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One of the more enjoyable evenings in September involved a lightning storm just east of town. We got a little rain with it, but it wasn’t enough to wash out the scene. The weather made for a nice combination with the Norbert F Beckey bridge over the Mississippi River, which is always lit up with … Read more
New boats have arrived on the upper Mississippi in recent years. The American Melody is one of them. They are grand cruisers, loaded with the most modern amenities with the outer looks to match. Sleek and fast, they’re a sight to see going by.
In October of this year, the American Queen riverboat made a stop in Muscatine. I posted about it on social media but added little to the blog here for some reason. To bring things up to speed, this was a trial stop for the boat and visitors stopped at several places including the Pearl Button … Read more
It is strange how little has been written about the Upper Mississippi. The river below St. Louis has been described time and again, and it is the least interesting part. One can sit on the pilot-house for a few hours and watch the low shores, the ungainly trees and the democratic buzzards, and then one … Read more
Every old river town along the Mississippi has a rich history…many were involved in trading and transport of goods (and still are). And this goes back as far as the late 1700’s when Julien Dubuque arrived in Northeast Iowa. Lumber was big back in the late 1800’s. For Muscatine (where I live), the harvesting of … Read more
The Earth, and especially the plants, lost a friend today. Word came that Stephen Buhner had passed away. Personally, I don’t know anyone who has taught me more about the interconnectedness of all the things found in nature. Being an herbalist, his focus was often on the plants…but his wisdom and commentary went far wider … Read more