Search Results

After spending a week in Livingston, Texas getting our medical appointments out of the way and picking up our current mail we departed on Friday, April 12 to meet up with Karen's cousins Nina and Frank Phelan. We made arrangements to go camping together at Jim Hogg Park on the north side of Georgetown Lake in the Hill Country of Texas, about 25 miles north of Austin. We all had a great time catching up and hanging out at the lake. This was the first time we have had an opportunity to spend time together since their daughter's wedding in Vermont last June. We'd never camped together, so we were looking forward to some good outdoor cooking and campfire time. The location was beautiful and the weather was almost perfect. We planted the seeds of future camping adventures together the next time we are in Texas; maybe the South Padre Islands? On Saturday, Karen and Nina drove into town to have lunch with Auntie Ann (Nina's mom) who drove from Horseshoe Bay. Monday, April 15 we departed Georgetown Lake for Sunnyvale, Texas just ten miles east of Big "D" (Dallas, TX) to visit my cousin Dina Hansen. We made plans for dinner at Terry Black's BBQ, Dallas's premiere destination for legendary Texas barbecue. We met Dina and her friend, Mel Smith and had a real feast. Not only was the food incredible but my cousin generously picked up the dinner tab! This was a wonderful, unexpected surprise. Thank you Dina, you rock! We talked about traveling and heard about some fascinating adventures and far off lands she has experienced. Karen and I agree that Dina will be a great traveling companion so we are going to stay in touch about travel opportunities...maybe an Antarctica cruise??? The next day, Tuesday April 16 we traveled to see JP and Erin Mally outside of Tyler, Texas. We've been supporting their Youth with a Mission (YWAM) ministry for many years. They lived in Mali, Africa until the political situation started getting dicey, so they came back to the states to be safe. We got to meet their two children, Keenan (age 4) and Vera (almost 2). Erin is also expecting their third child in August of this year! They are working at the Tyler, Texas YWAM base in various staff capacities. JP just got his Green Card and is working through the certification process on his nursing credentials. It was so good to see them in person and get a first hand account of their ministry journey. We love the opportunity to support them in this ongoing ministry as we continue to pray for their family and for God to direct their path during this unscheduled hiatus. From Texas it was on to an Army Corps of Engineers campground at Afton Landing in Oklahoma for two nights. We stopped on Wednesday to see another friend, Dayna Murphy, who's a YWAMer now living on a 2 plus acre homestead in Porter, OK. She moved to Oklahoma to be closer to her daughter's family and is loving the challenge of fixing up her home and property. After seeing her place in Porter she drove over to have dinner with us in the campground. Thursday, April 18 we went to visit someone I haven't seen in over thirty years. Lori Gracey worked for Gillard Photography, the business Bob Conrad and I owned in Fortuna, California in the late 1970's. I last saw her in Santa Rosa, CA when she was attending Graduate School at UC Davis in the 1990's. She is now married and living in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Karen and I made arrangements to visit and had a lovely time together. They gave us a tour of Broken Arrow and Tulsa then fixed us a wonderful steak dinner. We talked and talked that evening and didn't leave their home until after 11 PM. From Oklahoma it was on to Camp Barnabas in Purdy, Missouri to see our friends and past RVICS members, Paul and Rhonda Harlin who are now on staff at the camp. We stayed at the camp RV property next to their Tiffin motor coach. They gave us a tour of the camp on Friday and we hung out. On Saturday, April 20 Paul drove us all to Branson, Missouri to see the Sight and Sound theater production of Queen Esther. It was an amazing show to experience! On Sunday we departed Camp Barnabas and navigated north on US 44 to US 49 to spend three nights outside of Kansas City, Missouri. Two years ago, while attending our first Alliance RV rally we met John and Janice Lary who live near KC. They also have an Alliance Avenue 32RLS like our unit. We gave them a call and warned them of our approaching visit. Well, I guess they must like us because we decided to camp together again and booked two adjoining sites in Lee's Summit, MO at Longview Lake Campground not far from their home. We set up on Sunday and ate a delicious dinner