Passover in St. Augustine

Our first day in St. Augustine was (you guessed it) rainy. It rained really hard. But we had no leaks, so I am thankful. Now that we are in one place and not moving every day I have gotten better about getting my exercise. There is a really nice walk that I can take from our campground to the ocean. It is just a mile. Then I can walk along the beach for a mile. I feel better already.

Anyway, it was nice in the morning on Sunday then rained all Sunday night and Monday morning. It was cold and uncomfortable, so we all sat in the trailer and read and talked. It cleared up in time for us to have a Passover. Bob worked all day and baked a brisket in the toaster oven - not as good as home, but not bad. While he was cooking, sis and I did a little sightseeing. We saw a lighthouse that allowed you to walk to the top. However the steps were open in the middle and I started getting dizzy because I couldn't keep from looking down. So after two flights (with about seven more to go) I said that I had had enough and went back down. Sis kept going for a few flights but then her knees starting bothering her so she came down. (This getting old is the pits.) When we got back to the campsite I made charoses. I set up the seder plate and we had all of the important elements - thanks to sis. We skipped the soup and the gefilte fish. We had a nice little service and a good meal. (But my sis and I missed the gefilte fish - so we bought some at the grocery today and had it for lunch on Tuesday. It is amazing how you can miss a food like that.)

We had the seder before sundown so that I could get the dishes done with some light. Then we sat around the campfire. The campsites here are close enough together that there was an issue over whether we were using the right fire pit. Rather than fight about it, Bob went to our neighbors and suggested that we just share the fire pit. All we do is sit around and talk and drink wine - they do the same - so we could do it together. We had a delightful conversation with new friends.

Today the sun was out, but it was a little chilly. Bob just wanted to just sit back and enjoy doing nothing. I wanted to get some exercise. I walked in the morning and took my bike later this morning and measured how far I had walked (four miles). It was a good bike ride.

Then sis and I went into St. Augustine and did the touristy stuff. There is an old fort here that we both really enjoyed. There is a lot more to see and we will undoubtedly go back tomorrow. We had leftover seder tonight - leftover seder is wonderful. Then we had campfire with our neighbors again. The picture is from tonight's campfire. I am truly amazed at how wonderful it is to meet new people. That will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of this trip. Anyway this couple have a daughter who lives in Portland. They come to visit her often. We will exchange contact information and maybe these will continue to be friends.

The weather is getting warmer and warmer. By the end of the week beach time should be in order. Bob is really looking forward to taking our scooters to the beach. In fact he is really looking forward to just riding our scooters. Because of the weather we have not had much of a chance. It looks like we might get more of a chance here. Yeah!!!

First day in St. Augustine

We made it to St. Augustine without any trouble. We are staying in a KOA which means small sites but lots of amenties. Our site is so small that we had trouble getting the tent and everything else on it. My sister joined us and we had the tent all set up, but there was not enough room on the site for Lee to park her car. She had to park it down by the office, a short walk away. The folks who were parked next to us were part of a very large group and they were up late last night and partied. It was a little hard to get to sleep until they quieted down. This is the first time that has happened to us. Anyway, they all left this morning and they have not put anyone in the spot next door so Lee has been able to park her car there.

This morning we did a little exploring. We found the nice beaches. They are easily accessible. However, it was very chilly and overcast so today was not a good day for beaches. This looks like it will be a nice place and there will be lots to see and do. By noon the sky was overcast and by 2 pm it had started to rain. We stayed under the dining tent for a while and then we got chilled and came into the trailer. We decided that we did not want to cook here because it was too damp. So we went to the Italian restauarant that was a block away. Great restaurant! We had a great dinner. We are now back in the trailer and everyone but me is reading. Tomorrow is the first night of Passover. Rain is predicted for the morning, but sunshine for the afternoon and the rest of the week. We will spend the day getting ready for Passover and then start touristing and beaching. Yeah for good weather. We will be here for 8 days so we have time to enjoy and take pictures.

Sunshine and a leak repaired

Yesterday started out so beautiful. We got up and got on our bicycles and took a short ride through the park. There was a "nature trail" walk and we took that and biked around some more. We came back to the trailer and had lunch. The sky was starting to look black so we started picking up the stuff that could be hurt by rain. We got it all packed up just in time. It poured for about four hours. The really good news is that there were no leaks from the rain. (We have a leak in the plumbing under the sink, but that is a different matter.) We sat in the trailer and read and watched the areas that had leaked and read and watched the area that had leaked and read some more. We finally decided that it was not going to leak. By the time the rain stopped it was dinner time. Neither of us felt like cooking with everything so wet. We went out and had some great bar-b-que. Everything was really wet.

This morning started with very few clouds and an increasingly beautiful sky. I am amazed at how fast the weather changed here. I had a little problem this morning in that I went to take my shower at 8:15 am (the sign said that they cleaned the bathrooms from 9-10 so I was hurrying to get there in time). Well they decided that today was the day they would clean the grout and the bathroom was closed. I did not get my shower until after 10 am. (Bob keeps reminding me that on this trek I should keep in mind what we used to say when we were in Mexico - Don't let it get to you, this is Mexico.) It did get to me. But after I finally got my shower I felt much better. We then walked down to the beach and decided that we wanted to spend the day there. There really is not much else to do here but enjoy the beach.

