A week later, Wed, 4/14/21

Still heading east, Jimmy and I left Longview Texas fairly early (8:30/ish) on Thursday, 4/8/21, under clear blue skies and a following wind.  Quite a different drive than the day before from Childress to Longview while we eyeballed a solid cloud bank ahead of us, radar lit up like a Las Vegas casino.  I guarantee that we gave that storm a wide berth!  So, with no weather worries ahead of us on Thursday, our trip from Longview to my sister's near Baton Rouge was a delight -- sunshine, tail wind, smooth road, and little traffic.  We pulled into their place early afternoon, and into the waiting arms of my sister!  Oh joy!  Finally!

There isn't much to see from Shreveport south to Baton Rouge on I-49, except trees, grass, moo cows, fields of eye-catching bright yellow flowers, and "borrow" ponds.  All-in-all, it's kinda relaxing.

A borrow pond is formed when dirt is dug to build up the roadbed.  Obviously the hole fills with water and makes a nice pond.  Where we live in California, the holes would be dry dry dry.  Here in the Bayou State, with their many inches of water falling yearly, the ponds that line I-49 are always full. 

Bucolic scene.

We were very happy to be together again, Nannie and me.  It's been over two years since Jimmy and I drove to Louisiana.  Everything fell apart last year with the COVID virus grabbing everybody by the throat.   Anyway, here we are at last!  

Plus, Nannie and Bubba are in a new home in a subdivision, and she was excited to show it to us.  I don't know why, but I didn't take any photos, or very few pics.  Their home is beautiful, and her yard is likewise.  She and Bubba set up bird feeders (that's what we do), which have attracted different birds than at their old house in the woods.  Since there's a pond nearby, Red-winged Blackbirds are regulars, doves and finches, etc., and a Bluebird couple set up shop in a box put out in the yard just for them.  When we come back through Louisiana to Nannie's on our way home, I'll take pictures.

Our selfie!

We don't look so much like twins any more with my hair now silver.

Nannie arranged a 2pm Sunday get-together with friends, and we all had a grand time visiting.  L - R:  Nannie, me, Shirley, and Cheryl.  The guys were on the other side of the large, screened, airy, back porch (love that porch).  The girls were smarter, 'cause we had a plate of homemade chocolate chip cookies in front of us!  Laughter is good for the soul, and we laughed a lot that afternoon!

Nannie has a plot in a community garden several miles from her house.  She and I spent an hour or so on Monday morning putting fence wire between the rows of tomatoes (in effect, staking tomatoes).  Good thing, too, with all the rain and wind expected!

Nannie took this pic of Bubba and Jimmy at the dining room table.

Serious conversation!

In between formidable thunderstorms, we managed to get out again for lunch with old friends, Jim and Judy, at Zea's.  You can see how inclement it looks beyond the window.  These six people always have fun when together.  L - R:  Jimmy, me, Judy, Nannie, Jim, and Bubba.

I failed at picture taking this past week, maybe because I was too busy "being present."  Enjoying my time with family.  Despite ongoing downpours and noisy thunderstorms, our stay with Nannie and Bubba was wonderful:  we walked and talked and ate, and laughed, and played cards in the evening.  Thank you my seester and bro-in-law, we loved every minute.

Louisiana can brew up some frightening weather.  Our plan was to leave on Wednesday, 4/14/21, and continue heading east.  Storms were forecast.  Radar was very colorful.

We got out early so we could gas up at a Murphy's station (price: $2.31/gal).  I'd planned a quick trip into Walmart for bread and milk, but while hooking Smartie to Tergel, I turned around, saw this sky with this weather coming toward us, and said, "Never mind, let's get outa here!"  We tried to outrun it.  Didn't succeed.  Were caught in an ugly thunderstorm, with hail the size of quarters hurled at us from above, forked lightning -- thrown from the hand of a Mighty Magician -- zigzagged across the sky and jagged bolts jackknifed into the earth in front of us.  Thunder you could hear over the roar of Tergel's engine.  Wind and pounding rain.  That kind of white-knuckle driving weather didn't last all the way to Mobile, Alabama, but it rained and stormed the whole distance.  We were very glad to get to Eagle's Landing RV Park in Theodore AL and hunker down.  Because more of the same is coming.  to be con'td

Family Fun! 3/7 - 3/11, 2019

I guess we spent a couple of hours on Thursday touring the Stennis facility in Mississippi, and then Jimmy and I climbed back in Tergel for the short hour-and-a-half hop to my sister and bro-in-law's house outside of Baton Rouge.  They were waiting for us!  We pulled Tergel into her usual "site," while we settled ourselves in the guest room.  We had no set plan for how long we'd stay ... it's never enough for Nannie and me ... but Jimmy and I had appointments to keep toward the end of March, and we were still a long way from Nevada City, California!

