We feel like we've been in the black hole of communication. These last two days we've had no cell phones or Internet. Even the TV has been on rabbit ears and not getting much. It is alright by me...you-know-who has been a little fidgety about it. That too shall pass. We are currently in Clifton, TN, home of author T S Stribling. Seems that he won the Pulitzer prize in 1933. Took us about 20 minutes to tour the museum and downtown. Clifton is a quaint little town with lots of character homes. Marina has wireless but we can't use it on the boat; our slip is just out of range. We are headed to Demopolis, Al. and will be staying at different marinas almost every night. There are just a few days where we will have to anchor out. We should arrive in Demopolis on Sept 8. There are 11 locks and more than 300 miles. We decided that 7.5 mph is the way to go. Yesterday we were booking it at a whopping 10.5 mph and you could hear the engines sucking in gas...burned way too much fuel for only 3 more mph. The highlight of this leg of the trip will be a visit to the battle field at Shiloh on Sunday. Til then we are hanging out, catching up, eating and relaxing.

We have spent most evenings this week planning our voyage south to Demopolis. Looks like we will leave here on Tuesday, Aug 26th and traveling at our blazing 7.5 mph we will arrive in Demopolis on Sept 6th. There are plenty of marinas for us between here and there so we think we'll only anchor out once. The challenge is there are 11 lock and dams, two of which are getting ready to close for repairs on the 10th. Timing is everything. We've been delayed for hours in the past so we are not sure how much time to allow. We will stop and visit Shiloh, home of T S Stribling, and some antebellum homes along the way. That's the plan. For now, we are cleaning, washing, waiting for a volt meter, making lists and checking them twice. Lower helm electronics have been activated and the new winch switch works great. Tumbleweed has been running smooth and given us no grief yet. We want that to continue. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Let us hear from you.

Things here are just so dull...and we are NOT having any fun. Yea, right!!!! If you believe that then you also thought that we really saw Trisha and Garth fishing. We are having a blast. I for one really thought that after a week or two on this boat with no where to get away, I'd be ready to kill someone...but, you know, it just hasn't happened. I did take off for a while yesterday to get a haircut. Sure got my moneys worth...we've been trying to measure and we're not quite sure...but Floyd's hair is just a smidgen shorter than my new look. Which was not really what I was after. Oh, my,...sure hope it'll grow!!!!

We thought we'd have an adventure and scope out the other area offerings. Boy, are we glad to be at Green Turtle Bay. Nothing we saw made us wish we were somewhere else. Our courtesy van took us so close to Fredonia, Kentucky...we couldn't resist. Yes, we did encounter the local law enforcement officer...he was curious as to why someone would be pointing a camera at his house...hep, we had some explaining to do. But, hey, we got the photo of Wilson Street in Fredonia.

We left Dover and Fort Donelson bright and early on the 19th. Decided to make one long day and spend a week at Green Turtle Bay getting those last things repaired, catching up on cleaning and laundry while making plans for our trip down the Tennessee River. So here we are, back in slip 6 on the transient dock. Floyd has his list of repairs and things are going quite well today. We couldn't resist posting one more mansion photo...they call this one the Castle on the Cumberland. Yep, maximum security Kentucky State Prison. Seems that they have put more folks to death than any other prison and are most noted for executing 7 in one day ...July 13, 1928. A record of sorts that still stands today. I thought it looked sort of like a high school....hmm, I wonder why????

After trudging up and down the hills in the heat of the day, we returned to the Tumbleweed for our first swim in the river. We had anchored in large buoyed cove in 13 feet of water. No one was more surprised than me to step off the swim ladder and stand on the bottom. Floyd thought I was joking...but there I was in waist deep water. Now we know why there buoys were there. Needless to say, we were extra cautious leaving ...stirred up quite a bit of mud...but no damage. And it was a nice swim. Can I just say that has been my big disappointment of all this boating. The water makes Cheney and El Dorado seem good. Muddy, stinky, green, full of some sort of crud...since arriving on board July 11, this swim on August 18 is our first. Sure hope it is not the last...I bought new swimsuits!

We have seen what we thought were eagles along this stretch of the Cumberland. At Fort Donelson we got conformation of that and the reason why they are here....

While Floyd was admiring more guns and cannon balls...this is what I found napping in the shade of the trenches. She scared me almost as much as I scared her. What a Kodak moment! Sure made the two hours we spent hiking in the heat worth it for me.

