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.

Second Week Out

Monday - April 5

I love my crew!!! They told me today that on Sunday I get to sleep in!! WooHoo!! As long as I am up in time to fry chicken. I'll probably be so excited I won't be able to sleep! We are still tied up so I am using the time to organize and clean the pantry. I got it all done except for two shelves last week so those two are really bugging me. It is a large room off the galley with counter space, three freezers, and a potato bin. We keep sugar, plain and self-rising flour and corn meal in 5 gallon bucket like containers.



The "honeymoon" week is over now and we are sorta settling in to a routine. OMG I don't have to get up at 3 am anymore. The boys said since they don't eat much breakfast I can get up at 4 and still have bacon and sausage and biscuits ready for sandwiches by 5. Have I said I love my crew???? I'm gonna make them omelets tomorrow just to say thanks. Now those they will eat! lol

We will be getting another interim captain tomorrow. I hate to see Ray go. He has been very easy going and easy to please with meals.



We did get sad news. Deron is being taken off our boat and put on the Omar which is going to Paducah for repairs. He really didn't want to go. But they called and 30 minutes later he was gone. Tyrone says maybe he will be back or if the water doesn't go down we may all be going to other boats! Boo!

Tuesday - April 6

Well Teno tells me I need to go ahead an order groceries since we are tied up close to the Boat Store cause MAYBE we are going to be able to get behind a tow and move sometime this week. Got the pantry finished so I can actually tell what I got. Now if I only had the vegetable freezer done I would be in high cotton!!

Made Chicken Rotel for lunch today and they ate it up. It is the same one we made at Outtatown.

New captain pretty straight laced. Myles, the Pilot, told me at lunch he is leaving tomorrow or Thursday. He has been loads of fun and I hate to see him go. It has been pretty quite without the Big Boy here.

Chief smoked ribs and a tenderloin today for lunch so I had an easy day of it. I sent Deron a picture on Facebook and told him I had a whole slab left over since he was gone. He didn't reply! lol

Thursday, April 8
Pretty quiet. Teno had a little comeapart cause I moved some stuff in the galley. I decided it was better to choose my battles but surprisingly it made the other guys madder than it did me!! Myles came by before he left and told me to stand up to him. He said he and the rest of the crew had a little wheelhouse meeting and decided to let it be known that the galley was my domain. Told him it wasn't necessary, that the cook was to be a peacemaker not an instigator!! He told if he said anything else just say, "I appreciate all the help and I'll be right out to help you check all the rigging and make sure they are where they are suppose to be!" lol But he's been on here a long time and I don't want to disrespect his authority. It will all sift out .... or I'll throw him overboard!!

Got the groceries put away and great news!! Our wayward boy, Deron is coming back tomorrow. They just needed him to help get the Omar back to Paducah to the shipyard.

Chief told me he talked to the guy in charge of Engineer training classes and told him I would be excellent to cook for the classes cause I wanted to do some trip work. Trip work is when you work past your scheduled 28 days. You get paid double time for that plus earn extra days in case something happens and you need to be off. It would be good if I could do a couple of trip weeks everytime. Got to save up that tuition money.

We had tacos for lunch since the groceries were coming during lunch sometime. And I made Poppy Seed Chicken for supper, another Outtatown staple. Recipe follows. The next three days are prearranged-Fish Friday, Steak Saturday and Chicken Sunday!! No guesswork there! :)

Poppy Seed Chicken

5 chicken breasts, cooked beboned and diced
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 8 ounce container of sour cream
1 sleeve Ritz crackers
1 stick butter, melted

• Spray 13 x 9 casserole with Pam
• Layer chicken in casserole
• Combine soups and sour cream in small bowl.
• Spread over chicken.
• Crush crackers and mix with melted butter.
• Spread over soup mixture.
• Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Well I'm gonna call it an evening cause even though 4 am comes early, it ain't nearly as early as 3 am!!!!!!