in John and Janice's rig that night. The menu included Burrito bowls and Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake for dessert. Um, um good! Monday we compared notes and told stories about the pros and cons experienced with our units and we worked on trailer projects. At dinner time I barbecued a London Broil we enjoyed with roasted potatoes and fresh green beans. Tuesday morning I got out the Blackstone and we had a first-class breakfast of "eggs-a-la-Hilen" (scrambled eggs with a bunch of goodies added), hash brown potato patties, crispy bacon and toast. We must have impressed Janice because she rewarded our efforts with a Tuesday night of Kansas City Royals baseball. We all went to Kauffman Field that evening. Janice has some well connected business associates and got us tickets at field level, section 119, row M on the third base line!!! We had awesome seats and companions; topped off with $1 hot dog night so we ate like baseball kings, you know like Royalty...hmmm. We cheered on the home team to a 3-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. Thank you John and Janice for a great visit in Kansas City, Missouri! The time went by too quickly. We're already planning another get-together near South Padre Island, Texas next January or February2025 to see a SpaceX Starship launch in Boca Chica...fingers crossed. So not a bad fifteen day run of five different camping locations in three states and 16 friends and family visited. We loved seeing all of these folks. We're so thankful we get to do this as we travel far and wide, playing hard with the people we love to share life with. From KC on Wednesday April 24 it's on to a one-night stand in Hamburg, Iowa at a Harvest Host, then to our next RVICS project in Marquette, Nebraska at Timberlake Ranch Camp for three and a half weeks. TALLY HO!

After a four plus hour drive to Livingston, Texas on Friday April 5 we arrived at the Escapees Rainbow's End RV Park for the week. We have an action packed agenda for our visit back to our official Texas domicile. Our first official act was to get our annual Texas vehicle inspection out of the way. It worked out that we were back in April when our registration come up for renewal. We stopped by Kyle's shop on the way to the RV Park, got the inspection done and paid the $14 charge ($7 each vehicle) and were on the road again in thirty minutes. The big event that brought us to this part of the state was the upcoming total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8. Our plan was to drive to the path of totality in Teague, Texas, about two hours north, early on Monday and view this unique cosmic phenomenon. The weather was looking questionable with morning fog leading to cloudy skies and thunderstorms predicted for after 3 pm. There was a small window of partly cloudy sky from about 11 am to 2pm during the scheduled eclipse so we took the chance and headed northwest. We arrived early for the eclipse so we drove over to the Teague Volunteer Fire Department to see if we could meet some of the staff and get a tour of their facilities. The Teague Volunteer Fire Department was organized in 1907. Teague VFD is a not-for-profit volunteer organization consisting of 30 members. The Fire Department provides fire and rescue services to the City of Teague and its surrounding community. TVFD Lt. Ron Stewart was kind enough to show us around and it was a pleasure meeting a couple other members of the department. Their VFD is a well equipped with two engines, a "Quint" ladder truck, a heavy rescue squad truck, a water tender, 3 brush trucks and a utility/command vehicle, They respond to about 400 calls a year including traffic collisions, wildland fires, structure fires not including medicals. Ron explained to us the majority of medical calls are handled by the local EMS ambulance company. According to Lt. Stewart, the town's Chamber of Commerce was meeting out at Booker T. Washington Park on the east side of town for the "eclipse event". We arrived in time to set up our zero-gravity recliners, mingle with the locals and eat our picnic lunch. Fortunately, almost miraculously the clouds parted to afford us our view of the solar eclipse from beginning to end. John and Karen got "Totally" mooned in Teague, Texas on April 8 at 1:38 pm for two and a half minutes...WOW! Teague, Texas is at the junction of U.S. Highway 84, State Highway 179, and Farm Roads 80 and 145, nine miles southwest of Fairfield in western Freestone County. The area was first settled around the time of the Civil War. During the latter half of the nineteenth century a small community known as Brewer, grew up at the site. When the