The Hayes Visit "Life's2Short"

Nila & Everett arrived at noon on Friday, August 24th, and we spent a quiet afternoon aboard "Life's2Short" before going into downtown Clarksville to eat dinner at the Blackhorse Pub & Brewery, a local establishment that came highly recommended by everyone we talked to. We all shared one of their specialty pizzas, which was very good, and sampled a few different brews before walking down the street to a nice piano bar for a nightcap.

"Life's2Short" at the city dock in Clarksville, TN.



Earlier that afternoon a couple we met briefly as we were leaving Prizer Point last week arrived at the Clarksville city dock and we spent a little more time chatting and becoming acquainted with them. Robin & Warren Kelly have been living aboard their boat "Pepi" a couple of months now and plan to continue this lifestyle for the next year or so before returning to New York.  "Pepi" is a European canal-style boat which, unfortunately for them, does not have air conditioning but they seemed to be handling the heat very well. Robin is documenting their adventures online if you want to Google "Pepi's Ports of Call" and see what they've been up to.

On Saturday we took the Hayes' car and headed to Nashville. Our first stop was at the Opryland Hotel, an incredibly huge and beautifully extravagant facility that everyone should see at least once. While there we stopped at an atrium bar to have a drink and had a great time meeting and chatting with Greg, the bartender. He was interested to hear about our lifestyle and told us about his former life in a band that played regularly at Windows of the World on the 107th floor of the World Trade Center prior to 9-11. He has had an amazing life thus far and we hope to see him again in early 2008 in the Clearwater, FL area where he plans to be visiting sometime in January or February.

Can you figure out which one is Greg? What a great guy!


Just a small sample of one of the exquisitely beautiful garden areas at the Opryland Hotel.


After leaving the hotel, we drove into downtown Nashville and began exploring the area. Our first stop was for a late lunch at BB King's and then we progressed to several other establishments in about a two-block area throughout the course of the day. We also walked up a few streets to the Ryman Auditorium, the original sight of the Grand Ole Opry; through Printer's Alley, which was closed until later in the evening; and down to the riverfront to check out the city dock. The dock was nice and offered much needed shade from the late afternoon heat. We're still not sure why the city dock was closed for the weekend but someone told us they were having some kind of boat races there earlier in the day.

Everett studies the menu at BB King's using Todd's broken reading glasses!


Part of the Nashville skyline. The interesting building on the left is the Bell South building.


By late afternoon we had wandered into a place that offered free pool until 7:00 p.m. so we proceeded to pair up (Todd & Nila and me & Everett) and play three games, all of which Todd & Nila won, even though we essentially gave them two of the three games by scratching on the "8" ball. But, them's the rules of the game, so to speak, so I guess we'll have to concede all three games - sorry Everett!

An easy shot for my partner, Everett.


The happy couple poses for the Captain. Does Nila seems especially happy after winning three games in a row???


We then found ourselves in a karaoke bar called Buck Wild and spent the next couple of hours being entertained by several different singers (some very good and some not so good) and some skimpily-clad dancing waitresses.

Makes me wish I was 20-something again!


Makes me really wish I was 20-something again!!!


We were actually killing time at Buck Wild until Bud (Iceman) and Mary arrived so that we could all have dinner together. Bud had called when we were at BB King's having lunch and said that he and Mary had impulsively decided to drive to Nashville to spend the night. They finally arrived about 9:00 p.m. and we walked up the street to Demo's where we had a nice dinner before saying our good-byes and heading back to the car, destination Clarksville. It was a fun, full day and we were all ready to hit the sack when we arrived at the boat around 12:30 a.m.

No one had much motivation or energy on Sunday but we did manage to walk up the hill to eat a late breakfast at Kelly's Big Burger. After that we had even less motivation and spent most of the afternoon napping and reading and just relaxing in general. Todd and I took Nila's car late Sunday afternoon and made a run to Wal-Mart for a few necessities before returning to the boat to fix dinner. I made Pip's famous Vidalia onion dip and then baked some sweet potatoes and made salad while Todd grilled the filet mignon that Nila & Everett had brought from Harter House, a local grocery store in Springfield with a wonderful meat counter. We then retired to the bow of the boat where we enjoyed the beautiful evening sky with a nearly full moon.

This tow pulled in to the shore right behind the boat to pick up some ice and Pepsi from someone on shore.


We had breakfast on the boat mid-morning on Monday and then Nila & Everett gathered their things together and headed out about 11:00 a.m. for the journey back to Springfield. We tried to talk them in to staying another day or two but to no avail. It was a quick few days and we look forward to having them on the boat again soon, hopefully for a longer period of time next time. The rest of our day was spent enjoying what will probably be our last day plugged in to AC for a while. We will head back down the Cumberland tomorrow and should be on Kentucky Lake, anchored at Smith Bay, within a couple of days.

We plan to spend one night at Paris Landing on our way back to Pickwick to see Todd's cousin Pam who lives in nearby Paris, TN; and we may also try to touch base with Kevin at Cuba Landing, although we will anchor near the marina rather than stay at the marina if we stop by there. We heard from Chuck & Pip yesterday and they were planning to leave Cuba Landing today, headed for Bay Springs marina where they will spend the next couple of months, so we will see them in mid to late September after we leave Pickwick and begin making our way south. I'm not sure when we will have Internet access again so please don't give up hope if it takes us a while to post another update. I suspect our earliest opportunity will be at Bay Springs in mid September.

