riverlife
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Riding Out a Bug
Cozy night on the river, laying low and riding out this bug. Grateful for a warm little corner to hide in.
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The Artist’s Walk-In Closet
What DOES an artist living in a shantyboat in a marina in a new city do with all their clothes? Dotty’s art gallery and head becomes a temporary walk-in closet.
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First Movie in the New Home
First movie aboard the shantyboat in my new Cincinnati home. Seemed… appropriate.
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Back on the Ohio
Back on the Ohio for the first time since 2019.Sure, the marina in my new home of Cincinnati technically counts — but it’s not the same. This afternoon I said fuck it, slipped the lines, and let Dotty nose out onto the wide, rolling water. Late light on the river, big sky opening up. Felt…
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Back on the Water in Cincinnati
Back on the water, finally, at my new Cincinnati marina.The day started like a blur: first faculty meetings, rushing across town, unloading the U-Haul in stupid heat, sweat running down my back. By late afternoon we were easing the shantyboat into the river just as the sky cracked open—lightning, thunder, sheets of rain. Now I’m…
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Kentucky Breakdown: The Hinge Breaks (2/3)
If your tires are where the rubber meets the road, your hubs—the things you’ve probably never thought about—are where your vehicle meets the spinny bits. Inside are steel bearings carrying the whole rig while the wheel spins. Big job, big heat, so they live in a bath of heavy grease to keep them happy. What…
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Finding the Delta Queen
In a weird bit of serendipity, we ran into our old friend the Delta Queen tucked away in an obscure side channel off the Intracoastal Waterway. Last time we saw her was in Chattanooga during Tennessee River fieldwork back in 2016. Now she’s looking a little sad and lonely, but still unmistakably herself.
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Word of Mouth in Houma
Great pop-up exhibition this morning in Houma, Louisiana. No museum, no press, no institution behind it—just word of mouth and the power of the socials. And yet… a couple dozen folks showed up, curious and full of stories. They packed into the little boat, asked thoughtful questions, lingered on the dock to chat. A reminder…
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Summer Reading: Shanty Boat Girl
Three covers. One torrid tale.Shanty Boat Girl by Kirk Westley: my summer reading, theoretically. When we first started the project, I assumed we’d have nothing but time—while floating, while docked, between interviews and cooking. In reality, there’s barely space for pure leisure. The demands of the boat, the work, and just basic survival keep us…
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Dwayne Crawford and Bayou Chêne
Unexpectedly met Dwayne Crawford cruising by on the Intracoastal, checking his fish and crab traps.We talked about where he was born and raised—Bayou Chêne.He brought us several big catfish for dinner and, being a generous, full-service sort of fellow, even offered to fillet them for us.
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Field Notes from Bayou Teche
Somewhere between careful piloting and gentle persuasion, we kept the shantyboat pointed downstream. The Atchafalaya doesn’t take kindly to plans. Humidity climbed, moods sagged, but we held course mostly on charisma and sheer will. After days navigating muddy channels and dense cypress corridors, we pulled out at Butte La Rose with the intention of seeing…
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Catfish and Cheesy Grits
“But what do you eat?” One of the questions we get a lot. Tonight, fresh caught catfish and cheesy grits.
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Scenes from Morgan City
Salt air, shrimp boats, and history. Scenes from around Morgan City with our pal Angela.
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Joe Billiot knows rivers
We sat down today for a wide-ranging conversation that covered his 54 years running tugs all over the country, his childhood on Bayou Lafourche, his Chitimacha and Cajun French heritage, and a lifetime of stories anchored in the water. Joe speaks with the clarity of someone who’s spent decades reading currents, both literal and cultural.…
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Wires, switches, and the magic in between
Electrical pleasures. There’s something satisfying about making sparks flow the right direction. Cockpit panels cut and painted, switches installed, plugs soldered, lights tested. We even got our running lights lit so we can legally (and safely) be dumb enough to float after dark. Every switch was a chance to dream—Mood Stabilizer, Rat Deter, Eel Mode.…
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Stay A Little Longer
On warm nights drifting down the river, we’d often sit on the deck with the lanterns lit low, a transistor radio tucked in the corner, and a scratchy country tune bouncing off the water. Bob Wills. Spade Cooley. Hank Penny. We’ve gathered some of those sounds for you—audio recordings from the shantyboat, including “Songs Drifting…
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The Tribunal Convenes
There comes a day in every shantyboat’s life when the accumulated cruft must be held accountable. Today was that day. Every object not nailed down faced trial. Some were redeemed. Others were detained indefinitely. A few were possibly innocent but didn’t make a strong enough case. Justice is complicated. What matters is that Dotty now…
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We’re Not Going to Lie—This One’s a Bit Urgent
There’s no poetic way to say it: the federal government has effectively gutted the arts and humanities. Cultural projects everywhere, including ours, are reeling from this sudden defunding. Grants vanished, promised support evaporated. It’s tough out here for storytelling and truth. But we’re scrappy, and we’ve survived storms, pandemics, and river pirates—so we’re betting on…
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Delta Films, Second Line, and Squirrel Gumbo
Once a week we gather at Secret History HQ for the Delta Film Series—a deep dive into the culture, history, and tangled realities of the Louisiana Delta. These films aren’t just movies; they’re waypoints on the journey ahead. This week, we enjoyed a doc about young musicians finding resilience and rhythm in the streets of…
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Props to Me
What did global capitalism bring me today? Something that gets us one step closer to the river. Over the years, we’ve left a few propellers behind—Sacramento River shallows, low driveways, maybe some questionable navigation choices. This time, we’re thinking ahead. No more scrambling for replacements in tiny marina shops. Now we’ve got a backup Mercury…
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Crazy rainstorm forces us off the river
Crazy rainstorm forces us off the river into a sheltered cove to smoke pipes and drink whiskey
