~~~~~~ RiverBill's Archives~~~~~~
December
2006

 

A WEBSITE FOR THE  BOATING COMMUNITY 

OF THE 

MISSISSIPPI, ILLINOIS AND MISSOURI RIVERS

 

 

Weekend Report   Sunday ..... 31 December 2006 ....

HAPPY NEW YEARS

From 

RiverBills.com

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Happy New Year From RiverBills.com.......  Thought the above picture was appropriate for today.  Celebrate, enjoy and most of all be safe

 

  See ya all next year.

Last Year's River Picture of the Day  ------  What picture held the anchor spot on RiverBill's last year on this day ? 

    The "Picture of the Day" from one year ago (2005) .....was neat looking sunset taken of the deck at Sharky's Restaurant a few weeks ago .  I thought it was very appropriate for closing out the year. Its looking up Dardenne Slough towards the power-lines.  Neat colors and an ominous looking sky

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     The "Picture of the Day" from two years ago (2004) ..........was a picture of the  sun setting on 2004 . 

Tonight.... New Years Eve At Sharky's Cove

$ 15.00 cover charge per person

Includes:

.....Appetizer Buffet & More from 7-9
.....Live Music by "Sitting Ducks" 9-1
.....Champagne at Midnight
.....Cash Bar

      Click here for Sharkys Cove website

 

 

Weekend Report    Saturday.... 30 December 2006 ....

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Our River Picture of the Day.......  is a pic from last Summer.  Boats all rafted up in Mason Chute for an afternoon of Summer fun.   That's hills above Grafton in the distance.

Last Year's River Picture of the Day  ------  What picture held the anchor spot on RiverBill's last year on this day ? 

 

    The "Picture of the Day" from one year ago (2005) .....was a a shot of a gorgeous sunset that Dave Kelly, who hails out of  Woodland marina,  took while crossing the Gulf of Mexico after traveling down the Mississippi River on one of his boat delivery trips in mid December.

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     The "Picture of the Day" from two years ago (2004) ..........was of the of the Grafton Ferry heading across the Illinois River.  The sun was just about ready to disappear for the day when this picture was taken creating an orange glow in the sky that sort of outlines the trees on the island in the background.

Tomorrow Night .. New Years Eve At Sharky's Cove........ 

$ 15.00 cover charge per person

Includes:

.....Appetizer Buffet & More from 7-9
.....Live Music by "Sitting Ducks" 9-1
.....Champagne at Midnight
.....Cash Bar

      Click here for Sharkys Cove website

 

 

Friday.....29 December 2006 ....

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Our River Picture of the Day.......  is a picture of the bluffs along the Great River Road on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River between Grafton and Alton, IL.   

   I bet they have a great view from that house on the top of the bluffs. (right hand side.) 

Last Year's River Picture of the Day  ------  What picture held the anchor spot on RiverBill's last year on this day ? 

 

    The "Picture of the Day" from one year ago (2005) .....was a a shot of a gorgeous sunset that Dave Kelly, who hails out of  Woodland marina,  took while crossing the Gulf of Mexico after traveling down the Mississippi River on one of his boat delivery trips in mid December.

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     The "Picture of the Day" from two years ago (2004) ..........was of the of the Grafton Ferry heading across the Illinois River.  The sun was just about ready to disappear for the day when this picture was taken creating an orange glow in the sky that sort of outlines the trees on the island in the background.

Tonight .....Cindra's Birthday Party at Sharky's 

 

        Big Five Oh ! Birthday Party For Cindra At Sharky's Cove 


Cindra is the manager at Sharky's..... you all know her !

Stop by and help her celebrate
Everyone is welcome

DJ and finger foods

Dec 29th......Starts at  7:00 PM

Sunday Night....... New Years Eve At Sharky's Cove

$ 15.00 cover charge per person

Includes:

.....Appetizer Buffet & More from 7-9
.....Live Music by "Sitting Ducks" 9-1
.....Champagne at Midnight
.....Cash Bar

      Click here for Sharkys Cove website

New Years Day.... Winter Water Ski Fundraiser ------  

To all Wake boarders ,water-skiers, friends, is it getting to COLD for you ??????

