Large bluefin tuna are actively feeding off the Virginia coast, with numerous reports of surface activity in several locations. Most boats are concentrating near the windmills, where the action appears to be most consistent. The water temperature is in the low 50°F range, which is ideal for these highly adaptable fish that thrive in temperatures between 50°F and 60°F. Many of the bluefin being … [Read more...]
Old Man River
As you read this, we are on a Viking Riverboat afloat on the Mississippi. We have cruised the Bahamas and Hawaii and parts of Mexico, but never on a river in the heartland of the United States. But this spring, Nancy said she’d like to do a river cruise and visit New Orleans, so here we are. The Mississippi is a big piece of water. It makes the James River look like a brook trout … [Read more...]
Gate Traffic Controllers
Going on cruises always involves air travel and while the cruises are wonderful, flying is not always a pleasant experience. Everybody knows about Air Traffic Controllers. They are the guys who sit in the towers and try to keep airplanes from running into one another. Most of the time, they get it right. But lesser known are the Gate Traffic Controllers and they are mean bastards. The … [Read more...]
Cruising With Viking
Much of our cruising experience has been aboard Norwegian ships. On our past cruises, we have been joined by anywhere between 2,100 and 5,000 other guests. A river cruise on the Viking Mississippi has a maximum of 386 guests and that makes a huge difference. The 450-foot-long ship was built in America, flies the American flag, and includes only American crew members, all of whom speak fluent … [Read more...]
Life on the Bayou
The State of Louisiana is a sprawling system of bayous. We call them creeks in the east, but there are tens of thousands of interweaving and connecting bayous in the Pelican State and each has a name. While we were in this part of the country, Nancy and I had a chance to explore some of the bayous and it was fascinating. From our first Port-of-Call at Darrow, LA, we went aboard a river craft with … [Read more...]
Life on the Mississippi
Chugging up the Mississippi, we pulled into small town ports at St. Francisville and Natchez where we set our clocks back about 200 years to a time of plantations, cotton fields and the pleasant life before the great Civil War. At St. Francisville, we boarded our bus and visited Rosedown Plantation, Circa 1833, one of the South’s most intact manor homes. The 3,455 acres of Rosedown were formed … [Read more...]
On the Battlefields of Vicksburg
When I think of the Civil War, I think of Chancellorsville, Bull Run and the Jackson’s Valley Campaign. Only until I sailed the Mississippi did I grasp the importance of this mighty river in the War Between the States. Vicksburg was settled on the highest banks along the entire Mississippi. Whoever controlled Vicksburg, controlled the Mississippi and as important as the great river is to … [Read more...]
Welcome to New Orleans
It starts and ends with New Orleans, not only our cruise but the history of the Mississippi River. New Orleans is a history buff’s paradise. French explorers and traders first arrived in the 1690’s. The city was founded in 1718 by the French, named La Nouvelle Orleans – The New Orleans. For a period, it was under Spanish Control, then back to the French then purchased by the United States in … [Read more...]
Toys of My Life
Lincoln Logs I would venture to say that every child of the 50’s and most in the 60’s had a set of Lincoln Logs, one of America’s most iconic toys. I was never much on Erector Sets, but I enjoyed stacking the little brown logs, end on end and building cabins and forts. It really helped if you had two sets or one of those giant boxes, allowing more elaborate designs. Lincoln Logs came into … [Read more...]
Remembering the Dime Stores
Today, we have Dollar General and Dollar Tree stores, and they are among the fastest growing of today’s retail establishments. Except, now they should be called “Dollar and Quarter Stores” after a fling with spiraling inflation. I remember the dime stores or “Five and Dime’s” as we called them. Stores like Woolworth’s, Ben Franklin, W.T. Grant, McCrorys were once staples on every … [Read more...]
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