St. Petersberg, Tampa Bay Area

We arrived in St Petersberg in the Tampa Bay area on Tuesday, July 20th. We stayed at a KOA campground there. The campground was huge, but pretty empty. It was very nice with lots of shade, a lovely pool, a very nice laundry room with open air windows looking out over the pool area. The trees were covered with Spanish Moss and Resurrection Ferns. My kids had never seen these delightful little air plants in action before (nor had Marcus for that matter) so I had to do a demonstration!! You find 2 old dried up, grayish, dead looking air plants on the ground. You put one in water and leave the other out of the water. In about an hour or sometimes even less the one in the water will perk right up and turn green. The other will of course continue to look dead. It's kind of a fun little demonstration!

On Wednesday the 21st, Marcus, Colin and I got up early and went on a bike ride on the rails to trails system there. It is where they convert an old rail track into a bike/pedestrian path. They are very cool! The trail took us across a bridge out over part of the Tampa Bay. We saw some dolphins playing in the water there. After a bit (and some steep uphill climbs) Colin was ready to be done, so we headed back. We explored the rest of the campground, including the part on the bayou with the Mangrove trees lining it. We were lucky enough to get up close and personal with a White Egret. Marcus decided to go out for more of the trail on his bike. When he came back he announced he had had the privilege of seeing an armadillo live and in action (vs. the dozens we saw as roadkill along the way). He was right on the edge of the path scuffling in the grass for grubs. We were all jealous that we missed that delightful experience!

Marcus did the research and found a Massage Envy nearby. So he got himself an appointment and headed off for a bit of loosening up from all the driving he has been doing. We spent a good part of the rest of the day doing laundry and hanging out in the pool. The pool was so warm it wasn't very refreshing, but it was a nice place to be. The laundry room, though, while it was clean and well organized with plenty of new washers and dryers was absolutely FULL of mosquitoes! Doing the laundry was a dangerous business, and this was the time I had decided to do it all... sheets, blankets, towels and clothes! What a saint I was, sacrificing my blood, getting itchy all over, so that my family could have clean stuff, don't you think? Ah well, they didn't think so either. A girl can dream, can't she?

That evening we decided to go out to dinner on the water. We found a place called Caddy's that was very casual, right on the beach. You could sit outside right on the sand, or inside. We chose inside since the sun was so hot. There was a fun band playing that played all of the songs that Marcus and I knew from our younger days. One of the songs that they played was: Don't Worry, Be Happy. We decided that that would be a great theme song for our trip! We had a good dinner, and then headed out to the beach. The boys swam in the gulf in their clothes while Marcus and I sat on the beach and enjoyed the sunset. A woman and her husband came by and told the boys to ask her husband what he had in his pocket. I thought that was a bit odd, but her husband reached into his pocket and brought out two shark's teeth that they had found on the beach. The woman insisted that her husband give the teeth to Colin since he had many years supply at home. We all went back to our trailer contented and happy for a good night's sleep.

Ratings for July 21st

Ann 8 I got lots done, but the mosquitoes were a bit vicious! Caddy's was very relaxing. My Bahama Mama made me happy Mon!

Marcus 9 I enjoyed the bike ride, seeing the armadillo was cool, had a nice evening at Caddy's.

Derek 9 The pool was too hot, but Caddy's was fun! The brown Pelicans got so close it was cool.

Colin 10 Caddy's was epic

Bayous, Swamps and the Gulf

Sunday, July 18th we left our New Orleans KOA camp sight and headed to Honey Island for a Swamp Tour. We rode in a covered boat through the swamps of Louisiana where we saw essentially pet alligators in the wild. The guides know where each of the gators hang out, have names for them, and feed them marshmallows and hot dogs on a stick, so they will jump out of the water and entertain the patrons. I must admit it was cool to see. We also saw some cool birds in the swamp and learned about the flora and fauna of the area. Just as we were coming to an end of our tour, the rain started to come down. We really lucked out with our timing!!

