To celebrate Martha completing her first week back to school I called her up after dismissal on Friday and asked her out to dinner. The weather has been outstanding the last few weeks so I thought a leisurely bike trip to Marine City, Mi might be fun. We took the back roads and decided to cross into Michigan via the Walpole ferry and return on the Bluewater ferry at Sombra. The air was clear but warm and the ferry ride was fun with the bow slapping the waves and the spray gleaming in the late afternoon sun. Of course I walked a little too close to the gaping bow ramp and got the leg of my riding pants drenched.

I had intended on going to a restaurant called Bill’s Duck Inn for supper. We hadn’t been there for almost two decades and I wanted to check out the latest owner’s menu. We didn’t even get north of Algonac, Mi when the aroma from McRae’s Big River Grill had Martha tapping my back and saying lets eat here instead. [Catherine, this is the old Sid’s on the Seaway Restaurant, remember? ] It was a blast from the past because this was a restaurant Mom and Dad had taken our family to (on VERY special occasions only) before I was even a teenager One of the few things I recall from Sid’s was the red transparent plastic straws they used put in their soft drinks when all I had ever experienced before was paper straws, oh the decadence. Flash forward some 40 odd years and now this restaurant has a Caribbean-inspired menu with great views of the river and a laid back Caribbean theme decor.

We started off with a couple lime Margaritas (I’ve had better) and ordered some mussels in a spicy jalapeno-onion broth to share for an appetizer. We weren’t there more than a few minutes when a neighbour from back home stops by our table and asks if we were there for the Friday “all you can eat 9.99 Pickerel supper too”. Martha licks her lips and says “I am now.” I had already had my eyes on the Caribbean spiced frogleg entre, so I passed.

They served the fresh sourdough bread, Caesar salad, and Clam chowder and by the time we finished enjoying all that, we could have stopped and been more than satisfied. When Martha’s pickerel platter arrived we knew it would be impossible to finish… “please, don’t even try Martha”. We enjoyed the food and conversation while the pleasure craft and ships entertained us as they navigating up and down the St. Clair River.

After dinner it was getting dark and we made our way north along the river to catch the Sombra ferry back to Canada. It’s been a long time since I’ve been down by the waterfront in the village of Marine City and we appreciated the cute little restaurants with outdoor cafes, rec parks, and benches along the riverfront. I think it will make an interesting destination some other time.

When we got to the Sombra side we headed south into the evenings warmth and enjoyed the ride along the now quiet St Clair Pky with the moonlight being reflected off the river the entire way. All in all it was a nice evening to share alone with Martha, content knowing the girls were enjoying their own weekend agendas.

A few pictures available here…