San Antonio, Austin and Waxahachie, TX

What a trip we are having! Totally enjoyed being with Nan in League City, TX. Got another Dr. to look at Sandi's reaction to an insect bite and got a diagnosis of Staph infection, which meant new antibiotics and having to soak her leg in hot water with Epsom salts.  She has had to sit in the back seat because she had to elevate the leg.  Anyway, she was chauffeured from League City to San Antonio where we went to the Alamo.  We got there too late the first day, so we did the River Walk instead and had a marvelous steak dinner.

 Lots of ducks on the River Walk! Also a lot of signs saying "Do Not Feed the Birds" which I think are ignored a lot!  A little too much walking for me, I think; I was hurting a lot when we got back to the motel.  Anyway, the next morning Sandi and I went to the Alamo.  Once again, I felt goose bumps  as I listened to the story about the brave men and women who were at the Alamo.  The men were all killed with their bodies burned at the order of Santa Ana.  How hard they tried to hang on and win.  When I saw the mock up of the fort showing all the troops Santa Ana had and how they got over the wall of the fort, I was totally amazed that the "Texans" were able to hang on as long as they did, having so few people and resources.  There is a lot of raw courage and bravery in our history.

The mission at the Alamo

The heroes of the Alamo

Very, very emotional for me to see where such brave men had fallen.  Fortunately, Santa Ana let the women go.  From San Antonio we drove to Austin and had lunch with our friend Sima.

Lovely Sima, bad picture

Sima's house

The rest of Sima's house

David and Russ, she has a bedroom for you when you visit! A lovely home that she has worked hard to fix up.  As she said, it is a work in process.  From Austin, we went to Waxahachie to meet with my dear friend Randy and his wife, Helen.  We have been here since Friday afternoon and have seen so much of their music! Last night we all went to Austin (back we go!) where Randy and Helen had a "gig" at a restaurant.  Beautiful music!!!

Randy and Helen

The owner of the restaurant, Dave, also joined with them, playing a washtub bass!

Dave on washtub bass, Helen Kennedy, Randy Tredway, Kathy and Tommy

Ed is not doing well right now.  They think he may have had a stroke, but I am questioning if it is another urinary tract infection.  The way he is acting right now is a lot like he did last spring when he had one.  I'm waiting to hear and may need to cut my trip short.  Don't know yet if we will drive straight home or if I will fly home.  Pray for Ed, please/  I'll let you know how everything is going as soon as I hear.

Another day in paradise!

We are loving our time here in League City, TX.  The weather has been beautiful and the days filled with meeting new people and eating wonderful food! Sandi has continued to have a rough time with her reaction to insect bites.  We saw a Dr. in New Orleans and he put her on an antibiotic but she wasn't really getting better.  Yesterday we took her to Urgent Care and actually had a Dr. who did a blood test...first one.  Found out that she once again has Cellulitis and also has a staph infection.  So, she is on stronger antibiotics and has to soak her leg plus use hot compresses twice a day.  Poor Baby! However, we are now very optimistic and feel that she is on the road to recovery.  Because of the difficulty she has had, we are going to stay in League City until tomorrow and then head to San Antonio and points north.  Here, however, is a taste of what we have been enjoying:

Bishops Palace on Galveston Island

Me on the beach at Galveston

My beautiful friend, Nan

 Life can be tough.  Tonight we'll get to go to a high school football game and see Nan's granddaughter cheer the team on.  I can hardly wait; it's been a long time since I saw a high school game! I'll let you know how it comes out.  Meanwhile, I must leave and get some breakfast.  Talk to you later!

Strange, we're heading west!

It was really hard to leave my son Ray, my daughter-in-law Chris and my grandson Justin.  Being with them was such a comfortable joy.   Anyway, it was great, the weather was interesting ( a real combination of absolutely drop dead gorgeous and "WOW that lightening strike and thunder was close, wasn't it?!") and the sights were wonderful.  We drove to Pensacola, FL, a city right at the western end of the panhandle of Florida, saying, "I had no idea Florida was so wide up here!" I was also wondering what felt different: for the first time, we were heading WEST! This is the only picture I took while we were in Pensacola:

The little sign in the middle of the picture asks:  "Forget anything?"  With all our stuff around it, I thought it was too funny to pass up...obviously, we hadn't forgotten anything at all! I was sorry that we didn't take any beach pictures in Pensacola because the day was absolutely beautiful.  However, we did make up for it when we stopped at the visitors information center as we entered Mississippi and for lunch at Shaggy's in Biloxi, MS:

Elvis greeted us as we walked through the Visitor Center

Beautiful staircase in the Visitors Center

Look at the birds carved from the tree!

