Columbus Ohio on an out of the ordinary Warm November day

Click on pictures to enlarge for a better view

Hoover Reservoir with dam and downstream views




Just can not keep away from the water and the great outdoors even though we had to put the sailboat into winter storage. Here are some pictures from the Hoover Reservoir in Westerville, Ohio a suburb of Columbus. We made the trip to see the Ohio State and Iowa football game. In laws from Columbus and my son went to Iowa so had mixed emotions about the game. As you can see I enjoyed my short afternoon the day before the game.

Chicago with a beautiful fall day with lots of sunshine

It is just too bad when one lives in one of the Northern states the sailing season is so short. But, typical for Chicago it does get cold in late October and the marinas have to winterize their docks. So, naturally the sailboats also have to be put away for the winter. Then it happens, those one of two days when the weather turns more like an early fall day rather than a late one. The last two weekends were like that with the temps getting up into the high 60's and even one day into the low 70's. This weekend, although not as warm as the past two will be in the low 60's. This is almost 20 degrees above the norm and would be great for sailing. Oh well, I am going to take advantage and work in the yard and maybe even put up the Christmas lights early - still will not turn them on until after Thanksgiving but, it will be easier without blowing snow.

Coupons for Dining out in Chicago or nationwide Great website

Travelzoo top 20 sent me an e-mail that directed me to a website to get certificates for restaurants in the Chicago area.

Special Offer from Restaurant.com: 80% off but is over on October 31. I paid $2.00 for a $25.00 certificate that you use just like cash. This is also offered Nationwide.

They are good for one year from date of purchase so I bought 4 certificates of $25 each. That is like getting $100 in cash for only $4 dollars.

To purchase:

Go to this website

http://www.restaurant.com/offer/travelzoo/index.asp?prti=4426&raid=2632

and enter a zip code or pick a state to find the local participating restaurants
Select the gift certificate amount (if more than one choice is available), then add it to the cart
Upon checking out, enter the discount code APE on the Shopping Cart page
After completing the transaction print out the gift certificates to take to the restaurant
Very few rules or limitations. What a great way to try out restaurants without spending a lot of money.

O'day Sailboat taken out of water due to October rainy days

It has been raining non stop for the entire month of October. We broke the record in Chicago for the most days of rain in the month of October. 19 days of rain. Needless to say the boat is out of the water and in my driveway. Will keep it there for a few weeks to work on it before I move it to the indoor storage outside of Racine.

Cold Weather appears here to stay

I have put off taking the boat out of the water just hoping for one last good day of sailing. No such luck. Temperatures have been in the high 40's with heavy air and high waves. Many days with small craft warning. Most every day cloudy and cold.

I may wait one more week hoping that Indian Summer will appear for a day or two but, the long term weather forecast does not bode well.

I did pick up the boat trailer and took it out of summer storage and currently have it outside at the marina so it will be ready to use when I decide to take the boat out of the water and move it to my indoor winter storage just outside of Racine.

Summer Sailing in Racine Wisconsin

What a great weekend for sailing out of Racine. Friday my wife and I had a wild ride again with winds ranging 10 to almost 20 knots. Waves got a little too high by the end of the afternoon but we hit our record 5.4 knots in my little 23 ft O'day. It handled well even with the larger waves. Any more than that and we would not have been able to go out. Took Saturday off to go watch my grandson play soccer but went out again on Sunday with two friends before the clouds came in and brought the rain. Had everything buttoned up just in time. Did not hit our record but sailed between 4 1/2 and 5 knots most of the afternoon. Hitting slightly over 5 knots a few times. Again the waves got larger as the afternnon passed.

Overall a great sailing day. Seems like the summer went by so quickly an in Southern Wisconsin the cold North winds are not too far away so the sailing season will be coming to a close.

Looking forward to another great sailing weekend in Racine

I doubt that the weather is going to be any where near as good as it has been over the past several weeks. The wind will be coming out of the North and will keep the tempatures a lot cooler.

Here is what the National Weather Service is predicting.

I will probably wait until Saturday to drive to the boat.

LMZ643>646-212245-
SHEBOYGAN TO PORT WASHINGTON WI-
PORT WASHINGTON TO NORTH POINT LIGHT WI-
NORTH POINT LIGHT TO WIND POINT WI-
WIND POINT WI TO WINTHROP HARBOR IL-
941 AM CDT FRI AUG 21 2009


REST OF TODAY
NORTHWEST WIND 15 TO 20 KNOTS. SCATTERED
SHOWERS. WAVES 1 TO 3 FEET.

TONIGHT
NORTHWEST WIND 10 TO 20 KNOTS. CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN
THE EVENING. WAVES 1 TO 3 FEET.

SATURDAY
NORTH WIND AROUND 15 KNOTS. MOSTLY SUNNY. WAVES 2 TO 4
FEET.

SATURDAY NIGHT
NORTH WIND 10 TO 15 KNOTS. MOSTLY CLEAR. WAVES
1 TO 3 FEET.