Veterans State Park and Albany, GA

Simba perching in the front of our RV

Jeff decided he wanted to go somewhere this weekend so we picked Georgia Veterans State Park again since it was close by. The weather predicted a chance for showers but we were fortunate in that we didn't get rained on at any time. It was actually a beautiful weekend but we could tell the summer heat was rolling in; along with the mosquitoes, and gnats. Jeff and I both agree that November through April is the best time for camping. Once the heat gets bad, it's just miserable to be outside unless we are at the beach. And, the girls hate the heat and don't tolerate even short hikes when the heat and humidity increase.

We decided to try the Parks at Chehaw on Saturday morning. They do provide a military discount on admission. And, they do have a place for both tent and RV camping on site which we didn't know. We drove through the campground and it was nice but not as nice as the state park. The girls loved the huge playground area though in the park. There are two separate admissions; one for the park (for those who just might to have a picnic, etc.) and then the admission for the zoo portion. While we did enjoy it, I would recommend going to Dauset Trails Nature Center as there is no admission cost there and the animals are much more friendly in the petting zoo portion. We are glad we tried this once and it was something enjoyable to do in the nearby area. They did provide an awesome demonstration of the cheetah's speed and we enjoyed seeing a baby monkey that was only 3 weeks old (see below).

We ate lunch at Blackbeards Seafood & Bar-B-Que in Albany, GA. The food was very good.

In the afternoon, we visited the Flint RiverQuarium. This was located in Albany, GA, also and was very close to the Parks at Chehaw. They also provide a military discount for admission. And, like the Parks at Chehaw, I've attend other aquariums that we much more impressive but this was a nice place to visit at least once. They had a catfish display and Rachel tried her hand at noodling a fake catfish. I can't imagine people doing that for real. EWWWW!!!

The part the girls enjoyed the most though was playing in the water outside of the aquarium and there was no cost to do that (see below). If you go to this area in the warm months, bring a change of clothes or bathing suit for the kiddos so they can enjoy this.

On Sunday, we walked around the park. We checked out the Lake Blackshear Resort which is also located in Georgia Veteran's State Park. It was very nice and the view of Lake Blackshear was gorgeous from the back of the resort.

Family Visit in Alabama

A man travels the world over in search of what he needs, and returns home to find it.~~George Moore

We surprised my Mom and Grandma by showing up on Saturday morning unexpectedly. My Grandma was to celebrate her 91st birthday on Sunday. We made the trip and didn't tell them we were coming. My Mom was busy making spaghetti sauce for Sunday. Jeff noticed the newspaper and saw an article mentioning the Honda Superbike Classic at Barber Motorsports Park while we were in town. Jeff and I both used to ride motorcycles but Jeff did the motorcycle racing schools and track days at a variety of tracks. Barber is relatively new and it opened years after we sold our motorcycles so we had never visited it. Since my Mom was busy cooking, and we knew Rachel and Anna would not be able to handle being in the apartment all day, we decided to go to Barber and check it out.

Barber Motorsports Park

Had we planned a bit better, we should've brought our RV and camped out at Barber. They had a nice spot for the RVs perched on a hill overlooking the track. We'll definitely try to do that next year.

We had expected to buy our admission tickets ($45 per adult, children 12 and under were free). However, they noticed my Air Force sticker and told us that military personnel were being admitted free on Saturday. So, we were in luck! And, thanks to Barber for doing that. Although, we spent that money and more on admission to the museum, t-shirts, paddock passes, food, etc.

We paid for the paddock passes but we missed the autograph time period for the most part. Although, Rachel did get Johnny Rock Page's autograph (his picture is below).



The Barber museum was awesome and a must see for anyone who likes motorcycles. Plus, you get an awesome view of parts of the track. It's a way to watch the race in air conditioning with an unobstructed view. We took a picture of a really cool Triumph on display for our friends in the U.K.

I think Rachel and Anna enjoyed the event. They probably enjoyed the food and venue area more than anything else. Jeff enjoyed looking at all of the motorcycles. Although, we had the "talk" before we arrived. You know....the "don't even think about getting one" talk that you have with your spouse anytime you enter a facility or event that has electronics or anything with a motor.

I have to admit that I miss our motorcycles from time to time. But, I also have to say that seeing my children on the back of one scares me to death. They would probably love it. I, on the other hand, would be stressed out. And, even though I know Jeff is a great rider, it would still make me have a heart attack to see my children riding on the back with him. I guess that's just part of being a mom.

