Memphis Blues....

Graceland

Elvis's, his Mon and Dad and
Grandmothers Graves

Elvis's Living Room

It is now Sat. the 27th. and the weather is sunny but cold and windy.  Don had made arrangements to rent one of the curtoscity car for the day.  Dave and Diane on Boot Scootin came with us.  Lady KK has been to Memphis many times so declined coming with us.  Don drove with help of our TomTom GPS. We arrived at a visitors centre and were given great information and things to see.  We went just up the road the Graceland.  It is quite the tourist trap area. It is the 35th anniversary of Elvis's death this last April.  All exhibits had an exhibit with a souvenir shop at the beginning and at the end.  It is amazing how really very modest Elvis's home was.  The grounds were nice but again very simple.  We enjoyed the tour and spent about 1 1/2 hours there.  We took the little bus back across the street and went through the other exhibits and the never ending souvenir shops. 

Elvis's Pool Table |Room

  Pink Cadillac he bought for his Mother    









Beale Street, Memphis

After that we drove to downtown Memphis.  The man at the visitors centre recommended a spot, the Beale Historic area,to park and use as a place to walk around from. We walked down Beale which is closed off to traffic, a got ourselves a beer.  Not as nice as Nashville but still very interesting. 








We took a horse and carriage ride around the downtown area with our driver Jamie, his dog Sunny and horse named Poe.  Nice little ride.  After that we walked down to the River Art Fest on South Main Street.  We all felt for the vendors because the wind had picked up and it became so much colder.   There were quite allot of vendors.  It reminded Don and I of Juno Beach and their Art Festival, but it was much hotter down there.... 


 


 We walked over to South Main St. to the National Civil Right Museum which is the Lorraine Motel where Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated.  A step back in time...  I am glad we saw ii.

 

We took a trolley ride back up the street and got off at the Peabody Hotel.  Decided to have dinner and went to the Rendezvous for some of their famous BBQ ribs and some wine.  We were not disappointed.  We had a full day and we still had a 2 + hour drive back to the Marina.  Don got us all back safe and sound and it was time to call it nite.  The Captain's wanted to leave by 8:00 the next morning after fuel and pump out..





Grand Harbor Marina

Well it is now Friday the 26th.  Today there will be many more Looper's leaving Joe Wheeler.  There are about 10 + boats doing a run to Chattanooga, which is about 200+ mile each way.  Then there is our group heading back to Grand Harbor for 2 days.  Dave and Diane and Don and I are going to drive into Memphis for the day and others are just going to stay and restock their boats before heading off.  The mornings are certainly colder and the boats are all drenched with very heavy dew.  At least it is not frost or snow....  We arrived at Joe Wheeler Lock and Dam and only had a short wait.  Then there were a few more boat that had left the conference after us and called the lock so they waited for them.  It was a nice day and we were through the lock quickly.  We have our self's a convoy again.... 


The weather was changing a bit and the winds were picking up and it started to rain.  There were three boat travelling at the same speed, Lady KK, Boot Scootin and us.  We picked up our speed to get through some of the rough water.  It was not as bad as Lake Michigan and Lake Huron but it was so much colder than both of them.  We got through Wilson Lock with no problem, and then it was on to Grand Harbor. 


When we arrived at the Marina, there were already many Looper's there from the day before and some from earlier in the day.  The Marina had said they were still expecting a few more boats to arrive.  Barry put us in another tight slip next to the main building with a catamaran in front of us.  After we were tied up and got all water and hydro connected Don talked to the other boats to see what they wanted to do the next day.  It was so cold out side we decided to stay inside for the nite.  I sat and worked on the blog and got it all caught up.  Made lasagna and garlic bread for dinner and watched  a bit of TV.  Called it a nite..

Joe Wheeler and the AGLCA Rendezvous

Well it is Sat. the 20th of October.  Where has the month gone.  Today we have to leave Grand Harbor to head for Joe Wheeler State Park and the AGLCA rendezvous.  The day is great for the trip and the two locks we will have to go through.  We travelled with Jet Stream and Blarney Castle.  The Tennessee River has been great to travel on.  It is wide, and there is so much to see.  We arrived at the Wilson Lock and Dam at mile 259.4 and had to wait for the lock to empty and come back up.  Not as bad as some other locks we have been through.  We lost Scott and KC in Jet Stream who headed ti Florence Harbor Marina.  We will catch up to them again..

