A good day-January 30, 2012

We were able to get about 1/3 of the storage unit moved into the smaller unit today. We are being so neat, you'd be proud of us. Tomorrow will be spent in Pensacola so no storage unit work. The Cute Red Vehicle gets its recall work done as well as an oil change. While it's on my mind I wanted to share a couple of pictures of where we are staying here in Orange Beach. It is an exceptionally nice park.

We're toward the end on the right.

Entrance





We don't mind staying here for a couple of months!

Nice walk-January 28, 2012

It was just so pretty today that we had to get out and enjoy it. After we finished today's work at the storage unit, we went for a walk. The weather was just gorgeous. We walked to the city's water front park on Wolf Bay. We watched the Caspians and Pelicans diving head first into the water to get their food. And then a pod of dolphins came through and we were mesmerized by them. I am going to put a picture with this blog. I dare you to find the dolphin fin. It is about in the middle of the picture and it's dark gray. They are extremely hard to photograph with a little digital camera.

(Note: After I posted the picture I noticed it is so small you really can't see the dolphin. Just know it was where the dark spot is in the center of the picture. So sorry you can't see him. He was so graceful. Well, maybe he was a she. Who can tell??)

 It was so quiet and it was just the two of us so we could hear the dolphins "talking" to each other as they came out of the water. It was so much fun. I think we had forgotten that it could be that relaxing here. When we were here before we were not visitors. We were residents. There's just nobody here so we are trying to enjoy the peace and quiet. The thing that bothered us about today's walk was the unbelievable number of ant hills everywhere. And they are just huge! We hope we are out of here before they wake up from their winter's nap.

Swamp People-January 26, 2012

I said I would use some of the time here to catch up on things I've not been able to share with you. Sometimes there's so much that happens in one day it just cannot be put in one blog. Today is the Atchafalaya Swamp. Actually they changed the name from swamp to basin for some reason. Maybe it was the fear it struck when one realized they were driving across an almost endless swamp with no place to pull off the road if need be. We have been across that part of I-10 between Lafayette and Baton Rouge, Louisiana so many times we can't begin to count. We always traveled in a car or pick up truck. This time we were in the coach. Because we sit in our seats at about the same height as a semi truck driver, we have an incredible view. So, this time across we could clearly see that people really do live in that swamp. Oh my goodness who would want to live in that gigantic alligator filled swamp? Obviously swamp people, but not the ones on the TV show. We could see how much bigger the swamp was than we ever dreamed. There were dirt (actually mud) roads all through there plus some of the prettiest ferns I've ever seen. What a treat to see something we never knew existed. So, if you ever have the opportunity to drive across the Atchafalaya Basin, think about those people living where you can't see them and try to visualize how isolated they are. And I'd be willing to bet how happy they are. At least they are not battling all that traffic on I-10!

Storage Unit-January 23, 2012

We made a major decision today. Since we know we will never get rid of all that's in our storage unit, we agreed to downsize by 50 sq ft next Tuesday. So, now we have to really work to get rid of stuff. Jerry is not ready to let go, but I am donating like a raving maniac. If I have not touched clothes, shoes or dishes since last May, I don't need them now. A tornado hit Center Point, Alabama in the wee hours of this morning. I grew up in Center Point although I went to school in Trussville. I keep looking at all of the pictures and I don't recognize a single thing I'm seeing. It's such a mess. Friends shared with me that Sun Valley Rd where our house was is closed because of debris and downed trees. This is not a common time of year for such destructive tornadoes but not unheard of. Everybody I know is fine and all were spared. We are grateful at the same time we pray for those so badly affected. We had torrential rain today, fortunately after we finished in the storage unit for today. Another blessing.

What's up with this weather?-January 21, 2012

I think we're getting paranoid. Crazy weather continues to follow us. Record highs today. Humidity so thick you can cut it with a knife.
This is winter on the Gulf coast so why is it so hot? It has to be us. However, we are very happy to be back in our favorite grocery store, Publix. We can just roam around in there for hours. They have mastered the art of displaying food. But their king cakes are not up to requirements for this time of year. The first Mardi Gras parade rolled today on Dauphin Island. Seems early but I guess it isn't. The hot weather certainly makes for larger crowds and more pleasant conditions for the people on the floats. So, there is something good to be said about the heat. We are still trying to adjust to the quiet at night. Have you ever heard of deafening quiet? Well, that's what we have. Not even a barking dog. We are happy when the wind blows and rustles the fronds of the palm trees. If this park (resort) were owned by one person trying to earn a living, it would be out of business. There are only 6 coaches with occupants and 6 coaches that are just parked here. There are 45 available lots. That is one additional reason for the quiet. Such is life. We are still thankful for our many blessings. I wish everyone a blessed and restful Sunday tomorrow.

