Don & Sandi at "home", back in the Stockton area.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

New Orleans

Hi.

We have spent the last couple of days in New Orleans and we have really enjoyed visiting the "Big Easy"...a very entertaining and "alive" kind of place!

We took a "bayou" boat trip on Friday and saw at least 15 alligators.  As you will notice in one of the photos, Sandi found a new friend in the 1-year-old alligator that we got to "meet" while on the bayou boat trip.

We ate well (loved the shrimp) during our visit.  The architecture is beautiful, as was the St. Louis Cathedral in the French Quarter.   You will notice in the photo above that we are in fact wearing our "Mardi Gras" beads, with a Giants logo.   (Please note: we paid money for the beads ;-)   Go Giants!

We took a walking tour around the French Quarter and found lots of interesting shops, street entertainers, and "interesting" people walking about...even more so than in San Francisco.

We also drove into the Lower Ninth Ward district of New Orleans; the area that received the most damage in Hurricane Katrina.  It was good to see the new homes that have been built and that are currently being built.  However, it was very sobering to see block-after-block of empty lots, weeds 6-feet tall, and concrete foundations in the middle of nothing.   This neighborhood was destroyed...but their posted motto is, "Remember our past...celebrate our future".   God bless them!

Final note:  For those of you who happen to watch the HGTV show, "Holmes on Homes", you may recall the series of episodes where he and his crew rebuilt a home in the 9th Ward.  In that series, there was a woman sitting in her rocking chair on her porch watching the whole rebuilding process happening next door to her home.  She was interviewed several times and always had a cheery word and a positive attitude.  She could always be seen "rock'n on her porch".  So, guess who we saw as we drove by the houses on that street?  Yup, there she was, just rock'n away.

Off to Texas tomorrow.

Take care.
Don & Sandi  

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Everglades

Hi.

Today we visited the Everglades.  We took a 1-hour "airboat" trip through the swamp.  We had to wear ear protection due to the very loud 502-inch Chevy engine attached to the giant 3-bladed prop of the airboat.  It can really scoot along...and we really enjoyed it when he spun the boat around!

We saw a lot of birds, as well as lots of trees and bushes up close as our Captain took us through some very narrow channels.  We also saw four alligators, one being at least 12 feet long...he was BIG (and scary)!

Headed towards northern Florida in the morning; and then Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana.

Take care.
Don & Sandi

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Quite a Saturday!

Hi.

Boy, what a Saturday!!!    "Why?", you ask?   Well...

1.  The Giants won the NLCS and are going to the World Series...YIPPEE!

2. Sandi had a "dolphin encounter" (that's a good thing) at the "Dolphin Research Center" on the Grassy Key, about a half-mile from our campsite.   Sandi was able to shake hands with Daisy, got a kiss from Kyle, and then Daisy and Kyle took Sandi for a ride.  She held onto their dorsal fins and was pulled through the lagoon.  Sandi says, "This was definitely the #1 adventure for our entire trip!"

3. Then we took a ride in a beautiful yellow-and-red biplane.  We squeezed into the front seat, while the pilot flew from the backseat.  We flew around the Grassy Key area for about 10 minutes.  It was a great adventure to have the wind blowing in our hair and seeing the beautiful coral reefs, blue/green water, lagoons, and homes.  We loved it!

4.  We then came back to the campsite and snorkled in the water just behind our motorhome.

The best Saturday (best day?) of our trip!

We leave the Keys tomorrow and head north towards Interstate 10, and start thinking about hanging a left, headed west to California...  

Take care.
Don & Sandi  

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