I cannot begin to tell you how tired I am. I woke up this morning and just couldn't move for the life of me. I felt just plain yucky. Every since Louisianan I have been feeling a little blah. I chalk it up to possible food poison from that sticky adorable Cajun joint. Anyway... We were supposed to meet our dear friends at the US Naval Aviation Museum on base and needless to say we were very late. When we got there they were already having lunch and had seen most of the exhibits, I felt horrible. The day was good though and because they are so flexible and kind we ended up taking a look at most of the exhibits. This is home to the Blue Angels, and tomorrow for Gary's birthday we will go down early to the base and watch them practice. This is really a dream come true for Gary who loves them. I have to admit it is pretty cool.
After we did the museum we headed for the beach, the waves were high today and the kids had a blast surfing on them into shore. I laughed as I watched several little ones totally bite it in the surf. Shirley and I had a great time just talking on the beach under the shade watching from afar. It was a nice break and the two of us have not had a chance to chat without a million interruptions. I am really going to miss our friends but we are already planning on meeting next year, perhaps in Singapore, which sounds absolutely wonderful!
Yesterday I did not blog, but for a quick recap, Melvin and Shirley came by in the AM and the kids jut played and we hung out until dusk when we all took a fishing trip down to the dock. Mason caught several catfish the biggest one being about 18 inches! He also caught a crab which Melvin killed and Shirley cleaned and the boys ate. I have to admire the sportsmanship of killing your own food, I on the other hand am a coward. I eat meat but I couldn't even look at the struggling crab.
I am now going to try to post some pictures, Melvin and Shirley were able to get some of our pictures on Gary's computer. Tomorrow we are going to head out after the Blue Angels to Montgomery and see some of the museums. Then we are meeting Melvin and Shirley up for dinner at a steak house where you can throw peanut shells on the floor. My kids ought to love that!
Our kids have had a great time with their kids, they get a long so well. It is a such a joy to hang out with them. Their oldest is destined to be a pastor, he has been preaching the word of God since the first day of our trip together! I love it.
Okay now for some pictures. Man it is not working, try again tommorrow.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Saturday, May 30, 2009
White Sandy Beaches
Today we met our good friends on a private beach in Pensacola Florida. It was spectacular to say the least. Hardly no body there and the water was clear enough to see fish swimming by. The kids played for hours in the sand and in the waves. The water was nice enough I even did some ocean swimming for a little work out. I got a lot of saltwater in my ears and tonight Judah explained why he had to pee so much is that he swallowed too much ocean! After the beach we packed up and headed back to the camp. Melvin and Shirley picked up more shrimp and we had the best dinner ever under the stars. I took the kids to the KOA icecream social, 2 dollars for all you can eat icecream. Needless to say they really took advantage of that. The kids road their bikes, watched a movie and played trucks and Lego's for hours. Instead of the beach again tomorrow we are going to hang out here and try the fishing thing again. Then we will let the kids play for a bit then maybe go have lunch out and then perhaps go to the Naval Air Museum, then have a cook out here. Steak this time, although I am really enjoying the shrimp it is the best I have ever had I am too close to the water and seeing those fish on the line yesterday made me feel bad. The mosquito bites on my leg have become infected. Being in the ocean kind of helped but I was at the point of looking for a doctor today, we will see how it is tomorrow. I am really sick of the bugs here, I found a flying roach, some kind of beetle, several moths and a few mosquito's in the trailer tonight, although we are careful with the door it seems they sneak in regardless. shiver. After all of this I cannot look at mosquitos the same. They are the enemy and I hate them. I will seek and destroy. No mercy.
Friday, May 29, 2009
I will make you fishers of men....
We had a wonderful day. Melvin and Shirley came by and we had a fantastic time catching up. It was so good to see them and the kids. I am very sad that they will be going back to Singapore in a few weeks but I know I will see them again and we will, like always pick up where we left off.
I love Alabama. The pace is slow, the farms out here are fresh and there is just wide open spaces, green trees and grass. People are friendly and today I realized how truly Southern I am. I see where I get the gift of gab, I see how I fit in. It is like I found my people.
We stopped by a few farm markets and bought, watermelon, onions, eggplant and a plethora of other vegetables. Picked straight and set up on carts, dirt still clodded on them. I asked if they were organic and he laughed at me. He said they have copperhead rattlesnakes, not that I know how that relates to spraying your farm with chemicals, but .... he said he had one that was six feet long. He apparently eats them. He told us if he caught one tomorrow when he went to get the corn he would put it on ice for us to grill. I am down with that.
We stopped by one little market, I nearly cried. Three little old men chomping on peaches and chewing the fat. They gathered next to a pick up truck with a home made trailer filled with fruit. The trailer was the back end of an old truck, it was covered with an awning made of sticks and tarp and in the middle was flown an American flag. The flag waved faithfully in the breeze, tattered at the ends, but still in the middle of that little shade awning and above those three old men in overalls it looked glorious. We bought a watermelon from them and sampled a few nectarines, I giggled as I watched him clumsily put the fruit into a Walmart plastic bag. Just can't get away from Walmart, even in the very fringe of the United States.
My trailer envy has turned into full blown motor home desire. Of course that would not happen anytime soon but a girl can dream. We stopped by camping world and I made the grave mistake of looking at trailers. Let me tell you, the difference between our trailer and the ones I looked at were night and day. They were huge!! one even had a separate rooms the room in the back had four beds!!! Someday....
