Thursday 13th August

Thursday 13th August A long drive back to Louisiana Mo passing through Tennessee and Arkansas before arriving back in Missouri. John and Jack make
one last ditch attempt to catch a fish or two in a creek just off the Mississippi. I am the first to catch a fish and I don't
even have a fishing rod. A poor old Blue Fin has been cut free but it still has a 'bobber' and line attached to it. I manage
to pull it out with a stick and show my trophy.(see pic) Jack is gutted (if you'll pardon the expression) but I can't bring
myself to grab hold of the fish to take the hook out of its mouth; thankfully Jack does this and the fish is returned to the
water. A few minutes later, Jack lands his first fish (understandably he has to have at least a dozen photos take with his
catch) (see pics).A man arrives on a bike. He takes a brown paper bag out of a rucksac (I think there is a can on beer inside) and starts to
drink and chat. He works on the barges on the Mississippi and says he has been as far up as Minnesota and has also been to
New Orleans.He is a really nice chap and tells us he campaigned for Obama (although he didn't win the state of Missouri) and
I am really beginning to warm to him until he asks me what I think about Jesus... at that moment there is an amazing sight -
the lightning bugs have come out and have lit up the bushes like Christmas trees. The mosquitos seem to be biting even more
ferociously in the dark so we say goodbye to the ageing Huck Finn and head off home to South Carolina Street.