Trinity and Brazos Valley Railway was built through the county in 1906, it located its machine and car shops at this site. The town of Brewer was renamed Teague by railroad magnate Benjamin Franklin Yoakum in honor of his mother Narcissus Teague and her parents James and Jane Fowler Teague, who were early pioneers in Freestone County. The town incorporated in 1906. The community served as a shipping center for area cotton farmers and grew rapidly. By 1914 it had Baptist, Catholic, Disciples of Christ, Methodist, Episcopal, Methodist Episcopal, and Presbyterian churches, as well as public schools, waterworks, an electric light plant, an ice plant, three banks, two cotton gins, a cottonseed oil mill, a cotton compress, the Teague Daily News, two weekly newspapers, and a population of 3,300. Teague continued to prosper during the 1920s. The onset of the Great Depression and plummeting cotton prices however began a slow decline that continued until the 1980s. The number of businesses dropped from 140 in 1931 to 100 in 1936. After World War II many other stores and businesses closed, and by the early 1980s only forty-six rated businesses remained. The town also witnessed a decline in population during the same period; it reached a low of some 2,800 in 1975. After the mid-1980s, however, the population grew steadily, and in 1990 Teague had 3,268 residents. The population was 4,557 in 2000. The area has large coal, lignite, sand, and clay deposits. In recent years natural gas production has become an important industry. The exhibits in the Teague Museum include a 1925 Baldwin locomotive donated by W. T. Carter and Brother of Camden, a railroad motor car, a baggage wagon, photographs, timetables, and other memorabilia. Other artifacts of local history are also preserved in the museum, including items pertaining to churches, schools, doctors and hospitals, merchants and business firms, clubs and organizations (including a Boy Scout room), civic leaders, and city officials. The Teague Volunteer Fire Department, which dates back to 1907, developed its own exhibit, which includes the department's first motorized pumper engine, a 1920s Seagraves with dual ignition. The local newspaper, the Teague Chronicle, published since 1906, has its own display, which features the Cottrell printing press used by the paper from 1906 to 1976, in addition to a copy of its first issue, dated July 27, 1906, which contains a report on the arrival of Teague's first passenger train. A Veterans' Room displays exhibits of all wars; special memorial cases honor those killed in action. After the eclipse we traveled over to the Teague Train Depot and Museum to take a tour. Normally closed during the week, the chamber president called a volunteer and arranged a personal tour for us! How nice was that! The Burlington-Rock Island Railroad Museum, in Teague, was officially opened on October 4, 1970, and is housed in the original Trinity and Brazos Valley Railway depot and office building. The depot was built in 1906–07 and designed by C. H. Page, Jr., an Austin architect, whose father had worked as a stone mason on the state Capitol. The two-story building combines the round arches and arcades of Romanesque styling with an asymmetrical Italianate tower. Its bichrome façade features red-brick trim on a buff-colored, pressed-brick background. The hipped roof is covered in red tile. When built, the depot was considered one of the most handsome stations in Texas. The railway itself, the "Boll Weevil," belonged to the Burlington-Rock Island system for most of its existence and continues freight service to Teague. After a new railroad office was constructed in the 1960s, local historians, led by Llewellyn Notley, retired Teague school superintendent, and P. F. Thomas, retired railroad superintendent, acquired the building for the city of Teague from the Fort Worth and Denver Railway and the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroads for one dollar. The Burlington-Rock Island Railroad Museum Association of Teague was organized and incorporated by the Texas secretary of state in 1969. The museum opened on October 4, 1970, with United States congressman Olin E. Teague delivering the dedicatory address. Two state historical markers were unveiled at the program. After our day in the city of Teague, we drove the backroads to Livingston in a massive thunderstorm. At one point the downpour got so bad we needed to pull over into a parking lot, but we got home safely and hunkered down for some heavy weather in the forecast for the next two days. All in all, it was a great day; a once in a lifetime experience to see the total eclipse of the sun.