Good night my friends. Till later...............

Easter Sunday

Well I have to say that this is has been a down sorta day!! This is the first holiday I've been away from home and knowing that they are together without me is not a happy time. The guys have been super nice!! They loved the tablecloth and napkins. In fact, they wouldn't use the napkins they left them on the table all day!! And the baskets were a tremendous hit I think. Sean and Justin took pictures and sent home!! LOL I made pancakes this morning and while they weren't as pretty as Marty's, they seemed to hit the spot!!

Fried chicken went off without a hitch except those were the biggest chicken breasts I have ever seen! They had to weigh a pound apiece. I could only fit two in the fryer at a time. But we had mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, green beans and lima beans along with cornbread with the chicken. I fried two chickens plus eight legs and they ate it all but one breast!! And for dessert we had banana pudding. Epic win!!

For dinner we had chicken Alfredo, glazed carrots, salad and garlic bread. I'm thinking about including recipes in my blog as well. What about that idea?

It has been a pretty calm day. I did my laundry and cleaned out the closet in my room. I found four blankets and six sets of sheets. I kept three sets of sheets and two blankets and Teno took care of the rest. They say the river is dropping so we may actually get to move from here this week. Miles told me at dinner that he is suppose to crew change back to his boat on Tuesday so I guess he won't be staying with us. :(

I think its about time for a shower and bed cause...... let's say it all together......

3 am comes really early!!! :P

I'm On A Boat

Well its 8 am on Tuesday morning and I'm sitting on the van waiting on the rest of my crew so that we can drive to St. Louis, which is where MY boat, the Eileen Bigalow is tied up. It will be a complete crew change, so I'll get the chance to get to know everyone as we make the 2 and half hour drive. The regular captain, Eddie Murphy, (don't say it) is on another boat so we may have a couple of different ones for a while. I don't know our regular pilot, but he isn't on board either. The captain and pilot on now are leaving in the morning and we will be getting new ones. All these guys have been together for about four years on the E. Bigalow. They haven't been all together since she has been tied up so they were anxious to get back "home" and check it out. There is the Chief Sean, Mate Teno, Leadman Tyrone, and deckhands Justin (Judd), DeRon (Big Baby) and Gary.

We finally made it to St. Louis about 11:30 but had to wait on the tug to bring the crew we were replacing over and take us to the boat. It is laid out a little differently from my training boat but I have a big galley and pantry. The only thing I'm concerned about is the sleeping quarters are on the other side of the Engine Room, which could make for some noise when we are moving!! Right now we are on barge patrol, cause the river is so high that they aren't moving many barges. We move around checking the twenty or so tows they have built making sure they are secure. But for the most part we are sitting still. The cook left us a baked ham and some veggies for lunch.
I put my bags in my room and went to work in the galley. The cook I'm replacing isn't the regular cook. She had gotten some groceries, but there isn't much meat to choose from. Luckily the Chief and Leadman like to grill. We are going to grill porkchops tomorrow and smoke a butt on Thursday. That will get us to the weekend, Fish Friday, Steak Saturday and Chicken Sunday.
I finally got to my room and got unpacked about 8:30. It's been a long day so I'm hitting the hay and 3 AM comes early!!!!! I love my job but I hate 3 am.

Wednesday afternoon:

These guys aren't breakfast eaters either. So I made Breakfast sandwiches and wrapped them up. When I came back after my morning "rest", they were all gone. But they made up for it at lunch!! We grilled porkchops. I brought along some of the rub we used at Outtatown and they ate them up. I have a two butts marinating in the frig for lunch tomorrow. We are gonna put it on after dinner tonight. I made Cases's cookies and they were eating them faster than I could take them off the pan.

We still haven't moved anywhere, so I'll tell you more about my crew. I'm sure as time goes on I will be able to add details.

