Cancun Bound

It's been a few days since the blog has been updated. The AGLCA Rendezvous just wrapped up last night. It was so much fun! They kept us busy from 6:45 A.M. until about 9:30 P.M. each day. The most popular of the seminars each described a leg of the upcoming section of the loop, as far as Norfolk, VA and the Bahamas. There was a separate women's and men's talk that was a quite interesting. At the Women's talk, they talked about the reluctant spouse, provisioning of the galley, creative storage ideas, boat sex, and a full ten finger bouquet. Ask me about the last two when you see me. At the men's seminar, they asked them how many of their spouses would be able to dock the boat in an emergency. By a show of hands, 90% said their spouse could do it. However, in the Women's Session, the moderator determined that only 20% of the women thought they were capable of docking in an emergency. We both agree that I could dock if I had to do it. It may not be pretty, but I could get it there.

Two of the days had boat crawls. That's where people open their boats to others to look at. It's fun to see all of the different styles of boats. We saw catamarans, sail boats, Nordic tugs, and an assortment of trawlers. There was a tornado near here Tuesday. Tuesday afternoon, the Chamber of Commerce of Rogersville, AL sent school buses to the park to take us into town to shop and have dinner. We really appreciated their generosity. Later on Tuesday, they took us to a concert at the Longing for Home Bed and Breakfast. The concert was fantastic! Brianna Dean performed with the Randy Basham band. Almost everyone bought one of her CDs. They had a s'mores bar, a massage tent, a cigar tent, besides the concert itself. To us, this was the highlight of the Rendezvous.

Even with all of that, the absolute best thing about the past few days is that we met some really neat people, some of which we hope to stay friends with from now on.There is a family on the boat docked beside us (Google Parrent Family to read about them). The children are 4, 7, and 9 years old and they are doing the loop. The kids went Trick or Treating last night on the dock. The children looked so cute in their homemade costumes. It gave us a chance to experience Halloween even though we are far away from our grandchildren.

Last night after the Awards Dinner, some of us got together for a jam session. There was a hammered dulcimer, a harmonica, and three guitars, one of which was John. It took a lot of prodding to get him to bring his guitar and participate. I am so glad that he did. It was fun.

Tomorrow we are leaving to go to Cancun for two weeks with Norm and Sue. I'm telling you this because I may not be able to blog while we are away. When we return, we will head down the Tenn-Tom. We're excited about having Paul and Patty joining us for the Gulf crossing. So, until next time.....

Saturday, October 23, 2010

The weather has been delightful. It's cool at night and in the morning, but warm during the day. Perfect! Last night we grilled chicken and ate out on the back deck with Sue. It just doesn't get better than that. Tonight there is a "Shrimp Feast" over on the first dock. Everyone is supposed to bring a covered dish. The Rendezvous starts tomorrow, but this way we can meet a lot of the loopers before the actual event. (We have been meeting a lot already. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow they expect quite a few more boats to come in.)

It sounds like we are going to get rain Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. That will interfere with the kayak races and the dinghy races. Everything else is indoors. We are looking forward to meeting the people, the seminars, the food, and the concert on Tuesday night.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Since we are here without a car, we seem to be more focused on things that need to be done on the boat. John installed a new marine radio that has AIS on it. Now we are anxious to see it work as the barges approach us. He and Norm both bought one (I think they were $335 each). The day after ours arrived in the mail, there was a blog on the Active Captain site telling people what a good deal this radio is. Our Captains are pretty smart, huh?

The last few days, I've been sewing. Some of the latches to hold the canvas in place on the back deck had ripped off, so I sewed them back on. I embroidered a jacket for John, made a new cover for the TV on the back deck, and made some "potato bags" like we saw at a craft show.

Sue and I walk every morning for an hour. It's not the same as walking in Florida. For one thing, it's cooler and the biggest difference is it's so hilly here and flat in Florida. We see dozens of deer during our walks. They are so skinny too. There's just too many in too small of a space. They have cottages for rent right along the water's edge. They are only two years old and really nice. A person from the housekeeping staff let us walk through the one she was cleaning. Great place for a sisters' trip (except for how far it is).

Monday, October 18, 2010

Friday night we had Happy Hour on the back of our boat. Sue didn't come over because she was waiting for a phone call. Norm stayed until about 6:30. When he left, I went down to the galley to prepare dinner. John was still out on the back deck watching television. About 10 minutes later, he saw a raccoon climb our stepladder and get on the boat. It was still light outside, for crying out loud. He jumped up and knocked his drink over. He tried to flip the raccoon into the water with the boat pole, but the little devil jumped back on the stepladder and got away. I am SOOOOO glad that the door to the boat was closed because I'm certain he would have come to visit the galley and I would have been very unhappy about that. The next day John went up to the lodge to tell them how brazen these raccoons are, and they said they would set traps for them. We haven't seen any traps yet. We turned our boat around, so that our back deck is facing the water and we are bringing the stepladder into the boat at night.

