I love just sitting and passing the time watching people as they walk by. Like the time we sat for a bit at the Farmers Market in Asheville. First there was the cute little girl walking by with ice cream running down her face and shirt. There wasn’t enough napkins in her mother’s purse to help that mess. The little old lady and her husband buying fresh tomatoes and practically shucking every ear of corn to find that perfect cob while the vender stood close by with arms crossed and frowning. Clearly not happy about the events in front of him. And then there were the crocs. A fashion faux pas if I’ve ever seen one. Florescent orange. Sky blue. Bright red. There was even a teenage boy wearing cammie crocs. Now that’s where I would draw the line! The joke around our house is that I’ll be buried in a pair if I‘m not a good girl. Shylers, I thought you loved me more than that.

And we did our fair share of stimulating Asheville’s economy at the Farmers Market. Tomatoes, green beans, egg plant, potatoes. All locally grown, all fresh and just for the two of us. You’d think I was buying for an army. Yes sir, an army of two. The tomatoes were great on our hamburgers. The green beans were stringy, even though the vendor told me exactly how to cook them before warning me they tended to be tough and stringy. I should have listened and chosen the “greasy green bean“ variety, whatever that is.

We had a great time in Asheville and to tell you the truth, if we didn’t love Brandon so much and the lure of little Drake grandbabies, we’d end our trip right now and right here in Asheville. We’ve always loved North Carolina and it will be hard to leave the state when the time comes.

We pulled into Wilson’s RV Camp just off the 240 Interstate. I suppose saying “off“ the 240 is putting it mildly. It‘s more like right next to the 240. In fact, you‘d think you had pitched your tent on the shoulder of the 240. The only good thing about Wilson’s RV Camp is it’s located on the French Broad river so you have spectacular views of the river. Don’t turn around though because there’s that 240 again. We paid for the next 4 nights and was told by the gentleman behind the counter to “go pick any spot.” So we did. We found a lovely spot next to the river. In fact, it was the only remaining spot next to the river so we considered ourselves lucky. We crawled out of the truck and set up camp. Leveled the trailer the best we could. I still think those bubbles are off! Brian unhooked the truck from the trailer, pulled out the awning and set out the lawn chairs. I was just getting ready to start dinner when Brian came in, “We have to move.” “What? What do you mean we have to move? We just got here.” John, a 76 year old retired salesman, who used to make $200,000 a year but now lives on $1000 a month Social Security, living out of his boat because somebody screwed him out of $800 and a trailer and blah, blah, blah (my mind drifted after that) had apparently paid for that spot and wanted it back. And he was starting to get nasty about it. Brian had me call the manager, whom we just left at the front office. Since I couldn’t understand a word he was saying, I handed the phone to Brian. Not that he wasn’t speaking English, he sported a heavy southern accent and talked something like Boomhauer from King of the Hill. I couldn’t understand a word that came out of that man’s mouth! We were both shocked when “Boomhauer” told Brian, “You tell him to go find another spot.” We could see where that argument was heading. “911. What’s your emergency?” “ We’ve got a mad man fighting us for our camp spot. Send somebody fast! We’re right off the 240, uhhhh, more like, on the 240.” Being the understanding individuals we are, we packed it up and moved. We spent the next 4 sleepless nights listening to semi’s exiting the 240 right behind our trailer. And what is it with those Jake Brakes anyway? I swear those truck drivers do that on purpose!

The Grand Staircase

Our first day was spent at the Biltmore Estates. Someone told us they’d heard tickets to the Biltmore are $60 a person. Wow! They weren’t that much the last time I visited but that was a long time ago. In fact, almost 10 years ago. A little internet investigation and sure enough, $60 a pop. A little more research and we were fortunate enough to find a location where we could purchase tickets for $50 a person. Honestly, I would have rather done something else as I didn’t think the entry prices were worth it but Brian had never been to the Biltmore. Even though the entry fees were steep, I’m glad we went. The grounds are absolutely breath taking and the house itself… well, one can only dream.

George Washington Vanderbilt completed the 250 room mansion in 1895 (including 43 bathrooms) when he was still a bachelor. He was an avid reader, owning over 23,000 books. He kept a log of the books he read and from the time he started keeping track to the time he passed away, he had read 3,045 books. He was once dubbed ,“The best read man in America.” The house is absolutely gorgeous and George Vanderbilt thought of everything. He included a secret door and passageway on the second floor behind the library’s chimney, which Vanderbilt designed for use by his guest. This allowed his guests to slip downstairs, perhaps in their night clothes, and select a bedtime book to read without having to descend the grand spiral staircase in the center of the home. Along with the massive library, his guests would find an indoor heated swimming pool, complete with an underwater lighting system that is still operational today. And if his guests weren’t up for a swim, they had the option of either working out in the state of the art weight room or they could bowl at the indoor bowling alley.

Biltmore Conservatory

And the grounds of the Biltmore are absolutely beautiful. Plants that where not purchased were prorogated in the various greenhouses and displayed around the original 125,000 acres in formal gardens or in the Conservatory. If you ever get the chance, we highly recommend a visit to the Biltmore Estates. We would definitely recommend shelling out the extra $10 for the audio tour as it gives a better insight into the Vanderbilt family and how they lived on the estate.

