Wednesday, June 22, 2011

A Crazy Weekend at the Waterfall

On Tuesday, June 14th, the Captain continued his boat cleaning projects while I got caught up on laundry.  Late that afternoon we met with George & Rebecca to discuss boating and they took us to a new place called Cactus Jack’s for a few drinks and appetizers.  George is an acquaintance of Bud’s who wanted to chat with us about some of our experiences over the past five years as he & Rebecca are hoping to do some extended cruising.  Thanks for the drinks and apps, guys, and good luck with your future cruising plans!

Wednesday morning we left the covered slip at Aqua Yacht, pumped out again and moved to the transient dock.  We drove to Corinth at noon, took our friend Terri Pruitt to lunch and got a few provisions before returning to Aqua Yacht mid-afternoon.

Terri and the Admiral in front of Terri’s workplace.

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It was another muggy, hot day with afternoon storms to the north that just missed us.  But we had a nice storm roll through about 7:00 p.m. that cooled things down quickly and produced this pretty rainbow.

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Mike, a potential buyer from Ft. Myers Beach, arrived Thursday morning about 9:00 p.m.  He flew into Memphis on Wednesday and spent the night in Corinth so he didn’t have far to drive to reach us Thursday morning.  At any rate, Mike spent nearly seven hours thoroughly inspecting “Life’s2Short” and its systems.   Now we are waiting on the results of a variety of fluid analyses from the engines, transmissions and generator.  So we’ll see what those produce and go from there.

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While Todd and Mike were tearing “Life’s2Short” apart, Norm & Vicki on “Tide Hiker” pulled in to the transient dock.  They had planned to visit the Shiloah National Battlefield that afternoon but an electrical issue on the boat kept them at the dock.

Bud pulled up on his Sea Doo about 4:00 p.m. to visit for a while and then we went to dinner at Hagy’s Catfish Hotel with Norm & Vicki where we had a wonderful meal and ate WAY too much!

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Now that’s a plate of cole slaw!

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Hagy’s overlooks the Tennessee River a few miles below the Pickwick Lock & Dam.

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Friday morning we awoke to rain and were hoping it would stop long enough to make a run to the Waterfall.  But it didn’t and the Captain got restless so we left the marina in light rain about 10:30 and were secure in “our spot” at the Waterfall an hour later – soaked, but secure.

The rain finally stopped early afternoon and the boaters started flocking to Waterfall Cove.  Bud came out in his pontoon and rafted to us and then friends of his, Jim & Liz, came by in another pontoon and rafted to Bud.  It was a beautiful evening with incredibly pleasant temperatures.  Ah, it’s good to be back at the ‘fall!

A beautiful morning shot of the infamous Pickwick Waterfall.

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Saturday morning “Tide Hiker” made a pass through the cove on their way to Florence.  They had purchased some two-cycle oil for Todd and he had caught a mess of bass for them so they made an exchange.  Good to see you again, Norm & Vicki!  We’ll catch up with you somewhere upriver!

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Then it got busy.  Jim & Liz brought us a bag of ice about noon and visited for a short while before taking off to see other friends elsewhere on the lake.  There were storms moving through the area all afternoon but we only experienced some wind and light rain.  Bud showed up in the pontoon about 3:00 and then Jim & Liz came back – this time with Connie & Phil – so we all rafted up again.  It was a wild and crazy day, as you can tell from the photos!

Check out the guy in the water with the antler hard hat!

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As the day wears on, the antlers are being decorated with beer cans!

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Hangin’ on Bud’s pontoon.

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Meet our new friends, Jim & Liz.  Great couple!

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Antler-man’s ornaments are multiplying!

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Liz on the back of their pontoon chatting with Connie & Phil.


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Liz and Connie have been friends since the third grade.

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Boats stacked up at the gravel bar, or what’s left of it after the spring flooding.

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Is that Hulk Hogan?

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Just general craziness at the Waterfall.

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Connie & Phil have been putting a serious dent in the Jagermeister today!

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As I was saying… perhaps the lady has had a bit too much Jager!

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Are you talking to me?

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Jim & Liz’s dog Rocky tolerating all the craziness!

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A very large boat full of partiers cruises into the cove.

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And after all that, we left “Life’s2Short” around 8:00 p.m. to go with Bud on the pontoon back to his house where we got in his truck and drove to Jim & Liz’s place in a nearby gated community called Points of Pickwick for dinner.  And what a marvelous dinner it was featuring grilled tuna steaks, gorgeous fillet mignon and a wonderful Vidalia onion side dish.  Thanks for including us, guys, we had a great time!

