Bay Springs Lake

We called Chuck & Pip aboard "Miss Pip" Wednesday afternoon, September 19th, and told them we had arrived; that we had spent the day catching up on the blog and some of our many e-mails; and that we hoped to see them out on the water as soon as they were ready to come anchor out. They called back a short time later and asked if we would mind if they came over in their dinghy. They arrived around 6:00 p.m. and we spent the next couple of hours visiting and catching up. We had last seen them at Cuba Landing in August when we were on our way to Clarksville via the Cumberland River.

This is the main lake view from the back of "Life's2Short."


"Life's2Short" pulled in to a sandy beach with the main lake in the background.


Another view of our cozy little spot on Bay Springs.


The Captain got a much needed and long overdue hair cut from the Admiral on Thursday and also spent several more hours trying to get through our e-mail backlog. Around 3:00 p.m. we decided to make a run to the marina to get some ice, but when we called to let Chuck & Pip know we were heading over, Chuck said they were getting ready to come anchor out with us so we sat tight and they showed up in "Miss Pip" a few hours later with our ice. We then dinghied over to their boat for a great dinner of chilled shrimp and fresh grilled corn on the cob and enjoyed a beautiful evening with good friends.

Another boat named "Bonnie Lass" came out Friday and anchored in a cove across the lake from us. We originally saw "Bonnie Lass" in Mobile in early May of 2006 when we first purchased "Life's2Short" and moved it from St. Petersburg to Mobile before going back to Missouri to finish our final weeks of work, sell the house, etc. Bay Springs Marina is the current home of "Bonnie Lass" and Chuck & Pip have gotten to know Mike & Julia since their arrival here several weeks ago, so they took their dinghy over and visited with them Friday afternoon.

Since we were having visitors from Pickwick for the weekend, we took dinner over to "Miss Pip" Friday evening and enjoyed another great meal and wonderful evening together.

"Bonnie Lass" is on the left and "Miss Pip" is on the right. The "Bonnie Lass" toured through our cove on its way back to the marina Friday afternoon.


Another shot of the "Bonnie Lass" by itself.


A Ranger bass boat came in to the cove and tied up to "Miss Pip" Saturday morning, and Chuck called a short time later to invite us over to visit with Mike & Julia of "Bonnie Lass." Shortly after returning to "Life's2Short," Chuck & Pip headed back to the marina and Tena & Keith from Pickwick arrived in their 21-foot Sea Ray.  Around 4:00 p.m., we left in the Sea Ray to go over to the marina where Chuck was intently watching the Texas Tech/OSU game which, unfortunately, Texas Tech lost. It was a good game, though, and could easily have gone the other way.

While we were at the marina, Todd and Keith managed to finagle a tour of "Kaleidoscope," a huge catamaran that the owner designed and constructed in seven pieces in his backyard on the west coast and then had the pieces hauled to the ocean where the craft was assembled before making its way from California, through the Panama Canal, to this part of the world.

We intended to get a picture of it to post on the blog but we didn't have our camera with us at the time and didn't get back over there before we left Bay Springs. Suffice it to say that it is approximately 45 feet wide and 110 feet long and looks like something out of a science fiction movie, kind of like the Starship Enterprise off Star Trek only square instead of round! It truly is a novelty on the water and if we cross paths with it again, we'll be sure to take a photo to share.

Saturday was Chuck's birthday and several dock friends gathered after the game to celebrate the occasion. Pip made chili and a wonderful macaroni & cheese casserole and Chuck grilled brats and peppers & onions. There were also a number of other dishes far too numerous to mention, along with a small birthday cake from Pip and Key Lime pie provided by Julia. On the way back to "Life's2Short," Keith got a little too close to shore in his Sea Ray and hit a submerged tree with the outdrive; fortunately, no damage was done and we arrived safely back at "Life's2Short" a few minutes later.

Todd & Keith taking a dinghy ride to shore Sunday morning to fillet a catfish.


Keith & Todd taking a quick lake bath off the swim deck. Aren't they cute?


I fixed breakfast enchiladas for Tena & Keith Sunday morning and then they headed back to Pickwick around noon.  Bud (Iceman) called about an hour later and said he might ride his Sea Doo down from Pickwick.  Mo from "MOTU" came in to the anchorage about 2:30 and Bud arrived an hour or so after Mo, after having gone to the marina to get gas and visit with Chuck & Pip. Mo swam over from her boat about 4:30 and Chuck & Pip came out in their dinghy a little while later and we all sat on the sundeck visiting until dark. Bud had intended to go back to Pickwick that afternoon but we convinced him to spend the night with us instead of making the long run back after having only been here such a short time.

Bud left a few minutes past 8:00 Monday morning and we had a relatively quiet day.  Our friend Kelly from Pickwick had called Sunday saying he might come down in his Bayliner and stay overnight Monday, but when we called him Monday afternoon he said he had decided not to so we were visitor-free.  Just as Todd was getting ready to go to the marina for ice Monday afternoon, we had a brief shower that only lasted long enough to get the canvas wet and make things steamier than they already were.

Mo invited us over for cocktails and hors d' oeuvres Monday evening so we dinghied over to "MOTU" around 5:00 and stayed until after dark. When we returned to the boat, we discovered that Chuck had called and invited us to "Miss Pip" for leftover brats but it was too late by the time we retrieved the message.

Tuesday was another quiet day in the cove and Todd spent a little time out fishing in the dinghy.  Mid-afternoon a boat named "Marabob" came in, anchored behind us and proceeded to spend several hours visiting with Mo aboard "MOTU." We were then invited over to "Marabob" for cocktails Tuesday evening. Bob will be 80 years old in March and has been boating alone since his wife, Maralyn, died about five years ago. We spent some time visiting with Mo and Bob and then came back to the boat for a quick dinner and a quiet evening.

By late morning Wednesday, George & Mary aboard "Love Knot" made their way in to the cove and anchored near Mo, and Chuck & Pip and their friends George & Fran brought their boats over from the marina to anchor out with us, so we had a total of six boats in our little cove. We had met George at Midway Marina last fall when Chuck & Pip were there and were glad he was able to make the trip to Bay Springs for a visit. George is in his mid-80's, is currently on his eleventh boat and has many stories about a wealth of boating experiences.

We dinghied over to "Miss Pip" mid-afternoon and spent several hours talking and sharing stories and snacking on the wonderful hors d' oeuvres provided by the ladies.  Mo ("MOTU"), George & Mary ("Love Knot") and Bob ("Marabob") joined us for a while on "Miss Pip" so the whole gang was there!

"Love Knot" in its anchorage behind and to the left of "Life's2Short."


Mo pulled anchor and headed out about 10:30 Thursday morning and we followed suit a couple of hours later, shortly after Chuck & Pip and George & Fran headed back to Bay Springs Marina. We got through the first three locks on the Tenn-Tom and stopped in at Midway Marina to pump out, refill with water and get ice where we met up with Mo who had pulled in to get some fuel and make a quick grocery run to Fulton, MS. The weather was still hot today, even though we had some rain this morning and may have more this evening.

We are currently anchored out with Mo just above Fulton Lock and will leave here with her in the morning to do three more locks before pulling in to Blue Bluff, across from the entrance to Aberdeen Marina, tomorrow afternoon. We will miss Pickwick and our good friends there, as well as Bay Springs, but it is time to make our way to Demopolis to begin the boat chores that await us there, primarily having the boat hauled out and put "on the hard" so we can paint its bottom, a job I am not looking forward to! We should reach Demopolis within a week and will try to post an update shortly after we arrive.