MEMPHIS, TN 8-28-2017

Sam Phillips' Sun Studio

This area is fertile ground for entrepreneurs!  Kevin Wilson founded the Holiday Inn chain because he was married with six children and wanted inexpensive places to stay when the whole family and the dog traveled together.  FedEx was born in Memphis, the brain child of Frederick Smith, who was told that it could never work.  St. Joseph’s Aspirin and Dr. Scholl’s foot remedies began here.  Sam Phillips owned Sun Studio and the original building is still open.  Sam Phillips launched the careers of BB King, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley among many others.

The Peabody Hotel features a one-of-a-kind event.  Folks from around the world gather to watch.  A half dozen ducks reside on the roof of the hotel and are tended with love and care.  At 11 AM each morning, they walk to the elevator and ride down to the first floor.  A red carpet is rolled out from the central, grand marble fountain to the elevator and a red carpeted set of stairs is arranged at the edge of the fountain by the Duckmaster. 

The
Duckmaster

When the elevator doors open, the “March of the Ducks” begins.  They exit the elevator onto the red carpet and waddle along to the stairs, then climb the stairs and jump into the fountain.  The ducks spend the day in the fountain and at 5 PM, they march along on the red carpet to the elevator.  They ride the elevator back up to the roof level where they spend the night and wait to repeat the same performance the following day.

Picture plagiarized from a postcard

It all began in 1933 when Frank Schutt, the General Manager of the hotel, went duck hunting with a friend.  They arrived back from the trip having sipped a little too much “southern comfort,” shall we say, and Frank came up with what he thought would be a funny prank.  The two of them put their live duck decoys in the fountain and retired.  In the morning, the rest of the guests were not horrified as they expected, but tickled!  And thus, the tradition was born and “The March of the Ducks” has become internationally famous.  The hotel parlor was packed with people from every corner of the globe.  It is the funniest, most delightful thing to see. 

Ducks taking care of business!

The Duckmaster explained that the ducks are wild and employed for only about 90 days.  Their wings are clipped so they can’t fly away but otherwise they are not tamed, named or spoiled.  They are returned to the wild after they are fully-grown and a new group of ducks is supplied by a local farmer. 

Pal & Fritz on Beale Street

Beale Street in Memphis is the home and birthplace of jazz and blues.  It is only a block or two long and bordered on either side by shops, cafés, restaurants, saloons, music stores and collections and antiques from the golden age of jazz and blues.  A trip to Memphis is not complete without a stroll up and down Beale Street.  Across from BB King’s Place we four found The Blues City Café, highly

Sign at the Blues City Cafe 

recommended by the locals, where a cold local brew and a serious, hot, spicy bowl of gumbo is served containing rice, okra, shrimp, crawfish and catfish.  Delicious!

Best gumbo in town!

Bass Pro Shop pyramid

Front window display

Our next experience was the Bass Pro Shop.  The building, an enormous pyramid, was originally a sports and concert center for a local college.  A new center was built and the pyramid lay long empty.  John Morris, the owner of Bass Pro Shop was courted by the business community of Memphis and the state but was reluctant and nervous about the success or possible failure of this venture.  He went out fishing with one of these businessmen who tried to coax him into a decision.  He finally said that if he caught a 25 pound catfish, he would agree to do it. 

A catfish sealed the deal!

Rob in the Bass Pro Shop

Within 30 minutes, he caught a 27 pounder and the deal was sealed.  Bass Pro Shops are known for their extravagant and opulent displays but this one goes miles beyond.  Filling the 400,000 square feet of the pyramid are complete towns, bridges, trees and ponds full of fish and, yes, alligators.  You can unload any extra money you have for a $175,000 shotgun or a $175 duck call.  The displays are amazing!

“If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you.  This is the principle difference between a dog and a man.”  - Mark Twain

(Don't know if this will work!  Has sound!)

