2008 11 27 Happy Thanksgiving

This year was another Thanksgiving on our own. Heather and Michael and the boys are celebrating the holiday with Heather's Grandparents, Willard and Mabel Fraley. Because we opted to head to warmer weather, we sent a Honey-Baked Ham and Turkey dinner to make up for our absence. Heather was happy to hear that a delicious meal was arriving and she wasn't going to have to rush to the grocery after work the day before the holiday. Lisa and Eimhin headed to Hawaii for a bit of surfing. We heard from them when they arrived and they were already enjoying Maitai's on the beach! Sounds good to me.

Hope everyone had a wonderful day. We did - and the Cowboys won! It was a good Thanksgiving afterall.

2008 11 24 Today's Sunset, Titusville, FL

We enjoyed an absolutely lovely day and it ended with a spectacular sunset. Wow! What lovely color. Did you notice the reflection in the lake?

2008 11 16 To Tallahassee or Titusville

We are planning to make our way to Floriday in the morning. We're unsure how far we'll get, so it will probably be Tallahassee or a very long day on the road to go into Titusville. The weather is expected to be good so we have that working in our favor.

2008 11 16 Beignets and Coffee - YUM

We arrived at Cafe Du Monde this morning for their infamous beignets and coffee. While the beignets were hot and delicious the coffee was probably the most delicious cup I've ever had.

Next we were off on a Hurricane Katrina tour to check out the rebuilding efforts.

The Kaliope player atop the Natchez steamboat calls folks to the Mississippi. What a great calling card!


The devistation from the storms is unimaginable - even as it stands today. There has been a lot of clean-up and rebuilding, but it is a drop in the bucket as to the work that remains. I understand folks want to go home, and New Orleans is a beautiful city, but some areas remain without hospitals and healthcare to this day. Just think about what the folks in Galveston must be facing.

2008 11 15 Images from the French Quarter

2008 11/15 New Orleans, Louisiana

NOLA has been calling both me and Joe to her for years, but we've never been. Since we're on our way to Florida for a winter cruise we decided to take the leisurely route through Louisiana and spend a couple of days here in New Orleans.

We've enjoyed lovely weather, but a cool front followed us here and the winds have been quite chilly. Tomorrow promises to be a better day and we're hopeful that is so.

We arrived at a really neat RV park just a couple of blocks from the French Quarter here in New Orleans. Very nicely done, pavers everywhere, great wide lots and of course, there is lots to do and see.

We took a stroll on Bourbon Street and wound our way through the French Quarter. What a place! Even on an off-weekend the cafe and bar business is thriving. We dined at the highly recommended Acme Oyster House. I enjoyed a lovely platter of delicious fried oysters, fries and cole slaw. Joe had the Jambalaya (which was not as good as billed). But hey - we've been there. I'd definitely go back again for the oysters, shrimp and the like, but if you're not able to enjoy shellfish it's probably not the place for you.

Tomorrow we're planning Beignets in the morning at Cafe du Monde, then a tour of the ravaged Hurricane Katrina area. Let's hope we're going to see a lot of progress. Lunch and dinner will be somewhere in the French Quarter. Then we'll seize the opportunity to tour the rest of the city.

More later - time to chill.

2008 11/14 Dallas to Opelousas, Louisiana

We are finally finished at Freightliner - a visit that took far longer than we anticipated.

We've headed East and South to Opelousas, Louisiana as we make our way to New Orleans.

We are certainly glad we arrived at the Opelousas City Park during daylight hours as there is not a person here to check us in, or tell us where to park for the night. We simply found a nice clear, level spot and plugged in. No water or sewer, but the park is secure and quiet - so no complaints on our end.

We will make our way on to New Orleans early in the morning. Perhaps there will be someone here we can give money to before we leave.

2008 11 11 Freightliner, Dallas, Texas

We are at Freightliner in Dallas having the bus checked out. The original problem that brought us here turned out to be nothing. We took the opportunity to have a couple of fuel filters replaced, and during the process the service department found out about a recall. It seems the recall is a pretty important part that should be replaced, so we are staying on until they can work us in. We should be finished at some point tomorrow and will make our way to Florida.

We have enjoyed catching up with old friends in Dallas. But it's turning cooler so we're anxious to make our way to Florida. Our trip to Antarctica will be here before we know it - we're very excited and can hardly wait for January 2nd to arrive.