Parked at Maxwell AFB FamCamp

I haven't posted for a while so thought I drop a line or two.

We arrived at Maxwell AFB FamCamp last Thursday. As we pulled in to register there were two security police cars parked in front of the office with lights on. My first thought was - hum, a robbery? Come to find out that they had pulled the "manager" over for speeding and I'm not sure what else. We were told to move over to the overflow area as it was going to be quite a while before anyone could help us - they had an "incident". That told me it was more than a speeding ticket!

We were going to park in overflow anyway (the sites were all reserved, so we were told when I called) so Dean just went ahead and set up. About one hour later someone arrived to open the office and got us signed in. The security police were still there with the manager not allowed to even get out of her car. Finally after two hours, all three cars left - the two security police and the manager! Found out later that she is relieved of her job but never did find out what the "incident" was - darn!!! I know it was more than speeding.

We spent Memorial Day with David (my son) and family at his house. My Dad and my daughter Suze were there also. We had a very nice day although it was very hot outside. I took my camera but dumb me, forgot to take pictures - no excuse. Dean did take a picture of the food (I thought he was over that from our first cruise pictures). I'll not post it here.

In the evening we watched a DVD that was created by WLOX-TX in Biloxi, MS about hurricane Katrina. It was about 2 hours long and was one of the best documentaries on a hurricane that I've seen. Since we all had lived there for many, many years, it was hard to watch at times, but also made me very proud at the way the people on the Mississippi Gulf Coast have handled the situation - they have a very strong will to come back from all the destruction and are not waiting for someone else to do it for them.

We will be here until Friday when we head to Lake Lanier Island, north of Atlanta, GA with our granddaughter Morgan. Will be posting more after we arrive there.

I've been reading a lot of blogs and it looks like everyone is certainly enjoying themselves. Isn't this life great?

EDIT - Here are a few pictures from Maxwell FamCamp.





Until......

He Made It - Congratulations Shane!!

Last evening was an unforgettable event for my nephew Shane - he graduated from Gulf Shores High School. I tried to remember back to my graduation and then decided it was so long ago and would remind me of my age so I said forget it - LOL!

Late afternoon we had a thunderstorm that dumped quite a bit of rain in the area of the stadium where the graduation services were held. For a while we wondered if they would have to postpone, but the sky cleared and all was well.

I felt really bad that my sister couldn't be at her son's graduation ceremony. Unfortunately, she is still in the hospital and the doctor said "NO" to giving her a pass because her infection count was to high. She did not need to be in a crowd where she would be susceptible to catching anything. Her oldest son did have her on the cell phone when Shane's name was called so she did get to hear it. She seemed happy with that when I talked to her today.

In the first picture, Shane is the second from the left in the row standing. The second picture is Shane with his grandfather (my Dad). Shane was the last of the grandchildren (my Dad's) to graduate from HS. Now he will be working on the great-grandkids.




The first picture is my sister's three children - Shawn, Shannon & Shane - try saying that three times fast - LOL! The second picture is Shane with the love of his life - Stephanie - who also graduated last night.



Tomorrow we move to Maxwell AFB, Montgomery, AL where we will stay for a week.

Till later.....

May Day at Live Oak Assisted Living

In case you do not know, my Dad is a resident at Live Oak Assisted Living in Foley, AL. Today was their May Day Festival and Dean and I attended the festivities. It started around 10 am with the presentation of the court. It was so touching, seeing these young at heart individuals being honored. They were all "elected" by the other residents which number around 80. My Dad was a "Lord" of the court. Here is a picture of him being escorted by another residents granddaughter.



Following the presentation there was live music, free health checks, a "flea market" type booth (My Dad's) and a cake walk. I participated in the cake walk and won twice! Me who never wins anything. The first time I picked a single layer Red Velvet since it was small and would be just right for Dean and me. The second time I picked a Double Chocolate Fudge cake with Chocolate icing - yummy. I'm taking it to church tomorrow as we are having dinner on the grounds after services.