We had a great time and a very full day. We couldn't have asked for more beautiful weather. And, Barber is a very nice track. We were all exhausted though after the activities and chose to retire back to the hotel for the evening.

Grandma's 91st Birthday

The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together. ~~Erma Bombeck

It's hard to believe that Grandma just celebrated her 91st birthday today. She's still as sharp as a tack and as feisty as ever. Her request for her birthday was for my Mom to make spaghetti and she did.

My Grandma had five children; my Mom, Anthony, Lena, Josephine, and Johnny. Lena lives in Texas and was not with us this weekend. Shown below is Grandma with her children (except Lena). Before and during the meal, it was the usual family banter. My Mom and Grandma arguing like an old married couple. Johnny picking on everyone; even noting that if Grandma kept shrinking, we'd have to get her a booster seat to eat at the table. Josephine, Kim, Michelle and Jennifer trying to keep all of those little boys from dismantling the house or getting into trouble. After several warning yells out the window, I think the parenting quote of the day was Jennifer yelling out of the back door, "I'm going come out there and spank some butts and I don't care who you belong to." It was her quickest solution to interrupt the boys who were scaling a fence and doing something questionable with a hose pipe and a jump rope while balancing a infant's jungle gym on top of a picnic table for climbing. The meal was just as chaotic but that's just life in our family. I wouldn't have it any other way. Surprisingly, no drinks were spilled and everyone got a plate of what they wanted (spaghetti with short or long noodles, with or without sauce, with water, juice, or tea, etc.) One thing is for sure, it's never boring (or quiet). And, all of the kids weren't even there for that meal.


After we ate spaghetti, we bribed the children with cake and ice cream. My Uncle Johnny said if someone says "cake" in their house, you'd better get a piece quickly. His birthday was recent and he didn't even get a piece of his own birthday cake. Poor fella. So, we told the children they had to pose for a family photo before we'd have cake and ice cream. I took one timed photo. I couldn't believe how well that one photo turned out (see below). Everyone was looking forward, smiling, and eyes open....no children picking their nose or making a funny face. I usually can't get that with just the four of us much less the whole group. I guess the cake and ice cream bribe worked.

This photo below doesn't include all of the family; just the ones that were in attendance. Missing are: Lena and her children, my brothers and their family (spouses, children, and grandchildren), Josephine's son and two of Kim's children, Johnny's other children and wife, and Anthony's children and grandchildren.

It was fun watching the children all play together. I remember when I was little, it was me and my cousins playing together. Now, it's our children playing together. I hate that we don't live closer as Rachel and Anna don't get to spend as much time with family as I did growing up. And, Rachel seems to be bothered by it the most. She's always sad when we leave from our visits with family. Tonight was no different. I promised her we'd be back to see them all soon.

Jeff enjoyed playing sports with all of the little boys. He is surrounded by estrogen in our home. When he visits here, it's baseball and basketball. In my generation of grand kids, the girls greatly outnumbered the boys. However, with the great-grandchildren, the boys greatly outnumber the girls. Rachel, Anna, and Isabella played together while the boys did their thing. The main attraction for the day were a few unsuspecting caterpillars that were their source of interest.

All good things must come to an end though (and the "end" is shown below) and this trip was like the others....it was time to return home. But, before I close, and only because Jennifer was so paranoid that I had snapped photos of her when she wasn't looking and because picking on one another is the surest way that families show how much they love one another, I am closing this post with this one last photo.

The end....

We love you Jennifer! :-)

Museum of Arts and Sciences

The museums and parks are graveyards above the ground- congealed memories of the past that act as a pretext for reality. ~~Robert Smithson

Harold and Gail were visiting with us this week. There was a 50% chance of showers all day on Saturday so we sought an indoor activity just to get out of the house for a while. We chose the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Macon, GA. The girls enjoyed it as much this time as our visit last year. During this visit, they provided an exhibit on the human body and how it functions.

Additionally, they also had an exhibit on the Gullah/Geechee culture. I wanted to tour a Gullah area while we stayed in Hilton Head, SC, last year but we didn't have the time to do so. It was interesting reading about their history.

Luckily, it did not rain as much as anticipated so we were able to take the short nature trail hike at the museum.

Sunday was a day to get caught up on laundry, cleaning, yard work, etc. At one point, Anna was outside in her "Lucy" costume (a.k.a. Lucy from Narnia) complete with cape, sword, and potion. She was playing with our next door neighbor's son; Christian (shown below) and other neighborhood children.