What are we?-January 20, 2012

While talking with friends this morning I was reminded what a difficult time we have answering the question asked by everybody new we meet and that is "Where are you from?". Well, I'm from Birmingham. He's from Colorado. We bought the coach in Alabama. We bought the Cute Red Vehicle in Florida. Technically because we have Montana plates on everything we can call ourselves snowbirds. However, we don't have that attitude. We have a mailing address in Alabama for now, but that will change sometime this year. We no longer own a home here but we do own a lot in another city. We will vote in the primary here in March, but will probably vote in the general election in another state.  So what are we exactly? Such a simple question, such a complicated answer. We can only qualify for one title and that is
"geriatric gypsies". We are just roaming this great land but for now we are spending winter in a warm climate (74° right now). What an odd thing. It was equally as odd driving in here in a motorhome pulling our "toad" and not drive to a physical house. However, we are doing fine here. We don't have to mow the lawn, repair the roof, call a plumber, have the electric meter read or anything else. We're just having fun! So call us what you like. We will remain gg's for now. Enjoy your day as much as we are!

Friends-January 18, 2012

There is nothing like a very long lunch with a dear friend to put life in perspective. I did that today. The food was delicious at a new place in town. But the fun conversation and catching up was just wonderful. It had rained and roared and the wind blew like crazy last night so I had no hopes of today being nice, but it was a really nice day. We are hoping the hot weather is behind us because copperhead snakes were spotted in here a few days before we got here. And there are little lizards everywhere. We'd like for them to go to sleep for the winter. This resort was built on top of a swamp and still backs up to the swamp on the south side, so it is to be expected to see critters, but not in the winter time. All God's creatures have to rest sometime. We both would prefer not to meet a copperhead or or gator or any other thing that slithers. We are still working on our list and making some progress. Cute Red Vehicle has been recalled for a computer software issue. Does anybody remember when cars were not computers on wheels? They were so much more reliable. We'll get that taken care of in Pensacola next week. I have some things I have not had space to share with you so in the upcoming days I will do that.

Making Progress-January 16, 2012

We are moving very slowly at working our way through our "to do" list, but any progress is better than no progress at all. We're having
a tough time sleeping and you will never guess the problem. It's too quiet!! Yes, you read that correctly. There is absolutely no sound in this park (they call it a resort--I'm not sure about that) at all at night. The other 5 couples staying here go to bed very early so there is just no sound at all at night. We have grown accustomed to people driving around all night long and hearing either planes or trucks nearby. This is an odd thing to have to adjust to, but we will. Then the next place we go will be noisy and we won't be used to that. What is that phrase? "You can't change the wind but you can adjust your sails". We are trying to adjust our sails. For the record we have been here a week and have not seen the beach. That's how busy we have been. We will get there, in time. Here's wishing you a wonderful day with no need to adjust your sails.

Windy-January 12, 2012

The rain stopped and the wind moved in. But we did see the sun for a while today. The Cute Red Vehicle is completely covered in yellow pollen. I searched the internet and found it is juniper pollen but it's only in the moderate range now. Ugh. I did manage to get my hair cut today so we are working our way through our "to do" list slowly but surely. Since the list of things we have to do is so long and will be incrediby boring to you, I will probably only post a couple of times a week while we are parked here for the next two months. We will not be doing very much tourist stuff that you might enjoy hearing about. Orange Beach did get a WalMart Market. Tiny but nice and clean. It is not like a regular store, but it's close for a couple of odds and ends if we need them. We went to the post office today and everybody in there was new. Now we have to find out where everybody went while we were gone. My hair stylist is also gone to parts unknown. And we suspect the manager of our storage unit is gone, too. What happened? They simply could not handle our leaving?? Nope, don't think that's it. But it is odd. Stay warm.