We headed to St. Andrews State Park on the Gulf Coast of Florida right by Panama City Beach for our next stay. It was still hot and very humid! It was funny to see people camping in tents with window air conditioning units sticking out of their tent flaps! You learn a new trick everyday! We must admit we didn't want to be without OUR air conditioner!! We set up our trailer right by a lagoon. Can you believe that as we set up, we were still finding some of our stowaway ant friends?! Once set up, the boys went out and found tons of hermit crabs there on the shore. Colin climbed some rocks nearby to look further and cut his foot pretty badly right on the side by his big toe. It was pretty deep. It kind of scared us all a bit. It bled a lot. We doctored it up and put a bandage on it, but with all the sand and flip flops, it has been great fun to try to keep it clean!

Ratings for Sunday, July 18th

Ann 9 I enjoyed the swamp tour, and had fun with the hermit crabs. I wish Colin hadn't gotten hurt!

Marcus 9 Beautiful spot. Too bad Colin got hurt.

Derek 8 I loved the swamp tour, but I was kinda homesick.

Colin 6 I hated the cut on my foot. Everything else was good.

Monday morning Derek and I hung out at the trailer while Marcus went in to town for some errands. He got a hair cut, had the oil changed and tires rotated, and went shopping. One thing we needed was cortaid for Colin's bad case of poison ivy that he got when visiting the cousins. I thought I should take the kids to the beach, but Derek didn't seem to want to go. I couldn't figure out why, until he explained he thought it would be too cold! He is a Pacific Coast kid! While Marcus was gone, Colin found a Baptist Youth Group from Kentucky. They invited him to join them for games, stories and fun. He really enjoyed them! When Marcus got back, we packed up kids and headed for town where the rest of us got our hairs cut. The cuts weren't the best, but what can you expect on the road?! Next, we headed for the beach (less than a mile away from our campsite). Once the kids were in that water, it was not so easy getting them out! Cold indeed! I would say the water temp there in the Gulf of Mexico was close to 90 degrees! It wasn't really even that refreshing. There were cool shells all along the beach. I sat in my chair and picked the nicest ones from a reachable radius around me while the boys hung out in the water.

Ratings for Monday, July 19th

Ann 8 It was good to get some down time and hair cuts, but I wish we had spent more time at the beach!

Marcus 7 Too much shopping, but good to get things done.

Derek 8 I didn't have enough to do in the beginning, but I enjoyed the beach.

Colin 10 The church guys were really good. The beach was fun. The whole day was just great.

Tuesday morning, we got up early and headed back to the beach for some beach combing. We spent about an hour and a half and found some very cool shells! Around 8 am we headed back to the trailer for breakfast and trailer take down. We were soon to be off to our next location! (By the way, Al, you would be very impressed with how fast and efficient we have gotten with the set up and take down of that thing!

Ratings for Beach Combing

Ann 10!! What a beautiful beach and what great shells!! I had a great time with Colin digging into the sand walls for the best shells!

Marcus 10 Great beach combing.

Derek 10 I loved it, I had so much fun!!

Colin 10 It was great I enjoyed the shells.

French Quarter, Riverboats, and all that Jazz

Yep, that's right, next we went to New Orleans. We stayed at a KOA on the outskirts of town. It wasn't all that to look at, but the staff greatly made up for it! They provided a free shuttle into the French Quarter with plenty of history, Katrina tales, and other interesting facts. We went in that first evening for dinner. We didn't have a plan, and thought we would just wander around and find a place the suited our fancy. Again (Still?!?!) it was hot and humid. Walking around wasn't as much fun as we hoped it would be. It seemed we were finding Ritzy places or dive bars with not much in between. After about an hour, we were all miserable enough that we looked at a guide book and picked a spot and headed for it. It wasn't really the Cajun food we were looking for, but it worked for us at the time.

The next morning we took the shuttle in again around 9:00. This time Scott, the driver took us a different route into town so that we could see another part of town and hear many more interesting tidbits about New Orleans. Once back at the French Quarter we headed for The Court of Two Sisters for brunch on the recommendation of the KOA staff. We had a huge brunch. I think Marcus and Derek even had 6 desserts each! Once our bellies were full to bursting, we headed to the river and climbed aboard the historical Natchez Paddle Boat for our River Boat Cruise! There was a tour narrator who again, gave lots of interesting info about what we were seeing as we went by! We had a good time!