Arrival at Joe Wheeler State Park Marina

Blue Heron at Wilson Lock

The Wilson Lock is a large lock with a 93' lift and with floating bollards.  We have been very lucky with all of the locks we have been through except for Lock 93....  It was also a nice day outside.  The lock had lots of special followers, Blue Herons, everywhere you look.  They just sat so perfectly still and just watched all of us.  After we got through the lock we headed down the river 25.5 miles to the next lock Joe Wheeler Lock and Dam at mile 274.9.  The river leading up to the lock was full of  beautiful estate homes. Not a poor an area as I once thought.  The lock was only 48' and we did not have to wait, in and out in no time.  We arrived  at Joe Wheeler State Park in the late afternoon.  It was very pretty going in with all the falls colors, and when we came around the bend and saw the Marina and all the boats.  Looper boats everywhere.  We were assigned to slip 10, right in front of the lodge, a great slip.  The Looper lady and her husband helping all the boats in to their assigned slips were great.  We looked around and it was like seeing all of our friends all in one spot.

After we were settled in we went for a walk and talked to so many people we had met along the way. We found Tony and Shirley on Headquarters on the far dock close to the Marina.  Lady KK was on the dock across for us.  Jade was on our dock at the end.  We had decided to meet for drinks at 5:30ish on Headquarters.  Another happy hour that lasted two....  Came back to our boat and decided have dinner on board.  Did not want to have any more meals in the Lodge than we had to.  Watched a little TV and called it a nite.

On Sun. the 21st we awoke to another beautiful day.  Mornings cool and then the day warms up quickly.  Cooked a great breakfast and then we relaxed.  Don washed the outside of the boat and I cleaned the inside. Later on that afternoon we went in and picked up our info and badges on the conference.  Two weeks before the conference Joe Wheeler and all the other Tennessee State Parks, were licenced to serve alcohol with the exception of Sundays.  Dinner each nite was at 7:00PM.  We were hoping that this year the food would be better than last year, but that would be too much to ask.  It Was actually worse.  After the dinner and introductions we came back to the boat for a few nite caps.

On Monday we had breakfast and it was a little better than last year, but not much.   At least the juice and fruit cocktail were not out of cans.  The meetings were okay, but a lot of the same things that we heard last year.  Lunch was even more disappointing than breakfast.  More meetings in the afternoon and then cocktail and hors' d oeuvre hour.  It was the best part of the day, talking to everyone.  We went into dinner and it was three for three for bad meals....  Two more days of this.  Back to the boat and watched a little TV and called it a nite.


Don & Freya at Longing for Home Concert

Tony & Shirley at the Concert

On Tues. the 23rd. the ALGCA did not offer anything for breakfast.  Meeting were exactly the same as last year.  Lunch was hamburgers and hot dogs, yum yum....  Afternoon meetings were shorter but the same as the morning meetings. They had arranged to have a bus to take members into town.  Later that nite there was a concert for the Looper's in Rogersville at Longing for Home where we stayed.  It was great and so much better than last year.  After the concert we came back to the boat and made a pizza for dinner and watched the Presidential debates.  Pretty good debate.

Don & Betty at Longing for Home Concert
on Tuesday the 23rd



Jack, Denise and Beatrice trick or treating
 at Joe Wheeler

On Wed. Don went to breakfast and the meetings.  I stayed and cleaned the boat and made cookies.  Our boat was on the Looper's Crawl that nite, so I wanted to make it look good.  Jake and Denise on Jade brought Beatrice (4) over to the boat for trick and treat.  I picked her up a little stuffed white dog for her and she loved it.  We had about 12 couples come by and tour our boat.  Most of them had not bought a boat yet and are looking at many boats to see the differences to see the pros and cons of each.   After the Crawl we went to happy hour and hors' d oeuvres and then dinner and awards and the closure to the conference.  We joined some of the Looper's for a music and sing-a-long upstairs by the fireplace.  So many talented people with the group.  Back to the boat and watched TV and called it a nite.