Later in the day they had a May Pole event. The residents watched as some of the staff and their children did the May Pole. Very colorful. Here are a couple of pictures. The main entrance to the facility is in the background.



All in all it was a very nice day spent with my Dad, who I'll add is a young 86.

Red Hat Day

Today I had lunch with my Red Hat group. It was really great getting back together with them again! Sure miss them gals when I'm not here.

We went to Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Beach. The food was great, but the desert was WOW! Six of us had the Praline Parfait and oh my, it was the best desert I've had in a long, long time.

This month is our Queen mum's birthday so she was dressed in RED and showing off, just a little. Had to take her picture and post it so here's to Queen Kate!




















This is the bunch of the "gals". Unfortunately, they were not all looking when this picture was taken.



Here is a view of the Gulf and the beautiful white sand beach from the Resort.



After a great time with the girls, I stopped by the hospital to visit my sister. I'm not sure how long she will be there. She is being treated for pneumonia and hopefully it won't progress into something worse again. Her son is graduating from High School on Tuesday and she is wanting to be there very much. I hope and pray she is better by then.

Till later....

Wonderful South Alabama

The hot dogs are cooking - yea - cooking on the stove! The slide is fixed and now I can cook again. What a meal for the first one - hot dogs. Really need to get to a grocery store.

We are parked in one of our favorite spots at Rainbow Plantation - site 68. Sunny mornings and shady afternoons. We will be here until May 25th when we move to Montgomery, AL for the Memorial Day weekend with family.

Oh yes, I am posting a picture to show Patti and Mickey that we've got one! They and Terry and Dale will understand.















Other than my sister being put back in the hospital yesterday, nothing going on except some cleaning - the rig and truck both need it.

Here are a couple of pictures of Rainbow Plantation - first one our rig and the second one looking east south east from our site.






























As you can see in the pictures - the weather is perfect. Low in the 50's at night and high in the mid to high 70's.

Till next time.....

Still sitting in Pensacola

Unfortunately our parts did not come in on the Friday delivery truck. The parts department called and was told it (the slide motor) was shipped on Friday so we are hoping that it will be here on Monday. The parts department is so sure that they set up an appointment with service for us for 1:00 pm. Time will tell.....

Dean and I cleaned the MS and the truck outside yesterday. The temperature was in the mid 70's with a light breeze so it was a perfect day to take care of that chore. The Mobile Suite and the truck both look really nice - but of course it's supposed to rain tomorrow, Mothers Day!

Today we went to another RV dealer that was having an "open house" and looked at some models by K-Z. The Escalade is really nice, but I still like what I have better. Dean was happy with that news, his remark was a big - WHEW!!! We also looked at some Class A's but know that they are just out of reach for us - we like to eat - LOL!!!

This afternoon late we went to a greek restaurant and had pizza. It was some of the best pizza I've had in a long, long time. The name of the restaurant is Founaris Brothers and is on Hwy 29 just south of I-10 in case you get to this area and are hungry for pizza.

Here's hoping that the next post is from Rainbow Plantation in Summerdale, AL next week.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all mothers!

Carpenters Campers, Pensacola, FL

This morning we are sitting at Carpenters Campers in Pensacola, FL. We do have one of their "camp spaces" with elec. (20 amp) and water. I'm also connecting to their wifi at times. Best of all, it's free!

We have ordered the slide toppers for both the dining and galley slides. They really took a beating while we were parked in Port Isabel, TX. Looks like about $700 installed - ouch!

They haven't gotten to the gear box for the slide yet - sure hope they do soon, so they can get the part ordered today. I hate delays.

We are not sure if we are going to stay here or move to Pensacola NAS FamCamp. It will depend on how long they say the parts will take and when they will be able to do the repairs.

One positive thing - Pensacola has a lot of good places to eat, but truthfully, I would love to be able to cook something. Eating out gets old when you do it to often. Will keep you posted on the progress.

