Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Ohio River hydropower in the New York Times


The New York Times has discovered the process of retrofitting the Ohio River's navigation dams with hydroelectric plants. The story is here.


mv. R. Clayton McWhorter


So here's a boat I saw today. As it came down the river, I realized I didn't have any good summertime digital photos of a Dravo Viking class towboat this year. So I figured I needed to get some.





Now I hope this really is a Viking boat. If this is the boat that I think it is, it once was the Steel Rover of Ohio Barge Line.  It was built by Dravo in 1975.

I was sorry I didn't get to see the Omar when it was in the area a few days ago. And it's been a long time since the Erna E. Hunnycutt (the former Omega) was here. I almost got to ride the Omega in its first year on the water. But that's a story for another time.
 

Unemployment and ducks


This past week has been a pretty frustrating one, river-wise. I've tried to write a freelance piece, without success. Oh, I could put together some second-rate stuff, but that's not me, at least when it comes to trying to build a reputation again.

I've almost accepted the fact that I won't be returning to my former line of work soon. There are lots of entry-level jobs out there, but I can't see relocating my family hundreds of miles to take a job paying less than half of what I formerly earned. I can do that here.

Maybe I'll go back to school and try to get a master's in a field that combines my writing skills, my hobby of math and my interest in photography. I'll have to make some inquiries there.

In the meantime, I'll keep shooting the Ohio River and its tributaries.

As part of that, here's a duck I saw yesterday at Huntington's Harris Riverfront Park. My youngest and I had been throwing bird seed into the water. Some seeds floated, and some ducks were interested only in them. Some sank, and some ducks would go under water to retrieve them. Like this guy/girl.



You've heard the expression, like water off a duck's back. In this case, it's like water off a duck's face.