Time off and on

Time off and on

Our side trip to Nashville has provided a unique looping experience for us.  Thanks to our good friends Greg and Mary Claire Cobetto, Steve had a break from the admiral.  Friday, Greg arrived in GTB to accompany Steve on the trip up the Cumberland River. With careful pre-planned routes they headed out without me to spend two nights on the river in pristine anchorages – from the photos – they did not even have to share them with other boaters. Since docking space in downtown Nashville is booked on the weekends, the boys had two longish days and one shorter one to reach the dock where Mary Claire and I met them. (OK, the truth is they beat us there and docked without any help from us.  They also managed to feed themselves and  my absence was not detected so it they must have found the broom, vacuum and cleaning supplies.  Steve’s cover is blown!)

 

 

 sorry NOT

 

I drove Greg’s car back to the Cobetto farm in Kentucky for a few blissful nights in rural splendor. Among other things, my entertainment included a gourmet brunch at a polo tournament where Annie Cobetto masterminded a stunning display of cuisine and gracious living for the Old Maker’s Club – definitely a change from our casual looper lifestyle. Maggie and her husband hosted the tailgate just in case were needed  any further sustenance - the tournament did go on until 6! :)  We have known the Cobetto girls since they were toddlers, so it was a special treat to see them both as polished grown ups - although the newest girl probably stole the show - who can compete with the cutest grand baby ever?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Cutest grandbaby ever!

Greg and Mary Claire spent the night in Nashville on Erben Renewal – conveniently docked at the foot of Broadway and just a short walk from the new HUSK Nashville restaurant.  We had enjoyed their venue in Charleston so were delighted this new place was open here. A fitting way to celebrate good friends.

 

 

 

 Discussing the mysterious noise assaulting out hull...... a problem two or three advanced degrees tackled with enthusiasm....

 

 

 

 

 

Bonding on the rivers and Green Turtle Bay Fun

Bonding and Green Turtle Bay Fun

From reading looper blogs, we suspected that magic bonds connect travelers on the rivers.  Perhaps these bonds form because this section requires some careful planning of stops, plus coordination and communication with locks and tows and days of travel in tight groups.  The chatter between boats also flows at a higher level than we have experience on other sections of this trip. The results are bonds forged similar to our previous experience with deep desert travel adventures. We all survived the long days due to our joint efforts and now feel connected… luckily our group also shared a depth of nautical and engineering/technical experience which has only reinforced these bonds. While we are glad our days of traveling together on the big rivers are behind us, we nevertheless are sad to see the convoy boats go separate directions. Several members of our group are taking a break from travel, others are charging on, and some like us will just poke along taking side trips up the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers. To celebrate our fun on the rivers and spin the bonds just a little deeper, the ladies scheduled a day trip to Paducah – the courtesy van at Green Turtle Bay is available to each boat for two hours but with five of us from separate boats we had 10 hours to fill our shopping quotes.  This gave us time to see the shops that were open, tour the levee murals, catch the American Queen docked on the river in Paducah where we had spent the night, and even grab a bite of lunch.  Monique piloted the van, Deb was the ace navigator and the gals managed to spend the day on dry land without any disasters, malfunctions, or flat tires. The only sour note was our timing – we did fail to notice that many of the attractive shops in Paducah are not open on Mondays! Fortunately the historic Kirchoff’s Bakery was open so we could bring treats to the men. Our group also booked a dinner at the famous Patti’s Restaurant (which included the men) for her 2 inch pork chops and meringue pies. At least we are all well fed for the next adventure.