200 years later... still sailing Lake Erie.

This weekend offered a wonderful mix of family, friends and history.  The history: a two-hundred year anniversary of the Battle of Lake Erie (from the War of 1812.)

Everywhere the battle cry, "Don't give up the ship!" was evident in the Lake Erie Islands.  This photo of a flag adorning a Lakeside waterfront home was taken from my kayak on Saturday morning.  However, it seems to me Oliver Hazard Perry may have won that battle, but he DID have to give up his ship to move his command center to the US Brig Niagara .

I also managed a long-shot of one of the Tall Ships cruising the Kelleys Island coast-line.  History abounded this weekend!

Perry's Monument at Put-in-Bay was also visible from the Lakeside dock.  I would say this photo-shot was a good six-miles out.  Visibility was excellent Saturday morning, before gun-powder filled the air.

The night skies were filled with fireworks.  Port Clinton and Lakeside had displays on Saturday and Put-in-Bay offered a mind-blowing gun-powder-fest on Sunday night. No shortage of smoke and ka-booms in the west basin of Lake Erie this weekend.

Some of my favorite people we  here as well.  My daughter, Michelle, my father- John Boyd- and J.J. the shark-rider (my youngest daughter.) Both girls grew up in Lakeside, so sailing and good music are favorite offerings.  We all attended the afternoon program of the Navy Band Great Lakes.

Historic cottage 345 Sycamore Ave. in Lakeside is known as Toad Hall.

In fact, a whole bunch of my family members arrived to celebrate our annual Labor Day in Lakeside. We are a pretty amicable bunch, and the only war going on here was at sea. 

This is my favorite time of year to go sailing .  Shelly was teaching her friend Joe "the ropes," so to speak.

Captain Shelly (Michelle Soski Goodman) is quite capable in her Sunfish sailboat.  She bought her first boat when she was a very young teen growing up in Lakeside.  As much as I like kayaking, there is something even more exciting about sailing these mini-boats on our Great Lake.

So, very little natural  history going on here, but it was a wonderful family vacation.  I always feel blessed to spend time with my children, and am especially fortunate that they are my best of friends as well.

The Battle of Lake Erie

Two hundred years ago cannons fired across Lake Erie.  The war began in 1812, but the deciding battle was fought just off the shores of Put-in Bay in the summer of 1813. Today, towering over South Bass Island, stands a highly visible landmark: a monument to Oliver Hazard Perry and the sailors who fought bravely for this new country.  

Commander Perry as he is transported to the ship Niagra.
 Battle of Lake Erie by William Henry Powell, painted 1865 / Wikipedia

Once again, the tall ships are coming to Lake Erie. There will be a reenactment of the battle over Labor Day weekend 2013 and tourists will flock to Lake Erie to join the festivities. But are these modern day sailors aware of the new "Battle for Lake Erie"?

http://cherylharner.blogspot.com/2011/10/our-lake-becomes-eerie.html

This is my photo from 2011 is from a Weedpicker blog on the water quality of Lake Erie. If you are not outraged, you are not paying attention.   We have alien invaders and toxic algae threatening the health of Ohio's greatest lake.

If you ready to learn more about this amazing ecosystem, Cleveland Museum of Natural History has just the offering for you! Ohio's most important natural resource is fresh, potable water; it is the resource we should be fervently protecting.

The Cleveland Museum of Natural History will host its annual Conservation Symposium on Friday, September 6, 2013. This year's theme is The Battle of Lake Erie--focusing on current threats to, as well as the status of, our Great Lake Erie ecosystem. Our keynote speakers are...Peter Annin, professor at University of Notre Dame and author of The Great Lakes Water Wars, will update us on the status of the "water wars." And Dr. Eddie Herdendorf, retired director of Stone Lab (OSU), will give us an historic overview of how Lake Erie was formed and functions. 
For a schedule of all speakers and to register, please click on the link below:http://cmnh.org/site/Conservation/ConservationSymposium/Schedule.aspx

Sign up TODAY;  I look forward to seeing you there!