Heading to Bud’s house on the pontoon.  Look out Jim & Liz, here we come!

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We finally made our way back to Bud’s house and returned to the Waterfall in his pontoon around midnight.  Thank God for GPS!  What a wild and crazy day!

Other than ice deliveries from two different boaters we met on Saturday, we spent a quiet Sunday morning on “Life’s2Short.”  Jim & Liz and Connie & Phil made an appearance about 2:30 and Bud finally showed up on his Sea Doo a few hours later.  Of course, he had to come on his Sea Doo since we confiscated his pontoon Saturday night!

Even though there were still a lot of boaters out, Sunday was much mellower than Saturday.  Jim & Liz’s two boys, Davis and Sam, who were out in their ski boat wakeboarding with friends, also joined us for a while, rafted to Jim & Liz.  So now we have a line of four rafted boats!

Liz hanging on the swim platform with her boys (Davis, 16, next to her and Sam, 12, in the water).

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Terri & Ben made a surprise appearance about 6:30 just as Jim & Liz and Bud were getting ready to leave.  Terri & Ben took off about 7:30 to get her boat back to dry storage before it closed so we were all alone after that.  A busy and fun weekend with old and new friends!

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Terri & Ben.  Happy Birthday (on Monday), Terri!

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Kelly came out in his boat about noon on Monday to spend the day.  We hadn’t seen Kelly since we first arrived at Aqua Yacht so we were overdue for a visit!  It was another beautiful, sunny day and there was a surprisingly large number of boats out.

Another beautiful morning shot.

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Kelly and his dog Spanky.

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Just as Bud showed up, around 4:00 p.m., a sailboater named George who had been hanging on the gravel bar a good part of the afternoon with his golden retriever, Mick, came back in saying that his dog had fallen overboard and he couldn’t find him!  So Bud got immediately back on his Sea Doo, another guy named Don also got on his Sea Doo, Todd got in his dinghy and they all took off to look for Mick.  Unfortunately, George had no idea where Mick had fallen off the boat and it’s a big lake out there!

Someone finally spotted Mick desperately swimming toward shore but still a good distance out in the lake so Don buzzed over, loaded Mick on his Sea Doo and brought him back to the gravel bar.  Poor Mick had been swimming almost nonstop for hours at the gravel bar and was already worn out when he fell off the sailboat.  It’s a good thing he’s such a strong swimmer or he never would have survived long enough to be rescued!

Bud took off for home around 7:30, leaving his pontoon with us, and Kelly ended up spending the night on his boat.  Bud’s pontoon has become our outdoor patio and we have loved having it rafted to us!

Tuesday was a quiet day at the Waterfall with steady rain all afternoon.  We did, however, make a run to Grand Harbor in Bud’s pontoon Tuesday morning to put in some fuel, get ice and dump trash.  Other than that, we enjoyed a much-needed peaceful, relaxing day aboard “Life’s2Short.”

Today is Wednesday, June 22nd, and Todd has been out fishing since early this morning.  The weather has been pleasantly cool since yesterday’s rain and the sky is still overcast.  And it has remained quiet at the Waterfall with virtually no boat traffic – so far.  Storm chances remain in the forecast through today, although the sky appears to be getting lighter as the day progresses.

Our plan is to remain in “our spot” at the Waterfall through the upcoming weekend before beginning the trek upriver toward Chattanooga.  Word has it that temperatures in this area are supposed to be below normal from July through September.  Given the extreme heat we’ve been dealing with for the past month or so, we are definitely looking forward to that!

Monday, June 13, 2011

A Week with the Parents

Todd went fishing the morning of June 6th while I busied myself in the kitchen.  Todd’s parents, Bill & Marilyn, arrived early Monday afternoon and we adjourned to the dock to visit.  Later that afternoon we were joined by Mo and Chuck & Pip for cocktails before retiring to the boat for dinner.

Hanging at the dock enjoying the shade and good company.

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Marilyn, Chuck and Brenda.

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Bill, Mo and Pip.

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Late Tuesday morning Todd and Bill shuffled the Jeep to Pickwick Lake while I again played in the kitchen and Marilyn read on the sundeck.  Then I spent a few hours Tuesday afternoon writing and posting the blog through Monday morning, June 6th.

Working on the blog for the previous week.

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Momma goose and her goslings visit the dock.

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Our shady slip at Bay Springs Marina.

