What does 'Lady of the River', Parmers & Alton have in common?

...basically it's how we filled the last couple of days!  Not much time for blogging tonight as we have to get up to shove off to Hoppie's tomorrow.  BUT...the last couple of days have been great.  We made our way down to Alton Marina and made a surprise call to Mary and Mike Parmer...who relocated from Winchester Ct to St. Louis.  Our kids grew up together...we grew older together...a surprising and awesome W. Court experience.  So they dropped everything to take us out to dinner!  We went to Fast Eddies...not the oil change place...but a famous Looper hangout.  Really cool dinner with music and great burgers...$1.49 each!!!  Thanks Mike for picking up the check!!!!  We spent much of our parenting experience kind of bumping into our neighbors...as we have grown older and kids have moved on we have developed an even deeper friendship with all.  Seeing Mary and Mike...it's like we...and they had never left!!!

Once back to the marina I took the new camera out taking bridge pictures playing with night settings...some turned out pretty neat.

There is an active AGLCA Harbor Host here in Alton.  Bob and xxx took us Looper out to dinner.  Food, drink and sharing of Loop stories filled the evening.  What was special to most of us was their recommendations for the next segment of our trip.  This is the longest segment >250 miles without services or marina...no diesel...no marinas!!!  I've been preparing for the last couple of weeks as we all have...but Bob's advice was invaluable!  Oh, and more night time pictures!!!!

This whole place is floating...it all can go to the top of  the pilings...see the pool and buildings below...they all float.  Given the floods of past the are prepared do go up about 20 feet!!!  Needless to say we are on the low side.  So far has worked out pretty good for our transit.

So I might not be blogging for a while...Green Turtle Bay here we come!!  So take care all!!!

Key West in the Mid West

That's what Grafton Harbor calls itself.  We arrived here on Saturday and will stay till Wednesday.  Saturday the river, marina and town was in full tilt party mode!  Surprising given the late September date.  This place must really rock in the summer.  We walked the town finding boo-coo craft and nicknack shacks, flea market, bars and wineries galore.  In fact the Harbor has a wine tasting bar in their store!  The Loopers got together and tasted some.  Good friendly bunch...wine was so-so.  Chris and I found two other wineries (within a quarter mile of the marina) we liked better.

The pirate ship pics below are of a craft that was built on a house boat.  It parades up and down the coast line with customers...some really in the spirit of it!!  The shark boat is just nuts!!!

Yesterday we spent the day with our Looper buddies running around Grafton, Alton and St. Charles restocking and picking up need, and not so needed items.  Today has been kind of rainy so basically organizing and hanging out.  Four other Looper boats have joined us so if the rain lets off I'm sure there  will be a little get together.  One of the boats, Irish Attitude, is out of Liberty Harbor, Bay City!

Tomorrow, rain gods willing, we are hopping over to Alton Marina for a couple of days before heading down the Mississippi.