Well, we're docked in Mobile Bay, AL at the Grand Mariner Marina. Yesterday was a tough day but we made it and we are safe. Let me back up though.
Thursday eve we docked at Bobby's Fish Camp. We docked about 5:30 p.m. and a fishing vessel pulled in to dock for the night as well. A couple of fella's, Don and Rick we delivering this vessel to Nashville TN. They had departed from Clearwater FL. We "dined" with them in the little restaurant/store up the hill and enjoyed shrimp, catfish, hushpuppies, slaw and cold beer. Don shared (alot) about his history for 40 years as a boat captain and Rick (a young man about 25), got to speak a little (when Don would stop to eat a bite) about obtaining his captains license in N Palm Beach and his experiences as a diver.
Wednesday evening we docked at Demopolis Marina where we met a neat couple from Carbondale IL. They have been living aboard for about 5-6 years on their Trawler, "Dual Dream". While Lucas sat at the bar with them visiting, Ed and I made a quick trip to WalMart to provision. Once we returned to the Marina, we joined Lucas, Mike and Harriet (Dual Dreams) at the bar, drank, laughed and ate while sharing a little about our lives and boating experiences. Come to find out, Mike and Harriet know our friends, Bill and Libby ("Lorelei") whom we met at Green Turtle Bay in KY who have now moved into their new home in Corel Gables while leaving "Lorelei IV" in KY for the winter. Mike ended up renting a car Thursday morning and driving Lucas to Mobile AL where he spent the night at the Hampton Inn. Our friend and crew member for crossing the Gulf flew into Mobile airport Thursday afternoon and met up with Lucas. They had dinner together
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
Monday (I think), Oct 26, 2009
The above picture is an abandoned docking pier we came upon late in the evening amidst the fog....kinda spooky.
BUSY day. We've gone through five locks today which makes a total of 6 so far with only 8 to go.
We've boosted up our power as we fear we're not going to meet our destination in time.
None-the-less......tonight for dinner; steaks on the grill, green beans and garlic bread. For lunch we had roast beef/wasabi roll ups and for breakfast, mexican grill. Lucas says, he just wants a greasy old cheeseburger as he is tired of Captain "Cook" gourmet food. (yeah, right).
We've had a bit of a generator problem but we think it's fixed. Last night after dinner we were sitting around drinking wine and visiting and all of a sudden; BAM, no power. Ed went into action. (I love that)
We emailed when available to Capt Larry in Ensenada and he tutored us through and along with changing batteries, we think the problem is fixed.
Interesting......we haven't ever traveled before with other boats but today we have been traveling with two other boaters. One from Missourti (took a leave from the University to cruise for five years and then will return to work) and one from Texas. Don't know what their story is.
I hope tomorrow I will have time to figure out how to add pictures to this Blog. I know that will be more interesting to the followers than my editorial comments. In the mean time; God's peace to all.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
FOG in the a.m. - we're slowin' down
Sunday morning, October 25th, 2009
We awoke to "pea soup" - to say, fogged in. I told Ed, "we're not going anywhere for a while". To which he replied, "damn, THIS (fog) and the Locks are the two things that will slow us down".
To which I replied, "it is what it is."
As I was in the Master Head getting ready for the day, I kept hearing the ships horn blow and I wondered, "why is Lucas playing with that damned horn?" Then, I realized, he was alerting others on the River that we were present.
As it is Sunday, we had our traditional Mimosas along with bisctuits and gravy. We all stood in the Pilot House with our plates of food and glasses of Mimosas and toasted to the day, "Happy Sunday".
Lucas had previously installed the new brass "gimble" lights in the salon but could not get them to work, yet when he changed bulbs, he got them to work. First major achievement of the day!
Well, after a beautiful day on the River, heading South, we are slowly preparing to be in warm weather.
Lisa planted a garden of Rosemary, Cilantro and Basil on the front deck. YUM!