For dinner we had fresh shrimp that tasted like lobster, we apparently liked it as much as the fish did today. Gary had the great idea of using it as bait for our first real fishing trip down to the dock. I have pictures of all of this but ... I will post them later. We took Melvin and Shirley and their two kids down to the dock and cast our lines over. I prayed that this would be a great fishing trip for the kids and Jesus ordered all the animals he could certainly arrange my kids to catch a fish. Ethan was the first to catch a fish and he did it within 3 minutes. Next came Mason a cat fish, then Nicole.a pin fish, Abby was struggling with her little line. I held her tight and prayed that she would catch a big one! Gary interrupted but Abby was taking this prayer very seriously and told dad to wait. Then when I was done she hopped over to dad and grabbed the pole. A few minutes later she reeled in a catfish that was about 8 inches! The biggest catch of the day, prior to her casting her line and hooking me on the back of the leg! Her faith was so big and her fish was big too. She really did pray believing, not doubting. Later she told me, "Wow mom God really does control the animals!" Next Judah caught a fish then Nettie. That was it. No more, once everyone had a turn they stopped biting. We caught 6 fish within 30 minutes. It was and experience that I don't think they will soon forget. God wants to use our kids, he is sending a message that he does intend on making them fishers of men. Gary was shocked I was shocked, we laughed and had a good time. There were several other people on the Pier fishing but not a single fish was brought in but from our little kids with the least experience and a bat man pole.
It is time to sleep, our trailer is still crooked which means I can't use the hot water as it has something to do with the propane I don't know. It feels like there are crumbs in my bed and I am sticky and itching like the dickens. I rubbed banana on my leg like my mom said but I haven't felt relief just yet.
Mason is my boy. He found an injured toad and really tried to take care of it. Finally he let it go, I think Judah had run over it with his bike. He decided to write a note and leave it next to Mr. Toad. The note was a song that went like this
Mr Toad Mr Toad, how are you
Mr. Toad Mr. Toad I love you
We prayed for that little toad.
He also was a big helper and really impressed me. He went to his daddy and asked him what it was he could do to help. I can tell he really wanted to hang out with the guys tonight. It was so cute. I also was walking in the sand next to our trailer and in the sand someone wrote, I love my mom. It was Mason. What a sweet kid.
All for now. We are getting ready for the beach tomorrow. It should be fun. We will meet Melvin and Shirley there in the morning, maybe with fresh grilled rattler. :)
I need to add for Judah how I am seeing him become a little man, a guardian like his namesake. He woke up straight out of his sleep the other night and was walking out the front door. When asked he said, half asleep, that he was looking for Abby. She was right there but he is so protective of her. Also on the pier I found him hanging onto Mason and Abby's shirts from behind. I asked him what he was doing and he said he didn't want them to fall in. We were on the playground I took off my shoes and in the middle of swinging he asked me to put them back on so bugs wouldn't bite my feet anymore. He is such a sweet boy.
I love Alabama. The pace is slow, the farms out here are fresh and there is just wide open spaces, green trees and grass. People are friendly and today I realized how truly Southern I am. I see where I get the gift of gab, I see how I fit in. It is like I found my people.
We stopped by a few farm markets and bought, watermelon, onions, eggplant and a plethora of other vegetables. Picked straight and set up on carts, dirt still clodded on them. I asked if they were organic and he laughed at me. He said they have copperhead rattlesnakes, not that I know how that relates to spraying your farm with chemicals, but .... he said he had one that was six feet long. He apparently eats them. He told us if he caught one tomorrow when he went to get the corn he would put it on ice for us to grill. I am down with that.
We stopped by one little market, I nearly cried. Three little old men chomping on peaches and chewing the fat. They gathered next to a pick up truck with a home made trailer filled with fruit. The trailer was the back end of an old truck, it was covered with an awning made of sticks and tarp and in the middle was flown an American flag. The flag waved faithfully in the breeze, tattered at the ends, but still in the middle of that little shade awning and above those three old men in overalls it looked glorious. We bought a watermelon from them and sampled a few nectarines, I giggled as I watched him clumsily put the fruit into a Walmart plastic bag. Just can't get away from Walmart, even in the very fringe of the United States.
My trailer envy has turned into full blown motor home desire. Of course that would not happen anytime soon but a girl can dream. We stopped by camping world and I made the grave mistake of looking at trailers. Let me tell you, the difference between our trailer and the ones I looked at were night and day. They were huge!! one even had a separate rooms the room in the back had four beds!!! Someday....
For dinner we had fresh shrimp that tasted like lobster, we apparently liked it as much as the fish did today. Gary had the great idea of using it as bait for our first real fishing trip down to the dock. I have pictures of all of this but ... I will post them later. We took Melvin and Shirley and their two kids down to the dock and cast our lines over. I prayed that this would be a great fishing trip for the kids and Jesus ordered all the animals he could certainly arrange my kids to catch a fish. Ethan was the first to catch a fish and he did it within 3 minutes. Next came Mason a cat fish, then Nicole.a pin fish, Abby was struggling with her little line. I held her tight and prayed that she would catch a big one! Gary interrupted but Abby was taking this prayer very seriously and told dad to wait. Then when I was done she hopped over to dad and grabbed the pole. A few minutes later she reeled in a catfish that was about 8 inches! The biggest catch of the day, prior to her casting her line and hooking me on the back of the leg! Her faith was so big and her fish was big too. She really did pray believing, not doubting. Later she told me, "Wow mom God really does control the animals!" Next Judah caught a fish then Nettie. That was it. No more, once everyone had a turn they stopped biting. We caught 6 fish within 30 minutes. It was and experience that I don't think they will soon forget. God wants to use our kids, he is sending a message that he does intend on making them fishers of men. Gary was shocked I was shocked, we laughed and had a good time. There were several other people on the Pier fishing but not a single fish was brought in but from our little kids with the least experience and a bat man pole.
It is time to sleep, our trailer is still crooked which means I can't use the hot water as it has something to do with the propane I don't know. It feels like there are crumbs in my bed and I am sticky and itching like the dickens. I rubbed banana on my leg like my mom said but I haven't felt relief just yet.
Mason is my boy. He found an injured toad and really tried to take care of it. Finally he let it go, I think Judah had run over it with his bike. He decided to write a note and leave it next to Mr. Toad. The note was a song that went like this
Mr Toad Mr Toad, how are you
Mr. Toad Mr. Toad I love you
We prayed for that little toad.
