For years I have been receiving pamphlets and fliers from the Legendary Delta Queen Steamboat. Every time I opened it up I fantasized about a trip down the Mississippi River.

I was Captain Walter Mitty in command of my paddle boat and the horns were blasting and the calliope playing as we touched all the ports on the river. Of course Mark Twain was part of my crew and we got along famously. Huck Finn and Jim were also under my command.

They call a Sea Captain a Blue Water Sailor, but they call a Riverboat Captain a Brown Water Sailor. That is due to shallow water and the muck that is stirred up from the bottom of the river by the huge paddle wheels.

My other source of imagination about riverboats was the movie Show Boat. The captain was Joe E. Brown and Ava Gardner, Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson also co-starred. William Worfield sang Ol' Man River in a deep bass voice.

Getting back to reality!

We booked a cruise tour on the Legendary Delta Queen. The Queen is a 76-year-old Passenger Steamboat. It paddlewheels, propelled by steam, on the rivers of America. We were going down the Ohio River into the Tennessee River and eventually the Cumberland River out of Cincinnati, OH and ending the tour in Nashville TN. It is said that the Delta Queen is "Spiritually Blessed." It has authenticated ghosts aboard. It sails on the Red River, the Arkansas River, the Illinois River and, of course, the Mighty Mississippi.

It is 280-feet long and 60-feet wide. It was built in a time when workers took pride in what they finished . The boat has a 9-foot draft and can sail in waters as shallow as 12-feet. Most rivers run about 20 to 25-feet deep.

We flew into Cincinnati in the midst of a lightning storm. The water poured out of the dark skies. We vetoed a tour of the city and went directly to the Delta Queen. Our party was four, the Greenes (Susan and Gary) and Lorraine and me. As we walked up the gangplank we realized that this was the beginning of an adventure.

We had all taken sea cruises but none of us had ever gone on a 76-year-old paddle-wheeling steamboat. We entered a large room that ran the length of the boat. Lemonade, coffee and delicious cookies were served. Large side windows allowed a perfect view of shore at all times. The carpeting was flowery and the wood paneling was dark and reassuring. My imagination took me to scenes from Gone With the Wind. It was all very Southern.

Because we booked late, our rooms were not very large. A double bed which occupied most of the room, a bar to hang clothing , a sink, a shower and no radio or television set was to be our home for a week.

How could we live with no TV or New York Times?

Our room opened into a beautiful long foyer with books and puzzles. The view from the window was the river. Truly, I was a bit apprehensive.

As we sailed out of Cincinnati the horns were blasting and the calliope on the third deck was tooting. It was thrilling! We had a wine-tasting session with Paulina and chose a Riesling wine for supper. Our first port-of-call was to be Madison, IN, a typical American town. One hundred and thirty-three blocks of Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate and Gothic Revival Buildings, all on the National Register of Historic Places.

We docked in Madison in the early morning. After a huge breakfast we ran into town. The first thing I did was rush to the Dollar General Store and buy a radio for $3.50. I need my noise in the room. On line to pay I met a Madison, IN townsman and we talked about baseball.

We passed the only movie house in town and we saw a star in the sidewalk. It commemorated the filming of Some Came Running in 1958 (MGM Stars Shirley MacLaine, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin).

We joined the tour and visited the Schroeder Saddle-Tree Factory Museum. It was a 19th century single-family manufactory which made wooden forms for horse saddles that were sold worldwide. Nothing was wasted. Next we toured the Madison Winery and sampled the final products. Then off to Betty Mundt's Candy Kitchen for creamy (15 percent cream) ice cream and their well-known "fish candies."

Back on board - leaving Madison, IN - destination Louisville. KY. Tonight - dinner with the Captain.

To be continued ...