Chattanooga in the morning—wow, what a couple of weeks! Life on a steamboat—does it get any better than this?? We have had a couple of nice cruises, nice people for the most part. What is fun for me is that we have started to get some repeaters, people who have already been on once this season. They see me, and we exclaim in delight. We are glad to see each other, to catch up. And it sure is a small world. I’ve run into a woman who was the teacher of a friend I worked with at Findlay College; the teacher of the son of a friend, and a man who was about to see my family doctor for the first time, and wanted to know what she was like! I got to meet Kathy and Dave Para, who worked in the Film a Mighty Wind. (If you haven’t seen it, it is a very campy parody of the folk song era). We had a bluegrass cruise, and the band they had was fantastic. They packed every venue they played. They are called the Steep Canyon Rangers, and their song One Dime at a Time is number one on the bluegrass charts. A nicer group of young men you couldn’t meet. They met in college at U of NC, except for the fiddler, who graduated from Berklee College of Music, which my son Frank attends!
Another wonderful coincidence was that I met Shipyard Sam, one of my steamboats.org friends, and one of the people on my list of persons to meet. He is a past master of the Delta Queen. He and his wife were in Decatur, buying a boat, while we were in port, and just happened to look down at the river while driving across the bridge. When they saw the DQ, they came over to visit. What an honor!! He has encouraged me to start a blog on the website, and I think I will—once things get settled.
My rope skills are slowly progressing. I can do a short splice now pretty well. A long splice eludes me, but it is a pretty complicated thing to do well. I can tie a bowline knot, which is a very useful knot. It is quick and relatively sturdy in a lot of situations. I’m hoping to get a monkey fist before long, and have a knot book at home to practice with.
In other news, I’m staying on an extra week. The Coast Guard requires a certain number of people to be aboard the boat as deckhands. They are one body short this week, and asked for a volunteer. I really didn’t think they’d pick me, but they did! Of course, they will not ask me to do any heavy work, but I’ll have an opportunity to see things and do things I’d never see otherwise. The slot they are putting me in is as watchman. I will walk the whole boat, alternating with another person, from 10 PM to 6 AM, turning a key in time stations. I will also do some security jobs, like checking people onto the boat, and since I have borrowed some steel-toed boots, I might get to do some real work—whatever the mate thinks I can safely do. It has the added benefit that I will spend a fair amount of time in the pilothouse at night, and be able to talk to the pilots. Now, how could I pass this up?? It will help me in the new job I start on August 21—riverlorian aboard the Mississippi Queen, alternating with my friend Travis, four weeks on, four weeks off! Obviously, I am very excited about it. I’ll miss my boat, and my people, but I plan to stay in touch, and I’ll be back. By the way, I am very honored to be chosen for both jobs. Oddly, I’m especially honored about the watchman job. After all, I am in my 50s, and not especially fit, except for hauling buckets of ice and running up and down the stairs all day. This is a job that is often on the route to getting your license, and not traditionally a job women do. But I sure will learn a lot. I promise more details later.