We arrived on Easter Sunday, March 31 in San Felipe, Texas at Stephen F. Austin State Park on the banks of the Brazos River. We’re just 50 minutes west of the outskirts of Houston. San Felipe de Austin State His­toric Site is nearby where you can walk around the townsite, head­quarters for Stephen F. Austin’s original colony. American Moses Austin was authorized as an empresario by Joaquín de Arredondo of Spain to create a colony of Americans in Texas, which was lightly populated, as a bulwark against the native Comanche people. Before this plan could be implemented, Moses Austin died in Missouri in 1821. That same year Mexico gained independence from Spain. Stephen F. Austin agreed to carry out his father's plan for a colony. At the end of the summer of 1821, he and a small group of Anglo-American settlers crossed into Texas. Before he reached San Antonio to meet with the governor, the group learned that Mexico had gained its independence from Spain. Texas was now a Mexican province rather than a Spanish one. Governor Martinez assured Austin that the new Mexican government would honor the colonization contract. Between 1823 and 1825, Austin granted 297 titles under this contract. Each head of household received a minimum of 177 acres or 4,428 acres depending on whether they intended to farm or raise livestock. The grant could be increased for large families or those wishing to establish a new industry, but the lands would be forfeited if they were not cultivated within two years. The settlers who received their titles under Stephen's first contract, known today as the Old Three Hundred, made up the first organized, approved group of Anglo-American immigrants from the United States to Texas. The new land titles were located in an area where no Spanish or Mexican settlements had existed. It covered land between the Brazos and the Colorado rivers, from the Gulf Coast to the San Antonio Road. This area had long been occupied by indigenous peoples, however, and they objected to Anglo-American encroachment, resisting with armed conflict. Both Comanche and Apache warriors raided the new colony. Back to 2024; on Tuesday, April 2 we ventured to the Houston Astros ballpark called Minute Maid Park to attend another major league baseball game on my quest to attend all the MLB parks in my lifetime. This was number 12 out of 30. Minute Maid Park is a beautiful ballpark with a roof that can be opened or closed depending on the weather. Tonights game the roof was closed and the temperature inside was ideal. The Astros were playing the Toronto Bluejays and the home team ended up losing 2-1 in the ninth inning. We got together with our friend and fellow scuba diver, Suzy Wheat on Wednesday for a short hike and picnic at Brazos Bend State Park. This a 4,897-acre state park along the Brazos River in unincorporated Fort Bend County, Texas run by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The park is a haven for a diverse mix of native wildlife and plants covering an equally diverse range of ecosystems. Brazos Bend contains areas of coastal prairie, bottomland forest, and a wide range of wetlands including open and semi-open lakes and transitional marshlands. Highlights of the park's numerous inhabitants include over 300 species of resident and visiting migratory birds such as black-bellied whistling duck, snowy egret, great egret, American white ibis, yellow-crowned night heron, northern cardinal, American coot and great blue heron. Mammals such as the white-tailed deer, nine-banded armadillo, raccoon, and North American river otter are also found in the park. The most noteworthy and popular residents of the park are the relatively large population of American alligators. On our last day, Thursday April 4 we drove to Smithville, Texas to visit the Roving Volunteers in Christ's Service (RVICS) village and headquarters. We had lunch with Frank and Melissa Varaso, who were our RVICS team leaders when we did our first project in September 2023. Melissa is now serving as the RVICS organization president this year. They gave us tour of the village and we got to see their home. The village has pads available for those who purchase a RVICS village membership. For $2500 a couple can purchase a one-time village membership. The Village is "a place to call home" between projects, or when age or health issues make it difficult to serve on a regular basis. Any present or former RVICS member who has served at least three projects may purchase a Village membership, and select a lot with full utility hook-ups for parking their RV or placing a more permanent home. In addition to home sites, the Village also boasts an all-purpose building, Schaeffer Hall. Life in RVICS Village affords all the fellowship, activity, and encouragement in the faith that members have experienced, and are reluctant to leave behind, during their working years. Many continue to serve in nearby churches and communities, and there's rarely a Village moment when some project is not being hatched. At noon on Friday, April 5 we departed Stephen F. Austin State Park in San Felipe, Texas and drove to our home base at the Rainbow's End Escapees RV Park in Livingston, Texas thus completing our second RV Life charted journey in our Alliance Avenue 32RLS, named Trinity, for a total of 11,864 miles in 465 days.