• Ray is our trip pilot. He is really laid back, been out here a long time. Looks to be in early fifties maybe, married. All his kids are grown and gone. I wish we could keep him but the guys really would like to have Eddie back. He is getting close to retirement though and if they tie us up again to replace the engines with bigger ones he probably won't be back.
• Pilot Miles is a long tall drink of water!! lol He is a good ole boy from Florence, AL. He is divorced and has a daughter that is a freshman at UNA and a 15 year old son. He says his girlfriend wants a baby so he's probably about to start over again. The Chief says that Miles may be our regular pilot cause he is training for the Lower Mississippi.
• Sean is the Chief Engineer and is the friend of the Chief, Randall, that I trained with. Super nice guy-35, married with an 8 year old and 3 month old. He lives in Fancy Farms, Kentucky.
• Teno is the Mate and man oh man, he is a worker!! He is a 5'3" ball of energy and is constantly cleaning something. He takes great pride in the boat and his job. He has been very nice so far. He is really conscience of the rules and we've done a different drill everyday after lunch. He's missing a couple of front teeth so he has a little lisp. I think he is a Italian Cajun!! He told me today that he has been married for two years but she is in prison!! I didn't ask for what.
• Tyrone is the Lead Man and he is really quiet. I know he is from near Mobile and is married, but he doesn't volunteer a lot of information. He told me if the boat tied up that they were taking me with them!! Supreme compliment for a tug boater to a cook! lol
• The three mates are a trip, Justin, DeRon and Gary. Justin and DeRon are good friends on land and live near each other near Birmingham. Justin is the baby of the group at 23 and always has something going. He helped me with some cleaning. I told him he didn't have to, but he says their job is to take care of the cook so she can take care of them. Love that!!
• Deron is a big (300 lb) teddy bear. I think he is 26. He is always planning his next big thing. He was late the first morning and then we had to turn around and go get his computer out of his truck. He is the resident computer and Internet guru. We are now FB friends!
• Then there is Gary, an over the hill hippie type that wears Harley Davidson do-rags and has a ponytail and sorta scraggly beard. He's on backwatch so he has my coffee made every morning when I get to the galley. That makes him AOK in my book. But bless him, the others give him a hard time, cause he's been everywhere, done everything, seen every sight and has a story to tell about it. This morning he told a story bout his girlfriend , but this afternoon, he talked about his wife. One of the guys asked him when he got married since we've been on the boat all week. He said she was his common law wife cause in Illinois it was five years. One of the other guys reminded him that they've only been together for 2 years. Like I said, Bless him.

Thursday:

We placed our grocery order and they said it would be tomorrow before we got it. I hope it is before lunch cause the former cook only left about 7 fillets in the freezer. I am going to strip them and have frog legs and Garlic Shrimp to fill out the menu just in case. Teno calls in the order. That makes me a little nervous, cause I would like to talk to the supplier and make sure they know what I want!!! I know, control freak.

Still tied up. Teno and the guys have been cleaning the stacks and decks constantly because of the disel build up. Since we are just idling mostly the engines don't get cleaned out and the smoke is black. The Pilot, Miles, says he is going to roll the engines (rev them to clean them out. Sorta like blowing the soot out of a car engine.)

Friday night:

Spent the day cleaning and rearranging the pantry. Groceries didn't get here until after 5 pm. At least, it wasn't midnight. I have the steaks marinating for tomorrow and they are massive ribeyes. They have to be 2 inches thick!!! Luckily no one wants theirs well done. I have marinated some chicken breasts like we did at Outtatown and we gonna grill them up as well.

It is official. The crew says I get to stay. I did a Shrimp Boil for dinner with corn and potatoes. DeRon made a picture and put it on FB. He said he wanted folks to know back home how he good he was eating. Justin says he can't mention me anymore to his girlfriend cause he bragged on my cooking too much and made her mad!! Haha

They tell me if I can grill a steak and fry chicken I can write my own ticket!! Hot damn, its nice to be appreciated!!

