Crusin' Down the Riber

Somewhere in my collection of "old family stuff" there's a recording (an actual record, not a tape, as my uncle had a record recorder) of me singing "Cruisin' Down the Riber" when I was about 3 years old. It's the typical recording of a 3-year-old trying to sing, and as I recall the recording now 7 decades later, it's rather charming. I'm unable to say all the words correctly, but I definitely know that we're cruising down a river on a Sunday afternoon and having a good time.

That's what we've been doing for the last few days--cruising down the river--(I say it correctly now). In fact we've been cruising down several rivers: The Cumberland, the Tennessee, and the huge "Land between the Lakes" in Kentucky. Today we are in Florence, Alabama, which is famous for the Muscle Shoals Recording Studios where many singers have recorded their work (very different from the 3 year old me  singing "cruisin' down the riber,") in addition, Helen Keller's home is nearby. Later today we'll take a loop tour of the area learning about local history.

What we've been enjoying is our room, a luxurious "Grand Suite." We have never traveled in a Grand Suite before. It's private and lovely, near the 4th floor lounge/restaurant and the 10 AM and 3 PM hot cookie tray. I don't know why it's important to be close to the cookies (other than they are warm and yummy) because we are being well-fed along the way. We are going to only 2 of the 3 served meals everyday as there's just too much food. We have a great table with good table-mates, and a wonderful waiter, Antonio, who is taking good care of us. In case you are wondering, the food is fantastic. If you ever take a river cruise, come prepared for lots of good food, fine wine and cocktails, and great service.

Everyday there's a cocktail hour before dinner where you can order just about any drink known to man and eat goodies from tray after tray of delightful finger foods (including candied bacon which is beyond good). Needless to say, I've only looked at all of this, as I have no more room for food (but I did have some candied bacon--oops). Last night, I had a half-sized order for dinner and it was still too much. I'm filled to the top with all the good food.

Come to think of it, there's food just about everywhere. We have a live performance every night, and there are goodies to eat there too--bags of freshly popped popcorn, chips, cocktails, cookies, and more! If you are hungry on this cruise, it's your own fault, as the folks on the boat have thought of everything. Maybe the cruise should be re-named  to "fine eating down the river?"

We're having a great relaxing time on the Tennessee River. I don't know what day of the week it is, and I don't care. I'm "cruisin' down the riber" and having a grand time.

The Land Between the Lakes

We have spent the last day docked somewhere near Paducah, Kentucky (I'm lucky to be in Kentucky). It's been a pleasant stop where we had an opportunity to eat even more food. The famous place here is Patti's and the lemon meringue pie is a mile high. Yesterday we had blue skies but this morning it's cloudy and gray, there are folks fishing in "stand up" boats--I don't know if they are catching anything but they're been fishing the whole time we have been here. 

The last time we were in this area was in the RV. It hasn't changed much since then (but I don't remember what year that was or the RV we were in?) but I'm guessing it was in the 1990s?? I remember seeing lots of wild turkeys, but I've not seen one this time but I'm not in a campground surrounded by acres of forest.

The cruise has been very nice. The little ship has 173 pax, all of whom seem to be well-traveled. We've met folks from all over the US and we seem to be the only folks from Wyoming. The most remarkable part about an American Cruise Lines cruise is the food. We are eating well and there seems to be food all the time. Yesterday I was a very bad girl as I had 3 desserts--lemon meringue pie, an ice cream bar, and strawberry cheesecake. Granted I did not need to eat 3 desserts, but they tasted so good and decadent. When we get home, we'll have to starve for a while, but like Scarlett, I'll worry about that tomorrow. 

The entertainment is good too. Last night we were serenaded with a group that sang "Songs of the River." I only recognized one song (This Land is Your Land) but all were lively and upbeat and toe-tapping good to listen to. The lecturer on the boat is good too. He's telling us great stories about Tennessee and her rivers. Today we are scheduled to learn about the Anaconda Plan during the Civil War. And then there are a lot of meet and greet venues to talk to the other pax. It's all good. 

I have no idea what our next stop is but I have an app that lets me order lunch and dinner; find out where and when things are happening, and what towns we'll pass by...it's very useful. When we bought this cruise, there were only 2 rooms left--the Grand Suite and something a lot smaller, so we bought the Grand Suite. We have a huge cabin with 2 rooms, 2 floor to ceiling sliding glass doors, a balcony and great views along the river. No wonder we're having a good time cruising down the river.

