What Happened??

I realized the other day that of the 3 page blog I wrote only the title made it to my blog.. So sorry. I am a terrible writer and our computer system on the boat doesn't always cooperate. I really don't even remember all the witty things I wrote, so that blog is a wash! lol
I don't have much to report other than I was in my first (and second) accident on the river.
Wanna hear about it, ok, its goes like this.

We did crew change on Tuesday and I stayed to work a little extra.....should have gotten off. About 9:30 that night our front left barge hit the bank. No damages to the tow or barge, but because it was a tanker barge we had to wait for the coast guard to come look at it. Bells were ringing, PFD's (personal floatation devices)were coming out, it was controlled chaos. But the guys handled it and I stayed out of the way. All was well. The next morning after breakfast, business as usual, except that we are aground waiting on the Coast Guard. I had laid back down, when the Leadman knocks on my door and says,"Put on you PFD. Another boat has run aground above us. Their tow broke apart and is headed our way and we can't get out of the way. The captain will be ringing the alarm in a few minutes" I did just that. But I went up to the second deck so I could see and hear what was going on. About the time I got up there the leadman came back through and said,"If the runaway barge hits the boat, it will sink in a couple of minutes. The good news is you can get to the tow, and climb off on dry land. So you do that and stay out of the way. If it hits the tow, stay on the boat unless you hear the abandon ship alarm." Now at this point, I was in full panic mode, but the old school teacher came out and said handle the situation, fall apart later. The alarm sounded, the barge came around the bend, and headed straight for the stern of the boat. At the last possible minute, the current caught it and it hit the corner of the tow and despite the efforts of our crew, knocked five of our barges loose. They stayed together in a string and floated ten miles down river before another boat caught them at Rosedale. And all this before 8 a.m. It took until that afternoon for the Coast Guard to arrive and clear us to move and get our other barges collected and on our way again. After that first 24 hours I was ready to be put off on the next sandbar!! But life settled down and we had an non eventful remainder of the trip, until I got off 10 days later.



They got a new cook assigned for the other crew on my boat so I won't be tripping with them anymore. And I really liked them. The Cajun captain helped me refine my Shrimp Gumbo recipe.

(recipe follows)



I do hope to visit some other boats and trip on other rivers.


Despite the excitement, I still love my job. So till later.......

I'm Baa-ccc-kkkkk!!

Why Yes You Do Have to Climb That Ladder

Well its Sunday again and I've been home since Tuesday. But it has been a busy week and I wanted to get a few pictures on here. I don't think I have mentioned that I was on the Ohio River last week. One of the major differences in the Lower Mississippi and Ohio Rivers is that on the Ohio River there are locks and dams to go through. We went through several during my 6 days on the boat. It looks completely different. I'm pretty sure everyone knows how the lock process works. The difference in this lock experience is that at 10:15 am, about 20 minutes before we approached the lock, the captain called down and said we were gonna do crew change while in the lock. Now that meant it was right in the middle of lunch. I made 2 pans of chicken rotel, (recipe follows) one for us and one for the crew coming on along with green beans, turnip greens, corn, and salad with wheat bread. Unfortunately we didn't get to eat!! :(



But back to the story. After I got all my stuff together, I was standing in the galley finishing up. The pilot walks in and says, "Ready to hit the ladder?" (See the picture above) I looked at him like he was speaking a foreign language. I hadn't considered HOW we were getting off the boat. At this point let me confess that in orientation when they were discussing climbing lock walls I didn't listen very well. I was going to the lower Mississippi and we don't have locks, so I assumed that would never happen to me. Well we know what assuming does!!



The boarding crew threw the monkey line, used to offload our luggage and load their luggage. I asked if I could stick my foot in the loop and let them haul me up. No dice!! So I belted on my life vest, so of course I couldn't see my feet. (Who am I kidding? I can't see my feet without the life vest without bending over!!! ) So looking like a big orange pumpkin, I approached the ladder. Twenty five feet above my head was my destination!!



