De Ja Vu All Over Again

As we got off the interstate and turned onto the road where the campground is I had this sudden feeling of de ja vu.  When I mentioned it, Rog agreed that the road looked familiar.  Then we spotted a Home Depot sitting on top of a hill across the entrance from the RV park.  "Yep," he said, "we've been here before.  I remember driving around that parking lot with the trailer while you went into a sandwich place and got lunch for the road that day."  Inadvertently, I have chosen an RV park for tonight that we have stayed in before - Sept 24, 2008.   It took me  a while to find it - the travel log that it would have been noted in was on that funky iWeb program that Apple has seen fit to discontinue.  (I, fortunately, have copied and pasted it and printed it out, but I can't find it on the computer.)  What I did find was a calendar entry.  So I know when, just not any comments we made about it.  We were on our way south to Pensacola that trip and the night before had been in Memphis. Weird feeling.  We are in Pehlam, AL just south of Birmingham. 

We left early this morning - around 8:30 in hopes of beating the rain that was predicted.  We had sprinkles off and on around Pensacola but no hard rain.  We did encounter a few isolated rain cells as we made our way north in Alabama, though.  It looks as if it has been raining here - the ground under the RV is muddy - but right ow we have huge white clouds and intermittent sunshine.  It is 87 degrees at 3pm and the humidity is "your shirt sticks to your body without moving" high.  There is a breeze and we are sitting outside in the shade while the A/C works its wonders on the inside. 

As we hit the rain, Rog traded his sun glasses for his regular ones and the lens fell out.  Fortunately, he carries his old beat up pair in the door of the truck and was able to use those.  

Then he turned on the lights because of the rain and the trailer lights didn't come on.  We checked them this morning before we left (as we always do) and they worked fine.  So, until we found a place to pull off of the interstate, all we could think about was what kind of electrical problem we might have.  Our problem turned out to be a loose plug - the one from the RV to the truck.  Somehow it had worked its way out of the socket enough that there was no connection.  That was an easy fix and a big relief.  

There wasn't a whole lot to see today.  Kudzu covered forests on both sides of the roads.  Florida had a few paper mills and we did see quite a few loaded logging trucks.  In Alabama we passed a huge Hyundai plant.  There was some planted fields but I couldn't tell what was planted.  Mostly trees.  In the southern part of Alabama we did notice that the dirt roads are very red.  Not sure what that says about the soil.  Clay? 

Interstate 65 is a good road for a change.  Hardly anything was dislodged in the RV when we stopped.  The shoulders and median were pretty trash free and the grass was mown.  Wish all our roads were like that! 

Alabama has nice rest areas but dogs are not allowed near the picnic tables.  We did find a place that had two tables way off into the "pet area" so we grabbed our stuff and hiked down a little hill to get there.  We watched a woman let three standard poodles out of their kennels so that she could toss the ball and give them exercise.  Beautiful dogs and well behaved.  Not so much the woman - she stood and watched her dogs do their business and ignored it.  I wanted to go give her a poo bag but was afraid she might get nasty and she had one of those throwing sticks in her hand.  Gets me all worked up when I see people who obviously train and care for their dogs but don't clean up after them.  

It looks like the WIFI here is pretty strong.  We are two sites away from the tower so we should have no issues tonight when Rog wants to watch his woodworking videos and I find more RV parks on our route.   

Our neighbor came over and asked Roger if he would settle a bet between him and his wife.  Apparently they spotted Roger who is "lean and trim" and they were betting on whether he was here for the Senior Games.  Rog had to tell them no.  I guess the Games are in Birmingham, AL over the next week.  This guy is competing in the pickle ball competition.  The RV park is filling up - wonder how many of them are going to compete in the games?  

Tomorrow we plan on being in Clarksville TN and will spend two nights there. Stay tuned. 

Today's Route

    

We Are Outta Here Tomorrow!

Our time in Pensacola has come to an end.  Seems like yesterday we pulled in.  Seems like we've been here for months.  We are ready to move on and explore some new territory, however.  

We really appreciate Andy and family being able to spend so much time with us. We were happy to see Ryan graduate from high school and to get to know Kinsey a little better.   We enjoyed friends' visit from home, Roger's sister's visit from Michigan, and hanging out with other friends on their way home to Michigan from wintering in Florida.  It's been very busy.  We are ready to get back to our boring meals and meal schedule. Having goodies almost every day was fun, but it can't go on forever, unfortunately.  I even found myself feeling maxed out on ice cream cones - now that is sad.  I won't be getting on the scales any time soon, that's for sure.

Today we were all alone except for 10 minutes to say goodbye to Mick and Lynda.  It felt really weird.  So quiet.  I don't think Rog and I said 10 words to each other today - we are all talked out.  

Lynda dropped of groceries that they had in their car from their condo and didn't want to haul all the way home.  They filled the fridge to the max and made a big dent in our grocery list.  The only things we didn't have that are critical for the road trip was breakfast fruit, so we just ran out to the Walmart for berries and bananas.  We need to eat a bunch of food before we have room to do some serious grocery shopping.

We didn't realize that the Blue Angels were back in town and doing a practice show today until we tried to get back on base after the Walmart visit.  The line of cars to get in to see the show was out almost to the Walmart (about 2 miles)!  It took a while to get through security.  We were busy doing chores prepping for the road trip tomorrow, so we didn't go to the practice show, but we did see a good portion of it from the RV park as the jets went screaming over the tree tops!!  No matter how many times we see them, it is still impressive and heart pounding. 

