Memorial Day Weekend

Saint Augustine, FL

We made our first trip to Saint Augustine. An acquaintance recommended Anastasia State Park so we decided to try it out. We made reservations last year as we heard that it usually gets booked quickly. That seems to be the norm for most Florida State Parks; particularly those along the coastal areas. Anastasia State Park was very nice. Although, we were a bit nervous entering the park in our RV as the gate opening was extremely narrow leaving only inches on each side of the RV. The campsites were private. However, they did not have gravel or a pad to park on. The comfort stations were clean and nice as well. You could not walk to the beach from your campsite. I recommend bringing a bike or plan to drive to the beach area within the park. The beach was clean and really not extremely crowded considering it was Memorial Day weekend. The only other Florida State Park that we have camped at is Top Sail Hill Preserve. It, too, is a very nice state park but it is located in the Gulf area where as Anastasia is on the east coast of Florida.

We went to the beach shortly after arrival on Friday evening where the girls enjoyed wading in the surf and collecting shells. We took a long walk and enjoyed the sun setting.

Saturday morning was spent at the beach. By 1:00, we had enough of the sun and the sand and returned to the camper to clean up. Afterwards, we visited the Saint Augustine Light House. We walked all 200+ steps to get to the top. The children did well going up. However, going down was a bit tougher. Rachel is not fond of heights. We were barely able to coax her out to get a photo at the top. Both she and Anna weren't really fond of the walk back down the steps but they successfully completed it. We visited the museum on the property where we saw a couple of lizards as we were leaving. Jeff told the girls that they were "snuggling."


We then decided to go to the Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum in Saint Augustine. As we were walking into the museum, I saw an alcove that had an exact replica of Michelangelo's statue "David." Anna got a big laugh out of it when she saw that his genitals were clearly shown. Her next comment with a big grin on her face was, 'I guess that's why they call this place "believe it or not."' I'm still laughing about that.


The "David" Statue

This was our second visit to a Ripley's museum. We previously visited the one in Gatlinburg, TN, and this museum was very similar. One particular area that we remembered from our last visit was the two-way mirror strategically placed as you get close to the exit. The mirror features displays of people who can contort their face in wild configurations and it entices you to attempt to do the same. What the unsuspecting victims don't realize is that it is a two-way mirror and people who have already passed through this area are watching you on the other side as you make silly faces. Honestly, I could sit there all day and watch people from the viewing side. It is absolutely hilarious. And, what is even funnier is seeing their face when they realize that they were being watched previously. One couple was so embarrassed that they didn't even pause to watch others.

Rachel and Anna making faces at the two-way mirror

Afterwards, we were ready for dinner. We had several recommendations from friends of places to try. Our choice for the evening was the Salt Water Cowboy. Their menu had items such as fried, grilled, and blackened shrimp, etc. And, unique delicacies such as soft shell turtle, alligator tail, and frog legs. We weren't feeling especially adventurous so we stuck with the fried shrimp which was excellent. The prices are moderate, the food was very good, and the service was excellent. The atmosphere was also unique. Rachel and Anna gobbled up the garlic cheese biscuits they serve with your meal. I definitely recommend this place to anyone visiting the Saint Augustine area. And, thank you Robert for the recommendation.

Jeff, Anna and Rachel at the Salt Water Cowboy Restaurant

Afterwards, we returned to our camper where we met our neighbors: Brandon, Peggy and their three children...Jackson, Helena, and Mia (I hope I spelled every one's name correctly). Rachel and Anna had a great time with the children. Brandon and Peggy had a fire going so we joined them and we all cooked s'mores.

On Saturday, we returned to the beach in the morning. Brandon, Peggy and their children joined us a bit later where the kids had a blast building a sand fort and using their Daddy's legs as an obstacle course to surf through.

