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| Kathy, author of three river books with more to come, is a retired river captain's wife and has "been there, done that." She knows the river and has spent hundreds of days riding the boats and collecting information for her books. She is also a tireless supporter of water transportation and water resource development. Visit www.LittleRiverBooks.com often and find "TOW TALKIN'" a delightful new experience in river chats. It will be posted each week. |
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Tow Talkin’ June 29, 2009 Last week’s tow talk was written and sent off by email but must be on the moon. It is nowhere to be found. Kinda like my brain. On Wednesday the 24th I was on a pontoon owned by the Clinton County Conservation Department with a DNR pontoon tied alongside us. There were 40 school teachers on board that I was to tell about the logging industry in Clinton, Beaver Island and the towing industry. It was hotter than Hades out there on the river and I got cooked. Just before we were done and docked at the Rock Creek Marina below Camanche, I got sick from the heat. Threw up twice. I was OK but hot. Then on Saturday night I was supposed to do a river program down at Shady Creek Campground just above Fairport, which is just above Muscatine. Just as I left the Quad Cities the wind started, it got black as night, the lightning was ferocious, and the rain came down so hard that even the windshield wipers on high didn’t do much. Of course my program was canceled until July 11th. There were limbs down all over and trees down too. Today, the 30th, when we went up to Lock and Dam 13, I wouldn’t get out of the Suburban for anything. There was a shad fly hatch and the area around the lock was literally 100% covered with them. The observation deck was plastered with shad flies. The upper lock wall was black with shad flies. You couldn’t have put another one on it. The gravel road going out there was black with shad flies also. Tow traffic was steady last week so I didn’t get anything done around the house. I’d rather sit in the recliner with my feet up and watch the river than do house work. Trouble is, I could plant carrots on the kitchen floor it is so bad. Yuck! So long until next week from the old river rat. |
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Click here to e-mail the Old River Rat!
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Click here to read previous "Tow Talkin'" columns by Kathy Flippo! |
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Beaver Island Remembered - by Kathy Flippo 112 pages. Generously illustrated. Soft cover. Now in its third printing. This popular book is a history of some of the people who lived on Beaver Island (just off the Mississippi River right bank at Clinton, Iowa) from the time Charles and Ann Meyers settled there in 1840 until March 1995. We get a glimpse of the “Beaver Island War,” which took place in 1842, clearly establishing that the Clintonians ruled the island. From then on, the upper end of the island drew many settlers, mostly of Swedish and German descent. The island was a sportsmen’s paradise, and Kathy Flippo describes what it was like to work on the island, what residents (128 when the population was at its peak) did for fun, for transportation, for education, and for groceries, and how they survived during high water. Usually same-day shipping!
List Price: $11.00 Our Price: $9.00 You Save: $2.00 (18.2%) more info larger image |
Between The Saints: Louis and Paul - by Kathy Flippo 325 pages. Generously illustrated. Soft cover. Nonfiction: Upper Mississippi. This marvelous book is a must for anyone even thinking about working on the river or for those just wondering what river life is like. Author’s captain husband spent 50 years on the river. She spent much time on towboats and tells all (almost). Describes river towns and displays pictures of hundreds of boats. It will keep you turning pages. Usually same-day shipping!List Price: $29.95 Our Price: $25.00 You Save: $4.95 (16.5%) more info larger image |
Back To Beaver Island - by Kathy Flippo 216 pages. Soft Cover. More than 250 illustrations. This book is a sequel to Beaver Island Remembered. The author delves more deeply into the lives of those residents of Beaver island (just off the right bank of the Mississippi River at Clinton, Iowa). The island became populated in the middle of the last century and remained so through the mid 1900s. Ever wonder what people did on a small island in the Mississippi? They had a blast - and some hard times, too. If you missed the first book, don't miss this one. If you have the first book, it's still worth the chips, because the author invited all of the surviving island residents and their families back to the island for a get-together. This meant scads of new pictures and tons of new information. Usually same-day shipping!
List Price: $24.95 Our Price: $20.00 You Save: $4.95 (19.8%) more info larger image |