He also was a big helper and really impressed me. He went to his daddy and asked him what it was he could do to help. I can tell he really wanted to hang out with the guys tonight. It was so cute. I also was walking in the sand next to our trailer and in the sand someone wrote, I love my mom. It was Mason. What a sweet kid.
All for now. We are getting ready for the beach tomorrow. It should be fun. We will meet Melvin and Shirley there in the morning, maybe with fresh grilled rattler. :)
I need to add for Judah how I am seeing him become a little man, a guardian like his namesake. He woke up straight out of his sleep the other night and was walking out the front door. When asked he said, half asleep, that he was looking for Abby. She was right there but he is so protective of her. Also on the pier I found him hanging onto Mason and Abby's shirts from behind. I asked him what he was doing and he said he didn't want them to fall in. We were on the playground I took off my shoes and in the middle of swinging he asked me to put them back on so bugs wouldn't bite my feet anymore. He is such a sweet boy.
MMMm bacon flavored bath towels
Melt downs.
I had my first today. This morning actually. The thought did pass through my mind "Why in the world did we do this?" We drove all this way to fight heat, humidity and bugs. My legs and hands and feet are currently on fire. The pain started last night, my legs burned and itched as new bumps seemed to appear from no where. Then it happened, Sweetie the chihuahua pe peed on Gary. I forgot to walk her. ooops. So Gary tossed and turned and was rightfully very angry. As I mentioned before Gary has a thing for certain blankets and their comfort so when our second best blanket was urinated on by the 3 pound canine, he was livid. The trailer bed is wobbly and everytime he moved with the new scratchy blanket, I felt as though I was being rocked by giant waves. Needless to say I did, we, didn't sleep too much.
Our trailer and camps site is leaning to the right so everything tips, including me, our food the plates, you know. I tried to make a great breakfast but Judah had a complete melt down and the trailer felt way too small. Mason spilled three cups of milk, flys invaded upon the smell of scrambled eggs and bacon, and there is the constant fight with the sand. Ants the size of Texas were unwelcome intruders, and although I hate to use poison, we sprayed the area. I know the neighbors, some nice folks from Alabama thought I was a loon as I spit and cursed the ground. Well not really but I might as well. I said I didn't like this place and I didn't want to stay longer than I had to. I yelled at the kids, I yelled at the dogs and I yelled at Gary. Not really showing God's love. It is always embarrassing to then meet the people next to you and wander what they must think of you. The good thing is that it is always temporary.
I got my groove on and now things are better. The kids have been riding bikes, finding toads and playing in the mud for hours. Gary just set up a game for them to do outside and I took a shower in the KOA public showers. It was a full size shower, nice and hot, and the water didn't run out after 5 minutes. Yessss, it is the small things. My legs are still on fire, but the good news is that there isn't a lot of West Nile Virus here. I had horrible dreams of tornado's and tsunamis and our little trailer being washed into the Gulf of Mexico. Abby woke with night mares of germs and getting sick. Poor baby. She also woke with a stuffy nose.
As I prayed in the shower, the steam and God cleansing my very soul, I found my peace again. I am home as long as I have my little home with me. Every camp ground we pull up too seems unfamiliar, I worry about it's safety and where my kids will run and ride and how I will watch them. There is a lonely feeling that comes over me at first, then we set up our little trailer and I know I am home. Day light comes and I see that we are surrounded by friendlies and the danger I imagined is not so bad. The kids find things to do, they make up games and mostly follow the rules. We loose them every once and while but they seem to come back. I am trying to let go of the fear, and I realize I am riddled to the core with fear. I don't want to put that on my kids.
I dried off, thinking Gary was right that this shower was nice and worth the effort. I pulled my towel from the little hook and tried my best to dry off (humidity) and when I dried my face all I could smell was bacon. Now I know why all these years I have watched campers cook their bacon outside. The smell is thick and will soak into everything. So I smiled as I am learning and decided that smelling like bacon was better than how I smelled before. It's all good.
I had my first today. This morning actually. The thought did pass through my mind "Why in the world did we do this?" We drove all this way to fight heat, humidity and bugs. My legs and hands and feet are currently on fire. The pain started last night, my legs burned and itched as new bumps seemed to appear from no where. Then it happened, Sweetie the chihuahua pe peed on Gary. I forgot to walk her. ooops. So Gary tossed and turned and was rightfully very angry. As I mentioned before Gary has a thing for certain blankets and their comfort so when our second best blanket was urinated on by the 3 pound canine, he was livid. The trailer bed is wobbly and everytime he moved with the new scratchy blanket, I felt as though I was being rocked by giant waves. Needless to say I did, we, didn't sleep too much.
Our trailer and camps site is leaning to the right so everything tips, including me, our food the plates, you know. I tried to make a great breakfast but Judah had a complete melt down and the trailer felt way too small. Mason spilled three cups of milk, flys invaded upon the smell of scrambled eggs and bacon, and there is the constant fight with the sand. Ants the size of Texas were unwelcome intruders, and although I hate to use poison, we sprayed the area. I know the neighbors, some nice folks from Alabama thought I was a loon as I spit and cursed the ground. Well not really but I might as well. I said I didn't like this place and I didn't want to stay longer than I had to. I yelled at the kids, I yelled at the dogs and I yelled at Gary. Not really showing God's love. It is always embarrassing to then meet the people next to you and wander what they must think of you. The good thing is that it is always temporary.
I got my groove on and now things are better. The kids have been riding bikes, finding toads and playing in the mud for hours. Gary just set up a game for them to do outside and I took a shower in the KOA public showers. It was a full size shower, nice and hot, and the water didn't run out after 5 minutes. Yessss, it is the small things. My legs are still on fire, but the good news is that there isn't a lot of West Nile Virus here. I had horrible dreams of tornado's and tsunamis and our little trailer being washed into the Gulf of Mexico. Abby woke with night mares of germs and getting sick. Poor baby. She also woke with a stuffy nose.