I looked at the Mate and said, "Any suggestions?" He said, "Hand over hand. Three points on the ladder at all times." I asked him if I had any more points I could keep on the ladder cause three just didn't seem like enough!! He just shook his head and said, "Don't embarrass Mississippi!" And off I went. I can cross that off my bucket list now!!


It has been a busy time at home. Wednesday we spent the day at the zoo, Thursday Lauren and David left for his brother's wedding in Orange Beach, and Saturday we went to Andrea Hawkins and Brett Rakestraw's wedding. Beautiful!! Congratulations to Andrea and Britt and Will and Kelci.


Time to start packing up cause tomorrow will be a busy day. Got to get my hair did before I leave!!!




Till later......


Chicken Rotel

4 chicken breasts - boiled, deboned and shredded
2 quarts chicken stock
1 stick butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped bell pepper
2 cans rotel tomatoes
1 pound thin spaghetti
1 lb velveeta cheese, cubed
1 8 oz can mushrooms
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup frozen English peas
Salt and pepper to taste

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Spray 13 x 9 casserole with Pam and place chicken in dish.
• Combine broth, onions, bell pepper, butter and rotel tomatoes. Bring to a boil.
• Add broken spaghetti and cook al dente. (About 8-10 minutes.)
• Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients. Stir gently. If needed add a little more liquid to make it runny. Will thicken when it cooks.
• Pour over chicken and mix.
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until bubbly.

Easy Like Sunday Morning

Well its been a busy three days. I'm still lost in this galley, but I'll be gone by Tuesday so I'm not moving anything. This crew is different from any other I have cooked for. The captain, engineer, one mate, and two deckhands eat lunch; the pilot, the other mate and two deck hands eat breakfast and dinner. I could actually have the same thing for lunch and dinner everyday and it would be fine, but how boring for me!! Friday of course was FRY-day so we had fish of course. Friday night I made shrimp gumbo and cheese biscuits which went over pretty well.
I grilled monster ribeyes yesterday along with burgers and hot dogs.

But today.....GLORIOUS SUNDAY. The captain told me to sleep in. The crew asked yesterday for breakfast for lunch so that's what we did. When I got up at 8 a.m.!!!!!!! I made biscuits, gravy, bacon, sausage, French toast, fresh fruit, Gorilla bread (recipe follows) and omelets to order. I had a bigger mess than I would have if I had done a full buffet for 50 people!!! lol

The crew is really easy going. One mate and leadman are from Philadelphia so they are always telling me that Mississippi folks need to stick together. They asked for fried okra, tomato gravy and homemade biscuits!!! The Mate says that most of the cooks are Yanks and don't know Southern.

We had some excitement Friday. Just as the watch changed at lunch, we had a line snap. Luckily this crew had it all together and we didn't end up on the bank or worse with 12 barges free floating!!!! It was a little iffy there for a little bit!!

Yesterday, we did drills. I have my own way of remembering what they mean:
Abandon Ship - 7 short blasts and 1 long blast - (7 words) Grab Your Vest, Get To Tow, Pray
Fire - 1 long blast - FFIIIIRRRREEEEE!!!

Talked to Mollee and Lauren. We are going to take the girls to the zoo on Wednesday when I get home. So exxcitteeddd!! I think I have more fun than they do. Mollee, Chet, Lauren, Davo, Marty, Caleigh, Kynnadi and I are going. Can't wait.

Bout time to get started on the chicken for supper, cause what would Sunday on the river be without fried chicken!! I'm afraid I don't have much to tell. Everyday is pretty much the same. I apologize for being boring!! :(

Till later....................