Back on Pickwick and the Trip to Clarksville, TN

We arrived at Aqua Yacht late afternoon on Wednesday, August 8th, and began unpacking from our trip home. Kelly dropped by on his way home from the waterfall and wanted us to go for a ride with him, so we got in his boat and went for a quick jaunt to the waterfall and back.

The outside of the boat was a mess (spiders and spider-doo) after sitting at the marina for two weeks, so the Captain spent part of Thursday morning washing it off. He then drove the rental car to Corinth to return it and rode back to Aqua Yacht with Terri, who lives in Corinth. We untied from the dock and headed out to the waterfall late Thursday afternoon, hoping that our "spot" was unoccupied, but it wasn't so we went down to the next cove and nosed into the bank for a while to get out of the sun.

When we went back to try again, our spot was still occupied so we pulled in to a different spot to wait. While we were waiting, we saw Charles and Patrick Brumley, friends of Bud's, who we had met previously at the waterfall, accompanied by Kelly Edge whose family owns Sportsman's One Stop, a local convenience store and boat storage facility that serves Pickwick.

From left to right are Kelly, Charles and Patrick. What a handsome three-some!


The pontoon occupying our spot finally left and we were able to get settled in for the evening. After dark we heard several four-wheelers coming through the woods toward the gravel bar in front of the boat. This happens quite often when we're at the waterfall and almost always after dark. Not long after they arrived, we saw the headlights of a couple more four-wheelers at the top of the waterfall and then we heard something falling from the top of the waterfall. At first we thought one of the four-wheelers got too close to the edge and slipped over, but the guys on the gravel bar were cheering them on so we assumed that was not the case.  They all left a little while later and we turned in for the night, wondering what had come crashing down the falls.

The next morning the Captain saw something floating in the water on one side of the cove and discovered it was an old plastic toy motorcycle of some sort and that's what the kids had pushed over the falls. Bo & Terri arrived Friday afternoon, along with Tena & Keith and Ed & Wendy. Keith and Todd swam over to the side of the cove to retrieve the dumped motorcycle from the water and bring it up to the gravel bar. We had a fun evening and enjoyed sharing in the food that everyone brought.

We spent a lot of time floating in the water on Saturday and Sunday to avoid the 100+ degree heat and having a good time with our Pickwick friends. Kelly & Melissa also came out Sunday, as did Bud & Mary on the pontoon, and our friend Mo brought her boat, "MOTU," into the cove later that afternoon after some of the crowd had thinned out. It's always a good time on Pickwick and our friends there have been very good to us, always bringing food to share and the ever-essential ice for our cooler!

After dark several of the four-wheelers came back to the gravel bar and Todd told them they should do something about the motorcycle they had thrown off the waterfall a few nights ago - so they did. They burned it right there on the gravel bar in front of us! In the meantime, one of the kids got his four-wheeler too close to where the gravel bar drops off into pretty deep water and just about lost it. They were able to pull it from the water using another four-wheeler, but it was essentially submerged and they spent a long time trying to get it running again.

We were also visited that evening by a pontoon boat full of people, after dark, and one of them had a loud speaker that he was using to broadcast jokes to anyone who would listen. The Captain then felt obligated to get on his hailer so they could banter back and forth. It was all quite amusing and entertaining! Kelly had taken Melissa home late Sunday afternoon but returned to watch the meteor shower with us that night. Todd took cushions to the gravel bar and Kelly brought out the sleeping bags and we all (me, Todd, Kelly, Bo & Terri) laid down to watch the shooting stars.  Bo quickly went to sleep and Kelly and I were laughing too much and not paying attention, but Todd and Terri said it was a good show!

We finally gave it up and went to our respective boats about 2:30 a.m. Kelly and Bo & Terri left Monday morning after breakfast, and we visited with Mo for a little while before leaving to go by Grand Harbor for ice and a pump-out where we saw Keith & Tena's daughter, Falicia, who works there part-time. We also saw Blake and Marlee of "Marlee Ann" who we met in Demopolis earlier this summer when they were making their way to Kentucky Lake. They walked over to the fuel dock and we chatted for a bit before heading toward Bud's house where we planned to anchor and have dinner.

After half a dozen failed attempts to anchor in the grass and rock on the lake bottom, Bud called one of his neighbors and asked if we could tie up to the side of his dock. It was another brutally hot day and we were totally exhausted by the time we finally got the boat secured. Bud insisted that we stay overnight in his wonderfully well air conditioned, palatial home and we gratefully accepted. Mary arrived shortly after we got to the house, and she and Bud continued meal preparations while we chilled out - literally!

Not long before dinner was to be served, Bud received a call from Patrick (first photo above) who was cruising by Bud's house with Kelly (also in photo above) and another guy named Rob. Bud invited them to tie up to his dock and come in for a drink and they ended up having dinner with us. To quote Kelly: "It was quite the "colonary" experience!

"Life's2Short" at Bud's neighbor's dock.


Mary and Bud, slaving away in the kitchen. What a beautiful presentation!

The gang enjoys a "colonary" experience.