NEW MADRID, MO 8-26-2016

The tiny, sleepy little town of New Madrid, on the “bootheel” of Missouri (that little stick-out on the lower eastern edge of the state), has a population of 3,116 and has existed here since the late 1700s.  Benjamin and Permelia Higgerson were among the first to arrive when they came here from Virginia.  Apparently, during one of our early wars, there was a battle fought on their land and it sort of trashed the place.  So they packed up and headed “west” and arrived at Higgerson Landing, just a short distance up the river.  Folks lived in this little village for awhile and the Higgerson School was created, a one-room school house where grades one through eight were taught.  The Higgerson School was later relocated to New Madrid and continued to educate children through the 1960s.  It is now a National Historic Landmark.  I guess that makes me one, too, because I can remember all the things that I saw in this little school:  chalkboards, erasers, a green strip of cardboard across the top of the chalkboards with the alphabet written in cursive (capital letters followed by the lower case letters) and rows of small wooden desks with storage shelves beneath the writing surfaces.  The back door opens into the playground.  One lady who is a docent is my age and she attended this school and was taught by the other docent lady who was standing at the front behind the teacher’s desk.

Docent at an antebellum home

Docent showing off the foundations!

Inside the Higgerson one-room schoolhouse

Higgerson School

New Madrid’s claim to fame is the series of earthquakes that shook the town to its core beginning at 2 AM on Dec. 16, 1811.  Scientists who have studied the effects of the quakes, which continued into 1812, believe that even the aftershocks and tremors would have measured 8 on the seismic scale.  By comparison, the earthquake in San Francisco in 1906 measured 7.8.  The New Madrid earthquakes would have caused widespread damage, destruction and death but the area was sparsely populated (about 400 souls scattered over long distances) so the actual death toll is not known.  One account tells of the steamboat New Orleans that was on its maiden voyage on the Mississippi River and was moored to an island overnight.  In the morning after the quakes, the island was gone, sunk.  The earth rock and rolled with explosions, cracks, holes and landslides.  Sand spewed out of the fissures and covered thousands of acres of fertile land, rendering the land useless.  Sand in some places measures 5 feet deep to this day.  The town of New Madrid itself had sunk about 12 feet, not submerged in water but fallen.  Damage occurred as far away as Charleston, SC and church bells rang in Boston.  For a short time, the flow of the Mississippi River was reversed as land sank and the water rushed to the low areas.  Shaking was felt as far away as Montana and northern Canada.   Now, the New Madridians capitalize on the quakes with memorabilia, hats, books and shirts (that read, “It’s our fault!”).  And to this day, tremors occur here and the natives are so used to them that they hardly notice.

We are currently tied to a couple of trees at Ashport Landing.  The stop is brief, we depart at 1 PM.  Rob asked me if I wanted to go on a 3 ½ hour bus trip to drive to a Civil War confederate fort, Fort Pillow. Not really.  This is a lazy day lollygagging about on the boat.

A little piece of trivia for you:  one bit of lore has it that in 1830, Nicholas Roosevelt (brother of Teddy’s great grandpa) built a luxurious steamboat, the George Washington.  There were 26 rooms on the boat and at the time, 26 states in the Union.  So each room was given the name of a state and later, the word “stateroom” went into the dictionary.

“Always do right.  This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” – Mark Twain

Toonie time!

                                                                                                                       

PADUCAH, KENTUCKY 8-24-2017

Our boat didn’t sail right by Cape Girardeau but it seemed like it.  In fact, the ACL’s Queen of the Mississippi moored up right next to us on the river side so American Queen had to back out to get under weigh. 

Blocked in by the enemy!

The river is wide and smooth and pretty, bordered sometimes by thick foliage, sandy beaches or rocky ledges.  Our luck holds steady for now, the sky has been clear and the sun shines warmly.  Of course there has been a bit of humidity but it has not been oppressive.