Back at the dock we walked to the Audubon Aquarium. We were NOT the only ones with that idea!! It was so hot and humid, that any place with AC was a popular place to be! I found the aquarium to be ok, but it was just so crowded that I really couldn't enjoy it that much. We are spoiled with our access to the Monterey Bay Aquarium!! Once through the aquarium, we went next door to the IMAX theater and watched Hurricane on the Bayou, which was a cry to save the wetlands because of the role they play in protecting against hurricanes. It showed a lot about what happened during Katrina.

Back to KOA in the shuttle. Yes, he found a 3rd way to go and we learned yet more stuffages about New Orleans. We had a full, good, day.

The Ants Come Marching In!

On July 14th, we packed up our little home away from home and headed for Montgomery, Alabama. We stayed in a campground called Gunter Hill State Park. It was right on a lake. The sites were very big, and there was hardly anyone camping there. The trees were covered in Spanish Moss, it was shady and very nice. The rain came down hard right as we were driving in, but then slowed right back down again... we were lulled into a sense of security and took the time to explore the lake a bit before putting up our trailer. It was beautiful! There was a Great Blue Heron just across the way. But what a mistake that turned out to be!! The rain came back and harder! This time we put up the trailer in pouring down rain. We were all drenched! While 3 of us went in to dry off and take shelter, Derek decided he was already soaked, he might as well explore in the rain. He was out by the lake when a bolt of lightening hit really close. I don't think I have ever seen that kid run so fast!!! There was the smell of ozone in the air! That night we went to sleep with the sound of rain on our trailer.

We awoke the next day to the sounds of birds. There was a thick mist coming up off the lake, it was fun to watch. The boys went out to explore and found 3 adorable, friendly little kittens! They so wanted to bring them along with us on our trip! After breakfast, we headed in to the Montgomery Visitor's Center, where we watch a short video and took the trolley into the heart of town. Our first stop was the Rosa Parks Museum. I was so impressed by this exhibit! In the first room, the walls are covered in mural sized photos of various civil rights activities. Visitors gather there and see a short film. We happened to be joining an all black group from Tuskegee University. The tour guide told the students that the policy was for the kids to give up their seats to the adults, meaning these black students should let us white old folks have their seats! Marcus and I quickly said we were fine, but we found it rather ironic! Next, you go into another room that has a full sized replica of the bus that Rosa Parks was on. They project video onto the windows of the bus, so that it looks like you can see what actually went on in the bus. They show Rosa sitting calmly in the middle of the bus, with other people of color. As the bus fills, and there are no longer enough seats for whites, the complaining begins. We were uncomfortable, as we watched the rude, aggressive comments being made! My boys were totally engaged. At one point, we were visited by one of the State Senators, who spoke to the University group. We thoroughly enjoyed the museum.

By this time, it was time for lunch. We walked around, looking for a place. We were surprised to see how many boarded up and closed businesses there were in the area! We found a little grill, and had our lunch before walking to our next stop, the Civil Rights Memorial. This Memorial is dedicated to 40 individuals who are seldom heard of, who lost their lives during the Civil Rights Struggle. Inside, there is an audio presentation, that tells you the story of each individual, a short video, that gives an overview of the times, and an interactive video screen that shows you the various points on a 3-D scale of Montgomery, where events happened.

Back to the trolley, and on the Parish where Martin Luther King Jr. was pastor for a few years. We didn't go inside, but it was pretty amazing to think we were standing right where so much history had taken place! Next, to the State Capitol. This is the site where Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as the first President of the Confederacy! It is a beautiful building. On the trolley again, we rode by the Parish House where Martin Luther King Jr. and his family lived during their time in Montgomery, and where a small bomb was set off on his porch while his wife and young daughter were inside! We also saw " the White House of the Confederacy," where Jefferson Davis lived during his term as President of the Confederacy. What an enlightening day for my children who have lived in such different times!