We don't actually have to be doing something to enjoy our stay with them, but neither Nannie nor I sit still for long.  We were out walking the next morning, getting in our almost-three miles.  With a batch of lemons from our Tallahassee buddies, we could make a pie and bread, and we did both.

On Saturday, the four of us opted to check out the Mississippi River in downtown Baton Rouge, which we usually do when the water is high.  And it is high and moving fast!  It's forecast to continue rising to near 44.0 feet by Wednesday, March 13th then begin falling.

.

There are more steps to reach the riverbank, but you can't see them today.  That's the I-10 (Horace Wilkinson) bridge in the background -- the "new bridge," built in 1968.  Nannie and I are demonstrating just how high the water is.  Don't even think of taking a step into this muddy water ... with that current, you'd be swept downstream in a second.   

Two long barges full of aggregate were parked in the middle,

diesels' running, and "no place to go!"

We've seen the USS Kidd high and dry, with nary a drop of water nearby, and we've seen it "afloat" as you see here.  The Kidd is actually anchored, but it looks more realistic when it's surrounded by its natural element.

Part of the river walk, this multi-level levee dock (say it fast three times) accommodates any water level.  At flood stage, the lower sections are roped off (of course).  Standing on the end of the dock gives you a real idea of how swift the current is.

On the levee river walk, we found a couple of red Adirondack chairs, perfect for photo ops.  They weren't too comfortable since slats were missing from the bottoms -- get your heinie caught!  The day was warm enough for shorts, but the wind off the river lent a chill that made us glad we had over-shirts to put on.

These giant red letters spell BATON ROUGE.

Honest.

Even though Mark Twain thought the Old State Capitol (opened in 1848) was a monstrosity and a "little sham castle," I and many others think this Gothic architecture treasure makes for a  cool-looking building.   It stands high on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River and is now a museum.

We didn't stop.

We did pay a lunch visit to Roman's for some fragrant (think:  garlic) Lebanese food.  None of us could finish the mounds of good stuff on our plates, which meant we'd get to enjoy everything again the next day!  And, we didn't have to worry about vampires circling the house that night!  (whew!)

What else did we do?  Oh, mostly family things.  Nannie made us some wonderful meals, plus we ate out a few times.  She and I did some successful clothes shopping, more sister-together-time.  The guys did car and motor home things and watched a Nascar race ... and on our last evening, we hauled out the cards to play Hand and Foot.  Someone, not saying who, but someone is really lucky at cards.

Look at this girl go!  On Sunday, the grass was finally dry enough, with more rain predicted for the next day, so she asked us if we'd mind her giving the grass a haircut.  Nope, get after it while you can.  Jimmy and I busied ourselves loading Tergel again -- we'd be pulling out Monday morning -- still heading west.

Jimmy had us pose in front of a beautiful Azalea for our final farewell pic.  Now that my hair is much lighter (and shorter!), we no longer look like twins.  Maybe, she'll catch up!  With a promise that they'd be out to see us soon, we said adios, love you bunches, and took off down the driveway.  Loved our visit, you guys!

Stennis Space Center, Thurs, 3/7/19

How many times have Jimmy and I used the Mississippi Welcome Center across the Louisiana line?  Too many to count.  For us, it's been a convenient spot to change drivers between Baton Rouge and Mobile.  All these years we've talked about stopping at John C Stennis Space Center (SSC) which is accessed from the same rest area.  "One of these times, we'll go," we kept saying, but we were always on our way here or there and didn't take the time to stop.  In 2012, INFINITY Science Center was opened (next to the rest area) and we added this to our "to do" list ... yet continued to pass by.

Yes, we finally made it a point to pay our $15/per senior to visit both the science center and Stennis (named for US Senator John C Stennis, D-MS).  We were completely flabbergasted by what we saw! SSC encompasses over 200 sq miles of land area including a perimeter buffer zone to insulate surrounding civilian communities from the noise of rocket engine testing by NASA.  Heck, we had no idea of its size, thinking maybe a couple of miles or so, but we also didn't realize that NASA (and others) were testing rockets on site.  If you're really interested click on the Stennis link above to read more.