On The Tennessee River

We boarded the American Symphony about noon today and now we are cruising on the Cumberland River to our first stop, Paducah, Kentucky. Last night we arrived too late to enjoy the Gran Ol' Opry but not too late to check into the largest hotel in the US that is not a casino. The Gaylord Hotel is one million square feet and very easy to get lost in. This morning we found out why the hotel is so big. The hotel is about 50 years and every few years it gets expanded, so there are different sections and levels all pieced together in some type of maze (to the uninitiated hotel guest). I tried to read the map of the hotel grounds and found it as confusing as walking all the corridors, bridges, ramps and hallways. Last night we had a guide to our room..today we were on our own and we got lost. Lucky for us a hotel employee took mercy on us and took us to the main lobby (which was pretty complicated) where American Cruise Lines personnel were waiting for us.

This morning we had the short tour of Nashville which has grown a lot since we were last here in the early 1970s. The ONLY thing we recognized was the Parthenon, everything else was new to us. We found out there are over a hundred "honky tonks" (aka music venues) in town, all of which are built in the hundred-plus year old riverside warehouses from when Nashville was a riverboat town and not yet "discovered." We saw Dolly Parton's new hotel, the Song Teller" and the gardens. Sadly Dolly passed away 2 weeks before it opened; she never saw her project completed. We also saw the huge Vanderbilt Campus that is now surrounded by the town. When we were here last, it was a bit out of the way. The town became a city and it is growing quickly.

Tennessee became a state in 1796, so there's a lot of history here. While we are cruising on the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers we will go to lectures and take excursions to so many interesting places before disembarking in Chattanooga. We are excited to learn as much as we can. It's going to be fun. 

Back in Geezerville

We are now in the desert. It's HOT--hotter than any summer day in the mountains--and guess what? Our a/c quit the first night we were here. Lucky for us, our Geezerville neighbors saved the day--they knew who I needed to call, and the a/c was repaired the same day. How's that for service!

Today we are in for a storm. There are supposed to be high winds and rain. The desert can always use rain, so we are looking forward to it. The wind I could do without. One of my neighbors already warned me that I needed to take in outdoor furniture and pillows that might fly away. Since I don't have them out yet, I think all is ok?!

The drive from the mountains to the desert was long but not as tiring as it could be because my niece and I talked the whole time. Without planning we each drove about half of the distance. We left the mountains at 847 and arrived in the desert (after eating lunch and dinner and stopping along the way at 705 (we did cross a time zone from mountain to pacific time at the NV border.)

The house made it thru another summer, but the garden did not do as well. Our Christmas tree is looking pretty dry and some of the ground covering looks like it's been fried to a crisp. I need to talk to my gardener and find out what happened as it's not supposed to die when we are gone. Other than the a/c going out...the house did well.

It's good to be back in Geezerville...but that does not mean we will stay here--because we have a river cruise on the books. We are supposed to cruise on the Tennessee River, which is in the path of the current hurricane...AND there's supposed to be flash flooding in my neck of the woods...so it might be hard to get there and if we do, there might be a messy river. As of today, the cruise company says the cruise is a go! Remember, we're all in this together.

It's Almost Time...

 

The trees are changing colors and that's telling us it's time to head south. Fall is not "acting" the way it normally does though. Instead of having a forest of yellow aspens all ready to show off for the fall, we have a forest of trees with dying leaves. I think it might be an indicator that we did not have enough water during the year to sustain the leaves to turn to yellow. Now, don't get me wrong, there are some yellow trees out there, but the majority just look tired.

As we drive up the Snake River canyon the mountain maples are starting to fade. The red and orange of last week is quickly changing to welcome the next season, which will be winter. There's a saying up here that Fall lasts about 6 weeks and then winter starts. All of us are hoping that winter will be white and wonderful this year.

In the meantime, we're closing down the summer house, which is a bittersweet moment. Brigadoon, as we sometimes call this place, will go to sleep for 5 or 6 months. To get it ready for that "hibernation" we'll have to turn off the water and winterize the pipes with antifreeze. All outdoor stuff has to come inside. All inside stuff has to get covered and dust-proofed. All stuff we're going to move from one place to the other is getting lugged into the laundry room where it's an "easy" task of moving it to the truck. We've done this move 32 times and we know what to do.

In the meantime, wish us luck on the long drive to our desert home. We have help with the drive this year and that will make it easier. Anything that will make things easier is a good thing. Remember, we're all in this together.