Gorilla Bread

1 stick butter
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
2 cans cheap canned biscuits (10 ct)
1 8 oz cream cheese cut in 20 pieces
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans

• Liberally spray Bundt pan with Pam.
• Melt butter and brown sugar in small saucepan over low heat.
• Combine white sugar and cinnamon in small bowl.
• Cut cream cheese into 20 equal pieces.
• Sprinkle 1/2 cup chopped nuts in Bundt pan.
• Open1 can of biscuits and flatten in palm of hand one at a time. Place 1/2 teaspoon of sugar mixture and 1 piece of cream cheese in center. Fold edges around and crimp. Place in Bundt pan. Follow with rest of biscuits.
• Pour half of butter mixture over biscuits and sprinkle 1/2 cup pecans.
• Open second can of biscuits and continue process until all are used.
• Pour rest of butter mixture over biscuits and top with last 1/2 cup of pecans.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 55 -60 minutes. Do not overcook.

Invert on cake plate for 5 minutes before removing pan. Wonderful warm, not too shabby cold!!

They Called and I Answered the Phone

Well I was suppose to be home until May 25 when I got off the boat on April 23. They called me on Monday April 26 and said, "Will you come work until next Monday?" Since Lauren totalled her car I thought extra cash would be great. I drove to Paducah, crewed up Tuesday morning, and off we went to St. Louis to get right back on the boat I had just gotten off of on Friday. I settled in on my regular boat which was great cause I knew where everything was!! Well the river rose and on Thursday they said, "We gonna tie up again. We gonna send you on back home." Ok by me. I had grandbabies to keep, a car to shop for after I dealt with the insurance and oh yeah, it was Mother's Day and someone needed to cook lunch!!

So I went and got Caleigh on Wednesday and went to Oxford to pick up a load of La's stuff (cause remember she's got no ride and is working and taking finals.) Thank goodness for a sweet boyfriend willing to ferry her to work and the library!! Caleigh and I had a wonderful time playing in the water and enjoying the sunshine until Saturday. She was in a wedding in Southaven so I had to take her home and I went back by Oxford to collect the last of La's stuff and her. Of course this was a pretty lengthy operation. By the time we got home, Mollee and Caleigh were there. Heather and Mike got there on Sunday. I missed the boys but that is the way it works sometimes! :(

On Monday in the pouring rain, Marty, Lauren and I went to Burns Motors and found just the car she wanted right out of the gate!! Yayyyyy!! She is now the proud owner of a Ford Escape. Tuesday was loan arrangements, insurance, tag and all that goes with it. On Wednesday, she was going to Oxford to turn in keys and talk to her employer about the fall. After lunch she left, I thought aahhh I believe I'll take a nap. As that thought skirted round my brain, Dispatch called and said, "If you want to work, can you be here at 8 am in the morning?" So no nap, pack up, drive up and crew up. At least there was no long commute. The R. Clayton McWhorter was right at the landing at the foot of the hill!! It is set up completely different from my boat so I'm a little lost. My bedroom is about half the size and I have a twin bed instead of my regular fullsize. But the captain and crew are great so far. More on them as I make observations. The cook I relieved had a roast in the crockpot and pintos and potatoes on the stove, bless her. All I had to do was make up a salad and fry up a batch of okra.

This afternoon I made 2 pecan pies and some brownies (recipe follows). These guys told me they were dessert eaters. Only three of them usually eat dinner so nighttime will be easy.
Tonight I am frying potatoes with onions, grilled cabbage, and some ham cause we have pintos and cornbread left over.

Till later...................


Chocolate Brownies

4 squares unsweet chocolate
3/4 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup plain flour
1 cup chopped nuts, optional

• Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwave bowl at high 2 minutes or until butter is melted.
• Stir until chocolate is completely melted.
• Stir in sugar
• Mix in eggs and vanilla.
• Stir in flour and pecans. Spread in greased 13 x 9 pan.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. (Do not overcook)
• Cool and cut.

I like to put a can of chocolate cake frosting on brownies while they are still warm and sprinkle with chopped pecans.