WATER-SKIING ON NEW YEARS DAY on the Mississippi in front of the ARCH in St Louis 

If you would like to help, ski, attend, raise $$ or any thing please send me your e-mail and I will forward you the necessary info and set some plans for reaching our Goal !!!   Send an e-mail to Hotttdog@aol.com

  Click here for more information

 

REMEMBER  BE A CHAMPION !!

Kevin Day
LAKESHORE SKI CO.

 

 

 Thursday.....28 December 2006 ....

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Our River Picture and e-mail of the Day.......  Is from Sean Koepke.  He sent us a couple of pictures of a tow and the Golden Eagle Ferry that he took a few weeks ago.

 

Hey,
I'm Sean, I took this picture from the weekend of the 16th of December. We were coming home from our river home above Winfield Dam on the Mississippi River and seen a barge passing in front of the Golden EagleFerry and took a quick picture, it was taken while waiting in line for the ferry.

The next picture is taken off the ferry facing down river as the barge keeps on moving

Keep up the work, I love this website.
-Sean  

 

RiverBill says....Thanks for the pictures Sean.  Keep them coming

Last Year's River Picture of the Day  ------  What picture held the anchor spot on RiverBill's last year on this day ? 

 

    The "Picture of the Day" from one year ago (2005) .....was  a fantastic sunset taken Monday evening from the deck of the Grafton Ferry,.... taken by Captain Carl Seidler, who hails out of Grafton Harbor.   

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     The "Picture of the Day" from two years ago (2004) ..........was of the Golden Eagle Ferry that was taken on a bright cold day last year. The ferry is heading towards the Missouri side of the Mississippi River to unload some vehicles from Illinois.

River Fest 2006 ---- Mike Vitale, who hails out of the Duck Club in the cruiser IN_XS, has created a slide show he named "River Fest 2006" for us......featuring pictures submitted by many of Mike and Tammy's river friends.  This time of year it's good to look at pictures from last Summer ...And.....What a good year it was !

   The collection of pictures is quite entertaining and it's set to music.....so log on, sit back and enjoy ! 

  

Click here  to watch River Fest 2006........(Adults Only)

 

 

Wednesday.....27 December 2006 ....

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Our River Picture and e-mail of the Day.......  Is from Greg Sadowski, who hails out of Woodland marina. Greg moves a lot of boats all over the United States by piloting them up and down the Mississippi, Illinois, Ohio, Tennessee Rivers, Inter-costal Waterways, up and down the eastern seaboard, across the Great lakes, the gulf of Mexico and more.   He has been all over the place in the short time I have know him !   

   This trip he is moving a ship from Japan to New Zealand.  When they stopped in Guam, he sent us a Christmas e-mail:

 

Hello all and Season's Greetings from Guam, staying here a few days.  ere's a picture of the boat attached. This place is beautiful!
We have come 1,370 nautical miles from Japan, average speed 10 kts.  Destination "New Zealand" is still approximate 3,800 nautical miles to go.
Greg, Sid, Malcolm, Catherine, Murry, Rod, Lewis, Callum  

Last Year's River Picture of the Day  ------  What picture held the anchor spot on RiverBill's last year on this day ? 

 

    The "Picture of the Day" from one year ago (2005) .....was sent in by Captain Dave Kelly, who hails outt of Woodland Marina.  Its a mature eagle on the ice on the river.  What a good picture !

 

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     The "Picture of the Day" from two years ago (2004) ..........was was sent in by Brad and it's a pic of some of the bluffs along the Illinois side of the Mississippi River. The picture was taken in late October of the year.

ITCS Memo ...... Illinois River Update ---- ITCS Memo dated 26 December with more info on the flood water coming down the Illinois River.

 

Click here to read the ITCS Memo #2456  

An e-mail from Joe Cona.....This one got lost in my in-box. I have had it since the snow storm back in early December.

    It's an e-mail and website link from Joe Cona.  He used to boat the Mississippi River, but he is now sailing in Floridian.  

 

Joe wrote:

  

Hi - A friend just sent me a link to your site regarding the snow storm damage.   Great site, I didn't even know you existed. 