Our next journey will be to the top of Chimney Rock. See you there!

Oh fuuuuuddddge!

What was THAT??? As it turned out, “THAT“, was a blown tire and yes, you guessed it…on the fifth wheel. We had just left Mississippi heading to Georgia through Alabama when we heard a muffled “bam” and what felt like something had a hold of the truck and trailer for a minute second then let go again. “Pull over, I’m not feeling very comfortable with this. We need to check it out.” So Brian pulls to the side of the road. We get out and each walk down our side of the truck and trailer. “I don’t see anything wrong over here,” Brian yells to me. “I see the problem.” He wanders around my side of the trailer and there you have it, a blown tire. Not flat, but shredded to smitherings. As I’m standing there watching him change the tire his favorite movie, Christmas Story, popped into mind. “Time me!” “Oh fuuuuudddddge!”

Savannah and Charleston are both towns surrounded by a boat load of history. Between the two cities, there’s over 600 years of history which equates to a lot of zzzzz’s in history class.

Johnson Square

Savannah, “Georgia’s First City,” is known for it’s park like squares originally intended to provide colonists space for military exercises. To this date, 22 of the original 24 squares still exist, all of which are part of Savannah’s historic district. Charleston is known as “The Holy City” due to it’s many churches for the fact it was one of the few cities in the original thirteen colonies to provide religious tolerance. Charleston is also known for The Battery and Ft. Sumter.


The movies, Forrest Gump, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Something to Talk About, and Forces of Nature (just to name a few) were filmed in Savannah. The Patriot, Cold Mountain, The Notebook, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls and Dear John (again, just to name a few), were filmed in Charleston.

Lady & Sons

Both cities are situated on the coastal waters of the Atlantic Ocean. They both have beautiful historical districts and they’re both fun cities to visit. But Savannah has what Charleston doesn’t and that’s Paula Deen and of course, all I have to say is “food” and Brian’s up for a good meal any time of the day!! We arrived at Lady & Sons at 11am. Now Paula has become so famous, her restaurant no longer takes reservations for parties under 10. You submit your name to the hostess and she’ll tell you when you can return to eat. It‘s a first come first served basis. At 11 in the morning, the only times left for a party of two were on the second floor in the bar at 2:15 or 3:30. Or we could come back at 9 o’clock that night for a table on the ground floor.

At 2:15 we were escorted to the bar where we were placed, not at a table in the bar, but at the bar itself. Now, eating at the bar wouldn’t have been so bad in itself, but Brian sat through the entire meal talking to the gentleman next to him while the wives, who where to the outside of their husbands, sat and ate in silence. Brian wasn’t at all impressed with the food and thought it over priced. For the most part, I enjoyed the food and also thought the prices a little high but given the fact it was Paula Deen’s restaurant, it was all relative. I can now mark that one off my Bucket List.

Tybee Island, GA
Lighthouse

While in Savannah we stayed on Tybee Island which we both thoroughly enjoyed. Every evening was spent bicycling on the beach and watching Georgia’s sunsets. We toured Tybee Island’s lighthouse which is the oldest lighthouse in Georgia. The bottom 60 feet of the lighthouse date back to 1773. The upper 94 feet were built in 1867. What I was amazed to learn is the walls of the tower are over 12 feet thick at the base of the lighthouse! The light from the lens is the original Fresnel lens and can be seen 18 miles out to sea. From the top, are beautiful views of Tybee Island and the Atlanta ocean. During the day we strolled through the streets of Savannah, ending up on River Street which is one of the oldest areas of Savannah and where you’ll find original cobble stone streets.

The Marsh land at
James Island

In Charleston we stayed at the James Island County Park & Campground on James Island which happens to be one of the most family and dog friendly park we’ve yet to see. They had just about everything you could possibly wish including a lake, climbing wall, water park, crabing & fishing, bike paths and dog park. Again, our evenings were spent on our bikes with our days touring Charleston. To get a feel of the city, we took a carriage ride which neither Brian nor myself thought was as good as our carriage ride in New Orleans. We chose the Palmetto Carriage (you’ll recognize them by their big red barn) for the hour long tour which seemed to wander aimlessly through the streets of Charleston. We felt they really didn’t show us much, missing a lot of the sights we noticed the other carriage companies toured. Our guide was great and the company itself was great but we would definitely recommend another company should you ever decide to tour Charleston by carriage.

Lunch was at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company which has the best hush puppies, and I’m going to go out on a limb here and say they have the best hush puppies in the world! I tried to con our waiter into giving me the recipe but he wasn’t about to fork it over. I’ve tried looking for the recipe on the internet but I’m not that lucky. Oh, I found their recipe but it’s an old recipe. They’ve changed their ingredients and they’re not giving out the new “secret?” recipe. Drats! Because they’re THAT good!

