Life at Home

Yard work. Yard work. And more yard work! And we're still not done. Just like owning a boat but for some reason it's not as satisfying as working on Tourist. OK. Enough whining. So far, for the most part it hasn't been too bad  (Don't tell Pam!) not having Tourist here with us. We've been catching up with friends and family and eating more than we (I) should. Additionally I've been making the rounds of doctor and dentist appointments. Talk about feeling violated! Guys. You know what I'm talking about. When you hear that "snap" and know it's not a rubber band.

As a counter to the increased food consumption Pam & I got the bikes out and started riding about four days a week or when the weather permits. Fortunately for us there is a bike trail along the river close to our home that takes us by two marinas, a stretch of the Mississippi, and leads to Lock and Dam 11 where we turn around after making a trip up to the observation deck to check out any lock traffic.

M/V Dell Butcher in L&D 11

M/V Show Me State heading upstream towards L&D 11

I must say that with all the rain we've had in the Upper Midwest we made the right decision to leave Tourist in Florida. A check of the river stages shows that the mighty Mississippi is above flood stage from Lock 17 all the way to the jct. of the Ohio River. Instead of dodging logs and fighting current Tourist is resting high and dry inside a hurricane proof building probably exchanging war stories with the other boats.

Not Quite Landlocked

It's been two weeks since we left Tourist at River Forest. Much to Pam's amazement (and with the help of friends) I'm still sane! Since we've been home we have been making the graduation scene. Most notably that of our grandson Luke who graduated from 8th grade this past week. Way To go Luke!

Our house is in a subdivision whose occupants have a lot of time on their hands so the lawn care competition is quite high. Of course by the time we get home ours is looking a little shabbier than most. Needless to say we have been spending quality time getting the yard back in shape to avoid eviction from the area!

Weed pullin Pam!

Migrant Rick

Fortunately our good friends Mike & Nancy invited us out on their boat to help maintain sanity and relax our tired muscles. Maybe being home won't be so bad after all! With a forecast of good weather and a water temp near 80, one night turned into two. My kind of boating!

Relaxing in the Mississippi!

Fog lifting over the main channel.

Local excursion boat Twilight. (http://www.riverboattwilight.com/)

Time to shut down for now. It's grass cuttin day. Wahoo!