An all-around bloody good day

We were up pretty early this morning. John slept poorly, and I slept fine, but had weird dreams. Don't remember, but at least I slept! We didn't shower last night, so because we hadn't run the engine, we only had cool water to shower in. Good thing we had coffee!

John ran into town to get a USA today from the newsagent, and I topped off the boats water and made the bed, washed the dishes, etc.

I drove out of the basin, through Llangollen and the narrow parts. then John took over, since he hadn't had much practice. He did great, and felt his manhood was restored.


When we got to the aqueduct, I pulled us over to wait to get across. Out pops the man from the tourist information center, gave me a -3 for parking, and couldn't wait to see how we were going to handle the return trip over the aqueduct. (We had visited with him on Saturday, and I had expressed my reluctance, and refusal, to return the same way we had come.) I jumped off, and John took off. Walking across was GREAT! There is such a high railing on the tow path, I had no problems at all. I yelled to John to see how he was doing, and he yelled, "SHUT UP! DON'T TALK TO ME!". So I didn't. I took some pics, and when we got to the other side, John was almost as bad as I had been 2 days before. At least he understood now.








Just after the aqueduct is a really cool lift bridge. We had to wait while another boat came through, then we sailed right on through. The day only got better from there.


The canal runs through some deep woods, and open fields. There is always something interesting to watch. It was very peaceful today, too, as the weekend crowds had gone. Nothing but old foggies like us--at least that's all we saw.

We stopped at Chirk after the tunnel, and went into town. We visited a nice church for a bit, then walked both sides of the Main Street. Cute shops, flower merchant, green grocers, etc.



















We went to The Tea Rooms to eat, and we both felt our selections were the best things we have eaten so far. I had egg and cress sandwich, with slaw and potato salad. John had potato-leek soup and a toasted cheese and onion sandwich. We were chatted up by several people, and thoroughly enjoyed our stop there.






Onward, we passed the Chirk aqueduct, beautiful, and not a bit scary. Then lovely scenery as we approached our two locks. Luckily, this went much smoother and faster than our last episode, and someone with much more experience was right behind us and helped.












We just passed the place where we moored the first night, and have moored just past Jack Mytton Inn where we had a very nice dinner. There is a long line of narrowboats here; I think everyone had the same idea. The bartender gave John a bunch of trouble for wearing his Cardinals 2011 World Series tee. He wanted to know what world, since we were the only country to play baseball. When we were leaving, he said it was nice to meet John and his daughter. HA! He was probably looking for a big tip.

We are back on the boat now, 8:50, and almost bedtime. Tomorrow, first thing we will stop at "our" marina, drive back into Oswestry, get groceries (since there isn't supposed to be many stopping places ahead of us), perhaps do a little laundry and head on out again for a few more days.

Tomorrow MAY be the day we get to see the famous Dan Brown and Tilly. Hope so. Eat your heart out, Eric.



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We are experiencing technical dificulties--please stand by

I have NO idea what happened, but we were eating dinner tonight, and I was trying to upload my pictures of today, and after a couple of tries, my SD card now says there are no pics on it. I have other SD cards, so a new one is going into the camera tomorrow, and I'll take this one to someone when I get home and see if they can retrieve anything from it. Big Bummer.

today, we slept until almost 8:30!!!! We moored last night at the Llangollen basin, and even though we were about 6 inches from neighbors on each side, it was very quiet.

So, we had bread and butter (because I couldn't get the oven on) and John had a bowl of Alpen and I had a welsh cake. Of course, we had plenty of coffee.

Being Sunday, we didn't figure shops wouldn't be open anyway, so we took our time. we were very wrong. This town is hoppin'. First, we took a ride on the Llangollen train. It runs along the River Dee, and was very scenic. It stopped at numerous places, but ended at Carog. Not a big place, but very charming. They had a nice fire going in the fireplace. The River Dee is very wide and rapid, and runs through Llangollen. From the train, we saw lots of kayaks in the river, everyone has to wear wetsuits. I took pictures, but . . . . we also saw several men fly fishing. Took pictures of them too. . . . There was also a very scenic aqueduct with about 6 arches. Also took a picture of that.

after the train, we walked over the river into town, passing a gypsie band playing on the bridge (pic here) We went to an Internet cafe for lunch. I posted yesterdays blog, and had a wonderful chicken "casserole". Itwas more of a stew, but delicious. John had a cheese sandwich and a bowl of soup. The cheese sandwich was shredded cheese, and the veg soup was blended, Both were delic.

After lunch, John and I took off for the auto museum. The sign said one mile, but I think it was probably closer to 2-3. I left John there while I was going to continue on to Valle Cruse Abbey ruins, but after another half hour of walking, I didn't seem to be any closer, so turned around and started back. I got to the auto museum as John was just coming out, so we walked back to town.