Rog got all his safety checks done - tires aired up, lug nuts tightened, etc.  Lawn chairs, tables, screens, dog pen, etc. all got stashed away.  He dumped the tanks and put away the sewer hose all he needs to do in the morning is unhook the water and the power and we are ready to go.  

I did some housekeeping, washed clothes and sheets, and tucked away the loose stuff on the counters that need to be stashed for tomorrow.  I also spent some time with the checkbook and paying end of month bills.  In addition I got a short nap and read a couple of chapters in my book.  A very productive but relaxing day.  

Tomorrow's destination is Birmingham, AL for just an overnight stay on our way north.  A lot of the road is non-interstate so there will be "local color" to observe!!  

Visiting With Mick and Lynda

It's been over five years since we've seen our friends, but the minute we got back together it was like we just saw them yesterday.  Except - It took all day of flapping our jaws to catch up on our lives.  We are all exhausted from talking!   They are headed home to Northville, MI from their winter home in North Port, FL.  They are taking a long circuitous route and visiting some places along the way.  They leave in the morning for New Orleans and then they head north.  


We had another lunch at the Fish House Restaurant.  Food is good and we knew that they would like it. It wasn't as pleasant sitting outside today as it was with our other guests the past two weeks - too hot and muggy - but it was a good time and we all ate too much and then stopped for ice cream on the way home.  We were bad.  One of these days it's going to catch up to us :-/


We had quite a thunderstorm during the night!  I woke up about 3am hearing rain, which made me have to make a trip to the bathroom.  (There's something about my bladder and running water.) Then it started lightning and the rain came down in buckets for about an hour and a half.  We pulled the bedroom slider in so that there would be less pounding over our heads, but we still were awake until after five.  Maggie crawled up between us and put her head in my arm pit.  She did not like it at all.  It was pretty soggy out this morning - so muggy.  And the bugs are starting to be real pesty - even starting to get mosquitos.  We have bug bites all over that are driving us nuts. We are so not used to that.  I guess that's something we have to look forward to until be get back out west. 

Maggie and I got caught in a small "isolated shower" on our walk this morning, but I had taken my umbrella so I didn't get wet.  She wasn't so lucky.  Wonder if she thought that was better than putting on her raincoat like we did this winter?   The rest of the day was mostly sunny but, wow, the humidity was awful.  We are supposed to get another blast of thunderstorms though here after midnight tonight.  It's looking pretty good, though, for us tomorrow for packing everything up. We've already put a few things away while they were dry so we wouldn't have to put anything away wet.  

Tomorrow we will need to make a commissary run to restock the fridge and I'll need to do some laundry while it's cheap.  I like starting a journey with clean sheets and towels and nothing in the laundry basket.  Rog will do "his thing" outside getting prepped for leaving on Wednesday morning.  

I finished my book club book for the meeting in July and now am free to read anything.  The hard part will be deciding what - too many things to choose from.  

Last Visit With the Kids

I'm writing this early - the kids have left and I have some time before Mick and Lynda get here.  Once they are here I'll not get another chance today to post anything.

Pam and Kinsey are still a bit under the weather, but they came out for a short visit and to collect all the camping stuff Andy had left with us.  (He had been bringing a little out each time he came.)  The good news is that he didn't have to put away wet camping gear this morning since they were unable to camp.  It was all still nicely stowed under the RV.    It has been raining off and on all day.

We had a quick lunch, they packed their car, and we went out to the ice cream place and had a treat.  Afterward they headed home, as did we.   We won't see them again before we leave. It's been wonderful seeing them and we really appreciate their major efforts to spend as much time with us as possible over the last 20 days.   It's horrible having to cram three year's worth of visits into such a short period of time - it makes it tiring for everyone.  Hopefully they will be able to come to our house next summer for a week.  Three years is way too long to go between visits.  

I managed to get Andy's pie built this morning.  Our original intention was to cook it in a dutch oven on the fire but that didn't work out.  So, I put it together and sent it home for him to bake in his oven.  Our boy does love his mom's apple pie. We always try to treat him with one when we see him.  His soaked beans that he had set outside for some chili he was going to make on the open fire was another thing that didn't happen. So, yesterday I put them in the crockpot with the rest of the stuff he left and let them simmer all day.  I set the crockpot outside on the table.   Rog and I had chili last night, Andy had some for lunch, I sent some home with him, and we have scads left for dinner tonight when company comes.  His recipe made a whole lot of chili!  Tasted pretty good last night and, as always, will taste better the second night.  

We've got an hour or so to catch our breath before the final visitors arrive!

Just a Quick Note Tonight

All our plans for the weekend of camping and having fun got squashed when Pam, and then Kinsey got sick.  Some viral thing going around.  The planned camp over got cancelled and Rog and I had a day all alone today - but that was ok as we didn't want any germs.   No S'mores for us tonight :-/

We had to go out to the store this morning for a couple of things and we told Maggie we were "going to the store."  She climbed in her bed on the couch.  I went out the door, Rog followed but didn't close it tightly.  I opened the truck door to get in and before I could climb up, Maggie was in the truck and sitting on the console.  I felt so sorry for her as I carried her back to the RV and closed the door tightly.  She looked so pathetic.  No damage noted, though. 

Hot, humid, and thunderstorms in the area this morning.  This afternoon it cleared up but was still muggy.  Had to run the A/C. It had been so nice the last few days without it.  I was kinda hoping the nice weather would last a few more days for us.

