The Cruising Adventures of Wild Blue and crew...

[JamesTXSD]

Captain Morgan ? If it has been on the Canal we've seen it - maybe several times, just don't recollect.

A REAL RED P/U with plates claiming it to be kin to "Wild Blue" ?!? What....they didn't have any blue trucks that day ? :lol:

...
Looks like we'll be here when you arrive, the shipment I'm waiting for hasn't shipped yet.

Captain Morgan... it's a joke. See, if you get Snickers when you meet up with the boat named Snickers, you should get Captain Morgan (rum) when you... aw, heck, if I have to explain it, it just isn't funny. 8)

I like my Wild Blue personalized plates. Here's the conversation (when we're not pulling the boat):
Them: "Why does it say Wild Blue on a red pick up?"
Me: "The pick up is red?"
Them: "Yeah, it's a red pick up."
Me: "I'm colorblind - that darn salesman told me it was BLUE!"

You know, kinda like naming a sweet little dog "Snack". If you didn't want to have to explain that all the time, you woulda named her "Cutesy" or "Dustmop" or something like that. :wink:

See you in a few days. Jim from Snickers just came by and invited us for popcorn on the BIG catamaran. I have to go look at my next boat. :twisted:

Yeah, I'm kidding. I'm a kidder.

Best wishes,
Jim

 

[hardee]

"I like my Wild Blue personalized plates. Here's the conversation (when we're not pulling the boat):
Them: "Why does it say Wild Blue on a red pick up?"
Me: "The pick up is red?"
Them: "Yeah, it's a red pick up."
Me: "I'm colorblind - that darn salesman told me it was BLUE!"

Jim, I'm sorry, I didn't know. And you do such a great job with all the photo's. :wink It must be the talent, You are good

And I am caught up again for a few minutes. (New York City to here.) So good I can't stop. Thanks for sharing, and adding the personal feelings. Making it seem interesting enough to want to go try it out, down the road.

Harvey
SleepyC

 

[Doryman]

Speaking of the red blue truck (or is that a blue red truck?), how many miles do you have on her/him/it now?

Warren

 

[JamesTXSD]

Speaking of the red blue truck (or is that a blue red truck?), how many miles do you have on her/him/it now?

Warren

Big Red has just over 70,000 miles, the majority of that towing (boat or RV). Only one glitch in that time, when we lost a pump... it took out the power steering and the brakes. Covered under warranty, and it happened in our driveway so we weren't stranded on the road. We really enjoy the truck - solid, quiet, and comfortable... and handles the tow weight fine.

How are you doing with your GMC?

Best wishes,
Jim

 

[JamesTXSD]

You've Got Mail...

This morning, we had breakfast at a nearby Dunkin’ Donuts, then walked to the Post Office a few blocks away. We had mail from Texas and South Dakota sent here. When we got to the customer window, the lady said, “Oh, I know it’s here,” and started looking for our mail. Joan could see it sitting on a shelf and directed her to it. “I can see you’ve done this before,” the lady said to us. Right on time for our traveling.



There’s a reason I’m posting that photo of me holding the mail. We then walked to the grocery store to pick up a few items. When I went back outside to get a cart (OK, we got more than a few items), one of the checkers said to me, “Sir, wait - we have mail to go!” She saw the light blue shirt, dark blue shorts, and me carrying a couple Priority packages and figured I was the mailman.

Back at the boat, Joan went through the mail... I got two more birthday cards... fun surprise.

-------------------------

Big Cat, Little Cat...

We had a nice time last night at the neighbors. Jim from Snickers (CD-22) came by and invited us to the big sailing catamaran, owned by his friends, Craig and Mary.



It was a nice evening of conversation, stories, laughs, and making new friends. Truth be told, I did have lust in my heart as we walked to the catamaran... it is a beautiful boat. But it lacks the one feature that makes Wild Blue such a perfect match for the cruising we do: trailerability. If we were going to stay in one area or intended to truly live aboard, a bigger boat makes sense... you just can't drag it down the highway to get to the best cruising places when the desire strikes.

And the little cat...



Little Izzy is turning into a great traveling companion. With the time we've spent at some quieter stops, she has gotten back into the swing of walking on the leash... unlike her "moon walking" episode when we met up with Dave & Jan, and Nick & Marcia in Newark. Izzy walked backwards and looked like a skunk about to spray... all the noise freaked her out. While still just a baby, she has added quite a few states to her "been there" list, and will soon add another country.

-------------------------------------

I got to visit with one of the artists today who did the spectacular mural painting at the city port in Newark. These are so realistic, with great attention paid to the lighting and depth. The guy thanked me for the compliment and told me how he and his partner researched all the little details, like product names and old maps to make it as realistic as possible. It's a delight to see people who take pride in their work and are willing to go the extra mile to produce something special.

