Days 189-193 Pickwick to Grand Harbor Marina

Saturday October 25-29, 2025

Saturday

Had such a wonderfully peaceful night’s sleep last night. We spent the day tucked into our projects (yes, I’m still sewing the captain’s cushions — getting closer though!). In the late afternoon, we took the dinghy over to the marina for docktails with Bonnie and Louis from Goldilocks and Jon and Claire from Inception II.

As the sun started to dip, we all strolled over to the Pickwick Lodge restaurant for dinner. The food was excellent — one of those meals that feels extra good just because the company is so easy and full of laughter. We hadn’t seen Jon and Claire in ages, so it was such a treat to catch up and share stories from the season. What a fun night!

SUNDAY

Just as we expected, we woke up to rain this morning. We are waiting for a small window to move from our anchorage to a covered slip at Grand Harbor Marina. We finally have the long awaited date with a diesel mechanic today to help figure out our issue with the port engine. It acts up (missing and surging) one day, then the next it’s fine. Hopefully it’s the fuel injectors. 🤞🏻

We made the short jaunt to the marina into a covered slip before more rain came. The mechanic will come tomorrow so laundry was a good choice today.

MONDAY

The mechanic showed up today but cannot totally pinpoint the problem. He will be back to change oil and filters on Wednesday and has also referred us to a different mechanic that specializes in Volvo Penta engines. He is coming Wednesday as well. It has been rainy, windy and chilly anyway so good time to be in a marina. We are working on the last seat and have received our order of clear vinyl so I can replace some of the cloudy isinglass and broken zippers. We took the courtesy car and made a quick trip to the local store to pick up a few things.

TUESDAY

Historic Helen Keller’s Home to Iconic Muscle Shoals Recording Studio!

Today we took the courtesy car on a little adventure, and our first stop turned out to be an unexpected gem—Helen Keller’s childhood home in Tuscumbia, Alabama. We hadn’t planned it originally, but when we realized it was right on our route, we had to make time for it.

The home, built in 1820, has been lovingly preserved and still feels alive with history. Amazingly, the Keller family were the only ones ever to live there until they eventually gifted it to the city.

Helen was born in 1880, a bright and healthy child who began speaking full sentences before her first birthday. But at just 19 months old, a severe illness and dangerously high fever left her both deaf and blind. Despite the challenges, Helen’s intelligence and determination shone through from the very beginning.

Her parents sought help and found Anne Sullivan, the remarkable teacher who would change Helen’s life forever. Anne moved in with the Kellers and became Helen’s companion, mentor, and lifelong friend. Through endless patience and persistence, Anne taught Helen to communicate by spelling words into her hand—and from there, the world opened up.

Their most famous breakthrough happened at the water pump just outside the home, where Helen made the connection between the cool stream of water and the letters Anne traced into her palm. Standing there today, beside that very pump, gave me chills.

Inside, the house is filled with photographs, newspaper clippings, Helen’s childhood dresses, and even Braille labels marking the rooms. Every detail tells a piece of her extraordinary journey—from a frustrated child trapped in silence to a college graduate, author, and tireless advocate for the deaf and blind. Helen lived nearly 88 incredible years, leaving behind a legacy that still inspires the world.

I wish we’d had more time there—it was such a moving and unexpected stop on our day’s adventure.

Next stop: Muscle Shoals Recording Studio—about an hour’s drive away—and met up with our friends Bonnie and Louis and their crew for a tour. The studio was much smaller than I expected, but wow, what a powerhouse of history packed into those walls. You could practically feel the music in the air.

So many incredible artists have walked through that door and created pure magic there. It all began at FAME Studios, just down the road. That’s where the legendary house band—the Swampers—was born: David Hood, Roger Hawkins, Jimmy Johnson, and Barry Beckett. After a dispute in 1969, the Swampers struck out on their own, founding Muscle Shoals Sound Studio at 3614 Jackson Highway in Sheffield, Alabama. They became the first group of musicians to own their own recording studio—trailblazers in every sense.

FAME had just signed an exclusive deal with Capitol Records, but the Swampers wanted freedom—to make music with anyone and everyone, regardless of label. Their new studio had a quirky past, too—it was originally a coffin showroom! 😳

The first artist to record there was none other than Cher, cutting her first solo album, aptly titled 3614 Jackson Highway. Even though the record didn’t take off, word spread fast, and soon every big name wanted to record in that unassuming little building.

The Swampers were the heartbeat behind countless hits, constantly experimenting and shaping new sounds—like the iconic piano intro on Bob Seger’s Old Time Rock and Roll and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Free Bird. (Fun fact: that haunting piano intro was played by a friend of the band who just happened to be a classically trained pianist—they had no idea!)

Every story we heard on the tour felt like uncovering a secret piece of rock ’n’ roll history. What an unforgettable experience.

Great day for exploring!

WEDNESDAY

Another rainy drizzly day. Had a couple mechanic visits. Seems the injectors need to be replaced but they have to be ordered. Hopefully the mechanic will bring them to Demopolis when we arrive in a few days to swap them out. We also had the oil changed. Heading out tomorrow.