Saturday afternoon:

Holy crap!!! Miles cleaned out the engines about 2:00 am this morning!!! I thought the boat was coming apart and they forgot to come get me. My windows rattled (pretty scary), my bed was vibrating (not so scary) and I thought the engines were coming through the wall (amazingly scary)!!!! Told him this morning that we would be checking the smoke detector outside his room tonight about 8:30 pm!!!! Everyone thought it was quite funny but me! Teno says that's what it will sound like all the time when we are going upriver. Told them I was moving from the ghetto on the first deck to Upper East side on the second deck!! They told me I could, but I would have to give up my big room and new TV they ordered me. Sean just put speakers in for me in my ceiling. So I guess I'll suck it up and try to sleep. We lived at the end of the runway of Memphis International Airport in Southaven and I got use to that!!!

Steaks were a hit! Sean grilled for me today. We also cooked hamburgers, BBQ'd some bologna, and some hotdogs along with the steak and chicken. They can choose when they want their steaks so I have to cook three tonight. I'm going to peel the leftover shrimp and heat it up in some garlic butter, also. This afternoon I have made some Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies and Cherry Cobbler.

I have to go get my Easter baskets for the crew ready for tomorrow. I just did little ones since they are all away from home for Easter. I asked them if they wanted something besides fried chicken since it was Easter and the vote was NO. I brought a tablecloth and Easter napkins to set the table cause after all they are just big kids!!!

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

And the Week Goes On!

Why is 3 am so EARLY!!! If it wasn't for that I would be okay!! The guys on my training boat are not big breakfast eaters so we make heart shaped breakfast sandwiches for them to eat mid morning. Claujia is upset because the order is all messed up. Instead of 10 lbs of bananas she got 10 bananas, no lettuce and 6 tomatoes instead of 16. Remember these guys are eating healthy and eating fruit and salads like there is no tomorrow. So we have to make do.

Monday I made cornbread chicken and dressing. Claujia didn't know how to make dressing with cornbread, cause they use loaf bread to make theirs in Virginia. The guys have been super about trying new stuff and being gracious about their likes and dislikes. I hope my boat is as kind.

We had planned on firing up the grill and smoking ribs and barbecue on Wednesday but it is raining buckets and the grill is outside. So I marinated them and cooked them in the oven. They were really tender and were ok, but they weren't Outtatown ribs!! :( The barbecue was pretty good also.

I found out that I will be on the Eileen Bigalow that navigates the Lower Mississippi River, that's St. Louis to New Orleans. She is 170 feet long and 52 feet wide. She is tied up right now and been without a crew since July. She needed repairs and then the Upper MS froze so they just kept her tied up. Claujia said that was suppose to be her boat last July and she hasn't set foot on it yet. She says don't write anything in ink or a dark pencil that can't be erased. I hope they don't bounce me around, I like to have my own little nest. But I am trying to broaden my comfort zone and will go where they send me. Keep your fingers crossed.

I will be going home for two weeks and report back to crew on March 30. That means I can be home for Lauren's mouth surgery and to help close down Outtatown. SInce I will be on the boat on Easter we are going to have Easter a week early. This will be my last post for a while till I get back to "Rollin' on the River"!!

Move Over Colonel

Man oh man. 3:00 am rolls around early. I made biscuits today that were great. Claujia uses confectioners sugar and yeast in her biscuits and they are to die for. She uses a heart shaped biscuit cutter and the guys love it. (They are just big kids!!) Really hungry kids...when we got ready to do the salad bar stuff all 10 pieces of leftover grilled chicken were gone!!! They ate it during the night instead of sandwiches and chips and cookies like they usually do!! Can't beat that grilled chicken.

We decided on a real Southern Sunday meal. We are going to do fried and baked chicken, garlic smashed potatoes, green beans, corn casserole, coleslaw and honey wheat rolls. Claujia couldn't believe that I wasn't going to do an egg wash and double dip it like the recipes she read. Told her I learned from my grandmother who grew up in the Depression and they didn't waste eggs they could sell...those words straight from Momma Linnie's mouth!!

