Journal of the "Tin Tin Tug"

Log of the Tin Tin Tug

12.29 p 8 May MMX - On 6 May — day before yesterday — Jami, Kati, and I took a boat trip to Mud Lick. I drew a few sketches. We took several photographs, and rowed.


We were going to go again yesterday, but it looked like it might get stormy, so we didn't. Niki is gone now, but I will probably take them out later in the Tin Tin Tug.


Here is a copy of Kati's Journal of the trip. I will try to spell it according to her rather unique style, and will put mispellings in italics, so you will know I know the difference:

6 May 2010 Today we went on a boating-trip and saw some other boats. we saw some baby-ducks, and some adult ducks, and when we were in Mud Lick we say two huge geese, and when we moved off Jami said "Mabe the fish will bite when they see their lunch is running away."

Then we saw a haring. It was big and blue and had huge feet. I took some pictures. Dad and Jami did too.

Then Dad sketchet a few pictures. Jami and me fishd a little near a corn field. And Jami set some set-lines. It has been a fairly nice trip, and it has been lots of fun even we're all fairly tirde of paddiling and wish we could run a bit.

Just as I wrote that I spotted a hill and pointed out the hill to dad and James, they decided to go over so we could stretch our legs.

As soon as me and Jami got out we ran up the hill and once to the top we saw about four deer.

When we got back to the boat dad wanted to take a picture of me and Jami on the hill. It turnd out to be a good picture then dad took another picture. We're on our way home now.

We just saw a little wild duck and were going to get it. When we pulld up to shore to get it when it flew off, dad had a good laugh.

We just saw another Canadian Goose.

We went the embayment and kept seeing things dive. (We think they were muskrats.)

J. D. 12.54 p. 8 May.

6 May 2010 To Mud Lick then to Embayment with Jami and Kati


7 May - Cancelled. Threat of storm


8 May - Jami and Kati went with me down the creek to the Embayment, then towards the Mouth. We turned back because it was windy and the waves were choppy there. There was no boat traffic. We rescued a garbage can. The water was really down from the 6th, and will go down more.


10 May - Jami, Kati, and I took a fairly short ride up South Fork. The water has gone down considerably. We say several ducks and geese. Once, just as we were going up the fork a large fish jumped right in front of the Tin Tin Tug.


11 May - I took Jami and Julia out in the Tin Tin Tug. We went down to the little swamp at Baum's, just below Beck's; then we went over in the embayment, which is very shallow. We were gone about two hours. We got about a boat's distance from three large geese while we were there.


12 May - It rained hard last night. The creek is up, and I doubt we will go out on the water today.


24 May - Trip up Big Bone Branch with Jami and Kati. We recorded about 350 paddle strokes between here and the Forks. We saw two young bucks grazing on the Gallatin side.


25 May - We were going to go in the Tin Tin Tug today, but got busy fixing chicken cages.


26 May - Jami and I went down the creek and into the Ohio. We only went a little way along the bank. Not as far as Baum's house. Only one boat went by in about an hour and a half. Water is down a little more.


3 Jun - Jam, Kati, and I out in the Tin Tin Tug. About three hours. We went up South Fork to the fork, and took the smaller branch, to where someone had cut down a tree across the water. I was another tree cut further on. I took pictures on the way back. We are gathering material for a guide book. We will write about Big Bone before we start our guide to the Ohio in this area. We will probably need a motor for that.


Here is a copy of Kati's account of the trip, 3 Jun 2010:

We are on another trip in the tin tin tug. We are going up South Fork "today". We've already seen a deer then we saw another one. But it might've been the same one. And I saw a big fish. It might've been a cat fish. And me and Jami started argueing about who could row better. And to proove to Jami I could row better him and dad rowed on one side and I rowed on the other, and I turnd the boat all the way around. I just saw a dead fish. And something jumpt out and hit my paddle and scared me. Dad thought it might've been a muskrat. We went pretty far back into South Fork. And we found a fork and we went back one of the forks and then we found a tree some-body had chopd down across the fork so no body could get through.

On the way back we saw a little simetary, and then I saw some ducks. They were in a little row. (there were three) and dad and Jami just saw a dead turtle, it was a big'un and smelled pretty bad. We just saw three spike bucks, and some nice fish, and seven ducks.

(Copied into the Journal of the Tin Tin Tug, 3 Jun MMX. Jas. Duvall, M. A. Capt. of the Tin Tin Tug.)

Kati was looking over my shoulder and remarked: "I accidentally put a d instead of an n."


3 Jun. Kati's Addenda to the foregoing:

When we were coming to the Big Bone Beaver's dam we saw a little dead blue-gill. It was kind a cute.

(Copied 3 Jun MMX. J. D.)


4 Jun - Took Julia, Kati, and Jami and went up to Embayment. A lot of arguing between Jami and Kati over rowing. Julia rowed some with my paddle. A fisherman said he didn't get anything because the "water was too stained" but that next week the fishing would be better.


