With temperatures set to be in the low 90s, Barry and I wanted to get our walk in early. We started by seeing Bucket List off and lock through the first of three chambers. We then went back to Fort Chambly and walked through the park grounds. When we came to the other side, the streets were residential, featuring some houses dating back to colonial times. All houses in this area have beautifully maintained yards and most have many colorful annuals as accents.
Continuing down the road we began to hear cheering and clapping. This turned out to be a little league baseball game of maybe 5-8 year olds playing live pitch. We watched a full inning and got a kick out of the very young right fielder "drawing" with his feet in the dirt of his shallow outfield position. He was doing exactly as his American counterparts do.
Our limited French skills (OK, mostly non-existent) allowed us to interpret the street sign which led us into the Farmers' Market. Ten to 15 booths were set up offering vegetables, bread, eggs, and every kind of "natural" meat in generator-powered cooler cases.
We left with no purchases and headed back towards the Fort and Crossroads. The directional road sign confirmed that we had visited about all there was to see on this side of town. We crossed over the canal to explore the western side of Chambly. The street was lined on one side with what I believe to be new condos -- again, all beautifully landscaped. The opposite side was a park featuring a display of the local camera club.
We returned to Crossroads and Barry did some more route planning in the comfort of air conditioning. I did a bit of reading on Fiberglass Beach until I melted into a puddle as the heat index was around 100. After Barry grew tired of our slow internet connection, we both took a break and hit the grocery store for a few last minute refrigerated items which all fit into one cooler tote. That also assured that they would fit in our small refrigerator once we got them onboard.
Parks Canada has numerous picnic tables, grills and branded red adirondack chairs positioned around this little park and today it was a busy place. Some locals came by and took pictures in front of Crossroads and asked questions. Some other locals just stood there and begged for food. We were excited to see brothers Jay and Chris (and a few guests) pull in behind us in a Defever 49.
Their boat is Carolina and is a bit larger than Crossroads. They started the Great Loop two days ago from Burlington, VT. We joined them for docktails and compared itineraries for our passage to Montreal. We'll be leaving together in the morning and will be buddy boats for the next week or so. After feeling isolated by both language and lack of travel companions for the last few days, we're looking forward to the company.
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