Mark Twain Library
 (this is where I write the blogs)

Nevertheless, our trusty skeeter repellant stands at the ready.  On another administrative note, the food and wine provided by our hosts in the lovely dining room has been delicious and generous.  Last evening, our treats included crawfish bisque, alligator in red sauce and black forest cake.

Dining room

Staircase and chandelier

About midday, the Captain announced that in awhile, the boat would hang a sharp left and head up the Ohio River and sail toward Paducah, as planned.  He also learned that there is pier construction happening in Dover so the boat cannot park there so our original route has been modified a little and we’ll get a generous long day in Paducah instead.  In case you wonder, a “ship” has been in salt water, therefore, we are a “boat.”  Our sister boat, the American Duchess traveled with us down the Ohio, today.  When we arrived at the Mississippi, she turned north and we said, “good bye” and headed south.

Our sister ship, American Duchess

There was a community of settlers in the Paducah area living peacefully alongside the friendly Indian tribe.  In 1827, however, things changed.  Gen. William Clark bought 37,000 acres of Kentucky land including that upon which Paducah is located for $5 (total cost).  From whom he bought it is not clear to me since the Indians were here first.  He presented the Indians with the deed and ordered them to move so they did.  He named the town Paducah to honor the Indians’ chief, Paduke.  Small comfort, I guess, as Chief Paduke and his folk were evicted.

Because of its geography, where the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers converge, this area has been a strategic port city since long before the Revolutionary War.  It was always easiest to move things along the water rather than over the rugged land.  In wartime, the rivers became major arteries for gunboats, troops and supplies and later, the area became an important railway hub as well.

In 1937, the Ohio River overflowed its banks and flooded the area for weeks.  The flood waters reached 61 feet and 27,000 people evacuated.  Afterward, a floodwall was constructed and colorful murals were painted over many blocks by artist Robert Dafford depicting historic local events. 

Painted flood wall

Check out the thickness of the flood wall!

The town is now a home for many fine arts including drama, photography, distilleries (moonshine) and quilting!  The National Quilt Museum holds a competition here each year.  Libby Lehman’s artistic award-winning quilts are on display as are the quilts of many other fine artists.  I am amazed by the incredible detailing in the quilts that adorn the walls here.  I supposed it would take me the rest of my life to create just one of these pieces of art.  There is one display that left me in disbelief, though.  It is a wooden quilt.  Yes, wood.  I suppose Mr. Quilt said to Mrs. Quilt, “If you can make a quilt, so can I.”  It is so realistic the fact that it is not actually cloth is spell-binding.  One must touch it.  “DO NOT TOUCH!” it says.  Too late.  Lindy can testify that this quilt is made of wood.  Not a “fine” art but an art form nevertheless, is gunsmithing.  Ferd Hummel had a shop in this town and did gun repairs for Federal troops during the Civil War.  He was awarded a patent in 1881 for his breech-loading firearm.

Wooden quilt!  

Lindy schmoozing with Captain Bobby

Captain Bobby Duncan can drive a boat and also play a guitar.  He invited guests to join him for a jam session with the Steamboat Syncopators last night in the Engine Room Bar!  We had acquired a small bottle of chocolate moonshine in town and took a small glass with us to the bar to hear the captain rock out!  He and the band were amazing.  Behind the band there are large round windows and beyond them, the big red paddlewheel splashes and churns round and round, keeping time to the music. 

Captain Bobby (on the right) rockin' out!

It looks as if you are staring into the window of a massive front-loading washing machine!  We danced, sang, sipped and laughed with the captain until, at last, we were hit over the head with the Sleep Fairy’s wand.  What an end to our wonderful day!

Fritz and Pal on their veranda

Osprey eating MY walleye!