View from Shaggy's

The beautiful Sandi

This the back of Shaggy's

The food was fantastic the view, as you can see, was absolutely beyond description as was the weather...gentle breeze, warm...everything.  Sandi has been saying that it's the unexpected things that have been so wonderful; the motel rooms that have been so comfortable, the people that have been so nice, the impulsive stopping at a restaurant on the beach, the Visitors Center that makes you feel that you have just stepped into Tara.  We have been so very blessed on this trip! The only down side has been Sandi's allergic reaction to bug bites.  When we were in Williamsburg I took her to an Urgent Care facility because her arm was swollen and red and the bites had ballooned up.  The Dr. diagnosed Cellulitis and put her on a couple of antibiotics.  That cleared up pretty much but when we were in Bristol, TN, sitting out on the deck enjoying the view, a huge, UGLY bee or wasp or something started to sting Sandi on the leg, but she brushed it away.  Sue got some ice for it and it appeared to be nothing but a little irritation.  However, by the time we were in New Orleans she had finished with the antibiotics and this is what her lower leg looked like:

Sandi's lower right leg

Once again to Urgent Care and a prescription for more, stronger antibiotics and a steroid cream.  Now here is where one of those "unexpected things" came in.  The nurse directed us to a small pharmacy that was "just a little ways" away.  We drove for what seemed like forever, got caught in a right turn only lane, went back the way we had come and still no St Bernard Drug Store.  Sandi called while I drove and found out that we hadn't gone quite far enough on the "just a little ways" away.  We went by a chain drug store and I was tempted to pull in, but no...I was determined to get to St. Bernard's.  Finally, we found it and also found some of the nicest people we had met yet.  We were talking about out travels when the pharmacist himself came over and was listening intently.  When we got to the part about looking for a place to have lunch, Dominick (the pharmacist) said - with a wonderful southern accent - "You have to go to Drago's.  It has the best seafood and most wonderful char-broiled oysters you'll ever have!"  So, we got the directions and went there (after a little back-tracking and phone calling!) and I have to say that he was totally correct: we had the best meal we had had yet.

The lovely chucked oysters just waiting for the grill

The grill!

We agreed that the stuffed crab that I had the the catfish that Sandi had were wonderful, the the highlight was the oyster appetizer that we could made a meal out of, sopping up the butter and stuff with french bread.  So, we made some new friends and found a wonderful place to eat because of Sandi's misfortune.  Now it's Westward Ho! to League City, TX and my friend, Nan.

A lazy day

We were going to be leaving Jacksonville today and we told Ray that on Sunday.  His response was, "Oh, really? Do you...well sure if that's what you want to do."  Well, with that response, we elected to stay another day.  That being said, we had already done our laundry, so today is a totally lazy day being spent listening to the thunder and the rain and seeing the occasional flash of lightening.  It's been a good day for Sandi and me.  Everyone is gone except Puck, the little dog who does not like thunder in any way shape or form.  I was sitting on the couch and he was pressed up against my leg, shaking all over.  Anyway, we've played Solitaire, read, talked and just been.  I like just being; it sort of soothes the soul and lets you reflect and gather yourself up for what is happening.  I've reached the point of not particularly caring about what the future may bring (who knows? It's the future.) and I may finally be at a point of being able to say that the past is just that: it's back there and not to be reclaimed or redeemed.  All we can do as human beings is go on from here, and here is a really wonderful place to be.

That's the Atlantic Ocean out there!

Wouldn't you say?? Tomorrow afternoon we'll head to Pensacola and spend the night there.  We were playing with the idea of stopping in New Orleans, but Sandi has heard that the crime rate has really gone up, so we may well skip that.  We'll spend one more night on the road and then head into Houston, TX to see my friend Sunny Nanette Martin Hewitt.  I should let her know the date of our arrival, don't you think? Well, this is only a short blog, being's as how I'm on vacation today...not tomorrow though - tomorrow I drive.  I love it.  Miss my friends!

St. Augustine with the family

What a treat! We drove to the oldest city in the United States! St. Augustine is on an island with the original fort still standing.  This was the area settled by the Spanish, given to the British, taken back by the Spanish and then sold to the United States.  Some beautiful buildings still standing:

Part of Flagel College

We walked for probably about 10 miles (okay, a slight - very slight my body tells me - exaggeration) went into a multitude of shops - there was one called Dragonfly that had some really beautiful earrings and Sandi and I each bought a pair - ate some killer pizza at a place where the man was actually from Italy, did a LOT of people watching and just enjoyed being together.

Sandi, Chris, Ray and Justin

We always said that Justin had his Mom's nose!

Now, on the the town itself; the walls of the fort and several of the dwellings and buildings are constructed with a material that consists of oyster shells, chocilla shells (a small mollusk) sand and mud.  The blocks were harvested from the island off St. Augustine and are really fascinating to see.  The composition of this stuff apparently made the walls much more resistant to cannon balls than the typical brick walls.  Here's what it looks like:

The wall of one of the dwellings/businesses in town 

The wall of the fort

When we got to the fort, I thought it was really interesting that the design was very similar to that of James Fort except that this fort had 4 sides.  St. Augustine fort needed to protect all sides unlike James Fort, which had the swamp at it's back.  One think I can say with great certainty is that the Spanish settlers of 1565 were much shorter than we are now; either that or they slept on very short mattresses...to the tune of 15-20 in a row! We were totally blessed with beautiful weather, wonderful people (this country is FILLED with them!) and a joyous time.  Here are some views of the fort:

St. Augustine Fort

Gun emplacements which were on all walls

Couldn't resist this one of Justin racing through the shot. Didn't get the Michael Jordan leap, though!

