Portraits

Yea! It will be old home week. I will look forward to the Kingfish. What happend to the hotel across the street? I did not find it listed when I was looking to make a reservation in Jeffersonville. They did not show any hotels on the river. I usually stay at the cheapo Super 8 anyway.

When did you say those dates are?

Carl Shelton was a Captains Captain. He was Master on the MQ when I first got on and then when I got a watchmans spot. He was good to work for. I'll never forget a time one night we were having some lighting problems and he happened to be in the Pilot House and was checking some breaker and switch boxes trying to track down the problem. Well the phone rang and I answered it and someone was asking what we were doing about the Problem and I said, not thinking about my wording, the Captain is fooling with it now and hung up. Capt. Shelton turned to me and said "Young man the Capt. doesnt FOOL with anything"! and, Horrified, I said no sir I meant no disrespect and he turned and walked away. I made my round and when I got back he was still there and motioned me out on the wing bridge. so Im thinking this is gonna be the end of my steamboating career but instead he told me He was very sorry for snapping at me like that and he knew I meant no harm in my choice of words. He said he was tired and under a little stress so dont take it personally. I never ever forgot that and very highly respected him from then on. My first lay-up at Todd shipyard he was Master for the first half and used to take us all out to breakfast every morning and pick up the tab. He was a very good man to work for.

Ted: The Ramada has become a Sheraton. Just across the street are the TownePlace Suites and Fairfield Inn, operated by Marriott.

As always, we look forward to having you at the festival and cranking out melodies. You absence always brings a lot of questions from visitors who miss the organ grinder!

See ya soon!

The annual Chautauqua at the museum is always the third weekend of May. This is the 18th year for the spring festival --- Sat. & Sun May 15-16

Hours this year are: SATURDAY - 10 AM - 6PM
SUNDAY - 10 AM - 4 PM (Mansion closes at 4:00 both days - with last admissions at 3:00)

Admission to grounds and 80+ arts and crafts booths. carriage house antique show, entertainment and mansion tours $3 - Children under 12 free, if accompanied by an adult.

Check the museum website by clicking on Howard Steamboat Museum - Home Page and you'll see a dandy photo of "Organ Grinder Ted".

Y'all Come!

"Curator Keith"

PS: Shipyard Sam: Going through pictures I came across the attached image of two steamboatmen extraordinaire -- taken at the grand opening of the Vevay River Museum in April of 2004. That was a great day!

Distance isn't nearly the problem you might think. I just don't know how much artwork I could get in an overhead compartment. I may show up at something one of these days, but sans the art. I am up to my eyeballs in music until the end of May, so it will have to be later on.

I think so, but those easy ones are the hardest to remember. I call it "All Pals Together" if you are talking about the sketch of Gabe, you, and Ann. Yes, it's floating around here somewhere. Unpublishable?! Now you've got everyone's attention. Oh, my!

Let me know what you like and we can discuss it. My email is [email protected]. This goes for anyone.

Lex, you are HIGH on my list to be a future presenter on my "River Ramblings" series at the museum. It would be a "double header" of interesting, often hilarious tales and experiences (some escapades of which I was accompanying you!) told by a real river pilot and a showing / sale of your wonderful steamboat art!

Are you inta-rested? Let's talk about it!

Sho nuff! With you involved, it will not be a boring lecture. Since it's in the summer, I'll get to wear shorts and show off my pasty white legs. You might have to wear dark glasses.

Well, I thought I'd give others a chance, but looks like there are no takers, so here goes. By the way, this group portrait was Lexie's wedding gift to Sharon and me 31 years ago. It proudly hangs in a prominent spot in the hallway of our home.

Left to right, starting on back row:
Capt. Fontain M. Johnson
Capt. Charlie Fehlig
Capt. Oren "Nero" Russell
2nd row:
Dick Weber
Capt. Ted Davisson
Capt. Arthur McArthur
Capt. Gabe Chengery
3rd row:
Capt. Howard Tate (in the uniform cap)
Capt. Lexie Palmore
Leroy Smith in front
Of course, the Big Captain, Ernest E. Wagner in the middle
L to R, back row:
Capt. C.S. "Rip" Ware
Bill Kelley
Jim Bryeans
2nd row:
Chief Earle Haskell
Pete Feilhauer
Capt. Ray Prichard
3rd row:
Capt. Harry Louden
Capt. Art Zimmer
4th row:
Dave Tschiggfrie
Capt. Walter Karnath
front row:
Bob Reynolds
Capt. Dave Rainbolt

What I wouldn't give to be with all those folks right now on the DQ. Talk about some stories!

