) in which they wish to participate. I am working on the Level II certification and have chosen to make the argyle sock as my first project. Therefore, I will represent Team Master Seekers in the Sock Hockey Event. If I finish the argyle sock before the closing ceremonies, then I will participate in the Mitten Moguls by working on the required Fair Isle mittens. I have chosen to work on the argyle sock first because it truly will be a challenge for me. While I have made many a sock during my knitting years, I have yet to create an argyle sock which involves several non-routine knitting skills such as intarsia and the use of bobbins to make the different yarn colors behave themselves and fall into the proper location.

Mass Cast-On will begin at 9p (Indianapolis time, 6 pm PST) February 12, as the Opening Ceremonies begin in Vancouver. Anyone casting on prior to that time will be immediately disqualified – you know the knitting and Ravelympic police will be everywhere to make sure that no one has an unfair advantage. I did ask…drinking wine while participating in Ravelympics does NOT violate doping rules.

This is what my argyle sock looks like prior to the Opening Ceremonies:




Updates to follow.

Not a Good Day in Indiana

Yesterday (Sunday morning) when I got out of bed, the snow had stopped and the sun was brightly shinning. All atmospheric signs and the odds makers pointed to an excellent day for Indiana sports fans. IU (Indiana University Bloomington) was playing Northwestern at 2:30 and following that game all television sets would immediately be turned to CBS for the Colts Super Bowl game.

The IU basketball team is this year in what we Hoosier fans call a transition year. To those of you who have not followed IU basketball since the much revered Bobby Knight was so rudely run out of Bloomington, I will bring you up to speed by simply saying that having a basketball team comprised of wholesome players who actually made grades and attended classes was not a priority until Coach Crean arrived on the scene a couple of years ago. Say whatever you will about Coach Knight, but one can never accuse him of not having the grades and graduation of his players as the most important aspect of his basketball and life coaching requirements. It is much to Coach Crean’s credit that he too seems to be able to see the whole persona of a well rounded college athlete. During the recent basketball games that IU played against both Purdue and Illinois, Coach Crean’s team showed their stuff. While IU lost both of these games in the last few seconds, all of us Hoosier fans knew that we on our way back.

So it was that Hoosiers settled into their television viewing seats for what we all figured would be a slam-dunk day both for college basketball and professional football. As I watched the IU-Northwestern game I could not believe that this was the same team that almost beat Purdue on Thursday night…to allow Northwestern (of all teams) to take the lead and never look back? Those of us who refer to the Big Ten, which now has eleven teams in the conference, as “the Big Ten plus Northwestern” could hardly comprehend what we were seeing. AND Coach Crean, I thought he was going to have a hissy fit and possibly even throw a chair as he watched his team play in Evanston. I don’t think I would want to have been on that team bus travelling down I-65 as it returned to Bloomington.



We all had just enough time to refill our wine/beer glasses and grab the chips before it was time for the next chapter of Indiana sports. I think the only people in this country who did not think that the Colts would win were those people living in Louisiana. How could the Colts, not win? After all Payton Manning was a Colt and the only games the Colts lost this year were games in which the name brand players did not play so it just made sense that if Payton was playing then the Colts were destined to win.



The first half of the Super Bowl game looked like the Colts that we here in Indiana know and love…however, it seems that we all in Indiana had forgotten that valuable and vital lesson that the Milan, Indiana basketball taught us in 1954, never doubt or under estimate the spirit and will of the underdog.