As I prayed in the shower, the steam and God cleansing my very soul, I found my peace again. I am home as long as I have my little home with me. Every camp ground we pull up too seems unfamiliar, I worry about it's safety and where my kids will run and ride and how I will watch them. There is a lonely feeling that comes over me at first, then we set up our little trailer and I know I am home. Day light comes and I see that we are surrounded by friendlies and the danger I imagined is not so bad. The kids find things to do, they make up games and mostly follow the rules. We loose them every once and while but they seem to come back. I am trying to let go of the fear, and I realize I am riddled to the core with fear. I don't want to put that on my kids.
I dried off, thinking Gary was right that this shower was nice and worth the effort. I pulled my towel from the little hook and tried my best to dry off (humidity) and when I dried my face all I could smell was bacon. Now I know why all these years I have watched campers cook their bacon outside. The smell is thick and will soak into everything. So I smiled as I am learning and decided that smelling like bacon was better than how I smelled before. It's all good.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Sweet temporary home Alambama, where the humidy is likely to make you crazy....
Word of the day: Nettie " Look Abby we are in wa hi ee." (Hawaii)
Road kill sighting: one armadillo, one dog and one cat.
We have arrived, in one piece with all four kids and both dogs! Praise the Lord join me in the Happy Dance, Steph come on now....
The morning started as the brochure promised, coffee by the lake in Louisiana. I thoroughly enjoyed this even though it is not what you would imagine. Instead of sitting down as the sun came up, steaming cup of jo in hand, I was rushing around like a mad woman trying to tear down the trailer so we could make the gator tour on time. It was nice regardless.
We arrived at some lake I would not dare to spell, Awawatchhhhaaaa something and met Mr. Brian our chief guide. It was our family of six and seven other adults. Oddly enough we later found out the older couple on the boat were also desert dwellers not to far from us and they were grandparents to Ethiopian children. It truly is a small world. Anyway.... The swamp, bayou, lake was magical. It was so much of what you see on the movies. Cypress trees 500 years old, dripping with Spanish moss, Lilly pads floating with giant flowers that were to beautiful to be real. It was truly a forest under water. Apparently a swamp is a flooded forest that dries up, a bayou is a water way that has water flowing through it. We started on a lake then coasted for over two hours in between the two of these. We saw birds sunning, frogs, lizards, turtles and,...... yes we saw a few gators!! I realize my fear of the alligators jumping up onto the boat and attacking one of my kids was completely unfounded. I will however yell at my mom for letting me watch too many of those 1970 B movies that show insects and reptiles gone mad attacking innocent campers. We found a 12 foot alligator and she or he stared at us for some time, she let us watch her just a few feet away as she watched us then she disappeared beneath the green bayou. I have to admit the thought of those creatures swimming around under us did creep me a bit but I had my revenge later on ..... I ate one. Haaaa HHaaaa!! take that giant lizard, I am at the top of the food chain!!
Our guide Mr. Brian was a kind man, his cell phone never stopped ringing and he never hesitated to answer it. So here we are in the middle of what I consider no where and here is this this rock out ring tone and Brian conducting business on the bayou. It was a bit surreal if not annoying. The kids did well but after a few hours in the sun they were toast. When we pulled into the dock they were ready to get back on dry land. Nettie didn't really enjoy herself, she is never going to be accused of being a nature freak that is for sure, but I am working on her. As we pulled into port I overheard Mr. Brian talking with a few other passengers about how wonderful my children are. (Okay this is where I will brag shamelessly, skip if you must) I was pleased of course about this because in the beginning I had my doubts. Judah always surprises me though and for that I am thankful. Then the older couple from AZ came up to Gary and I and told us that when they saw us coming he thought to himself "OH crap" but he said our kids were amazing! He went on for several minutes gushing over them. I was especially pleased when Gary said, it is their mother that puts so much work into them! how nice. Unfortunately I couldn't stick around for the compliments because my darling children had run back to the trailer and were playing with poisionous frogs. Before we set off again we decided to let Abby and Judah take thier bikes for a spin down the dirt road into the forest, one side a swamp and the other side, to be honest I don't know. Gary told them to ride off and when he whistled to just come back. Well off they go, and go and go. Gary whistles, Judah at some point stops, but Abby just keeps on peddling until she is nothing more than a speck on dirt road dissapearing into the green curtain of forest. I went into full panik mode as Gary and I both screamed at her to stop, she just kept going. Gary ran over to Judah grabbed his tiny red bike and peddaled down the dirt road standing up, while I nearly passed out from adrenline rush I just had to turn around and not look. Logically I knew she was okay but in my mind I was loosing it. But before I turned around to not look I do remember yelling something at Gary that went like this "GO AND GET HER NOW, YOU CAN'T LET OUR DAUGHTER RIDE DOWN SOME BACK WOOD COUNTRY LOUISANNA DIRT ROAD, WHAT WERE YOU THININKING??" I felt bad later as some fisher men, local men, heard me screaming. They probably thought I was nuts. I was. Later Gary claimed he had everything in control and it was no biggie. Dads.
After this very cool experience we found a small, dirty authentic Cajun food restaurant. Mason and I really wanted to try some gator and possibly snapping turtle. We had a blast, Nettie drank hot sauce straight from a cup and though it burned her mouth she continued to do so. The floors were so sticky that my shoes nearly came off anytime I had to get up, the tables were equally sticky and I just prayed that all that hot Cajun food killed the germs. As we ate I tried not to picture the greasy man swatting flies outside the kitchen in the back of the joint. The food was all fried, and I ordered a sampler. I tried most of all Louisiana had to offer, craw dads, gator, jambalaya, catfish, sweet potato fries and a bunch of other stuff I didn't know what it was. It didn't matter it kind of all looked the same, battered and fried. I am looking forward to some Alabama bar b Que now.