   I kept my boat Carpe Diem, a C&C Landfall 43 sailboat, in Harbor Point Yacht Club (www.harbor-point.org) for 13 years.  I was elected to the Board of Directors of Harbor Point for two years, serving as Commodore in 2002. 

   A couple years ago, I moved the boat to FL, and embarked on a slow six-month tour of the Florida Keys. I thought you might want to include a link to my website and it's detailed cruising log at www.cona.net 


Joe Cona 

905 North Harbor City Blvd

Unit 303 

Melbourne, FL 32935 

 

RiverBill says...Thanks for the e-mail Joe ! 

   I added a link to your website at the bottom of the left hand column of this web page. Stay in touch and keep us updated on your travels.

Pere Marquette Bald Eagle Days: ----  Tuesday and Wednesday at Pere Marquette State Park, Grafton, IL .......8:30 AM

 Learn to tell between mature and inmature bald eagles, what they eat, why they winter in this area and much more.  Reservations are required. Includes a short video and an observational drive for some eagle watching. 

For more information  

Go to .........http://www.greatriverroad.com/Pere/eventswinterpere.htm

Call 618-786-3323.

 

 

Tuesday.....26 December 2006 ....

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Our River Picture of the Day.......  is a pic from the Winfield RiverCam yesterday morning....Christmas.   It may be Christmas, but the river keeps on flowing and the tow operators keep on pushing that cargo up-river.  

Last Year's River Picture of the Day  ------  What picture held the anchor spot on RiverBill's last year on this day ? 

 

    The "Picture of the Day" from one year ago (2005) .....was sent in by Jim Vineyard of the Duck Club.   Jim took this one of an eagle in a tree last winter up-river from the Duck Club's clubhouse.  

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     The "Picture of the Day" from two years ago (2004) ..........was named ..... Oooh Oooh Oooh Lookin Out My Back Door ------ 1st.. A bit of history on the picture... Mike D was talking to me on the phone. He stops in the middle of a sentence and says "OH MY GOD ~~~~ I got to go !"    Later he called back and told us what happened. A towboat pulled right up in front of his house. He said it was very close to the house and parallel to his seawall. After that it backed out into the river channel turning until it was 90 degrees to the riverbank. Then it pulled up on the rock bank right outside of Mike's backdoor

    Wow - What a picture !    It was between Mikes house and the pavilion at the entrance to the harbor at Two Branch Marina. A couple of guys got out and loaded boxes from a waiting pickup truck on to the towboat. Then the towboat backed out away from the bank and headed back up-river

   All in a day of living next to the River.     

ITCS Memo ......Update On Flood Water Coming Down The Illinois River ---- Update ITCS Memo with some info on river levels, forecasts and crest levels.

Click here to read the ITCS Memo #2455  

Progress Report ~~ Dutch & the  Scoundrel......  

 

Dutch updated his website on December 21 with more pictures from his trip from St. Louis to the Bahamas where he plans to spend the Winter.    Then around the loop and back to St. Louis.  Keep your anchor right here for updates and pictures as he sends them in or click on his website link, TheScoundrel.com ,  in the left hand column of this web page to check for travel updates.  

The Quagga Mussel.....Larry Demko of Fastrac Media, who hails out of the Duck Club, sent us a link to an article from the on-line Cleveland.com Newspaper about another species of invader mussel that is currently in the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River.

Click here to read the news article in Cleveland.com

Click here for more information on the Quagga Mussel

Click here for information on where they are at in our waterways

Pere Marquette Bald Eagle Days: ----  Tuesday and Wednesday at Pere Marquette State Park, Grafton, IL .......8:30 AM

 Learn to tell between mature and inmature bald eagles, what they eat, why they winter in this area and much more.  Reservations are required. Includes a short video and an observational drive for some eagle watching. 

For more information  

Go to .........http://www.greatriverroad.com/Pere/eventswinterpere.htm

Call 618-786-3323.

 

 

Christmas Monday.......25 December 2006 ....

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Our River Picture of the Day.......  is great shot of the sun setting over the Illinois River near Grafton, IL.     