Third Week Down

Oh my gosh!! Where did the week go? I can't believe its been a whole week since I shared any thoughts! I wonder if that's a sign I don't have many??? Hmmm, another question for another day......
We have had so many captains and pilots come and go in the past week I need a scorecard. Right now we have one pilot and two captains, one is riding as an observer. Let me start with him. He has been on the river for 49 years and has a story to tell for everyday of every year!!! He sparred with Mohammad Ali, he was fired from 5 jobs by the time he was 21 because his father started the unions in Illinois, his wife of 48 years was once a fashion model, etc. etc. etc. We have mandatory safety meetings on Sunday afternoon. Yesterday's was about safely boarding a vessel. After the video, Deron asked if there was any questions. He started telling stories about how he had pulled 6 1/2 bodies out of the water (don't ask) and kids throwing pumpkins off bridges at the wheelhouse. The Mate and Chief finally got up and walked out after 15 minutes. Oh yeah, and he called the Chief "Baby" constantly, tore him up!!!! lol (Have I mentioned the Chief is about 6'3" and weighs about 250?) But he has a good heart. He loves taking pictures with his digital camera. He made everyone's picture doing their job and printed them out and gave to us. He also had a picture of our boat, don't know why, but he gave all of us a copy of that as well. He left at lunch time today to to Pittsburgh. There was a small celebration. The other captain said he almost threw him off the wheel house this morning!!!
And that brings us to Mark, the other captain. Pretty blunt, smokes like a chimney and cusses a blue streak. He is from Wisconsin originally and tells it like he sees it. I like him cause he let me call in my own grocery order and told Teno to mind his own business on the deck and I could take care of the galley!!! Woop, woop!!! Course Teno didn't speak to me for 2 days, but I lived through it fine and his panties are out of a wad now! He is staying with us for a while longer but is going to the back watch as pilot.
NOTE OF EXPLANATION: Captains work from 5 am to 11 am and 5 pm to 11 pm (Front watch). Pilots work from 11 am to 5 pm and 11pm to 5 am (back watch) Lauren tells me I don't always explain myself well.

The pilot we have now, Tommy, is getting off tomorrow. He is from Paducah and just got back from 3 weeks in Hawaii. I think I may have signed on for the wrong position with Ingram!! He is hilarious and has been fun to ride with. He is normally a captain on the Tennessee River and is going back there. The guy coming on will be the new captain. His nickname is Rabbit and he is from Corinth!!! I am anxious to meet him. The other captains say he is a neat freak, smokes 4 packs of cigarettes a day (can't see those going together) and won't eat anything hardly unless it is deep fried. Oh yeah, and he tells the cook what to prepare on what day. I guess that will take the guess work out for me!

They tell me we are going back to St. Louis where we will tie up. The Chief and Mate will stay with this boat until crew change day, April 27. The rest of us will go to the Robin something to stay until our crew change day. We are going there because that is Rabbit's regular boat. It has been in repairs because it hit a bridge last week and knocked the radar off the top of the wheelhouse and broke all the windows out of the wheelhouse. And no, he wasn't driving at the time.... I asked already!! So not only do I have to go to someone else's galley, I have a picky captain!! But he is from my neck of the woods, so I don't have to make crazy stuff like cod stew or sweetmeat pie, both of which are in the Ingram cookbook I found onboard... blah!! I made Dijon Chicken tonight and it was a big hit. Recipe follows.

We also have a new deckhand named Matt, who came to us when the Robin hit the bridge. He is a really sweet kid from Illinois. He has been giving the downlow on his captain.

Well other than all that its been a slow week. I really don't have amusing stories to tell, so I'll simply end by saying this is the last week!!!!

Till later.......

Dijon Chicken

6 boneless chicken breasts
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup brown spicy mustard
Seasoned bread crumbs
Melted butter

• Cover a cookie sheet with foil and spray with Pam.
• Combine sour cream and mustard.
• Dip chicken in mixture, then in bread crumbs coating well.
• Place on cookie sheet and drizzle with melted butter.
• Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until juices run clear.
• (I turn the oven up to 400 and cook another 10 minutes to brown.)