Last Day in Mississippi

Yesterday morning we started driving west on highway 90, which runs along the Gulf of Mexico. It seemed the further west we went the more, well, I probably should say less we saw. The area of damage became more widespread, in a lot of areas west of Gulfport, there was nothing left back to the railroad tracks, which are about a quarter of a mile from the highway.

The highway is closed at about a mile before the bridge to Waveland, Bay St. Louis area. I've been told that the Katrina damage is even worse there, which I just can't imagine after seeing this area. They are really doing a terrific job of cleaning up though. I saw pictures of the beach that were taken just after the storm and you wouldn't know that there was a sand beach there for all the debris. Long Beach has a large area of their beach open for public use but I'm not sure that I'd go in the water as you don't know what debris is hidden on the bottom. The officials do know that there are many, many vehicles out in the waters of the Gulf, along with who knows what!

We stopped and visited with some friends, Bill and Bette, on our way back to Gulfport. They live in Long Beach and had little to no damage other than roof shingles. We did a lot of catching up and had a very nice visit. They are talking about getting a travel trailer and hitting the highways when Bette retires which I believe she said will be in less than two years.

Next we went to our "old" neighborhood and visited with our neighbors and friends of 30+ years, Fred and Peggy. They took us out to lunch at a place called the "The Shed BBQ". What a place! You can check them out on line at www.theshedbbq.com . The BBQ is very good. Some of the best that I've had! Next door to the Shed is a campground that used to be a KOA where we did a lot of weekend camping. We didn't check out the campground, but it and The Shed are directly off I-10 at exit 57. If you head this direction, make plans to stop for some of the best BBQ there is. After lunch Fred drove us around the bayou's in Gulfport and showed us more damage. The water line came within 800 feet of our old house which sits at an elevation of 32 ft. I'm so glad that we didn't live there anymore. Fred and Peggy are also talking about getting a travel trailer and hitting the road (I doubt full time) when Peggy retires this year. I told them to go for it!

It was so good seeing our friends and neighbors and talking on the phone to those we didn't have time to visit in person with, but now we must leave Mississippi and head for the dealer in Pensacola, FL to get this darn slide fixed.

My prayer is that God will protect the Mississippi Gulf Coast from storms for many years to come. The estimate that I've heard is that it will be a good 10 years before the coast can recover from Katrina. I believe that statement after driving highway 90. Of all the homes that once stood there are only a handful left, and those are not livable. There is no commercial business left anywhere along highway 90 from Biloxi to Pass Christian. Just signs of where they used to be. This is something that unless you see it with you own eyes, you just can't comprehend the devastation - I didn't. I am heartsick at what I saw, but the people of the MS. Coast have a drive that won't quit and they will be back!

Here are more pictures....
Pilings from a "safe" apartment complex with more apartments in background that are heavily damaged.

Wal-mart shopping center between Long Beach and Pass Christian, MS

End of the road.....

Looking north from highway 90 down a street in Pass Christian - just nothing left!

Even the law didn't escape Katrina's wrath.

A houseboat on land.

A "land" house in the water.

The End

Another Day on the MS Coast

This morning Dean and I met Emily and Jim for breakfast at the Imperial Palace Casino. Very good breakfast buffet with just about anything you could want. It was nice seeing them again. They just returned from Germany where Jim had extensive back surgery. The type of surgery he had done is not legal here in the U. S. They showed us x-rays after surgery and there are two discs and another item that was placed in his back to straighten it. I forget what it was called. He is now 2" taller than he was and having no back pain, just a little discomfort where the incision is. Hope I got all that right!

After breakfast Dean and I took a ride to Ocean Springs, MS and stopped by the travel agency that I used to work through before I had my own agency. It was really nice seeing Theresa, Mary and Betty again and catching up with all the news. From there we drove along the beach front in Ocean Springs. Ocean Springs is located across the Biloxi Bay. I'm including a few pictures from there.

This is the bridge that used to connect Biloxi and Ocean Springs from the Ocean Springs side.



The same bridge only on the Biloxi side of the bay. Point Cadet Plaza on Biloxi point with more bridge in the background.



What used to be...... might be again, see the sign.



