Leaving Beaumont

Nov. 17, 2010

We have had lots of fun with the Grandbabies for the last few weeks. We are heading over to San Antonio for Thankgiving and the family will join us at Lake Medina Thousand Trail park for a week.

Unfortunately our beloved boston terrier (Boston) will not be joining us. After some agonizing and tearful days we finally made a decision to have her put to sleep after 13 years as our furry child. She was suffering from heart failure and was slowly getting worse and there wasn't anything we could do. I know she is in far better hands and out of pain, but it doesn't make it hurt any less. Goodbye old friend.

Nana and Papa are here!

Nana and Papa finally made it to the grandbabies house in Beaumont, Tx. They were so excited to see us, as much as we were to see them and the daughter and son-in-law.

We got there the day before Halloween so we got to see their costumes. Cute aren't they?!!!

The rest of the story ......Betty's Web

Next stop was Betty's RV in Abbeville, LA We had read post by Paul and Marsha about Betty's RV Park , so we made a stop. It is not like we had anything else to do. Besides we wanted to see the Tabasco factory on Avery Island.

Betty was the sweetest lady you could meet, she has about 10 spaces around her home and everyone becomes part of her family. We were welcomed right away by Betty, George and CeCe , who had just arrived for the winter, and Marvin. Happy Hour was at 4:30 on Betty's patio and she always had snacks ready for everyone. The first night there we went with everyone to dinner and Betty educated us about crawfish and alligator and where to get the best dishes in town.

The next day we went to Avery Island, La where the Tabasco factory sits. The smell of Tabasco sauce greets you to the island where it has been made for nearly 200 yrs. by the McIhenny families and still owned and operated by the family. Did you know that the peppers are ground and put in oak barrels (just like Jack Daniels) and aged for 2-3 yrs in a warehouse?

10-31 to 11-9-2010 Catch up

Having computer problems so I'm a little behind.

Where were we..oh yeah leaving Florida and on to New Orleans.

Stopped in New Orleans for a couple of nights and had some beignets (french doughnuts) at Cafe Dumon in the French Quarter. Strolled the streets, been hear done that. New Orleans is still New Orleans! Dirty...

Moving on

Well, after 2 1/2 weeks in Orlando we moved on up the road to

Destin, Fla. and stayed at Topsail Preserve State Park. This was a beautiful park on the Gulf with nice campsites and all hook-ups. They have a tram that takes you to the beach and brings you back or you can ride your bike or walk. I would highly recommend this park if you should travel across I-10. They also have nice cottages for rent. It's getting close to Halloween so the park was all geared up for the haunted hayride to the beach at dark and there was a lot of excitment Fri. night. Stayed here 3 nights.

Golfing with Mickey and Bob

Osprey Ridge Golf Course at Disney World.

Ron Canaday took us to a Disney golf course today. This course is one of 4-5 at Disney World. It is beautifully landscaped and there are lots of wild life roaming around to see. We saw deer, racoons, waterfowl, turkey, and Bob. After finishing up on one hole, as we went around to go to the next we came face to face with Bob-cat. He didn't seem to mind us being on his turf and just went about his business. We had never seen one in the wild and he was an awesome creature.

Welcome Comittee

A few of the neighbors showed up this morning looking for a meal so we threw them a few crumbs! They have been showing up every morning since. These sandhill cranes roam the campground looking for food and they usually get it to. They will even peck on the door. They are very large, at least 3-3 1/2 feet tall.

Daytona Beach

Today was a beautiful day so we went to the beach. We cruised the beach, since you can drive on the beach there, and found a good spot to watch the waves for awhile. Life is good!

Not everyone had a great day.

That's Clear

Blue Springs State Park was our next stop in Florida. The springs are one of four of the largest in Fla. The water is crystal clear and the water temp. is a steady 72 degrees year round and from Nov. to Mar. is the winter home to West Indias Manatees. The springs produce 100 million gallons of water a day. We were to early to see the manatees but, we did see lots of fish and birds. The picture is of a gar fish floating in the clear water.