When we were at the waterfall over the weekend, Terri & Bo decided that she would take Bo's 310 Sundancer and join us on the trip to Cuba Landing where we planned to meet up with our good friends Chuck & Pip aboard "Miss Pip." Bo had to go back to work for four days and planned to join Terri at Cuba Landing on Friday evening. We were originally going to leave Bud's about 9:00 a.m. Tuesday but had to wait a couple of hours for a barge to go through the lock ahead of us, so Mary fixed us a wonderful breakfast while we were waiting and we finally got underway shortly before noon. We anchored at Swallow Bluff Island late that afternoon and enjoyed the water and shade after another very hot day on the water.

Who are those two hot babes anyway?


We pulled anchor about 9:00 a.m. Wednesday and I got in with Terri about 11:00 a.m. when we stopped to take a dip in the water. Chuck had called and told Todd that the marina store at Cuba Landing was closed so Terri and I stopped in at Mermaid Marina to stock up on ice and put some gas in Bo's boat. We finally caught up with Todd just outside the entrance to Cuba Landing and I rejoined him on "Life's2Short." We got settled into a covered slip about 3:30 p.m. and spent the evening visiting with Chuck & Pip and enjoying wonderful stuffed mushrooms followed by grilled flank steak, bok choy salad and seasoned rice with homemade apple pie for dessert, courtesy of Chuck & Pip - what a treat!

Since the marina wasn't open when we arrived, Terri tied to the end of the dock we were on but the marina had other ideas and made her move over to the transient dock Thursday morning, which was unfortunate since it was quite a distance from our dock and was very inconvenient, under the circumstances, since she was by herself. But, the manager wouldn't budge even though no one was using, or planning to use, the space at the end of our dock. Apparently, Cuba Landing is undergoing some changes in management and/or ownership and we were not at all pleased with their attitude toward transient boaters.

I spent most of Thursday baking and cooking dinner (spinach artichoke dip, Parmesan pork zucchini boats with mushroom risotto and iced brownies) which we ate aboard "Miss Pip," and were joined by Kevin & Roxie and Austin. Kevin & Roxie live aboard their houseboat (an 87-footer, I think) at Cuba Landing, and Austin is a very talented artist who lives nearby and has painted graphics on several of the boats on the dock. It was another fun evening and Kevin offered to order ribs for the group Friday evening. Once we all decided what we were going to contribute, a trip to Wal-Mart was in order the next morning.

Pip, Terri and I returned to the boats about 12:30 p.m. Friday and spent the next several hours putting groceries away and making our respective dishes for dinner. I made coleslaw, Pip made stuffed jalapenos and potato salad, and Terri made baked beans and bread. We ate on Kevin & Roxie's beautiful houseboat and then Terri and I walked over to the marina store about 8:00 p.m. to meet Bo who had caught a ride from Memphis with a co-worker. We all went back to Kevin & Roxie's boat and continued enjoying yet another fun evening.

The Captain spent several hours Saturday morning giving the boat a good scrubbing. I did some more food preparation and baking in the kitchen but then took a break to join Chuck & Pip and Terri & Bo on "Miss Pip" for Bloody Mary's and Pip's tasty breakfast casserole. Todd even took a break from washing the boat to join us for a bit but then went back to work and to nap. I came back to the boat mid-afternoon and made a loaf of banana bread (my third in two days!) for Kevin who gave us a whole slab of ribs from Friday night's dinner to take with us. I also made a baked potato dish to serve with the steak we had planned for our Saturday evening meal.

We all gathered aboard "Miss Pip" Saturday evening and Chuck turned his grill over to Todd to cook everyone's steaks. When Chuck & Pip surprised us at Bay Springs several weeks ago and treated us to filet mignon from the locally infamous Pickwick Grocery meat counter, we told them we would reciprocate when we came to see them at Cuba Landing. Terri brought a wonderful salad and Pip baked rolls provided by Roxie, in addition to my potato dish, more of Terri's wonderful baked beans from the previous evening and leftover apple pie, iced brownies and chess pie for dessert. Needless to say, no one went hungry! And, I might add, the Captain did a marvelous job grilling the steaks!

The Cuba Landing gang, from left to right: Bo, Terri, me, Kevin, Pip, Chuck and Roxie. The Captain is not pictured since he is taking the photo.


Kevin is cutting in on Chuck's harem.


The Captain went fishing with a neighboring boat owner about 6:00 a.m. Sunday morning, so I got up when he left to get things in order to pull off the dock. Todd borrowed Chuck & Pip's car before we left to run over to the marina store to get some ice, and we finally said our good-byes and left about 11:00 a.m. Bo & Terri were also heading out, back toward Pickwick. We got about a mile or so down river and Todd discovered that he still had Chuck's car keys in his pocket, so we called and asked if they could meet us part way in their dinghy. They headed out and we met them just outside the entrance to Cuba Landing where we chatted for a few minutes and then continued on our way.

The key exchange on the swim deck.


Chuck & Pip wave good-bye as they head back to Cuba Landing.


It was yet another hot day - sound familiar? - and we stopped in at Paris Landing marina about 5:30 p.m. to buy a couple of blocks of ice since the cubes just don't last very long in this kind of weather. We traveled a few more miles down river to our anchorage where we spent some time cooling off in the water. It was already windy by the time we woke up Monday morning and it continued to worsen throughout the day. The forecast was for 10-15 mph winds but it was more like 15-25 mph winds with gusts up to 35 mph which just made the heat more intense and unbearable!