 

Pot Luck at Joe Wheeler on the 25th

Sunset at Joe Wheeler on the 25th

On Thurs. the 25th we heard many Looper's outside early getting ready to leave.  By 7:00AM about 10 to 12 boats left and then a few more at about 8:30ish.  The Marina is looking a bit empty.  Don and Tony went golfing and had a great time.  They got back in mid afternoon.  Jet Stream arrived a little later.  We joined some of the remaining Looper's for drinks on the main dock.  Met a lot of new people and had a great time.  Came back to the boat and cooked some filet's and watched TV.  Glad that the conference is done.  They really need to replace Janice Kromer as the person that arranges the food for the events. 






On To Grand Harbor

 

We left Clifton Marina on Wed. the 17th. early.  Again another beautiful fall day.  The Tennessee River is beautiful.  As we travelled up the river we looked like a convoy of boats.  There were many beautiful homes along the way, but we never saw any people.  They must be like our summer homes back on the lakes.  Along the way we had to go around a barge that was dredging in the middle of the channel.

 

We pasted many small marinas also along the trip today.  As we approached the Pickwick Lock and Dam Lady KK had called ahead and there would be a little wait.  There was a tow already in the chamber going up.  As we approached to go in there was a strong wind to contend with as well as the strong current.  We got in and tied up on our starboard side to the bollard with no problem.  Other boats were having great difficulty because of the wind.  We thought that once we were all in that they would close the doors and bring us up, but the lock master waited for 4 other boats that were 30 minutes away, which was actually 45 minutes away.  After we were all in it was an easy climb up to Pickwick Lake.
There were large estates on the port side coming out of the lock.  We had about 8 mile to go to get to Grand Harbor Marina. The water and waves were very rough on the lake.  The marina was busy, what with all of us coming in.  They were very friendly and accommodating.  It was a tight squeeze getting into our spot.  Don is amazing at docking the boat.  He put it in there like putting on his socks....  Once in and all the other boats tied up it was time for cocktails and hors' doeuvre's.  The best time of the day.  The sun was just setting and it was beautiful. 

We met many new Looper's and a few from before.  Grand Harbor is a magnet for Lopper's to stop.   It was windy and cool but no one minded it.  We had all decided to go the Freddy T's for dinner.  There were 14 of us.  It was an interesting restaurant.  Nice servers but terrible food and not cheap either.  We found out later the the owner of the marina (which recommended it) also owns the restaurant, funny hah....  When we got back to the boat Don checked all the lines as they were calling for severe storm, lighting and possible hail.  We stayed up for a nite cap and watch the lightning storm approach.

The next day Thurs. the 18th,  Scott and Don went to play golf at the State Park golf course and KC and I went to WalMart for supplies.  The marina supplied us with a complimentary car.  After groceries and a liquor stop we picked up the boys and headed back to the boat. They had a great time golfing and great weather.  Back at the marina more boats arrived.  They just keep on coming....  Just a few of us for cocktail hour.  Came back to the boat and made lasagna and biscuits for dinner.  Nice quite nite and better food than the nite before.



Scott & KC of Jet Stream

On  decided to stay and take the car to see Shiloh National Military Park and Battlefield.  It was the site of one of the fiercest and bloodiest battles of the Civil War.  There were 23,746 casualties in a two day battle in April 6 and 7 of 1862.  It was a beautiful place and to think that so many men died.  It really makes you stand back and think about a lot of things...  The video before we toured the area was worth watching.  After we left Shiloh we drove back to the boat.  The winds had picked up back at the marina.  Four more Looper boats arrived in the late afternoon.  Barry from the marina asked Don for some help bringing in a couple of the boats.  I am sure that they were glad to be tied up.  No happy hour with the others tonite.  Too cold and windy.  I worked on the blog and Don worked on the boat.  Don talked to one of the boats, Blarney Castle. (John and Denny) leaving the next day for Joe Wheeler.  They wanted to travel with us so we decided to leave around 8:00/8:30AM.   I cooked a marvelous chicken and rice and vegetable dinner tonite, if I don't say so for myself.  We watched a bit of TV and called it a nite.