I had a few minutes to talk to David. There was a little difference of opinion on fire building techniques yesterday and I needed to bridge the gap. We had a long talk about smoking meats, drag racing and his family. He and I are going to do ribs on Wednesday for the crew. I think we can be buds!!! :) Claujia thought I handled it well. I told her it was like teaching school. You want the principal to like you, but it isn't imperative. It is imperative that the custodian and the lunchroom ladies like you though. I figured on the boat you want the Captain to like you, but you got to have the Mate and Chief in your corner and she agreed! Score one for the home team.

We fried up chicken and got all the sides done. And wonder of wonders, Stacy came and sat down and ate. He doesn't make that a habit. The guys don't all get to eat together. The shift changes at 11 so the ones going on shift eat about 10:30. Depending on what they have been doing, those coming off shift will go shower and then come eat about 11:20. The only exception would be if we were tied up and not making tow. Then they might get to overlap and actually eat together. We have finally started moving down river to Memphis with our twenty barges. I went up to the wheelhouse and it is amazing to look at. I've always wondered how the captain knows where to stay in the channel. There are red and green buoys, just light traffic signs that direct them. Amazing. I sat out on the second deck in the sunshine after lunch and noticed some train tracks running right along the river bank. Cut into the hillside above it was the highway and cars were meandering along. Children were playing in backyards and I thought, "All is well with the world. I have the most amazing job!! Am I really here?"

Claujia tells me we are getting a grocery order from the boat store in Memphis, so we have to get it ready. They only get groceries about every two weeks since they charge $250 for a delivery fee. If you forget anything you are just out of luck cause there isn't any pulling over at the bank and running to the Kroger store!! She did tell me you could forget about anything and be ok cause they have two big freezers and a pantryful of stuff as long as you have catfish, steak and chicken for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. But it took about 2 and a half hours to get the list together. They have an order guide to help you out but not everything is on the order guide, especially fresh fruit and vegetables. She took it to the Captain and he will call it in. Claujia said different captains do it differently, some won't even look at the order, some will look at it and give it back for the cook to call in. I think I would prefer to call in myself, but we shall see what my captain says. Claujia says the mate and deckhands will take on and check in groceries but she likes to oversee it in case anything is missing or wrong. Grocery boat comes tonight at 11:30 pm!!

For dinner tonight, we are having chicken enchiladas. Normally they would also have some leftover fried chicken, but there wasn't any!! These guys ate two whole chickens and eight extra legs. The Colonel ain't got nothing on us!!!!

Tomorrow I find out if I stay here for a few more days or if I will go to different boat. If its just the same to everyone, I just as soon be here!!

It's Red Meat Day on the River!!

Taking Claujia, my new patron saint, at her word, I slept in and got to the galley at 9 am on the dot. The Lead Man, Kenny or Big Daddy, had already started my coals for the steaks and chicken breasts in the BBQ grill that is bolted to the deck right outside the galley door. Since I was on the main deck, I had to wear my work vest every time I went out to the grill. About 10 I gathered up my steaks, chicken and various utensils and went to the grill. As I stood there with the warm breeze blowing the smoke away from my face, (a definite plus over landside grilling), a couple of boats went past us on the river, one headed up river, the second down river to points south. We hadn't moved from Cora Coal yet as we were waiting on our 20 barges to be filled with coal to be transported to Memphis. All I could think was, "Wow! Am I really here? And I think I have the best job ever!!"

