R.I.P. Becky Thatcher

The showboat Becky Thatcher is history. It collapsed in on itself and cannot be repaired.

Another piece of history gone.

I've never seen a real showboat, but my mother told me once or twice about the time she was on one. She was born in 1915 and died in 1993. The boat tied up in the Swan Creek area of Gallia County, Ohio, I think. I never got its name or any other information. It's another in a long list of regrets we all carry, I suppose -- not getting the details of events in our parents' lives while they're still around to share them.

Back in action (updated)

The main lock at the Greenup Locks and Dam re-opened to traffic today. To me, that means two things:

1. The news article I was writing on the locks had to be rewritten.

2. The mv. Hoosier State was able to get through the locks shortly afternoon. Now I know what Adam will want to do when he gets home from school at 3 p.m. We'll probably start our search in the Kenova area. The problem is that I don't know how fast the boat is traveling. I'll check the AEP boat locator site right before we leave to get some idea, assuming it's updated by then. ... I can tell you that my camera battery is in the recharger. It should be fully recharged by the time Adam throws his backpack and coat on the floor. We're still working on that.

UPDATE: We got it as it passed Catlettsburg KY.

We almost got another new boat -- Crounse Corp.'s Paula Ruble -- in the same shot, but the Paula Ruble stopped and tied up at or near the AK Steel coke plant at Ashland before it got to Catlettsburg.