Clifton Marina

It is Tues. the 16th and it is a great day. 

Beautiful morning and time to head off.  We waited till 8:30AM to pick up some super cinnamon sticky rolls and then we  left with 5 other boats for Clifton Marina.

We could not ask for a better day.  The fall colors were amazing and another great day of cruising.  There were many more homes along the way.  Most of them on stilts or built very high up.  When you look at the shore line and see the erosion it is amazing that they build so close to the shore.  I would not for sure.  We arrived in mid afternoon.  Marina was interesting in get into. We were tied up at the main docks next to Lady KK and Jet Steam.  The boats Prime Time, Katy Leigh and Nanseann were on other docks that were quite away from ours.  Went for a walk into town.  We went go to the grocery store but it burnt down to the ground last week and the closest on was 20 miles away.  Came back to the main docks for happy hour.  The weather gets cooler so much earlier now.  Came back to the boat and watched Dancing With The Stars and then the presidential debates.  It was nice to have a simple and quite nite...

The Journey South Begins Again

Good Bye to Green Turtle Bay Marina

Well want a difference a day makes.  It is now Mon the 15th and the weather is perfect, blue skies, no wind and calm waters.  Could not ask for a better fall day.  So beautiful.  We have met some other Looper's on the Lady KK, Larry and Sherry and we are travelling together for the next few days.  We left our safe haven of Green Turtle with so many great memories.  It has been a remarkable stay here.

Abandoned Dock


Fall on the Tennessee River is amazing and so beautiful.  It is a perfect cruising day.  We are heading to Pebble Isle Marina at mile 96.0. The colors of the trees are very comparable to those of our trees back home, so we don't feel like we have missed our fall .  We are travelling at 11.5 mph and it was nice.  There were many interesting things to see along the way.  The day seemed to fly by so quickly and the next thing you know we were there.  We arrived mid afternoon and while we were waiting to fuel up the boat we noticed the Jet Stream was there.  It will be nice to see Scott and KC again.  We have not seen them since Hammond Indiana.  After we docked and tied up, we walked down the dock again to find all Looper's, and more coming in.  The day was beautiful so we sat out and took Sunshine out with us on her harness and leash.  She did not like it at the beginning but later just laid down and enjoyed being outside.  Then at one point she must have figured out if she backs up enough she could wiggle her way out of it.  Can't figure how she did it but she did!!!! 


We all agreed to meet on the deck adjacent to the restaurant for cocktail and munchies.  We meet many couples but one special couple on the boat Carried Away.   Bill and Joyce Craig were onDay1 of their Looper journey. Want a feeling they most have experienced that day.....  Most of us stayed and had dinner at the little restaurant.  Talked about the next day and when to leave and where we were going and who was all leaving.  Back to the warmth of our boat as the nite was getting quite cool.  A glass of wine a little TV and called it a nite...

Kentucky Bound

It is now Wed. Oct. 10th and time to head back to our boat.  Everything pack, or almost everything.  Headed into Peterborough for a few last minutes errand's and then off again.  It was a rainy and cold day for travelling.  Crossed the boarder in Windsor/Detroit and had no problem with our new Nexus cards, right through and NO lines.  The kitten was in a meowing mood for a lot of the trip and then settled down.  Stopped at Lima, Ohio that nite.  We stayed at the Howard Johnson's and it was great and they took cats.  Had dinner at Olive Garden and it was great.  Headed back to our room and watched a bit of TV then called it a nite.

Next day the Thurs. the 11th we arrived in Green Turtle early.  Unloaded the car and let the cats run free in the boat.  It was cool out but so nice to be back on the boat. Drove over to the main office at the Marina and checked on the repairs that were done on the boat.  We now have TV in all rooms, finally.....  Had dinner at the Yacht Club and then back to the boat.  Watched a little TV.....