We hope to see the kids tomorrow for a little while as it will be the last visit before we leave.  Our friends, Mickey and Lynda, are arriving in the afternoon and staying for two nights in one of the cottages here.  They leave on Tuesday morning, we will prep to leave that day and then leave on Wednesday morning.  

It's been quite a jam packed 20 days!  

Graduation Day At Last

The graduation ceremony was a very nice one - short!  Even though they had 350+ students, they moved the program right along - unlike the awards ceremony the other night.  We had good seats and could see Ryan very well. 

Proud parents and baby sister

Kitty helps keep Kinsey occupied while waiting

Ryan waiting his turn

I'm not sure this video will work.  Hope it does.  

Ryan had his back to us crossing the stage so I recorded

the image on the big screen they had set up.  

Photo Issues

All the photos I took of the award ceremony were fuzzy.  Not a sharp one in the bunch.  My camera? Indoor lighting?  Me?  My tremors are not visibly noticeable, but maybe they are enough to produce fuzzygraphs?  It's driving me crazy.   Tonight we took a walk on the beach and I borrowed Roger's camera to do a test. I think that the photos I took are pretty much in focus so I'm hoping that means its my little point and shoot Nikon and not me.

From the awards ceremony two days ago:  





  

Pensacola Lighthouse
The tallest lighthouse in Florida

From our walk on the beach tonight:












We let Maggie off leash and she did her Tasmanian Devil routine - running in circles and up and down the beach at warp speed.  I was afraid to let her off leash for fear she would take off in the vegetation, but she behaved and came back when she was called.  She doesn't like the water, so she stayed away from the waves lapping at our feet.  

We slept late this morning - or at least I did.  Rog woke me up at eight.  I was awake off and on since six, but apparently heavily asleep when he came to roust my bones.   The weather was absolutely beautiful again today - about 80 degrees with low humidity and some wind.  We left the RV open all day!  My walk with Maggie this morning was probably the most comfortable one I've had here.  

Cheri and Grant left a few minutes after eight - they honked as they went by and we waved at them from the RV!!

After getting cleaned up, Rog and I had some errands to run on base and we stopped at the food court at the Base Exchange for a quick lunch.  Roger says he's never seen so many Navy Ensigns in one place.  They are so young - we just shake our heads and wonder if we were ever that young.  Rog doesn't think so. 

I did a little housekeeping in the RV and on the computer while I did a couple loads of laundry this afternoon.  It was quiet and comfortable and just the respite we needed.  

Tomorrow morning is graduation and then in the afternoon Andy, Pam, and Kinsey will be coming out here to the RV park to set up a tent in the primitive campground area for the weekend.  Andy's going to cook on the fire he's going to build and we are going to attempt an apple pie (his favorite) in a dutch oven on the coals. It'll be a first for both of us.  He's also promised to make me some s'mores.  It looks like the weather is going to cooperate for them, so it should be a fun weekend.  

Lots of stuff keeping us occupied

LtoR - Cheri, Roger, Mary Ann, Grant, Andy, and Ryan

It was a super nice day today and we celebrated Ryan's graduation at a very nice restaurant on the water in Pensacola Harbor.   It was so pleasant eating outside and the food was great.  There were no gluten free issues - the waitress was super helpful (she also acted as photographer) and Cheri managed to have a good lunch for a change without any hassles.    

Andy picked up Kinsey from her day care and came out to the RV an hour or so after we got back.  While Andy took a snooze in the lounge chair and Roger watched a woodworking video, Kinsey and I made a small batch of cupcakes (6) and played dominoes.  She beat me again!  Then Cheri and Grant came over and she and Cheri teamed up and they beat me.  I'm giving up on this game.  

Yesterday afternoon Roger and Grant went to the Lowe's to get some plexiglass to cover the bottom half of the screen door. Cheri and I just hung out here and walked the dog around when the mood struck.  I've got Cheri started on Words With Friends so we were having fun with that.  

Maggie is loving all the attention and she goes from lap to lap.  It's Grant's turn here.  This afternoon she spent with Kinsey and, according to our granddaughter, gave her "7 million kisses."   

Last night we attended an Honors Award Ceremony at the high school. Ryan received an award from the Media Department for his participation in the TV production class that he had this year.  It was an awfully long ceremony - over 2 hours - in a freezing gym watching kids we didn't know.  It was very uncomfortable, but we did see Ryan get his award.  Next event on the agenda is graduation on Friday morning with all the graduates.  Last night was just those in the Honors programs and those getting scholarships and awards. They also did something we hadn't seen before at the ceremony.  Part of the program was spent introducing the students who were enlisting in the services.  The Army, Navy, and Marine recruiters were there to introduce them - and there were probably 30 students out of the graduating class who are going into one of the services in the summer.  They got a standing ovation from the crowd.  

The plexiglass on the door seems to be working.  Of course there are scratches on it already, but it is holding up and last night and today Maggie seemed a bit less frantic when we left her.  The new strategy is to have everyone leave, we then stay with her for a few minutes, and then leave in the truck.  She hears us going - she knows the sound of us coming and going in that truck - and doesn't think we are just outside and locking her in.  We just park the truck down the street and then ride with Grant and Cheri so they can get in and out of the base.   (Yes, we are still having issues with that.)  Anyway, right now she is behaving better when we leave - we think.  

As I said above, it was a beautiful day today.  Cool - only about 80, no humidity to speak of, and a nice breeze.  We got to open up the RV windows and turn on the fans and it was comfortable. The only downside - the smell of jet fuel from the runway across the road!!  Oh well, can't have everything, I guess.  