We then made our way through Louisiana and I was able to see New Orleans, even from the car you could still see the scars of the flood several years ago, and the Dome seemed to be etched into my memory courtesy of CNN so seeing it the first time in person was weird. Finally after a long car ride through Mississippi we landed in Alabama. The kids were so excited as were Gary and I. We got to the Gulf Shores KOA after 8:00 PM so it was dark and the bugs were in full force to welcome us. My first impression was. WE are very far out in the country, where in the world is the water? Supposedly it is only a few minutes away. We will see when it is light. Our little trailer is tipping currently and that is priority number one for Gary tomorrow. We are parked on a very sandy patch, no concrete just pure sand. We are hooked up at the site at the bottom of a slight hill so all the water runs our way. Oh lucky me with four kids and two dogs. God knows I have a sand aversion so this will test my soul. The humidity is horrible, thick as peas soup but it is something different and for that I am thankful.
Well this is home for four nights. I think we will really have fun. Tomorrow we are getting up early to go to the dock and see if we can spot some dolphins. I will take the kids swimming while we wait for our good friends to arrive and then we hit the white sandy beaches!!
Road kill sighting: one armadillo, one dog and one cat.
We have arrived, in one piece with all four kids and both dogs! Praise the Lord join me in the Happy Dance, Steph come on now....
The morning started as the brochure promised, coffee by the lake in Louisiana. I thoroughly enjoyed this even though it is not what you would imagine. Instead of sitting down as the sun came up, steaming cup of jo in hand, I was rushing around like a mad woman trying to tear down the trailer so we could make the gator tour on time. It was nice regardless.
We arrived at some lake I would not dare to spell, Awawatchhhhaaaa something and met Mr. Brian our chief guide. It was our family of six and seven other adults. Oddly enough we later found out the older couple on the boat were also desert dwellers not to far from us and they were grandparents to Ethiopian children. It truly is a small world. Anyway.... The swamp, bayou, lake was magical. It was so much of what you see on the movies. Cypress trees 500 years old, dripping with Spanish moss, Lilly pads floating with giant flowers that were to beautiful to be real. It was truly a forest under water. Apparently a swamp is a flooded forest that dries up, a bayou is a water way that has water flowing through it. We started on a lake then coasted for over two hours in between the two of these. We saw birds sunning, frogs, lizards, turtles and,...... yes we saw a few gators!! I realize my fear of the alligators jumping up onto the boat and attacking one of my kids was completely unfounded. I will however yell at my mom for letting me watch too many of those 1970 B movies that show insects and reptiles gone mad attacking innocent campers. We found a 12 foot alligator and she or he stared at us for some time, she let us watch her just a few feet away as she watched us then she disappeared beneath the green bayou. I have to admit the thought of those creatures swimming around under us did creep me a bit but I had my revenge later on ..... I ate one. Haaaa HHaaaa!! take that giant lizard, I am at the top of the food chain!!
Our guide Mr. Brian was a kind man, his cell phone never stopped ringing and he never hesitated to answer it. So here we are in the middle of what I consider no where and here is this this rock out ring tone and Brian conducting business on the bayou. It was a bit surreal if not annoying. The kids did well but after a few hours in the sun they were toast. When we pulled into the dock they were ready to get back on dry land. Nettie didn't really enjoy herself, she is never going to be accused of being a nature freak that is for sure, but I am working on her. As we pulled into port I overheard Mr. Brian talking with a few other passengers about how wonderful my children are. (Okay this is where I will brag shamelessly, skip if you must) I was pleased of course about this because in the beginning I had my doubts. Judah always surprises me though and for that I am thankful. Then the older couple from AZ came up to Gary and I and told us that when they saw us coming he thought to himself "OH crap" but he said our kids were amazing! He went on for several minutes gushing over them. I was especially pleased when Gary said, it is their mother that puts so much work into them! how nice. Unfortunately I couldn't stick around for the compliments because my darling children had run back to the trailer and were playing with poisionous frogs. Before we set off again we decided to let Abby and Judah take thier bikes for a spin down the dirt road into the forest, one side a swamp and the other side, to be honest I don't know. Gary told them to ride off and when he whistled to just come back. Well off they go, and go and go. Gary whistles, Judah at some point stops, but Abby just keeps on peddling until she is nothing more than a speck on dirt road dissapearing into the green curtain of forest. I went into full panik mode as Gary and I both screamed at her to stop, she just kept going. Gary ran over to Judah grabbed his tiny red bike and peddaled down the dirt road standing up, while I nearly passed out from adrenline rush I just had to turn around and not look. Logically I knew she was okay but in my mind I was loosing it. But before I turned around to not look I do remember yelling something at Gary that went like this "GO AND GET HER NOW, YOU CAN'T LET OUR DAUGHTER RIDE DOWN SOME BACK WOOD COUNTRY LOUISANNA DIRT ROAD, WHAT WERE YOU THININKING??" I felt bad later as some fisher men, local men, heard me screaming. They probably thought I was nuts. I was. Later Gary claimed he had everything in control and it was no biggie. Dads.
After this very cool experience we found a small, dirty authentic Cajun food restaurant. Mason and I really wanted to try some gator and possibly snapping turtle. We had a blast, Nettie drank hot sauce straight from a cup and though it burned her mouth she continued to do so. The floors were so sticky that my shoes nearly came off anytime I had to get up, the tables were equally sticky and I just prayed that all that hot Cajun food killed the germs. As we ate I tried not to picture the greasy man swatting flies outside the kitchen in the back of the joint. The food was all fried, and I ordered a sampler. I tried most of all Louisiana had to offer, craw dads, gator, jambalaya, catfish, sweet potato fries and a bunch of other stuff I didn't know what it was. It didn't matter it kind of all looked the same, battered and fried. I am looking forward to some Alabama bar b Que now.
