Life on Stephenson Island

We've settled into a routine aboard Mystic. Life slows right down when you live on a boat. Our greatest concern each day is the weather and what to explore on the rainy days. One difference between cruising and sitting at the same dock all summer is that we have a car. Our road trip adventures can be farther from the boat than bikes would take us. We've enjoyed exploring the area!

We have a few younger local sailors on our dock. They are Yoopers; born and raised in the upper peninsula. Oh boy can they drink! Their beer of choice is Bush Light and I swear they carry a 30 pack on board daily! We can't keep up. They each have a huge dog, one a German shepherd named Judas; the other a beautiful black lab named Apollo who wants to play catch 24/7. He visits our boat throughout the day with a stick in the ready; probably because I have "sucker" written across my forehead. Apollo understands that I can't say no. Across the docks is a sailor named Jeff on a beautiful Shannon. We can't keep up with him either because he likes the hard stuff! They're a nice bunch though, and they keep things interesting in this quiet marina. Once in awhile everyone joins us for cocktails in our saloon. It takes a couple days to recover from those gatherings!

Apollo visits us on Mystic daily

Judas, Dennis and Apolla aboard Mystic

Apollo begging me to play catch

Waiting patiently

Jeff and Judas live on a Catalina 22 just a few slips away from us. He upgraded from a 17 foot O'Day this year. Dave went out sailing on the Bay with him. This is Jeff's first year on a boat bigger than a daysailer. Someday, he'd like to cruise. He mainly goes out solo with Judas and wanted advice from someone with experience so Dave went out on the Bay with him. He was able to point out what to watch for while sailing solo on a smaller boat. They had a great time.  I was able to capture photos from shore. A big weather front chased them home. Two other sailboats from our dock went out later in the day and had to turn back. You don't mess with Neptune on these Great Lakes!

Menomonie Marina view from the breakwater

Pelicans are on the move

Carol Jeannie coming under the Ogden St Bridge

Heading out the river

Passing the breakwater

Menomonie North Pier Light

Passing the lighthouse

Raising the main

Returning to the dock

There are a few places to go for walks and runs nearby that have become our favorites. Menomonie Michigan is just over the interstate bridge and the Bay is only a mile away. We visit St. Vinny's Thrift Store weekly, finding great deals almost every time we go! We cook most of our meals on the boat but have tried a few local spots for their fish fry and pizza. In addition to Brothers Three, Windjammer and Applejacks in Marinette, we enjoy Ellie's in Menomonie.

Our first summer season here is winding down. We have warm days but often it gets cool at night so we close up our hatches and add layers to our bedding. It's almost time for us to return to work but we'll keep Mystic in the water through September and visit on the weekends until haul out early October. Our summer at the dock will be remembered as a quiet getaway from everyday stresses. We made some great new friends and got several boat projects completed. When we wrap Mystic up for the winter and walk away, we'll be smiling.