And Sunday Rolls Around Again

Friday, April 9
Today is Cal's 28th birthday. Happy birthday, son. I mailed him a card from the dock office, hope he got it. Deron made it back about 10:30, just in time to eat fish!! He was full of stories about his adventure. He said he didn't know why they needed him cause he was oncall watch and slept for 3 days!! lol

We got our new captain. He is from Northport, Alabama, a suburb on Tuscaloosa, and has four years left to retirement. He is a lay minister and will be here until next Tuesday. He is leaving to go on a mission trip to El Salvador to build a church. He has absolutely no profanity on his boat and it has been sorta funny watching the crew watch themselves. A couple of times I thought the Mate was gonna pop a valve!!

The pilot that took Myle's place is really quiet. His name is Danny and he is from Dover, TN. He just kinda eases in and out so I haven't had the opportunity to grill him yet!! :)

Well, we just found out we are losing Justin. The call came at 5:00 and said for him to be ready in 45 minutes. He is going to the Upper Mississippi cause they need someone with lock experience. He is spending his time installing a shelf for me for the pantry that sent the Mate into a tailspin!!! Bless him, he said he started it and he was gonna finish it.

We are still sitting in St. Louis doing fleet inspections. Deron said he heard that if the water goes down to 25 feet we will make a tow and go!! It is at 30 feet now but it keeps raining upriver. :(

Well finally at 7 they got here to get Justin. He probably won't be back this trip,hopefully he'll be back when we crew up again.

Saturday, April 10

Well the Coast Guard came onboard today to check our ID's with a new toy they have. It scans your fingerprint to make sure it matches your TWIC card. You have to have a TWIC card (Transportation Worker Identification Creditial card) to work in any type of transportation. They fingerprint you and take your picture and do a pretty thorough background check. All this came about after 911. The Chief was hoping they would their yearly inspection and get it over with but they were just checking id's.

The Chief did the grilling today and all I had to do was the side dishes!! We all sat out by the grill and drank tea and I listened as the guys swapped tales about other boats they've been on. Have I said today that I love my job?

Justin called the Second Mate and said that he didn't get to his boat until 5 am. They had to go 240 miles into Iowa somewhere and the van kept overheating and breaking down. He said it was nothing but fields and he was beginning to get a little concerned until they topped a levee and finally saw the river!!! He is not a happy camper.

Sunday, April 11

Oh me oh my!!! I got to sleep until 8 am this morning. I woke up earlier and looked at my clock it said 5:12. I thought, "Oh, no. My alarm didn't go off and they didn't wake me up!!!" THEN I remembered it was Sunday and I rolled right back over. Love my crew!!!!!

Got that chicken fried. I made Rice and Mushroom Casserole (recipe follows), Candied Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans, White Beans and Pistachio Salad to go with it. I also made homemade rolls. The Captain said he like to eat light on Wednesday and Saturday but he made up for it today. I been cooking a Top Round roast in the crock pot since last night to have Italian Beef Sandwiches for supper. We gonna eat a little lighter tonight.

Gonna get to talk to at least one grand on Skype today. I miss my family more on Sunday than any other time. I'm gonna close this out for now so I can get to the talking to the grandbaby part!!! Till later.....

Rice and Mushroom Casserole

1 stick butter, melted
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery, (1stalk)
1 8 oz. can sliced mushrooms
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 14 oz can beef broth plus enough water to make 2 cups liquid
1 cup instant minute rice

• Saute onion and celery in butter till translucent.
• Add mushroom and garlic. Cook a couple minutes longer.
• Spray 2 quart casserole with Pam.
• Pour in onion mixture and combine remaining ingredients and stir.
• Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.
• Stir with fork to fluff and serve.