I believe we strolled thru every square ( Park – like) in the historic district. We saw where John Wesley preached, old churches with amazing architect and the most stupendous stain glass art. Wow!! The people were friendly. The food was delicious. Coconut shrimp for John and I. The candy stores were fun to walk thru. We had to make a purchase at the peanut store. Smoked peanuts , chocolate covered almonds and so much more. We walked along the river front. Took a short ferry ride along the river. Rode the blue dot bus system ; free for all their tourists. Took that to the furthest park away. I think the bus driver thought she was on a race track. Whipping around old, narrow streets. The city market had all kinds of shops. We took pity on John and only went thru five. The brick and cobbled streets down by the river were beautiful. I think we conquered the entire old district. We also went to Chippewa Square ( Forest Gump fans know this place from the movie. )

Today we entered the beautiful state of Georgia. We arrived at our rv camp/ farm. Horses ( love. Love. ) Goats, peacocks , geese and goslings, turtles , snakes and yes you guessed it ” those alligators” We literally drove across a grassy field to park the rv. Our spot overlooks two ponds with turtles and alligators. A bench swing and our own screened in building. The place is also a wedding venue. They have two barns with the old, oak sliding doors, twinkling lights overhead and about 8 original , beautiful horse stalls with big sliding doors, also. They also had a house back in the woods for a wedding venue. The house venue including chairs and tables $ 3,000, my Cali. friends.

We made friends with the goats and horses. Not the gators. But one did visit by the bank of the pond.

We set up camp and headed out to Tybee Island. White sands and warm water. We had lunch at a small seafood restaurant. Surprise. Like where else you gonna eat.

After lunch we walked the beach. Gorgeous weather. Took in a few shops and then took Nicole for a surprise sunset dolphin tour. $ 18. So cheap. Lovely weather and plenty of dolphins. Nicole was in heaven. She’s always loved dolphins. The captain said this was the most they’d seen at one time. They always see them but not this many . Thank you God for this little gift to Nicole. He told us a funny story about a guy who said he almost met Adam Sandler. This guy was just served his yummy prawns and Adam stopped at his table before heading to his. He looked the guy right in eye, picked a prawn. Ate it. And said. ” no one will ever believe you” and walked away. Funny story. True or not.

The sunset didn’t disappoint. Golds, oranges, pinks. A great time. ( pic of me with horse – he’s wanting some of the grass I’m picking. He ran out on his side. )

We left Gulf Shores, Al. Oh how beautiful the white sands were. Onwards and across Florida we traveled. Our stay for the night was at a lovely state park called” Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park .” Yes, a mouthful. Beautiful giant oak trees with moss flowing from the branches. Laundry and resting up from almost 6 hours of driving was about all we did. We did take a walk around the park and walked through the park gift shop full of local artists handmade items. Pictures to come. Having upload issues.

We left the park and headed thru the Suwannee River Valley. Flower power!!!

We left Louisiana and drove thru Mississippi to Alabama. We arrived at Gulf Shores State Park. This was just a short 2 night stay for us. Warm, beautiful beach, alligators and board walks over the swamp/ marsh.

We drove over to the beach and had a picnic lunch. After snoozing for a bit, we went shell picking, tested out the water and a stroll along the beach, snoozing some more and just drinking in the beauty of the white sand. After that we headed back to camp or so we thought. Mr. Dunk had other ideas. A craving for Culver’s ice cream. You pick the flavor and what to mix in. Reese peanut butter cup baby!!!! He says ,”it’s just down the road. ” ( 10 miles+ ) but it was worth it. When we got back John, Nicole and I walked along the boardwalk. Just about 25 feet from our camp spot we watched an alligator swimming in the canal. About 12-14 feet. Big boy. I had to insert Little boy blonde Beau’s excitement about coming to see us. Ari wrote me a video/ letter. Heart melted.

Wish I’d had the camera earlier when the alligator was so close. All he did when I came back was barely poke his head up. Oh well.

Off to our next adventure. We say goodbye to the Dunks and head across Florida to Savannah.

Although we did not pay for this tour we went into the gift shop to check out the history books on this plantation. This plantation lies in the West Bank of the Mississippi River near a little town called Vacherie. Two original slave cabins are still standing. One of the plantation owners was Laura ; a Creole. As we have family now from this background I was fascinated by their history. What a beautiful plantation.

After the plantation we headed back to the rv park. We were entertained by some great musicians at the park restaurant.

We headed out to the back roads to tour some of the plantations. Beautiful countryside. Swamps all along the road. In fact i think the road was built up on swamp land. Trees as far as the eye can see. And all shades of green everywhere. The foliage was thick and lush.

The first plantation we visited was called ” Oak Alley”. To view such a stupendous home yet know it was built on the backs of slaves. So hard to see what their lives were like. To work from the earliest light to the last spec of light. Then home to tend to their families. To see their homes( shacks) shared by up to 10 people ( half of a small cabin) the shackles, the unfair punishments , chains even for children and horrific ones made to go around the neck of the slaves. To know that many still praised God during such difficult times makes you take a look at what you may be complaining about in life and that maybe the attitude should change and praise His name all the more.

We finished off Oak Alley with a picnic under the Oak trees.