We found a huge inlet and anchored, lowered the dinghy and headed back to the Fort. We saw some park rangers on the shore and shouted our request to come ashore to them. One of them pointed to a small path and a place he thought suitable for tying the dinghy. As he helped us ashore, he commented that they hadn't had any visitors from water since 1862. Guess those Yanks just weren't that friendly. The Battle at Fort Donelson gave control of the Cumberland to the Yankees. From here they marched into Clarksville and on to Nashville taking control of the railroads and river. Grant lead the Union forces and history gives him the credit for changing the course of the war. We thought it was most interesting and gave us a great view of the river. Oh, yea, Floyd liked the big guns.

Leaving Clarksville, Floyd radioed the Delta Queen and was able to visit with the Captain at the helm...What a great start to our day. We headed for Dover, Tennessee hoping that we would find suitable anchorage and be able to get to Fort Donelson. We wanted to see the Civil War fort but were cautioned by everyone we talked to that the fort wasn't really water friendly.

She's a pretty sight in the morning as well.

The best things about our stay in Clarksville were learning about the Monkees hit "Take the last train to Clarksville" and the sighting of the Delta Queen. She is on her "Save the Queen" voyage as her wooden substructure is no longer allowed. She will be out of commission soon. We heard that she was to arrive on Sunday then that got delayed until Monday morning. We were watching Olympics on a worse than terrible connection at around 10:30pm when Linda noticed brighter lights. When we investigated that...there was the QUEEN of all steamboats...just docking less than half a mile away from where we were....so night time Kodak moments.

We really enjoyed our time in Clarksville. The roadside downtown docking was free. We walked into the historic area of town and spent a couple of hours at the Cultural and Custom House Museum. They had tons of Confederate memorabilia and a most interesting display of model railroads. Some photos are for our railroad friends. We were most impressed with the architecture of the building and a huge display of porcelian flowers and wildlife created by Edward Boehm. What a deal! Who knew about him???

When Muriel was on board, we tried to fly a kite off the aft deck. Too much heat, lack of wind and/or boat speed quickly turned that into an unsuccessful adventure. On the trip from Riverview to Clarksville, flags were flapping so I got out the Barbie kite. I could have used Muriel's help. Floyd took photos...what he didn't capture was the disastrous landing. Her tail got wrapped around the spinning radar...so she'll have to get a new tail...luckily we have other kites I can steal from....Notice the "boat bum" apparel...

Just so you know, that "little bike ride" to the grocery store just about did me in. When they talk about up hill both ways, it can happen....and I have photos to show it...Me with bike at the top of the bridge before groceries were added...View of boat at the dock from the bridge and then from the boat looking up at the bridge. The grocery store was another mile or more away. Thank goodness for the return all I had in my bike basket was bread. Hope we don't have to do that again anytime soon.

Ashland City was...now we are in Clarksville, Tennessee. Floyd and I rode our bicycles into Ashland's grocery store this morning. Reminded me of Fredonia...small town. Something exciting was getting ready to happen...we noticed soccer teams, band and police escort. We left anyway. No problems getting through Cheatum Lock and Dam ( unlike the two hour delay going up ...tweedle dee and tweedle dum were cleaning some gauges). Today a barge came out, we went in, poof, we were 26 feet lower. Lots and lots of boat traffic on the river today. We saw it all. Arrived in Clarksville around 5. The excitement here is the impending arrival of the Delta Queen steamboat. She was due tomorrow but sources seem to think that has all been delayed until Monday. She is headed back toward Paducah so we might stay around and follow her for a while. The real excitement ,however, is Kelli's birthday present from Lance. Yes, it is official. They are engaged. Ring watch 2008 is quickly becoming wedding planner 2009. We are pumped!!!

We are heading out today for Ashland City. We have reservations tonight at Riverview Restaurant and Marina there. Then on to Clarksville on Saturday. We hope to anchor and explore old Fort Donelson on Sunday. We saw cannons and such coming upstream; people have told us it is a nice place. We'll see about that. TGIF...Kelli is older today, my friends are in learning places, and I'm still on a BIG BOAT with the man I love...life is good.

We spent all day Thursday out and about...walking just a couple more blocks; touring Belle Meade plantation and the Parthenon, riding and waiting on the city bus. We ate a wonderful meal at Demo's, a Nashville family steak spot. Our evening on the aft deck of Tumbleweed was highlighted by the passing of BOTH of the Opryland steamboats; Gen. Jackson and Music City Queen. I don't know who was most impressed...those on board the steamboats taking photos and whooping at us, or us. Notice Nashville art (which Floyd says looks like an unfinished roller coaster) and LP Field (home for the Tennessee Titans) in the background. That night time view of those big guys under way was most awesome. Don't you agree?

Our little spot on the river is at the end of Broadway St. We are just a short walk to bars and honky tonks...Hard Rock, Wildhorse, Legends, Tootsies, BB Kings. Just around the corner from old Ft Nashbough. Amazingly, we don't really hear a thing. Trains runing on both sides of us; barges coming and going; all sirens wailing in the city. Our neighbor is most cooperative...the Nashville Fire Boat.

