Today is actually the first day that we have had WIFI connection that lasts longer than a nanosecond, so I thought I would take advantage of this opportunity to catch you up on our travels. I know Bac has been able to squeak off a couple e-mails, but there are always two sides to every story! A week ago yesterday we entered the Erie Canal at Tonawanda. Silly me, one side of the canal is Tonawanda and the other side of the canal is North Tonawanda...and they really get upset should you mix them up! We had made reservations to get our mast down at the infamous Wardell's that day, but he yelled across the canal to where we were tied up to an old steel wall about three and half feet taller than our boat, and said he was too busy...he'd catch us Monday...and hence the pace of the journey is set! That evening was not a total bust because we were entertained by a free concert (on the North Tonawanda side) All the streets and five bridges were closed to accommodate the mass of humanity, lawn chairs and Harleys gathered to hear the Three Dog Night. The way the boats were rafted off of each other in the canal reminded of us of Put-In-Bay only more so! Finally, the crowd got to us ( I even think Hatch was getting tired of getting petted) and we went back to the comfort of Manatee's cockpit to listen to Jeremiah Was a Bull Frog...kewl. Hatch was not thrilled with the whole boat tie-up situation; he couldn't jump on or off at will, but had to be lifted by Jeff. This got old on both of their parts and Hatch decided he had had it and ran off to one of the condos located adjacent to our spot. Unfortunately, the owner was having a BBQ and Hatch shot under their table and made himself quite at home. He wouldn't come out! The people were really getting a kick out of the dog, or was it Jeff or who begging him to, "Come HERE!" and Hatch pretended he didn't know him! Monday arrived and masts were taken down. Ed went first and everything appeared to go quite quickly and smoothly until he started to leave the dock. I looked at him, Jeff, and his crew hand Mike (Steve from Presto was already walking across the bridge back to his boat) and thought they were trying to maneuver Ladylove into a better position or something technical before leaving the dock...no...they were pulling away! I screamed, "STOP! You're still connected to the crane!" Thank heavens, he heard me! Presto's mast was next. It took a little bit longer, because once they had it down, they had to raise it again and spin it around so that the top of the mast rested on the arch instead of the base...spreaders were hitting the arch in a bad spot. One could hear our Blossom across the canal, she verbalized what we were all feeling. We were last. Denny, a wiry little guy, came up to me and whispered, "I thought they were trying to steal my crane...glad you gave them a yell." He cracked himself up. I decided the best way for me to help was to not say a word and just do as I was told. I held shrouds, pocketed clevis pins, and handed the needed tools whenever asked...I was concentrating so hard to stay out of everyone's way, I moved to the perfect spot where noone else was. That's when Wardell suggested that I move from under the mast as it was being lowered...duh! Bac just stood there and shook his head. Our next town and first canal lock experience was Lockport, NY, Lock #35. Well, let me tell you Black Rock Lock on the Niagara River was a huge tease! Between the current when the water is rushing out and the fact that we were the boat in the middle of two other now 55' boats with their masts sticking out and a 25' drop, it was a tad nerve-wracking. Maybe it was the fact that as we were starting to descend, Hatch decided it would be a great idea to jump up on the sidewalk edge of the lock! I'm screaming for him to get back on the boat! Jeff stretches up as far as he can and grabs his tail! With this, Hatch knew he had made a big mistake and jumped back down. Phew! Of course, every tourist in Lockport was standing on the bridge photographing the entire scene and cracking up at the "cute" dog! Did you know that your voice really echoes when in the canal? If that wasn't embarrassing enough, once docked, people were coming up to us and saying, "HI, Hatch!" aaaarrrrggh! Ed lost his ability to maneuver when he started to leave Lock #34. We had to tow him out. He glided to the opposite side of the canal where we were all tied up. Again, Hatch leaps off the boat and I scurry behind him and take him for a walk. Looking around for a place to get rid of the "bag," I spot a trash can on the opposite side of the canal. I cross the lift bridge and as soon as I get over, it goes up! Turning to wave to Bac so he knows that I'm stuck on the other side, I hear the signal for the lift bridge. I turn to see Manatee going under! !@#@ he's leaving without me! The bridge tender had come down to advise us that we should go to the other side of the bridge and canal to tie up, so Jeff was towing Ladylove again. The current was pretty strong coming off the locks, so Presto was doing pirouettes in the middle of the canal and Ed and Jeff look like they are about to....well, so much for windex. Ed finally gets tied up and discovers that he had lost his prop! A dive team comes the next day to replace it with one that has been delivered from Tonawanda. In the meanwhile, wherever we venture in Lockport, townspeople and tourists continue to greet us with "Oh, you're the boats going to the Bahamas! Hey, did you get the new prop on yet? Let us know if we can help you out at the lock when the diver comes; we'll slow down the lock flow for ya'!" Even the men selling the fresh produce asked me and Blossom if we were part of the Bahamas group.......crack me up! This has pretty much been the attitude of the townspeople at each of our stops. The Mayor of Medina came down to the dock to welcome us to the town. Jeff (and Hatch) were allowed up in the lift bridge tower to operate the lift bridge...always the little boy! When he was off having fun, I was onboard cleaning up from lunch with Molnars when I was knocked off balance when hit by a little old man driving a rent-a-boat! I went leaping out of the companionway, not so ladylike, and told him in so many words to watch what the hell he was doing only to have him hit us two more times!!! His canopy caught on our antenna, and he almost ripped it off along with knocking the mast off the arch! I thought about apologizing later, but Hatch went over when Jeff and he got back and made nice...I think I suggested to the man while hitting the boat he shouldn't be behind the wheel...did I mention he had a bow thruster and where I thought he should use it?! I was so excited when we got to Brockport, I met a retired art teacher and chatted for some time! She is the chairperson of the committee to encourage and support the arts at each canal port. Brockport has a great whimsical bird scupture dockside created by a professor from SUNY. Saturday, yesterday, they had an arts festival which was really fun. (for my HP friends, they had a Vera Bradley store!) We used one of the little red wagons from the dockmaster to go to the grocery store and the bar on the corner gave all the free ice you could carry to the visiting boaters. Last night we returned to our boat after dining on Presto to find a bag of fresh picked peaches, a gift from my new art teacher friend! This afternoon we motored to Fairport. Only two locks today and much easier than Lockport! We were greeted, again, by one of the locals who is a photographer...a bit strange, but friendly guy. He ended up giving us a really great pic that he shot of Bob Dylan from a concert he had attended in Akron some years ago. It made me wonder if he always carried a portfolio of his work around with him, but it turns out that he was meeting a fellow photographer...although, I didn't see him and only heard him talking to himself???? Tonight it is raining and a good night to turn in early, five locks tomorrow! This marks the end of our second week out after our incredibly touching send-off from Harbor North. Sorry this is so long, believe me when I tell you I just could have gone on longer! Hope all is well with you, friends! Drop us a line and we'll stay in touch when we can. Love and miss! Sandy More stories of the trip. Drifting Toward Niagra Falls   From the eyes of Blossom  Read the other side of the story  End of Week 4  The Mast is Up Again  The Erie Canal from Blossom  Week Six New York City  Sandy's Report from New Jersey