By this time, it was just about 11 am and I knew that Bob would soon be wanting food and we did not have any. So we came back to the site. I made sandwiches and Bob went to Wal-Mart across the street from the park and he got us some beach chairs. We spent the rest of the day on the beach enjoying the sunny day and the beautiful sandy beach. It was glorious. Leftover bar-b-que for dinner tonight and we leave early tomorrow morning. It is hard to believe that it is almost the end of March.

Destin Florida

I had no idea that the beaches on the northwest Florida gulf coast were so beautiful. They are beautiful white sand and go on forever. We were also very lucky in finding a great place to stay. I went on line to try to make reservations while we were in Gulfport because I knew that this is another week of spring break and was concerned that we would have trouble. There are many state campgrounds on this beach, but they were all filled. Only one had one spot that was available for a few days. I tried the private campgrounds and was appalled at what they were charging for a spot that was 20 feet wide ($70-90 per night). There is a website called rv parks reviews. I went to it to check out the campground that had the one site. Henderson State Campground. The reviews were all excellent. So, even though the one site did not look great, I reserved it for four days. Wow. Am I glad that I did.

This is a beautiful campsite surrounded by very full foliage. It is very clean and we have lots and lots of room and lots and lots of privacy. There is a paved path and a board walk that takes you over the sand dunes (to protect them and keep you from walking on the dunes) straight to the beach. Beautiful walk to a beautiful beach.

When we got here the weather was fine. We had been having a little trouble with our camp stove that is attached to the outside of the trailer. Bob has been meaning to fix it for about a week now. On our way here we saw a Camping World supply store so we stopped in and Bob bought all of the parts that he thought he needed to make the repair. The day was perfect for working on the repair so Bob started. Well, anyone who knows Bob knows that he actually did not have all of the parts. One real plus of this camping site is that there is a Home Depot located right outside the state park. So Bob drove to the Home Depot and got the part. He came back and worked so more and then decided that he needed another part. He also discovered that the step that we use for the trailer door had gotten damaged and he could not repair it. So he called Camping World and they did not have the part in stock but agreed to get it from another of their locations. Bob went back to Home Depot and got what he needed to finish the stove and also got a small plastic step for us to use for the back door. The step really works well. Then in the middle of dinner last night Bob realized that he had asked Camping World for the wrong size step. So we canceled the order and are just getting by with the plastic step.

Today we drove around the area. We needed groceries and that is always our excuse to do some exploring. As gorgeous as the beach is, this place is too touristy for me. It is full of strip malls with restaurants and beach stuff, condos, and big national chains. I am enjoying the beach, but not the touristy stuff. So we came back here. We took a long walk around the campground and across the beach. It is a little too chilly to go into the water, but the beach is gorgeous. We took out the bicycles and rode around on them for a while. My thighs are now officially sore. I haven't ridden a bike in quite a while.

Bob is currently making stew for dinner. It looks like it is going to rain tonight. That means that we might get to test the leak repairs. I am sure that if this repair does not work Bob is going to want to buy a new trailer to finish the trek. The problem is that all of the trailers that I have seen are much too big for me. The idea of one of those monsters is more than I can stand. We will just have to pray that the leak is fixed.

In the meantime, this is a beautiful place and a beautiful site and only three more days until I see my sis in St. Augustine. It is about 400 miles from here, but we can easily make it in one day.

Don't ever trek without your mechanic

So here we are in this very nice rv park in Gulfport. The weather is nice and about 75 degrees. One of our neighbors tells us that it is going to rain on Saturday night. I think that this is a chance for us to learn whether Bob's repair on the leak works. The short answer is that it does not. The rain was coming down really hard. I mean REALLY hard. And the wind is blowing. Just before we go to bed we looked to see if it is leaking and the water is dripping by the window. So I pull my pillow away, and put a towel by the window and pray. From my window I can see the flag that Bob has put on the front of the trailer. It is quiet sometimes and moving pretty hard at other times. I think about whether it will be okay and whether the awning will be okay. But it is raining so hard that I am not willing to go out of the trailer and bring in the flag, much less take down the awning. We lie there trying to sleep. We just fall asleep and there is a horrible noise. I look out of the window and the flag is gone. Nothing we can do about it in the pouring rain. (We find out the next morning that the wind sheered off the flag holder and of course that left three holes that had held the screws. Yikes!! Another possible leak.) It pours all night. We get up in the morning and the bed is soaked again. This time the pillow is saved, but the blanket has gotten wet. When we get up Bob is obviously very discouraged. He says that he does not mind fixing things that are broken, but he is frustrated when he cannot tell what is wrong. So we do laundry and dry all of the bedding. We use the trusty brand new hair dryer (by the way it is doing a great job on the ever lenghthening Mo hair). But it is overcast and cold and Bob tells me that there is nothing that he can do when it is under 60 degrees outside. Apparently the caulk won't stick. But at least it is not raining. We leave the bedding all out so that it can really dry and guess what we do. It is too cold and windy to walk, and there is really not much to do here except go to the beach and that is out of the question. So we spend the day in a casino. On the way to the casino - about four miles, we drive right along the ocean. The road is covered in sand. The wind was so strong the night before that it has pushed the beach up on to the road. There is actually only one lane of traffic on this road because the sand is so deep on the other lane. At the casino we win and we lose and we come out almost even. We had a good time and a very good dinner. It was a buffet with all you can eat, including crab. I have not had much crab in my life and I struggled to crack it. I was apparently having enough trouble that the waitress came over with another plate full of crab and showed me how to crack it. Then I had a LOT of crab and felt obligated to eat it. Needless to say I ate too much and the scale showed it this morning, but it was good. We came back and I made the bed and prayed that it would not rain.

