Photos from the River Ramblings weekend

The unveiling of the towboat model

Prior to Alan's talk, John Fryant and Yvonne Knight unveiled the towboat model which John had refurbished and finished for the museum.
1) The unveiling.
2) The moment of recognition: It's the YVONNE K. !!!!!!!!!!!
3) For once, speechless! Yvonne Knight, longtime administrator of the Howard Museum.

The Main Event

1) Part of the crowd gathered in the Carriage House for Alan's talk. Many .orgers are pictured here.
2) Alan eschews the microphone, but comes through loud and clear.
3) A little dark, but Alan is blowing an Alphorn.

Let's eat!

1) Shipyard, Tschiggfries, and Keith are in a deep discussion.
2) At the Kingfish.
3) More at Kingfish - and there was a third table in the main room too.

BELLE OF LOUISVILLE on Sunday

1) Got to have a paddlewheel shot...
2) Various gingerbreads. Note the wooden object atop the pilothouse. This is known as a Christmas tree. As these wear out or break apart, they find loving homes in steamboaters' houses...
3) The remains of the group on Sunday: Pat Traynor, JoAnn Schoen, and Keith Norrington, discussing JoAnn's brand new car.

BELLE crew

1) Chief Dan Lewis, a frequent .org poster at the controls.
2) Chief Kenny Howe and Keith
3) The landing whistle has blown on River Ramblings 2009...

Thanks for the pix, Judy! For those of us with limits on our time and money, we must pick and choose what to do each year. Unfortunately, the RR program didn't fit for me this time, but at least I could be there vicariously!

MORE photos from "River Ramblings" 2009 ...

(1) Entrance to the 1880's Carriage House - Venue for "River Ramblings".
(2) Judy Patsch - ticket seller / cookie baker extraordinaire "on deck".
(3) Curator Keith, Alan and Judy (NATCHEZ ring buoy displayed courtesy of Judy!)

And MORE River Ramblings 2009 ...

(4) Museum Administrator Yvonne Knight and her namesake towboat!
(5) Alan autographing his books for appreciative steamboat buffs & buffettes.
(6) Attendees enjoy lemonade and cookies in the carriage house "lobby" after the program.

River Ramblings 2009 - Epilogue ...

(7 & 8) Saturday Night Soiree hosted by Judy at Towne Place Suites.
(9) As we steam off for another year ... Tom Greene painting by Alan Bates.

From our Perspectives

Here are some pics my wife Peggy took:

1. Dave Tschiggfrie, John Fryant, and YT
2. The Barbara H. and Captain Steve Huffman
3. World's Greatest Cookie Jar

Thanks, Shipyard Sam, for more images from Saturday's shindig. The steamboat cookie jar is one of my many (too many!) purchases from Ebay! The salt and pepper shakers that came with it are said to be "likenesses" of Judy and yours truly -- and our BIG mouths!

Please tell Miss Peggy (who was interested in the cookie jar) there are currently several BUY IT NOW offerings of the jars & shakers available on Ebay. Type CASINO RIVER BOAT COOKIE JAR & SHAKERS in the search box.

Speaking of cookies ---- here's a LONG AGO image from a different DQ era of Miz Patsch, "the steamboat cookie lady", and Capt. Jim Blum in the pilothouse with a can of chocolate chip goodies.

I hope none of you has an illusion that you had more fun than I. It was a day I shall remember from now on with joy.
Alan

A Grand Event

Sorry, Cap'n, but I didn't get to tell you how much I enjoyed your enjoyable presentation. My wife, Peg, got a kick out your jokes, and she, too, had a good time "steamboat'in" with the rest of us, some of whom have dedicated their entire lives to such a thing.

Of course, my favorite subject of the afternoon was the accounting of your relationship with Mr. Jim Howard and that graph that revealed the secrets of the Howard Shear-- nothing of which I had the faintest inkling, but to be in the presence of such scholarly thinking was invigorating, or something like that.

What all that shipyard talk boiled down to was that I still want to build a river yawl in the fashion of the Thompson Skiff that you so generously sent me a copy of the plans, but the closest I came to doing so was to buy the framing for the mold. And I was in cahoots with an expert woodworker up on Laughrey Creek to supply the tools, space, and expertise, but he got to drinking and started ordering me around the shop as though I signed-on as the hired boy instead treating me like the sponsor who was paying for everything; so I left and never looked back and that boat mold may, or may not, still be there where it was abandoned.

Then there's that skiff out on the front porch... so putting all that together, I'm wondering if the Howard might be up for a small wooden boat-building course? I know that I paid good money, not once, but twice, to smell wood shavings and glue.

The yawl on the carriage house porch is a Leavenworth, much favored around here. When Lock 41 was replaced Lockmaster Stevens had a fleet of them that were to be auctioned. I begged him to include me on the bidders' list. He didn't and I didn't get to bid. Ah, me! Woe and alas!

Keith Norrington;17799 wrote:
Speaking of cookies ---- here's a LONG AGO image from a different DQ era of Miz Patsch, "the steamboat cookie lady", and Capt. Jim Blum in the pilothouse with a can of chocolate chip goodies.

Forgive my topic sway...

Now there is a pic from when I got my start on the DQ as a passenger...back when my parents & I would state..."the Good Old Days!"....anyways I always remember Judy P showing up with cookies and newspapers @ the lock...

Nice pics from the Howard too...

Stale cookies

That newspaper pix was from fall 1977... the year I rode 28 straight days, took 6 off and rode another 9. (my car loan had been paid off so I had some cash burning a hole in my pocket)
It was always interesting to be on the lock wall and visit with crew and pax as I delivered the cookies - one of the most interesting and surprising times I had to go up to L&D 14 for some reason, and as the boat was entering the lock, I heard familiar voices: Helen "HotFingers" Prater and Lil Smith - I had no idea they were aboard, so we had a great but too short visit.
Then there was the 'airmail delivery' to the AQ from the Centennial Bridge... yep, there were some good times both aboard and following the boats on land.