We then made our way through Louisiana and I was able to see New Orleans, even from the car you could still see the scars of the flood several years ago, and the Dome seemed to be etched into my memory courtesy of CNN so seeing it the first time in person was weird. Finally after a long car ride through Mississippi we landed in Alabama. The kids were so excited as were Gary and I. We got to the Gulf Shores KOA after 8:00 PM so it was dark and the bugs were in full force to welcome us. My first impression was. WE are very far out in the country, where in the world is the water? Supposedly it is only a few minutes away. We will see when it is light. Our little trailer is tipping currently and that is priority number one for Gary tomorrow. We are parked on a very sandy patch, no concrete just pure sand. We are hooked up at the site at the bottom of a slight hill so all the water runs our way. Oh lucky me with four kids and two dogs. God knows I have a sand aversion so this will test my soul. The humidity is horrible, thick as peas soup but it is something different and for that I am thankful.
Well this is home for four nights. I think we will really have fun. Tomorrow we are getting up early to go to the dock and see if we can spot some dolphins. I will take the kids swimming while we wait for our good friends to arrive and then we hit the white sandy beaches!!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Frozen Gumbo and Marshmellow Eating Gators
We pushed on about four hundred miles after getting a late start in San Antonio. We arrived in Louisiana just before 7 pm. Plugged in the trailer and broke out fishing poles. Currently Gary and I are sitting on our fold out chairs about 20 feet from a 10 acre lake, the locals (being an eleven year old boy named Logan) say have gators swimming around in it. According to Logan they like to eat marshmallows and cantaloupe rinds. We met Logan and his sister Amber as we set off to fish, or at least show the kids how to fish. Logan helped them with worms and even caught a baby bass. I turned away as he yanked the hook from it's belly. However it did not detour my children who were fascinated by this little local boy. Mason especially was drawn to him and his colorful life. Apparently Logan's dad is seven foot tall, Logan's friend had his whole nipple bit off by an alligator and Logan himself wrestled without personal injury, a water moccasin. Logana also caught a shark killed a bob cat and traveled to London and was mostly Cuban. He said he wanted to be a scientist but he was not smart enough and his travel trailer was repossessed. He was a sweet little boy with about a dozen other tall tales. He followed me and Gary around anxious to tell us all of them, he even invited himself into our trailer and left us with his favorite recipe, fire eggs, cinnamon toast, sausage and syrup. His accent was enduring and he was very polite, calling us Mr. Gary and Miss Kim. He stuck around and roasted marshmallows with us and had some cantaloupe. He was not with his mom or dad at this KOA, I found out he lived just 15 minutes away and was here with a young man who he said was like a brother to him. I think these mild exagerations to put it nicely are a cultural thing. My mom being born in Arkansa has told some pretty big stories too, I alwasy believed them but now I question, did my aunt Rosie really get chased by a black panther? mmmmmmm
The air is muggy, my legs are an all you can eat buffet for these blasted mosquito's. Next to me is a lake and it is buzzing, little frogs, ducks and night birds gather and as I look out across the glassy black water I do wander if perhaps there are alligators in there. I am excited or as Nettie says "So Scited" as we are going on a swamp boat tour tomorrow. For two hours we will be in the deep swamps, where most swamp boats can't go. We will be with a local who will show us gators, how he collects their eggs and how to duck hunt. I wander how Judah and Nettie will behave for two hours while we watch birds and edge our way along waters that in some places are just two inches deep.
Mason is very excited and he is on vacation ready to live this time to the fullest, his plans for tomorrow are as told.
"I want to wake up, play some miniature golf, do some fishing and then hit that swamp boat tour." The child has little concept of time right now, or ever for that matter. Oh to be young and free of time constraints.
The other night he told that he would never take drugs or do awanna. (Mary Jane), Gary and I laughed so hard.
This morning we woke up to a grand Texas thunderstorm, it rocked out little trailer and questioned Gary of our safety, but apparently everything is just big in Texas and we were just fine.
We really have had a great trip. I have been keeping track of road kill for the last few days as I have found it easier to find than live animals. Thus far I have seen about 5 coyotes, 15 armadillos, 2 possums, 3 turkey vultures, 1 owl, and 5 skunks. I am looking forward to seeing some live animals tomorrow in Americas wetlands. This swamp tour has been featured on Discovery channel and in magazines. It is the real deal and we are hoping to see a Pilated Woodpecker. Gary and I have wanted to see one of those since we were in Bar Harbor Main but never got the chance. This swamp tour boast that their viewers will see gators up to 18 feet long! almost as big as the boat. Just had a moment of hesitation. Shake it off. Gators don't attack boats do they? I will google that one after this. This is the website of the tour we will be going on. http://www.champagnesswampstours.com/
The air is muggy, my legs are an all you can eat buffet for these blasted mosquito's. Next to me is a lake and it is buzzing, little frogs, ducks and night birds gather and as I look out across the glassy black water I do wander if perhaps there are alligators in there. I am excited or as Nettie says "So Scited" as we are going on a swamp boat tour tomorrow. For two hours we will be in the deep swamps, where most swamp boats can't go. We will be with a local who will show us gators, how he collects their eggs and how to duck hunt. I wander how Judah and Nettie will behave for two hours while we watch birds and edge our way along waters that in some places are just two inches deep.
Mason is very excited and he is on vacation ready to live this time to the fullest, his plans for tomorrow are as told.
"I want to wake up, play some miniature golf, do some fishing and then hit that swamp boat tour." The child has little concept of time right now, or ever for that matter. Oh to be young and free of time constraints.
The other night he told that he would never take drugs or do awanna. (Mary Jane), Gary and I laughed so hard.
This morning we woke up to a grand Texas thunderstorm, it rocked out little trailer and questioned Gary of our safety, but apparently everything is just big in Texas and we were just fine.
