Photography Now and Then #15
Today’s photo1: Breakfast at the Old South, January 15 2018, Russellville, Arkansas (Apple iPhone 6s)
Entergy ANO retirees meet here for breakfast every other Monday, unless it’s a holiday like January 1 was. Since I had been working as a contract instructor up until 4 weeks ago, I haven’t attended very often in the last couple of years. I’ve known some of the people there this morning for over 30 years.
In the post-processing for the Old South photo, I cropped the image and edited out several power lines that went across the picture.
Photo Favorite2: American Queen Riverboat on Mississippi River at Burlington, Iowa, September 26, 2012 (Pentax K-r)
On our trip back home from Wisconsin in 2012, we traveled along the upper Mississippi River and encountered the American Queen several times.
American Queen
American Queen is said to be the largest river steamboat ever built. The ship was built in 1995 and is a six-deck recreation of a classic Mississippi riverboat, built by McDermott Shipyard for the Delta Queen Steamboat Company. Although the American Queen’s stern paddlewheel is indeed powered by a steam plant, her secondary propulsion, in case of an emergency and for maneuverability around tight areas where the paddle wheel can not navigate, comes from a set of diesel-electric propellers known as Z-drives on either side of the sternwheel. She has 222 state rooms for a capacity of 436 guests and a crew of 160. She is 418 feet (127 m) long and 89 feet (27 m) wide.3
The American Queen Steamboat Company offers “the most inclusive river cruise experience in North America with pre-cruise hotel stays, wine and beer with dinner, shore excursions in each port and tantalizing, regionally-inspired cuisine. The lower region of the Mississippi exposes you to centuries-old shaded oak trees, elegant antebellum plantations and Civil War memorials – it’s like taking a step back in time. The upper region of the Mississippi reveals the inspiration behind Mark Twain’s famed literary classics while acquainting you with storybook American towns, vibrant cities and indigenous wildlife.”4
- Today’s Photo is a photo that is almost always taken the day of the blog post. In some instances, posts may be backdated if internet access is not available on the day of the photo or other reasons prevent posting Now and Then.
- Photo Favorite is a randomly selected older photograph from a batch of photos specifically “curated” for Now and Then.
- American Queen – Wikipedia
- American Queen Steamboat Company
Note: Reference links were accessed on the date the blog post was published, unless otherwise stated.
