We thought this a good day to give you some fascinating stats since we began this adventure on May 23, 2012:

Miles traveled:                     1,641

Engine hours:                         381

Locked through:                     113 locks in the US and Canada

Paid docks:                              21 nights

Free docks/lock walls:            35 nights (with mooring pass)

Anchored out:                          28 nights

Cities visited:                           68

Countries visited:                     2

* The Captain says if we would count bakery treats and ice cream, it would be in the jillions!

I neglected to mention this factoid we learned as soon as we arrived in Michigan -- visitors to the U.P. or Upper Peninsula are called "Fudgies" -- sort of like "Shoobies" at the Jersey Shore or "Chicken Neckers" on the Chesapeake.  So we're trying to live up to our moniker consuming vast quantities of UP fudge.

Okay back to the business at hand.  Today we departed Petoskey in the fog and traveled south 14 miles across Little Traverse Bay to Charlevoix where we anchored in Oyster Bay,  We dinghied ashore and took a walk through this lovely little town -- the Welcome sign is truthful when it says "Charlevoix...the beautiful."

We visited the former high school which was recently renovated to the new Charlevoix Library.  There are sculptures in the pretty gardens and the library itself is massive and beautifully laid out.  On the second floor among photos dating back to the 1900s which line the walls, there is a special reading room with a sign posted "No Click Area" -- meaning no cell phones, no lap tops, no texting.  I would have taken a picture of that sign, but it would have meant a "click."

We next visited the Earl Young Mushroom Homes also known as Hobbit Houses.  Earl A. Young (1889-1975) is  Charlevoix's master builder in stone.  His most famous structures are small homes, each distinct in its own right, using local limestone, fieldstone, Ice Age glacial boulders found in Lake Michigan and farmers' fields, quarried slap Onaway stone and red sandstone from an excavation in Sault St. Marie.

We walked downtown and did a little shopping, but we by-passed Celeste Murdick's Fudge Shop (and we were told by one of the employees that any Murdick's not mentioning a specific name, is not authentic Murdick's fudge.  We also passed by Kilwin's Ice Cream Parlor, even though the Captain's little nose was pressed against the front window.  

The anchorage was quite busy all afternoon, but the sun is setting and only a handful of boats, including us, remain.

Along the Charlevoix waterfront

These kids had a great time playing in the water spouts

The "short-cut" to the library and Mushroom Homes

You NEVER see a sign that says Celeste

Butterfly sculpture in Charlevoix Library garden

I like this sailboat sculpture with the constellations

Pictorial history of Charlevoix at the library

Clever map w/compass bearings sculpture

One of the Mushroom Homes a/k/a Hobbit Houses

Note the creative stonework on this Hobbit House

These homes are built in a triangular area -- the house behind the car fronts on the next street up the hill

Residents live in these unique homes

We liked all of these homes

A dormer has been added to this home -- wonder what Mr. Young would think of that!

This could be my favorite Hobbit House

No ice cream today, Captain Wonderful!! But if he wanted one, I'd have probably joined him.  We were on food overload after dinner at Janice's last evening.

Standing at the waterfront facing downtown Charlevoix

The shoreline of far side of Charlevoix harbor

We believe this home is an Earl Young design, although not a Hobbit House

This beautiful huge library has something for everyone