[Ted Davisson]

Greetings From New Orleans ,
Needless to say , after having read " You Might Be A Steamboater If.... " and then posting a reply on the " BFR " sub chapter , and what I told the letters stood for to an inquisitive passenger , literally a tidal wave of memories returned to me of my life and times on the Str.'s Delta Queen and Mississippi Queen . Futhermore , one of the things that I and the rest of the Deck/Pilot House Crew enjoyed most , during those times , was to " Enlighten " and
to " Entertain " and to " Inform " our unknowing and naieve passengers as to what life on the river is all about ! In fact , at one point and time our Front Office actually urged us to make announcements to our passengers when points of interest presented themselves to us inorder to make our passenger's " Steamboat Experience " a truly unique one . Little did they know or even imagine at the time , that this was an open invitation for us to really flex our creative muscle and to really give the passengers their monies worth . For example , when we met a towboat with empth barges , we would tell the passengers that actually the barges were loaded with ping pong balls enroute to China . When Cajun Electric was building a new powerplant just bellow St. Francisville , La., the unusal shaped forms on the river bank were in actuality the famous St. Francisville , " Inca Pyramids " !! When the Pilots used the search lights at night , they were actually looking for UFO's ! The trash , supplies and crew were taken off and on the boat at night by helicopters ! The reason the Pilots crossed the river so often was so that they could see what was on the other side ! My friend and mentor , Captain " Rip " Ware was the very BEST ! In his most southern and gentleman's accent , he would tell the lady passengers to go out on deck and wave to the towboat crews because after 30 days on the boat , they would think those same ladies looked like Maryln Monroe ! He would also inform the passengers when the famous , rare and endangered Louisiana Deer ( cows ) were sighted drinking at the river bank ! On one occasion , I was piloting the DQ behind and through the Bayou Goula Towhead , when I spotted two young people while in the thros of extacy , on a blanket , on the river bank . Well after the whistle was sounded , the bell rung and the announcement made , our passengers witnessed something that in all likelyhood made their
" Steamboat Experience " quite unique !! These were just a few of the things that made life on the river and on an old steamboat so special and so unforgetable for not only the passengers but the crew as well . Unfortunately , when I've returned over the years as a " Trip Pilot " those announcements were no longer made ! Go Figure !!
Smooth Sailing !
Ted davisson