Louisiana and the Mississippi Trace

We left Doug, Gina and Family on Monday morning ( April 19th) and headed further into the "South". It was sad to say good-bye but we really enjoyed our visit and the time we got to spend with the family. Thanks to all of the Doug Reinerts! When driving thru the last of Texas we saw a field with some longhorns, camels, horses, wild turkeys and zebra. What a combination.

We had lunch at a truckstop in Louisiana that was decorated with large plastic palm trees in different colors. Inside the truckstop was a small area for truckers to relax and take showers. There was a washer and dryer and a small sitting area with a TV and a magazine rack that had a sign and literature entitled "Trucking for Jesus". Different from what we have been seeing. Some of the billboards along the way were different, too. Lots of billboards advertising fire ant elimination products. We saw some of those billboards in Texas and Louisiana. Mr. Cubby needs to watch where he is sniffing!

Further down the road in LA, we pulled off to take a side trip to our first (but not last) swamp. My sister, Jo, said to watch out for the "Swamp Thing" and swamp gas. Jack says that Grandpa has had swamp gas for many years now.....don't tell Dad! Actually, we did tell Dad and he said "I resemble that remark!".

There was a wooden walkway that went out over the swamp and that allowed us to have a very good view of the whole area. Fortunately, we were there at a time when there were no mosquitoes. Praise the Lord about that!! We saw quite a few dragonflies while walking over the swamp. And, we were quite lucky... while using Cubby as alligator bait we got to see a couple of the alligators as they were gliding in the swamp. (I'm just kidding about Mr. Cubby,of course.) The swamp has its own distinct beauty. I probably would not have noticed any of that beauty if it was really hot and humid....but, it was a lovely time to be there...cool enough to be comfortable.

We stayed the night in Vicksburg, MS so that we could go to the Vicksburg National Military Park. Vicksburg was the site of a major battle between the North and South during the Civil War. 20000 casualties and the town itself was torn apart. Vicksburg was the key to the Mississippi River and taking Vicksburg was a major objective of the North because it would allow the North to cut the South into 2 halves and make it easier for the North to supply itself while in battle. There's a 16 mile drive thru the Park and we purchased a CD that guided us as we looked at the battle areas and all of the memorial statutes (including the cemetery) that cover the Park. There is even an ironclad ship that had 13 cannons on it. It was raised after being sunk and is being refurbised for all of us tourists and the history buffs. After leaving Vicksburg on Tuesday afternoon, we headed out on the Natchez Trace Parkway and arrived in Tupelo, MS on Tuesday night. The Natchez Trace is a 2-lane road with gorgeous trees and a speed limit of 50 mph. It's a relaxing drive along the country, where no trucks are allowed. The Trace was originally an Indian trail. It goes from Natchez, MS to the Nashville, TN area. We may take part of the Trace when we leave Tupelo and head to Carol's house in Murfreesboro, TN.

We are all A-OK. We seem to be following the pollen across the country and both Mom W and Dad R have been having some allergy problems, but they have been taking some benadryl and that is helping with all of their symptoms. I guess the pollen is part of Spring, but so are the wonderful wild flowers and the gorgeous greenery that we are seeing.

Mike and Linda have made us feel very comfortable. Linda calls Mom "Mama Dot" and she loves that. I think Linda has adopted Mom.....which is wonderful. Who doesn't love Mom???

Dad, Cubby, Jack and I are all feeling well-loved and definitely well-fed here. Linda has been baking her little heart out in anticipation of our trip. She greeted Jack with a homemade apple pie...his favorite. (And a homemade item that he does not get at home unless Susanne or Megan are home and baking for him....poor Jack!)

The Way We Really Are - Some "OutTakes"

Not everything is posed....at least not posed very well....