We had a great visit with Cheri and Grant and we hope that it isn't so long between visits as it was this time.  

Tomorrow is a day of rest - we will have no company at all!  It will be a time to recoup and regroup.  

  

Crazy Days

The one and only photo I took at the air show last week. 

It has been a crazy couple of days - no downtime to post an entry, so will try and catch up tonight.  Roger, Andy, Grant and Cheri are all at a Pensacola Blue Wahoos baseball game and I am home alone!  Well, almost.  It's me and Maggs.  The Wahoos are a AA team and they have a nice stadium down by the water at the port of Pensacola.  They are a farm team in the Southern League and are affiliated right now with the Cincinnati Reds.   (Blue Wahoos are big ocean fish, just so you know.)

Cheri and Grant got here about 3pm on Saturday.  Pam, Andy and Kinsey were already here so we had a full house the rest of the afternoon.  It's been a long time - about two and a half years - since we've all been together and since Roger has seen his sister.  It was here that we met up last time, too.  It's fun to catch up!  

We spent yesterday afternoon at the museum.  Kinsey loves it and climbs in all the available airplane cockpits and plays in the kids area.  She also likes the simulators and Andy took her into two.  The rest of us declined.   They looked a bit too stomach turning to the rest of us.

Today we had no visit from the kids and kidlet, but spent the day with Cheri and Grant - we had a trip to the ice cream parlor and then to the Walmart to get more groceries!  Everyone rested this afternoon for their long night tonight at the ball game.  

Not sure what's on the agenda for tomorrow.  

Roger and Cheri and the Gemini 7

Kinsey and Maggie are BFFs

Kinsey and Aunt Cheri looking through their "binoculars" at Grandma

Aunt Cheri checking out Kinsey's shirt.

Kinsey wants to be an airplane driver

Roger and Cheri acting like kids

Kinsey beat Grandma 3 games out of 3 at dominoes.
Grandma did not give up those games easily!

Maggie decided to destroy the rest of the screen door today while we were out.  She also dumped all the trash in the bathroom container, knocked over a gallon jug of distilled water I use for tea.  The water was in the jug when we left, but all over the floor when we got home.   Today was the worst mess we have ever come home to.   She was quite upset we left her.

Maggie is So Weird

This morning Roger patched up the screen door with some bright orange duct tape (yes, very classy).  We left to go to make groceries and left the A/C off.  We did not give Maggie a pill. We came home after about two hours to no scratches on the door and a calm dog.  We aren't complaining, mind you, but what's up with that?  Very weird.

Alice and Michael stopped to say goodbye when they dropped their keys off at the office around 8:30 this morning.  I think they were ready to be on their way!

Rog had a very bad case of vertigo today.  He was really dizzy and nauseous this morning.  It got better later, but did not go away totally.  In the commissary he bent over the cart to put stuff on the conveyor belt and when he stood up straight the vertigo got him.  He had some very uncomfortable moments. He's taking his meds for nausea but there's nothing to be done for the vertigo, unfortunately.  When he gets these spells he just has to wait it out.

We bought ourselves some new bluetooth ear buds at the exchange today.  His died a few days ago and I had caught mine in the door of the truck on the way here and slammed the door on them.  They were toast - the guts were hanging out of the hear piece with the electronics in it.  Fortunately we both have a backup wired set so we haven't been without.  The wireless ones are so much better for us - especially at the gym (if we ever get back there.) 

Got some laundry done while I had the chance and we are enjoying some quiet times today.  Maggie and I had our walk this morning but only spotted squirrels and birds.  It was a pretty normal, low key, non company, kind of day for us.  

Tomorrow we expect to see Andy, Pam, Kinsey, Grant and Cheri.  We just hope we can sit outside or it will be most crowded in here.   

It was hot and muggy again today.  Too much for me this afternoon, so I stayed inside.  Rog sat outside watching woodworking You-Tube videos!  

Our First Wave of Visitors Are Leaving Tomorrow

We will have a day off tomorrow as Alice and Michael are leaving first thing in the morning and heading back to New Orleans to catch a flight home on Saturday.  It's been a very pleasant visit and we are glad they came all this way to visit us (although, their ulterior motive was the Naval Aviation Museum!) We were happy to host them and enjoyed their company.

Tomorrow we will have to go to the commissary and get groceries for the next wave of folks coming to see us.  Roger's sister and her husband will be here mid-afternoon on Saturday. They will be here for five nights - staying at the Navy Lodge a mile away from us.  Andy is off work next week and he's taking Kinsey out of day care so they can spend some time with us. The only hiccup might be the weather - it looks like a bunch of rain is headed our way so we will have to really think about some indoor activities we can do.  

Alice and Michael treated us to lunch today at a seafood restaurant in the Port of Pensacola area.  It was a good meal and we sat outside under umbrellas overlooking the water. Very nice.  We stopped to pick up a few items for dinner and then went our separate ways for a few hours.  They went back to their cottage right after dinner to get ready for their trip tomorrow and they promised that we wouldn't see them in the morning :-) 

We gave Maggie half of one of her anti-anxiety pills today about half an hour before we left for lunch.  She was still a bit hyper when we left and did some damage while we were gone, but when we got home she wasn't wild like she has been the last few days.  I'm taking that as an improvement.  Rog had taken the dog guard (metal and plexiglass) off the screen for fear she would cut her feet.  He then put duct tape on the area of the screen she had torn yesterday.  That was pulled off when we got home, but no further damage was noted.  

