Carry On Carillon.

My first stop on the magical mystery tour was the Carillon Cruise on Lake Champlain. Our phenomenally gracious hosts sent us on a sight-seeing cruise to the birthplace of the United States Navy with our very own uniformed sailor. Our boat (ship/vessel?) was decked out with large windows, a Captain who looked like the Gorton's fisherman, a tour guide who cursed like a sailor once his mic was turned off, an observation deck, many thermoses of coffee and, of course, its own "head" in the back.

We pulled into this lock once we reached White Hall New York. We floated around the city for a few minutes, then went back into the lock and got off for tea and lunch at the Skene Manor.

On our way back, we hustled onto the windy deck to get pictures in front of the lake house from the water. Unfortunately, I had my camera on telephoto when I handed it to the Captain's wife, so this is how our group shot turned out.

Here are are Bowden, Lucy and Mr. and Mrs. Tate waving from the house (their visages have been obscured by distance for fear that the news of their overwhelming generosity will spread to all travelers and they'll never again get a moment's peace).

"Oh. Yeah, we should face the sun."

This outing was such fun- the first glimpse of a wonderful vacation. I'm not sure how I wormed my way into the family, but I have been so blessed and encouraged by the welcoming that comes from the love of Christ coloring their lives.