THE GRASSY KNOLL- Aquarium - Doug & Family

Hello to "all y'all"..... Apparently that's how real Texans talk. (I kind of think that "all y'all" is kind of an overkill...but, that's just me.) We've been told that there are 10-gallon hat stores, Texas Boot and Belt Stores, and of course, Cowboy Shirt stores.....but, so far we've decided that we aren't Texan enough to shop there. The 3 of us ladies (Mom W, Gina & I) did take Dad shirt shopping at Kohl's....That was fun (at least for the 3 of us). After a few trips in and out of the dressing room, Dad decided to claim the room that looked out onto the store and just kept the door open and his shirt off so that he could try on what we were bringing him. We got a few odd looks and other folks decided to go to a different fitting room, but we accomplished our mission and got Dad some nice-looking polo shirts (with a pocket....cuz that is a Dad necessity).

Jack arrived safely and soundly. Doug picked him up at DFW Airport and we had a really nice dinner together. Jack finally got to see Doug's red stag that has a very prominent position over the fireplace (much to Gina's dismay). Doug had recorded a special show on his TV for Jack (and the rest of us).....Okie Noodling. If you are like me and don't have a clue what noodling is, you really haven't missed much. Noodling is catfish catching via your hands. Some of the catfish weighed 50 lbs. and you have to go to the bottom of these really icky, slimy, dirty water sources to catch these things. It was quite interesting and funny to watch. These "noodlers" think that they are the true fishermen because anyone can use a pole and hook.....but only a "noodler" will take on a big catfish with his bare hands....they have the scars to prove how difficult the task is. Doug was happy? to share the fact that Oklahoma is only 60 miles from his house in the Dallas area, so these noodlers are practically his neighbors. Noodlers are definitely country folk....if you get the chance to see an Okie Noodling "special" on TV...it will absolutely entertain you.

Doug, Gina, Dad R, Mom W, Jack and I went to the Dallas 6th Floor Museum to see the window from which the fatal JFK shots were fired by Lee Harvey Oswald. The museum is difficult to go through because of the sad memories that it brings, but it's also very interesting and definitely worth the time. (The 6th floor window is at the far right in the picture, the 2nd floor from the top.) And, we stood on THE grassy knoll. The grassy knoll is a very gentle incline....I had always pictured a bigger hill in my mind before I saw the knoll. Dad decided to go into the middle of the street to stand on one of the "X"s that are in the street marking the exact spots where Pres. Kennedy's limo was when the rifle shots hit him. We also spent some time at the bigger-than-life longhorn cattle drive statues that are in bronze and are in the downtown Dallas area. I've attached some pictures to show the grassy knoll, the 6th floor window of the Dallas Book Depository, the bronze cattle statues, etc.

We have really been enjoying Doug, Gina, Nikki & Missy. We also had a chance to meet James, Nikki's boyfriend. He's a really nice, good-looking guy and Nikki and Missy are very beautiful, sweet girls. Doug and Gina have been the perfect host and hostess for us. They have a lovely home and have made all of us feel very welcome.

Yesterday we made an excursion to the Dallas Aquarium. There was a wonderful rain forest area with all kinds of birds, monkeys, flamingos, and of course, fish. We saw a large crocodile who was showing some really big, long, impressive teeth. We also got to see some stingrays, small sharks, little seahorses and lots of other fun things. Only one of us (Dad...not to mention any names) got the "good fortune" of having a bird "claim" him.

After the aquarium we went to a real downhome Texas BBQ restaurant. Lots and lots of wonderful tender meats....they offered brisket, sausages, steaks, chicken, pork chops, etc etc. which were all cooked on an open wood-burning BBQ. We had more than enough to eat. Everything was so tasty and tender... Delicious and a "must do" when in Texas.

Today is our last day in Texas. We head toward Mississippi tomorrow and are looking forward to seeing Mike, Linda and all of our Mississippi (and Alabama) family.