It did not rain. We got up this morning and it was cloudy. We decided that if the weather stayed cold we would stay here one more day because the owners of this place were so friendly and helpful that we could get a ladder and the stuff we needed to try to recaulk the trailer here and who knows what would happen if we went somewhere else. We drove along the coast and had a pretty good Mexican lunch. (The only food here is in the casinos and we did not want to go into the casinos. If you don't want casinos, then Mexican is your only option.) We stopped at a Lowe's hardware on the way back to the trailer because the sky had started to clear. By the time we got back it was actually over 60 degrees. So Bob borrowed a ladder from the rv park and started recaulking the entire trailer. About halfway through he notified me that he had found the problem. There actually was a small hole in the top of the trailer where the gutter was attached. It had apparently come apart on some of the difficult roads that we had traveled. That made Bob very relieved - much easier to fix if you can see what the problem is.

It is still chilly here. We still had dinner inside the trailer. It is still windy. I walked about a mile from the park to the ocean to get the pictures of the ocean and the wind was so strong that I did not think I would make it for a while. I guess that is one of the issues of being on a coast.

While we were having dinner tonight Bob was concerned about whether this trailer will make it for the five months of the trek. We actually even talked about what kind of trailer we might want to buy if this one bit the dust. It is interesting that neither one of us thought about aborting the trek. We are really having a good time and all of this is an adventure if you think of it that way. We will handle whatever happens, but I certainly hope that we do not have to think about getting another trailer mid trek.

We only have four days now until we meet my sister in St. Augustine. I am really looking forward to seeing her. We decided to go to the Florida coast and spend the four days there, just south of Tallahassee. Hope the weather is better. I would be very happy if we never had to find out if Bob's fix works.

Gulfport Mississippi

Well, Tuesday evening when it was raining and I was blogging, I failed to notice that it was getting wet in one corner of the bed - my corner. By the time Bob and I went to bed my pillow and the sheet on my side of the bed were soaked. But we were both exhausted. So we took a towel and put it up against the wall and I tried to find a dry spot. I slept in one position almost all night because whenever I moved, I got wet and cold. In the morning the towel was dripping wet and the bed was soaked because it had been raining all night. I put the towel, the pillows, and the sheets in the dryer (nice that it was free at this campground) while we packed up the trailer. The sheets and the towel were dry when we left. I laid out the cushions (like our mattresses) and hoped it would all dry as we were driving. We got to Natchez and bought some caulk for the window and a hairdryer. I used the haridryer to dry the pillows and the cushions. While I was doing that Bob was recaulking the window. I hope that it worked. We have not had rain since. But I will tell you that I experienced great joy and pleasure when I went to bed the next night and the sheets and pillows were dry. Such simple pleasures.

The drive through Louisiana to Natchez was interesting. I am used to Indian or Spanish names, not French ones. I had a hard time trying to pronounce the names of the towns that we passed. For example, how do you pronounce Maringouin? Another interesting part of the drive was the bayous. Along the interstate that was a huge long causeway that was above the bayous. It seemed to go on forever. I have often wondered how they make the roads in the Pacific Northwest due to the mountains. But Louisiana has its own problems in building roads through these bayous. I can only imagine how difficult it was to drive around these areas before they built these causeways.

As we were driving along and I periodically asked Bob questions about the area - he had been here before, he said something that cracked me up and may become my mantra. He said - "I often wonder which is greater - what I don't know or what I don't remember." How true.

The area north of Baton Rouge and around Natchez and even Vicksburg had many gourgeous homes and gorgeous landscaping. Many of these homes were located on a four lane divided highway with speed limits of 65 mph. Both Bob and I agreed that we would not want to live on such a road. But people have built almost mansion-like homes on these roads.

We have had some very interesting food along the way. But we had a great meal when we arrived in Natchez. The name of the restaurant was the L'il Dagos and it was some of the best Italian food I have ever had. Bob had spaghetti and he thought that it tasted better than his own spaghetti - he does not say that very often.

The next day we drove to Vicksburg to see the national battlefield of the civil war battle there. I was disappointed. They had a good film, but the national park was just filled with monuments to various soldiers, donated by their families or friends. It did not help me understand the battle. There was one monument donated by the state of Illinois. It had 47 steps - one for each day of the siege of Vicksburg. When you got to the top there were metal plaques with the name of every man from Illinois who had participated in that battle. There were so many names from just the one state that it was overwhelming.

About one third of the way through the park Bob announced that he was hungry. We had no food with us and there is no food in the park - lesson learned for future battlefield visits. We left the park, intending to come back and finish the visit. We wandered into downtown Vicksburg - the old town. We parked in front of a bench that had an old black woman and a younger black man sitting on it. As I got out of the pickup, the woman said something to me. Her southern accent was so strong that I could not understand a word. After asking her to repeat about three time the young man finally told me that she was asking how much the scooters that we had in our pickup cost. I then chatted with her a few minutes and asked where the best restaurant was. She sent us to a small place that was called the Juke Joint. As we walked in Bob commented that we might be the only whites. That was not true, but the food was definitely "soul food." All of the staff were black. It took a very long time to get our meal. I told Bob that it reminded me of being in Mexico where you just had to expect that things moved slower. The food was excellent. The slower pace was actually nice. By the time we finished we did not feel like returning to the battlefield. We drove around Vicksburg trying to see the Mississippi river but we couldn't. We headed back to Natchez.