We really have had a great trip. I have been keeping track of road kill for the last few days as I have found it easier to find than live animals. Thus far I have seen about 5 coyotes, 15 armadillos, 2 possums, 3 turkey vultures, 1 owl, and 5 skunks. I am looking forward to seeing some live animals tomorrow in Americas wetlands. This swamp tour has been featured on Discovery channel and in magazines. It is the real deal and we are hoping to see a Pilated Woodpecker. Gary and I have wanted to see one of those since we were in Bar Harbor Main but never got the chance. This swamp tour boast that their viewers will see gators up to 18 feet long! almost as big as the boat. Just had a moment of hesitation. Shake it off. Gators don't attack boats do they? I will google that one after this. This is the website of the tour we will be going on. http://www.champagnesswampstours.com/
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
barely keeping my eyes open
All kids have been thoroughly rinsed and put to bed, one out of four brushed their teeth, which is not bad considering......at least I got to brush my teeth. I realized I also forgot our shampoo and conditioner and so for the moment we will all be using the curly headed stuff of Nettie and Judah. My eyes are on fire, my nose is feeling itchy and I am hoping that this is not a cold. Nettie is sneezing and has a watery nose and Judah has been sneezing for some time now. I have to admit as I said in the last post just an hour ago, this trailer is a mess! tooth paste in the sink, wet towels, and possible dog vomit on the bed, ahhh just like home. I am having serious trailer envy right now. We are surrounded by the big hitters, the coaches and fifth wheels that are so huge and luxurious they are hauled by big rigs. As I walk by them trying to imagine how it must be to own one of those, my mouth waters over the slide outs that takes them from being a home on wheels to a mansion on wheels in my opinion. Just a few days into this trip and I think I would prefer a motor home. Gary and I have debated on this for years, we have researched every option from tents to pop ups and fifth wheels. For now this suites us, but I am not sure for how long. As the kids get bigger we will run out of room. Taking long distance trips I think a motor home is the best way to go. I could actually work out while we drove! I am finding fitness is hard to do on the road. Sitting for endless hours, snacking even with the best intentions I am sure I was not created to eat that many nuts!! I haven't been monitoring my blood sugar, I missed my thyroid pill. I am off kilter right now and as organized has I thought I was I still cannot manage to find the things I need or keep track of where everything is or needs to be. I think this will be a good learning experience for the whole family, including the dogs! Okay off to bed. Tomorrow we will try for Baton Rouge, 400 miles.
Walmart across the country
Well it is 10 pm, Gary is at Walmart in San Antonio picking up the things I forgot. I am so mad because I vowed I wouldn't go to Walmart on this trip!! Can't seem to get away from Walmart. Well at least I can brush my teeth now.
We logged over 600 miles today landing in San Antonio, the Alamo state. It was muggy and since we are at the KOA right by the river there is an abundance of blood sucking insects. The dogs are getting used to the travel thing, I even found Sweetie sitting on the dash board of the Suburban.
Today was mostly uneventful. I have only used the DVD player 1 time, the kids are doing so good. Netsanet asked me today if she could watch the "Princess and the Crack" What she meant was "The Nut Cracker" :)
We arrived at the KOA a little past 7 pm, the kids road their bikes and played on the typical old fashioned KOA play ground, wooden merry go rounds, metal structures and all around tall unsafe toys. They had a blast. Well I have to cut this short because Judah is all over the place, and I cannot even describe how that is in a 23 foot trailer. Lets just put it this way, this little trailer looks much like my house, dirty dishes, dirty floors, and toys everywhere. I guess the adage is true, "You can run but you cannot hide".
On a different note, Abby thinks Texas is beautiful. She is a doll who can really find the pretty things in life, just like Gary. This morning, in New Mexico she put her chair on the picnic table overlooking the Vally and watched the sunset. I have pictures of all of these things but guess what? I forgot the cords to down load them into Gary's computer.
We logged over 600 miles today landing in San Antonio, the Alamo state. It was muggy and since we are at the KOA right by the river there is an abundance of blood sucking insects. The dogs are getting used to the travel thing, I even found Sweetie sitting on the dash board of the Suburban.
Today was mostly uneventful. I have only used the DVD player 1 time, the kids are doing so good. Netsanet asked me today if she could watch the "Princess and the Crack" What she meant was "The Nut Cracker" :)
We arrived at the KOA a little past 7 pm, the kids road their bikes and played on the typical old fashioned KOA play ground, wooden merry go rounds, metal structures and all around tall unsafe toys. They had a blast. Well I have to cut this short because Judah is all over the place, and I cannot even describe how that is in a 23 foot trailer. Lets just put it this way, this little trailer looks much like my house, dirty dishes, dirty floors, and toys everywhere. I guess the adage is true, "You can run but you cannot hide".
On a different note, Abby thinks Texas is beautiful. She is a doll who can really find the pretty things in life, just like Gary. This morning, in New Mexico she put her chair on the picnic table overlooking the Vally and watched the sunset. I have pictures of all of these things but guess what? I forgot the cords to down load them into Gary's computer.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Las Crusas New Mexico, Night one
Well as I am turning in for bed I realize how many things I have forgotten at home. My toothbrush, sheets, our favorite blanket, as I like to tease Gary "his blankie" he says he can't sleep without it and it is what makes home a home. He just now asked me if I could have a neighbor UPS it.
The kids are sleeping, Gary is turning in and it is just me and the light of this computer. There is the droning of the fan and it is making me sleepy.
The day started off just fine. One of the kids clogged toilet and then several others used it on top of that so Gary had to fish poo products out because the plunger wasn't doing the trick. I gagged and held the bag, then gave the kids a piece of my mind. Because of the poo debacle we left set out on our adventure with now wallet. When we turned around to get it, and trust me that is no easy feat hauling 6 K pounds, we realized that neither of us had keys to get into the house. We both gave our keys to our friends, I gave mine to the wife, Gary gave his to the husband. Long story short, we have their keys and were finally able to make contact with them as they were not home and just let ourselves into their house to get our keys back. After that whole thing it went fairly smoothly.
We arrived in New Mexico and set up the trailer for the night. Abby had a huge melt down which sent me into a melt down. Nettie insisted she could ride her bike even though I told her she couldn't. She ended up a with a few skinned knees. No tears though. Judah was amazing!! When he has a mission he is all about the long haul, I think he would make a great fighter pilot, but he wants to be a trucker. There was hardly any fighting, I attribute this to much prayer from our church and family. He would remain quiet for the longest stretches then say something so random it made me laugh, like "Mom when we back home can we go to Walmart and buy olives?"
