Monday, July 29, 2019

Greetings from Peterborough, Ontario, Lock 20.  Overall, locking through has gone well, but those rented houseboats have, on several occasions, left us breathless.  Today,  we did seven locks, the last being a 65 ft. lift lock built n 1904 from unreinforced concrete.   The overnights we have spent on the walls outside the locks have been highlights, every one.  We met Evan and Fiona who shared their dog, their stories, their life experiences.  We shared dinner and promises to be friends forever.  We met Bob, a violinist who owned the 45' Whitby we admired,  along with his tattoo depicting two measures of Bach's Chaconne.   We shared the end of a wall and picnic area with Toni and Julie, their dog, their two daughters with boyfriends, two tents, folding chairs, various floating items, and a dandy campfire that kept mosquitoes at bay.  They shared their homemade maple syrup and a broad range of philosophies.  We wonder how often, in this next year, those intense and satisfying encounters will repeat!  The biting flies and temperatures in the 90s are easily forgotten.