Pere Marquette Bald Eagle Days: ---- This Tuesday and Wednesday at Pere Marquette State Park, Grafton, IL .......8:30 AM

 Learn to tell between mature and inmature bald eagles, what they eat, why they winter in this area and much more.  Reservations are required. Includes a short video and an observational drive for some eagle watching. 

For more information  

Go to .........http://www.greatriverroad.com/Pere/eventswinterpere.htm

Call 618-786-3323.

ITCS Memo ......High Water On The Illinois River ---- Safety advisory issued due to high water levels on the Illinois River.

Click here to read the ITCS Memo #2454  

The Weekend Report.......Fri, Sat, Sun......22, 23, 24 December 2006 ....

Our River Picture of the Day.....(Sunday)...  Is named 

  T'was the night before Christmas 

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Our River Picture of the Day.....(Saturday)...  is of a "Lost Red River Buoy"..... floating up against the rocks across the river from Alton, IL.  That  "Winter Blue" water of the Mississippi River really seems to offset the red color of the buoy in this shot.     

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Our River Picture of the Day.....(Friday)...  is a shot of a flock of Doves  Gulls feeding / fishing......diving into the river for their dinner........ at dusk last Sunday evening. 

 

Riverbill says....Thanks for all the e-mails..... and one a phone call about these birds being Gulls and not Doves. 

Last Year's River Picture of the Day  ------  What picture held the anchor spot on RiverBill's last year on this day ? 

 

 

Sunday 

    The "Picture of the Day" from one year ago (2005) .....was named    The Night Before Christmas ........  I used it again this Christmas !

 

 

 

Saturday 

    The "Picture of the Day" from one year ago (2005) .....was of an eagle on an ice flow in the Illinois River, taken by Charles Wickenhauser who is the Manager of Grafton Harbor.  Charlie named it Grafton Harbor's very first transient guest.  

 

The "Picture of the Day" from two years ago (2004) ......was of the Loading Dock in Grafton, IL. located at the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi rivers with the bluffs along the Great River Road in the background. This picture was taken near the end of the day and you can see the reflection of the glowing winter sunset in the windows of the building.

 

 

 

Friday

    The "Picture of the Day" from one year ago (2005) .....was  a great shot of an eagle taken by Captain Glenn Sadowski, who hails out of Woodland Marina.  

Glenn wrote:

 

Hey There Bill,

 

This is a photo that Maribeth and I snapped out here today.(Sat 12-17) ....

We had to break a little ice to get out of the marina.

We cruised around the islands and saw approx. 35 Eagles.

 

Thanks,

Cap't Glenn  

 

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 The "Picture of the Day" from two years ago (2004) ......was a great October River Sunset sent in by Brad. The next picture was taken a bit later as the sun dips below the tree line and the sky seems to come alive with hues of yellow and red .

Info On Boat That Burned Near Hoppie's Marina....... Jim Svoboda sent us an e-mail with information about the boat that burnt near Hoppie's Marina on the Mississippi River, just south of St. Louis last weekend..

Jim wrote:

 

Bill, 

FYI, the burnt boat is the 40 foot Carver that was stolen from the Duck 
Club sometime last week. 

- the water patrol is involved. Looks like it may have been 
taken early Wednesday - they asked our Harbor Master, Harry Steele, if 
anyone noticed someone on the dock, which no one apparently did. I 
would think the water patrol would have an incident report in the near 
future. Happy Holidays!

Jim 

 

RiverBill says....Thanks for the information Jim. 

Two missing Amish Boys ...... Lure of the Mississippi River & Reading About Huck Finn ........ There was a news story on 5ksdk.com about the two Amish boys that were missing earlier this week in the Bowling Green area of Missouri. 

   It was all about reading some of Mark Twain's novels and the lure of the Mississippi River.  

Click here to read the story in 5ksdk.com  

 

 

Thursday.....21 December 2006 ....

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Our River Pictures of the Day......  are some shots of the burnt out hull from last weekend's boat fire on the Mississippi River just south of St. Louis near Hoppie's Marina.     


Adams Kilbum wrote in his e-mail to Robert Cope:

 

Robert,

   Bill (Aanstad) went back over and the boat does appear to be a 40 footer as he did pace it off.  These eight additional photos should help identify. Note there is nothing left of the transom for name.