Lexie Palmore;21224 wrote: Since it's in the summer, I'll get to wear shorts and show off my pasty white legs. You might have to wear dark glasses.

Keith or Lexie,

Can either of you lay hands on the "DQ Officers DeLuxe" shot snapped on the head of the boat at Kentucky Lake many years ago? Never understood why that shot didn't make the company brochure. You know, "Pictured above are the highly trained and courteous crew of the vessel, ready to serve you."

A repeat of this scene???

Lexie Palmore;21224 wrote: Sho nuff! With you involved, it will not be a boring lecture. Since it's in the summer, I'll get to wear shorts and show off my pasty white legs. You might have to wear dark glasses.

Would that be a repeat of this scene from a few years ago?

I know what you are talking about, but laying hands on it would be difficult. Keith? This photo was probably taken at the same time. The glare off the legs is overwhelming. Note all the uniform transgressions.

I have no earthly idea who these people are.

Judy,

What has meaning to one person for one reason woke up something entirely different in me. Gee, I remember that old end of the modern landing at Louisville. You are where you used to pull in at 2nd street. That has been gone now for over 20 years! One day someone was driving along there and their car fell off that precipice infront of Keiths feet. You could hear them scream and cuss over all the highway noise all the way over at the BELLE!

I almost scared the bejesus out of Capt. Joseph Hughes one day in August of 1982 (about the same spot as this picture, again!) when I pulled onto the landing in that area and goosed the big 258 cid 4.2 L inline 6 cylinder in my 1975 AMC Gremlin and got her up on two wheels! He was sitting in his car (he was always early...I was always barely making it in on time. It's patterns like these that develop into theatrics on occasion, as you all well know....anyway...) reading the paper and when I came screeching onto the pavement, his eyes were as big as pie pans! I got a stern lecture in the pilothouse about "burying my foot in the carbuerator" during that cruise. Many years later Capt. Joe and I had a talk about my driving skills when he was starting to learn me the river. He told me the only reason he agree'd to teach it to me in the first place was when he saw how much better my driving skills got after my son was born! He figured since I had calmed down, I was ready for it!

That was my biggest mistake in life...not following thru with that license back in 1995. When I stopped my work I was ready for the USCG test (had my hours, letters, everything I needed for my 100 ton Master and 500 ton Navigating Mate (what they called them back then) )...because of a mistake in my inturpretation of the rules, I abandoned it (my sight and the sight requirements). In 2003 I learned I was mistaken about the actual rules, about 8 years too late. Oh well....I might still have a job out there on the river if I had asked more questions back then!

See...these old pictures bring back so much for so many! Thanks for sharing!

Travis

Louisville landing pix

Maybe the car was screeching off the interstate in that pix - according to the look on Keith's face! Another danger of finding old pix to post is that you spend an hour or more reminiscing about the other pictures in that particular album!

Judy,

How right you are...the memories come flooding back all the way through the pages. Once in a while I go kayaking through my memory books, too. That is what I call it..cause you paddle around the pages till you find a good place to stop and have lunch and before you know it the day is over!

Yes, that analagy proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that my diet is NOT going well!

Travis

Ask and it shall be given unto you -- sometimes! I found the picture Dave requested in a DQ album for 1978. Indeed, I remember that very HOT June day at Kentucky Lake!

Also herewith is a view of yours truly on deck with a Palmore original of the Str. MISSISSIPPI that had just been delivered to me at St. Louis - Aug. 1978

The third image is of Lex awaiting cash customers at the S&D picnic - Sept. 1979. "Wanna buy a steeeeeeeeeamboat pictcha?"

I guess I should give Judy a gedunk for trying. Maybe no else tried because there are so few of us left from when all of those gentlemen were alive. And those of us that are left were still "wet behind the ears" at that time, and are getting a little "long in the tooth" now.