Sunday, December 30, 2018

Two old guys looking at boats


Today I went to Lock and Dam 27 so I could photograph the Lady Loren and the Pearl bringing another piece of the Monaca cracker up the river. The pictures I got were okay, but they were a lot like others I've taken lately off all these deliveries.




The best part came as the boats were passing and a guy with a cigar showed up to watch them. He began talking with another guy about the boats, and before I knew it they were discussing where they lived and what their names were and then they were talking about long-gone people who played the bluegrass scene in this region.


Cool.


1 comment:

Unknown said...

Jim---I am glad that there are at least a few others of us who love the Ohio River and that you have this blog. I am from around Dayton, Ohio but I also consider Cincinnati to be home too---it really is now one big area. I have been boating the Ohio River on and off since I was a little kid dating back to the early 1960s, so you know my relative age. I got back on the river in 2010 when my dad who was still alive then, decided I guess that he wanted back on the river too and he had me find a nice boat for cruising the river. I found one and we bought it and ran it for four seasons before a major stroke hit him hard and I moved down to Florida to help my mom take care of him. He passed after not too long and while it took two years to sell the boat we had bought---I still spent much time on the river---mostly down in the part of the river from Cincinnati down to Louisville. Even being down here in Florida--I dearly miss the river. I became "a river rat" early on in life and the river no matter where I roam, still has a hold on me. I love it that when you are on the river, you come into contact with some interesting people of all ages like these two men. I'd sure like to hear what they had to say about those in your area who were part of the bluegrass music scene. While I am down here in Florida and do admit to liking winter weather down here--the summers are too brutal, it is hard to raise a decent garden full of veggies and such and I sure as hell miss the rolling hills of SW Ohio, Northern Kentucky and SE Indiana and I sure as hell miss the Ohio River...but I am not done with it yet. I don't have a powerboat or ready access to one for the fist time in years but before long I hope to rectify that and when I do (a boat that I can singlehand and has minimal sleeping, restroom and cooking facilities)--I am gonna do one of my bucket list things---run the entire length of the Ohio from above Pittsburg down to Cairo, Ill, go down the main tributaries of the Ohio, the Kanawha, Muskingum, Tennessee and Cumberland--sure wished the L/Ds on the Kentucky were still operational-----that is one pretty river. I have gotten on one section--taking a few nice rides on the Dixie Belle sternwheeler, owned and operated by the Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill, KY not too far south of Lexington.