Rog and I sat inside this afternoon with paper maps and google maps and did a preliminary plotting of our route home.  We've got a pretty full month of June planned. Right now, if all goes well with the weather and the Mississippi and Ohio rivers don't flood, we will be home right around the first of July.  We either have to get home before the 4th holidays or after them as the place we park the RV while unloading will be full for the Sparks 4th festivities and we will have no place to park.  

Hot and humid today.  Actually, the temperature wasn't all that much warmer today, but the humidity was way up.  You know how the weather forecasts tell you "wind chill" or "feels like?" Well, today the weather app on the phone said it "feels like a sauna." It was right.  It was/is pretty uncomfortable outside.

Looking for a quiet day tomorrow.  

Maggie is Not Behaving

Yesterday's heat and sun at the air show worked on all of us and we agreed to a day with a slower pace today - plus we were concerned about leaving Maggie for a long period of time.  (We had originally planned a long day today in Mobile, AL).  We all started slow this morning - Alice and Michael spent their morning in the museum and had lunch there.  Rog and I found a notary at the credit union so we could take care of our DMV paperwork and then had lunch at home.  We took Maggs with us - not sure she was less stressed or not.  She was still bolting this afternoon when we opened the door. 

Dozing in the chairs in our respective abodes and doing some reading after lunch for all concerned was the major activity this afternoon.  We got together for an ice cream run around 2:30, came back to the RV and sat around and talked until dinner at which time we heated leftovers from the other night, and then visited a while longer.  

A good day, all in all, and tomorrow we won't start any activities until lunch time.  

This is the result of us leaving Maggie yesterday during the day for over four hours and then going out to dinner as well. She hadn't done this to the door the whole time we were in Santee, but started again in Arizona. She's been good on the trip until yesterday when she went crazy and clawed her way through the screen, too. She's been licking her feet today - they have to be pretty darn sore -  but we found no broken nails, blood or cuts. I'm thinking about giving her one of her happy pills when we go out for lunch tomorrow. 

Hot and muggy today.  Tomorrow cloudy and then some rain here and there on the weekend is expected.  

Cheri and Grant are expected in on Saturday (Roger's sister) and they will be here five days.  Alice and Michael leave on Friday.  Andy has next week off and he and Kinsey will be out to help us entertain his aunt and uncle!  

The Blue Angels

We lucked out today.  It was a practice session for the Navy Blue Angels and it was open to the public.  They won't be here for the rest of the month, so it was a bit of lagniappe for us!

There was a big crowd. Apparently folks come from all over the area for the practice air shows.  Since we "live" right across the street from the field, we were able to walk over and not worry about parking.  We got terrific seats in the center bleachers and really enjoyed the show - despite the heat and being in the sun for an hour and a half.

We had planned on eating lunch at the cafe in the Naval Aviation Museum but the crowd size changed our minds and we went off base to grab some lunch after the show. We got stopped at a security checkpoint coming back to the RV park and ended up sitting for over half an hour for "an active shooter on base training scenario."  We were glad to finally get the ok to re-enter the area and all of us were ready for a nap by that time.  It is quite warm and humid today and by then we were tired.  

We got home to find a very anxious and hyper dog.  She had been left for over four hours and was not a happy camper!  I put her on the leash to take her out and she ran it all out and tugged and pulled and just tried to run.  In the RV she was running around like a mad woman.  

While Rog and I cat-napped and the dog calmed down, Alice and Michael went off base to the Walmart to get some groceries.  They were hassled at the gate trying to get back in and spoken very sternly to about not having a proper pass even though they had all the paperwork showing they were staying here.  The guard finally let them in, but not before Alice felt quite intimidated.  

After our rest, Rog and I sat outside with Maggs - but kept her on the leash.  When it was time to come in, I unhooked her as I often do, where I was sitting in a chair.  She took off like something was chasing her and it took about 15 minutes to corral her.  She was getting even for being left for so long today.

We had a dinner date with Andy, Pam and Kinsey so Alice and Michael could meet them.  When we returned Maggie had ripped the door frame even more than it had been.  She hasn't done that in a long time.  Tonight she was sending us a message.  It looked like she had been frantic and had spent a long time scratching to get to us or to get out.  Again, she was crazy on the leash when I took her out.  She's finally calmed down, poor thing.  She is just not used to being left alone for so long - and the air conditioner was running which upsets her when we aren't there. Not sure what we are going to do tomorrow as we are supposed to have another long day out with Michael and Alice.  

It's almost bed time but I'm guessing Maggie is going to be a pill and not be compliant - like a little kid's temper tantrum. 

Alice and Michael are Here

Our friends, Alice and Michael, came in early today and, despite being a little confused with my directions and what time zone we are in, managed to find us! We had a good visit catching up on each other's travels - they had been in New Orleans before they came here.  We had lunch, took a tour of the base and managed a short visit to the air museum while waiting to be able to check in to the cottages here at Oak Grove Park.  They got moved in OK and came back to the RV for dinner and we sat around and talked and Alice was able to do some laundry.  It was very relaxing.  We are looking forward to a couple more days of hanging out together.  

Tomorrow the Blue Angels are doing a practice show at the airfield behind the museum so we will be there for that!  

It's nice to see a familiar face so far from home!!!  

