I have entered a new age of technology! Yesterday we went to
the mall here in Chattanooga and purchased a Verizon hot-spot/my-fi for us/me
to use while we’re traveling. I believe we will be able to “freeze it” while
we’re not traveling, but that will remain to be seen. In the meantime, I have
internet here on the boat that’s strong enough to use. I believe.
We are also temporarily in a different time zone - Eastern
Daylight Saving Time - but it is very strange to be so far on the western edge
of it and farther south. At 7:00 a.m. this morning it was completely dark, with
just a little daylight by 7:30. On Wednesday when we depart, we will return to
Central Daylight Saving Time within an hour of leaving here.
Yesterday we watched a regatta on the Tennessee,
right outside our window. It rained off and on, quite a bit, but that did not
stop the races. The rowers were from universities, rowing clubs and high schools. In
the afternoon we went to the mall and found several things we have been looking
for: a new battery for my watch (even though I don’t plan to wear it until
December), a bedspread for the bed, several books to read including the new one
by Harper Lee, some tools for the boat, and the hot-spot. We also got Brian’s
glasses straightened, and finally took an Uber taxi back to the marina. The
mall was shockingly identical to our Westfarms Mall in Hartford, and the
surrounding stores were all the same, too. Nevertheless, it was good to find a
place where we could get these things done finally. Green chicken enchiladas
for supper.
Today it is still overcast, but rain is not expected. So far
we have sat around, eaten oatmeal, read the news, washed dishes and refilled
the water tank. I’ve made sandwiches for lunch in the expectation that we are
going for a bike ride, but we’re not moving very fast yet.
In Chattanooga, we have seen Lookout Mountain via the Incline
Railroad and several Civil War battle sites nearby. I am fully saturated with
Civil War info at this point, but I’m not sure Brian is. He has hinted,
however, that he has seen enough botanical gardens (but I have not).
Other things we hope to do before we leave include seeing the
Aquarium (which is right above us), The Martian movie, a historic neighborhood
called Fort Woods, and possibly Russell Cave to the northwest of here, plus
some boat cleanup, grocery shopping and laundry. Barbecued ribs are in the plan
for Monday and possibly German food on Tuesday.
From here we turn around and head back where we came from.
Brian will leave me and the boat for 3 or 4 days while he goes to Chicago to
give a presentation at a convention there. Our friends on the Melinda B are
still traveling with us, so I’ll have plenty of company while Brian is gone. He
is flying out of Huntsville, Alabama, and back. Once he returns, we’ll head
south to Mobile, arriving sometime in the first week of November. We have heard
that we will mainly be anchoring at night on the Tenn-Tom Waterway, which we
both will enjoy very much.
If you get a chance to visit Chattanooga, we highly recommend
it. It’s a beautiful small city that is prospering and vital. In the past 15
years they have put a lot of effort into revitalizing the downtown area, and
you can tell. They are also building lots of condominiums in the city and
people are moving back in. It is a fascinating success story. And if you visit,
you MUST go out on the river on a boat. It is beautiful, but I doubt that many
people get to see it from our vantage point.
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