Days 305 - 309 - Scooper Douper's — Captain Father John

Miles cruised 5, fuel purchased $0, pump out $10, slip fee $36, daily high temperature 86°fOn Tuesday we had a visit from some friends from Syracuse. They live only 20 minutes away. When we started the Loop trip our daughter Alison's friend Kerry Walsh asked where she might be able to connect with us on our cruise. After 309 days we were right down the street. Kerry and Alison attended Boston College together. Priscilla, Alison, Kerry and Kerry's mother, Mary went on a wine tour in Napa and Sonoma a few years ago. Kerry's father, Dave and boyfriend Tom also joined us on CL. They have all lived in Syracuse their entire lives but had never been on a boat ride on the Erie Canal. This was their lucky day. We fired up CL and had a lovely cruise on the canal. Tom is an avid fisherman and pointed out several of his favorite fishing spots on the shore.Our Syracuse guests Tom, Kerry, Dave and Mary.Dale and Andy landed at 2:14 pm on Wednesday at Syracuse Airport. They have been off CL for 10 days while they were in Chicago. John and Priscilla picked them up in the marina loaner car. We stopped at the Tops grocery store for provisions before we go to Canada. Canada is not a third world country but prices tend to much higher than in the US. We will be in Canada for five weeks so we will have to do some shopping there.i have been taking long walks each morning. There are no sidewalks but that is not a problem because there are no cars on the back roads of central New York. The proof is that families set up basketball nets on the road.Patty, the owner of the marina, mentioned there is an ice cream store a short walk past the first lock on the Oswego Canal. After dinner Priscilla and I hopped in the dingy and cruised the five miles to Phoenix, NY and the Scooper Douper's ice cream shop. The owner was buying some of his own ice cream when we arrived and he chatted with us. Ice cream in hand we headed back to the Phoenix free dock where several boats were tied up for the night. There was room for our dingy but not much more. It was a lovely moonlit night to cruise back to CLGentle readers your patience has been rewarded. We are off to Oswego on Thursday and then across Lake Ontario to Canada on Friday. The epic journey of Changing Latitudes continues.We will turn right and go to Oswego.Bonus photo - What's in a name? This boat name is challenging Ellen Sholtes' boat name "Piece of Ship."Carl (Chef) Wooden - quote of the day."it is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end."Ursula K. LeguinUrsula Kroeber Le Guin - (born October 21, 1929) is an American author of novels, children's books, and short stories, mainly in the genres of fantasy and science fiction. She has also written poetry and essays. First published in the 1960s, her work has often depicted futuristic or imaginary alternative worlds in politics, the natural environment, gender, religion, sexuality and ethnography.