The "Katrina Wall" in Biloxi, as seen on Extreme Makeover Home Edition. The white marble on top of the black portion of the wall is the water line for that area.



This is "Beauvoir" the home of Jefferson Davis - a lot of damage but it is being rebuilt from what is left.



This beachfront home may be salvaged, the next one, probably not.



Sitting about one half a block off highway 90 in West Gulfport looking east - just nothing left!Lastly, a hurricane Camille relic (boat was actually washed ashore at this place and made into a gift shop) makes it through Katrina.



Tomorrow we are heading to Pass Christian. I'm expecting to see even worse scenes, if that is possible.

Back on the MS. Gulf Coast

Yesterday morning we bid farewell to our friends Mickey & Patti and took off for the MS. Gulf Coast. The drive here was smooth and uneventful. We noticed that the closer we got to the coast, the more RV's we saw parked by business's and damaged homes. Also there were more "temporary" RV parks along highway 49. These were not FEMA parks, but private ones put together to handle the contractors etc.

We elected to stay at the CB base in Gulfport (famcamp) over Keesler AFB famcamp in Biloxi. Keesler had spots in their overflow on grass with electric and the CB base had hardstand w/full hookups. We made a good choice as it is supposed to rain for the next couple of days. For those who can use the military famcamps, this one is very nice. Full paved roads, level concrete pads, gravel parking spot beside, full hookups and very roomy. There is a nice bath house and laundry and WiFi is coming very soon. Right now there is a maximum three night stay.

We did experience one setback though. While putting the slides out, our kitchen slide went about 3" out and stopped! It wouldn't budge either way - in or out. Dean crawled underneath to check out the problem and it seems that a gear box has cracked. We are working with our favorite repair place in Pensacola - Carpenters Campers - to get the part ordered. Guess that will be our destination on Sunday when we leave here. We did manage to get the slide back in and that is where it will stay. Bad news - no cooking as I can't get to any of the kitchen stuff - Good news - we get to eat out!

We took a short drive in the afternoon and even though I've seen the reports on TV beginning with the day after Katrina, I still could not believe what I saw, or didn't see. Literally everything on the beach front is gone. For those who haven't been here, I'm not talking being built on the beach side of the road. This is across highway 90 and in a lot of places, on a slight raise. It's very obvious that the tidal surge was in fact at least 36 - 40' of water! We are going to drive around more today, but I'm not looking forward to what I'm sure I'll see. Let me add here that both Dean and I have lived on the MS coast for over 30 years. I graduated from Biloxi H.S., so in a real sense, this is more like "home" than anywhere I've lived.

This is a picture looking toward the MS sound from the Edgewater Village parking lot. Notice the "empty" Wendy's sign and the McDonald's sign through the trees. That's all that is left. They didn't have to clean up in this area as all the debris was washed back about a quarter of a mile in this area. Nothing left but clean slabs. The second picture is of the beach end of Edgewater Village, or what's left, and a new condo being build behind. I'm afraid that the coast will be saturated with condo's unless the locals start to protest!



Biloxi Beach motel - no more! Look through the trees (what's left of them) - a medical center that was not visible pre-Katrina. Now the buildings are gone, but the slabs are there, and the trees will most likely die from the salt water. They were the beautiful oak trees with moss hanging.


Lastly, this one breaks my heart. This is 1st Baptist of Gulfport where we attended church for several years. This was the backdrop for ABC TV's first reports of the damage that Katrina had done. I understand that the building will be leveled and that the church will be rebuilt inland.

How sad.

First view is straight on, looking east and the second view is looking toward the MS sound (gulf) and the third one is looking inside the sanctuary.




Remember, you can click on the pictures to enlarge them. More later.

