On 08/01/20, we decided at the last minute to trust the weather radar (which said all rain for the day had already passed by us), and hopped into Digney for a lunch ride over to the Thirsty Turtle. I finally learned why I can never start the dinghy engine when I’m at the helm! Steve has instructed me repetitively on pulling out the choke on the motor before turning the ignition key, which I always do, but with no success. Finally, Steve took my place and of course the motor started right up without a hitch! UGH… Steve shut-off the motor, put me back at the helm, and said, “Okay show me what you’re doing when you try to start this thing.” I took the transmission out of gear, pushed the lever up to give some gas, pulled what I thought was the choke, and turned the key in the ignition. Steve rolled his eyes and said, “Well I see the problem right off the bat! You’re not pulling out the choke, you’re releasing the lever that raises and lowers the motor out and into the water!” D’OH!! Hahaha! I burst out laughing and declared, “Well, NO WONDER this stupid thing never starts for me!!” Obviously I’d not paid close attention when Steve originally showed me where the choke was located… 🙂 Surprisingly, when I tried again (pulling the correct handle this time) that little motor started right up for me! TA-DA! That whole ordeal gave me the giggles so badly, I could not stifle them for the entire ride over to the restaurant. As we sped over the lake, we noticed the skies were still extremely gray, and the temps were super-cool (like just before it rains), but the radar said we were good, so we pushed onward. We enjoyed another lunch alfresco and just as we finished, Steve looked across the water, pointing to what he thought was a wall of mist. NOPE! Turned out to be rain, not mist! Suddenly it appeared on the radar and was going to get worse before it got better. We paid our check and ran for the dinghy as it began to sprinkle. Steve drove as fast as he could, but the closer we got to the marina, the harder it rained, until we finally arrived back at our slip completely drenched, looking (and feeling) like two drowned rats! We passed several boaters on the lake (with covered boats…) who chuckled at how ridiculous we looked boating in the pouring rain. UGH again! We learned a valuable lesson not to go by radar alone. If the weather looks and feels like rain, it’s most likely going to RAIN.
Fortunately, the weather cleared up and brought with it some sunny, cooler days with very low humidity over the next week. During this time, we enjoyed a 3-hour dinghy ride over to the other side of Lake Barkley, where we found some beautiful, private coves to which we could bring the mother ship to anchor-out for a night or two. Our dinghy ride this time was much drier and so much more pleasant! When we returned, we met our new friends, Janice and Dean (on Blue Barnacle), upstairs in “Steve’s pavilion” for evening adult beverages and sparkling conversation. Blue Barnacle left GTB the next day, bound for Knoxville, TN. We hope to catch up to them again in the next couple months.
On 8/3/20, we got up early and drove both vehicles down to Nashville for Steve’s cardiologist check-up appointment and to sell our BMW Z4 to Carmax. This was not a joyful task, but one that had to happen. Living and traveling full-time on a boat is not conducive to automobile ownership! We got what we felt like was a good price for our beloved convertible, and drove back to GTB in the Lexus, both feeling sad. We’ve had some really great times in that little car and will miss it!
On 8/4/20, we discovered that Legacy’s washer/dryer unit was apparently leaking, because we found some ugly finish damage to the teak wood directly beneath it. UGH! I promptly took our remaining dirty laundry up to finish it at the marina laundromat, while Steve tried to figure out the problem with the washer. He determined that the O-ring that surrounds the water filter was old and hard so it wasn’t making a good seal around the filter, which was causing a slow leak that we were completely unaware of. He cleaned and lubricated the existing ring and ordered replacements on Amazon. We now need to repair the teak finish damage done by the leak, but are both hesitant to do so, as we’re afraid of making it even worse! (We may wait and find a professional to repair it when we get down to the Keys this winter.) The good thing was that I could start using our unit again rather than the laundromat. When I finally graduated from apartment living, way back in the day, and moved into a house with my OWN washer and dryer, I vowed to NEVER darken the doors of another public laundry facility! And I didn’t for decades. But, as the saying goes… never say NEVER, because look at me now!
On 08/06/20, the weather was still so nice that my yoga group decided to meet OUTSIDE for that day’s session! We used the end of the pier at Lighthouse Landing marina, which is just west of GTB, on Kentucky Lake. This was my very first time to do yoga outside and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The sun was shining brightly, not a cloud in the very blue sky, with a nice, low-humidity breeze to cool us during our workout. When I returned to the boat after that session, I exclaimed to Steve that my morning had been just shy of a spiritual experience! Needless to say, he didn’t share my exaltation, but too bad – his loss!
Another major break-through for me on 08/08/20, when I helmed Digney back from lunch at the Turtle to our slip and successfully backed that puppy right into our slip next to the mother ship all by myself!! Even the Skipper was impressed with Gilligan’s rare, stellar performance.