View of city (and Justin and Ray) from the Fort

With all the walking, looking, aah-ing and oo-ing this, I think, is my favorite shot:

22 years married.  It makes a Mother's heart sing

Today, Chris is at work and Justin is at school.  Sandi and I will do washes and figure out our next stop and the route; we think we will go to Pensacola, FL, spend the night and then on to New Orleans, maybe.  Apparently there has been an upswing in crime, so we're going to think about it.  Anyway, from there we will go to Houston, TX , then maybe San Antonio, TX, Austin, TX and on to my friends Randy and Helen in Waxahachie, TX.  All is to be decided, but you'll know as I continue this blog what the decisions are! More later.

From Bristol to Savannah

Had an absolutely wonderful time in Bristol, TN with my dear friend Paule Sue.  She lives up on a ridge just north of where the Smokies and the Blues come together.  Here is a look at the view from her deck..this is looking south with the Smokies in the distance:

Sue has a bird feeder and I was fascinated to see all the different birds that came to the feeder.  There were young male Cardinals:

Young male Cardinal at the feeder

Unfortunately, the colors didn't come through; the young males Cardinals get some red feathers in and sort of molt off the old brown feathers, so they're sort of marbled.  The red is really bright though.
Beyond the birds, the beautiful landscape and the beautiful home, the peace and the cats were the main things I noticed.  There is absolutely no traffic noise unless a truck comes up the hill below Sue's home.  We had a wonderful time reconnecting and I had a great time seeing Sue and Sandi connect! Sue now has a new big sister.  We hated to leave, however we had promised ourselves Savannah and a meal at "The Lady and Sons," Paula Deans restaurant in Savannah.  We got to our motel (which was a little south of Savannah) and then drove to the visitors center in Savannah.  We were able to park for $2.00 and go on the City Trolley Tour.  Here are a few pictures from Savannah!

The tour was really good and the dinner was even better! Sandi took me to "The Lady and Sons" restaurant for dinner as my belated birthday present.

Sandi and Carol with Paula Dean

Tony, our waiter (WONDERFUL GUY!)

Carol and Sandi eating dinner

The deadly dessert tray (the buttery cake is to die for!)

To prove we were really there!

Today, we drove from Savannah to Jacksonville.  The drive was really nice with the puffy, puffy clouds piling up...yes.  Anyway, we got turned around looking for the correct street because...Google hadn't updated the maps and the subdivision had changed considerably.  I called Ray and got his directions over the phone and then wound up calling him again because it wasn't working out! We finally got "found", got into Ray's car and went to my grandson Justin's football game.  Oh, be still my heart! The game wound up tied, 12 - 12.  We had 3 touchdowns nullified because (I feel) the ref was bought out by the opposing team! Anyway, the tie had them trying to win in the last 10 yards of the field.  The opposing team had 4 downs to get in the end zone but were unable to do so; therefore, we had 4 downs to do the same.  If the opposing team had made a touchdown, we would only have had 1 down to win...we had 4 and we did it in 3.  Justin's team, the Oakleaf Knights, won by a score 

of 18-12.  YEA!!!!!

#80 IS Justin Ryan Eckersley (in case you couldn't guess)

We all had dinner at a wonderful pizza place and have come home so I can do the blog, Justin can play video games with his dad and Sandi and I can crash - which I am about to do.  So, good night, my friends.  Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite (did you know they came over with the settlers from England?????) and I will fill you in with more tomorrow...or the day after...I am on vacation, you know!

Monticello

How very, very fortunate we were to have the brilliant minds in place to draft and sign the Declaration of Independence. Sandi and I stopped and visited Monticello, the beloved home of Thomas Jefferson, the writer of the Declaration of Independence.  I know that all the information is available to me to know about this man (beyond his authorship of our freedom), but I never thought about it.  I'm thinking about it now! This man was absolutely brilliant; he was an author of books, an inventor, a farmer, a person who could write the Declaration of Independence in only 17 days, a person who could read 5 books simultaneously (in fact invented a 5 book lazy Susan, so he could change the book he was reading at will), was ambassador to France and to Spain, was Vice President of the United States and President for 2 terms.  I decided he was someone I could admire.  I certainly admire his home....

The front of Monticello

I also admire his principles, which showed an ability to look at himself and know that what he was doing (owning slaves) wasn't right.  He called slavery a moral abomination but could not see a way to end it at that time.  He said that it had to be solved by a later generation.
We had a wonderful guide, Brandon:

Brandon, our tour guide

Carol in the Kitchen at Monticello

Of course, if a man has a southern accent and a baritone voice, I'll listen all day! Brandon was also very knowledgeable and answered every question and gave us so much information that I'm on overload.  We really loved the tour and were so very, very grateful that we went.  Then it was on to Bristol, TN and my dear friend/sister, Sue King-Marschalk.  We arrived just as the sun was going down and saw her beautiful home and the surrounding area.

View from Sue's deck

 Having a wonderful time.  We'll leave tomorrow and head to Savannah, spend a night there and then head for Jacksonville, FL.  More tomorrow!!