Part of the way back we took the Natchez Trace - a path that was used by the Indians when hunting buffalo. It is a two lane highway and is a federal park. No commercial vehicles are allowed and there are no billboards or other advertisements. There are stops along the way with historical information or scenic views. Very pretty. When we got to Natchez we went into downtown and we found a delightful park over the Mississippi river. The steamboat in the picture is actually a gambling casino, but it does look picturesque.

Then this morning we left Natchez and headed for Gulfport. The road that we took was not an interstate but it was a four lane divided highway. On the first part of the trip there were absolutely no billboards or advertisements. I was beginning to think that maybe Mississippi prohibited them. But the second half of the trip proved that that assumption was wrong. That being said, the roads were beautfiul.

We have finally found an rv park that we like. It is old and small. There are lots of trees and a very friendly atmosphere. We are less than a mile from the beach on the gulf. I think that we might stay here for a few days. Both of us are getting tired of so much packing up and moving to the next spot. It will be nice to stay and just enjoy one spot.

It's raining

Well we had a few nice days. It was beautiful this morning and I went for a lovely walk at sunrise. The picture is of the sun rising over the bayou. Then we went into New Iberia. This is a town that Bob wanted to see because he had been a recruiting officer here over 60 years ago. Well, needless to say the town has changed. In addition, Bob's memory has faded. He did not remember anything or recognize any building. The downtown area is pretty deserted and there are lots of empty stores. There was a museum in the middle of town and it was closed. We drove around and did some errands and found that the commercial area is on a strip a few blocks from town with a Wal-mart, a Walgreen's, a McDonald's, a domino's Pizza, etc. Small town America is dying. The other thing that is interesting is that everyone we talked with here did not have have a southern accent. They are all transplants. We went into a restaurant that had been recommended as having great Cajun food. Our waitress was a tiny Asian girl who talked so fast I kept asking her to slow down. I believe that is not the typical Cajun way. By the way the food was terrific and very fattening.

So, I am eating all of this good food and was shocked this morning when I got on the scale. Three pounds up!!!! So today I really cut back on what I am eating. It is so easy when you are trying new foods to just keep eating until you finish the entire plate. That is always my downfall. I really have to exercise portion control.

When we got back to the trailer it was clouding over and starting to rain. Bob and I spent some time deciding where to go next (Natchez Mississippi) and making some reservations for two nights. (Couldn't get a third night because it was a weekend. We will deal with Friday when we get to Friday.) Then Bob made a scrumptious tomato basil soup. I then spent some time Skyping with my daughter and grandson - what a great invention. (It has finally stopped raining by the way. Maybe tomorrow will be sunny.) Soon to bed and ready for another day's travels.

The bayou country

We only stayed in Lake Charles area one night and then we moved on to the bayou country. Before we left I made sure that I got some exercise. Bob is convinced that I am grouchy unless I get some exercise. Who knows, he is probably right. I walked for about an hour this morning and I do feel much better today. We drove about 100 miles to a state park that had good recommendations, but everyone mentioned how far it was from everything. Boy, they were right. The roads that we had to take were not on the map. It is about 20 miles from civilization along some very narrow roads. But the campground is nice and clean and beautiful (Just to make me feel really good about them, there is free wifi and free laundry. So I got clean clothes. Interesting, I get no cell phone service, but I do have free wifi.) The drive here was fascinating and well worth getting off the beaten track. I do get tired of interstate travel. When we travel the backroads we actually get so engrossed in what we are seeing that we turn of the audio books so that we can watch and talk about what we are seeing. I don't know how to describe the houses that we saw, but they were often falling apart and filthy. Yet people seemed to be working hard and happy. Of course, some of the houses were really big and gorgeous, but not many.

The weather is sunny and about 70 degrees during the day. The sky is a bright blue, and there is almost no wind. So Bob and I pulled down the bicycles and went riding around the campground. There is no destination for us to ride to, so we just went around the campground and admired the rivers and bayous. See pictures above.

It was warm enough that we grilled steaks and ate outside on the picnic table. We have not had much chance to do that because the weather has been so cold and windy until now. It was nice. We then had a campfire and sat and drank wine and just reminisced (did I spell that right?)

One interesting note is that I realize that I cannot keep track of where we have been. So I started writing on the calendar what cities we were in on what days. When I wrote it on the calendar yesterday I realized that we went on daylight savings time on Sunday and I did not realize it until Monday afternoon. Daylight savings time makes no difference to me if I don't have to go to work, meet anyone for lunch, or watch television. Interesting.

Louisiana

The first picture is of the wetlands in Galveston state park. The second is of Bob and the scooters in the midst of our adventure yesterday. (I forgot to download these pictures last night.) The third picture is of our campsite tonight - which I will explain.

We left Galveston this morning and drove through Houston, heading for Louisiana. Houston is HUGE. It felt a little like driving through LA. Many intersecting freeways, incredible amounts of traffic on a Sunday morning (I can only imagine what it is like during the week) and mile after mile of suburbs. We had intended to drive into downtown and the turn east on I-10, but the traffic was so heavy that we took the bypass and looked at it from afar. That was enough. It is HUGE.

The landscape is very flat and now it is very wet. There are lots of rivers, bays, and lakes. Lots of rivers, bays and lakes. And on those waterways are lots of oil processing plants, especially in the Texas City and Houston areas. There were miles and miles of them. The houses were huge. in some area and falling down shacks in other areas not that far away. Wonder how that happens.