"INFINITY Science Center is a non-profit science museum that encompasses a mix of exhibit space and hands-on experiential programming where guests -- especially kids -- can explore Earth and space through exhibits, tours through historic sites, memorable experiences and citizen science programs. INFINITY also serves as the official visitor center for NASA Stennis Space Center, Mississippi's largest rocket engine testing facility."

Jimmy and a Rolls Royce Trent 1000 engine.

Bet it's loud.

Twice I was persuaded into climbing inside a space suit.

(tee hee)

Part of INFINITY.

We didn't have time to take in the 3D Immersive Theater and didn't want to take part in the Apollo 11 Virtual Reality Simulator, but we enjoyed walking around the center and looking at the exhibits.  

The 40-minute bus tour to and of SSC was what really opened our eyes.  In 1961, after rejecting other areas, Mississippi was selected because it was thinly populated and met all other requirements; however before construction began, five small communities (Gainesville, Logtown, Napoleon, Santa Rosa, and Westonia), plus the northern portion of a sixth (Pearlington), and a combined population of 700 families had to be completely relocated off the facility.  Think how loud rocket testing is -- our tour guide told us it's as though 5,500 race cars started their engines at the same time!  No wonder they need a vast buffer zone!  (who knew?)

The tiny white objects at the base of the Test Stand are autos.

Sorry the photos are less than stellar.

The gray day and grayer bus windows didn't help. 

I can't tell you more about what we saw because I don't know exactly what I was seeing.  We did hear that SpaceX and others also use the testing facility.  And there was something called Space Launch System (SLS) that seems to be the up-and-coming powerhouse rocket.    

Back at INFINITY, Jimmy is standing before an Apollo 4 command module.

Chilling movie!

Then there's this:  A Saturn V rocket that was tugged up the canal (used by Stennis), inched down I-10 at 3.5 miles an hour while traffic waited and hauled to its new and final home at INFINITY Science Center.  Glad we weren't on the freeway then!  The fence directly below the rocket is 8 ft (or ten?).  This rocket is a monster!  If you get a chance, the complex is worth a visit.

Finally there! Sun-Fri, 9/24-9/29, 2017

2844 miles.  From door to door, kinda, since September 6th.  Parked in Daphne, Alabama, this is as far as Tergel goes.  When she fires up again, she'll point her headlights west toward home in Nevada City.  We've had a good trip, those 2844 miles brought us plenty of adventures across a wide swath of states.  Now it's time to see, play and visit with family and friends, in Louisiana, Alabama and Florida.  Of course our first visit would be to my sister and brother-in-law in Watson, LA.  From Sunday to Friday we four hung out and had a blast.

It was a joy for Jimmy and me to see their remodeled house.  In August of last year, their house took on roughly two feet of water in the Epic Flood of 2016.  It had to be stripped down to bare studs and cement.  They finally got back in their house on Mother's Day this year ... that's nine months living in their motor home in their front yard (and thank goodness for that!) while their "bricks and mortar" house was put back together.  So, 13 months after the flood, we got to see their new digs.  Know what?  I forgot to take a single photo.  Trust me, everything looks lovely, fresh and updated as it would be.  We did some rug shopping, Nannie and I, and she picked out an elegant hall runner.  It took a few trips, but that was no problem for us ... we always have a fun time!

Thursday we four made a road trip down memory lane to St Francisville, LA, where Jimmy and I were married in 2001.  We spent our honeymoon night at the old Printer's Cottage (above) across from the wedding venue.  Ours was an April outdoor wedding under one of those magnificent spreading Live Oak trees with family and a handful of dear friends attending.  Nannie and Bubba hosted a wonderful reception for us the next day at their home.  It was just perfect; we all have fond memories of that.  

Bloomers in my sister's yard:  Clockwise, top left:  I caught a Night-blooming Cereus just as the sun was rising; one Hidden Ginger blossom remaining; American Beautyberry bush full of berries; and a White Ginger flower about ready to give it up.

I'm skipping around on days and photos, but that's okay.  Nannie and Bubba and Jimmy and I stopped in to see our friends, Jim and Judy on Monday (I think).  We didn't get a chance to break bread in a local eatery like we usually do, but maybe we'll have a chance on our return through Louisiana.  Nice to play catch-up at least.

I could be wrong, but I think it was Wednesday that Nannie and I enjoyed a delish lunch at TOLA with our long-time friend, Shirley.  Her home was also flooded in the Epic Flood of 2016 and Shirley invited us to see her "new" place after lunch.  All fixed up and looking beautiful, good job Shirl.  Thanks for the great afternoon.  (Notice the clean plate in front, as in, "I belong to the clean plate club.") 😋

Aw, sweethearts!  We believe the huge Oak tree is gone, but we're standing about where we stood 16-and-a-half years ago.  What a ride we've had!