On Fri. the 12th we had to return the car to Paducha and do some last minute shopping and stock up on wine etc. before we head into the Bible belt and dry counties.  They drove us back to the boat and we unloaded and put all away.  We had to move the boat back to the main dock.  It makes it so much better for getting around.  We had dinner at Patti's and had a great time.



We stayed on Sat. the 13th for the fall harvest parade and festivities.  The parade was just what you would expect in rural America.  Fire trucks, police cars, tractors, dogs, cats, horses, kids, clowns and candy.  Politicians and the mayor and Santa Clause of course.  American flags and Support our Troops. We loved it and the people we all so friendly and I collected handfuls of Tootsie Rolls that they were throwing out, my favorite... Went to the towns vender's that had set up and we had the famous Baby Buba Burger, yum yum....  Went and check out the Badgett playhouse to see what was playing that nite.  It was a variety show and it sounded interesting.  Went back to the Marina and lounged at the gazebo.  Got tickets to the show called "Variety" and it was so good.  Wish we had gone to the one the nite before.  The performers were all so talented and they did all their own singing and dancing....  Great choice...  Went back to Patti's for dinner with another couple we had met at the Marina and had another great meal. It is amazing how they decorate the inside of the restaurant, especially for Christmas.


It is now Sun. the 14th and the weather is not great and they are predicting strong winds and possible tornado's so we decided to stay.  Clean up day on the boat today.  All day the Looper's just keep on coming in.  There must be 12 or 13 now at the Marina.  We have talked to most of them and they too are all enjoying their journey, all with exciting stories to tell.  We had a productive day doing small repairs, and cleaning.  Raining off and on all day with very strong winds.  Glad we stayed.  Went for a nice walk through the area.  Cooked a great dinner and watched a good movie.  Hopefully our journey will begin tomorrow.

On The Road Again ~ Homeward Bound

Well the time has come to go home for a few weeks.  It is now Wed. the 19th.  We got up early and finished packing the car.  Cats are in their cases and loaded in and we are off.  It is around 8:00AM and it is cold and foggy.  It will be a long drive to but the weather is in our favor.  Picked up some breakfast and continued on to Michigan.  Cats were amazing and never heard a sound out of them.  Let them out of their cases for a walk about in the back of the car, then back into the cases.  The drive was great with no major traffic or problems. We are on our way to our Nexus meeting tomorrow morning in Port Huron.   Arrived in Port Huron late afternoon and checked into a hotel.  Let the cats out and fed them and they were great.  It was cold outside so we ordered pizza from Jets Pizza and it was great.  Long day but glad to have that behind us.  Early morning tomorrow.

It is Thurs. the 20th and cool outside.  Got up and went to our Nexus meeting.  No problem and it went with out a hitch.  They were actually very nice.  When in Sarnia we dropped by my sister Lori's and had a great breakfast.  My other sister Kris was there and it was nice to see them.  Packed up the cats again and headed for Peterborough.  Stopped for groceries and then finally home.  It was good to be home.  Went to the Boat House Bar for the wing nite and then back home to a nice big fire in our fireplace.  I forgot how much I missed that.

Its Fri. the 21st and there is lots to do today.  The house had to be cleaned again for top to bottom. And there was lots of laundry to do.  Don has so many things to do also and he was gone for most of the day.  Relaxing nite at home.



Sat. the 22nd we went into Peterborough to Little Lake Marina for the final "C" Dock get together.  It was a blast and it was a costume party (we did not know).  The people on our dock are great and are always lots of fun.  Great food and great friends....

It is now Sun. the 23rd and we will be home till Wed. Oct. the 10th.  There are many thing to do while we are at home.  A few amazing dinners at our neighbours, Larry and Cori. and an outstanding Thanksgiving dinner at Don's sister's, Bonnie and Vern, and the last dinner at the golf course for this year.  Went for our last boat ride and took a pic of an amazing sunset.  Don went golfing in Toronto with Larry and I went shopping with Cori.  Stayed at the Westin Harbor Castle and had a great time.  This is the last blog till we start to head back to Green Turtle Bay Marina....    