When we arrived back at the trailer, we found the ants had decided to move in! Apparently, they didn't particularly enjoy the rain, and thought our source of shelter was big enough for them to join us. They started to move in, eggs and all!! Marcus and I emptied every food cupboard, and cleaned, we sprayed the outside liberally with Raid, we sprayed many of the inside surfaces with Raid. They were even in our beds. We finally got the situation under control. The next morning, as we were putting down our trailer, we first thought perhaps we had convinced them to leave, but no... we had only convinced them to become more creative! They found little nooks to move into behind the tail lights, and along the seems of the roof to the trailer. They even moved into the car door hinges!! I think perhaps they were looking for a little adventure too! We hope we have finally won the battle!

On our way out of town, we went through Selma along the same route that the marchers took, over the bridge where the Civil Rights March for the right to vote took place. More History, more to think about!

Our time in Montgomery was a rich learning time that our family won't soon forget. I am so proud of my boys and their interest, empathy, and ideals! I hope they have learned a bit more about the importance of respecting the rights and feelings of EVERYONE no matter the circumstances.

The Great Smokey Mountains

We spent 3 nights at the Townsend, KOA, as part of our trip to the Smokies, getting there the evening of Sunday, July 12th. The place was quite crowded, but there were plenty of big trees for shade. There was a creek that went through the property. There was a lovely camp sight right on the creek that we found AFTER we were all the way set up, but we were too lazy to take down and move then, so we decided to wait until morning. We were awakened in the night with loud rain thrumming on the top of our little trailer. We were snug and dry, so all was well. When we woke up in the morning, it was still raining, and hard!! NOT a good time to move the trailer! We hung out in the trailer, feeling a bit trapped. Most of what we were planning on doing there, was hiking. We decided to drive into the Visitor's Center to find out what activities there were. During the drive, it POURED down rain!! The windshield wipers couldn't keep up! There were times that were scary as Marcus couldn't really see where he was going. The rain slowed down while we were in the Visitor's Center, so we decided to go on a short hike to Cascade Falls. It was so beautiful, hiking among the ferns, and trees, with the creek meandering and tumbling alongside the path. The boys discovered a fun trick! They found that if they shook the smaller trees as they went by, they could douse their parents with water, as we walked by. The falls were very nice and we were glad we had made the hike, though the boys bickered through most of it. Next we drove through Gatlinberg. Oh my goodness, what a bunch of cheesy tourist stuff and oh my, how many tourists walking the streets! It made Las Vegas look empty!! We decided we were VERY glad we did not stay there! We headed to Walmart for groceries and clothes for Derek. The boy seems to be growing out of his old ones. I keep threatening to stop feeding him, but he doesn't get too worried! That night, we made a fire, and prepared a nice dinner. Just as dinner was almost ready, a local Baptist Group drove in and hosted a watermelon seed spitting contest. Both our children decided to participate in this! Colin came in 3rd in his age division, and Derek came in first!! Marcus and I are SO proud of the valuable talents our children have developed!

The next morning we got up early for showers... Marcus enjoyed lucky shower # 7!! Next we headed to Laurel Falls for a hike. One of the signs said we should closely control our children as there were drop-offs along the trail. Derek thought he should reverse it, and had a great time closely controlling his father! The falls were very nice! Derek climbed up the rocks near the falls and found salamanders. He took some photos, but didn't get one of the cool looking salamander. He DID spend the next 45 minutes describing it in detail to me on the hike back!

Next we went to Clingman's Dome where there was supposed to be an amazing panoramic view of the area, but we found ourselves up in the clouds. The Smokies are named for the mist that commonly hangs over them, and we were up close and personal with it! We had been hot and sweaty, but at the Dome it was 63!! We had a quick picnic right on the curb by our car, bundled in our jackets.

As we piled back in the car, we headed to Cherokee North Carolina. We went to the Cherokee museum there. It was very interesting! Colin didn't get as much out of it, but Derek sure did! The displays were very engaging, as it told about the different time periods in the Cherokee history.

Colin had a great time at the campground. He made several friends, played basketball, rode his bike, and loved having the freedom to explore. I enjoyed the amenities. There was a clean laundry room, nice showers, and plenty for the kids to do.

The Cousins!!!

We arrived in rural Pleasantville Tennessee the afternoon of July 1. We set up our mini home on the lawn behind Marcus' mom's house, surrounded by trees. It's quite a lovely spot. We were able to plug in to electricity, making us the only ones with air conditioning, as Melba's broke right before we got here (the new one should get installed right before we leave).