Texas Times

Howdy y'all...
We are in Richardson, TX with Doug, Gina & Sushi (an 11 year old Shih-tzu who is allowing Mr. Cubby to share all of her toys...although grudgingly). We had a nice drive to Amarillo, TX after leaving Susanne and Andy's in Albuquerque. We stayed overnight in Amarillo and took a drive thru the Palo Duro Canyon area, which is a beautiful state park where you can take a 16 mile drive to the bottom of the canyon and back up. We were afraid that we'd get really rained upon because we saw some very dark clouds and lightning on the way to the canyon, but we enjoyed a nice drive with great canyon scenery and just a little bit of rain.

Driving from Amarillo to the Dallas area was not what we expected. We thought we'd have flat dry (and a rather boring) trip. Instead, we saw green rolling hills, lots of wildflowers and fields with cattle (including some Texas longhorn steers), sheep, horses and camels. Yes, we saw a field full of camels. There were probably 15-20 of them....not at all what we expected to see. It was a treat!

We also saw some cute small towns and a couple of very cute little stores including the "Fish and Chirps" pet store and the "It'll Do" Motel. Even McDonald's had a very Texas theme, with a sink in the Ladies Room that was in the shape of the "great state of Texas"....these Texans are quite the proud folk.

In Richardson, we've enjoyed spending time with Doug, Gina, Nikki and Kayce (Gina's Mom). They are making us feel wanted and very much at home. We hope to see Missy this weekend.

Gina took us to the Dallas Arboretum and it was a gorgeous sunny day...not too hot, especially with the hats that Gina had us all wear. We sunscreened up, down and all over, then walked through lovely gardens, looking at some of the most beautiful flowers ever. We "lunched" at the Arboretum near a group of Dallas ladies who were all decked out in their colorful clothes and hats (we asked a couple of the ladies for a picture.....They were the dearest ladies with the greatest accents. The one in the black dress, with the lime green tights, the big lime green hat and the bigger lime green purse was especially fun to see.)

Yesterday we drove around the area a bit and admired all of the wonderful brick houses that are a big part of the Dallas area. Doug took us to a large antique mall where the 2 older folk (Mom W and Dad R), Doug and I wandered around looking at some really great stuff....but Dad said (correctly) that we don't have any more room in our car for anything bigger than a peanut...so, I did lots of looking but no buying (which will make Jack happy, too.)

Speaking of Jack...his flight arrives tonight and Doug will be picking him up from the airport while we enjoy another of Gina's delicious dinners. She's a really good cook as I'm sure some of you already know. So, yee haw to y'all.... we are having a big ol' Texas good time.

Jemez Pueblo

Mom, Dad, Susanne & I took a drive to the Jemez (Hay-mess) Pueblo which is about 40 miles from Albuquerque...a beautiful red rock canyon drive. We stopped and shared some freshly prepared Indian fry bread (which is like a fried dough that is drizzled with honey & powdered sugar) and is really good. The native vendor cooks the dough in a large kettle of hot oil and turns the fry bread with a slim branch....no teflon tools used here! (The fry bread tastes a lot like sopapillas which are served with New Mexican food....sopapillas are puffy fried dough pillows and you squirt a little honey in them and enjoy) Both Mom & Dad enjoyed the fry bread.

At the Visitor Center we all got a close-up look at the horno ovens, which Mom has been mentioning as something that she found so interesting years ago on her trips across the country. At the pueblo, we went into the mission church (called San Diego Mission). The mission had great character...lots of beautifully carved wooden features, including an altar with a carved Last Supper across its entire length. The stations of the cross were all hand carved wood and inset into the walls. There is no photography allowed at the Jemez Pueblo, so we have no pictures to share of the old unique church, but we all were glad that we had the opportunity to see it. The pueblo had such great little street names - like Story Teller St and Basket Weaver St.

We had a little bee incident today....first the bee wanted Mom's Sprite, then it decided that it really, really liked Dad's hair gel (or whatever he puts in his silver locks)....2 different bees hopped on Dad's head and came into the car with him. A little excitement that turned out OK with the bees staying in Jemez and us returning to Albuquerque.