We tried to nose up to a gravel bar in Vickers Bay to have lunch but the wind pushed us off. We then tried to anchor in Sugar Bay but the anchor wouldn't grab the rocky bottom, so we finally anchored early afternoon in Smith Bay which has really nice sand beaches and decent wind protection from the southwest.

According to the Fred Myers Tennessee River Guide, the photo below "...is an abandoned building used for shipping grain on the Tennessee before Kentucky Dam was built. The story goes that the building was built so well that attempts to destroy it failed. So, officials decided to leave it."


We left Smith Bay about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday and experienced another hot and brutally windy day as we traveled through Barkley Canal into Barkley Lake. However, shortly after we left Smith Bay, we took a little detour into Pisgah Bay which is the site of an old stone quarry where many talented artists have painted graffiti on the surrounding rocks. The Captain even spotted a raccoon making his way along the rocks as we surveyed the artwork.



Can you find the raccoon in this photo?


This is the Kentucky State Penitentiary, known as "The Castle on the Cumberland," and is Kentucky's only maximum-security prison.


After less than five hours of battling the wind and heat, we pulled in to Prizer Point marina and plugged in to the AC. Todd's parents have kept their boat at Prizer Point for the past several years, and we even had a Lanning family reunion there last May, so Todd called his dad and asked if he needed to check on their boat while we were there. During the course of their conversation, Bill graciously insisted on paying our dockage for the evening, which we very much appreciated - thanks dad! We had planned to stop in and pump out our holding tanks anyway, and we were incredibly hot and miserable, so we decided to call it a day. We also needed to do some laundry, although I didn't have the energy or inclination to do it that afternoon.

So I got up Wednesday morning and tackled the laundry first thing while Todd went to the shop to see if he could get what he needed to fix our single 50 amp to twin 30-amp splitter which appeared to be having a problem. As it turned out, it was the marina's 50 amp plug that was having the problem but we didn't find that out until Todd had spent $40+ dollars to put a new end on one side of our splitter! Since this really wasn't our fault, the Captain is trying to work a deal with the marina for a new 50 amp splitter, although I am not optimistic.

At any rate, we finally forced ourselves to unplug from the dock about 1:00 Wednesday afternoon and continue the journey to Clarksville. We got to our anchorage at Dover Island about four hours later and found that it was too deep to anchor in the middle of the channel so we tried closer to shore, but the anchor just wouldn't grab good in the soft mud and we ended up pulling the bow into the muddy shore and tying off stern lines, which worked just fine. It was another very hot day but at least the wind was tolerable; unfortunately, the water temperature in this part of the lake was 94 degrees for some reason and was not refreshing at all, as you might imagine.

The Captain thought this was an especially pretty view of the Cumberland.


We left Dover Island shortly after 8:00 a.m. Thursday morning and traveled the final 35 miles to Clarksville where we tied to the city dock and spent the afternoon cooling down and catching up on the blog and e-mail. The Captain then took me out for a late dinner at Kelly's Big Burger, a local joint located across the highway just up the hill from the dock. I have to admit they do make a great hand-pressed burger and they serve breakfast anytime, so I'm thinking we'll have to visit them at least one more time while we're here!

Nila & Everett are driving from Springfrield to spend the weekend with us and should arrive before noon on Friday after an overnight stay along the way. Our original plan was to go on to Nashville by boat, but the city dock is closed for the music festival so we will stay in Clarksville through the weekend and drive to Nashville for the festivities, probably on Saturday. The forecast is calling for 103 degrees today, which will make more than two weeks of near 100 or 100 degree-plus days, with a record high in that time period of 107 degrees! Can someone please do something about this heat???

After the weekend, we will make our way back to Pickwick Lake and spend a little more time there before continuing on to Bay Springs for a few days and then south once again on the Tenn-Tom to Demopolis, AL where we will likely stay through the end of November. We promise to keep you updated as time and Internet access allow!

The Trip Home

We arrived at Brenda's parents' house Friday afternoon, July 27th, spent the weekend, and then went to Springfield on Monday to see a few friends. We got together with several former co-workers and friends Monday evening at Big Whiskey's in downtown Springfield before heading to Nila & Everett's house to spend the night.

I flew out to Colorado on Tuesday the 31st to see my parents and do some fly fishing with dad up in Wyoming. Arriving that afternoon at DIA, dad picked me up and we went to the parents home in Boulder for the evening. I always enjoy going back to my childhood home in Boulder, it brings back such fond memories of growing up and the wonderful times spent on Prado Drive. Though the mailing address is Boulder, I actually grew up south of town on South Boulder Creek near Eldorado Springs. Our home backs up to the Flatirons so my childhood playground was miles and miles of mountains and streams.

Tuesday evening was spent enjoying Chinese food and catching up with the parents and what was going on in my old neighborhood. Wednesday morning dad and I loaded up the Jeep and headed north to Riverside, Wyoming, for some blue-ribbon trout fishing on the North Platte River. This has been an annual affair for me and dad for many, many years. A chance for both of us to enjoy each other's company in some of the most beautiful country North America has to offer.  This is a partial view of the Sanger Ranch with the Snowy Mountain Range in the background. In this part of the world they cut their hay and stack it in cribs, they will then use hay during the winter months to feed the cattle.