Traveling on Interstate 10 we experience the natural beauty and wonder of Southwest Louisiana. We crossed the "Ole Muddy", the Mississippi River. through Baton Rouge continuing west. A good part of the highway takes you across extensive expanses of swamp, bayou and meandering rivers. One such area is the Atchafalaya Basin, or Atchafalaya Swamp. It is the largest wetland and swamp in the United States. Located in south central Louisiana, it is a combination of wetlands and river delta area where the Atchafalaya River and the Gulf of Mexico converge. The river stretches from near Simmesport in the north through parts of eight parishes to the Morgan City southern area. Between Baton Rouge and Lafayette, Louisiana we decided to take a break and stop in the heart of the Atchafalaya Basin, the nation’s largest river swamp. The Atchafalaya Welcome Center contains a variety of exhibits showcasing the unique flora, fauna, and cultures found throughout the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area. Amenities at this Welcome Center include complementary coffee, restrooms, a short film about the area, walking trails, and picnic areas. The Atchafalaya is different than other Louisiana basins because it has a growing delta system with wetlands that are almost stable. The basin contains about 70% forest habitat and about 30% marsh and open water. It contains the largest contiguous block of forested wetlands remaining (about 35%) in the lower Mississippi River valley and the largest block of floodplain forest in the United States. Best known for its iconic Cypress–Tupelo swamps at 260,000 acres, this block of forest represents the largest remaining contiguous tract of coastal Cypress in the United States. We eventually arrived at Sam Houston Jones State Park in Lake Charles, Louisiana; our campground for the next two nights. Originally named for the Texas folk hero who traveled extensively in the western reaches of Louisiana, Sam Houston Jones was given its current name in honor of the state's 46th governor, who was instrumental in setting aside this tract of land for the public to enjoy for both day-use and overnight visitors. The park is home to more than 70 acres of longleaf pines, the oldest living southern pine species. They were once one of the most abundant tree species in the United States, stretching across 90 million acres from Virginia to Texas. Over time, land-use practices such as logging, farming, development, urban encroachment, and fire exclusion have diminished the longleaf pine, leaving less than 4 million acres of longleaf forest and less than 10 percent of their original presence in Louisiana. Remember when we visited Nova Scotia and traveled through the Acadian settlements? Well here's the rest of the story... the roots of Creole and Cajun culture. They are synonymous with Acadiana, a 22-parish region settled in the mid-18th century by exiles from present-day Nova Scotia. About 3,000 Acadians arrived in South Louisiana from 1764 to around 1785 and now, more than 250 years later their creolized name, Cajun (derived from the French Acadien), can be found everywhere. There’s the Ragin’ Cajuns, the athletic moniker of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (ULL). There’s the Cajun Heartland State Fair, held annually (pre-COVID) on the grounds of the Cajundome. And there are countless small businesses, from Cajun Power to Cajun Fitness, Cajun Broadband, and Cajun Mart, who use the term to ground their names in a sense of place. Cajuns were—and are—a subset of Louisiana Creoles. Today, common understanding holds that Cajuns are white and Creoles are Black or mixed race; Creoles are from New Orleans, while Cajuns populate the rural parts of South Louisiana. In fact, the two cultures are far more related—historically, geographically, and genealogically—than most people realize. The region is probably best known for its incredible cuisine and special music. Cajun and Creole food are both native to Louisiana and can be found in restaurants throughout South Louisiana. One of the simplest differences between the two cuisine types is that Creole food typically uses tomatoes and tomato-based sauces while traditional Cajun food does not. Examples of some of the culinary delights include Gumbo, Jambalaya. Shrimp Creole, Crawfish Étouffée, Red Beans and Rice, Creole Stuffed Bell Peppers. and Creole Bread Pudding. This is the regional origin of Zydeco, a music genre that was created in rural Southwest Louisiana by Afro-Americans of Creole heritage. It blends blues and rhythm and blues with music indigenous to the Louisiana Creoles such as la la and juré, using the French accordion and a creole metal washboard instrument called the frottoir. We enjoyed our campsite atmosphere with the sights, sounds and smells of this wonderful and unique region of the south.