Kilburn

 

Pictures by Bill Aanstad, e-mails by Robert Cope and Adams Kilbum

 

 

Last Year's River Picture of the Day  ------  What picture held the anchor spot on RiverBill's last year on this day ? 

 

    The "Picture of the Day" from one year ago (2005) .....was of the work that was going on at the Grafton Harbor last year at this time.   

 

Charles Wickenhauser, the Manager of the harbor, wrote in his e-mail;

Here's a couple of pictures of our progress if you wish to post them. They show the levee that forms the leading edge of the marina starting to appear out of the water. It will raise 22 ft. out of the water when completed. That puts it at 441 ft. above sea level. ('93 flood stage).

The second picture is of the matting and rip wrap being applied to the excavated bank of the marina to prevent erosion. It's starting to look more like a Marina every day. I'll keep you posted as we proceed. Thanks for helping keep the boaters informed. 

Regards,

Charles Wickenhauser

Manager Grafton Harbor

 

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 The "Picture of the Day" from two years ago (2004) ......was a shot of River Santa riding outside the wheelhouse on the Brussels Ferry as they ferried cars and trucks across the Illinois River. It "tis" the season to see Santa everywhere.

Winter Is Here ...... Today is the Winter Solstice.  It is the shortest day of the year and the sun is at its lowest point in the sky.    Fall is behind us and it is now Winter.........

 

A splash of good news too...

Tomorrow..... the number of day light hours start getting longer

 

For more info Click Here

    

Wednesday.....20 December 2006 ....

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River Picture of the Day......  is a shot of some of the inflatable pontoon barriers that have been put across the entrances to the harbors up and down the river.  The barriers are meant too keep the gasoline and motor oil that is seeping from the engines of the sunken boats in the harbors from entering the river.

 

Click here for more info on mechanical containment and recovery.

Last Year's River Picture of the Day  ------  What picture held the anchor spot on RiverBill's last year on this day ? 

 

    The "Picture of the Day" from one year ago (2005) .....was  of  ski boats lining up for the start of a barefoot race on Cuivre River Slough last year.  Picture sent in by  Dri-Port Marine.

Update….Wood River Drainage and Levee District........ There was a news article in yesterday's on-line Post Dispatch about the repairs needed on the levees in the  Wood River Drainage and Levee District. 

   The district's levees protect  Alton, East Alton, Hartford, Roxana, South Roxana and Wood River from flood water of the Mississippi River or its tributaries.

Click here to read the story in STLtoday.com    

 

 

Tuesday.....19 December 2006 ....

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Boat Fire...... Robert Cope forwarded the above pictures to me from Bill Anstead.

The following is from the string of e-mails:

 

 The boat was burning on the IL side of the Mississippi River near Hoppies Marina this past weekend. The pics were taken by Bill Aanstad. He and another guy were flying in their ultra lights, and Bill landed to assist. He got the close-up pics, but they never saw anyone on or near the boat.

  

RiverBill says...Thanks for the pictures Bill...

                      And thanks to Robert Cope for forwarding us the e-mail

     

Last Year's River Picture of the Day  ------  What picture held the anchor spot on RiverBill's last year on this day ? 

 

    The "Picture of the Day" from one year ago (2005) .....was a shot of the  Grafton Ferry taken by Robert Slow Ride Cope.   He caught the ferry heading across an icy river in a beautiful Winter setting    

Boat Theft........ Received an e-mail from Russell Halloway about  a boat theft at the Duck Club !

 

Russell wrote;

 

Just wondering if anyone heard about the 40’ carver that was stolen out of the duck club last week ?   It was only docked a few slips away from my boat, the name of the boat was JUST DO IT.    If anyone saw or has any information that might help find the thief, they might want to contact the marine patrol, these kind of people we don’t need around our playground.

Russel Holloway

 

RiverBill says...Thanks for the info Russell.  

                       Please contact the authorities if you seen anything.  

Alton Riverfront Amphitheater Update........ There was a news article in yesterday's on-line Post Dispatch with an update on Alton's proposed Riverfront Amphitheater.