I also took some photos of our ferrets. It has been a while since I shared pictures. Meeko's fur lightened up significantly over the winter months. The ferrets also enjoy playing with Simba, our cat, from time to time. Although, Simba could sit on them and that would be the end of the play session. Simba has a size advantage over the ferrets. Although, where ferrets may lack size, they make up for with spirit and being brave (although, some times we thinks its either stupidity or ignorance).
Jeff and I are starting to plan our long vacation next summer. We hope to have enough leave saved up to take three weeks off from work to head west again. There were some areas we didn't get to see last time and other places that we want to visit again but this time with Rachel and Anna. I'd like to take a trip up the east coast and down to the Florida Keys at some point but we only have so much leave and so many places we'd like to go. Sigh.....why can't we be retired now? Oh, there is that eating thing and other necessities that we need our jobs for, right? Oh well...we'll just keep making the most of our weekends as we can.

Potpourri

Since we live in Georgia, I try and share interesting "things to do" for our friends who read this blog who live here. I found this interesting tidbit in May 2008 Reader's Digest in the Best of America article:

Best "Good Eggs"
Put 50 volunteers, 10,000 marshmallow eggs, and 8 acres of rolling farmland together and you get thousands of really happy kids. That's the Garrison family's Easter egg hunt in Homer, GA, where it's been a joyful tradition for 49 years. Attracting as many as 25,000 visitors annually from surrounding towns, the holiday hunt first began as a thank-you to the workers at Oscar Garrison's lumber company, founded in the 1940s. Lucky winners--those who find one of the 100 prize eggs on Easter Day--get their choice of a basket or a bunny (that's a real rabbit). A truly eggs-cellent adventure!

Homer, GA, is about 2.5 hours from our home town. But, it's close to Tallulah Gorge and other areas in northeast GA that we enjoy visiting. I can't say that I'd be that gung ho about making a trip to a place to hunt eggs with "thousands" of kids. It's hard enough keeping up with our girls at Easter egg hunts at church. And, it's enough to enjoy thousands of kids on our visits to Disney. However, I thought there may be some who read who might want to try this some time so I thought I'd share.

Spring Break 2008

Jeff and Anna at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola NAS

Motto to Live By: Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body; but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming, "Woo Hoo! What a ride!"~~Sign in a shop in Fredericksburg, TX

Meridian, MS

We left shortly after lunch on Friday and arrived in Meridian, MS, several hours later. There was no particular reason that we chose Meridian other than it looked like a good half way point on our way to Arlington, TX. We stayed at a Meridian East/Toomsuba KOA Campground. Like the majority of KOA campgrounds, it provides an adequate place to stay the night. I couldn't imagine making any KOA campground a multi-night vacation destination but they suffice well for a quick overnight stay that is easy access to the interstate. However, there is one huge positive about this particular KOA. It is not located right next to the interstate so you won't hear traffic noise in our RV as you sleep at night. We were up early on Saturday and on our way to Arlington, TX, to visit with family members who live there and nearby there.

Arlington, TX

We arrived in Arlington around 3 pm. We checked in to our campground, Tree Tops RV Village. This RV park was very nice and a place that seemed like many called home. There appeared to be several RVs that were full-timers. And, the park was set up more like a small subdivision with cul-de-sacs than a typical RV park. We called our family members to notify everyone that we had arrived safely and began settling in. However, when Jeff tried to put our driver side slide out, it seemed to be hung up on something. After closer inspection, he found a bolt that had come loose. Luckily, there was a Lowe's nearby. Our Uncle Ed went with Jeff and as luck would have it, they had the right size nut and bolt that we needed. We were so grateful that this didn't happen in a more secluded area or finding a replacement wouldn't have been so easy. Everyone met at our camper for the evening. Our Aunt Lena, who lives in Sanger, TX, drove to Arlington to visit with us. Our Uncle Ed, Aunt Barbara, Cousin Christopher and Grandma all met us at the camper for dinner. We grilled out hamburgers and hotdogs and enjoyed a nice evening relaxing and catching up.

On Sunday, we ate breakfast at Uncle Ed & Aunt Barbara's home and then we attended church service with the family. We ate lunch at Red Lobster after church and then we visited Grandma's apartment complex. Grandma moved here a couple of years ago from Princeton, WV. This was the first time that we had seen her new home. It was lovely and we can understand why she has settled in so well here. Grandma gave us a tour of the apartment complex which was quite nice...complete with a chapel, theater, game room, restaurant, etc. The girls especially enjoyed the game room.