More Natchez, MS

On Monday, Patti and I left the guys to fend for themselves and took off to tour a little more of Natchez. Our first stop was Stanton Hall, built in 1857 by Frederick Stanton, a cotton magnate. This is one of the nicest antebellum homes in Natchez that is open for tours. Unlike many of the others, there are a lot of the original furnishings inside the home. This is also the home that was shown in the movie, North and South. Dean and I had visited here in the late 80's and one thing that I noticed today is that during the tour, while you are told about the family, they do not really tell about the history of the house. In the late 80's when we visited they couldn't say enough about the making of the movie, where today, nothing was mentioned. Maybe it's old news!




From Stanton Hall we went to downtown Natchez and walked through a few shops. This is another area that is very disappointing. For what I would consider a tourist town, there are few shops in the downtown area. We did have a good time browsing through the ones that are there and even had our hands scrubbed. Of course it was done to tempt us to purchase the product, which we didn't. Lunch was at the Marketplace which is a open air building.

After lunch we went to church. St. Mary's Cathedral. It is the only church built as a Cathedral in Mississippi. The first mass was held on Christmas Day, 1843. The 12 stained glass windows in the church are all original except for three which have been added in later years. The two that I show here, the birth and death of Christ are two of the originals.



We spent the rest of our afternoon in Walmart and the Natchez Market shopping for Tuesday dinner items - Patti is making us BBQ pork ribs and potato salad - yummm!

Rain, Friends and Natchez

I'll begin with Saturday, April 29th. The day started off cloudy and damp with the threat of rain in the air. The weather man had predicted rain for all day and it was just a matter of time before it began!

Early in the morning I happened to look out at the river and saw the River Barge Excursion coming up river, but unfortunately couldn't get to my camera and outside to get a good picture. Since the rain hadn't started yet, at least not a hard rain, we later drove to the Vidalia Riverside park where I took a couple of pictures of the "Barge". I haven't sailed on it, but have heard it's quite nice.



You can see by the pictures, especially the one looking across the river how cloudy it was!

Later that same morning, our neighbors left and I decided to walk to the office to see if our friends, Mickey and Patti could park in that spot when they arrived. I was about half way to the office and here they came, over the levee. What a surprise as I didn't expect them until early afternoon. It was so good seeing them again, especially Frosty - LOL!! He nearly clawed through the window of their truck trying to get to his "Aunt Janice". Patti said that they decided to leave Kinder early to try to beat the bad weather or at least stay ahead of it. Lucky for them, they managed to get set up before the rain began. After they finished, they came over for "chili" lunch.

Saturday afternoon was a total washout. It rained and rained then rained some more. At times I couldn't see the river as the rain was so heavy. We didn't have much lightning or thunder, but we certainly had some strong wind gusts. I never heard what they were but I'd guess about 40 mph.

Saturday evening, after the stormed passed, we went to the Ivey's for a friendly game of Rummy Cube. It was nice being able to spend the evening with them again and even though I won the game, we all had a good time. (I just had to mention my winning - LOL).

Sunday morning dawned a beautiful day, with no wind, bright sunshine, cool temps and a clear blue sky. We decided it was a Shoney's breakfast buffet day, so off we went. Please, those of you who know Mickey, remember this.

Sunday afternoon we drove to Longwood, one of the antebellum homes in Natchez. Longwood is unique in that it was never finished. The basement is the only inside area of the home that was ever completed. The reason for this is the Civil War. The carpenters that were working on the home were from the north and when the war started, they went back home to bare arms. If it had been completed, it certainly would have been one of America's showplaces. If you are ever in the Natchez, MS area this is one home that you should take the time to go see and hear the story about Haller Nutt and his wife Julia, the owners.

Here is a view from the front veranda.

Longwood, the largest octagonal house in America.

Two guys on tour. Don't they look like their having fun??

A wild magnolia and wild roses at Longwood.

After touring Longwood we made a stop at Walmart for some supplies. On our way back to the campground we stopped at the local Dairy Queen for some afternoon delight, our version anyway. This is where those of you who know Mickey need to remember that we had Shoney's breakfast buffet this same morning! Two meals out in one day - a record for Mickey!! We waited the rest of the day for something to happen, but it ended up a relaxing quiet afternoon and evening. Mickey says no more eating out for ??? We will humor him for a day or so!