ABOUT LINDA AKSOMITIS Linda Aksomitis has walked under the South China Sea with a “fish bowl” on her head, snowmobiled 3,000 feet up a mountainside, ridden horseback through the mountains in Yellowstone Park and in Tennessee, zip-lined 800 feet from one mountain to another, paddled whitewater rapids, floated miles through an underground river, and generally, taken every opportunity for adventure life threw at her. Although Aksomitis is a flatlander from the Saskatchewan prairies, there’s nothing she loves more than the lakes and rivers of the heartland. At 5 years old, Aksomitis knew she was going to be a writer, so she taught herself to read. That act opened a door to a world full ofadventures and places she could only imagine. She wanted it all—for real, so she’d be able to write about it too. During her writing career, Aksomitis has published more than 1,000 pieces in newspapers, magazines, Web sites, and radio broadcasts. She has published for all ages and in every genre. Of the 19 books she has done with publishers from the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain, currently a dozen are still in print. Find out more about her books at http://aksoml.sasktelwebsite.net on the Internet. Aksomitis graduated with a Master of Vocational/Technical Education from the University of Regina in 2007. Her thesis work concerned online education, because she has been an online instructor since graduating with an undergraduate degree in 2000. Prior to that, she worked in the school system for 18 years, spending 11 of those as a school librarian. When she’s not adventuring, Aksomitis spends a lot of time in cyberspace instructing students. She also writes for children, with four new children’s books coming out in 2008. Linda’s winter passion is snowmobiling—two of her nonfiction books for young people are about snowmobile history. But in the summer, Aksomitis camps throughout the heartland to share her love of water and boats with her grandson, Jon, who can’t get enough of them either!

ABOUT CAPT. FRED DAVIS Capt. Davis, who writes the monthly Boat Smart column, claims that he is one of those fortunate people who’s able to live “a lifestyle envied by all.” One reason is that he elected to abandon a conventional workplace to fulfill a lifelong dream, and go to sea—or go to Great Lake, anyway—as a fishing-boat charter captain. For 25 years, his boat could be chartered out of a small port at the tip of Michigan’s Thumb, Port Austin. His marine towing and salvage company, Thumb Marine, also kept Davis busy. He owned and operated it for more than 30 years. He was able to generate many story ideas from events he witnessed, advice from which was then passed along to his Boat Smart readers. He hopes he helps them learn from the mistakes of others. Another reason for envy is that he and his wife, Pat, live in a lakeshore resort during summers but move to the Florida Keys for winters. Davis explains that they must move, because the lake in Michigan freezes. Besides, in the Keys he can work on restoring pleasure vessels, a favorite activity. Davis began writing in 1988, with the encouragement of the editor of a small newspaper, Key’s Angler. In addition to HeartLand Boating, Davis’ work has appeared in Mid-America Boating and Woods-N-Water News. In 2004, he began writing a weekly column titled “As I See It” in the Huron Daily Tribune, the weekly newspaper in his northern community. The 200-word pieces appear in the paper’s opinion page and online. One more reason for envy: Pat, who he said “is my handwriting decipherer, typesetter, editor, mailer and often photographer. She is a tough taskmaster, pushing me to keep writing—and get it there on deadline!”

ABOUT KATE GODFREY-DEMAY After living in West County all their married life, Kate Godfrey-DeMay and her husband, Paul, moved last year from the St. Louis suburbs to the historic village of Lebanon, Ill. They did it for two reasons. First, they like living in a small town and becoming part of an active, university community, and second, now they are one hour closer to their day sailing lake in Carlyle, Ill., and cruising waters of Western Kentucky. As a child, Godfrey-DeMay’s family spent every weekend and many vacations on the Mississippi River. Now, boating of all types—power, sail, big boat, dinghy, kayak—is a major part of her life. The DeMays own several boats, including a 45-foot pilothouse, a 23-foot fishing boat, a 17-foot sailboat, 11-foot dinghy and 9-foot kayak. As a result, Godfrey-DeMay took on a part-time sales-associate job at West Marine five years ago. She discovered that her product knowledge and discounts come in handy when something goes wrong with a boat in their fleet.  In addition to writing for HeartLand Boating for more than 10 years, she occasionally writes for Sauce Magazine, a St. Louis food and entertainment publication. And in the historic district of her new hometown, Godfrey-DeMay can be found weekly at Fezziwig’s Marketplace, a fine wine and gourmet food shop. A folder on the desktop of her IMac displays books in progress, which includes the draft of a book about her mother, who passed away 10 years ago,. It also contains three children’s stories, written about her adorable grandchildren.