This KOA has met my expectations, it is clean, friendly and feels safe. The kids were able to ride their bikes, play on the playground and dig in the dirt with their shovels building paths for their trucks. Right now as we are sitting on a scenic pull in sight I am looking down at the city valley, lights are sparkling and spread out like jewels beneath me. It is dark and almost magical. During the day the prairie lands seem lonely and I thought we would be isolated, but we are not as the city is just below, welcoming, sprawling singing "There is a Walmart here, you can buy the toothbrush and sheets you forgot and oh that microwave safe dish you need!!" Yessssss. I will be there shortly.
We are going to try for San Antonio tomorrow, it is a long drive over 600 miles. But if the kids do well then we will just push on. Then we should be arriving in Baton Rouge the next day, there is talk of a swamp ride! I would love that.
Dinner went well, outside of the Abby melt down which had much to do with Mason forgetting to pack his bike helmet. Of course Abby's is black with a flame and we have Netties, but didn't bring Netties bike and Netties is pink. Same helmet just different colors so I made Abby give her black helmet to Mason and I made her wear the pink one. You can imagine. So that was another thing I forgot. Darn. I would gladly spend 20 bucks on a new helmet so that I don't have to deal with that again. Can't blame the girl though, the black one with flames is waaaaaaay cooler!
Espresso is a good traveler but Sweetie is not doing so hot. I hope she gets used to the stress soon. She didn't eat or drink today. But she did pee pee while on a walk so that is a good thing considering she hasn't really been on a leash too many times.
Well I better run, off to try to sleep. Gary changed his mind to 5 am. Good golly.
The kids are sleeping, Gary is turning in and it is just me and the light of this computer. There is the droning of the fan and it is making me sleepy.
The day started off just fine. One of the kids clogged toilet and then several others used it on top of that so Gary had to fish poo products out because the plunger wasn't doing the trick. I gagged and held the bag, then gave the kids a piece of my mind. Because of the poo debacle we left set out on our adventure with now wallet. When we turned around to get it, and trust me that is no easy feat hauling 6 K pounds, we realized that neither of us had keys to get into the house. We both gave our keys to our friends, I gave mine to the wife, Gary gave his to the husband. Long story short, we have their keys and were finally able to make contact with them as they were not home and just let ourselves into their house to get our keys back. After that whole thing it went fairly smoothly.
We arrived in New Mexico and set up the trailer for the night. Abby had a huge melt down which sent me into a melt down. Nettie insisted she could ride her bike even though I told her she couldn't. She ended up a with a few skinned knees. No tears though. Judah was amazing!! When he has a mission he is all about the long haul, I think he would make a great fighter pilot, but he wants to be a trucker. There was hardly any fighting, I attribute this to much prayer from our church and family. He would remain quiet for the longest stretches then say something so random it made me laugh, like "Mom when we back home can we go to Walmart and buy olives?"
This KOA has met my expectations, it is clean, friendly and feels safe. The kids were able to ride their bikes, play on the playground and dig in the dirt with their shovels building paths for their trucks. Right now as we are sitting on a scenic pull in sight I am looking down at the city valley, lights are sparkling and spread out like jewels beneath me. It is dark and almost magical. During the day the prairie lands seem lonely and I thought we would be isolated, but we are not as the city is just below, welcoming, sprawling singing "There is a Walmart here, you can buy the toothbrush and sheets you forgot and oh that microwave safe dish you need!!" Yessssss. I will be there shortly.
We are going to try for San Antonio tomorrow, it is a long drive over 600 miles. But if the kids do well then we will just push on. Then we should be arriving in Baton Rouge the next day, there is talk of a swamp ride! I would love that.
Dinner went well, outside of the Abby melt down which had much to do with Mason forgetting to pack his bike helmet. Of course Abby's is black with a flame and we have Netties, but didn't bring Netties bike and Netties is pink. Same helmet just different colors so I made Abby give her black helmet to Mason and I made her wear the pink one. You can imagine. So that was another thing I forgot. Darn. I would gladly spend 20 bucks on a new helmet so that I don't have to deal with that again. Can't blame the girl though, the black one with flames is waaaaaaay cooler!
Espresso is a good traveler but Sweetie is not doing so hot. I hope she gets used to the stress soon. She didn't eat or drink today. But she did pee pee while on a walk so that is a good thing considering she hasn't really been on a leash too many times.
Well I better run, off to try to sleep. Gary changed his mind to 5 am. Good golly.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Sweet Home Hamavama
Well we are just getting ready to leave for Alalbama. We are so excited, there has been a ton of a packing to do, still not done. I feel like I am leaving behind so much unfinished buisness. I have been so focused on leaving I have forgotten that at some point I am coming home and I still have so much stuff to do. I guess that is how vacations go.
I shaved the hairy mutt and Sweetie the Chihuahua doesn't want anything to do with him, she runs and hides everytime he comes near. For two days she has not recognized him, I thought these dogs were supposed to be smart.
The kids are so excited, they can hardly stand it. I think we leave tomorrow early in the AM. I hope and pray we can stand the journey. The two little ones have been fighting like crazy. I have the car clean, food packed, house kinda picked up, dogs microchipped. I hope that I can update on the road when we stop, I would love to journal this time for the kids.
I shaved the hairy mutt and Sweetie the Chihuahua doesn't want anything to do with him, she runs and hides everytime he comes near. For two days she has not recognized him, I thought these dogs were supposed to be smart.
The kids are so excited, they can hardly stand it. I think we leave tomorrow early in the AM. I hope and pray we can stand the journey. The two little ones have been fighting like crazy. I have the car clean, food packed, house kinda picked up, dogs microchipped. I hope that I can update on the road when we stop, I would love to journal this time for the kids.
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