While in Charleston, we toured Boone Hall Plantation and Gardens and Ft. Sumter. Boone Hall is touted as being “America’s Most Photographed Plantation” and I can certainly understand why. There’s a half mile allée of live oak trees leading to the plantation which were planted in 1743. The moss-draped branches meet overhead creating a natural corridor and a scene which one will remember for quite some time. Nine of the twenty seven slave quarters still exist on the grounds. The gardens of Boone Hall Plantation which are home to antique roses that date back more than 100 years are a little unkept but are still worth viewing. The plantation itself is still a working plantation continuously growing and producing crops for over 320 years. Today, the plantation produces peaches, strawberries, tomatoes and pumpkins as well as many other fruits and vegetables. We were only allowed to tour the ground floor of the house since it is a privately owned home and the owners still occupy the second floor. If you’ve ever seen the movie, The Notebook, you might recognize Boone Hall. The front of the Calhoun house is actually the Boone Plantation and a couple of scenes were filmed at the lake and grounds of the Boone Plantation.

Ft. Sumter is where the first shots of the Civil War began on April 12, 1861. When constructed, it stood 3 stories tall and was practically reduced to rubble due to the war. What’s most interesting about Ft. Sumter is not only was it used during the Civil War, it was also used during the Spanish-American War along with WWI and WWII. Today, you can still see some of the original cannons and there are also shells from the Civil War which are lodged in the walls.

Dueling Butchers???

The Old Trace

After roaming through Vicksburg National Military Park for a while, we drove the Natchez Trace to mom and Jims. For those of you who don’t have a clue as to what the Natchez Trace is, and again, either they didn’t teach this in history class or I must have been asleep, the trace being well over 400 miles long, stretches from Natchez, through Alabama and ending up in Nashville, TN. It started out as a path used by buffalo, then American Indians and as the 1800’s came around, it was used as the main return route for traders who, rather than fight the Mississippi River currents, sold their flatboats for the timber in Natchez and walked home via the trace. It eventually became the most heavily traveled road in the Old Southwest. Today you can still see segments of the original trace which show many years of heavy foot, animal and wagon travel that have literally worn a deep path through the land. And even though I wasn’t able to stop and get a picture of locations of the trace where trees and vegetation will not grow even today, I was able to get this picture where you can still see the road cut through the landscape.

William Brothers

Our time at mom and Jim’s was pretty uneventful which is a good thing because that also means no “fiver” problems. We did drive to Meridian for parts, which as of today’s date Brian still needs to put on the trailer, and stopped at Williamsville on our way home. Now Williamsville is not a town but actually a store and I’m not sure why they call it Williamsville but the store’s legal name is Williams Brothers. Maybe they call it Williamsville because you can buy just about anything you want in the store in a relatively small area. They sell clothes, cowboy boots, saddles, tack, hats, gloves, food, just about anything you can think of, they have it. If you’ve never been to Williamsville, you just haven’t lived cause this store is an experience all to itself! Thought you’d get a kick out of this picture of this butcher. There’s actually two butchers facing each other, both hard at work slicing meat for patrons. Yeah, it’s kind of like dueling butchers!

One place mom and Jim took us was French Camp. Now, I’ve seen French Camp while working on my Lowery genealogy but never knew there was actually anything there. I’d always thought it was a community or something. Kind of like a subdivision in a city… Moon Valley, but come to find out French Camp is a real town founded about 1810. It‘s not a large one and it’s actually on the map but I think what French Camp is most famous for now days is it’s Christian Academy with a campus hosting children in grades 1-12.

We started in the historic district of French Camp where there are old structures with some dating back to the early 1800’s. Lunch was in the Council House Café where Brian had one of their signature BLT’s. This thing was so large there was no way I would have been able to finish an entire sandwich myself so I opted for their broccoli salad. Both were quite yummy and we would recommend either to a weary traveler. We walked around a bit and ended up in their Alumni Museum where I found photographs of every senior of the French Camp Academy dating back to the mid- 1940’s. Not letting the opportunity pass me by, I scanned the classes and found a few photos of my Lowery’s which I was able to take photos of for my family history.

Since I’m scouting a new location to hold our next Lowery family reunion, we ended up at the Academy to check out their facilities which I might add, are great for reunions or any other type of functions. The staff at the Academy were very gracious and our personal tour was given by the pastor’s wife who introduced us to just about everyone there, and believe me, there are a lot of people who help run the Academy! One man we met was Edwin Faughan who’s the artist that created the night scene for the Titanic exhibit. If you remember the room with the large “iceberg” depicting how chilly the air and water was the night the ship went down, Edwin was the man who created and painted the exact sky pattern on that fateful night. And in case we didn’t want to potluck it at our reunion, she also introduced us to a gentleman who is a caterer, H. Glen Barlow. Along with being a caterer, Glen also happens to be the Mayor of French Camp, a radio host of French Camp’s radio station and a pastor at a church over in the Delta. Now that’s a Jack-of-all-Trades!!! And since he also heads his family reunion every year, he was eager to pass on some helpful tips for our next reunion. The only problem we found with French Camp Academy is they don’t allow family reunions to be held at the Academy during the months of June & July so that pretty much puts us out since we usually have our reunion in June. Bummer, cause the Academy seemed to be next to perfect.

Hog Maw?!?

What the....???

