Live from the Levee and the Steamer NATCHEZ

[Judy Patsch]

Some not-so-shy emailer asked where my postings were - I arrived in NOLA Tuesday noon. Well, that day I was up at 3AM and so I retired directly after the dinner cruise, and a glass of wine on my balcony. Yesterday Troy C. Delaney and I played golf in the AM and I wisely stayed in the a/c before riding the dinner trip. I finished the evening reading the blogs about the Oregon football penalties while sipping a glass of wine...so....
When I was here in March, it was 49 degrees. Switch those numbers and you've got the current temperatures - and add the humidity. This brings back those memories of my 11 summers down here working on the NATCHEZ. Tuesday I was able to catch the 2:30 trip, but since my hotel room wasn't ready I hadn't unpacked the cookies, much to the chagrin of some crew members. But I got them over for the dinner cruise, only to hear "Where are the peanut butter cookies?" It was a beautiful evening out on the roof heading up into the sunset. I settled down in my chair forward of the pilothouse, right over the Dukes of Dixieland after I did the downbound narration. Coming up into a sunset, Dixieland jazz music, on board a real steamboat - the song was What A Wonderful World , and I couldn't agree more.
So here are some sunset shots - remember the sun is setting on the EAST bank here.

[Judy Patsch]

More evening shots

1) Mark Twain wrote: Once you ride behind two smokestacks, you're doomed to steamboat until you're tombed. Of course he was referring to being a pilot behind the stacks, but I think it is appropriate for anyone who has literally ridden behind those stacks...
2) The final sunset scene
3) a different perspective of antlers and the nameboard

[Judy Patsch]

The whistle

I don't know the technical details, but the middle chime was reworked and now it doesn't squeal when pulling the cord - I've blown two landing whistles and not one of the 12 blasts squealed, so it must have solved the problem. The tone is a bit mellower I think. Roddy always said the NATCHEZ whistle could make a grown man cry. His favorite was the BELLE's. Well, it isn't the BELLE's now but it might not bring as many tears as before...
1) Notice a visible difference?
2) The evening cookie delivery has arrived.
3) A new Hawaiian shirt with flowers and the NATCHEZ on it in the Gift Shop.

[inactive user 01]

Hey Judy,

Great pics, thanks for sharing. I'm wondering if anyone with the Belle's 100th ever contacted the Natchez about coming. I know that's her busy time of year. Just curious.

Have fun and stay cool!

Aaron

[Judy Patsch]

This morning's bike ride

I decided to bike through the FQ and over to Canal Street - I hadn't been on it for at least a year probably. The Red Ladies run up the neutral ground out to the Art Museum, and connect with the green St. Charles streetcar.
1) Looking toward the river down the neutral ground
2,3) from Woldenberg Park (formerly the Lower Bienville Wharf)

Now over for the 11:30 trip...

[Judy Patsch]

the 100th

Yes, they did. Alan was down here lobbying hard, but it is absolutely the worst time of the year for the NATCHEZ to be out of town. October is the biggest convention/charter month. They told Tall Stacks, they told the Belle's 100th, but they persist in scheduling things for October...

[Phillip Johnson]

The Belle's birthday bash being in October makes sense, thats the boats birthday. Tall Stacks on the other hand, one would hope they looked at the slowest times for the majority of the boats and went with a date that way, if not thats probably why we aren't having any more tall stacks...

Great pictures Judy, especially the angled shot of the nameboard. Now I need to get back to NOLA so I can hear the "new and improved" whistle!

[Marcus J. Lynn]

Great Pics!

I love those pictures, Judy. I've had many great times on the Natchez. Those cruises are very interesting, in fact they show many historical things as you ride along. I think New Orleans is a great place for cruises, though when you ride the Belle of Louisville or another steamboat on the Ohio, the view and history isn't as rich.
Thanks for sharing those pics, Judy!

[Judy Patsch]

A great surprise!

Just a note before I dig into my supper of Popeye's red beans and chicken: as I was leaving the boat after the 11:30 trip, I ducked in to the dining room to see who was in the Steamboat Stompers today. It was Dave Boeddinghaus, Otis Basoon, and EDDIE BAYARD! Eddie is looking great. I didn't realize he was back performing after that horrible health problem he had a while back. We got to reminiscing about our early days on the NATCHEZ with Doc, and then Eddie went into Betty Blake's recruiting of him and his band members to form the first MQ band. You never know who you'll see on a steamboat!

[Carmen]

Thanks for sharing the photos, Judy!

Seems like you´ve timed your trip wisely now that the 4th flood of the year is hitting the Quad Cities and the AQ has rerouted her UMR July trips.

:-) We´re invited to a Hawaii themed party in about a week. That would have been the perfect shirt for Franz (who was searching for weeks!!) :-)

Carmen

[Judy Patsch]

Timing is everything!

Yes, it's unbelievable that we are getting our 4th flood of the year - Rock Island has a flood wall so the only thing that goes under is Sunset Park, which of course is where we are scheduled to have our church picnic this Sunday! So far so good on that though. The river is high here for this time of year, thanks to us and the Canadian contributions. Its at 12.2 and holding pretty steady. The Gov. Nic light is on and you should see the collection of runaway buoys floating between the two MARAD ships. - Maybe I'll take a pix this afternoon.
I will give credit to the current owners of the AQ for taking action prior to the UMR trips, unlike the previous ones who ignored news, weather, and my reports of high water and low bridge clearances and sent the AQ upriver, only to get stuck at Burlington. Then they had to reroute the rest of that trip down to Cape Girardeau, find transportation for those pax and the next group scheduled to board in St. Paul. It was a mess. So while it is disappointing to have to wait to see her on the UMR, it is a smart move by the AQ Steamboat Co.

[Lexie Palmore]

ALOHA

I want to get one of those shirts, too.

[Judy Patsch]

Aloha from RI - about ordering those shirts

I left NOLA Saturday at 5:30AM and so didn't get a wrapup posting on - I'll do that after I give this information on obtaining the new Hawaiian shirt in the NATCHEZ gift shop. Capt. Troy C. Delaney posed in one for a picture which was supposed to go on the boat's website in the gift shop area, but it hasn't appeared yet. Here are a couple more shots of mine, which I wore today at our church picnic and got quite a few comments about it.
The shirt is polyester, very lightweight and washes well, according to Karen. They are sized by men's, as the largest is an XL and it fits me. They aren't cheap, more like the DQ's merchandise: $60 plus LA tax. Contact the gift shop manager, Karen Gaspard, directly. Use her direct email address: Kgaspard@glnosc.com Tell her you saw it on my steamboats.org posting - it won't get you a discount, but at least she'll know how the news got out.

[Judy Patsch]

More gift shop items

Here are a few more items which are supposed to appear on the NOSCo. website, but haven't made it there yet. I don't know prices for any of these, but contact Karen at: Kgaspard@glnosc.com for more information
1) my all-time favorite T-shirt - if you've seen me in person, you've seen this shirt. I always wear it when I give a talk. The design is also on the back of the shirt. It is cotton, but of a heavier variety than a regular t-shirt.
2) and 3) Luckily they wouldn't fit in my suitcase, or my bill would have been higher!

[Judy Patsch]

and two more...

1) the picture doesn't do the paperweight justice
2) this long sleeved t-shirt comes in: red, navy, gray, tan