Castillo de San Marcos

By 1:30, we had our fill of the sand and sun again and we returned to the RV for showers and clean clothes. We visited Castillo de San Marcos for a short period afterwards and then we parked and walked around the historic area of Saint Augustine. Saint Augustine has certain aspects that reminded me of New Orleans, LA, and other parts that reminded me of Savannah, GA, regarding the landscaping and architecture. The children enjoyed the playground next to the parking deck and browsing the shops in the historic area.

Anna at Castillo de San Marcos (Renovated Bridge of Lions in the distance)

We ate dinner at the Columbia Restaurant in the historic area of Saint Augustine. The prices of entrees are high and but the food was also very good. However, if I had to recommend one place over the other, I would recommend Salt Water Cowboy over this restaurant. Columbia also had a nice atmosphere but it took a while to get our food and the kids grew impatient because the meal lasted a long time. Rachel did love the fresh baked bread that they brought to our table with our meal. I believe her exact response after taking a bite was, "Bless my little old heart. This is the best bread I have ever had." She is a true southern belle. Only southerner's say "Bless its heart." My coworker Jessica once explained that southerners can say whatever they want and not be taken as insensitive as long as they follow it with that phrase, such as "That baby sure is ugly. Bless its heart."

Anna and Rachel at Fuentes de los Canos de San Francisco

After another busy day, we retired to our camper for a movie and to relax.

We were very fortunate that the weather was beautiful the entire weekend. We were expecting to see some rain showers but we were spared. We also noted how low the traffic flow seemed both driving to and driving from Florida. We assumed it was due to the increased fuel costs. We were glad to see that the state park was still full so people are still camping but the fuel costs make any really long trips virtually impossible.

On Sunday, it was time to pack up and head home but we had one more stop to make while traveling home: Andersonville.

All Gave Some; Some Gave All....Memorial Day 2008

American Girls and American Guys
We'll always stand up and salute
We'll always recognize
When we see Old Glory Flying
There's a lot of men dead
So we can sleep in peace at night
When we lay down our head~~Lyrics from Toby Keith

I wanted to visit the Andersonville National Historic Site and Cemetery on the way home. Jeff was unsure about where he could park the RV at Andersonville so when he stopped to get gas in Tifton, we unhooked the jeep. I drove the jeep with Rachel and Anna to Andersonville and Jeff continued on home. It only seemed fitting that we would stop in Andersonville on Memorial Day. While there, we met a former Prisoner of War (POW) from the Korean War. His name is William Abbott. I bought a copy of his book, Blood Runs Red White and Blue, and he autographed it for us. He was more than happy to pose for a photo with Rachel and Anna.

A quote from the his book's Foreward section (written by Colonel John Zitzelberger) follows:

Those who became prisoners endured some of the harshest conditions that American POWs have ever had to endure. We have never, in any of our country's wars, had enemies who treated our prisoners the way the Chinese treated those who were captured. The treatment our men endured in captivity in Korea ranks as some of the most grueling, harsh treatment that our armed forces have endured as POWs, and William Abbott was among them.

Anna and Rachel with Mr. Abbott

In the Introduction, Mr. Abbott wrote:

My hope for this book is that every person who reads it will come away with a positive belief that each of us has an obligation to maintain allegiance to our God, family and country; and that everyone, regardless of rank or standing can make a difference in his own life, as well as the lives of others. To the men and officers in uniform, I always say, "Remember that you are the final leg of diplomacy of your nation. After all the political heads have gone home, it is your action upon which the world will judge your country. God has given you an opportunity to be a citizen and a defender of the freest, most prosperous nation on the face of the earth. That freedom has been preserved through the blood and sweat of others. Should you do less for those who follow in your footsteps? I think not. With a lump in your throat, a tear of compassion in your eye and God's hands on your shoulders, be resolute in your heart that freedom shall not perish from this land on your watch. I wish you Godspeed, and may the blood in your veins always run red, white and blue."

