Hi again....you didn't hear from us yesterday, but yesterday was a busy day....we finished up the locks....took on fuel and traveled further than other days....we were pretty tired when we pulled up to the city wall in Brocksport. The visitor's center is staffed with volunteer's, and bless their hearts, they waited for us....but then they locked us out of the showers....but the ice cream shop made up for everything....
Jim and Barabara...you will appreciate this....we had crabcakes two nights ago...made from Maryland Blue lump crab that I bought while in the Solomans......the Old Bay mix was just perfect....but you have to appreciate the setting....it was Miller's Marina....a small little place that time has almost forgotten....the piers were rickety and the tie up cleats were made from old railroad rails with a metal bar soldered on so you could secure the lines....
The owner was pleasant and eager to please, and we just needed to follow the rules....for example, he didn't trust the integrety ofhis water pipes...so we had turn off the water shutoff after we hosed down the boat...and Jeff had to clean out the shower stall before he could step into the shower....but the little stream has a view of old bridgework that made the mooring absolutely charming....and I found this clump of water iris at the park across the stream....
The white stuff in the water are cottonwood "fluffs".....the float into the boat....and sometimes are so thick, it looks like it is snowing really big snowflakes in slow motion....the day before yesterday was bird day....we saw at least 5 golden eagles, at least two dozen blue herons, and we have lost count of the Canadian geese....their goslings are about one third of their full growth and it is so neat to watch them in the water....today is "lift" bridge day....there are 15 lift bridges on the canal....yesterday, when we came up to the first one....we didn't realize it was a lift bridge and Paul just pulled up to the city wall and started scratching his head.....in all of his homework, none of the bridges were as low as the one we were facing and he figured the trip was over....then a tour boat showed up on the other side of the bridge and as it lifted....we took a closer look at our charts and found out that we would encounter 14 more of these old treasures...we will exit the canal today and come out north of Buffalo on the Niagra River....