Waupoos (Day 10)

Woke up late - 9 a.m. I can't believe I've slept so much on this trip - I am getting about 8-9 hours a night + naps. I think it must be the gentle rocking of the boat.

10 a.m.

Right now I am sitting in a barn, under a tin roof, listening to pounding rain and booming thunder. We went into Waupoos Marina to pump out, get gas and ice and check the weather. Took a temporary dock while we showered and then came out to this wicked storm. Happy to be on land right now, where I can enjoy the lightning show in comfort and safety.

4 p.m.

Turns out there are lots of Bluffers here - Grey Ghost, Sunrise, Different Drummer. Had tea with Rebecca and Marie on the boat and listened to Rebecca's tales of woe for this cruise: engine problems, furling problems, late arrivals. Sunrise's motor cut out in the middle of a shipping lane with a storm on the horizon - luckily Different Drummer was close enough at hand to give them a tow. I guess it pays to have cruising buddies whenever you are crossing the lake!

6:oo p.m.

Hilarous! You have to see it to believe it! A field full of sunflowers, with happy faces carved into at least 30 or 40 of them. It would be easy to miss it if you were driving by in a car, but even some people walking by were missing the sight. Rob spotted them first. I thought these were actual natural formations but by happy face #5 I realized someone must have spent quite a bit of time on this; then we carved a few of our own.

9 p.m.
Rob said my risotto tonight was better than Joe C.'s - previously voted as "the best risotto I have ever had in my life". I made it with wild mushrooms, truffle oil, sundried tomatoes, parmesan and toasted almonds. The fact that we ate it after a long bike ride at the end of the docks with a fabulous wine probably contributed to the WoW factor. Wine was 2004 Ghemme DOGC from Piedmont, Italy and it definitely enhanced the meal. This was the bottle I bought as a treat for this trip, to serve specifically with the risotto, and I am very happy with how it all came together.

After dinner a hot tub, a jump in the lake off the dock, and sitting at the back of the boat doing some storm watching. Lightning shows are awesome in the true sense of the word!