August 14...Nashville, the Athens of the South. Did you know they have the only full scale replica of the Greek Parthenon in existance? And they let you inside to see the 42 foot statue of Athena. Floyd thought is was more fun than the "real one" cause those Greeks won't let you get this close and their's is falling down. We spent a wonderful morning viewing, reading, photographing and learning more about Nashville history. That blue dot you see at the feet of Athena is Floyd. And yes, these are our photos.

We knew that the Johnny Cash house had suffered fire damage after Barry Gibbs purchased it and was remodeling. Everyone said he was rebuilding and would be finished this fall. This was the only house we thought fit that discription...so here it is.

and we even found a little fixer upper...if only it weren't in Tennessee. You know they talk funny down here.

And they were almost one top of each other...lots of house; not much lot.

And they were almost one top of each other...lots of house; not much lot.

The folks in Hendersonville sure know how to live. Big Beautiful houses...with no one home. There was no indicators of famous...but obviously some wealth...so enjoy these...Muriel the yellow one is for you....

And guess who we saw...Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood FISHING...will I Be!!!! and they look so ordinary!!!!

Can you believe what we saw coming down the river on Monday evening? We thought it was a sad case of a pilot with a sense of humor and too much time on his hands. Had to post these for Floyd's air lovin' friends. What a hoot!

The Hermitage was delightful. We certainly learned a lot more about President Andrew Jackson, his family and friends than we knew before. He had a great place. It was easy to see why it is one of the top tourist visits. Very well maintained and managed. Getting there was easy. The folks here were kind enough to give us a ride. After spending almost four hours walking around the place, we then waited another hour for the taxi to come pick us up. The driver had no clue where the marina was. So with the meter running, we waited and then finally just read the map for him. Folks from home keep telling us about the rain there...but we've had none. Mild days have sure been a treat after the heat of last week. Today is overcast and in the 70s. We are leaving here to go look at mansions of the stars then begin our trek back to Nashville. We have laughed at the fact that we are really only minutes by car from downtown. With river windings and our breakneck speed (about 8mph), that 15 minute car ride will take us all day.

Okay, enough all ready. Today we are on land to visit The Hermitage, home of Andrew Jackson. Then we plan to boat over and scope out Hendersonville, home of the stars. Folks around here assure us there are mansions to be viewed. BTW, one of the folks we met last night is the bus driver for Kenny Chesney. I'll see if I can get him to let us in on any secrets. They kept talking about Johnny Rodriguez...guess he's planning to join them for a jam session sometime soon. We can't wait that long. If it was Willie Nelson, we'd sure be tempted.

For our train loving friends...this was pretty special for us. Train bridges open for passage and then one with a train on it right before we passed under it. WooWoo...

Conditions on the river couldn't have been better yesterday. Clear skies, mild temperatures, and really no other boat traffic. We really enjoyed seeing Nashville from the river.

juicy gossip...the harbor master at Rock Harbor (we just left there) confessed to us that he was Winona Judd's ex....did you remember that her first husband was a boat salesman? Muriel did. We talked about that on Saturday...and then low and behold we knew him all along. Dang, another kodak opportunity missed. Maybe I can get Floyd to stop there for gas or something on the way back so I can get a picture...stay tuned for further developments on that issue.

The great folks aboard the Sojourner just sent us these photos of Hoppie's. It was the first (and only) marina between St Charles and Barkley Lake. Really just a couple of barges set right along the curve of the river. Docking against the current with this unskilled first mate was one of the scariest things we have done...couldn't resist posting these...oh, the wonders of Internet and digital cameras....

Floyd's two favorite things to do...calculate, figure and post in the log book and down in the "holely" place. He can tell you miles per hour, miles per gallon and estimate arrival times to within the minute. The engines and batteries have never looked or performed as good as they do now. His Chapman training has served us well and certainly makes a difference in the "joy of cruising". Fun to watch him work...well, not exactly what you might call work...but we do.

Yes, one slice of bread can attract some furry friends...as well as some not so furry ones. This was taken just minutes after docking...which went very well. Floyd backed this big thing right in the narrowest of slips and his first mate cleted that line like she knew what she was doing. Muriel and all those restaurant patrons across the way were very impressed. So were we! Amazing the difference a little experience makes. We aren't even skittish about locks and dams any more...floating bollards are my favorite.

We were in the nosebleed section, but no one cared. Great show and great view of everything that happened...here's Charlie Pride waving his roses and Carrie Underwood in her slinky little black dress. Muriel and I figured the heels she had on were at least 3 inches tall...reminded me of some turquoise numbers I have in my closet.