ABOUT ELLIOT FREE Elliot Free wrote the Near the Water story for March, about Mobile Harbor. He is a frequent contributor to HeartLand Boating. Elliot Free’s love of the water and boating started in the 1950s when he visited his aunt. She lived in a house on Masonboro Sound in Wilmington, N.C. His dad and granddad would take him fishing in a 12-foot flat bottom plywood boat powered by a 5-hp Scott Atwater outboard motor. After graduating from Auburn University, receiving a commission as an ensign in the Navy, and getting married—all in the same week—Free’s boating continued aboard the destroyer, the USS Beale. The highlight of this tour was an around-the-world cruise from Norfolk through the Panama Canal, across the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Tonkin. The return trip was via the Indian Ocean, Suez Canal, Mediterranean Sea, and across the Atlantic to Norfolk. When he completed his military obligation, which included a second tour to Vietnam, Free entered the insurance business in Cullman, Ala., with his father-in-law. His boating then was confined to the lakes near Cullman. Freshwater boating was a new experience, one that was easy to like. He’s progressed from a 16-foot outboard bow rider to an 18-foot Boston Whaler center console, with a West Wight Potter 19-foot sailboat in the mix. The Boston Whaler is still in the family, and now a 26-foot Grady-White cuddy cabin has been added. Elliot is married to Joan, who can load and unload both boats on the trailer. They have three children. Although the children are out of the house now, they do return for some boating trips. Not only do the Frees cruise the fresh waters of Alabama and Tennessee and the northern Gulf Coast, but also they have made three trips across the Gulf Stream to the Abacos. They plan to complete the Great Loop. After all, they’ve already cruised the part that runs from Green Turtle Bay to St. Augustine, Fla.

ABOUT GARY KRAMER Gary Kramer wrote the Houseboat Update for 2008, which appears in the March issue. He is an enthusiastic boater and a frequent contributor to HLB. In the early 1970s, Gary Kramer’s wife started lobbying for a boat. Because Kramer knew nothing about the river, the compromise was a 22-foot houseboat. “I said I’d be on the water but damned if I’d be in it,” he said. It didn’t take many nights on a sandbar before he was thoroughly hooked. In 1993, he started writing a weekly boating column for a local newspaper. HeartLand Boating published his first article for them in 1995. That story was about “The Quimby’s Guy,” who cruised rivers in his houseboat, visiting all the marinas. The irony is that now Kramer has stopped at all the marinas on the Mississippi and Illinois rivers as “The Quimby’s Guy” and has written the feature article in Quimby’s Cruising Guide for the last few editions. He writes for several publications, so he is always on the lookout for interesting ideas, boats, owners and places. He tries to focus on “real boats and real people.” Partly for that reason and partly because there are a lot of waterways, the Kramers would like to cruise. That’s why they plan to add a trailer boat to their “flotilla.” They are looking for a small, lightweight, fuel-efficient vessel they can spend some time on. “I told my wife I’d set the boat up so we could spend two nights comfortably; then I’d take her to a motel and restaurant,” Kramer jokes. He also jokes he is always one article away from extinction. So if you don’t see him on the water or in your marina—or if you want to sell him a great trailer boat—you can reach him at garkramer@gmail.com.

ABOUT DAVID MORITZ David Moritz is the founder and organizer of Muscatine, Iowa’s new boat show. He graciously provided photos for the March Heartland Reflections department. Dave Moritz is a blue-jean and T-Shirt kind of guy, happiest when cleaning tools and listening to “Car Talk” on public radio. As befits an electrical-systems designer, he likes horsepower, but he and his wife, Diane, also have redone some wooden boats. His wife teaches sixth grade; they have three teenagers who keep them pretty busy. Asked how the “That Was Then, This Is Now” boat show got started, Moritz said, “A couple of years ago the City of Muscatine was working hard to redo our large city park that runs parallel with the Mississippi. There’s a group of people in Quincy, Ill., called the Quincy Power Boat Club. They have an antique boat show the end of September every year. They really make you feel welcome and at home.” After he discussed organizing a similar event for Muscatine, Iowa, Moritz asked the city council for permission to use a small part of a city park for a boat show. Friends pitched in: One buddy started the Web site, and Moritz’ daughters compiled an e-mail address book of people living near the event. He sent out letters. “Well, people started calling, e-mailing in entries, and then some racing boats started to call, asking if we might have some runs on the river,” Moritz said. “We buckled our seat belts, and with the help of the City of Muscatine, volunteers, APBA, and others, the show just took off.” Ultimately, Muscatine City Council devoted the whole park to the event. “We never ever dreamed this event would be successful,” Moritz said. “We know it is only successful with keeping the boaters happy, so that is what we will continue to work at. The racing boats from then and now are a great time, seeing past champions in action along with testing runs of current champions. Throw in a car cruise and antique motorcycles and we hope we can bring back a part of your past. Try out our hospitality!” To find out more about the boat show, click here: http://www.muscatineboatshow.com/

