Pelicans, Mud, and Giving Thanks

Wednesday, October 19

We weighed anchor at 9:00 and headed out to Jackson Creek, just off Mobjack Bay in Virginia.  We have been checking the weather closely lately.  We are due to get quite high winds on Friday, so we have chosen a safe anchorage that is well protected from the winds.  We'll stay there until the winds die down. We have lots of time, because we aren't due to be in Portsmouth until October 29.

All the way through the Chesapeake, we've had mud on the anchor.  It holds really well, but we get mucky every time we pull up the hook and we usually have a nice big clot of it on the anchor at all times.  One of the things we aren't used to is how shallow the water is just off the channel all through the Chesapeake and its tributaries.  We watch the navigational aids (buoys, daymarkers, homemade channel markers, etc.) and our charts and chartplotter carefully.

On our way into Mobjack Bay, we saw a pelican diving for fish.  Here's a video of him flying away, just after he dove in:
https://youtu.be/LK97b0mMJ5U

We arrived at 3:00 and dropped anchor in Blackwater Creek.

Dave and Nicki invited us over for venison burgers.  Although they are from Newcastle (east of Oshawa), Dave comes to Lambton County to hunt.  We have the best venison right in our own backyard in Lambton County.

Unfortunately, the Blue Jays lost so they are out for the year.


Thursday, October 19

This morning, we ate breakfast on deck in the most peaceful setting.  We watched a seagull having a bath in the marsh, a heron gracefully skimming the water, fish jumping, and a crane and an eagle swooping up into the trees.

Then, we started reorganizing, inventorying, and doing all of the little jobs we hadn't done so far.  That took all day, so nothing too exciting to report. Really, really poor cell service here, which is very frustrating.

We are blessed with family members who are helping to keep things going at home--checking our house, picking up and opening mail, running our vehicles, etc., etc.  We couldn't do this trip without them, so I hope they know how much we appreciate them.



Friday, October 21

I made chilled oatmeal with raisins and blueberries and Mom's homemade raisin loaf for breakfast today.  We ate it in the cockpit where we could watch the birds in the marsh.

Nicki cut my hair today!  So awesome!  She is a trained hairdresser, so she did a great job. I sat in the cockpit near the stern while she cut.  We had a wind blowing from the bow, which helped, and later we just whisked the cut hair overboard. Easy peasy.

While we were playing hair salon, Carey and Dave dinghied over to the nearby marina to get rid of our trash.

Later, I cut Carey's hair, too.  Now, we both feel refreshed.  While Carey was getting his hair cut, he noticed tiny, little jellyfish in the water.  I'll add that to my wildlife list.