Like Bill Robinson, a former Vietnam POW and father to a good friend of mine, Mr. Abbott struck me as a very likable and good spirited person. I can only imagine the horrors that Mr. Abbott and Mr. Robinson endured as POWs; yet, today they don't seem bitter or unhappy given the circumstances that they have lived through. I think it puts the minor trials and tribulations of my life in perspective. We thanked Mr. Abbott for his service to our country and then walked through the museum and then drove around the Andersonville prison and cemetery.

Visiting Andersonville or any national cemetery is a very humbling experience. It truly takes your breath away when you see the thousands of head stones....and, to know that so many of these graves were as a result of our own Civil War so many years ago. Andersonville was a horrific Civil War prison where over 13,000 Union soldiers died while the prison was open (which was only 14 months).

And, while watching a video at the Andersonville Museum, I took special note of one person speaking in the film who said, "you never truly appreciate freedom until it is taken from you." I hope I never have to lose it to understand the message he was trying to get across.

We on this continent should never forget that men first crossed the Atlantic not to find soil for their ploughs but to secure liberty for their souls." ~~Robert J. McCracken

End of School Year Report

Anna and Rachel finished their gymnastics class yesterday. Rachel received a medal and Anna received a ribbon (shown above). There was no competition to earn these. These were given to all of the children simply for participating. We purposely chose a non-competitive program because we wanted their first experience with gymnastics to be one of fun, not competition.
Next Fall we plan to enroll them in dance and continue them in the non-competitive gymnastics and then after the first quarter, let them decide which they prefer as we believe one extracurricular activity at a time for each is plenty. They have loved gymnastics but we'd like them to try dance too and see if they enjoy it as much or not.

I met with Anna's teacher this morning for the end of year Teacher-Parent Conference. She had a glowing report. Her teacher was very complimentary to Anna's cognitive abilities, creativity, and behavior. We'll continue to work with Anna over the summer on writing, etc. so she'll be ahead of the game when she starts kindergarten in the Fall.

We also received notification today of the result of the evaluation of Rachel for the Gifted program. She was selected for it after a lengthy evaluation which has been going on for months now. And, her enrollment in the Gifted program begins in the Fall when the school year starts.

We are proud of both girls and their accomplishments. They have worked hard all year and we are glad to see them both excelling.

Anna Lost Her First Tooth

Anna was jumping on the trampoline with my neighbor's son a week or so ago when her front right tooth collided with his knee. The tooth held fast but was a bit sore for a couple of days. After that, she seemed fine. Then about seven days after the incident, I noticed her tooth starting to change color. It continued to darken in color with each passing day after. So, I brought her to the dentist to be evaluated. The first good news was that she did not damage her permanent teeth. The bad news is that the tooth was dying and needed to be removed. The other good news was that she is almost at the age to where that tooth would be falling out on its own anyway so she won't look odd missing a front tooth at the age of 5. So, an appointment was made with a local oral surgeon to extract the tooth. The appointment to do that was this morning.

The procedure went well. They did give her some "laughing gas" to help her tolerate the procedure. They also numbed the area where the tooth was removed. The oral surgeon said she did very well and all appeared well afterwards. I think the numbness of her lip bothered her more than anything. That is a difficult feeling to prepare a child for and I think she was not quite sure how to process that. By lunch time she was ready to eat and life went on as usual the remainder of the day.

She was excited at the thought of the tooth fairy coming to visit her tonight. It'll be a while before her permanent tooth comes in so she'll have that gap for a while. She seems unfazed by it though and we are thankful for that.

Above is a picture of Anna after having lost her first tooth....maybe in an unconventional way....but a milestone to her nonetheless.

Girls Night Out

A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked. ~ Bernard Meltzer

A few of us at my former employer were meeting once a month for a "Girls Night Out" a while back. Rachel and Anna call it "Grown Up Girl Bonding Time." Life happened and we were all busy and our monthly get togethers fell by the wayside for the past couple of years. Stormie recently bought a new home and invited us all over for a movie and revived the "Girls Night Out" event.