A Quiet Mother's Day

Since we spent all day yesterday with the kids and they needed a day off from us to do chores, Rog and I were on our own today. I did hear from my children and my granddaughter with Mother's Day wishes, though!   It was quiet and relaxing and Rog took me out for an ice cream cone at our favorite place just outside the base!  We spent most of the day outside -  walking the dog once in a while, reading, watching some cardinals drinking water from a leaky spigot next door, and just generally being lazy!  It was about 80 degrees but the humidity was lower than it has been and there was a nice breeze off the water, so it was quite comfy in the shade.

Since there's no news - I'll post pictures of Maggie from over the last few days.  Squirrels abound here and she is totally fascinated by them.  This afternoon she was in my lap and one came near us and her whole body just quivered until the squirrel went away. She didn't even try to go after it.  She will sit in her pen with her head pointed upward watching them in the tree.  They keep her entertained and she keeps us entertained!

This morning when I was putting on my walking shoes, Maggie was watching a video of Lassie - at least that's what it looked like to Roger when he snapped this of Maggie waiting for me.

We encountered a small terrapin on the walk and she did not know what to think of it.  Kept trying to get close and when it would start to stick it's head out and she would jump back.  Not very brave. It was quite funny! 



Company tomorrow and a busy week coming up.

A Day at the Beach

We had a picnic lunch outside the RV and then went to the beach today.  It was fun watching the kids have fun!  Kinsey is a little mermaid and loves the water.  Thank goodness Ryan was there to keep up with her.  They had a couple hours of fun and Kinsey even found a couple of kids to play in the sand with. Then - she got stung by a jellyfish.  She's got quite the welt on her thigh.  Fortunately when it happened Andy was in the water with her, saw what happened and got her out right away.  It was a small jellyfish and Andy said he only saw one,  but one was enough.  She was in pain. We packed up and came back to RV, washed her down good, gave her a half of Benedryl, and put cortisone cream on her leg. In an hour she was fine and bouncing around playing with Maggie and wanting more food. Ryan had to take off and go to work, but it was nice seeing him today.  He's a busy boy with school and a job.  Until the jellyfish sting everyone was having a great time.

The temperatures were cooler today and it was a bit windy on the beach.  Not that I would know first hand, because I didn't go in, but the water was pretty chilly today.  Kids don't mind, but Andy did say it was uncomfortable with the wind.  

Tomorrow the kids have weekend errands to do to prepare for their work week so we won't see them.  We have company coming on Monday for four days so will see little of the family next week.  We are discussing having dinner together on Tuesday as our friends want to "meet the family", so hopefully that will work out.  

Ryan and Kinsey

Pam, Ryan and Kinsey

Andy

Kinsey and Grandma on Thursday

A Couple of Busy Days

We just finished dinner and I realized that we did not post an entry last night.  It was a crazy busy day and before we knew it the sandman was calling us.  

We got up early - very early, unfortunately.  I woke up at 4:46 and didn't go back to sleep so got up about six.  Rog was awake but once I got up I think he dozed off until about 7.  Maggie and I went outside to sit and be quiet.  It was warm and quiet except for the birds who seemed to be very happy!  The extra hour did allow me to get a lot done yesterday morning.  I was in the laundry room at 7:30! Unheard of for me.  

The laundry was done, breakfast over, we got cleaned up (as best we could without water), Rog took Maggie for a short walk and then we went out for groceries. We had lunch at the food court and wandered around the exchange looking for a present for Kinsey and for some new Navy t-shirts for Roger.  

Our main goal for the trip out (other than groceries) was to buy two new chairs for outside as ours had pretty much disintegrated.  We got home with a truck full of groceries, no toys, and two new t-shirts but we completely forgot the chairs!  

Andy and Kinsey came about 3pm after Kinsey's summer "camp" was over and we visited with Andy and tried to keep up with Kinsey.  We hadn't seen her in a little over two years but she wasn't shy and gave us hugs and just talked and talked and talked. By the way - she doesn't like Chinese food :-)  We then met Pam at a restaurant for dinner after she got off work.  Andy and Kinsey came back to RV with us as Pam had errands she needed to run.  They stayed until after 7 and by that time Roger and I were worn out.  

The folks in the RV park gave us the OK for clean water!!  Yay! Showers!!! Cooking!  Brushing our teeth not using bottled water.  Imagine that.  

Last night I didn't get much more sleep than the night before - but it was a middle of the night being awake scenario rather than getting up early.  I think I'm too warm.  It's warm and humid and I'm just not used to that.   

Anyway,  I got up this morning and immediately took a shower! Then the rest of the day happened.   

We went to the Target about a mile outside the back gate to the base and got new chairs after breakfast!  Maggie and I got our walk.  It's about a mile down the road to the Navy Lodge, so that was our goal.  We walked there on the road but came back on the jogging trail where there were squirrels and lizards!!  I got the checkbook entries caught up and got the paperwork together to mail in our DMV registration for the Subaru.  Rog and Maggie sat outside.  We washed the sheets and towels - yesterday was all the clothes we had accumulated since we left and there are only so many washers in the laundry room and I used them all. 

Andy and Kinsey were due to come back this afternoon after "camp"  but we got slammed with some pretty powerful thunderstorms for a few hours.  We agreed being cooped up in the RV with an active 5 year old was probably not the best idea for any of us. Rog and I took advantage of the quiet and both got naps on the couches.   It's about 6pm now and the sun is starting to peak through - Roger is out with Maggie for her after dinner business walk.  

