Wed. July 22
We had dinner on the deck of the Riverview restaurant again this evening. When our dinner arrived I looked over at Tom's baked potato. It reminded me a lot of how I feel right now, brown on the outside and ROUND! I promised myself I would eat light and healthy this trip. That lasted about a week! Oh well. Seriously it is so peaceful overlooking the water while you enjoy a meal. It was quiet tonight, not a large crowd at the restaurant and no boats racing by. The rain had stopped but the sky was still filled with heavy clouds giving the river a somewhat eerie and mysterious look. There are so many aspects of boating that draw people to it. Watersports, fun with family and friends. traveling, or simply tied up to a long dock in a fairly remote portion of the river where the only sounds to be heard are those of an occasional duck or jumping fish. I spoke with a gal who lives in Sun City for ten months of the year. For two months each year they live and travel on their boat. This is what she told me. We love to anchor out. I get up early taking my coffee out on the back deck.The morning mist has surrounded our boat like a cool but comforting blanket. I sip my coffee and watch as the sun burns the mist from around us and brings in another beautiful day, "it just doesn't get any better than that".
We watched a couple of kittens play among some ducks along the rivers edge this evening. Neither seemed to be bothered by the other. Two different species of being sharing space and getting along just fine. Maybe mankind should take note! Most of our year is spent hustling around the city. People honking or tailgating because they are in a hurry, being treated with indifference by many of our local store clerks, ignored when you obviously look confused in a shopping aisle, and on and on. Unlike home, while in the South we have visited places and encountered situations that have restored our belief that the word kind in mankind still means something. Today has been a perfect example of what we have experienced in the South. As you know from yesterdays blog entry we have been stranded because of a closed Lock. Last night a young lady from the restaurant named Gabrielle told me she worked at the Lock and would keep us posted on the repair schedule. Late this morning the owner of the restaurant, Walt, offered to give me a ride to Nashville if I needed one. Early this afternoon one of the ladies from the restaurant walked down to the boat, in the rain, to let us know that someone from the lock called and said if we were there at 7:00am tomorrow we could go through. I think Gabrielle explained our problem to them. The gal also told us she worked until nine so if we needed her car, just let her know. Later this afternoon Tom received a phone call from Louie. Louie and Sheila were the nice couple who helped us tie up in the dark at Clarksville. They had read yesterdays blog and offered to come and pick me up and give me a ride to Paducah! When Tom finished the conversation he turned to me and said,"Why do we live up North"? Southern Hospitality is alive and well! A special thank you to all of these kind people who are helping me get back home on time.