The boys had been anticipating their visit with the cousins since we left last November! The reunion was ALL THAT! Marcus' sister has 8 children, ranging in age from 27 to 10. Our boys seem to melt into that passel of children, and what a great experience for them! With a family that size, there are plenty of chores, and our boys have chipped right in (although perhaps not totally without complaint). We have spent a few hours at the CSA garden project that the family is running, we have chopped and frozen tons of bell peppers from the garden, we have trimmed horses hooves and treated horses wounds, done lots of dishes, mowed lawns, washing cars in the rain, to list a few of the chores we have been doing while here.

For fun, there is a plethora of things to do! Daily swimming is in the creek. There is a swimming hole nearby that has a rope swing, a makeshift diving board, a little slide, and a good tree for jumping out of. The kids go there every day at least once to swim and get cool. There were the fireworks that started July 1st here and we still have a few left. There was canoeing on the river at night, playing occupation and other general games, but mostly, there was enjoying the company of family!

We had a bonfire and roasted shish-kabobs on bamboo sticks for the fourth of July. When it got dark enough those of us lacking in a sense of adventure, sat in chairs and watched while those with an abundance of adventure lit off various things that whizzed, crackled, sparkled, screamed, flew, banged, and lit up the sky. Aside from a few misfires that came all too close to the spectators, it was quite fun! Derek asked me the next day if we could come here every year for the fourth of July. I had to burst the poor boy's bubble and inform him that we have booked Hawaii for next year's July 4th festivities. I hope he can survive the disappointment!!

Canoeing on the river, was quite an adventure!! With such a large family, there is much coming and going, and it is hard to get everyone together. We had planned a late afternoon trip, but by the time we were all together and fed and ready to go, we set off around 7pm. We had a row boat, a canoe, and a very small sail boat, sans sail. There were 11 of us. Most of us piled into the back of the pickup as we drove to our put in spot. When we got there, the water was warm, and the scenery was beautiful! Of course there were the usual antics with the young ones; splashing, tipping, falling in... Once we got going, many of us took turns swimming along in the water. It was a great way to cool off! As dusk approached, so did the bats!! They fluttered overhead, dipping close occasionally, to check us out. The fireflies made it look like there were little twinkle lights set up in the forest. The night sounds were LOUD, with the cicadas, and the frogs singing in chorus. At one spot we could hear a frog in a culvert. It sounded so funny as it echoed loudly from its spot, like it had a mic for a solo! We saw several Great Blue Herons quite close as they did their final fishing for the evening. It was quiet up front in the canoe with Katy and I. We could only hear the sounds of nature and the boisterous splashing of the children behind us. Soon, it started getting quite dark, and it was getting hard to see. No one wanted to be on the little sail boat as it kept taking on water and was impossible to get anywhere without more paddles. So, all but Katy, Colin and I climbed into the row boat. Then the pins on the oars broke. There was much giggling and bumping and commotion. By now, it was very dark, and the stars were out adding to the glory of the night. Most of the time, there was enough reflection of the stars on the water, to get a sense of where we were to go, but there were times that we didn't see what we were going to bump into until just before we bumped it! I thought it was quite an adventure, but Colin started getting very nervous. I think he was afraid we would get lost and somehow be stuck on the river forever. We did finally make it to our stopping point sometime around 10ish. By the time we got home it was almost 11!

Out here in the country, children learn to drive young, so they can help out on the farm. Derek took that as a perfect opportunity for a driving lesson. Marcus went with him and they drove around Melba's property. He thought that was great fun! The same day, Colin got stung twice by bees. Poor thing, he was a bit surprised as his cousin had told him bumble bees don't sting, so he caught it, and sure enough, it stung him! While we were there we had several big thunderstorms. During one of them, Marcus went out and washed 3 cars!!!