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After an early dinner we took a sunset cruise on a borrowed pontoon owned by dock friends of Chuck & Pip’s.  Thanks to Chuck for asking permission for us to use it and to Bill & Belinda for granting permission.  We certainly enjoyed it!

Enjoying a sunset cruise on Bay Springs Lake.

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Still in love after 57 years of marriage.  Aren’t they cute?

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We spent a quiet day on the boat on Wednesday and then got together on the dock for cocktails and appetizers supplied by Mo, followed by a fish fry that evening.  Todd contributed bass and Chuck contributed crappie.  And we had Chuck & Pip’s wonderful hush puppies along with my cole slaw and pasta salad and Pip’s mini key lime pies for dessert.  It was all very good!

Enjoying happy hour on the dock.

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Gearing up to fry fish.

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Dinner is served!

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Diane, Mo and Marilyn sitting down to eat.

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One more picture before we all dig in!

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We left Bay Springs Marina shortly after 9:00 a.m. Thursday and made our way to Aqua Yacht Harbor on Pickwick Lake where we pumped out the holding tanks before pulling into another covered slip about five hours later.

Bill captains “Life’s2Short” as Marilyn enjoys the view.

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Todd and Bill on the flybridge.

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Since the motor home was only about ten minutes from Aqua Yacht, Bill & Marilyn decided to move their personal belongings back to the motor home at Pickwick Landing State Park so that Todd & I could have our bedroom back.  While they were doing that, we visited with our friend Kelly who had stopped by in his Bayliner to say hello.

Bill & Marilyn returned about 6:00 p.m. to take us out to dinner.  Unfortunately, we chose Freddy T’s and had a very disappointing, yet pricey, meal.  After dinner we went back to the motor home to play a couple of games of Skip-Bo before taking the Jeep back to Aqua Yacht that evening.

Friday morning we picked Bill & Marilyn up at the motor home and drove to Corinth, MS to get Bill’s dog Ginger who had been in a kennel there since Monday.  After a little shopping we returned to the boat and Bill & Marilyn took Ginger back to the motor home, returning at 5:00 p.m. for cocktails and dinner.  A short time later, our friend Bud, a.k.a. the Iceman, stopped by on his Sea Doo to say hello.

Greetings, Iceman!  Some things never change!

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After dinner we played two more games of Skip-Bo and were now tied 2-2, guys versus gals.

Bill & Marilyn came over at 10:00 a.m. Saturday for a late breakfast and then we drove over to Bud’s house to borrow his pontoon so we could spend the afternoon touring the lake.  One of the places we went is called Whetstone which has a grotto that Todd, Marilyn and Ginger swam and hiked in to see while Bill and I manned the pontoon.

Marilyn and Ginger hiking up to the grotto.

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Looking back toward the pontoon from the grotto.

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Marilyn and Ginger posing behind the waterfall.

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Not bad for a 79-year-old, huh?

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What a fun day on the water!  Thanks Bud-man for so generously offering the use of your pontoon.  We very much appreciate it!

After returning the pontoon to Bud’s boat house, we stopped back at the motor home to change clothes and then went to a Mexican restaurant called Nuevo Vallarta’s for a very good dinner and a round of margaritas.

On Sunday Todd cleaned on the boat all morning while I made potato salad and banana cream pie to take to Bud’s that evening.  Bill cooked up a mess of ribs before leaving Colorado and we wanted to share them with Bud at his home Sunday evening, accompanied by Marilyn’s famous Texas baked beans, one of Todd’s favorites.

Bill & Marilyn came over about 2:00 p.m. and we played the Skip-Bo rubber match, which the girls won hands-down thanks to a run of bad luck that the guys just couldn’t overcome.  Then we headed to Bud’s for a wonderful meal and a fun evening at Bud’s beautiful home,  aptly named “Our Sunset Point of View.”

Ribs, anyone?

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Having a nice visit with Bud.

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Looking across the lake at sunset from “Our Sunset Point of View.”

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We said our good-byes to Bill & Marilyn Sunday evening when they dropped us off at Aqua Yacht Harbor before heading back to the motor home.  They will work their way back to Colorado over the next several days, visiting friends along the way.

Today is Monday, June 13th, and Todd is working diligently to get the boat ready for a potential buyer who is flying up from Ft. Myers Beach on Thursday.  Unfortunately, that means we are essentially dock-bound until after his visit.  But if all goes as planned, we should be in our place at the Waterfall by next weekend.  And we are both very much looking forward to that!