We entered Louisiana about noon today. By the time we got here Bob was quite testy. The lanes on the freeway were apparently a lot narrower and there were a lot of very wide trucks that made Bob feel like he was losing control of the truck and the trailer. We had a couple of testy interactions about whether I had given him correct directions. I would say turn right here. He would keep driving and say "what?" I would yell turn here - oops too late. He would get mad at me for giving him directions too late and we would either go somewhere else ( like for lunch) or we would have to go all the way around a restaurant. Or, he would ask me which way to go. I couldn't tell and would make a guess - sometimes I am right and sometimes I am wrong. When I was wrong I would tell him we had to turn around. I know it is not easy to turn the truck and trailer and it made him even more irritable. We both tried hard to be understanding of the other. I don't think this is just being together too long. I think it was the stress of the kind of driving we did today - I hope.

Anyway, we are now in Sam Houston Jones state park in Louisiana. It is just 6 miles north of Lake Charles. The park is filled with bayous and beautiful big trees. In fact, there are so many trees that we had a hard time pulling into our spot. The width of the drive was not much bigger than our trailer and there were very large trees on either side of the drive, so it did not leave much room for error. But Bob got us in without hitting any tree. We are only staying here one night so we have not taken much out of the trailer and have not taken down the scooters. But, had I known how beautiful this place was, I would have tried to stay here longer. There are two other things which make this park really nice. One is that they have free wifi and it seems pretty strong and reliable. The other is the bathrooms.

One thing I have learned to do is to check out the showers as soon as we get to a new campground or rv park. Then I know what kind of hassle I will have taking a shower in the morning. Some of the showers, like the ones in Galveston, had a flat floor and a divider going about half into the room providing a separation between the changing area and the showering area. But they have no barrier to keep the water from flowing around that flat floor. So, by the time you finish your shower there is water everywhere and it is hard to put on pants without getting them wet. So when that is the case, I bring an extra towel to stand on in the dryest part of the changing area. But that is not the case in this campground. The showers here are wonderful. They actually have a barrier to keep the water from flowing and a very large changing area. (The best showers we have encountered have been in the rv parks. In those they actually have shower curtains and lots of hooks. In one rv park the shower rooms were just like a bathroom at home with a sink and toilet all in the same room. That felt really luxurious. have my standards changed? Anyone who has seen my huge bathroom at home will know how much they have changed.)

Okay, back to our trip. We are leaving here tomorrow morning and going to another park which is less than 100 miles from here. I have made reservations there for two nights. If it is as nice as this one, I will try to stay there longer. We still have almost two weeks before we are scheduled to be in St. Augustine and we only have Louisiana, the small tips of Alabama and Missippi, and the panhandle of Florida. Bob is somehow nervous that we will not have time to make it there. I tell him that if we wanted to do it we could make it in two days, so let's enjoy where we are.

When we arrived in Louisiana we stopped at the visitor center and got maps and brochures. There is a lot more to see here than I thought, even if we completely bypass New Orleans. Particularly there is a lot of history about the Acadians. In addition, the weather is very pleasant and the scenery is nice. We might have more to do here than we think.

One thing I forgot to mention in my blog yesterday was about one of the fellow campers we met in Galveston. He was from Ontario Canada. He and I started talking about traveling and he came over and gave us some great tips about the Canada portion of our trip. I was able to give him some tips about the western US and particularly the Pacific Northwest. That was delightful We even exchanged phone numbers and I will try to call him when we get to Ontario.

Back to our current trip. There are quite a few casinos in Lake Charles. There are on the water and the hotel and restaurants are on land. Bob thought that we could get a real taste of Cajun food at the casino. Wrong! But we had a few hours of fun losing some money and a very good and filling dinner.

Finally, I am not getting enough exercise when we travel. I try to make sure that I get some when we are in one place for a few days, but when we move, it is hard. So tomorrow morning I will make sure that I take a long walk. With less than 100 miles to go we should have an easy day of driving.

I am truly enjoying all of this. - Just so you know. By the way, Bob asked me to mention that he is no longer testy. He is reading the sixth novel by J. A. Jance and is very relaxed and comfortable. We will see.

More from Galveston

Galveston turned out to be great, but we had some adventures. First, on Thursday when it was foggy and drizzly, we put up the awning. Bob had been worried about putting up the awning when it was windy, but he saw another trailer at an rv park with a stake that was curved so that it would not be pulled out. So he bought one and put up the awning with that stake. During the night it was so windy that the trailer was moving. We decided (this is about midnight) that we would go out and take down the awning. We put on our clothes, turned on the outside light and went to work. What we forgot to do was to move the stove that was in the way. The awning pole caught on the stove and BROKE. Bob said don't worry about it. I will fix it in the morning. So we got back in bed. Both of us had trouble sleeping.

We got up in the morning and did our usual routine. I went down to the showers. There were a couple of college boys who had been in the showers ahead of me. They left it a mess. I was irritated and came back to the trailer still irritated and started to take it out on Bob. Finally I told him that I just needed some space. So he left and found the hardware store that had what he needed to fix the awning. He came back and then went to work fixing it. Needless to say, he fixed it pretty speedily. In the meantime, I spent my time deciding where we should go next. We knew that we could not extend our stay in Galveston because they were full for spring break. We decided that we should make some reservations. After looking up a couple of campgrounds on line, I called Lousiana state parks and made reservations for Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. If you are a senior with a Golden Age Passport, it is half off. So we will be staying pretty cheaply for those nights. By then I was feeling better.