First Lock, heading South is Pickwick Dam/Landing. Lisa completed a beutiful dockage BUT, something odd happened, the Lockmater said, "ok" before the horn blew (which is traditional for the motion to exit. So, Lisa, put it slowly in gear to which Ed said, "LISA, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Then the horn blew. He couldn't hear the Lockmater and I didn't know it. None-the-less, we departed, no injuries, no worries.
God has blessed us once again with a beautiful day and a safe voyage.
Go COLTS!
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Headed back south
Wednesday, October 21st:
Good friend (and previous crewmate, Vincent DeFelice) drove Ed, Lucas and I to Grand Rivers, KY - Green Turtle Bay Marina where we have been docked since May.
We had a plan....
Remodel the interior of "Chartwell"; now Great Mates II over the summer as it was a close proximaty to home in Mooresville and we figured there would be good craftsman in this area since there are lots of wonderful houseboats, sailboats and many other craft. WOW, what a summer.
First things first. The last several months have been lots of hard work and keeping many lists. But, it has been a time of growth, learning and challenge.
Not only have we gotten used to our newly and beautifully remodeled home in Mooresville (thanks to nephew Dave Wezn and son, Lucas Prosser) but we've enjoyed entertaining friends and family while having the privilege of caring for grandson Dominic Scott (now almost 3) every Monday and a few other days inbetween. What a joy and blessing!
Also, we have been so excited to watch the maturity of daughter, Emma while in Bloomington IN at college while she excels as a student and a worker at the "Bakehouse on the Square" as an assistant manager.
Then, there's son-in-law Billy who is serving in Afganastan, checking in often except when he is in the mountains. And, beautiful daughter and momma to Dominic, Audra who is enjoying getting back into the working world parttime and using the gifts that our Lord gave her as a Recreation Coordinator for IN Job Corp students.
Now, we are in the final days of assisting Lucas and his finance', Stacey while they are planning their wedding to take place in Key West on Nov 10th. How fun!!!
We had a few visitors over the summer to Great Mates II while in KY Lake and they ALL worked for food and drink.
Good friends, Steve and Teresa Helming visited. During their stay, one night late Lisa heard something up on the back deck. Ed ran up (in his underwear) only to find a racoon running away after getting into our trash bag and most specifically, a wine bottle. (must have had a little left). Course, when Steve Helming heard the raucous, he came running up the guest stateroom stairs and said to Ed, "are we under attack?" (I think he still has nightmares of watching Ed in his underwear chasing a racoon off our boat).
Then there was a visit with friend Jeff Losh, his friend, Mindy, sister in-law, Donna Moulder and husband Dave along with Lucas and Stacey. Jeff brought his go fast boat and we all enjoyed the Lake while working on Great Mates II, drinking, eating and laughing....ALOT.
And friends, Rod and Brenda Titus who came down to assist with many projects on the boat while sharing in our excitement of owning this beautiful vessel. Rod will be cruising with us from Mobile Bay to Key West in a week or so. (more then)
No words can express the grateful heart for Donna and Dave Moulder and all the work they've done on this vessel. They've removed old mirrors and installed new beautiful teak framed and beveled mirrors. They've installed new BIG salon windows and installed a creen door on the back salon door and the galley window. THANK YOU!
Matthew DeFelice and wife Jen. thank you for enjoying our vessel with us and Mathhew, thank you for your craftmanship in machining needed divices.
And, past crew member, Vince, THANK YOU for our beautiful "hi-lo" table made from walnut trees on your property.
Now, the craftman we encountered and hired in KY. Sharon, Jaison, Amy and Wendy, Mr. Oliver, Gary, Clifford and many others who assisted us in making Great Mates II....ours. THANK YOU!
Many trips to Lowes, WalMart, Jeff & Emily's IGA, Patti's, Uncle Bills,and Roof Top Brothers Liquor store in Paduca.
Now, we journey south with son, Lucas as crew. How cool!
We departed Green Turtle Bay on Friday morning, October 23. It was raining, cool and we took on 826 gal of fuel before departure. (of course, diesel has gone up alot since we left Ft. Lauderdale in the spring. ($1.75 in Ft. Lauderdale, $2.70 in KY).