Best wishes,
Jim B.

 

[toyman]

Captain Morgan - duh ?!?

Since I only do nectar from the Glens, and lay off of the sweet stuff the only Captain Morgan I could come up to relating to the C-Dory was the Capt. Morgan 25' over in Louisiana.

 

[JamesTXSD]

Captain Morgan - duh ?!?

Since I only do nectar from the Glens, and lay off of the sweet stuff the only Captain Morgan I could come up to relating to the C-Dory was the Capt. Morgan 25' over in Louisiana.

Hey, I KNOW you have a good sense of humor... "wokking the dog", "eating the cat's ears, but Izzy wouldn't hear of it"... and all the others. Hmmm... now that I think about it, a lot of your jokes pertain to eating pets. :disgust

See you in a few days at Seneca Lake, assuming you're still there.

Best wishes,
Jim

 

[Doryman]

How are you doing with your GMC?

I love it. It tows and drives like a dream. A bit of a hassle to park especially in a crowded parking lot, but otherwise an excellent truck. My Dodge was more fun but the GMC is a much better tow vehicle. I have about 25K miles on mine so far (2008 bought about 9 months ago.) The Allison transmission is the best part of the package.

Glad your truck is equally satisfactory. I had not considered GMC until I saw your truck.

Warren

 

[JamesTXSD]

When we bought ours, I did some research on the Big 4 diesel pick-ups... the GMC was rated as the quietest and least problematic. We had never owned a pick-up before, and we were both pleasantly surprised at how civilized it was. Very comfortable.

Glad to hear you're enjoying yours. I have to agree with you regarding that Allison transmission... we had those in 3 of our coaches, and they were superb... same with this truck. :thup

Best wishes,
Jim

 

[JamesTXSD]

Obnoxious Vandal...

Early evening, we were sitting in the boat. Across the canal, a kid walked down the dock. He strarted to get on one of the rental paddleboats, then put his knee on the bimini (the canvas top) and put all of his weight on it. Of course, it broke. He ran back up the dock, laughing.

It was too late to stop him from doing the damage, but I grabbed the camera and got a photo of the little s**t. Several boaters on the dock saw it; I went up to the Welcome Center to report it, and saw another boater on the phone... yep, calling 911. He said they were busy with other stuff and couldn’t get right out.

I called 911 and told the dispatcher, “I have a photo of this kid as he ran off. This could be bad publicity for your tourism industry.”

“We’ll get someone right out.”

There were two other kids watching the obnoxious s**t, and they sat on a bench after he ran off. When they saw the police car pull up on the other side, they started walking away. I told the police officer, “Those kids know the kid who did this... he hid behind them before he ran off.”
The police officer stopped the teenagers, and they, of course, denied seeing anything. I said, “Honey, I have a photo of the kid hiding behind you. I have a photo of the kid running off, with a nice clear shot of his face. Now, why don’t you tell this nice police officer who the kid is.”

They did.

I went back to the boat and printed a photo of the kid to give to the police. The officer chucked and said, “Well, that’s Jessie. Nice photo. We don’t often get a photo as evidence. We know this kid.”

It took a while to do the paperwork and the officer thanked me for my time and for having the presence of mind to get a photo. He also wanted us to know that they just don’t have problems here on the waterfront.

Hopefully, the kid will have to make restitution to the boat rental guy.

Running from the vandalism...



I'm not showing the kid's face because he's a minor. He's also an idiot.

 

[teflonmom]

Hi Jim and Joan,

Glad you got to meet SNICKERS he is a neat guy and has become a good friend.(he takes good care of our baby)

Izzy will become a wonderful traveler and cats do learn to walk on the leash. Our Mr. Grey is a little over 3years old and is still improving the walking trick. He really likes to travel sometimes he rides in his carring case on the boot of our Miata. He looks at everything as we go by.

We met the artists doing the bridge in Newark last year. They do a super job. Every time I went up the ramp from the floating dock I expected the man in the painting to give me and apple.

ENJOY IT ALL

Fred, Pat, and Mr. Grey(the cat)

 

[rogerbum]

Running from the vandalism...



I'm not showing the kid's face because he's a minor. He's also an idiot.

Agreed. However, the running form is quite good. :wink:

 

[Dora~Jean]

JamesTXSD Wrote:
"It was a nice evening of conversation, stories, laughs, and making new friends. Truth be told, I did have lust in my heart as we walked to the catamaran... it is a beautiful boat. But it lacks the one feature that makes Wild Blue such a perfect match for the cruising we do: trailerability. If we were going to stay in one area or intended to truly live aboard, a bigger boat makes sense... you just can't drag it down the highway to get to the best cruising places when the desire strikes."

