Heart of Gold

May 2010

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• 05/17/2010 - Monday - 10: 00 p.m. - Greg and I got in late last night. The boat was a disaster but we went straight to bed. We came here straight from Ohio where we spent the weekend learning how to use our fire arms. We also met some great people. We had supper with a guy named Dean Henry from Ohio and had a wonderful time. What a great time. It was a tough weekend but we sure did learn a lot. We were exhausted and I have no idea how Greg ever was able to make the drive to New Johnsonville. We got up this morning, got cleaned up and went out for breakfast, went to Wal-Mart and got some cleaning supplies and stuff for the boat. Had to go to Murray, KY to return the Penske truck. This took most of the day. We got back to the boat and started working on getting it back together again. This will take us a few days before we can start on our trip. Tomorrow we will be going out on our shake down cruise with Ray, the mechanic who put the engine back in, and are hoping all will go well. We will see.

• 05/20/2010 - Thursday - 9:30 p.m. - Our shake down cruise with Ray the mechanic went very well. Greg pushed it all the way and not the first vibration. Everything ran smoothly and we were all happy. Worked all day yesterday on getting everything else ready. We had several people from the marina help with cleaning the boat and I went shopping for groceries, oil and anti freeze. Later that evening we were invited to supper on one of our dock mates houseboats. Bill and Marilyn have a beautiful house boat and they make the best catfish and hushpuppies you ever put in your mouth. Marilyn is the one who catches the fish right off he bow of her boat in the marina. She loves to fish! They were a pleasure to get to know. We also met Steve Howard and his friend Larry who were here to tend to Steve's boat after the flood. They had to move it in a hurry so as not to be damaged when the wind blew the dock into the marina. They were both very entertaining and I found we were birds of a feather in many ways. We were supposed to leave this morning but it was raining and there was lots of thunder and lightning. Thought that it might get better after lunch but no such luck. Greg did more work on the boat and got all the systems just like he wanted them so that was good. I am still thrilled with the new toilet he installed on Tuesday. It is wonderful. Amazing what things make a boater deliriously happy. A beautiful toilet. Life is good. This evening we moved the boat to the gas dock and topped off the fuel tanks and the water tanks and pumped out the head. We had supper with Tammy and Randy and Lee and Deanne. It is always such a comfort to be with these good friends. If you ever have the opportunity to be on the Tennessee River you have to make a point to stop into Pebble Isle Marina. Tammy and Randy will make you feel right at home. Their restaurant has some of the best food on the river and you will get a good nights rest in their safe marina. It is always a little sad to leave here but we need to start heading back to Lake Michigan. While down here I also was able to make a new friend through our web site. He is from Australia and very interesting to correspond with. It is going to be fun to discover how people "down under" live on their boats! Tomorrow morning we plan to head north. They are predicting an 80% chance of thunderstorms so it will be interesting. It has been nice being here at Pebble Isle.

• 05/21/2010 - Friday - 10:30 p.m. - Leaving Pebble Isle is always sad. Looking at it with M dock pushed up against the marina I know they have lots of work ahead of them getting things back together. The stresses they are under are great and I keep them both in my prayers each evening. The morning on the river was gloomy but still beautiful as we encountered our first barge. We got to Kentucky Dam Lock and went right through with no wait and got to Paducah earlier then expected. We decided to keep going and try and make it to the Mississippi before sunset. The Ohio was running fast and we were making good time. Ran into a little debris but it didn't last long. Got to the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers before sunset. Then of course everything slowed down. The Mississippi was muddy as ever, high and running fast. We started right away dodging huge debris, which isn't all bad, at least you can see it. The ones you can't see are the big problem. Got to Boston Bar right at sunset which was perfect timing. We have never been in here when the water was so high. Usually it is nice and calm. As I am writing this we just had to go out and try and free our anchor chain. There is a huge tree lodged on it and is catching lots of other debris. We cleared off most of the smaller limbs but the big tree is still stuck. Not much we can do until morning. We will try and keep it clear of other limbs so as not to end up building a huge dam. It is going to be a long night. Hope the tree breaks loose of our chain. Glad we have chain!

• 05/22/2010 - Saturday - 9:00 p.m. - This was not the best of mornings. We did not get much sleep due to the fact that we were anchored at Boston Bar and it was running 6 knots behind the island. We knocked debris off the anchor chain 4 or 5 times during the night. In the light of day we found we had not done that good of a job. When you find that you are stuck with a tree wrapped down both sides of your boat it is scary. What was worse was all the debris under the water. We worked for over an hour to free ourselves before more debris piled on and then worried if we had done some damage to the props. We finally were back on the Mississippi and spent the rest of the day dodging all kinds of things, one right after the other. Also ran into the little brother of the one stuck on our anchor. We got lucky and got behind a tow. He sort of paved the way for us most of the day. It was slow going. Got to Cape Girardeau and thought about stopping at Diversion Channel for the night. Cape Girardeau is the birthplace of the great elRushbo, Rush Linbaugh. From such humble beginnings came the greatest mind. Anyway, when we past Diversion Channel it was flooded and we would have had to tie off of the bridge and hope we would hold. Decided to move on and not risk another sleepless night. We didn't have to worry about the buoy's thanks to the tow boat ahead of us. He knew where he was going. With the buoy's popping in and out of sight that would have been very stressful. Even the birds didn't know what to do. Greg studied the charts and then decided we would anchor in Schenimann Chute. There was a small island at one end that looked like a good place to get off the river. Turns out it is a perfect place to tuck in for the night. We got safely anchored, had a great supper, Greg is watching a movie and I am relaxing and happily writing my log. All is well.

