It's Thursday!!!! We were underway by 7:05 am  - headed to Wheeler lock. We locked through without delay and had the same experience at Wilson lock!!  Wa HOOOO!!  By 10:15 am we were headed to Florence then onto Pickwick. Yes, a VERY cloudy day & intermittent rain throughout the morning & early afternoon...but it's still a day on the water!!  SMILE!!  The Lord is in control - always!

The predicted "strong storms" weren't as bad as we expected.  In fact, we could have stayed at anchor without concern.  But it was nice to use an actual swimming pool at Joe Wheeler State Park!!  Yes!!  Between rain showers I was able to get in an actual swimming pool...chlorinated water, I could see the bottom, there were stairs & ladders, pool furniture, concrete surround. I swam laps & did a few other water exercises I remembered from days gone by!!!  So refreshing!!!  Thanks for the memories Corey & Martha!!  You would have been proud!!

And now, the pictures I promised yesterday....the northern edge of Alabama is full of God-kissed beauty and mankind has left his mark as well.  If you weren't sure where Meow Mix originated...Decatur AL is the answer.  And let me be clear - it's made fresh, on location! Whew!!  If I lived here, I'd make sure I was on the upside of the wind!!

Decatur AL - Home of  Meow Mix

 As we travel back to our home port it's important to know the green buoy should be on our right - but Charlie says it's OK to leave a little distance between us & the marker.  Hey, a girl needs to make sure she captures the details!!

As we were coming through Decatur AL the railroad bridge was down because a train was approaching.  We were far enough away to see the train crossing yet we were also slow enough that we didn't have to stop.  Once the train completed the crossing, the bridge master raised the tracks so we could pass through.  It's amazing how well everyone works together on the waterway - it's almost like common sense is appreciated and respected.

Some markers are fixed in the channel & provide an actual mileage notation.  Also, Osprey &/or Eagles find these particular markers a great location to set up residence.  Now that's asking a lot from a realtor - but location, location, location is the sign of a happy homeowner!!  This one had a nest on top but I was driving & snapping pics too - so  I didn't pan out far enough...sorry about that!

As we past Florence Harbor it felt strange to not pull in & stay awhile.  But Fulton is just "down river" - we made the trip in 13 hours once.  But today I think we will set our sights on the Bay Springs Lake area in New Site MS.  We are looking for a long day today, hoping to cover some significant distance.  The past 2 days we stopped early and that was nice but it's time to start looking to the finish line.

Of course, we always have a plan (so we have something to change later in the day) but right now we predict our arrival in Fulton sometime on Friday...of course, that's just "a plan".

Make your plan today and embrace the opportunity to change it - especially if it benefits someone else!  Happy Thursday!