Outside the Barrow House Inn, circa 1809, is where we were married.  St Francisville is a small town north of Baton Rouge with a number of historic homes dating from this era, all of them nicely kept.  Several restored antebellum plantations are in the area; some of them open to the public.  A ferry used to ply back and forth from St Francisville across the Mississippi River, but no longer.  A fancy new bridge took its place.  I liked the ferry.

And the Barrow House retains a resident cat or two.

Maybe not the same ones as in 2001!

Still in St Francisville, four famished people walked into "The Mag" (Magnolia Cafe), and hit the food jackpot.  I gobbled up their Sensation Salad.  Jimmy ordered a shrimp po'boy, and nothing remains of it but some bread and fries!  Also pictured are Bubba's Juke Joint beer can and two cookie halves.  Two of us got chocolate chip cookies and two got oatmeal pecan, as big as saucers and hot out of the oven.  We shared.  Man, they were good.

Jimmy also bought a shirt!  Very nice!

Nannie and me this morning as we're getting ready to depart.  

What else happened?  Cheryl and Chris, new friends (for us) and also flood survivors, came a-calling at my sister's Tuesday morning, and we all sat around and drank coffee for a couple of hours.  The women visited in the kitchen (naturally) and the men sat on the back porch and told lies.  A fun morning.  During the days we were in the area, we saw numerous FEMA trailers.  Nannie said that people are either fighting with their lenders or insurance companies or waiting for contractors and inspectors to finish.  A very long haul for many.  Sad.  And now repeated in other flooded parts of the country.

Changing the subject ... we don't see Armadillos in Nevada City, but we see them belly-up roadside as we travel about in the southeast, all four legs pointed skyward.  They like to play "chicken" with cars.  We passed by the Mississippi Sandhill Crane Refuge today and remembered the tour that Judy of Travels with Emma gave us.  We hoped she's doing well where she is.  September is nearly kaput.  Time is zipping by so fast, too fast.  I saw a decorated Christmas tree in a corner store the other day.  Good grief.  Don't rush me!

We still have lots of family and friends to see in the Southeast.  Sunday morning, we'll hop in Smartie and head over to Tallahassee for a couple of days.

The End.

Family and Reflections -- Sept 14th, 2016

After five weeks in Mobile AL, Jimmy and I returned to our home in Nevada City on Saturday the 10th, after a 2487-mile, four-day marathon drive ... in a rented 10 ft U-haul van.  The drive wasn't bad, except for the Dallas part, which is never good, but worse on this trip because of our bad timing. Otherwise, we just put the pedal to the metal and drove.  A few notable exceptions ... a delicious Mexican dinner and a "find" in Santa Rosa NM at quittin' time on Day 2, and I really enjoyed eyeing the mountainous scenery along Hwy 95 in western Nevada on Day 4.  I promise you, however, we are glad to be out of that van; we turned it in yesterday.  But, these are simply statistics.  The real story is family.

Seen at a rest stop.

We left Rob in fairly good shape.  In those five weeks, he's been able to take care of necessary business that he wouldn't have been able to do without help.  Plus, his radiation treatments have helped him immensely, alleviating pain and reducing the cancerous tumors in size.  His aggravating symptoms have lessened.  One morning he and Jimmy hauled his remaining kayak out of the boat shed and he went for a short paddle, which he enjoyed very much.  (He's since been out on other short trips)  For an active man and an avid kayaker, being on the water is very healing.

Taking a break from nonstop work!

After Jimmy and I had been in Mobile a few weeks, Nannie was able to leave her flooded/gutted home to be with us, though she went home one weekend.  The four of us together are incorrigible, or as Jimmy calls it, "encourageable."  As Rob perked up, so did the shenanigans. Since Rob wanted (and needed) to sell his house, a major spruce up was necessary.  We were steady decluttering, packing things away, making piles to go here, there, somewhere or anywhere!  We accumulated a heap o' junk for the trash bin.  At times, anyone of us might paw through the junk piles looking for a particular item that may have been pitched there.  We spent hours and days going through stacks of his stuff.

Donations of school-type supplies went to a local elementary school.  Magazines to the local library. Books were either sold or donated.  Bicycles were donated.  And so on.  The outside was power washed, the inside was scrubbed and the carpet cleaned. And then he hired a realtor.  

Here's Rob.

