Blog #2 Saturday, October 25, 2014

You may recall, that in my most recent post, I differentiated between eventful and uneventful days on the water. Early in the morning of October 17, we quickly shifted into eventful mode when Johnny bolted from the bed exclaiming, "It's that da*#^d tooth again!"
If you traveled along with us on our 2012-13 voyage, you may remember that we spent weeks trying to determine the source of excruciating pain in Johnny's jaw. We saw multiple dentists, doctors, and even an acupuncturist! It wasn't until we returned home at the end of our trip that we found a dentist who was able to offer long term relief. The thought that it had returned left both of us totally dismayed.
We immediately contacted our dentist, and he gave us his best advice for determining whether it was indeed a recurrence or something entirely different. We had already made plans for my brother to meet us at the legendary Bobby's Fish Camp for dinner that same night, so we were reassured that we had transportation should we decide to leave the boat. As the day passed, we realized that we did not need to go any farther on the boat, so after enjoying the delicious catfish at Bobby's, we secured 'Bout Time and went with Mike to his home in Mississippi. A day and a half later, with no relief, we headed home to Kentucky.
We spent Monday in two dentists' offices and ended up with a tooth extraction. In spite of the delay and discomfort, we were just very thankful that all of this happened when and where it did, not in the middle of a long crossing or when we were much farther from home.
With that issue seemingly resolved, we made arrangements to retun to Mississippi and Alabama and 'Bout Time.
Just a little aside here. All of you have relatives, but I prefer to call my kinfolks. Somehow that name sounds more like the kind of people who will drop what they are doing and come to your rescue, no matter the situation. Now that my daddy is gone, there are basically two people who can still get away with calling me by my childhood nickname. One is my brother Mike, and the other is my cousin Larry. Both came to our aid in this situation, and I know without a doubt that they would do it again tomorrow if I needed them. So, for as long as either of those boys is around, I'll still answer to "Snooky."
As soon as we got back on the water, we fell right back into the rhythm of our days. In the last lock on the river at Coffeeville, Alabama, we were joined by two other sailboats whom we learned were from Kentucky Lake. I actually had crewed with one of the gals,and we had many friends in common among sailors on our home lake. For the next two days and nights we traveled and anchored with Vela Narcosis and Notre Vie, enjoying their company and swapping stories. No matter where you go on the water, you always find great folks willing to share their experiences and offer useful advice. Plus, the love of the water life usually provides an instant bond that sometimes results in long lasting friendships. Just one of many things we love about this life!
'Bout Time presently rests docked at Sundowner Marina on Dog River in Mobile. The weather is fantastic, the nearby yacht club is delightful, we have plans for the evening that include dinner with my cousin Mark and a Halloween party at the adjacent marina. Life is good!