SANTA FE - ALL THE WAY

Pictures of:

-Enjoying the Albuquerque Night in Front of Fire Pit - Susanne, Andy, Mom, Dad & 3 Dogs

-Getting Our Kicks on Route 66
-How the Loretto Staircase Looked Before the Railing was Added (kind of steep & scary)

-Mom, Dad & Susanne in front of the Loretto Staircase
-Inside of Santa Fe Cathedral (Basillica of St Francis of Assisi)

-Mom's Dollar Bills Being Dried Out after the "Unfortunate Faucet Incident"
-Cubby perched on the back of Dad's chair (so he can be taller than the other 2 doggies)

We senior tripped to Santa Fe yesterday. Santa Fe is the capitol of New Mexico and is about an hour's drive from Albuquerque. It's a pretty high end area overall....more expensive to live in Santa Fe than Albuquerque. Santa Fe passed a rule that buildings need to conform to the old adobe building style and it really works there. Quite beautiful.

We went to the old town square and saw the cathedral which was built in 1869. One of the wooden statues in the church was made in the 1400s. We were able to light some candles in remembrance of Dad Woolsey and Mom Reinert and all of our other family members who we love and who we are carrying with us in our hearts during our journey.

We walked a couple of short blocks to see the Loretto Chapel which was a catholic church, but is now part of a private museum. The big draw to see the chapel is the Loretto Staircase. There have been many stories about this staircase which is a beautiful wooden spiral. It was originally built without a railing and a rail was later added. I've included a link to the site in case anyone wants to read the story. Dad has always wanted to see the staircase, so now he can cross that off his list.

We went to one of the Sonic drive-ins for an Oreo milkshake (Mom), a rootbeer float (Dad), lemon slushes (Susanne & Chris)....very tasty and a "must do" for those of us who don't have Sonics in our area yet.

We got a good-sized rock chip on the drive home from Santa Fe and are now waiting for a mobile auto glass repair person to come and hopefully fix the chip....if not fixable, we will be doing a window replacement (probably in Texas). We will be leaving for Doug & Gina's in Richardson, TX on Sunday a.m. ... and will stay in Amarillo, TX on Sunday night (April 11th). So, Doug & Gina....look out cuz we are heading your way shortly.

http://www.lorettochapel.com/staircase.html

Petroglyph National Monument

Today we spent a couple of hours at the Petroglyph National Monument which is just about 20 minutes from Susanne & Andy. There are more than 25,000 petroglyphs in this national monument area. Many of these can be reached by following rather steep trails, but others are very visible by taking a very short (and relatively flat) walk along a couple of trails. The only charge was $1 per vehicle...so, this is a very affordable attraction and so very interesting.

The National Monument was identified in 1990, but existed as a New Mexico State Park since the 1970s. The entire monument area is a sacred area to American Indians. Archaelogists estimate that most of the images are 400 - 700 years old, but some are 2000-3000 years old. We saw many petroglyphs without exerting ourselves too much, and I am very happy to report that no one needed any bandaids or other medical attention before, during or after our excursion.

We did have one interesting event...Mom used the restroom at the Visitor Center and placed her purse in the sink so that she wouldn't have to put it on the floor. The sink was nice and dry when she placed her purse there. Unfortunately, the water faucet is motion-activated and when Mom placed her purse in the sink, the water began to run and she didn't realize it until she went back out into the Center and water was dripping down her leg. (And, yes, I'm sure it was only water!!....) Her purse and all that was inside got at least partially wet. Susanne's loaned gloves that were in the purse were dripping when removed from the purse. Mom says that this is why Tom always says "We need to keep our eye on Mom".... The good news is that everything is drying out nicely.

We'd recommend this National Monument to anyone who comes thru the Albuquerque area....

A fun day was had by all.