RAIN!! -January 10, 2012

Yes indeed it is raining. I hope it does not rain the whole two months we are here! I think it is supposed to stop tomorrow with cool weather moving in. Whatever, we'll deal with it. We got task one on a very long list completed today. I got my driver's license renewed. It expired at the end of December when we were in Breaux Bridge. Alabama has a grace period of 2 months but it is not honored by other states. So glad we never had to check that out. It took about 5 or 6 minutes and I was waited on my one of the nicest Baldwin County employees I've ever dealt with. Now I must try to explain this but you will need a big imagination. We went to the bank first this morning. A white car with Alabama flags drove up next to us at the bank. Assuming it was another customer, we proceeded with our transaction. Then this unbelievably loud music came on, coming from that white car. We looked over and there sat a person with an Alabama elephant mask on. (later we saw it was a woman). She stuck two red and white pom poms out the window and started jumping up and down in her seat and singing some kind of fight song. The people in the bank danced, too. We were so stunned we just sat there. When the song finished, she pulled the elephant mask off and drove away, tearing out of the bank parking lot like a bat out of you-know-where. She did not transact any bank business. I want to say only in Alabama would something like that happen, but those LSU and Saints fans are pretty rabid, too. It made our day to see this and realize it will be a very long time before we forget that sight. I mean you just don't park next to an elephant with pom poms!

Friends, OB and mail-January 9, 2012

Yesterday, dear friends from Orange Beach drove over and we all met in Biloxi for lunch and an afternoon of visiting and catching up. It was so much fun. Nancy, who is one of the most thoughtful people you could ever meet, gave me a 3 ring binder with all of last year's blogs printed off and inside the binder. Both the front and the back have pictures of the coach and the Cute Red Vehicle. What a great gift! I am actually enjoying reading it but have been disappointed to find two typos so far. Shame on me. We arrived in Orange Beach (Alabama) this afternoon. We were both tired, but hurried to get connected and rushed to get our mail. We only had one of those big post office tubs full. It will take us days to get through it. It's almost intimidating. We have driven in and out of Orange Beach in cars, trucks and pulling cargo trailers as well as pulling a tractor, but we've never driven onto the island in a motorhome pulling a "toad". It was actually kind of odd. We have never been in this park. Today is just so strange. This is the first motorcoach park we have ever stayed in. It allows only Class A coaches and there aren't very many here. This may be quite an adjustment for us, but we have adapted to everything else. We can certainly adapt to this. Wonder if the rain is following us?

Big Game-January 8, 2012

Has anybody besides me realized that the BIG GAME (BCS) is tomorrow night, on a full moon????

Beauvoir-January 7, 2012

Beauvoir, Home of Jefferson Davis

View from Beauvoir-Highway 90 was not here in the beginning

We knew it was going to rain this morning (is anybody surprised?) but we decided to head to Beauvoir in Biloxi. Beauvoir, which means beautiful view in French, was the home of Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy and U.S. Senator. It was completely destroyed by Katrina. It is still many years from being rebuilt. Prior to Katrina, structures and furnishings were originals. The furnishings were salvaged and are being restored, but the buildings are being built new. That sort of takes away from what it stands for but who has a choice? The main home is refurbished. Ceilings caved in under the water. All of the flower gardens and most of the trees were also destroyed. Now there's nothing. Originally there were 51 varieties of roses being grown there. What a loss. It was still fun to look at the pretty house. We thought it was 2 stories but it is actually a single story with immensely tall ceilings. And the view from the front porch is just breathtaking. I sat down in a rocking chair and told Jerry to come back and get me tonight. What a relaxing place to be. I am sad for the loss but happy we saw what they have restored so far. The library where all of the documents were was a total loss. I would not be surprised if it takes 10 more years to restore that. It was another one of those fun museum stops for us.

Biloxi, MS-January 6, 2012

Today we explored Biloxi. It is pretty much the way that it used to be except for that gorgeous 6 lane bridge that goes across Biloxi Bay. There are a few empty lots but they are clean and covered with grass. The big ugly site on the beach is the partially built Margaritaville Casino and Hotel. Ground was broken and construction started but then it was abandoned. I think the last we heard from Jimmy Buffet, they were going to move it farther inland. But that leaves that rusted eyesore on the beach. What a shame. We did go across the bridge to Ocean Springs for lunch at McElroy's. We have always wanted to eat there. It is a Gulf coast institution, so to speak. We were there mid-afternoon. The view is wonderful, the service was very good and the food was delicious. They used to have a second restaurant in Biloxi. It was completely blown away by Katrina and they never built it back. We suspect they never will. Too many regulations now and it's almost impossible to get insurance. It is a way of life in this area. We had fog here until almost noon, so we got a very late start on the day. But that's ok, we are not paying attention to a clock. It's such a tough life!