Saturday Sue, John, and I went into Rogersville for a Fall Festival. They had a car show, a craft show, an art show, a band, and a chili cook off. It was small and only took an hour and a half to see everything. The little girl on the boat next to us won the Pedal Tractor Pull. The mayor gave her a nice big trophy.

Sunday we went to Florence because it was the last day we'll have a car for awhile. We ate a late lunch, got everything for the boat caught up, and enjoyed the scenery. Later, at the marina, the loopers who are already here had Happy Hour together. Two of the couples have finished the loop when they arrived here. We are enjoying ourselves and meeting lots of nice people.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Coon Dog Cemetery

Rattlesnake Saloon

Yesterday was a most interesting day. We went to the Rattlesnake Saloon in Tuscumbia, Alabama. This bar is built in a cave. It's actually outside under a rock shelf that extends from the side of a rock cliff. While we were there, some people arrived on horseback. They tied their horses to a rail, like in the Old West, went in the bar for a drink, and then left. The parking lot is at the top and a truck with bench seats in the bed, brings you down this steep, windy, narrow, dirt road to the bar. They are only open Thursday through Saturday, from 11:00 A.M. until 10:00 P.M. They have a band each night starting at 6:30 P.M. It was way cool!

On the way back from there, we stopped at The Coon Dog Cemetery. Only pedigreed coon dogs are allowed to be buried there. It was built in 1937 and is the only one of its kind. Supposedly, its the dog cemetery in the movie "Sweet Home Alabama". You just never know what you'll get to see along the way.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Tuesday Paul and Patty came to visit. They were in Alabama and they took a detour on the way home to come to see us. We chatted, had Happy Hour, had dinner in the lodge, played Farkle, and then they left the next morning. We really enjoyed their time here.

Last night, we were awakened at 1:15 A.M. to the sound of a crash. We had a raccoon on the back deck. He ate a can coozie and part of the grill brush. Then he pulled the screen out of the frame in the galley porthole. The porthole was closed, so he couldn't get in there. John got up and closed all the other windows. We were grateful that the hatch above the bed was closed. Could you imagine waking up to a raccoon falling on top of you in the middle of the night? Rocky Raccoon was on the boat next to us too. They have children on board and the raccoon broke their water balloons.

Tonight we are going to a place called Rattlesnake Saloon in Tuscumbia, Alabama. This is a bar built in a cave. They are only open Thursday through Saturday and we are told they draw 900 people in one weekend. I'll let you know how it is. Hopefully, I'll be able to take pictures.

Mon., Oct. 11, 2010

Yesterday morning we planned on leaving Florence Harbor Marina at 8:00. So, we called the Wilson Lockmaster to see if there were any tows that we had to wait for. There was one, but it had 16 barges and the Lockmaster told us to wait about 3 hours before coming out of the harbor. Florence Harbor is right outside of the canal that leads to the lock. We listened to the marine radio and later heard him tell a pleasure boat that the wait was 45 minutes. So, we waited 30 minutes and got in line. There were four of us in the lock together. This is the biggest lift that we have seen so far. It says it has a 93 foot lift, but our depth finder before we went up read 26 feet and after it read 104 feet. Wow! It was extremely turbulent and really hard to keep the boat off of the lock wall. Both of us had tired arms when we pulled out of there.

We arrived at Joe Wheeler State Park around 2:00 yesterday. This park is in a beautiful setting. WIFI is only in the lodge lobby, so I hope that I still manage to keep up with the blog. I promise to try.

Today we stocked up on groceries. There is no courtesy car here. Norm's van is here right now, but after the weekend he has to travel in it for work. He won't be back until it's time to go to Cancun. So, what we have now will have to make it until we leave for Cancun.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

"Trail of Tears" Indian Statue.

Bicycle on ceiling of The Palace.

The Palace Ice Cream and Sandwich Shop.

Una the Lion at North Alabama University.

Delightful lunch spot!

Front of The Rosenbaum House.

Living room of The Rosenbaum House.

Portrait of Helen Keller.

The water pump where Helen Keller put it all together.

Today was an absolutely wonderful day. Rennie drove Sue and me all over town. First, we went to Helen Keller's Birthplace (Ivy Green). What a smart, remarkable person Helen Keller was. Her accomplishments are unbelievable. The tour was informative and interesting.

Second, Rennie took us to the Rosenbaum house which is a Frank Lloyd Wright house. We really enjoyed the tour. The lady who gave the tour thoroughly enjoys her job and knows so much about Mrs. Rosenbaum. The three of us, however, decided we would not like to live in that house. The furniture looks really uncomfortable to us.

Third, we went to lunch at Sweet Magnolia's. It could not have been nicer. The service, food, and ambiance was perfect.

Fourth, we went to North Alabama University. Their mascot lions are in cages on display for all to see. It was pretty warm, so they napped the entire time we were there. Oh, well.

