M/V Michael D .. and a vocabulary question

This past Friday I had to run up to the Point Pleasant River Museum and Learning Center for something. As I parked my car I heard a boat coming out of the Kanawha. It was the Michael D pushing some empties. As it passed me, it turned to head up the Ohio.

My question: What do you call a boat the size of the Michael D? I'm guessing it's too small to be a line haul boat or whatever the big ones are called nowadays, and it's too big to be a dinner bucket boat. That's what an old guy told me about 35 years ago when he was describing the small boat he worked on. It never left the harbor or port where it moved barges around.

So what do you call it?

M/V Marathon northbound

As seen from the navigation light at Lacey Lane, just below Glenwood WV.

It's odd to think these boats could soon have the "Marathon Petroleum Co." covered over by "MPLX". Knowing me, I'll probably still catching myself referring to them as Ashland Oil boats -- even the ones never owned by Ashland Oil & Refining Co., Ashland Petroleum Co. or Marathon Ashland Petroleum LLC.

Somebody had a good time fishin'

Found on the Ohio River bank one recent morning ...

So, what is the normal ratio of beer consumed per fish caught during a nighttime of fishing?

And this guy ... he left behind almost three quarters of a liter of Coca Cola.

Archaeologists have told me they often look for latrine pits and refuse dumps to get an idea how people lived. I would like to hear modern-day sociologists and anthropologists describe what they could learn from the trash some fishermen leave behind.