Because it was so windy, the beach would not be much fun and we could not take the scooters, So we drove into downtown Galveston (about 13 miles) and did the tourist stuff. There is a refurbished 3 mast sailing ship. It was beautiful and very well restored. We talked to some of the folks who had worked on it and you could tell it was a labor of love. We then went on an offshore oil drilling platform that had been turned into a museum. Very interested. So much information that I could not process it all, but I learned a lot.

Downtown Galveston has a very active historical society and many of the buildings have been restored. One of the places that we wanted to go was the Railroad Museum. Unfortunately it was destroyed in Hurricane Ike and has not yet been restored.

Another victim of Hurricane Ike is the park that we are staying at. There are currently about 24 campsites and one road. The way it is situated you have to back down the road to get into the campsite. The road that would have allowed otherwise was destroyed. About 40 campsites and a bathroom with showers were destroyed. The beach is mostly gone, although some folks tell us that it is looking better than it did right after the hurricane. All in all, it was pretty devastating, but they are doing a good job of restoring it.

Then today we woke up and it was beautiful. I can see the sunrise from the window above my head. (I can see the sunset from the window in the other direction. Hmmm Does it get better than this?) Today we took our scooters and explored the rest of the park. It was gorgeous. We then took the scooters and went into town. The ride into town was easy. We had a great lunch. I had blackened catfish for the first time. It was delicious and I ate enough to last me at least a few days. On the way home the wind had picked up and it was diffiuclt. I thought that the wind was going to blow me off the road a couple of times, but we slowed down and made it back easily. What an adventure!

We spent the rest of the afternoon sitting in the sun, reheating leftovers for dinner, drinking wine, and sitting over a wonderful campfire. Tomorrow we leave Texas and head for Louisiana. Less than two week to St. Augustine!

Galveston Beach

We did stay another day in San Antonio. It was sunny and 80 degrees. It was beautiful. We first did some more errands and bought Bob about 20 books. He reads every night so he is going through the books pretty quickly. We are finding that many of the rv parks have exchange libraries, but they don't seem to have the kind of books that Bob likes. Anyway we sat in the sun long enough that I have a slight burn - not too bad, but I can see it.

We left and decided to avoid the interstates and took the back roads. The scenery is now pretty flat and at times very flat. But there is lots of grass and trees and the rivers are finally getting to be the size that I am used to seeing. Up until now that they have been mostly streams even though they are called rivers. We stopped early at Lake Texana state park. We got a site right on the lake. It was beautiful. We just sat and read and stared at the lake.

Before we set up camp we decided to make a few calls and see if we could get reservations for Galveston. The first place I called the lady almost laughed at me. It is spring break week. She had no openings. I then called the state park. I thought she said that she had openings, but we got cut off and I could not get her back. The staff person in the office at Texana then called for me and got through directly. We have a spot in Galveston Beach for three nights. We got up early and I hoped to spend a little time enjoying the beautiful lake. But it was so foggy we could not see the lake. Being from Oregon we expected the fog to clear before noon. It did not clear before noon. In fact, it did not clear all day. By sunset it was thicker than before. The forecasters say that it will be nice tomorrow. I hope so. We have a gorgeous campsite here on Galveston Beach. I took some pictures, but all you can see is fog. They do not show much so I will wait to show pictures if it clears up.

We did drive into Galveston. It is about 13 miles and flat. If the weather turns nice tomorrow we may even drive back on our scooters. The main street in Galveston has lots of touristy places, but it looks like there are a few interesting museums. There are lots of interesting old buildings. I do not know the point of the huge trumpet but I will try to find out.

For the first time that I can ever remember Bob said that he was not hungry for dinner. We had planned on having leftover chili. So we got into the trailer and out of the wind and the drizzle and had a picnic of sausage, cheese, and crackers - and a little wine. (We have to be careful about the wine because it is unlawful to drink alcoholic beverages in a state park. So we drink them out of coffee cups.)

My friend and neighbor called today and said that she had been reading my blog and that it seemed like we were living a simple life. I had not thought about it that way, but she is right. We do have a very simple life right now. It is enjoyable.

Rain and now sun in San Antonio

Well, the bus tour was a bust. We spent an incredible amount of time getting picked up and waiting for others to be picked up. We then got dropped off at what purported to be a Japanese garden. It was much smaller than what we have in Portland and a good part of it was closed. We just got dropped off and told to come back in 15 minutes. Then we got driven to the Alamo and got dropped off and told to come back in 45 minutes. (Make your way around and figure it out yourself.) There were people on the bus who were taking a whole day tour and some of us taking the half day tour. The driver kept talking about the logistics rather than telling us anything. The Alamo was disappointing. Very little of it was original - only one wall, and the rest was just a park with a gift shop. the best part was a gorgeous tree out in front of part of the original wall. I will try to attach a picture. We then left and went to the Mission de San Jose - which was very interesting. But our guide knew very little. I could hear the park ranger giving another tour (which was free) and he was telling so much more. Bob actually asked the driver to let us off early - he was so frustrated with the waste of time.

We then walked across the street to a small Mexican restaurant. We were the only gringos in the place. The food was great. Our rv park is right on a bus line which goes straight into downtown San Anontio. So we took the bus into town. We walked the entire riverwalk, which is beautiful and relaxing. It was raining, but much of the walk was covered and protected. It is all restaurants on either side and there is a small boat which goes up and down the river. We did not take the boat because it was raining. We then went to an IMAX presentation showing the history of the Alamo. We really enjoyed that. Finally, I wanted some Texas Bar-B-Q so we went into one of the restaurants along the riverwalk and got ribs. They were good, but not anything different than we can get in Portland.