We fish on a huge (200,00 acre) ranch that dad has been going to for the past fifty years, I first started going up there when I was 6 years old... maybe younger?? We got on the water that evening and caught a few fish before the sunset, always a nice event on the Sanger Ranch. Thursday we were up and on the water by 10:00 a.m. and caught a number of nice trout before we got rained out late that afternoon. Overnight it continued to rain and the river got high and muddy so we were not able to fish any on Friday.

Another nice trout caught by my "younger brother" Bill


A blue-ribbon Rainbow fall for the Captain's presentation!


A little R&R on the banks of the North Platte River.


Since there was more rain in the forecast we decided to head back to Boulder and spend the weekend with mom, other family members and friends. Returning to Boulder on Friday afternoon mom informed us that Mrs. V. would be joining us for dinner, Mrs. V. and her family spent many years with our family on the beaches in Sonora Mexico. Both Saturday & Sunday mornings were spent taking care of mom's "honey-do" list that she had compiled while we were in Wyoming.

Saturday afternoon my niece from Montana, Kelly Larson, came to stay for the weekend. Kelly had never driven a stick-shift so Uncle Todd and Kelly spent a hair-raising hour working on the finer points of operating a clutch. Other than her uncle getting a few more gray hairs in his head, Kelly did pretty good for her first time out in the Jeep.

Kelly and her Uncle Todd getting home from the practice drive......do I look stressed out?


Saturday night for dinner we were also joined by another niece, Katie Constantine, and my good friend Rod Baptist and his girlfriend Donna. Knowing each other for almost forty years, Rod and I always have many stories to share and lies to tell! Sunday morning was spent finishing up the honey-do list and heading back to the airport.

Saturday evening on Prado Dr. with my nieces Katie & Kelly and the P's.


Rod Baptist & Donna Bradley..........looking good for almost turning 50 Rod!


I arrived back in Springfield early afternoon to the waiting arms of my beautiful Admiral. We stopped for some Mexican food and margaritas at our favorite Springfield spot and then headed over to Bob & Linda Eckels for dinner and conversation. While we were at the Eckels we were joined by a neighborhood couple who is interested in becoming live-a-boards. We shared some of our adventures, both good and not-so-good, and encouraged them to move aboard as soon as their schedule allows.

Monday was spent having the annual check-ups done with the doctors and dentists. It's much more "painful" doing these types of things when you don't have insurance coverage to help with the costs. Monday afternoon it was back to Brenda's folks house for a few days and then back to Pickwick Lake to return the rental car and resume our life aboard "Life's2Short." This brings us up to August 8th. We are working on another update that will cover the past few weeks and hope to have it posted soon. Thanks for your patience, faithful readers!

North to Bay Springs & Pickwick Lakes

After stopping in at the Yacht Basin fuel dock Friday morning, July 6th, we left Demopolis shortly after 9:00 a.m. and traveled about fifty miles to Sumter Landing where we anchored for a few days. With only one lock to go through, we were settled in by 4:00 p.m. Friday afternoon. Sumter Landing is an Army Corps of Engineers public use recreation area with a launch ramp, tables, grills, drinking water, trash receptacles and rest rooms. We saw several fishing boats going in and out of the cove and also heard some picnic-ers toughing it out in the rain that fell off and on all day Saturday.

We went another fifty miles on Sunday, through another lock, and anchored at Harriston Bend Lower Cut-off for the evening. Harriston Bend is an old river loop that provides an adequate, if not especially scenic, anchorage just off the main waterway. We left Harriston Bend at 8:30 a.m. on Monday and went through one of the two locks planned for that day before stopping in at Columbus Marina to replenish our ice, and the Captain took the opportunity to wash the exterior canvas while we were there.

We pulled away from the marina around noon and were promptly hit by a thunderstorm. We could hardly see to drive for a while, but the heaviest rain passed within fifteen minutes or so and we arrived at Blue Bluff, across from the channel leading to Aberdeen Marina, about 3:30 p.m. where we tied to the public dock and enjoyed a beautiful, quiet afternoon and evening. Blue Bluff is another public use recreation area in a park-like setting with beautiful grounds and a launch ramp. Rain was forecast again for Tuesday so we stayed tied to the dock at Blue Bluff for the Captain's birthday and spent the day relaxing, reading and napping. The rain stayed north of us so the Captain also spent some time fishing in the dinghy.

Storm clouds threaten as we leave Columbus Marina.


"Life's2Short" docked at Blue Bluff near Aberdeen Marina.


Wednesday was a three-lock day and we were on our way by 10:00 a.m. after topping off with fuel at Aberdeen Marina. The water between Aberdeen and the Canal Section Cut-off (about eight miles) was extremely muddy and full of debris, courtesy of the heavy rain that hit Tupelo, MS the previous day. We anchored just above Fulton Lock and were enjoying a nice afternoon with a great view of the water by 4:00 p.m.

We tackled the final three locks on Thursday, leaving our anchorage before 8:00 a.m. and arriving at the final lock at 11:10 a.m. Unfortunately, they were doing some lock maintenance and we had to wait about forty minutes before we were allowed to enter the lock chamber. Once we reached Bay Springs Lake, we tied up in a nice cove across from Bay Springs Marina, took the dinghy over to get some ice and spent the rest of the day relaxing and floating in the beautiful, clear water.

A dredging operation we encountered at the Canal Section Cut-off, mile 366 on the Tenn-Tom Waterway.