What a great time we have had in Nashville. Muriel is a great tour director. She hooked us up with a bus tour that included time spent at the Ryman Auditorium, former home of the Grand Ole Opry, and the Country Music Hall of Fame, Legends Bar, and then a preview of other historic sites of downtown Nashville for Friday. We stumbled onto a neat Greek restaurant that gave Floyd a kick. Saturday we spent the day at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel wandering the gardens, fountains and shops (yes, I found some pink sparkling items), trekked across the parking lot to the Mall for an early supper, then headed to the Saturday broadcast of the Grand Ole Opry...WHAT A SHOW! The highlights were Charlie Pride and Carrie Underwood. Just as the show was ending, the Riders in the Sky launched into "Tumbling Tumbleweed"... OMG, what are the chances? We were blown away...what a special treat. The captain and crew of the Tumbleweed are still talking about that. Muriel left bright and early to return to Wichita. Floyd is in the engine compartment finishing a battery project, and I'm just flitting around. We are planning to continue on the Cumberland at least as far as Hendersonville. We understand that is where some of the stars have some big boats. Plus it will take us right thru downtown Nashville. There is a boat dock in the heart of the city and if they have room for us we may hang around a bit more. We really had wanted to stay there this whole time, but with the Tennessee Titans vs St Louis Rams this weekend they had NO Vacancies. Imagine that? Rock Harbor has been an interesting place. We are at the very end of the docking system, which we might add appears to have been planned by a drunk...miles of boardwalks and slips all attached at right and left angles. One wrong step and you could be swimming. We are right across from the Blue Lagoon Restaurant and Bar. Good food and a lively crowd enjoying the sounds of the band...til around 2:00 am. Though rather loud, I can't say that it has kept us awake. Since leaving Lake of the Ozarks, we have missed feeding ducks and such. No one on the Mississippi was interested in our bread....not the case here. Right off the bat, we attracted over 25 ducks of varying types and sizes, 4 turtles and a few fish. Oh, the little things. Hope you all enjoy these photos...we certainly enjoyed the experiences. Life is good aboard the Tumbleweed. Inverter finally does what an inverter is suppose to do, air conditioning works, batteries and refridge are back to normal...all is well.

A few additional members to the Abe Lincoln family...just part of the fun in Springfield, Ill.

Sorry, I have to publish the photos later...stay turned for that!!!

Another safe voyage. We are now tucked into Rock Harbour Marina, Nashville, Tennessee. We left Barkley lake on Wednesday (August 6) morning, traveled 10 hours on Wednesday, anchored just outside the channel on the Cumberland River, then traveled another 9 hours on Thursday. It was HOT and miserable on Wednesday. Gees, I'm sure Muriel wondered why we thought this would be fun. Thursday was cloudy and not so hot. Though I won't say it was exactly comfortable. The challenge of traveling at less than 8 mph is there is very little breeze. We have laughed to think that we could have driven to Nashville from where we were in about 3 hours. But then we would have missed the sites. Huge lake and lovely skiing water conditions on the river...smooth and glassy...what the folks in Kansas wouldn't give to have this. Yet, in the two days we maybe saw 10 fishing boats of people, 3 barges (mostly empty) and just a couple of jet skis. What we did observe were EAGLES. What a thrill that was. We even passed pretty close to a nest of some young squawking ones. Today and tomorrow we will tour Nashville. We have tickets to the Grand Old Opery on Saturday nite...Carrie Underwood is suppose to be there. Muriel leaves us on Sunday and then we are on our own again. Who knows what trouble we'll get into? We must add that on our return from Wisconsin we stopped in Springfield Ill to tour the Abe Lincoln Museum..what a delightful experience. Glad we did that and would recommend it. We somehow managed to avoid the crowds by going on Sunday morning. I do feel officially retired now. I received my first KPERS check and teachers in Wichita have returned to work...but not ME...hehehe. Keep in touch.

Some things don't really happen like you think they should. We are getting a lesson is marine mechanic speak, the promises they make and what they can do. We went off to Wisconsin with them saying that they would have a week to get things ready so that when the inverter returned it would be an easy install and we'd be good to go. Well, not so much. They had their week but evidently did nothing with it. So now the inverter is back and fixed but they "forgot" about just a few other things they were asked to do. So here we sit...waiting, waiting, waiting...things we don't do very well. We are going to Nashville, a missing inverter won't keep that from happening. So tomorrow we are headed that direction. Muriel (Floyd's sister) is on board with us. We plan to see some sights and attend the Grand Old Opery on Saturday. I'm sure we'll have photos and excitment to share. Stay tuned for futher developments.