• 05/23/2010 - Sunday - 8:30 p.m. - Had a fairly restful evening last night. Got bumped by some big logs and swung quit a bit on the anchor but no dam build up this morning. That was good. We did notice that the water rose during the night probably why we swung so much. Today was like yesterday, fast river, dodging trees and other debris. Saw lots of flooded roads and railroad tracks. Day markers were starting to get submerged. Businesses along the river had water in them. Saw one other pleasure boater, a sailboat, heading south and did see a houseboat tied to a tree. The river was so fast the poor house boat was probably going backwards. We called Fern to ask her how it was up river and she said it was bad. So we decided not to try and make it because we would be coming in after dark. Pulled into Kaskaskia Lock and Dam for the night. This is going to be great. We are able to tie up along the wall and don't have to worry about being on anchor. Yippee! We got in fairly early, got cleaned up, had a great supper, turned on the AC, and now plan to watch a movie till we fall asleep. On a really great note, Mary sent us a photo. She had her captain's final today and passed with flying colors! She is now Captain Mary Bowers! Or as I like to call her Captain Meme. Dad and me are so proud of her. She is so adventurous. We called her and she was so excited and relieved. It has been a long two weeks studying for this. There is going to be some celebrating in St. Thomas tonight. Congratulations Captain Meme!

• 05/24/2010 - Monday - 11:30 p.m. - This morning we were fogged in for a while and that gave Greg time to work on the boat. He is having electrical problems and is trying to run it down. Finally got back on the river and headed for Hoppies. On the way up we heard on the radio that St. Louis harbor was still closed. At this point that is fine with me. I will be more than happy to wait for this water to go down. It is a mess. We also know that there is going to be a problem when we get to Peoria Lock and Dam. They are doing some sort of construction and are only letting traffic through after 5 p.m. So we will have to wait till all the barge traffic goes through and then they will let us go. Not quit sure how that will go but I suppose we will see when we get there. It was the usual dodging trees and crap in the river. Heard what sounded like thunder but it was what looked to me like a rock factory, where they make rocks. Had some excitement when we caught something in our props. Didn't see it but probably something like an old line or maybe a towel or blanket. We tried t get it off but some of it is still there. We will have a diver come and see what it is. Very noisy when they dump the rocks in the waiting barges. Also was excited to see what looked like a cell phone tower going up but it was just some high power electric towers that were going to cross the river. There was one on each side.The big highlight of the day was when Greg spotted a bald eagle. I didn't get the best shot but I did manage to get most of it. It was just sitting there in a pile of washed up timber. It was huge and just beautiful. As we neared Hoppies we saw a house with a big blue tarp on the roof and then part of what looked like a roof sitting in front of the house. Come to find out the roof in front of the house was actually the Gazebo that used to be behind the house. Last week a tornado came though and did some damage. It jumped from one side of the river to the other. Can't believe we missed the tornado, we have hit everything else. It was so wonderful to have Hoppies in sight. I could not believe how high they were. We have never seen it so bad. The bridge that goes up to the buildings is usually an up hill climb but today we walked down to the buildings. Fern said the water was 16 inches from getting into her basement. Their house sits on a hill above the marina but today the marina was up to the front yard and the Mississippi River was running through their front yard. It was unreal. Will take more pictures tomorrow. Once we got tied up we sat and visited with Fern and Hoppie. It was so good to see them again. Later we all went out to supper at a wonderful Italian place. It was a good night with good company. Glad to be here.

• 05/25/2010 - Tuesday - 11:30 p.m. - This morning Fern and I had to run some errands, had a nice lunch out, and then did some shopping. It was wonderful. We talked and laughed and had a great time. We came back to the marina and had to pick up the Lincoln and take it back to the service station to get the inspection sticker. After that we got a couple of ice cream sundae's. Yummy. Went back to the marina where we found Greg, Hoppie, Harry, Pete, and Dave in deep conversation with many empty beer cans strewn about. They said they got a lot of work done today but i heard they had been there since noon. I don't know how much work could actually get done by noon but it must have been a lot. Before we left this morning I took some pictures of Fern and Hoppies front yard. Yesterday when we came in the two large trees were under water so the river had receded some last night. We also have never seen the ramp that leads from the docks to the shore go down hill. Fern said this is as close to the flood of 1993 as they have gotten. That one was worse and the Mississippi actually was up to the rafters on the bottom floor of their house. I have seen the mud the river is leaving on the boat ramp as it recedes and it is a nasty, nasty mud. I can't imagine what the clean up would be like in your house. Fern did explain that when it does get into the house they flood the lower level with fresh water and it helps keep out the river mud. I can't imagine doing that. After Fern and I got back to the marina for the day she showed me her embroidery machine and her work area in the lower level. Wow, it was wonderful. I could have stayed and played in there all night. I can't wait for her to embroider the aprons I bought. Her machine is beautiful. Fern and I had a great day and I am so glad we got to do that. I think Greg and the other guys had a good day too.