As we traveled west back to Texas for the solar eclipse on April 8, we passed through Louisiana for four days. Our first stop was at Fairview-Riverside State Park in Madisonville, Louisiana for two of the four nights. Its 99 acres is set along the banks of the Tchefuncte River. The park has 100 campsites, a short nature trail, and a boardwalk which reveals forested wetlands.We arrived on Wednesday afternoon, March 27 and set up on site 40 for only $26.84 for 2 nights with our discount. Louisiana state parks give a 50% discount to National Park Pass holders. Thursday, March 28 we decided to spend the day in New Orleans and visit the National WWII Museum, formerly known as The National D-Day Museum, a military history museum located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana, on Andrew Higgins Drive between Camp Street and Magazine Street. The museum focuses on the contribution made by the United States to Allied victory in World War II. Founded in 2000, it was later designated by the U.S. Congress as America's official National WWII Museum in 2004. The museum is a Smithsonian Institution affiliated museum, as part of the Smithsonian Institution's outreach program. The mission statement of the museum emphasizes the American experience in World War II. The museum is located in part in the former Weckerling Brewery, designed by local architect William Fitzner, which was renovated and opened as the D-Day Museum on June 6, 2000, the 56th anniversary of D-Day, focusing on the amphibious invasion of Normandy. As the Higgins boats, vital to amphibious operations, were designed, built, and tested in New Orleans by Higgins Industries, the city was the natural home for such a project. Furthermore, New Orleans was the home of historian and author Stephen Ambrose, who spearheaded the effort to build the museum. Ambrose also wrote a book entitled D-Day in 1994, which describes the planning and execution of Operation Neptune, which was launched on June 6, 1944. The early emphasis of the museum on D-Day, the location of Higgins Industries, and Ambrose's connections to New Orleans were all factors in the museum being established in New Orleans. Upon arriving, we waited in line to board a train. The train is a simulation exhibit that mimics the experience of soldiers going off to war. In the train, the interactive dog tag is used to determine which individual a visitor will be following. The information is provided by screens on the back of the bench seats. Once the short train journey has ended, visitors are encouraged to explore the museum in whichever way they may choose. The museum is extensive in detail and comprehensive to a level I have never seen before. We ended our visit with tickets for the 3 pm award-winning 4-D film, Beyond All Boundaries, narrated by Tom Hanks and shown in the Solomon Victory Theater. It gives the visitor an overview of the war on every front. We walked for three hours and only saw a fraction of the exhibits available.  The museum was a deeply moving experience for both Karen and I. Honestly, we were both emotionally exhausted at the end of the visit. The museum provided a profound perspective on the width and depth of this moment in history and its affects on our national identity and culture in a very personal way. I would strongly recommend everyone visit this museum, with this caveat. It is not a feel good experience but a sobering journey through a difficult historical period, I thought I knew a fair amount concerning World War 2, but this experience truly helped me to get my head around the massive sacrifices made by ALL Americans from the totalitarianism of the 30's and 40's. This museum rocked my view to an emotional level I've only experience twice before in my life; my visit on-board the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor and the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C.

Meaher State Park is a public recreation area located on Big Island, an island at the north end of Mobile Bay that lies within the city limits of Spanish Fort, Alabama. The state park occupies 1,327 acres along the shoreline of Ducker Bay, at the junction of Mobile Bay and the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta. It is surrounded by wetlands of the Mobile Bay estuary. The campground has 61 RV campsites with 20, 30 and 50 amp electrical connections along with water and sewer. They also have 10 improved tent sites with water and 20amp electric on each site. The campground also features a new bathhouse with laundry facilities for overnight campers. We arrived on Sunday, March 25 in the afternoon and parked our rig in site 10 for the next three days. The sites in the campground are paved and spacious with an expansive view of Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Our plans include a trip to see the Battleship Memorial Park, home of the USS Alabama. Monday, March 26 we drove the six miles west to Battleship Memorial Park, a military history park and museum on the western shore of Mobile Bay in Mobile, Alabama. Its notable aircraft and museum ships include the South Dakota-class battleship USS Alabama and Gato-class submarine USS Drum. Citizens of the state of Alabama had formed the "USS Alabama Battleship Commission" to raise funds for the preservation of Alabama as a memorial to the men and women who served in World War