Sunday, July 27, 2025 & Monday, July 28, 2025

Our time in East Tawas has been wonderful. We’ve spent four days in this beautiful beach town—cruising for hours in the dinghy, swimming in Lake Huron, strolling through town, listening to the trains as they rumbled past, watching a sea plane touch down and lift off again, and enjoying some great meals at local restaurants. Tonight, we even rode the marina’s bikes to a new spot for us, The Boathouse Beer Co. & Boozery.

Friday, July 25, 2025

We woke early today, both of us excited for the crossing over Saginaw Bay. After a quick breakfast, we completed the usual tasks—prepping the boat and loading up the dinghy—and by 10:22 a.m., we were pulling out of Caseville.

Tuesday, July 22, 2025

We woke up early, knowing we had a full day ahead. That’s how travel days tend to go—but today, we had more on our plate than usual. On the way from St. Clair to Lexington, we’d noticed a vibration, and Larry suspected something might be caught on the prop. Along with the normal tasks to get ready to leave the dock, we now are going to beach the boat so that Larry can be in shallow water. He wants to take a good look at the props. The sun is just starting to warm things up as Larry plunges into the water. He quickly comes up and reports that everything is fine and the props are clear. Whew!

Sunday, July 20, 2025

Today was unusual. We both got the cleaning bug—which doesn’t typically bite until later in our trips. It must be the cooler temperatures that feel so refreshing. We turned off the air conditioning and opened up the portholes. We relaxed with our morning coffee, bagels, and fruit briefly, cleaned and vaccumed and then took a walk along the breakwall.

We pulled out of our boat slip at 2:03 p.m. on Friday, July 18, 2025. We've been excited for this moment for weeks; excited to head out on another boating adventure. It will not be the 30 day trip we took last year. It's hard not to keep thinking about how amazing that trip was and for me, the best part was the perfect weather conditions. For 90% of that month, we experienced flat calm waters and extremely warm temperatures in Lake Huron. It was wonderful and our expectations are high for this trip that will be nearly half in duration. ​

I wouldn’t have called myself a serious Jimmy Buffett fan.
I never went to a concert. I didn’t own his albums.
I only started listening to his music after meeting Larry.

And yet, every time I hear the song Parrots & Pirates — Zac Brown Band’s tribute to Jimmy — I can hardly hold myself together. My throat tightens. My chest aches. My eyes well up.

It doesn’t make logical sense. I’ve never been someone who follows celebrities. But something about Jimmy’s passing touched a nerve in me — and every time I think of him, there’s a quiet sorrow I can’t explain away.​

Until now.