CSS Winter Cruise

In 2006 Trish and I initiated what is now called The Winter Cruise. Each year since members of the RCYC have gone on a car cruise in the winter. This year Trish and I ran the cruise to Buffalo New York. Buffalo is about 1.5 hours from the west end of Toronto. To this time you must add boarder time. My wife Trish, our daughter Kelly, and I crossed at the Peace Bridge around 7:00 P.M. on Thursday. There was literally no one in front of us so it took about 3 minutes with a very friendly American Boarder Guard.

We arrived on Thursday because we were going to Rochester New York Friday to see the new Irish Mist. I needed to take a picture from the stern facing forward for the Canadian Registration. We all also just wanted to see her again. Needless to say we are very excited and cannot wait to get her in the water. None of us have seen her wet.

 This is the picture we need to send to the government in order to register the boat in Canada. I am not at all sure what it will tell them but it along with several others will be sent as soon as The US Coast Guard send us The Deletion Letter on Blue Ribbon Paper. This requirement was change about a week and a half after we bought the boat and got a deletion letter without the blue ribbon.

On Friday night we returned in time to have dinner with my sisters and friends Carson and Pat Woods. By now there were several members around having traveled to Buffalo early. There was a country and western signer in town. This in itself was fine, but when the concert goers returned they were very noisy. While they did not disturb me many of our party did wake up. Every one got over it with a little complaining at breakfast.

Our first stop was the Frank Loyd Wright's (FLW) Fontana Boat House. There is a long story which you should look up but I am not going to go through here. The short version is FLW designed the Boat House for The University of Wisconsin rowing team in the 1920's, but it was never built. In and around 2002 a group of senior rowers in Buffalo decided to build it on the shores of The Niagara River next to there rowing facility.
It was completed in 2007 and is used as a rowing boat house today.

 The Frank Loyd Wright Fontana Boat House

First Floor Shell Storage

 Second Floor Meeting Room

From the Boat house we went to The Buffalo Yacht Club. It was founded in 1860 just eight years after us and is one of the oldest clubs in North America. The club was ready for our arrival and had lunch prepared. While it was overcast and cold outside our reception inside could not have been warmer. We could not stay too long for our day was full, but we did take a little tour after lunch and were on our way

Trish and Kelly Outside The Buffalo Yacht Club

 Inside Their Main floor Bar

As I just said Trish and I had organized a very full day. From the yacht club we were off to the Darwin Martin House. Once again there is a very long story which you should look up and if you are in Buffalo go and see the building for yourself. I will give you a very short version. Darwin Martin was a wealthy businessman in Buffalo around the turn of the last century. He decided he needed a big house and had FLW design and build him a 14,000 square foot Prairie Home. When FLW designed a home he insisted you fill it with FLW designed furniture. He also arrange the lighting which was always dim and i think he might have suggested menus and reading material as long as neither the menus or reading material was in view. The guards who accompanied us on our tour would not let us take any picture as long as there was a roof over our heads. This is the reason there are no inside pictures. The renewal of the house which had long periods of neglect since 1937 is costing over 50 million dollars.

The Darwin Martin House Buffalo New York

Following the tour some of us went directly to St. Louis Church the oldest Roman Catholic Church in The Buffalo Diocese for mass. The rest went to the hotel and prepared for the traditional CSS wine and cheese. since there are problems bringing liquor across the boarder it was a BYOB affair.  We had a draw for two books Trish and I had purchased. There were 29 names in the hat and the first one out was Trish. She graciously declined the prize and we drew again. The next winner was Doug Bullock and the third name out of the basket was my sister Margaret.

Margaret and Doug Receiving Their Prizes

The Group 

Once the picture was taken we were off again. This time for a 17 minute walk up Main Street to The Anchor Bar. This of course is were they invented the chicken wing. Before 1964 chickens did not have wings and to this day still are not very good fryers sorry that's a miss spelling I meant flyers. For obvious reasons they had originally tried to put the wings on the Buffalo, but it just would not work. The Buffalo did not get their wings, but the name stuck and the wings while actually chicken are known as Buffalo Wings.

The Plaque Outside The Anchor Bar

 Saturday Morning Outside The Anchor Bar

 The Group Just Getting Seated

Sunday morning I did something I had meant to do for a few years. Trish Kelly and I drove up to Lockport New York and looked at The Erie Canal. It was a bit of a let down. I knew there would be no boats, but there was no water. I sure hope they meant it to be empty. We decided to go home and crossed at the Lewiston/Queenston Bridge and once again had quick trip and a very friendly boarder guard.

One of The Five Erie Canal Locks at Lockport New York