The wind is supposed to be kind of weird the next few days (ya know, windy?!) and we hear there is a lot to do in Sarnia, so we decided to spend some time here.  Wouldn’t want to get too far from home too fast!  😉

We wanted to check out a park/beach/farm that we heard about from friends, and Mike really thought it would be fun for all of us to ride bikes there.  Sounds good, so we pack up and get ready.  We were about 5 minutes down the road when Tobin started complaining about riding his bike and then he fell.  Twice.  His training wheels were loose, but Mike was sure he could fix the problem with a certain wrench he had on the boat.  So the kids and I waited while Mike rode back to the boat to get the wrench.

 

I have no doubt that Mike fixed the problem perfectly, but unfortunately Tobin decided he was done riding bikes for the day about 5 minutes later.  At that point we weren’t even halfway to the park/beach/farm and already hitting major roadblocks, so to speak.  Again, Mike solves the problem by riding back to the boat to get the bike trailer for Toby to ride in.  The kids and I tried to encourage Toby to keep at it while we were waiting for the bike trailer, but Toby decided to walk his bike instead.  We actually got further with this plan than with him riding.

**(Side note:  This is why we can do The Loop.  Mike is a problem solver.  If there is a problem, he will think of a way to fix it so the day can go on.  If another problem arises, no big deal–he’s got another solution.  I would have just gone back to the marina and taken the free shuttle after Toby started complaining, but apparently that’s why we work well together.  Thank goodness for the problem solvers of the world, and thank goodness for Mike!)**

 

Here we are riding UNDER the Blue Water Bridge that connects Port Huron, USA to Sarnia, Canada.  So cool!!  Thank goodness for that bike trailer!  (In case you are wondering, Mike also brought a bike lock to lock Toby’s bike up until we could pick it up on the way home…see what I mean?!)

We found lots of cool animals at the farm.  Ya know, the usual–mini horses, bunnies, lots of “Canada Geese,” peacocks, goats, sheep, and boy can these kids find ducks everywhere!!

 

It was a cool farm and also free which made it even better!  Can’t forget the llama!!  😉

 

Then we rode to the beach area where the water was very flat and the winds were actually very calm.  Not exactly what we were expecting for the day, but we were happy to have some time to explore, anyway.  Colin spent his time digging a hole to water level.  Toby searched for perfect rocks for everyone (and also looked for crabs…no luck, though, somehow!).  Hayley swam and attempted to fly a kite (no wind).  Mike and I dared each other to swim (we both did) and watched the boats go by.

 

After a while it looked like a storm might be looming so we decided to move on to the next excitement for the day:  a trout pond.  The kids loved feeding the fish, and we were right next to the river so we got to see some good boat action and even a freighter!

 

 

Right next to the trout pond was a playground and splash pad for the kids.  We decided to head that way next.  There were just so many great (free) activities, it was awesome.  Apparently so awesome that we forgot all about that thunderstorm we thought might be popping up.  Turns out there was a squall warning and we were a little too slow to realize that there actually WAS in fact a squall popping up…  Our splash pad experience was cut short after about 1 minute and the ride home was very wet and only a little scary to old ladies afraid of thunderstorms.  😉

 

 

 

 

When we got back to the boat we realized we also left the windows open so there was lots of wet in the boat to clean up.  I mean….seriously?!  Who does this?  What a mess!!

After drying ourselves and the boat, we enjoyed a rainy afternoon of crafting/movie watching/wine drinking/reading.

Not too shabby, after all…

Toby is proud of his jellyfish!  Thanks for the toy, Carla!!

 

 

 

 

On Sunday morning, we decided to check out the Stones and Bones Museum in Sarnia.  We were absolutely amazed by the amount of stones and bones in that place!!  If you knew Colin about 4 years ago, you remember what an obsession he had with dinosaurs.  It still amazes me to hear him talk about all about the dinos he read and learned about years ago.  If you are in Sarnia, we definitely recommend this stop–there is so much to see and learn about here!!  We met the owner, Jim, and he was a riot!  Thanks for all the learning and info, Stones and Bones!!

 

 

Look at these creepy crawly paper weights in their gift shop!!  YUCK!

 

 

 

It was rainy again so we had lunch next door at the Bad Dog restaurant and then headed back for some more relaxing on the boat.

 

You see all that stuff hanging out to dry on the sundeck?!  The last few days have been like camping in the rain–everything is wet!!  Bleh!

We fit lots of other good stuff into an off and on rainy afternoon!!  Mike took both the big kids on bike rides, the kids found more ducks, we did laundry, swam at the pool, left the boat windows open for another downpour…

 

 

 

 

 

There were also 2 boat gatherings at Sarnia Bay Marina–antique boats and power boats.  That led to lots of cool boats to check out!!  Loved seeing those old Chris Crafts and we were amazed by how fast those power boats can go!

 

 

 

We had an awesome time in Sarnia the last few days but it is time to move on down the line!!  What a great time we had here!

Thanks for following!!