We have been travelling long distances recently so it is time for a little break. We will be at Grand Harbor for 4 nights with three full days to relax. Now, if only I can convince the Admiral that "relaxing" means taking it easy... Yah, I know what you are thinking - "Good Luck".
Last evening when we arrived, part of the fuel dock was occupied by "Bullish". She is beautiful and also the first real yacht that we have seen in a long time (Chicago?). There are quite a few Loopers here, including "Charis" and "Thanks Dad" who arrived with us last evening.
The picture at the left shows "Charis" docked next to the marina office. The bow of "Thanks Dad" is barely visible at the right. Then Lucky Us would be the next boat to the right. "Thanks Dad" is an interesting name, and I finally inquired as to its origin. No, one of their fathers did not give them the boat, but the name is in honor of both of the couples dads who instilled a love of boating in them. Pretty neat!
Of course, one of the first things that we inquired about was the pool. Of course, it is closed for the season... Just my luck!
Day 2-325
The weather prediction was for a 40% chance of rain and thunder storms after Noon. Sure enough, it started to rain hard at 12:20 pm, but it only lasted for a few minutes. However, the chances of severe thunderstorms over night were much higher. At 1:30 am we were both awakened by loud thunder just to the north, but that storm slipped by to the north without even any rain.
During the day, Terry did laundry and caught up with the never ending paper work. I spent most of my time working on the blog. Ever since our 12 days in Chicago, I have been behind and trying hard to catch up. On a normal travel day it takes 2 to 2.5 hours to download, sort and name pictures and write the blog. At that rate, you can get an idea how difficult it is to catch up, especially on travel days.
For dinner we arranged for the courtesy van from Freddy T's Restaurant to pick us up at the marina at 5:30 pm. Ken and Ann from "Chari" and John and Sue from "Thanks Dad" joined us for dinner. We knew that the marina was in Mississippi, but as we headed out the front gate, we learned that we crossed back into Tennessee in about 100 feet. The restaurant had a very nautical theme with decoration that included a jet ski, 2 feet off the stern of a good sized boat, etc. Dinner was fun with everyone sharing lots of stories about their adventures. The interesting part is that we can also learn from each other's adventures.
The picture at the right is looking up at the underside of the entry portico. The fishing lure is about 4 feet long with assorted floats and lobster pots. I had catfish and shrimp while the Admiral sampled their shrimp and grits and we both had large salads. It was a really fun time with nice people, and of course, when the courtesy van dropped us off back at the marina, it was already "late" and time for sleep, wonderful sleep. I showed my true colors when I had the driver make a "2 minute stop" at the local super market so that I could buy a gallon of vanilla ice cream. Well, I do have my priorities...
Day 2-326
We had reserved one of the marina courtesy vans for 11:00 am to go to Shiloh National Military Park, which I guess must be a more politically correct reference for a battlefield (?). It was about a 30 minute drive, and we stopped at Nuevo Vallarta Mexican Restaurant on the way. The picture at the left shows me driving while doing my best imitation of the thinker...
On the way we listened to a CD of the battlefield driving tour that the marina had provided. Everyone had recommended the 50 minute movie at the Information Center (picture at right), and although we had to wait 15 minutes for it to start, the movie was excellent. The Battle of Shiloh only lasted two days, but in that short time the casualties (dead, wounded and missing) were greater than the total casualties in all US wars to that date.
The Confederates had moved north to surprise General Grant's Army before it could get organized to move south to capture a strategic southern rail center. The surprise worked, and the South was the clear winner on the first day. Overnight Grant's Army was reinforced with 13,000 troop who had just arrived. The reinforcements were ferried across the river on paddle wheelers under cover of darkness. The North had a "slight" victory on the second day. Then the South retreated, while both armies took a long time to recover and reorganize.
We did not take the actual driving tour, but we did drive by some of the many memorials to soldiers from different states. The picture at the left shows one of the memorials that in this case honors the soldiers from Iowa. Neither army had dug trenches or built fortifications before the surprise attack so it was pretty much lines of men advancing toward each other with only a little cover provided by trees and some small creeks. The descriptions and pictures of the horrible aftermath of the battle were really incredible. General Grant had hoped for a quick decisive victory that might put an early end to the war. Instead, the Civil War was to rage on for more than 3 years.
One side note to my geologist friends -
Col. John Wesley Powell lost an arm in this battle. Powell was to go on after the war and become one of the most famous explorers (and geologists) in the western frontier.
I suppose that there were cannon balls left everywhere, but most of the important markers were these very visible pyramids of cannon balls. I did check, and yes, they did look like real cannon balls. However, they appeared to be held in place by cement to deter theft (?).
By then we were due back at the marina, and I think that emotionally we were both ready to go...
Day 2-328
Time to watch the Aggies BTHO Mississippi State at 11:00 am. During halftime we got lunch from the marina store just a few feet down the dock. We also had the obligatory popcorn during the second half. Notice that I have not said much about the game... The Aggies scored quickly on their first possession, but after that it was pretty much all Mississippi State. They scored 28 straight points, and the game was never really in doubt although the Aggies did get closer during "garbage time" near the end. Like I have said before "That's why they call them Aggies". You just never know which team is going to show up for a game.
After the game, we worked on chores that we had left undone so far during our three day break. The Admiral finished up the laundry and paper work, while I tackled the job of cleaning the bilge... In the engine room the bottom of the bilge is covered by a removable walkway. Like they say - "Out of sight, out of mind". There was plenty of mud that comes in with water that leaks in around the propeller drive shafts. They are supposed to leak (a little) so that the fit is not too tight. However, the real culprit in the bilge is oil. It (very) slowly leaks from a number of places on all three diesel engines. We have absorbent pads that catch most of the oil, but sooner or later some of what collects on the sides must be wiped off...I did the cleaning and replaced the pads. It is hard because I have to lie down and reach down into the bilge to do the cleaning... After a good dose of bilge cleaner (soap?), the water is clear with no floating oil sheen on top. I guess that doing such a horribly, messy job may be fitting after watching a depressing football game (?). However, we are now good to go (tomorrow morning)...
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