Pickwick Lake is bordered by Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee. It is a reservoir created by Pickwick Landing Dam built in the 1930s as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal to overcome poverty and the Great Depression. This is the land of electricity by water and the Tennessee Valley Authority.
All along the Great Loop and of course at home, Nature has been radically altered by humankind.
Ed and I are preparing to complete American’s Great Loop. Last year, after Ed’s retirement, we finished 5000 miles on our trawler, Finito, and have 1000 more to go before “crossing our wake” in Stuart, Florida.
In the coming days we must begin our journey down the 234 mile artificial Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway from the area around Iuka, Mississippi to Demopolis, Alabama. The first lock drops 84 feet, the remaining nine about 30, and then there are two more locks before we arrive at Mobile, Alabama. As fist mate I will be outside handling the lines.
It will be cold!
How did Ed and I meet up with Father Winter rather than staying ahead of him? Well, I told Ed that if we halted our journey on the Loop and went home for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and especially were there for my mother and my book launch of A Pictorial History of Palm City, Florida, I would accompany him down the “Tenn-Tom” even in winter. So here I am at Aqua Marina in Counce, Mississippi in January!
We have been here for seven days. It has been so cold we decided to wait for things to warm up. That was not in Mother Nature’s cards, last night it snowed!
It has been a challenge keeping warm and dealing with cold boat related mishaps like a busted water line, a coolant leak, and heater issues but we are good. We are learning. We are a team.
I feel quite happy. It is so beautiful. Outside looks like an Andrew Wyeth painting.
Believe it or not, there are two Great Blue Herons flying around, a raft of American coots swimming around, and a small blackish-brown song bird that landed on Finito today. Gulls are also flying about and every once in a while a hear the honk of my friends the Canadian Geese!
Okee has a full fur coat so she is fine, always keeping me company. She does miss Luna…
Being “stuck” in this area has been reflective and educational. The Battle of Shiloh and the siege of Corinth were major battles of the American Civil War that occurred just a few miles from where we are docked. Shiloh battlefield tours take you to the sites of these epic struggles.
It is hard to imagine all that has occurred right here in this little town including the Trail of Tears in the 1830s about thirty years before the Civil War.
I am sure there will be more reminders of our country’s difficult past along the way- not to mention turning on the television. But today, I am thankful for the newness and promise of the snow.
Wishing you and your family well and I will be writing if my hands aren’t too frozen.
Wow! What a scene! Your hat is spectacular! You guys continue to have a memorable trip!
Thank you Janet and happy 2024!
Nice to hear you are back on the water. I have missed hearing about your adventures .
Great to get your message! Yes, we’re back.
Happy New Year, Jackie and Ed!
Happy New Year, 2025!
I am continuing to cycle and raise funds for TheOceanCleanup.com as they work to remove 90% of all Ocean Plastics in the World. Meanwhile, they are restoring the StamfordLighthouse.org in CT. I will forward your post to my father on The Treasure Coast, who loves American History.
I love your colorful hat! Stay warm!
-Colleen ✌️
https://fund.theoceancleanup.com/fundraisers/BikeforBoyansOceanCleanup
Thank you!
Thanks for sharing and God’s speed.
Many thanks!
Looks like snow agrees with you – great Pictures – sure do miss you two! Safe travels and fun adventures ahead for sure.
xoxo Anne S
XOXO Anne!
What an amazing and impressive journey! I can only imagine what you have learned and how it has changed you. Happy New Year!
Happy New Year to you as well Peggy! Yes learning every day…. !
What an incredible journey and always love reading your insight. Thank you for letting us follow along. Safe travels
Farah great to hear from you and so enjoyed recently seeing you. All the best and hope to catch up upon our return.
Sounds like fun, but difficult!!
Peter
🙂
Safe travels, so great to hear the update. We look forward to seeing you both back here again soon. It was great to see all of you over the holiday and at the book signing. Enjoying reading the new book! Virginia
Thank you Virginia!
You are in my stomping grounds. Being from Memphis, a lot of weekends were spent at Pickwick. There is a photo some where in the books on the shelf here in my office of me with my first fish standing at 3 years old, 1943, next to Dad’s mahogany speed boat. The Shiloh (and Corinth) battles were in my mother’s family home areas, farmers. (Just as the Vicksburg battle was in my father’s side of the family area)…..One quick story. I actually knew when I was about 10 years old a great grandmother living at my grandfathers house in Jackson, unfortunately she was senile at the time, who was a child on the Shiloh battle field in a farmhouse. During the battle her mother (the men were all fighting) hid the children under the bed…….and a cannon ball came through the house and broke off one of posts on the bed…..
We often forget we are only a couple of generations from an entirely different world than the one we live in.
Thanks for all the great updates,…..
Newton
Newton this is so amazing. Thank you for sharing and all the best to you.