Ok, before I move on to Vicksburg I want to back track and return to St. Francisville. Before leaving town, we stopped at the local grocery store to stock up for dinner that night. While Brian waited outside with Emma, I ran in and eventually ended up in the meat department. I know people probably thought I’d lost my mind as I snapped away but I couldn’t believe some of the meat they had all wrapped in clear packages offered up for sale. I was amazed to see pigs feet, pigs tails, chicken necks and something called hog maw. My first thought was this stuff must be used for voodoo, a witches brew or something of the sorts. Even the clerk had no idea what hog maw was when I asked. “I don’t know what it is but I see people buying it all the time. Hey Shirley! What’s hog maw?” As it turns out, not even Shirley knew what hog maw was. “I can call the butcher if you’d like.” “No thanks.” I figured I’d bypass the butcher and just Google hog maw. As it turns out, hog maw is the lining of a pig’s stomach used in soul food, and other ethnic dishes. YUCK! Don’t think we’ll be having any hog maw any time soon and as far as the other “meat” items I saw in the store, I’m sticking with the “brew.”

Vicksburg was… well, it was Vicksburg. I’d been to Vicksburg National Military Park back in the summer of ’73 (no Brandon and Shyla, that’s 1973, not 1873!) and then again in October of 1999 but Brian had never been to Vicksburg so we (I) decided he needed to see that part of Mississippi. The drive through the park is 16 miles long with numerous monuments located throughout the park. And even though this was my third trip, I was pleased to learn the national park service had added short movies about the siege of Vicksburg along with information on the various monuments. Volunteers were staged in an area outside the visitors center depicting how the Union Army maintained their firing positions during the siege. Two to three times a day, they would shoot their large cannon much to the dismay of the business owners nearby. I spoke with one young volunteer who had just graduated from high school and had been volunteering 40 hours a week of his summers for the last eight years. He must thoroughly love what he’s doing because he is required to wear full Union Army uniforms in the sweltering heat and humidity. The young volunteers along with the park rangers were well informed about the siege of Vicksburg and were eager to share their knowledge and answer any questions one might have.

Illinois Monument

Back inside the visitors center, we learned the monument erected by the state of Illinois was built at a cost of $194,423.92 in 1906. This cost was 24% of their entire state budget for that year! Above the entry of the Illinois monument there are three figures, the middle being a female figure of Clio, the muse of history who is recording the deeds of the two figures beside her representing the North and South reunited in peace. Nowhere on this monument you will find anything related to war. There are no fire arms, cannons, cannon balls, swords, bullets… nothing to remind anyone of the ugly war between the states. The Illinois monument is probably one of the most beautiful in the entire park but each monument has it’s own story to tell.

USS Cairo with damage from Confederate mine

We also had to make a stop at the U.S.S. Cairo, an ironclad gunboat constructed for the Union Navy. On Dec. 12, 1862, a Confederate torpedo tore open Cairo’s bow. The Cairo sank in 12 minutes and became the first armored warship sunk by an electrically detonated mine. The damage from the mine can be seen on the port bow. It wasn’t until 1960 when they discovered it’s exact whereabouts and finally brought her to surface in 1964. What’s amazing about this ship is like the Titanic, they were able to retrieve a lot of items from the ship which are housed in a small museum located next to the Cairo. The Cairo was powered by steam from boilers which were kept going 24/7, even when in port. Can you image working in the boiler room of the Cairo in the middle of summer in a uniform made of wool and cotton? And we think we’ve got it tough these days!

It’s really hard to imagine the destruction and the many lives lost at Vicksburg during the siege. Actually, it’s hard to imagine anyone living through the Civil War at all. There were over 600,000 casualties. More than the 6 wars combined which followed the War Between the States. Makes one wonder if we ever learned anything from this particular war.

Natchez with Problems

Arriving Natchez on the 19th of July (yeah, I’m that far behind) we set up camp in a state park campground. We’ve pretty much decided that we’re beginning to really enjoy the state parks over any other RV campground. They are extremely quiet, you get that “I’m camping!” feel since you’re not smack in the middle of town and even though you might not have “full” hookups, meaning water, electric and sewer, they’re definitely worth the price, most being around $20 a night. The state park in Natchez has been the cleanest state park we’ve ever yet to see and even had a washer and dryer in the bath house which we’ve never seen before.

 

Mom and her husband, Jim, drove over from Philadelphia (MS not PA) to join us. The plan was to stay in Natchez for a night or two, then head up to Vicksburg, tour the battlefield and over to mom’s for a stay. As luck would have it, or better yet, I’m beginning to think Brian actually put a hex on the 5th wheel so he can trade it in for another, we ran in to problems causing us to extend our stay in Natchez for 4 days.

It all started when Jim’s brother unexpectedly passed away and he needed to return home for a couple of days back in Philadelphia. Since we were scheduled for the spot we held for only 2 nights, we were required to pull up camp and move our trailer from one location to another within the park. As we were packing things up we ran in to problems with the awning which no amount of JB Weld, bailing wire or Duct Tape could ever fix.

This position seems to be a reoccuring event

As we were retracting the awning, it stuck in the half way position. Not budging, we unrolled the thing and tried again. It stuck again. And again the third time it stuck. On the fourth try, it finally retracted all the way to the trailer but this time there was a loud crack and bang. Low and behold, disaster number… oh heck, I’ve lost count by now. As it turned out, the lag bolts on a post connecting the awning to the trailer ripped away shredding the wood under the siding and ripping a large tear in the thin fiberglass siding. As I’m standing there in disbelief, I’m not sure whether to cry or start cursing like a sailor. Even I know this is serious and this is not going to be an easy fix.