Work has been particularly stressful for me as of late and I see that continuing through the end of June. So, a glass of wine and a Friday night with the "girls" was just what the doctor ordered. We had a blast. All groups of people have a certain persona to them. Our little group is full of women who don't hold back where an opinion is concerned. Sensitive souls need not participate.

The photo above capped off our evening. I brought my camera and took a timed photo.

Thanks to my "girlfriends" for a fun evening and I look forward to the next one.

I Hope You Dance~ Mother's Day 2008

A mother is not a person to lean on but a person to make leaning unnecessary.~~Dorothy Canfield Fisher

I'm sure all mothers struggle with the notion of wondering if they are doing the best job in parenting their children or not. I've read some great parenting books. I've learned from other great parents too. And, there are some days I simply learn through OJT (on-the job training). Some times I am proud of myself and other days I wonder if I'm cut out for being a Mom. I guess it is part of the cycle that all women go through with being a parent.

I remember when our daughters first went to school. Other children were clinging to their mother; crying their hearts out. My children were the opposite. They toddled off without so much as a second glance. And, while I was thankful my children weren't upset by this new adventure (truly I would've been much more traumatized had they panicked); there was a pang of sadness as there is that small part where I wanted them to want me and need me too. Then, I realized that even at such a young age, my girls were self assured and confident enough to tread off without me. And, that was a good thing. When Rachel or Anna independently take off down a trail without looking back at us, I realize that they are doing exactly what they need to be doing. I guess it is one of the hardest parts of parenting; giving them wings to fly...and then letting them actually fly.

I hope our children will be confident, happy, and productive adults at the end of the parenting journey (although, I'm not convinced that parents ever really cross the finish line as long as they are alive). But, I also hope that our children learn one other thing from us....to simply enjoy life and appreciate each moment of each day. Every day that we breathe is a gift. There will be sadness and there will be happiness. But, it is the roller coaster of the ups and downs which make it all worth living. Life is a journey, not a destination.

It is in this spirit that I post Lee Ann Womack's song lyrics, "I Hope You Dance." To my daughters; and to anyone reading this, I do hope you dance.

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat

But always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean

Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances
But they're worth taking
Lovin' might be a mistake
But it's worth making
Don't let some hell bent heart
Leave you bitter
When you come close to selling out
Reconsider
Give the heavens above more than just a passing
glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
(Time is a real and constant motion always)
I hope you dance
(Rolling us along)
I hope you dance
(Tell me who)
I hope you dance
(Wants to look back on their youth and wonder)
(Where those years have gone)

Happy Mother's Day!

F. D. Roosevelt State Park, GA

To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug.~~Helen Keller

Originally, we thought we'd go to a location near the beach. In the end, we decided to pick something that was not a long drive. Jeff chose F. D. Roosevelt State Park. We also visited this Georgia State Park back in March.

Work has been especially busy for us as of late so we just wanted to relax for the most part. We arrived Friday evening in time for dinner. The children were eager to eat again at the Purple Cow Cafe which was enjoyable again on this trip. We enjoyed some sandwiches and ice cream before returning to the camper to enjoy a camp fire. They decided to give me my Mother's Day gift early for a reason; it was a new camera lense. Jeff knew I'd want to use it while we were there for the weekend. And, the girls were anxious to give me their personal gifts that they had made at school. I loved all of the gifts!

We decided to take a hike on Saturday morning and we chose the trail that started right behind our campsite. It was the trail to Liberty Bell Pool. Unfortunately, the pool was still not open yet. However, the trail hiking to Liberty Bell Pool was lovely and easy for the most part. It was approximately 1.2 miles (one way) from our camper. Anna is usually a great hiker. However, she was complaining during the entire walk to the pool. It made for a very long 1.2 miles going to the pool. We expected the hike back to be just as unpleasant but she surprised us and didn't hardly complain at all. We saw a few small animals on the trail like this frog below. They are camouflaged so well with their coloring that they are almost difficult to spot at times.

