Hannah comes back after a week

A week now, a little more than a week, C. Bernadette had a crew change.

Andrewc for Hannahb and what revolutions. The discovery of single person steering, loving Bernadette gently, raft swain raf's'n, in the wind, turning and using the billowing cloth, the weathervain, design feature, to know. Using the pee-board for a kitchen sink, not only a toilet, sink, washbasin. Setting up the tent onboard.



These things driving her from Dubuque to Clinton and a million adventures. A wingdam, tailwinds and strong current, requiring (after watching Bernadette skid away from us along the submerged rock ridge behind her first, or second or third tow attempt) six people (or seven?) pushing her into position for her final successful tow back out into the chanel.



Staying the night nestled in some wingdams and visited by Corey, bringing gifts, bringing company while we cooked the experimental beans (someday we're going to release the C. Bernadette book of raft cooking).



A little check up from the DeWitt of US fish and wildlife, with no compassion, robot man, following orders in such a way to pad his ego, not letting him get us riled up, not knowing what to do with the 125$ ticket we ended up with, all of our things within some kind of reminder range. I dont want to get into it, angry thinking. But now up to code anyway.



And Sebula, the island city, small and hot. Heat coming out of the ground, heat taking us down and waiting in front of BombFire pizza for our energy to return us to the raft, whe Tom drives up and tells us he left us goodies at the boat. Tomfire from Bombfire and all the ingredients delicious for a lunch, bread, tomatoes, mozzerella cranberry chutney, oh my. And then as we leave paddling on toward the bridge stopped for a bit of catfish donation, good old boys, brief exchange.

And the fish, the river fish inside with batter and fried, with fish water all over the deck all over the boat, the fishy water in the river on the swimming skin on the bluegreen algae, on the spewm on the surface, in our planters on our feet, on the deck. Covered with these fish.



And now Lindsey has some kind of cold. Andrew is back on his farm. Hannah is back with Bernadette and waiting for the rain to let up, for our battery to make its way the many blocks back to the boat, to fill our tank up with some municipal water and get on our merry way.