The next morning, Brian drove to town and found that “Southern Hospitality” again when he explained our situation to the hardware store and they didn’t charge for the scraps of wood we need for repairs. He returned with electric drill, plywood, 2 x 4’s, furring strips, nails and screws and starts to work. Yes, it was hot and humid out and it took us the better part of 2 days to repair the damage but she’s as good as new, or so I’d like to think. Brian still wants to trade her in.

When we tore everything apart, we learned the problem with the awning actually stemmed from production. One of the lag bolts was no where near being placed in wood and the other was barely screwed in to the wood at all. We were really surprised there were no problems with the awning before now. Must be that hex Brian placed on the trailer.

With the awning repaired, we were once again free to play so we cleaned up and headed to Natchez where we decided to tour an antebellum home. Natchez is famous for their antebellum homes and holds a Pilgrimage every spring and fall where twenty-four antebellum mansions, all of them private residences, open their doors to visitors during a two to five week period. Hostesses dress in period costume and will recount the history of each home’s occupants and furnishings. Even though I’ve never attended one of Natchez’ Pilgrimages, I understand there’s a mint julep or two involved.

The Stanton Hall - Natchez, MS

For our house tour, we chose The Stanton Hall which was built in 1858 on an entire city block. The city block itself cost about $1,550 with the house costing over $83,000 before it was even furnished which was a lot of greenbacks back in the day! Ironically, the gentleman who had the house built, only lived one month after his home was finished. The home was beautifully furnished and was used during the filming of the movie, North and South. General Douglas McArthur and his family even stayed at the Stanton Hall during a visit to Natchez.

We decided we’d wait until Jim returned the next day before touring Vicksburg park so we drove back to our "fivers" (5th wheels) and called it a day with grub and a good game of Chicken Foot (Dominos).

St. Francisville, LA

We left Captain Ted and Cajun Encounters and headed north to spend the night with my cousin, Lee Ann. Now, before we move on to our visit with Lee Ann and her family, I want to interject and say we really did enjoy our swamp adventure with Captain Ted and Cajun Encounters. We chose this particular company over others from a video review Kelly Ripa gave from a tour she took with her family. This company was on top of their game and they really delivered the goods. Brian and I give Cajun Encounters “two thumbs up” even with chatty Captain Ted as our guide.

 

Ferry across the Muddy Mississippi

We said goodbye to Lee Ann and Bubba, boarded the ferry to cross the Mississippi River and headed north to St. Francisville, LA.

Yummo!!

Lunch was at The Magnolia Café which is a little hole in the wall with great food. Brian ordered the muffuletta and knowing I was soon leaving the state, once again ordered the red beans and rice. Both dishes were fantastic and if you’re ever in St. Francisville make sure your stop includes The Magnolia Café.

Rosedown

While in St. Francisville, we toured the Rosedown Plantation and Gardens. The Rosedown was built in 1835 at a cost of $13,109.20 and included 3500 acres with 450 slaves. The plantation was quite self sufficient in it’s day as the grounds included vegetable and herb gardens, a greenhouse, a kitchen (which in 1835 was a separate structure from the main house), and an orchard. The owner of Rosedown even built a doctor’s office on the plantation when his youngest son passed away from yellow fever in 1844. A local doctor was hired to take care of the family, slaves and visiting guests. In the gardens of Rosedown is a Loblolly Pine, one of the oldest trees at Rosedown and one of the oldest pines in the state. They estimate it to be over 300 years old and has a lightening rod at the top to protect it from lightning strikes.

Formal  Gardens at Rosedown

We were told by our guide that the movie, Big Valley, is due to film at the plantation in a couple of weeks. They will be filming the outdoor scenes at Rosedown with the indoor scenes filmed at another plantation in St. Francisville. In fact, as we were leaving, a crew was installing the wrought iron gates for the movie. I can only imagine what it would be like to live in such a beautiful house back in 1835.

I want to finish our “adventure” in St. Francisville saying how much we appreciate the staff at Rosedown. Since we had our little dog, Emma, with us and she wasn’t allowed inside the house, they were kind enough to watch her in their office while we toured the home. And since Brian and I were the only 2 people in our specific time slot for the home tour, we were able to learn so much more than had we been in a large group. Our guide, Sasha, answered every question we had and told us many stories about the family, property and every day life on the plantation. A big thank you to the wonderful staff at Rosedown.

We’re now heading to Mississippi to visit my mother and her husband. See you there!!!

Cajun Encounters

Ready for my gator tour!

We donned our mosquito spray and headed out the next morning to our scheduled Swamp Tour. We climbed into the boat and settled down for what was to be a fun adventure and took off. Our guide, “Captain Ted”, was the most long winded individual we’ve come across in a while. He had stories he told of his dead grandpa, his baby sister, his girlfriend, of his childhood growing up in the swamp, how chicken is the worst food you can ever eat, “Chicken eat their own poop.” Then he got off onto a tangent about how you need a threesome in order to mate alligators held in captivity. We looked around the boat at all the young children and their parents who were sitting with their mouths wide open, as these young kids were trying to decipher what Captain Ted had just said. He even went in to details about how he’s neighbors with Brad Pitt and with Captain Ted being the president of his homeowners association, went to welcome Brad and his family to the neighborhood only to get the door slammed in his face. He went on to say, they became good friends after Captain Ted told Brad he was a professional photographer and if the Paparazzi didn’t take a picture of Captain Ted, his girlfriend or any of his friends, Captain Ted wouldn’t take pictures of Brad and his family. Yeah right, Captain Ted. We never thought Captain Ted would stop talking and couldn’t wait to leave his clutches.