ABOUT MEARL MURPHY During his childhood, Murphy’s dad played and worked in boats and on the water in Wisconsin. When he got older, Murphy senior worked on big Great Lakes iron-ore boats; summers, he crewed on a millionaire’s yacht. When Murphy came along, his father built a small boat in the basement with his own hands. “We surely had fun in that little boat,” Murphy said. Despite this birthright, Murphy joined the U.S. Air Force, for a time exchanging boats for planes. He married wife and first mate Barbara and they established a family with three children. When his father-in-law, an expert fisherman, took a summer cottage on an inland lake, Murphy acquired a 15-foot plywood runabout. Later he purchased a brand-new 1978 cuddy cabin cruiser. In this trailerable boat, the family has visited all the major rivers and lakes in the heartland, as well as all the Great Lakes and almost all of the canals in the eastern U.S. and Canada. This family is definitely water-oriented: Murphy said that both his sons cruise in larger boats than his, and his daughter and son-in-law own two waterfront homes.   Murphy is now working on a book about his family’s boating adventures beyond the heartland, on eastern North American lakes and canals.

ABOUT TERRY RAU Terry Brockgreitens Rau is a life-long resident of St. Charles, Mo., located on the other side of Mississippi River from Alton, Ill., which is why she spent her early years in and around the Mississippi’s Alton Pool. The only part she doesn’t like, and never did, is the Mississippi mud squishing between her toes! She and husband, Bob, bought their first boat two months after their marriage and spent a number of years boating on the river. Ten years ago they moved their boat permanently to the Lake of the Ozarks in mid-Missouri, after vacationing there for many years. Rau earned degrees in English and mass communications from Lindenwood University, then Lindenwood College. She spent a number of years as feature writer and editor for the Suburban Journals in the greater St. Louis area. She also worked in marketing and public relations and has served on a number of civic and volunteer boards in the metropolitan area. She’s done freelance projects for national companies based in and around the metropolitan St. Louis area, and for publications across the country. The Rau family, which also includes son Chris, have carried on a tradition of cheering on the Missouri University Football Tigers. They hold season tickets for seats that have been in the family for more than 50 years, and have enjoyed some great times following the team through its Big XII schedule and beyond. With her husband’s retirement looming, Rau looks forward to more travel and discovering lakes and waterways in other areas. They also hope to escape some of the St. Louis area’s coldest weather by heading south in the winter for more than just a week or 10-day vacation. They like to look at boats and it’s better done under some hot sunshine. Nevertheless, although Rau has seen oceans, seas, canals and channels, she still believes the most beautiful waterway is the mighty Mississippi. There’s something to be said for home, after all.

ABOUT SHERRI A. STANCZAK Stanczak is a 43-year-old mother and grandmother with three sons and two beautiful granddaughters who lives in the St. Louis area. She has written poems and short stories, and kept journals, throughout her life. Writing was not just a hobby for her. It was also good therapy, because Stanczak has lived with multiple sclerosis since 1989. Two years after the diagnosis, she went through a painful divorce. The boys are raised now, and Stanczak has remarried to a person she calls “a great man,” who introduced her to boating on the Mississippi River. She fell in love with boating and its people immediately. The Stanczaks’ homeport is Lake Center Marina. They go out on the river almost every weekend. Stanczak became a freelance writer three years ago. She often writes for the Web site riverbills.com, which contains entertaining news about the Mississippi River and the people who boat on it. Her first book, “From the Heart of a Mother,” was published in January 2007. In addition to writing about her feelings, Stanczak enjoys interviewing people and researching information for her articles. A talented photographer, she also loves to take pictures. “I plan to keep writing for magazines,” Stanczak said. “My pen has become a great friend to me.”