Not Intent on Arriving

Old Dock on Kentucky Lake

The Viking

Sam & River Four Sailors From Greenland

"A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving" Lao-Tzu. In this case John and I are excellent travelers!! The weather has been so chilly and windy I've hardly had my long underwear off. Mostly, it has kept us from going very far and very fast. We did have a great time in Paris Landing, however. The sun finally appeared for a short while and we were able to take a long walk in the beautiful park there. The best treat ,however, was meeting our dock mates. Sam, along with his dog River, were traveling from Michigan to Ft.Lauderdale in his modified pontoon boat.

We also met 4 fellows from Greenland who sailed across to the St. Lawrence Seaway and down the rivers! In both cases I can't even imagine their experiences. I think I would really like to do both, but I know I don't have the skills to do either! The Greenland wives are flying to meet the husbands once they get to the Carribean. Smart Girls, they're probably quilters too! Their sailboat is called "Viking" and they are certainly living up to their heritage. We all indulged in the ALL YOU CAN EAT SEAFOOD BUFFET at the lodge and shared stories. Of course, John and my story is so much less dramatic. We continued to dodge rain drops and wind and finally departed Paris Landing , TN on Saturday at 8:15am CST for Clifton, TN. Clifton was just on overnight stop, so we fueled up and departed Sunday morning at 7:35am CST for Florence Harbor Marina in Alabama.We cleared Pickwick lock quickly, but the trip down the Tennessee River was cold and overcast. Now you may wonder why at this point I'm still the Admiral and chief navigator on this trip. Well, good question. It's because there are beautiful vistas thru the clouds, and folks like Karen and Greg, Patti and Brad, Judy and Sterling and the other great friends we will meet up with, share drinks with and cruise the waters with along the way.

Florence, Alabama is the home of the only Frank Lloyd Wright House( circa 1939 ) in Alabama. It's very fine. The city boasts a darn good super Walmart and an ok, but ALWAYS necessary (the captain says so) Home Depot. On Tues. Oct 13, we departed Florence Harbor Marina at 8:20am CST heading for Joe Wheeler State Park. We had a short weather window in the morning and decided to take it. See you in Wheeler.