Ended up eating at Bridgend again. John had curry something over rice and I just had treacle. Very rich, but good.

We are back on the boat now, watching British Antique Roadshow. We had the motor running since we didn't drive it today, and that's how the batteries stay charged. Someone just knocked on the window asking us how long we were going to run the engine; they wanted to sleep. I shut it off right away, then saw it was 8:10 PM. Did I cross the line? DanBrown, The Narrowboat Lad?

Since I didn't have any scenic pics to show, I took some of the boat interior. I didn't pick up, so ignore some of the mess.



The log in the canal from yesterday


A rare picture of me


dessert
















Tomorrow, we will go back across the {{{{{{shudder}}}}}} aquaduct. well, one of us will. I am going to walk accross, since there is a tall rail, and John can drive accross, or hire someone to cross for him. It WON'T be me!


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Whole lot of squackin' goin' on

7:00 here, a tad foggy, and beautiful.


Tried to let John sleep a while longer while I went aft (I know the difference now) and watched the canal.
I just saw a fish come to the surface (or something, anyway). the canal isn't deep, so I wonder what it is.


I was really hoping to see a hedgehog, since we are moored right by a nice hedge. No such luck. However, it is really noisy out here this morning. Sounds like the jungle. Lots of bird calls I've never heard before. I'm taping a bit now, so perhaps I can add a clip later. Well, I had to delete my audio because John kept talking to me.

On our way about 8:30, and we immediately encountered our first two locks. The first one took us a while, before we realized the person before us hadn't totally closed the thingies, so we couldn't open the other thingies. Once we figured it out, the second one was much easier.


We kept going, with a couple of longer stops for lunch, and after the harrowing aqueduct experience. For some reason, I ended up driving most of the day. Might be because once when John was at the helm, he bounced off both sides of the canal in front of some teenage boys, and they laughed, and laughed, and laughed. I think it hurt his manhood.

John didn't mind going through Chirk tunnel, which is really, really long--1007 feet. I was proud of him (he is a bit claustrophobic).



The Chirk aqueduct is lovely. We were on the canal just beside it, so I got some wonderful pictures and views.


It is very beautiful here. Even the cows have a lovely accent.



We are headed upstream, and when you go through tunnels or narrow parts, the current is really strong. You have to step on the gas to keep from standing still. Later, closer to Llangollen, it was really odd-we were going down hill, the current was going up hill. The current was strong enough you have to hang on pretty tightly to the rudder.

We could see glimpses of the aqueduct long before we arrived, and it looks magnificent. 126 feet tall. I did not scream, but I've decided I'm having to stay in Wales so I don't have to cross it again. I don't know how long it is, but it took about 3 hours to cross, or maybe 5 minutes. Whatever. I'm told it's been there over 200 years and no one has fallen off going over in a boat, but I'm not sure if that is Welsh humor or not.






btw, Mom, I did a little dance when we crossed over to Welshland, in honor of Dad.


We decided to go on to Llangollen, and that is a tough stretch. This is where we were going downhill but upcurrent. In two places it is only wide enough for one boat, so someone has to spot you. You have to back up or someone else does, kind of a canal lay-bye, I guess.

We also got stuck on a log after the aqueduct. Couldn't go forward or in reverse. John flagged down the boat behind us, and they took the boat hooks, got it out from under the boat and held it to the side so both boats could pass. It was too big to lift out.

We arrived here about 7:15, right before dark. I think we will stay here all day tomorrow so we can take in the town, a car museum for John, and maybe a train ride.

We are having beer and cider at the Bridge End Hotel, and using their wifi. Days reflection? Everyone has been so nice to us, and forgiving our 1st day errors. The landscape is gorgeous, and we are very tired.










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We're here, we've each steered, and neither crashed - yet

No flight delays, no issues, and with a sleeping pill I slept 4 or 5 hours. John took a pill, too, i think, but didn't sleep nearly as long. Arrived in Manchester


and whipped through customs in nothing flat. Called the car rental where we had a confirmation, and were told their "system" was down and they couldn't rent us a car. Sent us to Budget. Here, Budget and Avis are Budget/Avis. They had never heard of the cut-rate bozos I planned on using. So, the low quote was not good. We did get a car, and only at a little more than twice the amount we had planned. Oh well, at least we got one! It's more comfortable than what we were going to get, too. I brought my own GPS with the UK downloaded, so we were good to go.

I drove today since John didn't sleep last night. No matter who drives, the passenger spends most of the time jerking around, gasping and uttering little shrieks when you get too close to the left. And it is a little weird. Or a lot weird. Didn't hit anything today except one curb, and NO ONE HONKED at me, so all is well. We only drove a couple of hours today. We stopped in Oswestry to get a wifi dongle (which doesn't work right now-you still have to be able to have coverage, so maybe tomorrow somewhere) then went to the supermarket to get some things for the boat. Interesting to go to the grocery store somewhere different. I still can't believe Brits eat some of the things they do. Potato chips (or crisps) shouldn't be meat or shrimp flavored. That's just wrong.