We returned to Grandma's apartment for some cake to celebrate Christopher's 17th birthday a bit early. It seems like just yesterday that Chris was the little tyke running circles around us. Now, our two were running circles around him.


Later, we went back to Uncle Ed & Aunt Barbara's home for the evening. One of Uncle Ed's friends stopped by later in the evening with a new Lotus that he just purchased. Jeff and Uncle Ed both got to ride in the new Lotus. Now, Jeff wants one. He is getting close to 40 so I guess it's about time for a mid-life crisis sports car purchase.

I forgot to mention, Maggie, Ed & Barbara's dog. She is a lab and Rachel and Maggie became friends very quickly.

On Monday, we visited a local entertainment place called Alley Cats where we bowled and played video games with Uncle Ed. Rachel had a great time playing Deal or No Deal. I think we need to register her for the TV show. She did a great job playing. We had dinner at Uncle Ed & Aunt Barbara's home and then we watched Christopher's Junior Varsity baseball game where Chris pitched the final few innings of the game leading his team to victory.
We left on Tuesday morning to our next stop, Fredericksburg, TX.

Fredericksburg, TX


We arrived in Fredericksburg by early afternoon on Tuesday. We quickly settled into our campground. Our campground was very nice with easy access pull through sites. The comfort station and facilities were also pristine. And, it was very convenient to downtown Fredericksburg. After getting settled, we drove to the historic area of Fredericksburg to browse the shops and select a place for dinner. Before dinner, we had dessert. We visited the Chocolat shop on Main Street. They specialize in liquid filled chocolates which I did try. I have to say that their fudge was much better than the liquid filled chocolate that I sampled. My sample had bourbon in it. If you like that kind of thing, you would probably enjoy it. I prefer plain chocolate, thanks. You can't visit Fredericksburg and not eat at a German restaurant. We chose the Auslander. The food was great. I probably gained 10 pounds tonight alone. And, the main item we shopped for were cowboy hats for the girls. Anna had to have a red hat; her favorite color. And, Rachel had a pink one; her favorite color. Of course, we don't mind dressing them up like this. We know these days are numbered. They enjoy it too. Plus, it brings a smile to most adults who pass them that notice their ensemble.


We decided to hike the Summit Trail at Enchanted Rock on Wednesday. I didn't mention earlier that Jeff and I had visited the Fredericksburg area moons ago. It was B.K. (before kids). I believe it was 1995 so it's been a while. We also hiked Enchanted Rock on that visit but it was during the summer and was certainly a lot hotter than it was on this trip. Rachel and Anna enjoyed the hike. Usually, they do reasonably well on hikes as long as it is not hot and that was the same for this.

Enchanted Rock is second in size in the United States only to Stone Mountain in our home state of Georgia. Rachel wore her pink cowboy hat while hiking. At one point, a group of Air Force men were hiking up Enchanted Rock and the Sergeant goaded them by telling them that a little girl in a pink hat was hiking quicker than they were. Of course, they were on the second trip up at that point and they were carrying 50 lb backpacks but that didn't matter. And, after reaching the top, the sergeant dropped them for some push ups. Hearing those men and seeing them reminded me of boot camp years ago. I can honestly say I was grateful that I was on vacation and not them at that particular moment. We were done with our hike by lunch time and we decided to go back to Fredericksburg for lunch. We selected a different restaurant; Wheelers. The food was delicious here also.
After lunch, we visited the Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park for a short hike before returning to our camper for dinner. We did notice that there were campsites available at this park as well. However, it is located next to a small airport. I don't know how much noise is experienced from the airport but the park was nice and within a reasonable distance to downtown Fredericksburg.

I had purchased some steaks that we grilled for dinner at our RV. Then, we played putt-putt golf. The putt-putt course was located right next to our campground so it was an easy walking distance and we were the only ones playing so we had the entire course to ourselves. It was great! Of course, the only person to get a hole-in-one was Anna. And, the winner of the game was Jeff....he is still gloating about it.

On Thursday morning, it was time to hit the road again. We had a pleasant stay in Fredericksburg but it was time to start our journey towards home.

Lafayette, LA

We stayed at the KOA campground in Lafayette. Again, no particular reason other than it was a good midway point to our next stop; Pensacola Beach, FL. While there were some nice things about this campground, I have to admit, it was very noisy. It is located directly next to the interstate. We have a rig and we heard a lot of the traffic noise. I could not imagine how bad it would be in a tent, pop up, etc. But, it met our needs for the evening. We enjoyed dinner at the Olive Garden in Scott, LA. I know there are nice areas of Louisiana but the Lafayette area was not the most favorite place we've traveled through.