Tomorrow is "beach day."  We are celebrating Mother's Day tomorrow and will go to the beach here on base for some fun in the sun.  The whole gang will be here - Andy, Pam, Ryan and Kinsey.  (I bought extra sun screen today!) It will be nice.  

I had a couple of photos to post but after the storm neither the wifi or the hotspot seem to be strong enough to allow an upload.  After tomorrow I should have some good ones.  

We Are In Pensacola!

We got in around 2pm after an uneventful trip from Slidell.  It is good to be in our P'Cola Home!!!  

We ended up in a site near the office this time, with our back to the road, but with two big oak trees shading the site!  It should be very comfortable in the afternoons sitting in the shade and visiting with family and friends.  We are looking forward to it. 

We had a nice surprise - Andy showed up around 4pm.  He had a call to make on the base so he saved it until last and then came over to say hi and give us hugs.  It was so good to see our boy!!!  He's off tomorrow and he will bring Kinsey over in the afternoon and then we will all probably meet Pam for dinner after she gets off work.  Andy has no idea what Ryan's schedule is, so we will just play that by ear.  

We will settle the rest of the way in tomorrow morning.  Rog is feeling very fatigued tonight and so we just did a little setting up.  We need groceries and I need to do laundry so it's good Andy won't be back until after lunch sometime.  

There is one little glitch to our day - there was a water main break here a couple days ago and although it has been repaired, the park is waiting on lab results on the water.  In the meantime we are under a boil our water scenario.  The nice neighbors across from us came over with two bottles of water for us when we got here just in case we didn't have any.  It was most appreciated.  

I'll start posting pictures tomorrow.  The park, the beach, the kids, etc.   Tonight we are just happy to be here.

Not One of the Best Mornings

First, I'll respond to last night's comment - I didn't say in the blog that all those toothless people were Trump voters - just the one from last night!!  I must say, though, I have seen more toothless persons in the last week than I have in several years combined.  It's really blowing my mind.  

We both woke up this morning not feeling 100% and a little out of sorts.  Don't know why - maybe that lunch yesterday??? 

Our neighbor from last night started our day off right this morning.  He unhooked his sewer hose before closing the trap and then didn't cap it until just before he left.   Yep, more stuff on the ground.  After he left, Roger went over and hosed it down for a long time.  It was pretty disgusting.  I reported it to the office but there's not a lot can be done except somehow flag his name if he ever wants to stay there again.  In fact, he apparently, after hours and after dark, went banging on the receptionist's RV door complaining he couldn't get his cable to work.  She was not happy and, in fact, said he really spooked her he was so weird.  Rog thinks he couldn't get reception because he forgot to turn off his amplifier that boosts the signal from the antena and switch from air mode to cable mode.  Wouldn't surprise me.

I talked to a couple who where hooking up this morning as I was walking Maggie.  They are from Panama City, FL which is close to where we will be and they are headed west to visit grandkids.  I don't envy them the drive on I-10.  She was dreading the thought of going through Houston today.

As we pulled onto the entrance ramp leading to I-10, someone tried to pull in front of us and cut us off.  That started the driving day as Roger felt the need to utter some words that he rarely uses!! 

Radio fell out again.  Guess we better bolt that baby down.

Roads in Louisiana are in dire need of some infrastructure dollars.  If they were dirt, I'd describe them as washboardy.  (Is that a word?) Anyway, they are miserable.  








Not much to see between Lafayette and Baton Rouge except miles and miles of the Atchafalaya Basin (aka a one million acre swamp).

We spent an extra hour and ten minutes going slow enough over 5.5 miles we could have seen something interesting if it had been there.  

Most of the time we were sandwiched in between two big rigs. Two lanes on I-10 were closed due to an earlier accident and with multiple merges from other routes kept us going at a snail's pace  - if we moved at all.  



 Then, just as we were to get on the bridge crossing the Mississippi, there was another two lane merge into our road.  It gets better - at the bottom of the bridge the left two lanes were shut down so all of this traffic had to merge to one lane.  It was unreal.  The truck was getting hot. We had to turn off the AC and then we were getting hot. Maggie had to sit on my lap with her head out the window.  We saw no evidence of workers, an accident, nothing.  The lanes were just blocked off.  Bridgegate?

The Mississippi River from the top of the bridge

We finally got going and onto I-12 which goes around the top of Lake Ponchartrain north of New Orleans.  (I-10 continues on through the city.)  By then we were an hour past lunch time and feeling it.  I spotted a very large parking area next to a cinema complex that was empty, had shade, and room to park the RV. We pulled in there, got out our chairs and lunch and rested for a while. Maggie chased squirrels.  We didn't have her on the leash because no one was around and she had a great time.  Food, water, a pit stop, and rest made us all feel better.



The drive from Baton Rouge to Slidell was uneventful and we could see nothing from the road due to thick forest.  There are several nice towns along the top of the lake and that area of Louisiana could be considered pretty but you can't see them from the interstate.  

Our parking spot for tonight is in an old RV park, about 5 minutes from where we used to live, set back in the woods and is shaded and quiet.  Sites are adequate but the roads are a bit narrow.  We got a site with a big oak tree and so have had shade on the RV.  Nice.  It's about 82 right now with humidity of about 45% - a beautiful day for here.  Maggie has dragonflies to chase and we understand there's gators in the pond behind the RV park.  I'm seeing a red-headed woodpecker on the top of the light pole as I write, and there are lots of magpies flying around.  Other birds, too, but not sure what they are - they don't hold still long enough.  

