Hornets Nest

A Hornets Nest

Previously I have described Steve’s aerobic style of pursuing insects.  Now, I have to report it may have come back to haunt him.  Yesterday morning, he made several vigorous swats in the neighborhood of a hornet that was just seeking warmth in our pilot house.  The final swing must have stunned the critter because he fell away and disappeared from view – or so we thought. A few hours later (and perhaps many degrees warmer) the pesky fella stung Steve’s finger as he rearranged tools on his dash. It might be a stretch to suggest this little guy was just acting out his anger or even seeking revenge, but surely the stench of the multitude of smooshed insects lingers on the pilot house windows? Perhaps more accuracy and less vigor would help? The resulting swollen hand and liberal application of Benadryl like substances left Steve in pain and groggy – He safely piloted us under the Decatur railroad lift bridge and into the Riverwalk marina across the river from Decatur AL where we tied to the transient dock behind the Hard Dock Café. A nap helped but by then our window for a walk into the historic part of Decatur had closed – or closed in with a light sprinkle and darkness.  We opted for some football watching (Go ‘Noles) and crab cake entrees at the restaurant. Fortunately Steve’s hand is 300 times improved this morning – but sadly the hornet lost his life over the incident.

 

 

The Decatur area on the river was surprising industrial with big agri-businesses!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we passed under the I65 bridges toward Chattanooga, the scenery along the river is more often rural and decked out in fall colors.  We share a few pictures for your seasonal enjoyment along the river and at our rustic stop in Joe Wheeler State Park Marina.

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

We only caught a glimpse of the massive buildings at the Marshall Space Flight Center and Redstone Arsenal along the river in Huntsville.

 

 

Couldn’t leave out the impressive Wilson Lock – which is the largest we will transit with a 97 foot lift. The Wheeler lock with only a 45 foot lift seemed tiny by comparison. The Wilson lock also features a unique upriver gate that sinks rather than swings open. This is one of the oldest dams on the Tennessee River and when it was built in the 1920s it was the highest in the world. Today it is only the third highest, yet amazingly it took only 20 minutes to fill the chamber and get us on our way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

P.S. The depth sounder is still not working and after days of trouble shooting gymnastics, Steve has narrowed it down to the “transducer” which was installed last year since the old (spare) seems to work just fine. Is the moral here “don’t upgrade what isn’t broken”? Speaking of upgrading – it seems repairing a microwave is more expensive than replacing one – now if only that includes upgrading to stainless steel I would be happy.  Sadly, no one seems to make the tiny, under counter mounted version I need in shiny stainless.  Although not perfect, life goes on even with vanilla white microwave ovens.

P.P.S.  Still no idea why the DVD player refuses to work on demand – she just starts and stops at her whim. Well, mostly stops.

P.P.P.S. And, my Kindle spontaneously lights up without the touch of human hands. Is it the season, or a conspiracy to drain the battery?