Fresh Shrimp

While on Jekyll Island we just had to have some fresh seafood.
So while watching these folks do some shrimping in drag nets one fellow sold us enough for a couple of meals. Yummy fresh wild Ga. shrimp! Yes Jim, fishing was good!

Willie Wagon

Couldn't resist this sign.

Jerri, this one is for you!

Visiting Jekyll

Leaving Savannah behind we traveled on down Hwy 17 about 90 mi.to Jekyll Island, Ga. Jekyll is on a island about 10 mi. long and
maybe 2 mi. wide. It is most well known for the Jekyll Island Inn and it's historical visitors. This was the place where some of the rich and famous spent their winters in their "winter cottages.

Most of the residents were very rich and well to do people. People like Goodyear's, Macy's, and Rockefeller's were just a few. They had their winter homes here from 1880's to the 1940's and the Jekyll Island Club scene ended, mostly due to the Great Depression and WWII. The State of Ga. bought the Island in 1947 for $647,000.00.

Today it is a popular vacation spot and you can stay in the old club house, The Jekyll Island Club Inn, which has been renovated back to it's hayday. We are staying at the campground on the other end of the island. There are 4 golf courses on the island. We played The Pines course and it was a beautiful way to spend a day. There are bike paths all over the island and a great way to see everything. We toured the historical areas on our bikes (lots of flat land to ride on). Lot of wildlife and fishing. The beaches are fine during low tide, but disappear at high tide. Stayed here 4 nights and this time of year is great, no crowds.

Savannah, Ga

Moving on we made a 3 day stop in Savannah, Ga. my favorite southern town. The weather was warm ,but it was a beautiful day. We are staying at Skidaway Island state park it is a very nice park with lots of live oak trees and spanish moss with nice shady sites. The campground is about 15 miles from downtown. We have been here sveral times also, so we just went into town one afternoon. We visited the Bonaventure cemetary and took a few pics of some of the headstone. The most facinating one is the stone figure of a little girl named Gracie, she died at 6 of yellow fever. The statue was designed by a guy who had a photo of her in her Easter dress and it is life size. Legend has it she roams the cemetary at times and has been seen by several people on different occasions. The birdgirl statue which is on the cover of the book "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" is no longer in the cemetary, but it is on display at the Telfair museum in town because people were taking pieces for souviners.

Moving on down the road

After leaving Gaffney, SC we made our way to the coast and made a stop in Charleston, SC. We've been here several times so we just made a short visit to the historical district and then on to eat. We stopped at a little place on 17N about 15 miles out of Charleston called SeeWee's. They specialized in seafood (of course) so we had some and it was great and the place was right quaint, it has been in business for 50 yr in the same location.

Camp Freightliner...School

We spent two days Sept 16-17 in Gaffney, SC attending this class on the Freightliner chassis. The class was taught by Mike Cody and he was a great teacher. Learned lots about our chassis and got some good tips and website info. They even gave us a place to park with electric and feed us.

Help!

Jerry has been fishing for the "big one" but, no such luck. Jim where are you we need some lessons!!!!

Finally Cool weather

Finally the weather cooled down and it is time for a fire and a weeney roast Harry and Arlene joined us for hot dogs and s'mores. The fire felt great, it was in the 50's that night for the first time in several months of hot humid weather. Good times!

Hammock Time

Oh, the lazy, hazy days of summer! Jerry is taking this relaxing thing to far now!

Cole turns 1

Grandbaby Cole turned 1 yr. old on 7-09-2010.

Finally!

Well after 7 weeks at our temporary spot in Chattanooga we have finally moved up to our homebase in Crossville, Tn.

This will be our spot when we are not traveling. Mostly for just a couple of months in the summer.

We had our site set up last year with all utilities and had a road put in to get back to the water. It's a very relaxing place when we are not trying to make it more homey. We would like to take out a few more trees in order to see the lake better, so maybe this year and then again maybe next. Our best friends live next door, so we build a campfire and they will come!

We plan on being here until schools get back in session and the campgrounds thin out ,then we will head out for places unknown and toad's wild adventure begins!

long driveway

morning coffee on the boat