CHESTER, IL 8-22-2017

On the way to the Villa Antonio Winery to see the eclipse, the guide on the bus pointed out a few landmarks in the St. Louis area.  One of them is the Lewis and Clark Confluence Tower.  It was constructed to commemorate the 200^th anniversary of the year the expedition arrived at this place where the Missouri and the Mississippi Rivers meet.  Here, two hundred years ago, they pressed on and headed up the Missouri River.

Lewis and Clark Confluence Tower

Half house - the other half finished later with wood

Half house!  People smarter than the government!

Next, scattered throughout St. Louis you will see what are known as “half houses.”  Let me explain.  First, a fire swept through and destroyed everything.  So the townsfolk began the reconstruction of their homes.  When the houses were half way finished, they moved into them while they finished the other half.  So here’s what the government brain trust decreed.  They told the folks that they didn’t have to pay any taxes until the houses were finished.  Well, duh!  The clever folks rightly reasoned that this was a good reason not to finish building their houses and so lived in “half houses.”  Eventually, the government meatheads caught on (You think?), slapped their foreheads and changed this ruling.  Can’t let people go without paying taxes on stuff, now can you?!

Our next port was Chester, Illinois and the shore excursion took us on a “Tale of Tears.”  Learning this bit of history made the heart ache.  In the days of the USA’s infancy, as you know, the American Indians experienced a great deal of strife as their lands were being gobbled up.  The friendly and the not-so-friendly Indians were being swept off their tribal lands, rounded up and forcibly herded away.  They were dumped into the “Indian Territory,” land west of the official border of the USA, land that was not yet but would eventually become the state of Oklahoma.  This was in accordance with the “Indian Removal Act,” passed in 1830 by Congress and signed into law by Andrew Jackson who was determined to remove the Indians.  Government soldiers descended upon the tribes and thousands were deported, sometimes in chains and often at gunpoint, on foot, on horseback and in wagons, to strange lands west of the Mississippi River.  The tribes consisted of the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek and Seminole and they (more than 50,000 souls) were marched 800 miles west.  Thousands did not survive the journey due to disease and starvation.  The path they walked is now a national landmark and the journey of these people is demarcated on the Trail of Tears map.  This was not one of the country’s proudest moments and we were heavy-hearted to see this memorial.

Our next stop was Altenburg, MO.  In 1838 there was a great deal of religious persecution in Europe and a group of 700 German people pooled their resources and left for America.  Five ships sailed but at the Mississippi River in New Orleans, only four ships arrived.  The fifth carrying people and all the possessions and survival tools of the entire group, was never seen again.  The group traveled up the river as far as St. Louis but wanted more wide open space to farm the land. The pastor of the group was a shyster and blew all of the travelers’ funds but some, who had never trusted him, had squirreled some of their money away.  They bought 4,500 acres of land for $2/acre in what is now Altenburg.  And there they were, out in the middle of nowhere.  More tears.  No homes, no tools, no food, no farm implements.  The German folks witnessed the march of the Indians, sickly, ghostly, near-death, across their new land.  Tears upon tears.  The two groups had their own brand of sorrow in their new environment.  Somehow, both enterprising groups rolled up their sleeves and survived.

Old cabins from the original settlers

Beer Barrel Polka!

Lunch served by the good folks in Altenburg

The folks of Altenburg happily welcomed and seated us at long tables where an authentic German meal was served for lunch.  An oompah band serenaded us while we enjoyed a choice of 4 different beers, German potato salad, koch kässe (cook’s cheese), fresh made bread, pot roast with roasted potatoes and carrots, chicken, dressing, gravy, cucumber-vinegar salad, pickled beets, coffee cake and blatz kuchen (bubble cake).  If I closed my eyes, I’d have sworn that the food came right from my Mom’s kitchen.  We felt at home and blessed and our hearts felt just a little lighter.

These are my people!

