Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude

It's amazing what a little change in scenery can do to help one's outlook on being a boat owner.  We finally got out of Demopolis this past Saturday morning and had a trouble-free cruise up the river where we found our very own island with a small sandy beach.


It ended up being such a welcome & needed event that we opted to stay there for three nights! I did some fishing and exploring in the dinghy each day and we both spent time reading and hanging out on our sandy point with quite a few cervezas ;-) The water at our island oasis was as clear as we had seen it since leaving Mobile so we also spent time swimming and keeping the Bud-Man wet.

Speaking of Buddy, he is now totally blind & deaf but still full of himself; however, his little head must hurt as he continues to “bump” his way around his new home! He's doing okay, though, and will hopefully be with us a while longer.

After leaving our island paradise early yesterday morning we continued north about 60 miles to our current location which is the Columbus Marina in Columbus, MS. We passed under a railroad bridge before our first lock just as a train was going over.



The next photo shows the Admiral as we were finishing locking through.

There are twelve locks between Mobile and Bay Springs Lake, and they are always an adventure in patience & strength. At the first lock of the day, Tom Bevill, there is a visitor center so we tied up and played tourist for a few hours touring the Snagboat “Montgomery” (see left side of photo below - our boat is on the right in the background) and the visitor center.

Here is a photo of the Captain at the helm of the Snagboat.

 After pulling away from the visitor center dock we continued to head north to the marina at Columbus, arriving about 4:30 p.m. This is a nice marina that treated me to a beautiful sunrise this morning, although the photo was too dark to post.

Well, I guess it’s time to go start the Admiral’s coffee as I expect sleeping beauty will be rolling out of bed any time (the Admiral doesn't enjoy getting up at 4:30 a.m!). We know there are a bunch of you reading this blog, please let us know if you have any questions.......or want to come for a visit as we are still waiting for our first guests.......not that anyone was excited about a visit to Demopolis, AL!

By the way, if you send us a blog comment, please include your e-mail address if we don't already have it since we can't respond to a blog comment directly. We love receiving your comments, though! We have 77 miles and seven more locks (ugh!) before we make it to Bay Springs Lake where we hope to spend a week just enjoying the boating experience. Wish us luck and keep in touch! Cap’n T & Admiral B