I can’t prove this. And I have no idea how data could be collected and interpreted.

I think that we are a composite of our ancestors, parents, grandparents, extending backward…..  the times in which they lived, their failures, successes, triumphs, and defeats –all add up to form the backdrop, the emotional ground tone of the one life that each of us currently enjoys.  It’s a hunch.

From time to time I have an experience that brings this point of view to mind.  While in Louisville Ky, this past Saturday, I had the opportunity to take a brunch-cruise on the paddle wheel steamer, Belle of Louisville.  The boat, built in 1914 was originally named The Idlewild.  In 1939 it came to Louisville and was purchased by the city in the 1960s.  It is the last operating steam powered riverboat.

We boarded the boat to the very loud melody emanating from the steam calliope.  The main deck which is enclosed was a ballroom when the ship was used as a floating USO club during WWII.  My fathers generation enjoyed music and dancing on the boat while on leave during the war.

Sensing movement of the boat I rushed upstairs to the open deck.  The massive wooden paddle wheel churned the river while clouds of steam rose up.  It is a big heavy boat demanding horsepower to get underway.

The cruise lasted about two hours, heading up toward Cincinnati and then back again.  Our narrator had worked on the boat since 1963 and shared a wealth of historical insights about the Ohio river, and some places that we passed.  I enjoy very much the different perspective that one gets from the surface of a river.  Familiar things look entirely different.  The design and beauty of the bridges connecting Kentucky to Indiana will remain in memory.  I noted the story of the Jeff Boat yard on the Indiana side where river barges are constructed today.  These barges transport the wheat and coal that sustain us.  During WWII Jeff Boat constructed the LSTs that conveyed our fathers to Omaha Beach.  I am glad that I know that.

I’d like to spend more time on the Belle of Louisville.  I understand that on the Wednesday before the Derby, The Great Steamboat Race is held.  It’s a contest between the Belle of Louisville and the Delta Queen.

When can I buy a ticket?