We finally got reservations for dinner at Patti’s 1880’s Settlement! Granted, it was on a Monday evening, (08/10/20) at 4:30 pm, but you gotta take what you can get. We had heard such great things about this place, we were really looking forward to it. We each ordered their famous 2-inch thick pork chop, both of which were tasty, but HUGE. In fact, we carried home to-go boxes that evening and enjoyed those pork chops for two subsequent dinners afterward!
On 08/12/20, we drove back to Paducah to run errands and decided to have lunch at one of the restaurants we’d enjoyed last year in the town’s charming, refurbished downtown district on the Ohio River. Sadly, as soon as we arrived, we realized that Covid-19 has made it’s mark on that formerly lovely area. Many of the little shops and restaurants were closed and some had even been boarded up! The vibrant feel we’d experienced last year was now gone, with an almost ghost-town atmosphere replacing it. We know this is just one small casualty of the self-induced devastation our country has inflicted upon itself in the name of Covid. 🙁 We did manage to find Doe’s Eat Place still open and enjoyed a nice lunch there. Their lunchtime business did seem to be steady, if not bustling, which gave our hearts some hope for the future.
On 08/19/20, I drove the Lexus back to Paducah for its last maintenance appointment before we sell it the end of this month. 🙁 While I was gone, Steve stayed with Legacy while the marina performed general maintenance on her such as changing oil and all filters on each of 4 different engines, as well as replacing all impellers. Having extensive maintenance done on the vessel that is actually your HOME, can be disruptive, to say the least. The engine room is accessed by literally pulling up the floors in both the galley and the salon, which means I was relegated to the aft-berth for several hours during this multi-day process, while Steve observed and assisted the mechanic. Ocean Alexanders apparently don’t frequent this area, because we wound up having to order several parts and pieces needed to complete all repairs. During the boat’s long river journey down from Lake Michigan last year, the starboard stabilizer was damaged when the hull evidently collided with some debris floating in the above-flood stage rivers. It hasn’t worked correctly since then. Steve figured out the replacement part needed for that, and as soon as it arrives, the mechanic will return to complete the repair.
Wonderful weather lingering, I enjoyed another satisfying outdoor yoga event on Kentucky Lake on Thursday morning, 08/20/20. This time, our group had the added bonus of watching a bald eagle glide right over our heads and into the trees behind us, where some hungry baby eagles were eagerly awaiting their morning meal! This time I DID have a spiritual experience!
On 8/21/20, we jumped into the car and explored some of the “LBL” (Land Between the Lakes) area. We lunched outside at Cabin Pizza again, then headed south on the Woodlands Trace (KY state highway 453) toward the Elk and Bison Prairie, north of Dover, TN. The 700-acre prairie is lush and beautiful and home to 45 elk and 55 bison, as well as turkeys and other wildlife. A 3.5-mile, paved drive meanders through the prairie and entry costs $5 per automobile. Right inside the prairie gates, we saw several large elk snacking leisurely, and they even held still long enough for us to photograph them! Further on down the drive, and in several different areas, we saw many turkeys right up next to the road. Although we saw elk several times, and even drove the 3.5-mile loop twice, we never saw a single bison, though we did see plenty of evidence that this place was their home. Further on down the trace, we stopped at The Homeplace 1850s, which is a working homestead and farm from way back in the day. Staff members dress in period clothing and demonstrate everyday life and chores from back in the mid-19th century. I exclaimed several times as we walked around the grounds at how beautiful I found the place and that I thought I could’ve lived there once upon a time. Having grown up on a dairy farm, Steve is well aware of the toil and drudgery of farm life and scoffed at my exclamation. He’s right, of course, so I amended my statement to say that I thought I could’ve lived back then and WATCHED everyone else do any and all required labor. (I would’ve enjoyed some light tending of the spacious garden, though.)
On 8/22/20, we met Libby and Ron Johnson on Tug O’ My Heart, a 25-foot Ranger tug, and Janice and Frank Dooley on Tug Dooley, which is another 25-foot Ranger tug. I first met Libby in my yoga class. Libby and Ron are retired and living on their boat, like us. They sold their house in Illinois, along with most of their belongings, and moved aboard several years ago. They started out doing the loop, but have yet to complete the entire thing. They decided to slip their boat over at Lighthouse Landing marina back in March of 2020, when all the Covid mess began and are still there. They plan to continue their travels once everything returns to normal. Janice and Frank Dooley are also retired, and still have their “dirt home” in Iuka, MS, near Pickwick Lake, where they slip their boat at Pickwick Landing State Park marina. They travel and explore on their boat for 3-week intervals multiple times throughout the year and live in their home the rest of the time. Sadly, Tug Dooley headed down the Cumberland River toward Nashville the very next morning, but I’m sure we’ll encounter them again as we’re finding this live-aboard lifestyle makes for a pretty close-knit community.
Position: N 37° 00.458, W 88° 13.628