CATHERINE DE BARNES
December 20th
We had an extra 5 ½ days in Birmingham due
to thick ice on the canal. David commented
that it was probably lucky for us to be trapped in Birmingham since there were
still lots of things to do and see. The only draw back was that the spot we
were moored after leaving Sherborn Marina was not a garden spot to say the
least. We had to quickly pull over and tie up because of the ice rapidly
becoming hazardous so beggars couldn’t be choosers.
We were next to the construction site for
the new High Speed train with noise from early morning to evening. The tow path
was a dark and unwelcoming place with walls covered in graffiti and debris
everywhere. David spotted some youths painting the walls and one evening he spotted
someone peering into the boat from the bow. We never left the boat unattended
in the evenings. Every night we heard the "Pop,Pop,Pop" of fireworks. Not sure why.
Maybe it has to do with the 12 days of Christmas?
We did visit the THINKTANK a museum on the
university campus which has incredible displays of all sorts of workable steam
engines. We saw a show about the Birmingham skies in their planetarium and
watched children enjoying the hands-on exhibits in the Space Exploration
section which had some fascinating robots.
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We
also came upon a gallery with a special exhibit of art from Bob Dylan and the
comedian, Billy Connolly. It was a fun discovery. Some of Dylan’s art had lyrics
of his songs incorporated with the art. We were both quite impressed. We also
discovered that Birmingham is the site of the Netflix series “Peaky Blinders”
and they offer tours with guides dressed up as characters.
On the 19th it was David’s birthday,
and we planned a special dinner in Birmingham at a restaurant we had researched.
Instead, David suggested we head out. We were both a bit restless and anxious
to get out of the big city. We cut
through very thin ice in some spots and managed to make our way through the
last 8 locks to exit central Birmingham. We were contending with a strong wind
which wasn’t pleasant and then the ice thickened. We had to stop. We were close
to nothing, but we were safely secured for the night. Still in Birmingham.
Happy Birthday, David.
On our journey, we managed to make a wrong
turn. I noticed that the bridge numbers were not correct. There were no “winding
holes” in which to turn around, so we had to back her up about a half mile.
Dave was my “mule” on the tow path holding the line as I drove the boat in
reverse with directions shouted from David. We made it back to the right spot.
Realized that where we were supposed to turn didn’t look like a turn at all. It
looked like a long brick wall and dead end. What we missed were the tall lock
gates at the end. Stuff happens here on the canal.
THE GREAT ESCAPE! Today we had thawed waters and no wind so set
out around 8:00. The boat renter called all his renters asking to meet up with
each of us to check the boat’s systems after this cold snap. We decided to meet
in Catherine de Barnes the last suburb of Birmingham. We are so impressed by
David Dare’s attentiveness to his boaters. He had sent out a long email to all
of us about the “dos and don’ts” during our “ice age” experience which was
quite helpful.
As we made our way out of the city, we
encountered less graffiti and debris in the water, but it was still surprising
what gets tossed into the canal…plastic baskets and bags, toy wagon, wooden
boxes, and many soccer balls. We had to dodge lots of branches that had broken
off during the storm and fall leaves are now covering most of the surface. The
canal is about 4 feet deep on average, so it was easy for the ice to thicken to
about 2 ½ inches where we were trying to break loose.
Tonight (well, late afternoon, most likely)
we hope to make up for the canceled birthday dinner by going to The Boat, a
local pub, just near our moorage. David has a chest cold that seems to only act
up at night making it difficult for him to sleep so it will be our regular
early lights out. Hope to have an early
start tomorrow.
On the 18th we had Facetime with
our birthday girl, Ella, who turned 6 years old. She was having a “Girls Party”
with classmates and friends making gingerbread houses under the expert guidance
of Bryan, pizza, and a festive unicorn chocolate birthday cake which Bryan told
us he baked! Jessica sent photos of the
party and videos of the kids’ Christmas programs. These are the toughest things
to miss.
The next day, David got phone calls from
all the kids wishing him a Happy Birthday. Everyone is so excited about Santa
coming. Hope he can find our boat.
We send out love and good wishes to our
friends, Wolfgang and Geoff, who are facing huge challenges. May you be
surrounded by family and friends this holiday season.
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