Our skin, hair, and nails are loving the humidity but my ankles are swollen and my toes look like little pork sausages!  I'm going to be in this for a month, so hope my body adjusts soon.


Roger made an observation today on something I hadn't picked up on.  In Nevada and California and in most states we've been in there are billboards for lawyers that say "In an accident?  Call XXX"  Well, in Louisiana it's, "In a wreck? Call XXX"  So, they don't have accidents here, just wrecks?? 


When we went out for fuel we cruised around a little bit to see if we recognized anything.  We left Slidell in 1984, so it's been a while to say the least.  We had heard that the house we lived in had been taken away by Katrina, but after wandering around some neighborhoods close to where we thought it was we found it!  It looks great!  Well kept up and landscaped and even has same paint scheme.  We tried to find the dentist's office where I worked but never did come across it.  This place has exploded in population and housing and stores.   We just stopped for fuel and came home.  It is weird being back, though.  Rog said he felt some de ja vu sitting in front of the old place - I didn't. 

Tomorrow Pensacola!  Yay!  

We Are Out of Texas At Last!

Maggie in the clover.  She was such a good dog today
and very happy to be out of the truck!

We have finally seen Texas in our rear view mirrors!  897 miles across on I-10.  It is a forever drive!  We hope we won't be crossing it again any time soon.

Southwestern Louisiana is at least green, but that really is all it's got going for it along the I-10 corridor.  Lake Charles is an industrial city - looks like oil refineries.  We saw lots of rice paddies - miles and miles.  Millions of acres are under water - deliberately - for growing rice between Lake Charles and Lafayette.  The road through Lake Charles was in real disrepair and was bumpy and noisy and had us rocking back and forth and bumping up and down. The only damage inside the RV was CD/DVD/radio player was on the floor with some wires pulled out.  Rog just stuffed it back in its hole and we will let Andy reassemble it! It was enough of a crazy ride that I had to dive into my purse for a dramamine!  Once we got out of the city proper, the highway seemed OK.  Those few miles sure did me in, though.  I was looking a bit green around the gills.  

We did see some flooding - when we crossed rivers we could see that they were over their banks and the nearby forests were pretty deep in water.  I did see a couple of guys standing on the edge of a side road just staring at the water.  I could also see that there were homes and a school bus on the other side of the water at the end of the road.  They didn't look underwater but it looked as though there was no access to them. 

We stopped for lunch in Iowa, Louisiana.  I asked Rog if I could put the Iowa sticker on the map and we wouldn't have to go there.  He said no, it didn't count.  Bummer.  We ended up in another truck stop for lunch, but off by ourselves in the back with some grass for Maggie. We put out our chairs and a table and enjoyed being outside.  There was a Burger King next to the truck stop, so we opted for veggie burgers and fries instead of PB&J today.  Wasn't bad.  Wasn't real good - just different.  

The park we are in tonight is about 30 miles west of Lafayette, LA.  It's called Frog City RV Park.  When I called for reservations a few days ago the lady told me she was glad I didn't need a spot that day because half the place was under water about mid-calf deep.  It's high and dry today but you can see where the water was when you walk around.  I expected the place - by the name and the flooding - to be back in the woods somewhere and very rustic and perhaps even a bit scary.  It's not.  It is just off the interstate and is a pretty nice place.  It's directly behind a Motel 8 (no connection, though) and the sites are regular size with gravel pads that are level and there is grass with small trees at the end of each site.  The place was pretty empty when we pulled in early afternoon.  Maybe a dozen or so trailers look to be pretty permanent or at least long term. A half dozen or so RVs have pulled in since we did.  

Relaxing before we got neighbors

Our immediate neighbor pulled in an hour or so ago while we were sitting outside - it's cooler out there than in the RV and we didn't want to turn on the A/C.  First of all, they have maybe an 18-foot trailer being pulled by a big red Dodge truck with an eagle and flag screen in the back window and a Trump sticker still on the bumper.  He had to circle around and come into the pull through twice before he got it situated.  Once he finally got it where he wanted, he climbed out of the truck - she stayed inside.  He's probably in his 60's, obese, toothless, wearing a camo baseball hat, jeans that barely covered his butt, a white t-shirt, and red suspenders.  Mississippi license plates.  Rog notices right away that the handle for the sewer line is in the open position.  Then the guy tries to hook up his power cord and can't get it into the receptacle on his trailer.  Rog goes over and helps him get connected. He mumbled a "thank you."  He then gets his water and TV hooked up, puts his levelers down while whining the whole time about a bad back and how he "can't hardly do nothing no more." He goes to connect his sewer hose - bare handed - and opens the cap to the black tank to connect the hose and all sorts of crap (literally) comes out onto the ground. That chased us inside and we put the a/c on.  The stench and the thought of it all over his hands was just too much. We had to go in.  In the meantime, she sat in the cab of the truck waiting for him to set up and carry everything, including a large bird cage with a parrot inside.  Once he was finally done, she walked from the truck directly into the trailer and we've not seen either since - thank goodness.  We are still shaking our heads.   Takes all kinds, I guess.

We had intermittent clouds and sun today with a high of about 84 but the humidity is picking up as we head east and towards water.  My weather app says it's about 56% humidity which isn't too awful even for us westerners used to about 10%. Roger did comment, though, "It certainly feels like the Louisiana I remember."  

Tomorrow we will stop in Slidell - old stomping grounds for us. We lived there for three years when Roger was stationed in New Orleans.  We'll get in early and probably go drive around and check things out.