On Steak Day the guys can choose whether they have their steak at lunch or dinner. I only had 5 steaks to cook for lunch so I cooked 16 pieces of boneless chicken breasts as well. We planned on using them for the salad bar for a few days. Claujia was working on implementing a healthy eating plan and would be offering a Salad Bar at lunch and dinner along with an exercise plan. She was writing it out by hand and was going to make a chart. I asked her if we could use the computer in the officer's lounge outside my quarters. She said she didn't know, cause she didn't use computers but would ask at lunch. I told her we could type, edit and print her document and graph in no time. At lunch she asked Captain John Wayne, (yes his real name) and he said go for it. He was behind the program and his excitement was contagious.

Let me stop here and introduce the nine people I would be rooming with for the next 7 days.

• Captain John Wayne is from Ohio and is a former Marine in his mid-sixties. He spends the winters in Florida with his wife. He has been on the river 4o years.
• Pilot Stacy is a sorta keep to himself kinda guy. His job is to pilot the boat when the Captain is off duty. (They change shifts every six hours.)
• Chief Engineer Randall is new to this boat but an old friend of the Captain and has worked on the river about 25 years. He is from Lexington, TN, and is full of entertaining stories. He knows lots of people on different boats and said when I find out my boat, he'll find out about the crew.
• Mate David is in charge of the deckhands and making tows and any housekeeping chores on the boat. He is a younger guy, also from Ohio, with a wife and two children. We haven't gotten off to a stellar start but I'm going to win him over.
• Leadman Kenny is a Mississippi boy from Yazoo City. He has been very nice to me, but doesn't talk much. He is like me and doesn't like anyone touching what he eats. So Claujia bags cookies and wraps cake or muffins individually. He did tell me that he liked that I wore gloves!! lol
• Deckhand Darrell is also from Mississippi near Vicksburg. He is also very quiet. But we have talked briefly about his girlfriend in Vicksburg and maybe getting married.
• Deckhand Blake is from Arkansas and is really trying to eat healthy and lose weight.
• Deckhand Kevin is originally from Wisconsin and is a gentle giant. He hasn't been hard to please so far.
• Cook Claujia of course I have already mentioned. She has been fantastic and so willing to help me. She is originally from Virginia and her family has been involved extensively with Special Olympics. She has a daughter that is 19 so we have been comparing notes!! Although she has only been on the river since July she has bounced around a lot of boats doing fill-in work. The JB Wyatt is her first permanent assignment.

We spent about an hour making Claujia's plan a reality with Meals, Moving and Manners as the three points. (Being an old schoolteacher, I had to have some alliteration in there. :D) We also came up with a chart for recording progress and opportunities for bonus points for trying new foods and reading labels. Captain John loved it and so did the crew. He sent our plan to Paducah operations manager and he sent it on to Nashville. They liked it so much they sent it out to all the boat captains!! And Claujia got a nice kudo in the company newsletter. I'm anxious to see how it goes!!

After firing up the grill again, we cooked the evening steaks and some hamburgers. These guys are great. They rinse their plates, put them in the dishwasher, sweep and mop the floors, clean the stove and empty the dishwasher when it is finished. And every one of them thanks us for the meal. All I want to know is which one is going home with me, cause I'm going to be spoiled rotten!!!

Tomorrow is Fried Chicken Day!! Woop woop! Claujia said she had never fried anything before the River. I asked if she was going to soak the chicken before she cooked it. She looked at me with a puzzled expression. I asked if she wanted me to show her how to deep fry it. Cause a Mississippi girl can fry up some chicken!!! She had never seen that done so I was gonna be able to teach her something while she taught me bread making. It was another good day on the river.

And Welcome to the Joe B. Wyatt

After a two hour drive, most of which I slept, I was beginning to think we are as lost as a byjohn. We turned off the highway, onto a narrow two lane road, onto a dirt road, and then onto a levee, off the levee to park under a coal chute. At lease we were on the river. But I didn't see any boats!!If my driver hadn't been so totally non-threatening, I could have easily imagined myself tomorrow's headline-Unidentified Woman Found!!

