Welcome to Green Turtle Bay Issue #7
Nellie May was a very little boat in a marina filled with great big, expensive, fancy boats. The marina was a welcome oasis after days on the river dodging more barges. We were traveling with 6 other Looper boats (people doing The Great Loop).
Did I mention that it was HOT? Over 90 degrees day after day after day. We were melting. Literally. I was sweating so much my glasses kept falling off. It wasn't pretty.
Green Turtle Bay had a swimming pool. We stayed 3 days. Floating in the pool was our only hope.
Did I mention that it was HOT? Over 90 degrees day after day after day. We were melting. Literally. I was sweating so much my glasses kept falling off. It wasn't pretty.
Green Turtle Bay had a swimming pool. We stayed 3 days. Floating in the pool was our only hope.
Winterize your boat in Kentucky
I have never seen boats stacked like soup cans in a pantry! This is how they winterize boats in a place where it doesn't snow. Looks crazy to this South Dakota girl but I'm sure they know what they are doing.
Stairway to Heaven
Walk up these stairs to the pool.
The cool, clear waters just waiting to refresh your soul. Float, swim, float and then repeat.
Tim was a happy man when he finally got in the water.
We may have had a beverage or 2 while we were there.
And we met some delightful people.
Anyone who didn't have air conditioning on their boat was at the pool.
The cool, clear waters just waiting to refresh your soul. Float, swim, float and then repeat.
Tim was a happy man when he finally got in the water.
We may have had a beverage or 2 while we were there.
And we met some delightful people.
Anyone who didn't have air conditioning on their boat was at the pool.
Welcome to Paducah, Kentucky Issue #6
After a week of dodging huge barges on the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, plus 3 nights at anchor and un-seasonally hot temperatures we finally arrived at Paducah, Kentucky. We arrived with 6 other boats who are also doing the Great Loop. It was the first day the City Dock was open. We met the mayor!
If you would like to see the news story you can click here
If you would like to see the news story you can click here
Museums
I spent most of the day at the National Quilt Museum. It was delightful. But they don't allow photos of any sort so you will just have to take my word for it. They also don't allow you to use your cell phone in the museum so it was nice and quiet.
Tim found a Maritime museum, a Railroad museum and a Civil War museum. He was a happy man. Mostly he was happy because he didn't have to go to the quilt museum. Although they had an air conditioned conference room with overstuffed chairs and bottled water where I saw some patient (long-suffering) husbands resting.
I spent most of the day at the National Quilt Museum. It was delightful. But they don't allow photos of any sort so you will just have to take my word for it. They also don't allow you to use your cell phone in the museum so it was nice and quiet.
Tim found a Maritime museum, a Railroad museum and a Civil War museum. He was a happy man. Mostly he was happy because he didn't have to go to the quilt museum. Although they had an air conditioned conference room with overstuffed chairs and bottled water where I saw some patient (long-suffering) husbands resting.
What the heck?
I have heard about cities where the local fiber artists will knit coverings for the trees but I have never seen it in person until Paducah. This tree was one of the more colorful. The quilters left their mark on trees downtown, too.
I thought it was delightful.
Tim, of course, thought it was the weirdest thing he had ever heard of. I knew he had a pocketknife with him so I watched him closely the rest of the afternoon...the trees in Paducah are safe.
I have heard about cities where the local fiber artists will knit coverings for the trees but I have never seen it in person until Paducah. This tree was one of the more colorful. The quilters left their mark on trees downtown, too.
I thought it was delightful.
Tim, of course, thought it was the weirdest thing he had ever heard of. I knew he had a pocketknife with him so I watched him closely the rest of the afternoon...the trees in Paducah are safe.
This is a replacement bilge pump cartridge...
Looking back on our First day. We get to the marina and are ready to go to dinner. And I hear a funny sound. Funny sounds on a boat aren't funny. Open the engine compartment and the bilge pump is running but not sucking water. Dang.
Bad news is the impeller came off the end of the pump. Good news is we have a spare pump. Bad news is pump is located at the very bottom of the engine compartment because, of course, that is where it needs to be to pump out the water that shouldn't be there. Good news is Tim can do 99% of the work and only needs a small person's long arm for the very last 1%.
I am now a boat engine mechanic. I think I deserve a T-shirt.
First day, first challenge conquered.
Bad news is the impeller came off the end of the pump. Good news is we have a spare pump. Bad news is pump is located at the very bottom of the engine compartment because, of course, that is where it needs to be to pump out the water that shouldn't be there. Good news is Tim can do 99% of the work and only needs a small person's long arm for the very last 1%.
I am now a boat engine mechanic. I think I deserve a T-shirt.
First day, first challenge conquered.
The world needs more pie.
We walked a few blocks from the the marina at Henry Harbor in search of a boat part. We didn't find the part but we did find a great small town cafe/bakery. Cinnamon rolls as big as your head? Yes, please, we'll take 4.
Then we saw the little homemade pies. We should have tossed the boring, healthy stuff in our refrigerator and bought many, many more.
This one was our 10:30am coffee break for 2 days.
It would have been wrong of me to eat my piece and Tim's piece, too. Right? Tempting, but wrong.
Wrong.
I came close but it would have been wrong,
Dang, that little pie was good.
Then we saw the little homemade pies. We should have tossed the boring, healthy stuff in our refrigerator and bought many, many more.
This one was our 10:30am coffee break for 2 days.
It would have been wrong of me to eat my piece and Tim's piece, too. Right? Tempting, but wrong.
Wrong.
I came close but it would have been wrong,
Dang, that little pie was good.
Food on the boat? Check!
Tim loves Spam. All flavors of Spam. I knew that if I wanted to make sure he was happy to dine on the boat there better be Spam. I think I nailed it.
The rest of the stuff on the boat falls into 3 categories. Tools to fix the boat, rigging to tie the boat up to docks & locks, and kitchen crap. Guess who is in charge of which areas?
This boat is 25 foot long. It’s sort of like a smallish camper…that can sink. Everything that comes on the boat has to “earn its real estate” which means it better do more than one thing. And we have learned to use vertical space on the walls which means we are the king and queen of Command hooks. Anything that can live on a Command hook has a spot. You can look forward to a Command hook tour in the future. It will be epic.
We leave in a very few days. Then anything we forgot will either be purchased somewhere along the way or we will simply use what we have. Yes, I packed the can opener. I checked…twice.
The rest of the stuff on the boat falls into 3 categories. Tools to fix the boat, rigging to tie the boat up to docks & locks, and kitchen crap. Guess who is in charge of which areas?
This boat is 25 foot long. It’s sort of like a smallish camper…that can sink. Everything that comes on the boat has to “earn its real estate” which means it better do more than one thing. And we have learned to use vertical space on the walls which means we are the king and queen of Command hooks. Anything that can live on a Command hook has a spot. You can look forward to a Command hook tour in the future. It will be epic.
We leave in a very few days. Then anything we forgot will either be purchased somewhere along the way or we will simply use what we have. Yes, I packed the can opener. I checked…twice.