We spent some time at the camp ground play ground after we got back from our hike. I have to admit, it's been a while since I've attempted some things I once did as a child. So, I decided to take a stab at hanging upside down on the play set. Thankfully, I got up and down in one piece but it certainly wasn't as easy as I remember. I also have to say that I'm not too fond of my wrinkles, etc. that have come with age when I'm right side up. And, my aged imperfections don't look any better when upside down. :-)

We decided to eat in town for lunch. We ate at Aspen's Mountain Grill. The food was delicious. Rachel was a bit offended by the rustic decor; you know...bear skins, moose heads, etc. The idea of displaying a stuffed real animal to her is certainly not attractive. But despite Rachel's thoughts on the decor, we'll definitely try this restaurant again some time. But, what was even better was dessert at Sage's Soda Fountain in Pine Mountain. The inside of this restaurant is decorated like an old soda shop. There were lots of things to choose from including sandwiches, ice cream, milk shakes, bakery items, etc. It had a unique atmosphere and the treats we had were delicious. This place is definitely worth a visit when you travel to this area.

We thought we'd catch a movie during the early evening but the nearest theater was in LaGrange, GA, which was around 15 miles from Pine Mountain. However, we didn't have access to the internet to check movie times so we drove there hoping we'd arrive at a good time. Unfortunately, we arrived at 5:30 and the next start time for Nim's Island was 8:00. And, since we had a late lunch no one was ready for dinner so we just decided to head back to Pine Mountain. The down town area of LaGrange was nice and an area we wouldn't mind visiting again some time. By the time we got back to Pine Mountain, we were ready to eat dinner so we tried Fox's Pizza Den. The pizza here was quite tasty and definitely a place we'd visit again.

We returned to the camper and enjoyed another camp fire. Rachel spent some time catching frogs and releasing them. Meanwhile Anna adorned herself with a lot of glow sticks.

We had heard from other campers that bad weather was heading our way. We had a nice evening but we were awakened during the night due to the noise from a very strong rain storm. We were thankful we weren't sleeping in a tent that night. We were also fortunate that no tornadoes hit where we were but they did damage some areas north of our home town.

We did eat breakfast in Pine Mountain on Sunday morning at Chipley's Family Restaurant. It was a bad choice. We tend to pick local restaurants as much as possible but we were regretting our choice here. We tried their breakfast buffet. It was horrible. The food was barely warm. The eggs were runny. In general, the food just wasn't very good. And, the service wasn't much better. The food might have been better had we just ordered from the menu but we won't be back to find out. We decided to head back home early right after breakfast on Sunday as we weren't sure what the weather was going to be like plus there was loads of laundry and other things that needed our attention. We saw tons of wild life on the way home as we were driving down the road: a deer trying to cross the road, a snake, several turtles, a wild turkey, and several vultures. It seems that after a good rain storm or during a light rain storm, it is the best time to see wildlife. I remembered hiking on a trail in the Smoky Mountains years ago and almost walked into two deer standing on the trail. The animals seem to know people aren't out as much during that time period.

Originally, we planned to go back to High Falls the coming weekend but we have decided to cancel our reservations and stay home. We really need a weekend at home to get caught up on things and clean up the RV for our trip on Memorial Day weekend.

High Falls State Park

From the movie Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium:

Your life is an occasion, rise to it.~~Mr. Magorium

We arrived at High Falls on Friday evening. My work week last week was extremely busy so I had no desire to cook or clean for dinner and instead suggested that we eat dinner out. Jeff suggested Fresh Air Bar-B-Que in Jackson, GA. We noticed a snake on the road as we were on our way out of the park. Jeff decided to see if he could get it to move off of the road because he was concerned that someone would run over it. However, when he opened his jeep door, the snake coiled up and gave him the look of "I really don't think you want to mess with me." So, Jeff decided to stay in the jeep. Meanwhile a few vehicles came up behind us and one truck tried to go around us and almost ran over the snake. In the end, the snake finally had enough and slithered off the road to safety.

