It did rain more on Wednesday so we stayed put rather than lock through three locks in the cold rain. We spent the day doing laundry and a few boat chores and then one last trip to the local WalMart. Southern Comfort arrived just before dark. It was good to have them back with us. We all went to dinner at a local restaurant called the Fire House. This was a Mississippi restaurant. We ordered various meals, most of us ordered catfish, and the menu listed salad or slaw and potatoes with the meal. Soon after we ordered they brought out a bowl of pinto beans for each person and corn bread. The corn bread and beans with a salad would have been a fine meal for me. The next morning, Thursday, we left Midway soon after the fog cleared enough to be out on the river. We made good time through the first lock but the second lock was down for maintenance. They told us it would be at least a couple of hours before we could get into the lock so we all anchored and settled in for the wait. When the repair crew took a break they called us into the lock but they left the work barge and the tow boat, a tug, in the lock. This was in the space where we normally tie up with this large group of boats so the lock master radioed us to tie up along side the tug. As we maneuvered into position along side, someone radioed and said they did not want us to tie to the tug. Another boat had rafted to one of the boats in front of us so we had to back away from the tug and back into the lock wall along side the barge. We got this done and the rest of the day was easy going.
We arrived at Aberdeen just after 2:00. They are known on the river for their fried chicken but they stop serving at 2:00 so one of the boats call in an order for all nine boats and they agreed to keep it until we arrived. The channel leading to the marina was very narrow and winding through cypress stumps and trees. The marina did not have space for all of us so it took quite a while for all of us to get secured. This marina has the best fuel prices on the river so we all took on fuel. Since there was not enough space for us each time one boat left the fuel dock it would rotate into another boat’s position as that boat moved to the fuel dock. The process of fueling all the boats lasted well past dark but the people at the marina were very nice about it all. We all enjoyed visiting on the large deck between the store and the fuel dock. The owner also owns the liquor store next door and we heard he is also the mayor of Aberdeen. Some of the boats got to talking to him and requested some shine which he easily produced to share with all. Then Peggy showed up with her bottle of Maker’s Mark and it was so good I had to walk over to the liquor store and get a bottle for us.
The store has breakfast also so we all had breakfast in the morning while waiting for the fog to lift. You could not see across the channel let alone try to navigate it out to the river. We had an easy day with only one lock and about 20 miles to get to Columbus, Ms. We arrived at about noon and again the marina did not have enough space for us so it took a while to get situated. There were two large, over 100 foot, boats along the wall which were supposed to have been gone before we arrived. We ended up with several boats rafted to other boats and Southern Comfort tied up at the fuel dock. We are rafted to Blue Max whom we have not seen for a couple of weeks. Peggy’s son and his family are coming to visit them on the boat over the weekend so we will stay here and leave on Monday morning. This will break-up some of the large group of boats.
Soon after we got secured we got the courtesy van and took off to visit the Waverly Mansion. This is a must see at this point. Bill and Eileen from Blue Max had already been there so they guided us out into the country side to find the mansion. The house was built in 1852 on a 50,000 acre plantation. In its heyday it was self sufficient, producing everything needed to sustain its 1,000 workers and ship many produced goods. The owner died in 1912 and the house stood empty until 1962 when the present owners purchased it. The woman who took us through the house still lives there with her father. She was seven years old when her parents purchased it and began to restore it. She repeatedly points out that the house stood empty and open for years and was frequented by local kids as a ghost house but nothing was stolen or vandalized. The very elaborate chandeliers were still in place as were mirrors on the walls and much ornamental work.
After visiting the house we drove into Columbus to drive through town to see many of the old homes but it was getting dark so we decided to try to see them on Saturday. We plan now to leave here on Monday so we have plenty of time. It rained and blew most of the night as predicted. Now it is forecast to be quite chilly for the next few days. It is cool and grey this morning.
We arrived at Aberdeen just after 2:00. They are known on the river for their fried chicken but they stop serving at 2:00 so one of the boats call in an order for all nine boats and they agreed to keep it until we arrived. The channel leading to the marina was very narrow and winding through cypress stumps and trees. The marina did not have space for all of us so it took quite a while for all of us to get secured. This marina has the best fuel prices on the river so we all took on fuel. Since there was not enough space for us each time one boat left the fuel dock it would rotate into another boat’s position as that boat moved to the fuel dock. The process of fueling all the boats lasted well past dark but the people at the marina were very nice about it all. We all enjoyed visiting on the large deck between the store and the fuel dock. The owner also owns the liquor store next door and we heard he is also the mayor of Aberdeen. Some of the boats got to talking to him and requested some shine which he easily produced to share with all. Then Peggy showed up with her bottle of Maker’s Mark and it was so good I had to walk over to the liquor store and get a bottle for us.
The store has breakfast also so we all had breakfast in the morning while waiting for the fog to lift. You could not see across the channel let alone try to navigate it out to the river. We had an easy day with only one lock and about 20 miles to get to Columbus, Ms. We arrived at about noon and again the marina did not have enough space for us so it took a while to get situated. There were two large, over 100 foot, boats along the wall which were supposed to have been gone before we arrived. We ended up with several boats rafted to other boats and Southern Comfort tied up at the fuel dock. We are rafted to Blue Max whom we have not seen for a couple of weeks. Peggy’s son and his family are coming to visit them on the boat over the weekend so we will stay here and leave on Monday morning. This will break-up some of the large group of boats.
Soon after we got secured we got the courtesy van and took off to visit the Waverly Mansion. This is a must see at this point. Bill and Eileen from Blue Max had already been there so they guided us out into the country side to find the mansion. The house was built in 1852 on a 50,000 acre plantation. In its heyday it was self sufficient, producing everything needed to sustain its 1,000 workers and ship many produced goods. The owner died in 1912 and the house stood empty until 1962 when the present owners purchased it. The woman who took us through the house still lives there with her father. She was seven years old when her parents purchased it and began to restore it. She repeatedly points out that the house stood empty and open for years and was frequented by local kids as a ghost house but nothing was stolen or vandalized. The very elaborate chandeliers were still in place as were mirrors on the walls and much ornamental work.
After visiting the house we drove into Columbus to drive through town to see many of the old homes but it was getting dark so we decided to try to see them on Saturday. We plan now to leave here on Monday so we have plenty of time. It rained and blew most of the night as predicted. Now it is forecast to be quite chilly for the next few days. It is cool and grey this morning.
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