• 05/27/2010 - Thursday - 11:45 p.m. - Well, we are still at Hoppie's and the river is still high. Greg has been getting lots of things done on the boat. He feels good about finally getting the boat back into shape and I think it is doing him some good to relax. We decided to stay here until Monday. I will rent a car and go home and Greg and Harry will take it up to Peoria where they will me Dave and then the three of them will take it across the lake to Saugatuck. Harry and Dave are both working to get their time in for their captain's license so they don't mind to make the trip. I know I am glad they are going to help Greg and I can go home and try to get some inventory done for my show in July. I really feel bad about not making the trip but I have been stressing about getting things done. I can't do everything even if I want to so I have set a few priorities. Actually priorities set themselves as to urgency. I am glad we are waiting till Monday and let the river go down some. With the stuff coming down the river I think it is a good idea to wait a little longer. Besides we are having a great time here with Hoppie and Fern.

• 05/30/2010 - Sunday - 11:45 p.m. - This morning we started getting the boat ready to head north again. Yesterday I got groceries and Greg put the finishing touches in the engine room. It has been a wonderful stay here at Hoppies. I just love it here. Spent most of the day working on the boat cleaning and making up the other staterooms for our guests. Greg, Harry and Dave worked out their plan on the different places that Dave and Rhonda will meet up with Greg and Harry. We packed up the car with all my things and Harry stowed his gear in the front stateroom. It was an extra special Memorial celebration because we were also celebrating the fact that Harry and Dave got their captain's license. We had a wonderful cookout. Fern and Bill cut up the turkey's, one was fried and the other roasted, both were great. There was tons of great food and even better group of people. Debbie and Fern do a great job of keeping things going. After supper Jenny presented awards to Dave and Harry. I think the two captain's were surprised with all the wonderful gifts that Judy presented to them. I think they got almost everything they will need to be great captains. Proud Harry will keep on rollin', rollin', rollin' down the river. Pete was behaving himself with big sister sitting next to him even though Harry was giving him a hard time with the list of choirs he left for Pete to do while he is gone for the next week or so. The fearsome threesome are ready to cross Lake Michigan. It was a wonderful stay again. Fern and Hoppie are the most wonderful people and we are so glad we have been able to share their little slice of heaven. I had the best time with Fern on this visit. She showed me her wonderful sewing machine and I was able to help her with some embroidery. I loved it. I love Fern and her family. She is one of the strongest and generous women I know. She freely shares her vast knowledge of the river to anyone who asks. Fern is "queen of the river". I will miss her until we see them both again in the fall. Tomorrow I will pack up the rest of the car and Harry will come aboard and he and Greg will make the rest of the trip to Michigan. Dave and Rhonda will join them somewhere along the way and they will all cross the lake together. I will try and keep the log going if I can get reports from Greg as they make it up the river. I think they are all ready to go. Good luck and safe journey.

June 2010

• 06/01/2010 - Tuesday - 9:30 p.m. - Yesterday I talked with Greg several times. They made it to St. Louis and Greg sent me this picture of the arch. The trip was not without its mishaps. Evidently they thought they had more Zing Zang but found they only had one bottle. So they texted Dave and asked him to run a case of it to them in Harden. Dave texted them back a reply that they think was not very nice. They made it to Mel's River Dock and had a great supper there. Harry had the brisket and he isn't even a beef eater and Greg of course had his usual pork chop. They went back to the boat and had a relaxing evening. Today I didn't talk to them too much but Greg did send some photos. They got to the Lagrange Lock and it was kind of underwater. Greg said there wasn't much traffic on the Illinois River but they ended up meeting the Robert Green in a narrow area of the river. Greg said that Captain Harry has been doing a great job at the helm. Greg texted that he wished I was there so I could get them beers. I think he must have been delirious when he wrote that. They did make it to the Tall Timbers Marina in Havana. Went out to dinner at Babe's where they met a guy named John who ended up taking them to the grocery store. Evidently Harry ran out of beer and they were also able to pick up some extra bottles of Zing Zang. Luckily they didn't have to spend money on food. They are in for the night and have to button up the boat because they are predicting thunderstorms for the night. At least they have electricity and can use the AC. All is going well up the river.