The Admiral enjoys the beautiful, clear water of Bay Springs Lake.


As we have mentioned before, there are twelve locks between Mobile, AL and Bay Springs Lake, ten of which are in the 200 miles between Demopolis and Bay Springs. Eleven of the locks lift you between twenty-seven and forty feet; however, the final lock (Whitten) has an 84-foot lift and is just a bit intimidating. By the same token, a lock is a lock and regardless of its size, they are all pretty much the same.

After stocking up on ice Friday, we moved a few miles up the lake to Five Fingers cove to join our friend Mo who arrived a few days ahead of us. Mo is in her early seventies and generally boats alone except for her yellow lab, Honey. We originally met Mo when we were vacationing on Pickwick Lake in our 25-foot Sea Ray in September of 2005 and have crossed paths several times since we became live-aboards in June of 2006. Mo has been a live-aboard for more than thirty years and owned four sailboats before buying her current boat, a trawler named "MOTU," after losing her fourth sailboat to Hurricane Ivan in Grenada in September of 2004.

Shortly after getting anchored in our new location, we received a phone call from our good friends, Chuck & Pip, aboard "Miss Pip" who we planned to see on our way to Kentucky Lake later this month. They currently have a slip at Cuba Landing, about 130 miles from Bay Springs, and plan to be there for the next couple of months. At any rate, Chuck called and said to Todd: "Why don't you guys join us for dinner tonight?" And Todd jokingly responded "We'd love nothing better!" At that moment, "Miss Pip" comes boating around the corner into our cove and we are just flabbergasted! They left Cuba Landing Thursday morning and traveled as far as Pickwick Lake before stopping for the evening and then shocked us by showing up at Bay Springs Lake early Friday afternoon. What an incredibly special surprise!

We were also joined later that same day by Tucker & Doris Ann, a couple we met while in Demopolis, aboard their boat "gipsea." Todd actually met Tucker when he and one of Fred's mechanics from the Demopolis Yacht Basin went to Bashi Creek to fix a problem Tucker was having with his engine. We had no idea they were coming to Bay Springs but they had been in touch somewhere along the way with Mo who has the same kind of boat and had planned to meet up here and get acquainted. When Mo told us she was waiting to hear from Tucker, via the VHF radio, we realized who she was talking about and told her the story of how we came to know him. It never ceases to amaze us what a small community it is among boaters!

On Saturday, Bud (Iceman) and his friend Rhonda rode his Sea Doo to Bay Springs from Pickwick Lake to spend the night with us. We had invited Bud to come down before we knew "Miss Pip" was going to show up and also before we knew about Tucker & Doris Ann, so we had quite the gathering in Five Fingers cove over the weekend! We all had a great afternoon visiting on the beach and then Chuck & Pip prepared a virtual feast of magnificent grilled filet mignon and a wonderful layered salad supplemented by a baked potato dish contributed by "Life's2Short." Tucker & Doris Ann didn't join us for dinner, but the remaining seven of us had an absolutely wonderful evening!

Sunday began with Bloody Mary's on the sundeck followed by a late brunch snack. We also discovered that our fresh water pump was not working, but such is life on board a boat! Tucker & Doris Ann pulled anchor and headed toward Pickwick late Sunday morning and then Bud & Rhonda left about 2:00 p.m.. We spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning up and relaxing on the beach before joining Chuck & Pip for grilled brats, grilled peppers and onions and corn on the cob for dinner. Monday consisted of various chores around the boat and then we retired to the beach for an afternoon cocktail or two before once again going over to "Miss Pip" for a wonderful dinner of grilled baby back ribs, baked beans and salad.

A storm is brewing on Bay Springs Lake.


Beautiful color surrounds "Miss Pip" in Five Fingers cove.


Post-storm rainbow (part 1 - left side) with "MOTU" in the background.


Post-storm rainbow (part 2 - right side).


"Miss Pip" and "Life's2Short" backed up to the sandy beach in Five Fingers cove. Dinghies litter the beach!


Bud, Pip, Rhonda & Mo pose on the bow of "Life's2Short" as Tucker & Doris Ann aboard "gipsea" leave for Pickwick Lake.


Chuck & Pip received a call about 9:00 a.m. Tuesday morning from some friends who were coming to visit them at Cuba Landing and learned that their friends were going to arrive earlier than expected - within the next day or two! - so they took off late Tuesday morning with plans to spend the night at Aqua Yacht Harbor on Pickwick before returning to Cuba Landing on Wednesday. Unfortunately, the fish fry we had planned for Tuesday evening had to be postponed but we sent the fish and some cole slaw with them and promised to stock up with more fish between now and when we see them later this month at Cuba Landing.

Todd took Mo's dinghy over to Bay Springs Marina Tuesday afternoon to pick up the new fresh water pump he ordered on Sunday and got it installed before going over to Mo's boat for a dinner of pasta with Mo's homemade sauce. We left Bay Springs Wednesday morning and headed to Aqua Yacht Harbor so that Todd would have access to a shop if he had problems fixing the leak in the port transmission. This is the same transmission that was leaking when Todd and Everett made the Gulf crossing a few months ago. Todd had fixed the problem while we were in Demopolis but he wasn't able to get the nut tight enough, so it loosened up again on our way up the Tenn-Tom and we had to go back to running on one engine most of the way.