By now, Simba has gotten quite accustomed to being a traveling kitty. He sometimes rides in the very front watching the traffic or he'll peer out of the side windows watching the scenery as we drive down the interstate.

Pensacola Naval Air Station, FL

U.S.S. Alabama in Mobile, AL

We were up early and on our way to Pensacola on Friday. We drove through Mobile, AL, and we spotted the U.S.S. Alabama docked in the bay as we drove past.

Lighthouse at Pensacola NAS

We arrived in Pensacola around 1 pm leaving us plenty of time to get settled and enjoy the beach for the late afternoon. This was our first time to stay at the Pensacola Naval Air Station (NAS) and I must admit, it is very nice. The name is Oak Grove and it is located on the naval base so you must be affiliated with the DoD to be able to stay here. In addition to the campsites, they also have nice cottages right on the beach as well. We had a nice pull through site complete with full hook-up. And, the best part, we only had to walk about half a block to access the beach. And, there was hardly anyone else out there which made it even better.

We awakened to a torrential rain storm on Saturday morning. We were very glad that we had the opportunity to enjoy the beach the day before. After checking the weather forecast, we realized we were very fortunate to have missed bad weather in the other areas that we had traveled through. Since it did not appear that we'd be able to do much outside on Saturday morning, we decided to visit the Naval Aviation Museum located on the base.

I have to admit, we were very impressed with this museum. There are only two aviation museums that are larger: The Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and the Aviation Museum located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. I have never been to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum but I have been to the Aviation Museum located at Wright-Patterson. We also have an Aviation Museum in Warner Robins. I have to admit that I enjoyed the museum at Pensacola NAS better than I did the one in Dayton. But, they are both very impressive nonetheless. We all enjoyed our tour of the museum and we attended an IMAX film after lunch. I asked Rachel after watching the IMAX film "if she was going to grow up to be a fighter pilot?" Her reply was, "no." I asked her, "why?" She replied, "because they fight." "And, sometimes they die. And, I don't want to die." You can't argue with that logic. I don't see her deviating from her current plan to become a veterinarian to becoming a fighter pilot any time soon. Although, she did flash a smart salute in this photo below. Makes an Air Force mommy's heart smile. Did I mention she wore her pink, frilly cowboy hat while at the museum? You wouldn't believe the number of comments and smiles she received. :-) Of course, my favorite times were when Jeff was relegated to hold her hat and Anna's orange purse while we visited the restroom. Poor guy....you can tell he's a father of girls. It just doesn't seem to phase him anymore.

Even the restaurant, the Cubi Bar & Cafe, located inside the museum was excellent.....great atmosphere and yummy food.

Cannon at Fort Barrancas

Around 3:30, the rain finally began to clear out so we took the opportunity to visit Fort Barrancas. This fort is also located at the Pensacola NAS. The ranger working in the visitor center was wonderful and particularly attentive to the girls. She even shared a cracked and empty baby bird egg that she found on the trail earlier in the day. Rachel was on cloud nine after receiving this very special gift. I hope to have the girls participate in the Junior Ranger Programs offered at many state and national parks and historic sites now that they are older. They learn so much during our visits and I know they would love one of their summer camp programs.

What was also humbling was the vision of almost 40,000 grave markers at the Barrancas National Cemetary which is also located on post. I have been to other national cemetaries including the Arlington National Cemetary in Washington D.C. and Andersonville which is located very near to where we live. It is always humbling to me to see these. It is a stark reminder that "freedom is not free."

Unfortunately, we were unable to view a Blue Angel show while visiting the Pensacola NAS. They were performing in Texas during our visit. However, they do perform regularly in Pensacola which is their home. If you've never witnessed one of their performances, it is really a "must see." I remember viewing one as a college student. I was at the beach and they performed directly overhead. It is definitely awesome to witness! You can view a show schedule on their website if this is something of interest to you.

On Sunday morning, the weather was still cloudy but no rain. We were able to enjoy a nice, long walk on the beach before packing up and heading home. We definitely enjoyed our stay at the Pensacola NAS and we will try and make another trip here again.

I have to admit, it does feel good to be back home but we had a wonderful spring break vacation trip. Rachel and Anna were sad that our family members are so far away in Texas and they wanted to visit again. We hope to make another trip out there some time in the future. But, now it's back to the grind. It's hard to believe that there are less than two months left of school for the girls. Wow! Summer break is almost here.