As I finish up this section of the blog, we have left the cousins and so I can add a few things. The AC at Melba's did get installed on Friday, before we left and it works well! Derek was officially measured next to me and it is a tie. He has caught up to me in height. Also, on Saturday the whole lot of us piled into various cars and headed about 45 minutes to Natchez Trace area for a picnic. We hiked a short way to Jackson Falls where the children slide down the falls on their backsides. It looked painful to me, but they seemed to enjoy it. Miles went from the very top and almost hit his head. After a while, Sheryl suggested we should go before someone got hurt. On our way back down to the trail, Sheryl twisted her ankle on a tree root and broke it! She hopped partway up the trail, Lawrence and Marcus both piggy backed her part of the way and we got her to the car. They went off to find a way to get it x-rayed and we all went back to Grandma"s house. They finally got back around 9 that night, and then (wouldn't you know it) Midwife Sheryl got a call at 3 in the morning to go to a birth. Caroline went with her, and all went well with the birth.

Sunday morning, Mark took the children to the river to swim, while Marcus and I packed up. We got the trailer down in the heat, and left the cousins on our way to our next stop. We felt so lucky to have such fun time with family. We hope Sheryl's leg mends quickly and without problem!

Kentucky

On Tuesday, June 29th, we headed for Kentucky. We drove through Illinois, Indiana, and stopped at Horse Camp Kentucky, thus hitting 14 states so far! We stayed at another KOA in Horse Camp. When we set up our tent trailer, we found that our full bottle of laundry soap was not so full anymore! In fact, half of it had managed to leak all over the floor, and the boys sleeping bags!! This was the H-E soap too, so it was quite concentrated! I spent quite some time, slipping around on my hands and knees, trying to get it all off the floor, while Marcus rinsed rags and handed them back to me for more. That was fun!! Thank goodness, KOAs have Laundromats! We were able to wash and dry the boys' sleeping bags there. Whew! It was finally cool enough that evening to have a wood fire, so we cooked our dinner over that. It turned out there were quite a few flesh-eating bugs there too, so we put up our mesh tent over the picnic table, played a few games together, and ate there.

The next morning, we decided to go out for breakfast as a special treat. Boy were we edumacated on how different things are around here from California!! First, when we walked in, we were greeted with a wave of cigarette smoke! Smoking in a restaurant?! Our boys had never experienced such a thing! We went as far away as we could in the non smoking section, but with recirculated air, it didn't seem to make much difference. The next step in our edumactaion was the menu! Grits, biscuits and gravy, deep fried cornbread and hash browns?! Wow! And the portions! Huge! No wonder the people we had been seeing lately were 2-3 times our size!! Not sure when we will go out for breakfast again. Too dangerous!

After breakfast, we walked back to our campground, and passed a field that was knee-high and full of wildflowers and butterflies. The boys counted 14 different kinds of butterflies! Colin was so fun to watch as he chased butterflies across the field! He caught a few as well. As we continued our walk back, we passed the KOA mini golf and decided to play a friendly family game. Derek was quite careful about keeping everyones' score in his head, since there were no score sheets. I was quite good at it! I even got a special award for taking 16 shots to get in on the 16th hole!! Perhaps I shouldn't brag so!

The time finally came for our Mammoth Cave Tour. We took the Violet Lantern Tour, so our tour was all lit by lanterns. There were about 40 people and 10 lanterns. It was kind of a cool way to experience the caves, but you didn't see as well, and the smell of burning kerosene was quite strong. Mammoth Cave is mostly dry, so you don't see any of the formations that most of us are used to associating with caves, unless you take one of the tours that takes you to the one main section that has them specifically. We decided to do that the next morning. That way, we would see the caves in the light too, getting two ways to experience the caves. From the tour we learned that the Indians had harvested Gypsum thousands of years ago in these caves, that Salt Petre was collected from the dirt in the caves to help make gun powder to fight the war of 1812, and that tours were led for the wealthy in the early 1800's with slaves as the guides.We even got to see what they claimed was 3,000 year old poop in the cave! Yippee, lucky us!

Colin did his first Jr. Ranger Activity Booklet at Mammoth and got his first Ranger Badge. He was quite into it, completing 24 instead of the 12 bat points needed for his age group! Go Colin!!

The trip through the new entrance to the cave on Thursday morning was very cool. It was full of steep, narrow passageways, and the lighting allowed us to see the cave walls better. There was no ancient graffiti like there was in the original known part of the cave. The formations in the last part of this section were very impressive!