At any rate, to fix the transmission leak Todd needed a larger socket and driver than he had on board so he called Bo & Terri, friends of ours in the Pickwick area, and asked Terri to bring the necessary tools to him at Aqua Yacht Thursday morning. In the meantime, Todd cleaned the windows on the sundeck, among other things, while I got caught up on laundry. By Wednesday evening, we were both exhausted so we decided to go out for dinner at a local restaurant called Freddy T's where one of the guys at Aqua Yacht tends bar part-time.  Bud (Iceman) had stopped by Aqua Yacht on his Sea Doo just as I was finishing up with the laundry, so we invited him to join us at Freddy T's. We had a nice, relaxing evening; the food was really good; and Bud generously insisted on picking up the tab - thanks, Bud!

Terri brought the tools by Thursday morning, as promised, and the plan was for me to take the courtesy car to Savannah, TN to re-provision while Todd fixed the transmission leak; however, it turned out that none of the four sockets Bo had rounded up for us fit the nut that needed to be tightened - what are the odds, right?!!! So Todd ended up going with me to Savannah, was able to purchase the socket he needed, and by mid-afternoon we were ready to head to waterfall cove.

When we arrived our "spot" was occupied by a pontoon boat, so we had to float out in the main channel for more than an hour waiting for the pontoon to leave. We were just getting the anchors in place when Kelly & Melissa showed up in their new (to them and to us) 25-foot Bayliner with their dogs, Lucky and Harley.

Kelly had stopped by the boat on his way home from work that morning to deliver some supplies he had picked up for us on his way through Corinth, MS and had then gone home to get some rest. Bud (Iceman) also showed up on his Sea Doo a short time later and we all had a good time chatting and visiting on the beach. Kelly & Melissa brought a bucket of fried chicken and some cheese which we proceeded to consume just as it was starting to get dark. It felt good to be back at the waterfall among good friends after nine months of travels elsewhere - like coming home!

Friday started out with clouds and thunder but no rain, and by noon several other boats had joined us on the beach. This was par for the course over the next week and we were visited daily by one or more of our many Pickwick friends. Over the weekend we hung out on the beach with Tina & Keith, Ed & Wendy and Bo & Stephanie; and Tina & Keith's youngest daughter even stayed on the boat with us Saturday night. Bud came by Sunday morning with Mary and brought freshly baked biscuits with sausage to go with the Bloody Mary's supplied by Todd. Another eventful and enjoyable weekend at waterfall cove.

The weekend view from waterfall cove with a big barge heading downriver on the Tennessee River.


The weekend "gang" mentioned above with Wendy & Ed in the front row along with Tina & Keith's daughters, Sidney (front center) and Hillary (front right). The back row features Tina & Keith, Stephanie & Bo and Brenda & Todd (in case you didn't recognize us!).


Monday was relatively quiet, although there were still several boaters in and out of the cove all day. Bo & Terri showed up Tuesday and we spent the next couple of days hanging out with them. Kelly & Melissa also came out with Caroline and brought burgers with all the trimmings for the group. Kelly & Melissa left late Wednesday morning with plans to take Caroline wake boarding and we hung out and visited with Bo & Terri. Bud came by in his pontoon later that afternoon with Mary; and since we were planning to leave the next morning to start heading downriver toward Kentucky Lake, Kelly called to say that he would be back out at some point that evening.

Kelly arrived as we were eating grilled hot dogs, baked beans and fresh tomatoes and brought some nice tidbits from home to share with the group. Bud & Mary took off as it was getting dark and the rest of us retired to our respective boats shortly thereafter, only to be awakened at 3:00 a.m. Thursday morning as Kelly returned to the cove with Bo & Terri on board his boat, having taken a two-hour post-midnight cruise to Aqua Yacht Harbor Marina and back! The three of them stayed up until the wee hours of the morning and weren't feeling very lively when they woke up a few hours later!

We finally sent Kelly home so he could get some rest before going to work Thursday evening, and we did our best to rejuvenate Terri with Bloody Mary's! Based on a call I received from my mom Wednesday afternoon, our plans to head toward Kentucky Lake changed and we made arrangements to go back to Missouri on Friday, July 27th. We left waterfall cove Thursday around noon and headed to Aqua Yacht Harbor where we will leave the boat while we are in Missouri.

Terri called later that afternoon and invited us over to Bo's boat (a few docks over) for pizza and then Bud stopped by "Life's2Short" for a brief visit on his Sea Doo. We met Bo & Terri at 8:00 a.m. Friday morning to ride with them to Corinth, MS to pick up the rental car. We plan to be in Missouri approximately two weeks and hope to continue the journey toward Kentucky Lake when we return - after another brief visit to the waterfall, of course!

Pickwick Bound

The trip to Missouri did not provide any insight regarding my mom's health condition, so I returned to Demopolis on Thursday, June 28th. The Captain and I had made plans several months ago to be on Pickwick Lake for a pre-4th of July party on June 30th at our friend Bud's (the Iceman) house, although we thought we would be there aboard "Life's2Short." Nonetheless, Bud graciously offered to let us stay in his beautiful home, so we took off Friday afternoon in the rental car and drove the four-and-one-half hours to Pickwick Lake where we enjoyed a beautiful evening overlooking the water and got reacquainted with Bud's other house guests, most of whom we met last year on Pickwick Lake.

