A GREAT VISIT!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Not only did we have a chance to visit with Ron’s cousin Steve, but they graciously invited us over to their home Wednesday evening so we could also visit with Connie and Rachel. They have a lovely home with a picturesque setting on a cypress filled lake. The meal, conversation and visit was wonderful and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

This was a great way to top off a day of sightseeing in Lake Charles. It’s a nice community with a lot of history. We visited the Central School built in 1912 which today houses the Arts & Humanities Council, the Mardi Gras Museum & the Black Heritage Gallery. There were several artist displays & we were really impressed with the presentation of the Mardi Gras Museum. After lunch at a downtown cafe, we went on a self guided driving tour (we should have done a walking tour) of many historic houses, some dating as far back as the 1800’s.

We also visited the Bilbo Cemetery, the oldest cemetery (c.1830) in Lake Charles with graves of over 200 of the city pioneers including the founder - Jacob Ryan.
I’ve included a few pictures. In the early 1800's it was the site of a former military outpost. I always make fun of my sister & brother-in-law who like to visit cemeteries....but they do add to the understanding of an areas history.

On-ward to San Antonio!

Hope all is well!
Joan & Ron


Just one of many exhibits at the Mardi Gras Musuem




Statue of Jesus Christ at the Bilbo Cemetery. Stands 23 feet over the resting places of early settlers.


Steve, Connie & Rachel Wieschhaus


Sunset at the Wieschhaus homestead.

HEY CUZ

November 17, 2009

Yesterday we spent the evening in Slidell, Louisiana. Slidell is 30 miles north of New Orleans. We are working our way across the south to get to San Antonio by Thanksgiving so were not able to spend any time in this area. Tonight we are in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Ron’s first cousin Steve Wieschhaus lives in Lake Charles and came out to the campground to visit for a few hours. It was great seeing him. That’s one of the best parts of our traveling is to visit relatives and friends across the USA.
Hope all is well!
Joan & Ron

GOODBYE MEMPHIS HELLO RED BAY…..RED WHERE?

We have been bad at updating our blog. We will get better! Now that we have a few extra minutes to catch up, we can’t get internet access. We use a Sprint MiFi device that until now worked really, really well. I’m just hoping it’s the area and not the device.
So, I am writing this on word and will transfer to the blog later.
After we left Memphis we drove to Red Bay, Alabama for some minor repair work on the coach. What they failed to mention when we called to schedule the appointment was that they have 49 sites and 89 coaches checking in. So we had to dry camp for our first 3 days….no electricity, water or sewer. Luckily we had enough fuel to run the generator to get heat at night since it dipped to the high 30’s. We were a little low on water and have now learned to always, always, always keep a full tank…just in case….
This actually was a blessing in disguise. Dry camping is something we want to do in the future and what better place to experiment.
Our repairs didn’t get scheduled until Friday, so we had to find things to entertain us. Not easy in Red Bay…population 3800. Fortunately, there are a few towns within 45-60 minutes with attractions and shopping.
We spent one afternoon shopping then wanted to view the Coon Dog Cemetery. The only cemetery of its type for what else…coon dogs. Must be big in these parts. We drove up and down a dirt road for ½ hour and never did find it. The locals swear it is there. I was driving and from the looks of the area Ron started humming the theme from Deliverance. Freaked me out…..so I was ready to give in and return home.
Also spent one day golfing on the Robert Trent Jones – Schoolmaster course. The temperature was perfect for the golf but the 30 mph winds were brutal. Also, the falling leaves “ate” several of our golf balls.
The Robert Trent Jones Trails through Alabama and consist of 11 trails, 26 golf courses and 468 holes. It was the mastermind in the late 1980’s by Dr. David Bronner who wanted to diversify the state pension fund and strengthen the economics of Alabama. He thought if he built an extensive golf trail…”they will come”. I think it worked.
Spent another afternoon with a very nice couple from Florida who were dry camping next to us…Ken & Carolyn. They were very willing to share their experiences and travels with us. We got some good suggestions for our travels to the southwest. They toured our coach…we toured theirs and we went to lunch. A very enjoyable afternoon.
This is already too long….can’t blame you if you don’t read the whole thing. Will stop for now.

Hope all is well.

Joan & Ron

ROCK & SOUL & BEALE STREET

Can't visit Memphis without taking in the flair of Beale Street. Ate lunch at Silky O'Sullivans and listened to some saxaphone & trumpet soul music.

Before lunch we toured the Memphis Rock & Soul Museum. The exhibit is a self guided audio tour and takes you through the blues and country roots of rock & roll. It features vintage jukeboxes, costumes & profiles of the artist of the times. There are 140 exhibits. It is sponsored by the Smithsonian Institute and is presented very well. A great place to spend a few hours if you find yourself in Memphis.

We had taken a trip to Memphis several years ago just to see Graceland & play golf, but never did any other tours.

Hope all is well!

Joan & Ron

Golf...finally

Thursday we finally got a round of golf in. Ron shot a good round....mine was ugly. Course in Southhaven, Mississippi (North Creek Golf Club) had just aerated their greens so putting was a little rough. That's my excuse!



Course had many moguls and more water and sand in comparison to most St. Louis public courses. But the weather was a perfect 70 degrees and sunny.



Ate lunch at the clubhouse then went grocery shopping to stock our refrigerator. Our refrigerator is a full size residential GE Profile so we have not had to scrimp on groceries. However, cooking is another story. We have no oven....only a Sharp microwave/convection. It works really well, only I have to get use to the temperature and timing of the convection part. We have a cute little 3 burner stove, fueled by propane gas. I never did like cooking on gas, but those who do tell me they would never go back to electric. Ron's Mom has always used and likes gas & so does Ron.....I think he should be the designated cook. We'll see.

Hope all is well!

Joan & Ron

Soggy St. Louis

Boy...did we pick the wrong week to come back to St. Louis. Because of the rain it took us longer to do the things we needed to do. There were so many we wanted to visit with but just ran out of time. We'll catch up on our next visit. We made several trips to our storage unit to stock the motorhome and are happy to have room for the items we really need and wanted, although we had to leave a lot behind. Visited with Ron's family...Roger, Barb and Sandon, Margie & Kevin, Mary and Marti came out to see the motorhome, had dinner with Ann & John, and dear friends Gerry and Ann. We always enjoy our visits with Gerry and Ann...they make us remember we are not in our own little corner and to see the big picture of what is really going on in the world.

We sold the Accord to a dealer in a very smooth deal and somewhat profitable for a 7 year old car. We love those Honda's.

Licensed the coach, did some shopping and puff the time was gone.

Left St. Louis and spent the night at the Lucky Lady Casino in Caruthersville, Missouri. Small but nice casino and very nice campgrounds. We actually walked away with a little more money in our pocket...very little but better than none....a very unusual situation for us. Diesel money.

Hope all is well!!

HOME -SWEET-HOME

We arrived at the Six Flags campground yesterday afternoon. There is something to say about being familiar with the area....makes traveling so much easier.

After we checked in and set up had a great visit with my sister and brother-in-law (Ann & John). After showing them the coach and visiting for awhile we went out to dinner at an icon Italian (what else?) restaurant in downtown Eureka.

Food was very good and we had a nice homecoming visit.

This week will be very busy with a list of items we have to attend to while in town. Not to mention we have to unpack the 60+ boxes we have for the motorhome, sort through them (again) and repack the items we will not have room for. What made us think we would have more storage than we really have? If we can fit 1/3 of them in the coach we will be happy.

Hope all is well!