Fifth, we went to The Palace Ice Cream And Sandwich Shop. This place was an old fashioned ice cream parlor. There is a bicycle hanging from the ceiling that they used years ago to deliver prescriptions (it used to be a pharmacy/soda fountain). In the restrooms, there are actual prescriptions from many years ago pasted on the wall as wallpaper. People disappear into the restroom and don't come back for 30 minutes because they are in there reading the walls. It's too cool.

Sixth, we happened, by accident upon a city park named The Spring Park. There were people preparing for a wedding while we were there. There was a petrified tree trunk that a sign said was 325 million years old. How do they know? There was also a beautiful waterfall, an Indian carved out of the front half of a tree, and a statue of an Indian woman that represents the Indians along the "Trail of Tears". After all of that, we were pretty tired and went back to the boat. What a great day! Thank you, Rennie, for chauffeuring us around all day.

Friday, October 8, 2010

We have been meeting so many people. Last night we had reserved the car to go to Freddy T's for dinner. A boat came in and docked behind us. The harbor master Barry told us that they would like to go to Freddy T's as well. So, we all went together and sat together. We had a really good time. Their names were Don, Donna, Karen, and Brian.

Today we left Grand Harbor at 8:00 A.M. We had another great traveling day on the water and ended up at Florence Harbor Marina. The harbor master here named Eva is extremely nice. She clued us in on all of the places to visit. We caught up with Rennie and James again here. Dinner was at Rosie's Cantina with Norm, Sue, Rennie, James, Bill (new acquaintance), Connie, (new acquaintance), John, and myself. See what I mean about meeting new people? It's awesome!

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Graves in the National Cemetery at Shiloh.

Sue and Carol dressed in Union and Confederate Uniforms.

We got to Grand Harbor yesterday late in the afternoon. The cruise was beautiful. We got right through the Pickwick Lock with no wait. I saw Rosie (Rennie and James' friend) last night at the laundry room. She had just come back from Columbus where she had gone to the doctor for her fingers. She hurt her hand trying to bring up a fouled anchor line. She has to have an operation on Monday. They are only two days cruising away from finishing the loop. So, today they took back the rental car and left on their boat toward Columbus. I hope everything goes smoothly for them on the way back.

The four of us (the Mayers and the Sagels) took the courtesy car and went to Shiloh. That was really fun and educational. We went to the museum, saw a movie about the battle, went to the national cemetery, and did a driving tour with a CD. Afterwards, we went to the Rib Cage for a late lunch. All in all, a great day.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Loretta Lyn's Plantation House.

Sue at the Rock Memorial of Patsy Cline's Fatal Plane Crash Site.

Rennie, James, and James' son Charlie joined us on Thursday afternoon. We had moved our boats to Cypress Creek which was only 30 river miles from our anchorage at Duncan Bay. All three boats left on Saturday for Pebble Isle. We enjoyed our time at Pebble Isle. The people were really nice. Their restaurant was yummy ( they have a large grill outside in a covered screen room where they prepare the best smelling hamburgers and steaks. The scent lures you in like a fish to a hook.) They also have a decent courtesy car that you can use in two hour increments.

On Saturday, we made an executive decision to stay at Pebble Isle until Monday morning. Rennie and James left on Saturday without us. Norm, Sue, John, and I borrowed the car and went to Walmart for a few groceries. Along the way, we passed a sign that said the Patsy Cline Airplane Crash site was 3 miles down this one road. So, John humored Sue and me and drove to the crash site. It was down a pretty big hill and all that was there was a large rock with the date and names of the people who died in the crash. There was a little cross and flowers beside it, like you might see along the highway where someone has died in a wreck. Norm and John were NOT impressed. Sue and I took pictures which I will post when we get somewhere with WIFI.

Sunday Sue and I reserved the courtesy car back to back, so we could have it for four hours. We went to Waverly, to the Loretta Lyn Plantation and Museum. We used the GPS to find our way and the road it told us to take was closed. After that, poor Martha (the GPS) got all besmuckfuddled and took us along one lane gravel roads that turned out to be driveways. We found ourselves in front of a farmer's house where we decided to pull over and call the museum. The farmer came down to our car. I told him we were lost. He said, "Are you trying to get to Loretta Lyn's?" I told him we were. He said, "I bet you used your GPS. It happens all the time." So, he told us how to get there. It was well worth the trip although it took us 1/2 hour longer to get there than it should have. We could have spent another 3 or 4 hours there, but we had to have the car back at 2:00. We had a good time.

This morning we left Pebble Isle. We cruised to Beech Creek Island where we dropped anchor for the night. The Tennessee River is so picturesque. We saw deer on an island that's only visible because the water is low. We saw a dirigible, probably coming from covering a football game yesterday. There aren't many houses along today's stretch, but the ones that are here are nice to look at. It seems strange that out here I can get online when I couldn't at Pebble Isle. Everything is fine and dandy.