Just about the time I once again was reviewing my decision making skills, I saw a tug making its way around the bend. Was this my home for the next week? Sweet mercies, I hope not!!! It was about 30 feet long and black as soot from the coal dust. I started to climb back in the van when the driver looked at my stricken face and said, "Well there's your taxi!" I gues he knew what was running through my head cause he proceeded to tell my boat was up around the bend making a tow (that's getting the barges filled and tied together) and this little harbor boat was gonna take me to it. All I could think was "Praise Jesus".

THey backed right up to the bank, produced a six foot ladder and leaned it against the side. My bags were loaded and I again thought of Louanne and her nine bags. I strapped on my life jacket and took a seat in the wheelhouse. THe guys were super nice when they found out this was my first trip and spent the 10 minutes or so talking to me so I didn't have time for nerves or motion sickness.

We rounded the curve of the Mississippi River and there was my boat, big and clean. Kevin, better known as Big'un, took my two bags and wanted to know where the rest were. Told him that was it and he said cooks always had lots of bags!! Told him it was his lucky day. He took me upstairs to the guest quarters. Normally I would be housed near the galley on the first deck but since there was a cook onboard I would not be in the cooks quarters. After settling in for a few minutes, I went down to the galley and met the boat cook and resident mom.

Claujia was busy frying up fish for lunch cause Friday is fish day on Ingram Barges. We made small talk while I ask a million questions. Like me, she had held a large variety of jobs, but most recently had owned a small bakery in Virginia, which she sold and had been on the river since July, 2009. She had been on 11 boats as a fill-in cook and this was here first permanent boat. We spent the afternoon getting to know each other and discussing the menu for Saturday which is always steak. She said she wasn't much of a griller and I volunteered to marinate and grill the steaks. She seemed happy with that. I suggested we do some chicken also for the guys to put on their salads. She loved that idea and we marinated some chicken breasts as well. That afternoon I got my first bread making lesson. I confessed to her that I was a little skepical and alot scared of trying bread cause I had never been successful. She told me I would be!!!!

After we finished dinner, she must have looked at me and taken pity on me, because she uttered the most beautiful words...... "I know orientation is draining. Sleep in tomorrow and don't worry bout getting down here before 9." I wanted to fall at her feet and call her blessed, but I was afraid I couldn't get up once I was down!! She didn't have to tell me twice! I was upstairs in my bed by 6:30pm and so proud to be there. My last thought was maybe this is gonna be okay after all.

Cooking Test

Tuesday:
3 am..... who would have thought people actually get up at that time and want to eat!!!! But homemade biscuits, bacon, sausage, gravy and scrambled eggs for 25 it is!! We will be preparing pork chops for dinner. I would like to make pork stir fry, but "The Boss" says they won't eat it so grilled it is. I went the comfort food route and made Cheesy Potatoes, Green Beans, Slaw, Pear Salads, Broccoli Cheese Cornbread and Chocolate Cobbler for dessert to go with my grilled chops. Everyone happy!!! Especially me, cause I'm done being reviewed!!! Anita is up to bat and has breakfast and lunch on Wednesday. The main office folks will be down the hill to eat lunch so she has it tougher!!

Wenesday night:
I applied for my TWIC card today which I have to show everytime I get on the boat. Anita
pulled it all together and did chicken with alfredo and pasta and some yummy bread. We have a test tomorrow to see if we have been listening in class in our sleep deprived state. Fail the test, go home.

Thursday:
3 am again!!!! Anita is really tired and wants to give up, but we have made a pact-we going down fighting!!!! This afternoon we get assigned to a boat for training after we pass our test. And we shall pass this thing!!

I'm going to the Joe B. Wyatt for training for a week. Then I should go to another boat for a couple of weeks. Since I have been gone Kynnadi has had her fourth birthday party, Jon had a wreck (he's ok) and La is gonna have to have her wisdom teeth cut out during Spring Break. I knew this would happen but its still really hard to not be at home for my children and grandchildren. Plus we have decided to close the restaurant on March 13 and I'm dealing with that long distance.