Saturday dawned bright and beautiful and the guests started arriving around 10:00 a.m. Bud and his planning committee put together a virtual feast for the gathering - pork butts that had smoked all night, baked beans and cole slaw from Corky's in Memphis, and a plethora of other side dishes contributed by several of the guests. By 2:00 p.m. when the food was served, there were between 200 and 250 people in attendance. Many arrived by boat and were anchored near Bud's sea wall while others drove; all appeared to have a wonderful time at "The Iceman's Tribute to the Pickwick Lifestyle" whether they were singing karaoke, pitching washers, swimming, sunbathing or just sitting around socializing with other guests.

From left to right: The infamous Bud (Iceman) and houseguests Mike, Michael & Niki visiting from Indiana.


A sample of the "smoking butts" - pork, that is!


The lakeside view from Bud's lawn with several boats anchored nearby.


Bud with long-time friend Mike and a "butt-cooker" (so to speak) in the background.


The Iceman plays host.


Let the butt chopping begin!


What an amazing spread!


Is anyone ready to eat???


By 6:00 p.m., the party guests had cleared out and the rest of the evening was pleasantly quiet. Bud's house guests were leaving Sunday morning and he had his sons and grandchildren coming in to spend the week with him, so we readily agreed to help him turn the bedrooms around before returning to Demopolis. By 1:00 p.m., the laundry was done and the beds had been re-made, and the Captain had even put together a wonderful breakfast for us, so we said our goodbyes and began the journey south.

Within an hour after our arrival in Demopolis, a thunderstorm developed and we got some much needed rain which cooled the temperatures down enough to make for a relatively pleasant evening. After a quiet Monday, we started making preparations to leave Demopolis on Thursday to begin the journey north to Pickwick Lake. We stopped by the restaurant Tuesday evening to say goodbye to our friends there as we had a couple of 4th of July events to attend on Wednesday.

We went to Fred's house early Wednesday afternoon and enjoyed a feast of smoked ribs, baked beans, corn on the cob, cole slaw, homemade cookies and both vanilla and chocolate homemade ice cream for dessert. We returned to the marina about 4:00 p.m. and proceeded to join several of our marina friends for another feast organized by Rick & Peggy, a couple who live aboard their boat on B dock. The evening feast included smoked pork butt, two varieties of drunken chicken, baked beans, potato salad, garlic bread and a variety of appetizers and other side dishes too numerous to mention, plus more homemade ice cream for dessert.

After (over)stuffing ourselves for the second time that day, we watched the fireworks show and retired to the boat for the evening. Rick & Peggy really outdid themselves and we sincerely appreciate all the time, money, effort and energy that went into making the evening a huge success!

The master meat cooker, Rick, with his drunken chickens and pork butt.


The Boater's Lounge at the Yacht Basin decked out in red, white & blue, courtesy of our hostess, Peggy.


We made a final restocking trip to Wal-Mart this morning and will leave Demopolis tomorrow (Friday) morning to begin the journey to Pickwick Lake. Our plan is to spend about a week making our way north to Bay Springs Lake, spend three or four days there enjoying the sandy beaches and beautiful water and then travel the final forty miles to Pickwick, arriving on or about July 15th. Our Internet access will be somewhat limited along the way and after we get to Pickwick, so be patient if you send us an e-mail and/or are checking the blog for updates, although we should have Internet access while we are at Bay Springs Lake.

Still in Demopolis

Last Sunday, June 10th, Becky (one of the waitresses at the marina restaurant) called and invited us to a cookout. Her husband, Keith, came by the marina about 4:30 Sunday afternoon to pick us up and take us to their home. While there we got to meet their new baby boy, Colin, and a friend of theirs, Kevin, who works for the Coast Guard in the area. We had a very nice evening and ended up walking back to the marina, which is probably less than a half mile from their house.

Monday and Tuesday were essentially uneventful but we did invite Wayne over for dinner Tuesday evening. Wayne is one of the "B" dock crew we met and got to know when we were in Demopolis last fall. He left Demopolis several months ago, spent the winter in the Mobile area and just returned to the Yacht Basin on Monday so we wanted to welcome him back with a home-cooked meal aboard "Life's2Short."

On Wednesday we made another trip to Wal-Mart and then treated ourselves to dinner at the marina restaurant that evening. I finally tackled our laundry on Thursday and Todd went to Bashi Creek on a service call with Mike, one of Fred's mechanics. Bashi Creek is an anchorage on the Tombigbee River south of Demopolis. After isolating the problem on Thursday and getting parts overnighted to the marina, Todd and Mike went back to Bashi Creek Friday to finish the job.

I learned on Friday that my mom is scheduled for a needle aspiration biopsy of her lungs next Wednesday, so we made arrangements to rent a car so that I can go back to Missouri. The Captain will stay here and work on boat projects and help around the marina, as needed, while I spend some time in Missouri. We picked the rental car up late Saturday morning and then Fred stopped by late Saturday afternoon to invite us to his house for dinner and a movie.

Todd and Fred went fishing Sunday morning while I packed for the trip to Missouri. The plan is for me to return to Demopolis in about two weeks, depending on the results of the biopsy and what the next step is in terms of diagnosis and/or treatment. In any event, we sincerely appreciate the support of our family and the wonderful friends we've made over this past year as well as those we left behind when we started our boating adventure. You've all been really terrific!