Note: This post is long overdue, but I wanted to fill in this blank before offering a final epilogue. Though covering 2 days, it’s relatively brief; I expect the epilogue will be a little lengthy.

Words for days 36 and 37: CAMARADERIE and RESTLESSNESS.

Days 36 & 37 were spent in and around Monroe City, Missouri, where Kurt and Lori Ten Haken were visiting Steve and Kathie Mudd at their new home.

We spent a lazy Saturday morning on Sep 16 sitting on the deck at Mudd’s that overlooks the lake. The Mudd’s home was complete, but things like connecting propane and seeding the lawn were still in the works. Mudd talked about the desire to put out a dock on the lake, but they have a growing lily pad problem. We debated many ways to address this problem, but ultimately Kurt and I agreed that several grass carp tethered to the Mudd’s property by some form of fish leash would be the best solution; if anyone has experience putting fish on a leash we would appreciate some consultation.

Mudd took us on a tour of Monroe City, where he grew up and his mom still resides. It seemed every block had some historic meaning to Mudd, and there were several locations coming into and out of town where Mudd told of wildlife he once saw at that site. We heard tales of ten point bucks, runs of turkeys, families of foxes… it seems Mudd has a photographic memory for wildlife encounters.

We also took a drive to Mark Twain Lake, or as Mudd calls it: Marktwainlake, as a single word. Marktwainlake was created in 1984 when a dam was erected across the Salt River on its way towards the Mississippi. The 18,000+ acres of water covered the town of Victor: the general store, church and several houses from this once important trading post town are now home to catfish and crappie. It was interesting touring the Army Corps museum, but I was anxious to get away from water; I wanted to keep my mind off of the river for at least 24 hours.

We went into the town of Perry, next to Paris, to browse through some antique shops. We weren’t shopping for anything in particular, but I found some 50 year old New Orleans tourism guides. Kathy found a scale that the proprietor said was always accurate because it had no springs. When I weighed myself I was a little surprised to find I had lost about 16 pounds in the past month. Everyone stepped on the scale and agreed its accuracy, except Kurt claimed that it was weighing significantly heavy; though Kurt seems to have a general distrust of scales since a pickleball injury has kept him from his normal exercise routine.

We finished the day at the Florida Winery where we listened to some live music and shared a bottle of Jumping Frog Vignoles. The winery was a combination of Mark Twain and Jimmy Buffet motifs, both of which brought to mind some ties to the river; it seemed I couldn’t quite get away. We had a lovely lasagna dinner afterwards back at the Mudd’s, then a couple rounds at Monroe City’s best watering hole, Maddie’s on Main.

On Sunday morning we spent time packing and preparing provisions for our departure the next day. Kathie and Lori made a grocery run for us to stock up on protein bars, Gatorade, and other snacks. We packed things up in dry bags and felt good about getting that task out of the way, though it was an early reminder that the river awaits tomorrow, and I couldn’t get it far from my mind the rest of the day.

On Sunday the highlight was a 91st birthday party for Mudd’s mom. June Mudd is the kind of person I think any of us would be proud to be when we’re 90+: she’s in good health with a sharp mind and is a wonderful, kindhearted conversationalist. Mudd said she was on her way to sainthood with a perfect score until at the age of 90 she farted, Mudd believes for the first time in her life. I’m sure this small stain on her record won’t be held against her. She did tell me that I had a responsibility to make sure I return her son to her, which I assured I would do.

Mudd’s niece Kelly was also at the party. She’s been telling Mudd for months that I’m a fool for making this journey. She initially didn’t worry too much about Mudd making the trip because she said I wouldn’t survive to make it this far; now that I was here and we’re leaving tomorrow, she said to others about me, “I can’t even look at that guy.” She works on a life flight helicopter and has experience pulling people out of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, and they don’t always survive. I certainly recognize the responsibility I have and still believe I’m smart enough to keep Mudd and I out of significant risk.

After the birthday party, the Ten Hakens returned home. Lori gave me a nice devotional book that would come in handy downriver. It was really great having them come visit before our departure, and it was hard to believe I wouldn’t see them again for another 5-6 weeks.

That evening we went to dinner at one of Mudd’s neighbors; they were throwing a bit of a welcome party for them. Several of the attendees were long time area residents who shared stories about growing up in or near Monroe City. The area seemed renowned for large families, so it seemed everyone, though of various ages, were friends or classmates with siblings from the same family. They talked of one family where the youngest daughter never met her oldest brother and only saw him at a late age at his funeral. A few guys were from families with lots of boys, who told how the grass never grew around the front porch, and screens from the windows in the boys’ room were rusted out in big holes; these were attributed to having insufficient bathrooms for the boys’ needs.

We walked back home after dinner with plans for an early morning start; I felt somewhat rested and well fed, but anxious about heading back to the marina in the morning.

Though we had a lot of laughs and some good memories from the weekend, I couldn’t shake the anxiety that came with the Mississippi return. I think also visiting with these friends without Christin along made it a little harder for me to relax. So, the weekend off was nice, but I don’t feel like a party-themed playlist addition would be the right fit here. So, for days 36 & 37, I’m going to add The Allman Brothers Old Friend and My Silver Lining by First Aid Kit.