I am lying in my berth, listening to the wind. Its the second tornado warning in just as many weeks. We are not under cover, just 4 lines tied to a wooden dock. The rain comes, 1-inch hail is forecasted and we are unsure what we are in for.

Just a few months ago, I didn’t really know what a looper was. Dave explained the trip would take us by boat down the Tombigbee Waterway to the Gulf and then across Florida, up the East Coast into Canada, through the great lakes and down river back to where we started. It will be a two year adventure – see the map below. We will store the boat one winter up north so we can cruise the Great Lakes the next summer. We want to visit all the places we have known and loved. We lived in the UP of Michigan so Gladstone will be one of those areas we want to visit. When the kids were young, we would take our boat from Cedar River, across Green Bay to Door County for the day.

The Katt family spent many wonderful weeks camping in Door County and that is where Dave and his brothers spent the time while his mom was at Mayo Clinic undergoing treatment for Leukemia. Dave was 8 that summer and the last time he saw his mom was when she was able to leave to hospital and join her family in Door County. It has always been a special place for his family and then years later, for our kids, too.

Our youngest daughter Andria and her family live in Stevensville, MI on the eastern shores of Lake Michigan so that is another favorite stop. They have access to their own private sand beach and I have spent many hours playing in the sand, picking up sea glass and throwing rocks with the grandkids.

Another connection to this area is Dave’s work on re-surfacing the Mackinaw Bridge or more commonly known as “The Bridge” in the UP. Mackinaw Island only allows horses and bicycles on the Island so it has a magical feel. Dave also managed the project to pave the road going around the Island. We love to bike this road and it feels like we are a part of the history there.

Just across, on the mainland is St Ignace where Ashley and Sean were married. It was a century old church and a beautiful setting for her wedding. I remember the beautiful flowers that were delivered and I and my team of bridesmaids and family made the bridal bouquets, bridesmaids bouquets, corsages, boutonnières, and floral arrangements for the church. It was one of the delights of my life to take the flowers and create a beautiful atmosphere for the wedding.

So you can see, we have so many favorites to see and so many new places to go.