Did I mention shenanigans?  With Rus in the Boston hospital in June, me and Rob and Nannie were clowning around in the waiting room.

The four of us (me, Rob, Nannie, Jimmy) after dinner near the Dog River Bridge.

Rob loved kayaking Dog River and its tributaries.  Seeing how others trashed it and how the City of Mobile seemed to care little about it, made him an advocate ... he dedicated himself to seeing Dog River free and clear of trash and litter.  His photos and text documented the ongoing deplorable condition of his beloved river, and his continuing efforts culminated in litter traps being installed.  He won much praise for his commitment.  Rightly so!

Meantime, the den gets a serious reaming out.

The garage/shop gets a much-needed make-over.

The van gets loaded.

Nannie went home the day after we left. Rob felt like he could manage by himself for the time being, and he probably was craving some alone time. His realtor came that day to take house pictures and I'm happy to report the house showed well. Our work was not in vain.

We talked frequently with our Boston brother, Rus. He wanted to be with us, but because of his own physical issues, he couldn't. He's still trying to see if he'll be allowed to fly from Boston to Mobile, and, who knows, maybe he can. Both brothers have been sucker-punched this summer and are fighting for their lives. We hope and pray to keep them both around for a long time.

Thanks to Mother Nature's body-slam to Louisiana by way of The Epic Flood, Nannie has her hands full in Baton Rouge (Watson, actually). Their house is almost ready to be certified "dry" by the powers-that-be, and then the anti-mold crew moves in, and THEN, rebuilding can commence ... followed by choosing flooring, paint, new cabinets, the whole nine yards. But, it's strange how things happen, how life works. Rob has furniture he will no longer need when his house sells, while Nannie's furniture turned into a debris mountain in their front yard, so she'll need furniture ....

We worked together. Jimmy was a real trooper, a worker-tour-de-force, and I'm proud as Punch of him. He's deserving of mucho kudos. So ... he and I hit the road in that van. We'll return, either by flying or in Tergel, before our next BIG trip in November. Nannie can easily go back and forth, as it's only 200 miles +/- to Mobile for her. I'll post a few on-the-road shots.

The header photo and the pic above were seen at a Texas rest stop.

Above and below:  Our dinners in Santa Rosa, Jimmy's is at back.  Delicious!

This was our find.  Santa Rosa is famous for this spring.  Ample parking, accessible, and it's free. Wow, what a deal.  The aquamarine water was sparkling clear.  Jimmy stuck his fingers in to test the temp and he verified that it was purty chilly.  Divers can use the Blue Hole, swimmers wouldn't dare!  It was nice getting outside to admire and stroll around.

Did you spot Jimmy?

Reflections.

This thing held a lot of stuff.

Sunset out of Las Vegas was spectacular.  Changing drivers every few hours, we drove and drove and drove on Day 3, long past when we'd normally quit, but that made Day 4 a shortie.  We hove into the driveway at 3pm.  Stiff and sore, with bloated ankles, we were glad to be home.

Joshua Trees appeared at about 3500-4000 ft elevation in Nevada.

I like birds.  I like seeing and watching birds.  But this place gave me the creeps with all those pigeons and other birds all over everything.  We spied animals inside the house, as well.  Be a really crappy yard, huh?  Too much bird poop might even obscure the satellite dish!

Another gem in Goldfield, NV.

Good road, no traffic, my kind of driving!

We've worked out butts off since we got home; so much to do to catch-up, plus parceling out Rob's stuff. STUFF! We are officially in the process of getting rid of stuff. If we haven't used it, needed it, or looked at it since moving here in 2012, hey, doncha think it's time to let it go? Maybe somebody else can use it. Now we have piles all over our own house/garage. But! We are making progress. The Prius is full of goodies going to Goodwill tomorrow.

We've already had a year's worth of travel, and the year isn't over. When we awoke this morning, the temperature was a mere 50 degrees. Our bodies were shocked at the blessed coolness! Summer simply evaporated. Like a magician with tricks or a purse thief, it was gone. So be it, I don't like hot weather anyway, but how could it surrender so easily? With this touch of autumn in the air, and for the first time in months, we pulled on our hiking shoes and walked to our favorite canal trail. The canal held enough water to entice dogs to jump in, you could see wet paw prints on the dusty trail. It was quiet and it was cool, and our shoes made little dust clouds with each footfall. We put in roughly three miles because we wanted to. It wasn't strenuous, it was relaxing. Just out for a walk on a favored trail, something we needed to do for ourselves. Now we're looking forward to a little down time.