The bar-b-que restaurant wasn't far from the park. The food was tasty but I am not a big fan of mustard-based sauces so I didn't enjoy the bar-b-que here as much as other places we have tried. I prefer the sweet bar-b-que sauces rather than the tangy/spicy varieties. I didn't try the brunswick stew which is also supposed to be one of their specialties as well.

We returned to the camper after dinner. Jeff built a fire, we ate s'mores, and relaxed at the camper during the remainder of the evening. And, like most trips, we usually meet wonderful people. This trip was no different. On one side of our camper was Jay & Carol and their children Anna & Thomas. On the other side was Bob and Marion. Rachel, Anna and Anna & Thomas quickly became friends.

Rain showers were projected for most of Saturday so we didn't plan outdoor activities. The first place we visited was the Sagon RV dealership. It was our first time to tour Airstreams and Newmar RVs. Airstreams are classic. Although, we quickly determined that they aren't really family friendly. I think they are perfect for two people but not so functional for more than that.

One of the Newmar RVs had the floor plan with the bunk area above the master bed (shown below). Rachel and Anna loved that set up. We had considered this floor plan before purchasing our Fleetwood. The only thing that made us pass it up was resale. We figured our current floor plan would appeal to a larger audience should we ever decide to sell it. The Newmar with the bunks is definitely geared towards families with young children. And, if you take note, you don't see many people our age driving Class A motor homes down the road so I don't think we'd have a large audience interested if we ever did decide to sell it. But, after seeing it, we also found that it had limited storage underneath which wouldn't have worked well for us since we lived in ours full time for so long.

And, we also went in the top of the line Newmar that was absolutely gorgeous; complete with cultured marble shower, tiled floors, etc. (shown below). It was nice. I can't say that I want to spend over $400K on it, but it was definitely high end all the way.

We ate at Buckner's in Jackson, GA, for lunch. The food was very yummy. It was served family style. They serve traditional southern style foods: sweetened iced tea, fried chicken, bar-b-que, green beans, stewed tomatoes, creamed corn, cole slaw, etc. and for dessert....home made peach cobbler. I felt like Jeff needed to roll me out of the restaurant when I left.

We returned back to the park and took a short hike before the rain started. We spotted a dead snake in the water (shown below). It looked a lot like the type we had seen on the road Friday evening. We were later told it was a banded water snake. We have never seen so many snakes on any of our trips. As many trails as we have hiked and as many parks as we have visited, we've never seen any out and about.

The rain chased us back to the camper where we rested until 2:00 and then we attended a reptile educational program in the park that was provided by Southeastern Reptile Rescue. Rachel loves snakes; Rachel loves all animals. Anna has never been as interested in snakes but she did show interest in them this time. Southeastern Reptile Rescue provided a great educational demonstration on reptiles...in particular, snakes. Rachel and Anna held a variety of snakes. And, Rachel got to hold a baby alligator. I think it is great that there are organizations like this one (and Save our American Raptors, Inc.) that spend time educating the public on wild life.

Snake found by the road (an abandoned pet); shown above

We returned to the camper for the remainder of the day. We cooked dinner at our camper and invited our neighbors over for hot chocolate and s'mores. We had a nice evening sitting by the camp fire with our new friends.

The children spent some time outside on Sunday morning catching grasshoppers and then releasing them. Who needs expensive toys for children when you have nature to entertain them?

Anna, Anna & Rachel

We hope to meet up with Jay & Carol and their children later this year at Laura S. Walker State Park. Currently, we don't have plans to travel anywhere this coming weekend...but that may change. I'm just not sure yet where we'll go and if we do, it'll be a place that has a beach. The weather is getting warmer here in the south so the beach seems very inviting to us right now. For friends and family reading this post, I wish you a wonderful Mothers Day.