As we went to bed last night we realized our cabin was near the somewhat noisy generator and we wondered if it would pose a problem for sleeping. It was not and next morning we  commented how the “white noise” from the generator really seemed a benefit. Now Yvonne wants one for our bedroom (a white noise machine, not a generator!). Breakfast was quick, hot and delightful; the freshly baked muffins were a nice addition. The menus are set (i.e. no choice) but there was a choice for tonight’s dinner and we were asked to make a selection so the kitchen would prepare the correct quantities. Oh, by the way although we all met at the same time for last night’s dinner the next few days would have us divided into an early (lunch at 12, dinner at 5:30) or late (lunch at 1:15, dinner at 7:15) seating. We chose the early seating.

We pulled away from the dock promptly at 8AM and made a short run to the town of Gananoque, Ontario (“Gan” for short), population 5,383 for a planned tour of their wooden boat museum. We were led by a local member who shared with us the history of the museum and talked about some of the boats on display there. The area is noted for its use and love for old wooden boats from bygone eras. There was a lot of nostalgia on display in the museum.

It was a bit breezy and cool that morning so once the tour was over Yvonne retreated to the warmth of our ship while I wandered into the nearly history museum for a short visit.

Our ship left the dock promptly at 11 AM and began a leisurely tour of the US side of the river. Note: the US/Canadian border basically cuts the St. Lawrence Seaway in half. A bit of clarification: technically it is the St. Lawrence River but because there are a series of canals and locks on it to ease movement it is commonly referred to as the St. Lawrence seaway. The upper deck of the ship offers a great viewing platform but because of the lateness of the season the cool weather prevented us from wanting to use it. The rear lower deck was somewhat protected and their are 8-10 nice chairs that people occasionally used to watch the world go by. Others simply sat in the main lounge/dining room and took advantage of the large windows to view the sights. There was coffee, tea and leftover muffins from breakfast available if you were still hungry. Later when lunch was served there was a lot of getting up from the table and rushing to the window to get another picture of some fabulous home. Sadly pictures cannot properly  convey the area. You need to experience it to fully appreciate. We did wonder how one manages to exist when you need a boat to go anywhere! The area must be chaotic (and exciting) during the peak summer months.

Conversations were often interrupted by a ship’s commentary of what we were seeing as we sailed through the magical area called “thousand islands”. By the way thousand islands is incorrect. There are (supposedly) really 1,864 islands that cover an area of about 50 miles downstream from Kingston. The islands range in size from 40 square miles to as little as an exposed rock (it counts as an island if it has at least one square foot of exposed land and can support two trees growing on it). The area played an important part in the War of 1812 as we will later learn. In the late 1800s and early 1900s the area became famous as the summer resort play area for the rich and famous from New York City, Chicago, Pittsburg and Cleveland. Our leisurely tour through the area showed us some of their massive homes/estates.

The two largest (i.e. massive) complexes in the area are the Boldt Castle and the Singer Castle. The Boldt Castle was started by George Boldt in 1900 as a gift for his wife. She died suddenly in 1904 and he stopped construction. The 120 room home ( 30 bathrooms and 35 fireplaces) stayed uncompleted and empty for 73 years until bought by the local government agency. It is now open as a tourist attraction. Boldt was the proprietor of the Waldorf Astoria. Some give him credit for introducing 1,000 island dressing and the Waldorf salad.

The other major nearby complex is the Singer Castle (also known as The Towers or the Dark Island Castle) , built in 1905 by the president of Singer Sewing Machine Company, Frederick Bourne. The 28 room home, costing $500,000 (13 million in today’s dollars), was patterned after an English castle. The family owned the home until it was sold to a Catholic school for $5,000!  It is currently owned by a German businessman and is open to the public. You can even stay there.

Late in the afternoon we docked in Brockville, Ontario where we boarded a school bus to go and tour the summer home of another famous resident of the area, Gorge T. Fulford, a self made man in the medicine business who made a fortune selling   “Dr. William’s Pink Pills for Pale People”. Later in life he was in local politics.The home was lavish and well furnished.

The evening entertainment was a local magician who was very entertaining as he also included humor in his act. Many of his tricks were common ones we have seen but I still am amazed that I do not see how they are done.

We are spending the night in Brockville. Tomorrow we do more exploring in the area.