Big Deals

We're out of coffee grounds for tomorrow morning.  The Verizon tech guy is willing to come to "our house" to repair Brenda's cracked phone face.  We need new washers for a leaking bathroom faucet.  Our generator is due for an oil change.  I have birthday cards to mail.  After a shower, Brenda would like her curling iron heating while she blow dries her hair.  On our boat, these "little things" are now big deals!

We're entering into our third week staying downtown Chattanooga, TN and it's great,.  We can walk to downtown sites and enjoy the walking and bike trails.  On the other hand, we've needed to adapt to a slower pace for accomplishing tasks.  We usually walk the round-trip total of 3 miles to pick up coffee and other groceries; we limit our purchases to what will fit in our two backpacks.  The closest hardware store is 2 miles away; we ride our bicycles and use our backpacks for these trips.  The Verizon guy will meet us at Rembrandt's in the art district, which is only 1 mile away.  To mail a letter, I've learned to leave it at the desk of a nearby hotel or bike or walk the longer trek to the post office.

This weekend, we'll rent a car and drive to the Smokey Mountain area to check out Knoxville,  Pigeon Forge, Dollywood, and Gatlinburg.  We expect the fall colors to be spectacular!  Having a car will also be our opportunity to appropriately discard our used generator oil and refill a couple of propane tanks for our grill and stove.

The curling iron and hair dryer?  Operating electric appliances is a juggling act when living on a boat.  Plug the coffee maker in one outlet and the space heater in another; make sure neither are plugged in to use the curling iron in the bathroom and blow dryer in the bedroom.  Television reception is on and off.  Internet connectivity is usually dependent on our phones and sometimes it's a weak signal.  We've broken 3 glasses and 1 glass bowl; I've replaced them with plastic (seems glass doesn't like living in a small living space that rocks to boats passing by).

Another big deal for us in Chattanooga is the current of the Tennessee River.  Velsignet is tied securely in a slip.  But because of the strong and swift currents of the Tennessee, when it's time to move her to fill or empty her tanks, we'll be seeking additional hands to help us keep her safely under control leaving and approaching docks to do so.

Big deals often require extra and that can mean good things.  This week, Mike and Brenda celebrated a big deal that we entered into 42 years ago on November 6th.  On this date, we said our "I do"s with intentions to live, grow and make a life together.  We're still putting in the extra effort and what a ride we're on!

We are here in Chattanooga watching the fall colors arrive.  It's stunning!

We discovered a stowaway on Velsignet!  This little guy was discovered shortly after we left Demopolis, but he refused to come out of his hiding place.  Weeks later, he was more than ready to escape from the anchor locker in the boat's bow!  We think he's an uncommon tree frog.  Kids....what do you think?

A cloudy day for Chattanooga.  A bad hair day for Brenda.  But hey, Mike wanted a picture!

Brenda at the Chickamauga Lock and Dam.  We rode our bikes the 8 miles from Velsignet to the Chickamauga on the beautiful Riverpark Trail.

Here's Mike on another portion of the Riverpark Trail system.  The trail consists of 12 miles along the Tennessee River, through many parks, as well as Chattanooga's downtown and industrial areas. 

The Chickamauga Dam and Reservoir was built to provide flood control, navigation and electric power.  It was the 4th of TVA's projects on the Tennessee River.  President FDR dedicated the dam in 1940.

This is a railroad bridge.  It's claim to fame is that it carried the first passenger rail cars from Cincinnati to Chattanooga.  It was the Cincinnati newspaper that dubbed the train the "Chattanooga Choo Choo."  Of course, it was Glen Miller's song who made "Chattanooga Choo Choo" famous.  See the whitish pillar in the middle of the photo?  That is the last piece remaining of the original bridge.

Another photo of the Chickamauga Lock and Dam.  Lots of signs around this area warning people of its dangerous waters.

We were hoping the visitors' center would be opened for us to explore.  Alas, it was closed, so we only got a photo of the place.

It was Walt Disney who said, "If you dream it, it will happen."  The Riverpark system we have enjoyed during our stay in Chattanooga is the result of the city's vision.

These are our wheels!  We are very grateful to have them!

A photo of the Walnut Street Pedestrian Bridge and the fall colors of the area.  Fall brings colors and also cloudy days.

Another big deal this week was the 39th birthday of our youngest daughter, Jordan Marie (the beauty on the left).  Jordan is an energetic professional, wife and mother married to a wonderful guy, Jared; the two of them have fun with their four children, ages 7 to 15, in Stillwater, MN.  The beauty on the right is our oldest daughter, Allison Rae.  Allison is a thoughtful professional, wife and mother married to another wonderful guy, Brent; the two of them have fun with their two daughters, ages 7 and 12, in Arvada, CO.  Love this photo of the two sisters, our daughters, our blessings! 

Here's Mike at Velsignet.  The real reason for the photo is to capture a visual of the the davit lifting system that Mike installed on the upper level this week to assist us in lowering the 7.5 HP Mercury onto the dinghy.  We expect we'll use it, too, to lower our bikes from the upper deck to the lower dock.