Last night it rained pretty hard. We got up this morning and decided to get some chores done. We drove around to a couple of stores and got some stuff for the trailer and some groceries. We tried to find a bookstore. It turns out that the only one on the south side of town, where we are, closed. There is a Barnes and Noble in the north side of town. I called and they do have some of the books that Bob wants. We started to go there and ran into rush hour traffic. So we came back. We can go tomorrow. (We are so spoiled in Portland with our many bookstores. )

The weather is supposed to be warm and sunny tomorrow. So we decided to stay an extra day here and just enjoy the sun tomorrow. Tonight we went to a pot luck here in the rv park. These people live here for many months and there is quite a social life going on. They are all very nice and the food was great.

Overall there are many very nice things about San Antonio. I did not realize how large it is. There is a lot to do and see and a very vibrant downtown. I would come back again.

San Antonio

We are now in San Antonio, but first I have to talk about Austin. We went to Austin thinking that there would not be much to do there. Boy were we wrong. We stayed in a state campground about 4 miles south of the city. It was an easy shot to get to downtown Austin and we came in right up the main drag and got a great view of the capital building on top of the hill as we drove in. We went to the visitor center and signed up for a walking tour and a bus tour. We had alrady missed the tours for that day so we signed up for them the next day. We walked around the main drag a little and then went back to our campsite.

At this campground it was finally flat enough and warm enough for us to take out our scooters. we rode around the campground, which was fairly large and had two beautiful waterfalls. The hosts in the campground were right across from us. They were SO nice. We talked quite a bit and I actually spent a lot of time petting their dog. when we started unloading the scooters, the husband came out to see if we needed help. We do not need help unloading, but told him that we might need help loading. There were other people in the park that were from all over the country and very interesting. Like, the couple from Mississippi who had a very small tent trailer but had three dogs and four bicycles. We got into some interesting discussions about the south.

The tours were wonderful. The walking tour was really about the architecture of the city and how it has changed over the years. Then the bus tour (driven by a woman from Alabama with the thickest southern accent I have ever heard). We went went into what they call the hill county which is where the very very very rich live and she told us about all of the movie stars who have homes there (yawn). But it was pretty and I learned a little about the geology and the history of the area. Then we did a small tour of the University of Texas and the buildings around there. (That is when I thought that I wished we had another day. I forgot that the LBJ library was there and I would have loved to see it as well as the Texas Museum there. But not to be. Bob wanted to move on. He is getting a little bored with politics and museums he says.

Last evening one of the most interesting things happened. We were just finishing dinner and a car pulled up right alongside our campsite. A middle aged couple got out and were remarking about our trailer. I asked if they wanted to come in and see the inside. They were hesitant but then accepted the invitation. They asked a lot of questions. (They were certainly not the first to come see the inside - this small trailer is quite a curiosity). Bob and I finished dinner and the dishes and were sitting inside the trailer reading - it was completely dark outside. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. The couple who had been there only about two hours before came to bring us a hot pecan pie. It was still hot. It was in a ceramic pie plate. I tried to refuse because I told her I could not return the pie plate. She told me to keep the plate. She said they were so appreciative of our hospitality. They had gone online and located a dealer who sold our trailers nearby and they were going to see him on Sunday. They wanted to thank us. I could not refuse. Well this was a pecan pie (she said "of course - this is Texas.") and some of you may know that my husband does not like pecan pies. I have been working very hard at losing weight and could not see myself eating the whole pie without putting on many pounds. I couldn't decide what to do. Bob suggested that we give it to our host. (He had come out again to help us as we loaded the scooters and was so nice.) So I went across the way and gave them the pie. They were so pleased because they were going to a family gathering today and they could bring the pie as their contribution. I came away from the experience just so impressed by the kindness of people.

We are now in a very nice park in San Antonio. The weather has been cloudy all day and just a little chilly, but not bad. We set up and I immediately did laundry - we were out of everything. We decided not to go into town today because, as it happens today is the anniversary of the Alamo (don't ask me which part, they just keep saying the anniversay.) So we are spending some time cooking a very large pot of chili to have for meals for the next few nights. Tomorrow we will take a bus tour and then decide if there is more that we want to see. I think we can do quite a bit here on our scooters. That would be nice.

It is very relaxing to me to be able to do nothing whenever I don't want to do anything. I am trying very hard to avoid the feeling that I have to be busy every minute. I think this trip would be exhausting. After I finish this blog I think I will take a walk. Apparently there is a 15 mile walk that takes off from this campground. I will take my camera and take pictures.

It was 72 degrees today.

We left Fredericksburg early this morning and drove to Austin. Bob commented that the scenery looked like California. I disagree. There were rolling hills, streams full of water and real trees. There were lots of ranches and lots of peach trees. There were also quite a few wineries. If we had stayed longer we would have gone wine tasting I think.

We are now 4 miles south of Austin Texas in a state campground called McKinney Falls. The weather was gorgeous. We have all of the stuff outside of the trailer that should be and so there is a lot more room inside the trailer. In response to Sunshine's comment from yesterday, I will try to take some more pictures of the inside and the outside of the trailer and email them to her tomorrow. We also pulled out the scooters for the first time since Agua Caliente. We rode around the park for a little and then came back and made dinner. We actually had dinner outside on the picnic table. That was nice.