HANNIBAL, MO 8-20-2017

Another fellow I failed to mention was Joe Reynolds.  He was a trapper and a fur trader on the river in the vicinity of Dubuque.  He had some difficulty with name recognition because there was another trapper and fur trader with the same name.  So Joe Reynolds took to creating a logo for himself; a four sided diamond with the word, “Jo” in the middle.  He began branding his pelts with this logo and it became instantly recognizable.  People began calling him, “Diamond Jo,” to the point where his real name, Joe Reynolds, faded.  Diamond Jo decided that transporting his furs up and down the river could be accomplished more efficiently with the latest invention, the steamship.  So he invested and had one built then a couple more and before long, The Diamond Jo Steamship Co. came to be.  He became a very successful, wealthy businessman in the steamboat and shipping business. 

Rich and Rob at Eagle Point in Dubuque

Eagle Point in Dubuque was the location of Diamond Jo’s boat yard.  Steamboats became a form of escape for people in the early 1900s when the economy began to take a nosedive.  The boats did not have staterooms and you could not stay overnight, they were simply ballrooms and dance floors where people could party and get away from it all. 

A model of the magnificent SS Capitol - Thee party boat!

One of them was the SS Capitol and it was a glorious creation.  A tornado destroyed it a year after it was built and parts were taken from Diamond Jo’s ship, the Dubuque, to restore the Capitol.

(We are passing by some towns too quickly, like Burlington, Iowa.  I didn’t have enough of a chance to delve into the culture and history so that I could create stories.)

After Burlington, the boat stopped in Hannibal, Missouri and again it was too short a visit.  Hannibal was the location of the childhood home of Samuel Clemens, also known as Mark Twain.  He was a phenomenal, prolific man; Winston Churchill, Will Rogers and Yogi Berra all rolled into one.  A walking tour in Hannibal takes a person through the homes of Sam Clemens and his family, Huck Finn (a character based upon Sam’s best friend, Tom Blankenship), Becky Thatcher (a character based upon his friend Laura Hawkins) and the law offices and courtroom of Sam’s father, John Clemens.  The homes are not replicas, they are the originals!  

Tom Blankenship's (Huck Finn's) house

Becky Thatcher's (Laura Hawkins) house

Samuel Clemens family home (and the whitewashed fence)

Sam's father John's law offices

Huck and Tom

One may take a walking tour through the caves where Sam and his friends often played and where Becky and Tom Sawyer became lost in, “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.”  On Mark Twain’s 100^th birthday in 1935, Norman Rockwell was enlisted to paint various scenes from Twain’s books.  Rockwell spent some time in Hannibal to really get a feel for the essence of the stories of Tom, Huck, Becky and Aunt Polly.  When the celebration was over, Rockwell donated his paintings to the Mark Twain Museum and they can still be seen there.  Hannibal is thick with the memories and legacy of Mark Twain.  Everything Mark Twain may be found in this pretty little town.

Sam Clemens - the boatman

They built a wall in Hannibal and finished it in 1992, just in time.  In 1993, the Mississippi River overflowed it’s banks during storms and if it had not been for the wall, much of the town and the homes of Tom, Huck and Becky would have been obliterated.

The flood wall marks up to 19.4 feet

We sailed on in the serene waters through locks # 24 and 25 and tied up in Alton, Illinois.  Today’s adventure included a trip to Hillsboro, Missouri, just a bit southwest of St. Louis.  A picnic lunch on the beautifully landscaped lawns was provided under canopy by the Villa Antonio Winery and featured some of their signature wines.  At midday, the world went dark during the solar eclipse.  We were directly in the path where totality of the eclipse occurred and the crowd hooted, gasped and cheered as Mr. Moon completely hid Mr. Sun and left nothing behind but his halo.  

I'm pretty sure an engineer designed these glasses!

Stylin!'

Party at the winery

Mr. Moon and Mr. Sun hammin' it up!

The show's over!

Pal and Fritz on their veranda

Just so you know, the Indians called the river, “Mesaz-Sepi” or other tribal names that sound similar.  They all meant, “Great River.”  And a great river it is, indeed.