We started out the day watching a movie at the park provided by them about Katrina and the swamps . We wanted to watch it as Trevor and Nicole had helped with the Katrina clean up. It was very interesting to learn about how the swamp land really protects the inland from storm surges and the hurricanes. But as the swamps disappear the storm damage has become worse. After that we headed out for an airboat ride thru the swamps. Moss hanging from the trees, but no snakes. Yeah. We saw turtles, a raccoon and lots of alligators. The alligators seem to like marsh mellows. The weather was great, a fun day. When we got back we had dinner at the restaurant in the park. I went for the crawfish boil. It was work but yummy. Although it got hot at times ( Cajun seasoning. Whoowee!!. Dat Der some of dee spicy sauce) We listened to the Hot Sauce band. They played the fiddle, accordion, drums, and more. 70 + years old I think. But man could they play.

The line on the building where the blue and white meet is how high the water went during Katrina. Right next to where we are staying.

New Orleans does not handle rain well. I guess if your at the bottom of the fishbowl that makes sense. We all headed back down to the French Quarter. After arriving in monsoon like conditions John and Brad decide ” not so much” and went back to the rv park. Us girls, geared in raincoats decided ” why not stay. We’re here” So began our fun day. Within seconds of braving the rain, the over a foot + puddles ; our shoes, pants, shorts whatever were soaked . But what fun because the quarter had 2/3 less people walking around. We headed to the French Market. Booths filled with items made by local artists. Jewelry, purses, puzzle jewelry boxes, paintings, and yes t-shirts galore. Donna and I finally caved and bought” road trip” t- shirts. They really do say ” road trip”

After the market we went thru done more shops. We had lunch at a restaurant called ” the French Market .” Donna and i both ordered a crawfish bisque soup. Delicious. Nicole ordered a rice/bean sausage dish ( creole) . We headed over to a jazz club to hear some good ole music. To the “Spotted Cat”. A real small place with fantastic musicians. We shared a ” hurricane ” drink. After that we walked along some of the streets we missed and listened to music at a few more places. Before heading back we of course made one more stop at Cafe DuMonde. “Oh those beignets!!! ” After a fun and wet day of shopping and music we headed back.

John and I toured a few tiny homes at the rv park. They were really nice. We played dominoes with the Dunks and listened to music in the dining area.

Today we traveled from San Antonio , Tx. to New Orleans, LA. 543 miles( but we traveled 464 miles and finished the last bit the next day. ) We left at 8:30 am and stopped for the night in Baton Rogue, LA. We stopped in Katy, Tx . to pick up Nicole from Marybeth. What a nice town her sweet family lives in. Back on the road thru beautiful country. Green grass , wildflowers and trees galore. We stopped in Henderson, La. at Crawfish Town USA to celebrate Nicole’s birthday. The food was fantastic. And I had fun listening to our waitress’s Louisiana drawl. Grilled shrimp for me ; crazy right. I didn’t feel like working for my dinner – (crawfish take time) ; after the grueling drive. Best shrimp ever!!!

We broke all of our RV rules: no more than 6 hours of driving and not after dark. After a few navigational snafus from our fearless leader” who hadn’t missed a beat til this” , we found a fabulous place to stop and sleep. AKA: Walmart. Haha. We crossed over extremely high bridges and hairpin turns and managed to go over the Mississippi River at least three times. I guess we wanted to make sure we saw it. Except it was dark.

4/23 Swamp Man:

My very first encounter in the morning was to see a giant of a man with long black and grey hair ( tangled and let’s say none too clean) a scraggly grey beard. Mud – caked pants front and back and some scrunchy suede boots . He looked like he had just finished wrestling an alligator.

We left our lovely site to head to our next stop. It was a 1 hr. drive thru mangrove trees , swampy wetlands and lush greenery. This short drive ( albeit some bumpy roads) was great after our unplanned, longer than normal drive in the dark. We now know why Brad and Donna always try to stay under 6 hours of driving. The road into our campsite was bumpy and bumpy. We are in the 9 th ward ( where Katrina flooded and where Nicole and Trevor spent a week helping with the aftermath cleanup. ) Its a nice park nestled on the corner of the Navigational Canal and Lake Pontchartrain, with access to the lake or Bayou.

There’s a infinity pool, restaurant and of course the lovely water front view. They provide for a small fee shuttle to and from the French Quarter District. Tonight ( Friday)we shall enjoy the “crawfish boil” and entertainment by the ” Hot Sauce Band.” So on the day we arrived we set up camp , relaxed and played cards and relaxed and relaxed . After that 8:30 am to 9 pm. drive ( of course with a few stops like grocery shopping and Nicole’s birthday celebration.

Today we enjoyed some driving thru the back county roads they call “Texas Hill Country.” Beautiful wild flowers aplenty and so many trees. We drove to a quaint little town with a whole lot of charm , called Gruene. It lays just above the Guadalupe River. This town was a ghost town by 1950. Luckily it was resurrected. So many darling stores. We lucked out that they were having their outdoor market. Over a hundred Texan artisans selling handmade goods. From pickles, jams, wooden signs, jewelry, glass work, jerkies, cheeses, clothing and on and on. We walked into the old general store and where we were immediately offered a taste of delicious fudge and “fresh” coffee. 5 cents a cup. They had $26. Trump socks.

I wandered into The Gruene Hall which is a 6000 sq. Ft. dance hall. One of the oldest in Texas.A spacious open air( a roof , but screens all around the sides) A country group called “The Phillips Brothers” were performing. I enjoyed the music.

Next we headed off to Wimberely . Of course we had to stop and check out some model homes along the way. Mid $300,000. without excessive upgrades. Wimberely had a nice river and shops. I liked Gruene a lot more. After that we headed to a restaurant my son Trevor , said was a must. ” The Salt Lick”. He was right. Brisket was delicious. On a small country road , population 151 . Packed. A 2 hour wait that ended up only being an hour + a few minutes. Cobbler shared for dessert. And back to the rv park. Hanging around the park tomorrow.