And according to the "Captain", Louisiana is the only location where cypress trees grow. When I inquired about the cypress trees growing in swamp areas along the Natchez Trace in Mississippi, he was quick to point out those are not cypress trees in Mississippi but some other type of tree. I didn't argue with him at the time but have since confirmed what I already knew. "Captain", those are bald cypress trees growing in Mississippi.

Cindy

In between his stories, we did learn that alligators grow a foot a year for the first so many years and then something or another after that. Both Brian and I eventually tuned him out figuring he was full of nothing but hot air. Here’s a picture of Cindy. An 11 foot alligator who Captain Ted determined was about 60 years old. Did you know alligators like marshmallows and hot dogs?? Neither did we until our Swamp Tour with Captain Ted.

One could only imagine the beauty and serenity of the swamp if not for Captain Ted’s constant rambling.


We’ll miss you Captain Ted… NOT!

The Big Easy

Louisiana has got to have the worst roads in the world!!! The minute we hit the state line, we were in for a ride! They need to add to their vacation brochures, “Come to The Big Easy, and don’t forget to pack your kidney belt and sports bra!!!” The highways in Louisiana are constructed of concrete, which makes for a rough ride, and the surface streets don’t seem to be any better. Without offending anyone here, I’m not sure what the state spends their tax dollars on but it’s certainly not their roads!

We’re bouncing along on the 90 when I had just dozed off. “What was that?” Whatever the noise was, I could hear it through my pillow and it was loud enough to wake me up. Brian looked in the rear view mirror. We didn’t leave anything laying in the middle of the road so we kept going. At one point, while stopped for gas, I even joked the trailer wasn’t level. Now, I realize the trailer wouldn‘t be level at that particular spot but we’ve been having a time trying to level the trailer when we set up. We’re both convinced the bubbles on this thing aren’t level to begin with which Brian says is another reason to trade her in! We pulled in to Lake Ponchatrain Landing RV Park in New Orleans and backed the trailer into our spot. As I reached to put the blocks under the tires to help level the trailer, Brian made the comment, “The tires shouldn’t be touching each other like that. Something’s definitely wrong here.” He crawled under the trailer to see what the problem was and learned we had broken a leaf spring on one of the axles. Great! Another item to add to his list of reasons to trade this thing in. They just keep adding up!

After $370 later and sitting around until late the next afternoon waiting for the mobile RV repairman, we decided it was too late to go to the French Quarter so we opted for the RV park’s bar instead, where I might add, Nate the bartender, part owner, full time operator, cook, chauffer, tour guide and all-around good guy, made one heck of a margarita. I couldn’t resist taking a picture of the sign hanging over his bar. Maybe he's got something here…

So we lost a day in the Big Easy but what the heck, it’s New Orleans! We boarded the shuttle the next morning and off we go to the French Quarter. On the way, Nate the bartender, part owner, full time operator, cook, chauffer, tour guide and all-around good guy, put on his tour guide hat and started to relay where and what to do and the areas we needed to avoid. One of them being the cemeteries unless we go in a group due to the high volume of muggings. We looked at one another and realized two does not constitute a “group” so figured we’d stay away from that area all together. I asked Nate questions about a few houses I’d seen that were vacant and obviously ravaged by a hurricane or two. Yes, those were the remnants of hurricane Katrina and yes, the ninth ward was the hardest hit but only because of the levee break. “And what ward does the RV Park sit?” He gave a little laugh and almost like I was pulling fingernails, tells us, “The ninth ward.” Great. That explains the seedy area we drove through, just before the sun set, to get to the rv park. And that also explains the high fence and electric gates as you enter the park.

We stepped off the shuttle and we’re standing in the middle of the French Quarter. We decided the first thing we would do is take a carriage ride so we can get a feel for the area and learn a little about it’s history. We were shown a building which was built for Napoleon (he died but a few months before completion) and our driver even pointed out the house where Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie live when they’re in New Orleans. As I jump off the carriage, Brian looked at me and asked, “Are you hungry?” One thing I’ve learned on this trip is if Brian asks me if I’m hungry, it actually means, he’s the hungry one. So off to look for a restaurant we go. We happened on the best little restaurant in the French Quarter by the name of The Gumbo Shop. We both opted for the creole platter complete with shrimp creole, red beans and rice and French bread. And I’m happy to report, I’m back in the land of sweet tea!!! Brian hates the stuff but I can’t get enough of it! Yeah I know, I can make it at home but it’s just not the same.

