It's a girl !!!

We will get some pics eventually and get caught up...Scarlet James Azersky was born at 6:02 August 20, 2014 in Johnson City, NY...Six weeks early, but at 5# 4 oz's and 18 inches, a healthy baby girl...Although we cut our trip for this year a little short, it was for a good reason...Mazel Tug is in storage at ESS KAY Yards in Brewerton, NY and will be back in the water by 5-30-15 when we will  resume our journey...

In NY early

This past Thursday, in Ottawa, we received a phone call from our son James that his fiance, Jess was in the hospital...She was 32 weeks pregnant and the baby wanted out...They were going to keep her hospitalized and try to keep the baby from entering this world too soon...They hit 33 weeks today and all is still well...Anyways, we decided to cancel the rest of our trip, which included enjoying a leisurely trip down the Rideau Canal to Kingston and then to visit our friends in Toronto for the Canada's 911 Motorcycle ride...Keeping in mind we travel at 8-9 mph, we made it to Kingston in 3 days (46 locks!!) and across Lake Ontario to Oswego and Phoenix,NY in one more...We put the boat in at Ess-Kay Marina today, which we had planned to do around 1 September...It will be there until May 30th of next year, when we will continue our adventure...

We will get another post in the near future with pictures

Ottawa update

We are still in Ottawa enjoying the places, Farmers Market , and local cuisine…To paraphrase  my sister, we are dining our way through the trip…We are looking forward to picking up our friends, the Flints in Smith’s Falls next Friday for a few day cruise to Kingston…Meanwhile, we have lots of time to get to Smith’s Falls, so we will stay here another night (we have a camping/mooring pass, so we only pay for electric if we use it) and enjoy another fireworks competition…If the timing is right, I may stop and get a new antenna (a whole other sad story) to replace one on the boat…All I can say is I DIDN’T DO IT !!! Saw the changing of the guard at the Parliament yesterday (and probably today) as it’s right across the canal from us…Lots of pomp and circumstance…Full marching band and bagpipers…All in traditional uniforms…Also saw the Police in action yesterday…We are tied up near a bridge where the underprivileged apparently gather in bad weather…The boat behind us was boarded by a whacko muttering something about his stolen guitar…Would have been funny, but he had brick in his hand to make the point…They called 911 and the PD was here quickly (along with the Paramedics) to remedy the situation…Last night we slept with a flare gun (oops – not a gun – we are in Canada – a pyrotechnic launching device) next to the bed…Till later…

This is Ottawa from above the Rideau Canal…

This is a Hotel about a block from where we are tied up…

This is the Parliament Building…

This is the view looking back thru the 8 flights we came up on Sunday…

The parade for the changing of the Guard at Parliament…

Still planning on leaving tomorrow…

Ottawa

Yesterday (Sunday)on the way to Ottawa we passed through the Carillon Lock…

This is the Carillon Lock…69 feet up in one lock…What makes unique is that the door rises straight up…

 

 

This is what it looks like from the bottom…Those are stairs at the end…What you see as the top is really the bottom of the top, known as the sill…It’s 6 feet under water when full…This is the view from the top…

 

These boats were rafted (they call it shouldered in Canada) to us in the Carillon lock…

And this was our neighbor – birth defect on the tail – not car door !!!

 

 

Just a quick update…We arrived in Ottawa last night (Sunday) and camped out at the lower end of the locks…This morning (Monday) we were ready at nine to tackle the locks…This is a flight of 8 connected locks and supposedly takes an hour and a half to transit…That’s once you start…They brought a double flight down (that means they locked two groups – one behind the other) first, so the 9:00 starting time turned into 1130 and we didn’t finish until around 1:30…It was so hard on the boat starting and stopping eight times, I ran the battery down and the last two locks were started with emergency battery !!!

 

 

Today is Colonel By Day…He built the Rideau Canal…Big party at the locks – face painting and such…They had a blow up beaver set up and the Rideau mascot came on our boat and surprised Linda…

Montreal

                                         

THE FOLLOWING PICTURES ARE FROM OLDE TOWN MONTREAL AND DEPICT THE ARCHITECTURE AND SIGHTS OF THE CITY…..AN ABSOLUTELY STUNNING PLACE THAT I WILL RETURN TO SOMEDAY!

 

 

                        THE OLDEST HOTEL IN MONTREAL AND THEIR DINING ROOM…BUILT IN THE 1600’S

                       THIS IS THE NOTRE DAME CHAPEL ALSO BUILT IN THE 1600’S…SO BEAUTIFUL INSIDE…HOLY SPIRITS INSIDE!