Click here to read the story in STLtoday.com    

Missouri State Water Patrol News Release.....Ice Safety------  The Missouri State Water Patrol has issued a News Release encouraging ice safety.  Take a moment to read it and please take heed.

Click here to read the Missouri State Water Patrol News Release N07060193  

New Years Day.... Winter Water Ski Fundraiser ------  

To all Wake boarders ,water-skiers, friends, is it getting to COLD for you ??????

WATER-SKIING ON NEW YEARS DAY on the Mississippi in front of the ARCH in St Louis 

If you would like to help, ski, attend, raise $$ or any thing please send me your e-mail and I will forward you the necessary info and set some plans for reaching our Goal !!!   Send an e-mail to Hotttdog@aol.com

  Click here for more information

 

REMEMBER  BE A CHAMPION !!

Kevin Day
LAKESHORE SKI CO.

 

 

Monday.....18 December 2006 ....

River Picture of the Day......  is of Dale (left) and Dave (right) taking a harbor cruise at Two Branch Marina yesterday afternoon !     Nice day for a ride.

   Actually they are paddling Dale's boat lift to the ramp to take it out of the water.  Notice they are wearing their life jackets.....And... Dale is paddling with a shovel.   

 

Last Year's River Picture of the Day  ------  What picture held the anchor spot on RiverBill's last year on this day ? 

 

    The "Picture of the Day" from one year ago (2005) .....was a shot of the  Grafton Ferry sent in by Mike Kolisch of the boat "Cool Breeze".  Mike snapped this picture of the ferry when it was still in the Mississippi River .... And...... heading towards the cut through to  the Illinois River.  

 

 

    The "Picture of the Day" from two years ago (2004) ......was a shot of  the Piasa Bird  taken by Tony Trice. The Piasa Bird is painted on a cliff along the Great River Road between Alton and Grafton, IL.    

ITCS Memo ......HIGH WATER CONDITIONS ON THE ILLINOIS RIVER ---- There is high water on the Illinois River...And it's got to be heading our way

Click here to read  ITCS Memo #2450  

Paying Too Much For  Boat Insurance ?....... Check out Mixon Insurance. 

Fill out Bill Mixon's  on-line quote form for a fast, friendly insurance quote for rates on your boat..

Big Five Oh ! Birthday Party For Cindra At Sharky's Cove 


Cindra is the manager at Sharky's..... you all know her !

Stop by and help her celebrate
Everyone is welcome

DJ and finger foods

Dec 29th......Starts at  7:00 PM

 

 

Fri, Sat, Sun.....15, 16, 17 December 2006 .... 

River Picture and E-mail of the Day......(Sunday)  was sent in by Frank and Joy. It's a sunset and a new River Dawg.

 

Bill,

 

Taken at two branch just above Kinders.
May husband & our dog, Scrappy is always ready to go fishing. I just love to go out on the river and watch the sunset.  It reminds me that life is very short but the sunset of life can be very beautiful. 

Frank Joy & Scrappy

Major Bill Johnson (second from right, back row) shares his boating enthusiasm with members of Coalition Forces in Iraq 

 

 

River Picture and E-mail of the Day....(Saturday).. is part news and part advertisement from MarineMax. 

 

From Missouri Lakes to Iraqi Desert

MarineMax Boating Enthusiast & Serviceman Takes Boating Dream Abroad

 

 

LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. —Dec. 15, 2006—When Major Bill Johnson and his wife Tammy purchased their boat three years ago from the dealership that would become MarineMax Port Arrowhead, boating instantly became a family pastime, a fun way to spend time with their four children. Today, stationed in Iraq as a part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Major Johnson is keeping the boating dream close to his heart.

“It is times spent apart and separated from our families that we really cherish our time spent on the water boating, fishing and swimming,” says Johnson. “The memories we have will last a lifetime, and we hope our children grow up to share and remember the time on the water spent as a family.”

Johnson that he asked MarineMax sales manager David Paisley for MarineMax flags to take with him on his tour of duty in Iraq . “I asked for the flags to show support for MarineMax,” said Johnson in an email to Paisley . “You really impressed me with your level of concern and care for me and my family during our purchase of our boat and even after the sale. You went above and beyond on the sale because of you