Football, Muscle Shoals Music, Helen Keller and Dead Coon Dogs- Tennessee River Part II

Looper happy hour on the dock

After our water hose incident, we were met by Fred and Julaine Eddy of Boreas. We all decided to have lunch together at the marina restaurant. They were waiting for the arrival of Brandy IV later that day, and the two boats would then head to Joe Wheeler State Park and on up the Tennessee. We stayed at the restaurant and watched Alabama beat Arkansas which made the partisan crowd really happy. We returned to the boat and listened to some other football games on the satellite radio. Around suppertime we went back to the restaurant to see if we could watch LSU play West Virginia. LSU ranks high on many Alabamian teams to watch (probably because we sent them Nick Saban!) and we were able to get a TV turned to the game. We ordered a pizza and some beers and settled in to watch the game. At half-time a musician started to set up next to the big screened TV, and started playing at the start of the third quarter. A lot of famous musicians have recorded in the Muscle Shoals studios because of the wealth of studio musicians that exist in the area. We were treated to some really fine guitar playing and interesting original compositions. We listened to the music and watched the game until LSU was victorious, then said goodnight to everyone and headed back to the boat.

The next morning we got up and took the marina's courtesy car to a Cracker Barrel restaurant for breakfast, then for a run to Wal-Mart. We returned just in time to catch the Saints football game on the restaurant's big screen TV. Larry Valentine wandered by and we shared some beers, talked football, and watched the Saints win (not very glamorously though!). We were invited to Lauren Grace for happy hour and the celebration of some Valentine friend's 47th wedding anniversary. We returned to the boat, had supper, and listened to some more football before finally turning in.

Ivy Green, Helen Keller's birthplace

At Ivy Green

Helen Keller memorabilia

More memorabilia

Dresses worn by Helen Keller

Water pump where Helen acquired language

The next day we awoke to a fairly steady rain. We needed to do some laundry and the marina's machine was acting up, so we took the courtesy van and found a laundromat (or as Jane says a washeteria!). We arrived back at the marina as the weather was starting to clear. We had lunch and decided that it was going to be a nice afternoon. We needed some items for some chili that we wanted to make for the Monday night football game, and took the van out again. This time however, instead of going into Florence, we crossed the river into Muscle Shoals. As we looked for a grocery store we saw a sign pointing to Ivy Green, the birthplace of Helen Keller. We called the museum and found it was open and we could probably squeeze a tour in before we had to return the car. The grounds have been very well preserved and the memorabilia and furnishings were impressive. While we were both familiar with the Helen Keller story, neither of us had any idea that the lady was so accomplished. She wrote 14 books which were translated into 50 languages, graduated cum laude from Radcliffe (the first deaf and blind person to do so), led a distinguished campaign that championed the eradication of preventable blindness, and was a very vocal advocate for the needs of people that shared her handicaps. Reviewing her accomplishments, it's difficult to envision her as handicapped in any way. Her life was the inspiration for the Lions International service project for the blind. We left Ivy Green and found a grocery store and returned to the boat to make our chili. Yes, it was delicious!

This way to the Coon Dog Cemetery

Troop's grave started it all in 1937

The only one of its kind!

Coon dog graves

A homemade marker

A fancy marker

We now go from the sublime to the singular, bordering on the bizarre. We learned from the Valentines about the Key Underwood Coon Dog Memorial Graveyard, located just outside Tuscumbia, AL. Established in 1937 when Key Underwood buried his coon dog Troop here, the cemetery accepts only authentic coon dogs that must pass certain criteria in order to be buried there. With over 185 coon dog burials from all over the world, the site is interesting to say the least. Grave markers range from homemade wood and metal markers to engraved, polished granite headstones. Many of the markers lists the coon dog's accomplishments such as how many raccoons they treed during their lifetime, or how many awards they won in competitions. What we also found interesting was that every grave was adorned with a flower arrangement and many sported American flags. There is no question that the grounds are routinely maintained. The cemetery is located in the rural hills of north Alabama, an absolutely beautiful and scenic area.

We say goodbye to the Valentines

Jambalaya Larry

We spent what we thought was going to be our last day in Florence doing some boat chores. Jane was treated to an all girls lunch with the marina manager then ran some errands with her, returning to the boat around mid-afternoon. Theresa Valentine was flying out to attend a meeting and dropped by to say goodbye. We invited Larry over for dinner since he would be spending the evening by himself. We were cooking a jambalaya and Jane called the marina manager over to give her one of her paintings. When we mentioned that we were leaving in the morning she told us that she was sure that she had us down through tomorrow. We were pretty sure this wasn't right, but she was insistent so we thought, what the heck, we'll stay another day that's free! Larry Valentine came over for dinner and we had some after dinner drinks on the cockpit of Bavarian Cream for a couple of hours. Capt. Larry had baked a fresh loaf of bread to go with the jambalaya. He gave the remaining half loaf to the crew on the sailboat from Sweden that was berthed next to us (not all sail boaters are assholes!) as part of his baked-bread diplomacy. It was a real hit with them as everyone kept telling him how good it was all evening and the next morning. We turned in on a cool fall evening that would make for good sleeping.

A freshwater "croc" caught by the marina staff