No one sleeps late on the river boat. Perhaps it’s all of us old people who simply don’t sleep all that much anymore. Here on the boat, I’m not the only one up at 4 AM. I’ve lost my regular few hours of solitude. While some still sleep late, or at least, would like to, Lydia among them, for most of us the day begins early. At the café at the end of our floor, the queue for breakfast begins at 6:30. Lunch starts at 11:00.

We pried ourselves out of bed early yesterday, determined to experience every experience, so to speak. Breakfast buffet at the café was plentiful in offering, though I tried to stick to my diet and had a single egg omelet (a chef stood at the end of the line making omelets to order) and fruit. I put biscuits and gravy on my plate out of habit, promising myself not to eat them. (Later, I promised myself to only eat half of them and then much later made a promise to not put them on my plate tomorrow.)

During the previous evening, we had docked at Chester, Illinois, the home of the creator of Popeye. At each town along our route we have the option to use a hop on-hop off bus. As newbies we had to participate. The star attraction of the village was the house with blue windows mentioned by Mark Twain as a landmark he navigated by on his way down the Mississippi. He hadn’t lied (which is the nature of all writers), the windows were indeed a deep indigo. Built in the early 1800’s, the owner had ordered the windows from France. Someone always has to be different.

It was hot and extremely humid. We visited a store exhibiting the work of local craftsmen and the Popeye museum and store. Scattered around town were statues of such luminaries as Bluto, Olive Oyl, and Wimpy. We were duly impressed then returned to the boat.

We’d given up on the formal dining the first night, so had lunch in the cafe on our level. It sits at, or is it on, the prow of the boat and has outdoor seating. We take every chance we can to sit and watch the river. I tried to once again maintain my diet by only by having the soup and half a sandwich. The chef at the end obligingly made me a turkey and swiss larger than any whole sandwich I make at home. I promised myself to only order quarter sandwiches from that point on.

The theater was showing an Elvis Presley movie (the cruise has a 50’s and 60’s music theme) and Lyd wanted to go. Only 10 or 15 minutes into the feature I was struck by the scourge of all travelers and sprinted to our cabin. We stayed close to the cabin the rest of the day. Then dined at the café rather than the formal dining (it’s only buffet rather than full service, but I don’t have to talk to anybody but Lyd while I eat!) then went to the stage show in the Grand Saloon. The boat has its own troupe of entertainers, some very talented, some well-meaning and energetic. It was a “sock hop” show with a dance floor, which quickly filled with many enthusiastic adults in the post 80-year-old category. It was fun to watch them.

We once again found our way to the café for a cup of coffee and a seat at the rail. A huge orange, nearly-full moon rose above the river ahead of us. A spotlight from the pilot house surveyed the shore and was soon filled with the glow of the eyes of bats attracted by the bugs who, in turn, had been attracted by the light. The bats streamed up the light beam in singles and pairs. The effect was like bottle rockets on the Fourth.

Returning to our room, we discovered our cabin was directly above the stage. We listened to the second show as it pounded through the floor as we tried to find sleep. At some point we found it.

 

Blessings

 

The Road