ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First I must thank Tom Hafner and Jerry Nelson, the best river pilots and most decent guys a girl could stumble upon on a July afternoon in the North Country. I cannot think of a luckier set of circumstances. They made my journey, and this story, happen as it did. I want to thank my brother, John Morris, and his wife, Gloria, for their generous help. And my nephew, Matthew Morris, his wife, Gail, and her family, who showed me around La Crosse and gave me the keys to their house. I am not sure I would have found Tom and Jerry without their efforts or their hospitality.

I want to thank my wonderful agent, Ellen Levine, as always, for her incredible dedication and support. And everyone at Trident Media Group, including Lara Allen and Alanna Ramirez for the enthusiasm and professional expertise they brought to this book. My editor, George Hodgman, has been with me all the way in this project and it is safe to say that this book would not be what it is without George’s determination and unflinching eye. I am also indebted to Sarah Lawrence College for a Bogert fund release time grant and the very important assistance it provided.

I want to thank my friends Marc Kaufman for his careful reading of this manuscript, Krin Gabbard who has taught me much of what I know about jazz and shared with me his extensive collection, Anne Adams Lang, who was always on the other end of the phone, Julian Shapiro for the lyrics to songs and favorite paintings, Mary and Philip Elmer-DeWitt for lending me books and magazines I have yet to return, my neighbors Joel and Diana Robinson for the last-minute loan of a duffel and life vest, Jane Supino for being there, even when I tested her, and the Comfortzone on Fifth Avenue in Brooklyn that provided a place where I could sit and work all day. I want to thank Carol Wise whose generosity and almost thirty years of friendship gave me a week’s peace and time to think in Mexico.

A number of books provided important sources and I will just list some of them here. The Army Corps of Engineers Upper Mississippi River Navigational Charts, Quimby’s 2005 Cruising Guide, and the fine River Event Planner: Boating and Travel Guide all provided excellent maps, marina and nautical information, and travel materials. Books I came to cherish included Rising Tides by J. M. Barry, Old Glory by Jonathan Raban, La Salle and the Discovery of the Great West by Francis Parkman, Upper Mississippi River History by Captain Ron Larson, Jazz on the River by William Howland Kenney, and of course the writings of Mark Twain.

Several people along the river shared with me their knowledge and offered their assistance, including Assistant Lockmaster Bill Stute from Genoa Lock and Dam 8, Iris Nelson from the Quincy Public Library, and Henry Sweets from the Mark Twain Museum in Hannibal, and I am grateful to the many people on the river who shared with me their stories and experiences of life on the Mississippi.

And, finally, to the “Whale Kisser,” my daughter, Kate, who asked to read the manuscript and gave me some of the smartest, most thoughtful comments I’ve ever gotten from anyone, ever, let alone a nineteen-year-old. I do believe she has aerial vision. And I am sure I will never find in this life (or any other) words to thank Larry—partner, guide, and, always, friend.