Anyway, diet cokes, TP, beer, and a few groceries in hand, we were on our way to Mastermyn marina. This is the same marina and section on the canal that Dan Brown, The Narrowboat Lad, just filmed and has on youtube.

We put our things on board (our boats name is Megan)



then we had a very good boating lesson. A small trial run, and we were let loose with a boat. I hope they know what they're doing. WooHoo, we are off!







After about an hour or so, we moored for the night, and unpacked our stuff. We are getting in each other's way, but not too surprised. Figured out the cooker, and had cottage pie for our first dinner on board.


Showered, and ready to have a full day tomorrow, and our first lock.


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I don't know my aft from a hole in the ground. England 2013

Friday morning, Sept 27, we will be landing in Manchester for a little different trip to England. The first week, we will be on the Llangollen canal, crossing from NW England into Wales and back. The picture below is similar to what we will be on. Small, cozy, and John may have to stand out in the rain to navigate us on the canal. Don't feel badly for him; I'm sure he will find a pub to lift his spirits (pun intended).




The second week, we will be in the Lake District, staying in a small, comfy apartment while we take day trips around the area. Lots of scenery, holy wells, stone circles, and other old and dead things.


I hope you find this blog fun and interesting. Thanks for coming along--so to speak.

Haiti on my Mind

Haiti is in the back of my mind most of the time.  So glad I went back again.  The second experience was not so overwhelming as the first time, so I could enjoy individuals more, and on a more relaxed atmosphere.  It was good to see some faces and names from before, DiDi, the security man who helped me last time on the Tom's shoe drop; Paige the wonderwoman, Peter, Wilson, Samy, etc.   A number of the little children I remembered from last time, as well, and was good to see them growing and thriving.
The changes in Haiti are evident, too.  Subtle, but there.  There isn't so much rubble in Port-au-Prince.  Tent cities are fewer. At the airport, I was handed a magazine promoting tourism in Haiti.  Yes, I wrote that correctly.  There are some beautiful areas in Haiti, and there is hope (Espwa).  If it can happen in some places, it could happen in more--in time.  See for yourself at magichaiti.com 
I'm adding pictures to the blog today since the wifi was intermittent and slow.  Hope your enjoy my pics and let me know if you want to talk about Haiti or have any questions.    If you'd like to view a few more pictures, please follow this link    
                             http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AasWbRk3aNmbkw
Au Revoir!

Tees, donkey hunt, balloons & play

This morning after breakfast, we had the last group of little boys come in and do handprints on their tees. Like all the others, they enjoyed it as well. They also got to mark them up with indelible markers if they chose. Soccer heros are big for this age group.

Leah coerced us into going on a donkey hunt this morning, as she has been craving a ride on one. Luckily, Samy went with us. He has been wonderful for us this whole week. He's worked with the children, interpreted for us, ran interference with the locals, and has a great sense of humor. Anyway, Samy led us to a friend, who thought he knew someone with a donkey. They both led us astray--into the jungle overgrowth to a tiny path that wound around into the bananas, palms, mangos and plantain trees. We saw some interesting homes. Children followed us, yelling at us but then hiding. Finally we came to a home where a man was building, and we found a shade tree to stand under while negotiations were under way. We hadn't thought of bringing money along, so hopes were dashed when the man wanted 1,000 gourdes (about. $25) to sit on his donkey. We declined and went back for lunch.

Siesta time, but some of us instead (the three guys and me) filled up coolers and tubs of water balloons for some of the kids. We thought they would arrive about 2:00, but there was another activity at the school, so we didn't see anyone until about 4:30. We all climed on the rof of the guest house, and as soon as the boys saw their cooler of balloons on the ground, you know what broke out. These kids can throw. Everyone was soaked--on the ground, and on the roof. It was great, and they enjoyed it a lot.

 Lori met with her young men again again, and brought them to the guesthouse for cokes and chips after they were finished with their meeting, and we all got to say goodbye and mingle a bit, and took a full staircase picture of all of us together. Hugs and kisses, and au revoir.

Supper, our favorite Haitian spaghetti. We some of us took a last visit to the children's village to play and visit. So hard to leave some of these children. Now preparing for an early night and very early departure. We will leave by 2:30 in the morning for the return drive to Port-a-Prince, for a 9:00 flight to Fort Lauderdale.

It's been awesome, but I think we are ready to come home and process some of what we've experienced. Poor Haiti, there is so much potential. There has been some improvements, but they have so far to go.