Our New Home

It is now Sunday the 16th.  We got up late and just relaxed for a bit.  Got a few thing ready for the insurance surveyor on Monday. I spent the morning cleaning the inside of the boat while Don cleaned the outside of the boat.  Later we went into Paducah with Belinda and Jim picked up a few more thing that we needed for the boat.  Came back and joined everyone again for cocktail hour.  We decide to eat dinner at the marina in the Yacht Club dining room.  We joined Phil and Carolyn from Loopy Kiwi for dinner.  It was so nice because we had now seen them since we left Hammond, which seems like eons ago....  After dinner we stopped to talk to a few other Looper's and then went back to the boat.  We wanted TV and then called it a nite.  It is nice to have a slow day for a change.... 

On Monday the 17th we had Michael Hunter from the insurance coming as well as Justin Shelby from Gemini Marine Electronics coming to look at the TV systems.  We were glad to get the appraisal's done so we can get the remaining items fixed on the boat.  After they left the car rental company picked us up and took us into Paducah to pick up our car.  They dropped me off at best buy so I could pick up a battery for the laptop.  Don picked me up there and we headed back to Green Turtle.  The car was nice, a new Grand Cherokee from Jeep. We picked up a few more supplies for the boat and then headed back to the boat.   By the time we got back to Green Turtle it was late and we missed happy hour.  Decided to go back to the Yacht Club for dinner and joined Tom and Linda from Q's End and Tony and Shirley from Headquarters.  It is always a great time when we are with Tom and Linda.  We came back to our boat and just relaxed for a bit and called it a nite.

 
On Tues. the 18th we got up and got things ready to go home tomorrow.  We had to move the boat over to Pier 10.  On water it is just around the corner but by land it was on the other side of town.  We loaded up the car and then relaxed for the rest of the day.  We met the man on the boat beside us and he lives on his boat and said he would keep and eye on our boat while we were away.  Went out for dinner and the Yacht Club and then came back to the boat.  It was a cool nite.  I am going to miss the boat but it will be nice to be at home for awhile....  One last glass of wine and we called it a nite..... 

The Grass is Greener in Green Turtle Bay

We got up and were going to leave at 9:00AM, it is now Sat the 15th.  The other boats were up and we decided that since we were all awake that we would just wanted go.  So we left our safe haven from the nite before, our abandoned barge and headed for Green Turtle Bay Marina.  We had two ways to go to get to Green Turtle, down the Tennessee River to Kentucky Lock and Dam, or to go a little further along the Ohio River and then down the Cumberland River to the Barkley Lock and Dam.  Since we were travelling in a group, the decision was to go through to the Kentucky Lock and Dam.   Once there we had another wait but not that long.  We anchored for about 1+ hours, just enough time to make breakfast and clean up.  It was quick and easy to get through the lock and then Green Turtle was just around the next bend.  We arrived at the marina early and got tied up with the help of Cap who works at the Marina. After we were settled in we went for a walk and saw that there were so many Looper's there.  Many of them we had met along the way.  The Marina and the ground were very nice and the amenities were great.  So much to see and do.




Q'End~Headquarters~Toucan~Rickshaw~Paddy Wagon
Freya and Don ~ The Last Resort

Later some of us got the courtesy car and drove in to town to replenish our supply of food and wine....  After we got back the other Looper's that we met were having cocktail hours up at the gazebo.  It was nice to share stories of their trips and adventures.  While having drink Q'S End arrived with Headquarters, Loopy Kiwi and Toucan, as well as C Bay and Native Sun.  We had called Tom and asked them if they wanted to join us for dinner that nite and they said yes, so the party was now 12.... We had decided to go for dinner at Patti's, known for it's famous pork chops and atmosphere.  Being that it was a DRY county we were all allowed to bring our own wine.  Patti's has a van that picked us up in two groups.  It was such an amazing restaurant and so big with so many different room and the wait staff in long old fashion dresses and stuff hanging everywhere.  We had such a great time at dinner and they were able to get all 12 around one table.  After dinner we all went back to our boats.  We had a nite cap and called it a nite.  Nice to be a marine for more than one nite with so many great friends there.....