We roamed around the French Quarter a bit, took the ferry from New Orleans to Crescent City and back, then headed to Bourbon Street. Nate the bartender, part owner, full time operator, cook, chauffer, tour guide and all-around good guy suggested we take the ferry to the other side of the river to see a different view of New Orleans. Next time we’ll know not to waste our time with the ferry and I suggest, if you‘re ever in New Orleans to stay clear of the ferry as well, Bourbon street is much more fun We wandered into The Absinthe Bar bellied up to the bar and ordered our drinks. The bottle of Zinfandel was rancid when the bartender opened it so she ran to the neighboring bar and returned with my daiquiri in hand. Back out on Bourbon Street we walked up one side then down the other, can’t imagine what that place must look like at Mardi Gras but we were told by Nate the bartender, part owner, full time owner… awhhh, you get the picture… that store owners will actually smear Vaseline on the top of their posts to keep people from climbing up the poles to the 2nd story balconies. Yes, whatever happens in New Orleans, stays in New Orleans, oh yeah, that’s Vegas.

Tomorrow??? The Swamp Tour! Can’t wait!!!

We pulled in to the Spring Creek RV Park just on the outskirts of Tyler, Texas. The description in the Woodall’s book says, “good paved/gravel interior roads.” Apparently what Woodall’s didn’t know was a huge storm swept through this area a couple of weeks ago dumping a bunch of rain causing a nearby dam to break and wiped out the road to the rv park. What all this equates to is the county road leading to the rv park now is home to huge potholes and is impossible to avoid. Other than the fact you’ve got 39 sites all vying for one washer and one dryer, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Spring Creek.

Right off the bat we met the young couple next to us. Their oldest came over while we were setting up. “I’m Lane, what’s your name?” Lane had a younger sister, Brooklyn. She was only 21 months old but she could talk up a storm and had that cute little southern drawl to match her cute little blonde curls. The morning we left, the family came over to bid us farewell and wish us well on our travels.

Of all places, you’re probably wondering why Tyler, Texas. Those of you who know me, know I love to work on our family history, and it just so happens, some of my Lowery’s migrated (ok, were banished) to that area. I have a husband (lucky girl), who might not always understand, but is loving enough to let me spend a couple of days in the local library, “hunting for dead people” or “time for a self pedicure“, as he calls it. (Brian threw his humor in there.)

I entered the genealogy department of the Tyler Library and heard, “How can I help you?” That was all I needed to hear as I asked question after question for the next 4 hours. I’m sure she was sorry she ever addressed me in the first place but by the end of my time in the library we became the best of friends. Anne was a wealth of Smith County information and whenever I needed a book, she knew exactly where it was.

The next day we headed over to the Troup Library where I saw that southern hospitality surface again. “What surname you searching?” And as soon as I told the young man on the other side of the counter, he picked up the phone and started dialing. “You need to talk to Barbara. She’s a Lowery!” As it turned out, Barbara’s mother-in-law was a Lowery and in the short time we spoke, we exchanged email addresses and vowed to keep in touch.

We then headed over to Tyler’s rose garden which is the only thing Tyler is famous for. The 14-acre rose garden is one of only 24 throughout the country and is a trial garden for the All-America Rose Selection (AARS). Roses in the AARS trial garden are evaluated over a 2 year period and must be varieties not previously introduced in the U.S. After this 2 year test period, the “best of the best” are recommended as new introductions into the rose market. The area which I enjoyed the most was the David Austin antique roses and the area which housed their perennial garden. We took pictures and notes of the different rose bushes and plants to store away for our next house.




While I was off playing at the libraries, Brian worked on our hot water heater. Earlier, he accidentally ran all the water out of the tank which fried the heating element. It took him a couple of trips to the rv center for parts but I think he’s got it fixed. Which brings me to the fact he’s driving me crazy with wanting a different 5th wheel. When we first started looking we decided we wanted a trailer with 2 slides, one in the main living area and the other in the bedroom. For those of you who’ve seen the inside of the bedroom area in a 5th wheel, you’ll totally understand, but we found this 5th wheel which has everything we were looking for with the exception of the bedroom slide. So yeah, I guess you can say we settled. You see, every time we pass by an rv center with 5th wheels for sale, he whacks me on the arm and points to the rv lot. Do you realize how many rv lots there are in Texas??? It’s a huge state and I swear, it must be the rv capitol of the world! My left arm is starting to show the wear and tear of his ranting! We did find a brand new 5th wheel in Tyler we both liked but I wasn’t willing to part with the money they wanted for it so we’re still in our 1 slide, postage stamp bedroom, home on wheels.

See ya in The Big Easy!

Ok, I’m totally convinced. They say everything is bigger in Texas and at this point in time, I’d say I’d have to agree. We pulled in to McKinney State Park just outside of Austin and set up camp when Emma decided she needed to relieve herself. So, off we go outside into the wild-blue-yonder. Our first sighting of Texas wildlife, were 2 white-tailed deer grazing only 100 feet from our trailer. Quietly, we stood and watched until they ran back in to the woods. But we’re still wondering what-in-God’s-green-earth we saw next. It was long and skinny and the body had the appearance of bark. It had to be at least 6 to 8 inches and it had pincers on it’s butt! Which by the way, curled up in attack mode when Brian poked it with a stick. It reminded me of a praying mantis, but it wasn’t the same green color as the praying mantis we’re used to seeing and the pincers on the butt… well, have never seen anything quite like that before. Does anyone have any idea what this thing is???