We are in day two of our journey south and we know many of you are praying for our safety. THANK YOU.
We are excited to share this and future blog postings with you.
Good friend (and previous crewmate, Vincent DeFelice) drove Ed, Lucas and I to Grand Rivers, KY - Green Turtle Bay Marina where we have been docked since May.
We had a plan....
Remodel the interior of "Chartwell"; now Great Mates II over the summer as it was a close proximaty to home in Mooresville and we figured there would be good craftsman in this area since there are lots of wonderful houseboats, sailboats and many other craft. WOW, what a summer.
First things first. The last several months have been lots of hard work and keeping many lists. But, it has been a time of growth, learning and challenge.
Not only have we gotten used to our newly and beautifully remodeled home in Mooresville (thanks to nephew Dave Wezn and son, Lucas Prosser) but we've enjoyed entertaining friends and family while having the privilege of caring for grandson Dominic Scott (now almost 3) every Monday and a few other days inbetween. What a joy and blessing!
Also, we have been so excited to watch the maturity of daughter, Emma while in Bloomington IN at college while she excels as a student and a worker at the "Bakehouse on the Square" as an assistant manager.
Then, there's son-in-law Billy who is serving in Afganastan, checking in often except when he is in the mountains. And, beautiful daughter and momma to Dominic, Audra who is enjoying getting back into the working world parttime and using the gifts that our Lord gave her as a Recreation Coordinator for IN Job Corp students.
Now, we are in the final days of assisting Lucas and his finance', Stacey while they are planning their wedding to take place in Key West on Nov 10th. How fun!!!
We had a few visitors over the summer to Great Mates II while in KY Lake and they ALL worked for food and drink.
Good friends, Steve and Teresa Helming visited. During their stay, one night late Lisa heard something up on the back deck. Ed ran up (in his underwear) only to find a racoon running away after getting into our trash bag and most specifically, a wine bottle. (must have had a little left). Course, when Steve Helming heard the raucous, he came running up the guest stateroom stairs and said to Ed, "are we under attack?" (I think he still has nightmares of watching Ed in his underwear chasing a racoon off our boat).
Then there was a visit with friend Jeff Losh, his friend, Mindy, sister in-law, Donna Moulder and husband Dave along with Lucas and Stacey. Jeff brought his go fast boat and we all enjoyed the Lake while working on Great Mates II, drinking, eating and laughing....ALOT.
And friends, Rod and Brenda Titus who came down to assist with many projects on the boat while sharing in our excitement of owning this beautiful vessel. Rod will be cruising with us from Mobile Bay to Key West in a week or so. (more then)
No words can express the grateful heart for Donna and Dave Moulder and all the work they've done on this vessel. They've removed old mirrors and installed new beautiful teak framed and beveled mirrors. They've installed new BIG salon windows and installed a creen door on the back salon door and the galley window. THANK YOU!
Matthew DeFelice and wife Jen. thank you for enjoying our vessel with us and Mathhew, thank you for your craftmanship in machining needed divices.
And, past crew member, Vince, THANK YOU for our beautiful "hi-lo" table made from walnut trees on your property.
Now, the craftman we encountered and hired in KY. Sharon, Jaison, Amy and Wendy, Mr. Oliver, Gary, Clifford and many others who assisted us in making Great Mates II....ours. THANK YOU!
Many trips to Lowes, WalMart, Jeff & Emily's IGA, Patti's, Uncle Bills,and Roof Top Brothers Liquor store in Paduca.
Now, we journey south with son, Lucas as crew. How cool!
We departed Green Turtle Bay on Friday morning, October 23. It was raining, cool and we took on 826 gal of fuel before departure. (of course, diesel has gone up alot since we left Ft. Lauderdale in the spring. ($1.75 in Ft. Lauderdale, $2.70 in KY).
We are in day two of our journey south and we know many of you are praying for our safety. THANK YOU.
We are excited to share this and future blog postings with you.
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