Around 10:00 PM last night the wind picked up and lightening began flashing across the sky.  At midnight it began to blow harder and rained for several hours.  We awoke this morning to cooler temperatures and drier air.

There is a regular program every morning at 9:00 AM on VHF channel 71 called Cruiser Net, specifically for cruisers in the North Channel hosted by Roy Eaton of Little Current.  Roy is very personable and gives tips about where to go and what to see in the North Channel area.  He encourages everyone to call in reporting their location and to give their comments or ask questions.  He makes a point of telling anyone who has a boating need, to just contact him and he'll be most happy to help them out.  Yesterday Ralph called him asking if it were possible he  could take him to Harbour Vue marina to pick up another shift cable to keep on the boat as a spare.  Of course Roy said yes.  

They met this morning  at the second floor of the Anchor Inn where Roy broadcasts his radio show,.  After the show Roy drove Ralph to Harbour Vue then came back to see our boat.  He's a lot of fun and presented us with a canvas tote bag chock full of information about things to do and see in North Channel.  Thank you, Roy.  How thoughtful of you.

Ralph did some touch up painting this afternoon while I watched some of the Summer Olympics via the internet.  I was able to get the medal count and some other information on television, but the the NBC affiliate in Canada has blocked out the programming to anyone not living in the USA or US possessions so we can't see the events live.  Go! USA!!!  Go Michael Phelps!!  Break that record!!!

In the afternoon we walked to G.G.'s Foodland and bought milk and sticky buns right out of the oven. We were looking for hawberry jelly, particular to this area, but decided not to buy it after all.  We asked several of the locals what hawberries taste like and four different people said they never tasted it.  Not a good sign.   We've still got that daily bakery run going!!   A lot of our Looper friends are here in Little Current so we chatted with them and met some new friends as well.  Ricki and Carl on Quest invited us, Bev and Bruce Freese from Paddy Wagon and Joe and Edie Rubin from Seaquel to come by for Happy Hour.  

We had a lot of laughs and stories to share about our adventures.  We got a kick out of Bev's synopsis of our trip.  She said at first we were a bit tired of locks and now we're a bit tired of rocks so it's time to move on.  I guess we're all just about ready to leave Canada and go back to our beloved USA.  There really is no place like home, Dorothy!

We had dinner with the Rubins at the Anchor Inn on the main street --one of the Anchor Inn's specialties is bison burgers which were delicious.  It seems everyone congregates on the town dock near the ice cream bar in the evenings.  Tonight we met Dean and Beth from Kismet, John and Mary from Passport who we met previously at Fenelon Falls and Ricki and Carl who we met at Ste. Anne de Bellevue.  We're blessed to have made such wonderful friends.  It's hard to believe today is the last day of July already.  Mary and John live in Mackinaw, MI and this adventure has been the delivery trip of their boat and they're almost home. 

Beth and Dean are traveling with an African Grey parrot and described their adventures with her -- and the intricacies of bringing an exotic bird through Customs. 

Roy Eaton host of the North Channel Cruiser Net

Joe, Edie and Ricki

Edie, Carl and Ricki

Bruce and Joe

Bev and Ralph

Joe, Edie, Carl and Ricki