Now that we are at lower altitudes Bob is breathing much better. That makes it possible for him to do a little more. We took a short walk after dinner and he did not even get tired. Yeah! We have not exercised much in the last few weeks because of where we were camped or the weather. Tomorrow I plan to pull out the weights and get some weight lifting done. Bob acts as if he does not want to do this, but I know that he really enjoys how much stronger it makes him feel, so I will be the nag.

Today was grandson's first birthday. So tonight we had a Skype date. I miss him so much. (I also miss daughter but she is not growing and changing every day and I know that she will still look the same when I get home, but grandson is changing so fast. At least with Skype I have some idea of how he is changing.)

Tomorrow on to Austin.

A very good day.

We woke up this morning to a beautiful bright blue sky. It was a little chilly, but there was not a cloud in the sky. After breakfast and one of the best showers that I have had in a month, we headed for the National Museum of the War in the Pacific. What an experience!!!! It was exceptionally well done. First, when we walked in they welcomed us. When I told them that Bob was a WWII vet, they told him that admission was free, they gave him a badge as an honored visitor, and they almost saluted him. Bob was clearly embarrased. (He said that he only did what everyone did in 1942.) The exhibits in the museum included what you would expect - memorabilia, descriptions of battles, etc. But they had videos of the battles showing how the US and the Japanese forces interacted. That really helped me to understand what was going on. They had actual recordings of many speeches, like FDR giving his speech to declare war on 12/8/41, or Hirohito notifying the Japanese people that he had agreed to an unconditional surrender. It was very moving. And it took a long time. We entered at about 9 am and did not leave until almost 3 pm (with a small break for lunch.) Wow. Apparently this museum opened in December 2009, so it is relatively new. I asked why there was such a museum in Fredericksburg Texas. The reason is that this is the birthplace of Admiral Nimitz. They wanted to do a museum to Nimitz and Nimitz apparently said that if they honored him they had to honor all of the men who fought in the Pacific - so they did. It is quite impressive.

Outside they had gardens. One for the presidents who had seved in WWII. One for the servicemen who had died in the Pacific. And one, called the garden of peace, was for the Japanese who had died in the war.

We left the museum and walked through the town. I made a great purchase. I have been looking for a hat to wear on those days when my hair will just not obey. I found one and it was not very expensive. There are lots of cute little shops here and several wineries - so we did some winetasting and purchased some local wine. We then went out to dinner. This is a town with a lot of German roots. So the restaurant that was recommended by several people was a Bavarian restaurant. It was marvelous. Bob and I had spaetzle (I think I spelled that right.) I am sitting here so stuffed that I think I have gained back the four pounds that I lost.

Tomorrow we will leave for a campground outside of Austin. I hope that the weather stays nice.

Fredericksburg Texas

It was not so cold last night (only 40 degrees), but it was VERY windy. I thought for a while it was going to blow our trailer away. I was glad that we had electricity and heat. We have spent so many nights in the trailer reading, that we decided we had to try something different. It is not that I don't enjoy reading, but it was time for something else. So we played cribbage. It was great. Both Bob and I had a great time.

When I weighed myself this morning I realized that I have lost an additional four pounds since leaving Portland. I have no idea how that is happening. I am eating out at lunch almost every day and my favorite food is some kind of greasy sandwich. We are eating very well at night also. Last night it was baked chicken - the toaster oven is working very well. Also we have not been exercising like I would like. It is cold and windy (Have I mentioned that before) and I am not comfortable walking in the dark on unfamiliar roads. (Last night we camped just east of the line for Central time so the sun did not come up until 7 pm.) But I have not been eating any snacks and that may be making the difference. I have to be a little careful because some of my clothes are now so big that they are falling off unless I use a belt.

We got a fairly early start this morning and headed straight for Austin. (Didn't make it there, but more about that later.) As we drove we listened to books on tape. (Mike, we just started to listen to the one about the National Parks - very interesting. thanks.)

The drive itself was interesting. West Texas is not at all what I expected. It is almost as stark and barren as New Mexico. It is hilly, not mountainous. (It looks more like the hills in West Virginia than the ones in Oregon or New Mexico) There is some vegetation other than cactus and as we got further east the vegetation almost began to look like trees. As we drove I could see that we were coming down in altitude because there was more distance between the earth and the clouds. So Bob is breathing better. And yes there were clouds all day and the weather is till yucky. Along the drive, the road cut into some of these hills and you could see the cuts. It was all rocks and the strata was fascinating. You could see that over the years various different minerals had been present and created various colors. The colors and the thickness of the strata changed as we moved east.

While we were driving and watching the geology go by (I never studied geology but am now finding myself very interested in it) and listening to a book on tape (did I say that I tend to multi-task?), I was also reading about where we were going. Austin was going to be a push and we would not get there until 5 or 6 pm. I found a small town of Fredericksburg in the Texas visitor guide. It looks very interesting. It has a WWII museum of the Pacific battle and it has a bunch of wineries. So we stopped in one of the RV parks to see if they have room. We are in the overfill area and that means it is a little cheaper for us to stay here. We will stay for two nights because I want to see the museum and the wineries.

I do not have many pcitures because the weather has been so awful. It is now 39 degrees outside ande there is a strong wind and the rain is coming down like sharp little pinpricks. They tell us that the weather tomorrow will be much better - sunny and high in the 60's. That will be nice. Then I can add some more pictures.