Nice "big" cat indeed Jim, but as you probably know but didn't mention, it lacks one other feature -- A MAST! Does he just use it as a powerboat now?

And thanks for the great narratives and pictures, very interesting as usual...!

 

[JamesTXSD]

JamesTXSD Wrote:
...
Nice "big" cat indeed Jim, but as you probably know but didn't mention, it lacks one other feature -- A MAST! Does he just use it as a powerboat now?

And thanks for the great narratives and pictures, very interesting as usual...!

Hi Steve,

Nice to hear from you. A sailboat without a mast is the norm on the Erie Canal... too many low bridges and guard gates to pass under. In fact, the only sailboats we've seen on the canal with the mast up were the little radio controlled models. There are mast stepping facilities at each end of the canals... take 'em down before you enter, put 'em back up when you depart. Yes, it certainly seems odd seeing large sailboats passing by without a mast. Except for the kayakers, pretty much everyone on the canal is a powerboater.

In the case of this particular cat (a Leopard 40), he is even too tall with the mast laying down on top of the boat to clear some of the bridges. The other option is to strap the mast to the side of the boat, but that limits your options at the dock. So, yes, for the time they're on the canal, they're a "powerboat." These folks generally spend winters in the Bahamas... with a mast. :wink:

When we were at Seneca Lake, there were plenty of sailboats in the marina... with their masts up. But there is a 16' bridge when you leave the lake and head into the Cayuga-Seneca Canal, so those boats are staying on the lake.

Best wishes,
Jim

 

[Captains Cat]

Jim, great "catch" the little s**t! Glad you helped catch him, too many like that get away with too much. And the catboat sounds great tool We're enjoying Sally's Bolger Bobcat, 12'3" of gaff rigged fun! There's a picture of the boat in the latest issue of WoodenBoat, as a tribute to Phil Bolger.

Happy times, sounds like a blast on the canal! Someday.............. :?

Charlie

 

[ffheap]

Jim,

Nice job catching the S**t.

Fred

 

[JamesTXSD]

We really enjoyed our time in Newark... the murals along the waterfront and on the Community Center are amazing. Some of the older homes are spectacular examples of the architecture from 150-200 years ago. And the waterfront itself is just downright pretty.

We traveled about 35 miles today and transited 8 locks. In one of the locks, there was a flag at half-mast. I asked the lock-master about it. "Another New York soldier was killed in Afghanistan." The Governor's office sends out an e-mail and gives each unit the discretion on flying the flag at half-mast... this lock always does so. "It happens too often, " he said.



At about 25 miles, we turned off the Erie Canal and into the Cayuga-Seneca Canal. Locks 2 & 3 are consecutive here - you go out of one and into the next. And impressive: a total lift of 51 feet. Coming from this direction, you start out at the low water, so the lock walls are tall.



We are down for the night in Seneca Falls. It was our first night's stop after leaving Seneca Lake when we started this cruise. We are getting close to wrapping it up. There was one spot left on the wall with power; we put Wild Blue between two other boats, secured her, and plugged in.

We walked to a neighborhood Italian restaurant for supper. On the way back, coming across the bridge, I took this image of the Seneca Falls waterfront...



Back at the boat, we had a sundowner in the cockpit, and Joan shot this reflection image in the last light of the day...



Could be a theme for today... lots to reflect upon.

Best wishes,
Jim B.

 

[teflonmom]

Jim, Joan and Izzy,

We have really enjoyed your cruise over our favorite waters. The Erie Canal System is just the most wonderful place for trailer boaters to visit.

Your photos from Seneca Falls were superb. Thanks for sharing your travels.

Fred, Pat, and Mr. Grey(the cat)

 

[JamesTXSD]

Thanks for the kind words, Fred. We have a digital frame at home that really gets a workout... besides the images we post here, we make a printed newsletter with photos and stories for family. It's also a good journal of our travels for ourselves.

We've really enjoyed our time on the NY Canal System... one of my goals even before we bought Wild Blue. Thanks for following along. I had read about the Erie Canal, watched the DVD about it, but you have to experience it to truly appreciate what marvel it is. You can see how it changed the lives of the early settlers; see how towns evolved because of the canals. Yep, it's been a trip!

================

And, a public thanks to Barb (wife of Bridge-tender Don). We enjoyed the white hots! Thank you for thinking about us and taking the time to come visit with us.. that was a very special moment in our trip here. We now get the whole "red-hot/white-hot" food group! It's nice when people give you the gift of their time... AND bring food! :wink:

Our daughter asked, "Are they really white?" Well, sure... they're pork. It's the other white meat. :wink:

Best wishes,
Jim & Joan

 

[toyman]

Ahh, the blue tarp on the roof reflected in the water - reminds me of East Texas !