Mississippi Gulf Coast-January 5, 2012

Today we headed down to the coast and started driving west. On the left the water was blue and very calm. We we through Long Beach and the number of missing houses and business increased over what Gulfport and Biloxi has. On through Pass Christian and the number of empty lots got intense. Waveland is close to still being non-existant. The Beach Road has been completely rebuilt to a point. It just stops and we had to turn around and go back. But the number of houses missing is unbelievable. Only 2 piers and boathouses have been rebuilt. The others are still just broken sticks in the water. This is over 6 years after Katrina and the hardest hit cities are still pitiful. It is just sickening to look at and you just have to feel for these people. I would estimate that to most people this area will never ever be the same and may not ever be home again. We did not make it to Pearlington because I suspect there is absolutely nothing there but sand. On a brighter note we found a fabulous place to have a very late lunch. Then we came back home through the backwoods of Mississippi. There were some incredibly beautiful houses lost in those woods. I bet in the summertime when everything is green, it's just gorgeous in that area. I think one city was named Pineville and another was Cuevos. I have never heard of either, but they were worth seeing. We look forward to what adventure tomorrow brings.

Gulfport beach-January 4, 2012

Gulfport, Mississippi beach

Jerry washed the coach this morning and I helped him dry it. It looks nice. Then we went to downtown Gulfport. It has really been updated but we could not find any shops. It was all businesses. We drove on to the beach. The Mississippi Gulf coast is very, very different from the Alabama Gulf coast. MS has no waves. AL does have waves. I am sure there is a scientific or even geographical reason for that, but I don't have a clue what it might be. This many years after Katrina, there are still so many empty lots. I'm sure there's a story behind each one, probably most of them connected to an insurance settlement. However, the lots now have green grass and trees which makes the coastline look less devastated. We enjoyed the drive because it was such a pretty day. Then we stopped at Wal Mart (I'm giving Wal Mart up for Lent again this year) and we happened to see something so wonderful we both nearly jumped for joy! Bunny Bread! Oh my goodness, how we have missed that. There is absolutely no store bought bread as good as Bunny Bread. We have had so many different brands of bread as we went across the country, but none came close to Bunny. We are happy campers.

Gulfport, MS-January 3, 2012

We arrived in Gulfport, Mississippi this afternoon. This is a nice park but my goodness what a busy intersection. The road construction from Baton Rouge to the Mississippi state line was unbelievable. Our Cute Red Vehicle was completely white with cement dust. We went to a car wash as soon as we were connected. We will wash the coach no matter what the temp tomorrow morning. If moisture hits that dust we will be in trouble. We have not been in Gulfport since long before Hurricane Katrina so we are looking forward to seeing it tomorrow. And it will be our first time to see the Gulf of Mexico since last July. That will be quite a change from all of the scenery we have seen in the past 7+ months. We can tell we're only a couple of feet above sea level and we already feel the humidity, but we know it's just temporary for a couple of months. Then we can head to higher altitudes and dryer climate again. And we can see a difference in the way people act. You have no idea how different people are in different parts of the country. This is our last week to be tourists. When we get to Orange Beach next week the work begins. We have already started on our list of things that must be done this time. Stay warm!

Poche's-January 2, 2012

Before I tell you about today's food, let me say that these Cajuns know how to shoot fireworks. We were very impressed. The displays came very close to looking professional with one side of the lake competing with the other. Our side won. We've never even had access to this variety of fireworks anywhere we have lived. At the same time, the money spent on the fireworks would have made a nice dent in our national debt! Now food. I have a new addiction: chicken and sausage gumbo. Before I was hopelessly hooked on red beans and rice. Now it's this gumbo. We ate at Poche's in Breaux Bridge today. They have a specialty meat store in addtion to the restaurant. They were very busy and have been every time we've driven by there. It was so good. Plus we did not get stared at nearly as much as we normally do. Not sure what that indicates, but it was nice. We also stopped and got another bag of satsumas. They are just divine and we're going to stuff in as many as we can since we will not get them anywhere else. We're ready to move on down the road. I will miss the pretty scenery. The crops in this area are rice and sugar cane. Both are very pretty crops and add to the greenery on the side of the road. Our next state is Mississippi. There's nothing much on the side of the interstate there except swamp and commercial property. The scenery has been a real treat on this trip, as well as the people we have met. In looking back on 2011, we have traveled over 7200 miles in 21 states, met some wonderful and unusual people, eaten some fabulous food and seen the beauty of this country that we prevously only imagined. What a blessing! We look forward to much more of the same in 2012.