This is Kati's essay on the trip, written 5th Jun MMX:

4 Jun 2010 - Today we are going on another boat trip; and Julia is going with us. We just saw some fish jump and there's been quite a lot of traffic, "But it sure is fun to rock on the waves." We're going down to the embayment. We've just seen a turtle on a log. A couple of logs were flowing along with the current and almost hit us when we went in front of them. And we've hit a lot of snags.

We've had a realy good time but me and Jami are fighting like a couple of hungry wolfs over a dead mouse. We have to go home now. But ya can't get too far without haveing to dodge a boat or two.

(copied 5 Jun MMX. J. D.)

8 Jun MMX - Moved Tin Tin Tug into the yard. Will clean, paint name on sides and back, then leave in the pond for a few days for the little girls to learn to paddle and maneuver.


16 Jun MMX - Last week we brought the Tin Tin Tug into the yard. It is now in the pond for the smaller girls to row. Kati and I are going to paint it. We will have it in the creek when the water goes down. Need to work on our landing. Can't find either of the crowbars to move rocks for step.

July - August

We took the boat out of the creek and put it in the pond. The weather was so hot, and we were so busy that we did not get to take it out in the creek. Towards the end of this time Jami was begging to be able to go, and I was too tired after work on many of the days, but we determined to get it back in the water as soon as possible.

5 Sep MMX - Yesterday, 4 Sep, we put the Tin Tin Tug back in the water. She was glad to feel the cool, dingy waters of Big Bone Creek on her belly again. We cleared a new landing on the creek bank. It is not very good yet, but it will get better. Then Jami, Kati, and I carried the Tin Tin Tug (which is just one inch short of being 12 feet long) across the road, over the guard rail, down the bank, and slid her into the water. It was nice to be back.

We went down the creek, but we did not go as far as the river. We intended to (it is always nice to say you have been on the broad Ohio), and we planned to go down the river a little ways, like we had gone up before, but we did not. When we got to the bend just below the Embayment there were people near the river on the Gallatin County side, several people, perhaps 6 or 8, and there were dogs (I saw two) playing in the water. We didn't know what the people were doing — perhaps watching a barge that went by — but we did not want to go pass them, so we returned.

Several motor boats passed us. The first went by slowly, but several went faster. We try to turn to meet the wake head-on. I do not think we are in danger of capsizing, unless we are much too close. Kati, in particular, likes the waves ˜ they are like shiny glass, but sinuous. Usually only the first two or three are of any size. We got off the boat to look for Indian arrowheads just before the Bend. We did not find any, but it gave us a better acquaintance with how there land lies. None of the trees along the bank are very large, so it must have been cleared not too many years ago. The water is quite shallow near the banks.

We only had two paddles. One of ours got broken a month or so ago. We need to get another, but they are over $10 each. I would like to get a pairs of oars, instead of paddles. I used to have a pair, my friend, Dorthy Goforth, gave them to me; but they disappeared long ago, I guess. I must have given them away. I checked at the farm, especially the garage, so full of old things, such as my extra books; hundreds of them. I looked also in Grandma's wash house, where I lived before I got married; and there are more books, several hundred, at least, and more of my stuff, exercise weights, manuscripts of subjects long exhausted, some of Niki's books — she lived there too, after we married — she hated my big water bed, which I have missed so often! And there was the smell of dog! (In a wash house?) You would never know that Bingo died and went to nirvana (or someplace like that). There are a bunch of long things behind the door — pipes, poles, sticks, fishing rods, etc., just the place for an oar, but there was nothing oarish (as Julia would say), so I shall either have to make a paddle, or buy one.

The Embayment was very shallow, probably even for us (who have a flat bottom, and a shallow draft), but we only skirted the edge. We did see a few brown ducks, not so pretty as our little tame ducks, with green and blue stripes on their wings, and a hawk. Jami noticed some large fish, or something, come to the surface in front of our boat once.

It was difficult to get Jami and Kati to row together. Kati says Jami thinks he knows more than everyone else. She either lags (which makes him comment, and tell her how to row correctly), or she tries to overpaddle him — so we often make a rather zig-zag course. (If we are not careful we go in circles!) They can work together very well when I take command of the ship; particularly when other boats come. At that point their differences get swallowed up in my will, as embodied in direct orders. Kati suggested we get a drum like the cannibals (instead of counting). I think she was referring to Mafatu in the story by Armstrong Sperry. Maybe I'll bring along the bongo next time — if I can find it; I think last time I saw it someone wsa using it for a sand bucket.

For now I shall cease writing in the Logbook of the Tin Tin Tug. I am encouraging Jami and Kati to write each an essay about the trip.


Done @ 8.05 a. Sun 5 Sep MMX.


Big Bone University
School of Radar, Sonar, and Aquaeous Technology
Nec ossa solum, sed etiam sanguinem.