Then to top off the evening, Brian took Emma out for her nightly tinkle when he runs back hollering, “get your camera!” Expecting to see more deer, I grab my camera and tip toe out to where him and Emma are standing only to find Brian, not looking toward the meadow where we’d seen the previous deer sighting but standing there gazing skyward, his neck contorted like some freak show. I stand beside him to follow his gaze and there in the sky, hovering 20 feet above our heads is a HUGE spider busy spinning it’s web from one tree, across the road, and connecting to another tree. Other than the tarantulas we saw the other day, this has got to be the biggest spider I’ve ever seen!! I swear, that thing had to be on steroids!


After the spider episode, we thought we’d call it an evening so retired to the 5th wheel where Brian clobbered me in a game called Blokus and I spanked him in a game of Cribbage. All’s fair in love and war…

The next morning we drove to the downtown area of Austin where we walked around the grounds of the state capitol and let Emma chase the squirrels. Maybe it’s the fact we just left an area of the United States where the average rain fall is less than 9 inches a year but all this “green” is really amazing! The grounds around the state capitol are well manicured and the trees must be well over a hundred years old. We weren’t able to go on the tour of the inside of the capitol because we had Emma with us but I went in to take a peek. The capitol itself was completed in 1888 and is the largest, but not the tallest, state capitol building in the United States.



Lunch was BBQ… Texas style! We stopped and ate at The Iron Works Barbecue in downtown Austin. It’s a simple place with a very casual system where you stand in line, order your BBQ platter or sandwich, go to the cashier counter, sit down and pig out. This place is not for amateur eaters. It’s a lot of meat, and trust me, even hours later, I was still feeling it. Brian had the brisket which he says was fantastic. I had the beef ribs. Beef is really not my favorite but as I was getting ready to order, I guy walked by me with a plate full of the yummy looking ribs, I pointed and said, “I’ll have what he’s got.” I should have stayed with my gut feelings and ordered the chicken as the ribs, even though very tasty, were tough. The BBQ sauce made up for anything lacking in the ribs though. It was out-of-this world YUMMY! If you ever decide to go to The Iron Works, and I highly recommend you do, just keep in mind they don’t have air conditioning which can be a bummer on a hot, humid, summer day. We were lucky, it was raining the day we visited so were able to grab a table in their outdoor seating area and really enjoy ourselves.


Oh… and here’s another thing we ran across that’s “bigger in Texas.”

We're off to Tyler, TX. See ya'll there!

San Antonio

After a wonderful time in Fredericksburg, we pulled up camp and moved on down to San Antonio where we again played “Tourista” and spent our time on the River Walk and toured the Alamo. We started this leg of our adventure at the IMAX theater where we watched a 42 minute movie depicting the historical events of the 13 day siege of the Alamo. Had I stayed awake in history class we could have skipped the $11.50 per person admission fee and saved ourselves the agony of watching a badly directed with even worse acting rendition of the Alamo. I’m not even sure I would call it a “B” movie but none the less, I learned something before touring the Alamo.


I suppose the actual grounds of the Alamo is not exactly what I had pictured before arriving. I was somewhat disappointed to find most of the property which the actual fort sat has now been handed over to commercial buildings. Even though there was a small scale mock-up of the Alamo, it was hard to imagine just how large the fort was back in 1836 compared to what’s left today. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed touring the Alamo and walking through it’s beautifully manicured grounds but I think visiting the Alamo is something you only want to do once. Brian and I were also surprised to learn that most of the defenders of the Alamo weren’t actually Texans at all but men who were from the Northern and Southern states. Kind of makes one wonder why they even bothered to defend the Alamo at all.

After touring the Alamo we wandered over to the River Walk for bit. My cousin lives in San Antonio so we were able to meet her and her husband for dinner. My cousin’s husband, Paul, hates going anywhere near the downtown area so meeting us at the River Walk was a bit of a stretch for him. It was decided we would eat at a local Mexican restaurant so we hopped the city bus, paid our $1.10 fare and rode the 10 blocks or so to his favorite eatery. Even though Brian & I would have preferred to eat somewhere on the River Walk, we really enjoyed Paul’s pick. La Margarita is well known for it’s fajita’s and they definitely lived up to their reputation. The fajita’s were served on a sizzling hot cast iron skillet which both heavy smoke and smell would follow the waiter all the way from the kitchen to your table “en fuego.” The waiter talked me in to trying the Passion Fruit margarita which I’ll have to say is my new, favorite margarita.

After dinner we bid our farewells to Paul and Kay and we walked back down to the River Walk where we hopped a boat for the river tour. Our navigator and tour guide was quite comical and very interesting with all his knowledge of River Walk trivia (I wonder if the tour guides have a River Walk school they attend with a River Walk graduation and a River Walk diploma.) We learned the River Walk is a 2 ½ mile stretch of beautifully landscaped waterfront that features various businesses. In the beginning, Spanish Explorers used the waterway to supply water to their missions. The last flood which was seen at the River Walk was back in 1921 when over 50 people were killed. Since then, various gates and an upstream dam have been constructed and there has been no flooding of the river since the tragic 1921 episode.

With all that being said, San Antonio was a wonderful experience, however spring or fall would be the ideal time to visit. We’re on our way to Austin, TX… blog ya soon!