Friday:

Got to slept late..... 5 am!! Packed up and loaded in a crew van for the 2 hour drive to meet my boat by 8 am. Thus ends the first week.

Day 1 Orientation

Well by 5:30 am Louanne is on her way back to Brookhaven. She has blood pressure problems, but will have the opportunity to come back on March 28 if she can get them under control. So all her pots and pans, knives and clothes are gone. After peeing in a cup, (again) blowing in a tube, taking a bone strength test on a wrist bone I broke (when I was 10), and a Heart stress test (at least I know I have one, that has been debateable in the past) and four hours I am pronounced ready to be one of Ingram's finest.



Back to the training barge and while all I want is a nap, we proceed to the classroom for an introduction to Ingram's policies and procedures, warning bells, and do's and don't's. I look around at the 20 other people and wonder how many will be left by Thursday. With the exception of Anita, early 60's and me, everyone else is 30 or younger and plan to be deckhands. I get the news that since Louanne left, Anita and I will be roommates and so I go back upstairs, move my stuff down the hall, and make my bed yet again!!

By 5 o'clock, I am brain dead and hoping I don't look as worn down and glassy eyed as every one else. We eat a quick dinner and Anita and I hit the hay and are in bed by 7 cause I get the update that Tuesday morning is my turn to cook breakfast and I get dinner on Tuesday night. Oh yeah I have to be up at 3 am.
Have I made a terrible mistake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reporting for Training

Well after a phone interview, a four hour personal interview, a criminal background check, a drug screen and a driving record check, I am finally on my way to a four day orientation in Paducah Ky. I arrived at 7 pm and was met by the Mate. He told me I was the first cook there and I could have my own room if I would like. Well, duh. So I made my bed and waited on the other two cooks to show. Fifteen minutes later the Mate comes and tells me I am welcome to stay in the larger room but I will have a roommate if I do. I assure him I'll be glad to go to the smaller room and make my bed again.

My fellow trainees show up and the fun begins. Anita, is a sweetheart from Savannah, TN, that had owned a restaurant in Savannah and sold it a couple of years ago. I think she and I are gonna be fine. Louanne, is originally from Maine, and has spent lots of time on the water. She presently lives in Brookhaven, MS, but goes to the Hamptons to cook each summer for the Duke and Duchess of somewhere.She has a Maritime License, which must be a big deal, cause she mentions it several times. She has brought four bags of skillets, knives, cookbooks, chef pants and smocks!! Holy smokes!!!! I'm feeling pretty inferior at this point cause I have my trusty Bell's Best 1 and 2 and the cookbook of family recipes I wrote for my girls.

Our trainer, Miss Velie, shows up about 8:30 and tells us time to turn in. She's gonna let us sleep late in the morning since we are going for physicals. We will be having cereal for breakfast and we need to be ready to load up at 5, yes that right 5 am!! Looking bad for me already!

The Beginnings

This is my first attempt at blogging and I feel quite sure it will pass by unnoticed for the most part. Let me start by saying that after rearing five children and doing a variety of things that included teaching first grade, being a human resources area manager, and owning a largely unsuccessful restaurant, I felt it time to stop feeling sorry for myself and look for new adventure.

If anyone had ever asked me about empty nest syndrome, I would have laughed in their face. After all I have had at least one child at home for the last 35 years. How quickly they grow and leave.

But I digress..... I have begun a new career as a cook on a tugboat for Ingram Barge Company. It will be my privilege to cook for nine crew members each day. I will be working 28 days on and 28 days off. I have never been away from my family for that long and am a little bummed about that.

It is my intent to write about my life on the tugboat and the sights I see. We'll see how it goes. I probably should have started two weeks ago when my adventure began, but such is the story of my life. Good intentions, poor followup!!

So if you see a tugboat on the Mississippi River between St. Louis and New Orleans, wave big.... I may be on it.