July 7, 2010 Hastings, Ontario

Sara- The engine died, utterly and finally after 30 something years of rebounding from the grave, coaxed back to this world by my dad who knew it was gone the moment he heard the first shuddering crack! yesterday afternoon. Lucky for us, we’re traveling with the most wonderful people, our friends Jay and Joan who have offered us a spot on their fantastically spacious, air-conditioned, dog-inhabited (Molly, Marley, and Rosie are the sweetest, funniest chocolate labs) catamaran. They have at least two bathrooms so, though it may be a tad claustrophobic, we’ll survive quite nicely.
The mechanic came this morning to confirm what my dad already knew and now he’s gone and we’re packing. I’m packed and just sent Steph over to do the same. I’m not exactly sure how she’ll manage to cram her entire, extremely fashionable and voluble wardrobe back into her suitcase and onto Jay and Joan’s boat, but I’m sure (with plenty of help from my dad) she’ll manage it.
My mom bought the coolest, bluest bucket hat the other day; it’s huge with a wide, floppy brim. I wore it while playing UNO with my sister yesterday afternoon when the heat was driving us mad and am thoroughly convinced of its lucky, if not magical, powers.
I think Jack Kerouac’s On the Road is keeping me sane through all this craziness. It is a crazy book though, but in the best way, of course. This morning Mom, Steph, and I walked over to a 50s style coffee shop where we consumed bagels and hot chocolate while Steph, and then I read the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows aloud. It’s an absolutely brilliant book. We’ve been listening to all the Harry Potters on CD read by the amazing Jim Dale in the car and on the boat and all I can think is Wow... JK Rowling’s a genius!

















Marc- What a change in plans and now, thanks to the extremely nice Gehrig family, we are aboard the catamaran Windsong while our engine is being replaced. This is extremely good fortune for us since Windsong had two empty cabins and air conditioning during a very hot and humid week.