II. Alabama's school children raised about $100,000 in nickels and dimes from lunch money and allowances to help the cause. The ship was awarded to the state on June 16, 1964, and was formally turned over on July 7, 1964 in ceremonies at Seattle, Washington. Alabama was then towed to her permanent berth at Mobile, Alabama, arriving in Mobile Bay on September 14, 1964, and opening as a museum ship on January 9, 1965. Alabama is 680 feet long overall and has a beam of 108 ft 2 in and a draft of 35 ft 1 in. She displaced 37,970 long tons as designed and up to 44,519 long tons at full combat load. The ship was powered by four General Electric steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft, using steam provided by eight oil-fired Babcock & Wilcox boilers. Rated at 130,000 shaft horsepower (97,000 kW), the turbines were intended to give a top speed of 27.5 knots (31.6 mph). The ship had a cruising range of 15,000 nautical miles (17,000 mi) at a speed of 15 knots ( 17 mph). She carried three Vought OS2U Kingfisher floatplanes for aerial reconnaissance, which were launched by a pair of aircraft catapults on her fantail. Her peace time crew numbered 1,793 officers and enlisted men, but during the war the crew swelled to 2,500. We spent three hours walking the three different tour routes throughout the ship and ended up walking over a mile and a half and eight flights of ladders, from the engine room to the battle bridge. The museum inside is very comprehensive about the ship's history from its construction in the Norfork Naval Shipyard, through commissioning, shakedown and her duty in the Atlantic and Pacific theaters during World War II. The ship itself is in remarkable physical condition; there are a few places with rust but overall well preserved and cared for by the parks management and volunteers. One of the exhibits that got my attention was the Navy Hard-Hat Diver display. These divers wore 80 pounds of lead to help keep them down during repairs! I will never complain about 40 pounds with a drysuit ever again. After three hours of walking up and down ladders and through hatches fore and aft we decided to call it a day. The park admission also includes a tour of the USS Drum (SS-228), a Gato-class submarine of the United States Navy. Additional military aircraft and armor static displays are on the property, but we were done for that day and headed back to the trailer. With the local weather deteriorating with heavy winds and thunderstorms in the forecast, we decided to hunker down to stay inside for the remainder of the afternoon and evening. Tuesday afternoon was predicted to clear up so we ventured into Mobile, AL to check it out. Mobile was founded as the capital of colonial French Louisiana in 1702 and remained a part of New France for over 60 years. During 1720, when France warred with Spain, Mobile was on the battlefront, so the capital moved west to Biloxi. In 1763, Britain took control of the colony following their victory in the Seven Years' War. During the American Revolutionary War, the Spanish captured Mobile and retained it by the terms of the Treaty of Paris in 1783. Mobile first became a part of the United States in 1813 when it was captured by American forces and added to the Mississippi Territory, then later re-zoned into the Alabama Territory in August 1817. Finally on December 14, 1819, Mobile became part of the new 22nd state, Alabama, one of the earlier states of the U.S. Forty-one years later, Alabama left the Union and joined the Confederate States of America in 1861. It returned in 1865 after the American Civil War. Mobile had spent decades as French, then British, then Spanish, then American, spanning 160 years, up to the Civil War. Alabama's only saltwater port, Mobile is located on the Mobile River at the head of Mobile Bay on the north-central Gulf Coast. The Port of Mobile has always played a key role in the economic health of the city, beginning with the settlement as an important trading center between the French colonists and Native Americans, down to its current role as the 12th-largest port in the United States. We took a leisurely walk down the historic Dauphin Street, Mobile's version of Bourbon Street in New Orleans and stopped for a latte and some Beignets. The city is remarkably clean and colorful murals adorn many of the streets in downtown. Did you know that Mobile is the birthplace of Mardi Gras? The first carnival observance occurred at 27 Mile Bluff in the year 1703, continuing the cultural traditions settlers in Mobile (the "Port City") began back in their homeland of France. Celebrating Mardi Gras gave Mobilians the chance to enjoy a fine meal, some wine, and reminisce with families and friends. Mardi Gras in Mobile keeps tradition alive on smaller scale. Wednesday, March 27 we will continue west on to Mississippi and Louisiana. We plan to drive US 90 to avoid all the commercial trucks and see the gulf coast communities of Biloxi and Gulfport. It will be a longer drive but more to see on this scenic route.

We decided to leave Lake Swan Camp a day early after I had my dental work done so we drove to Panama City, Florida for the night. It was a long drive, but we broke it up with periodic breaks at rest stops along the way. The Florida Department of Transportation has some of the best rest stops I have seen as we travel across the country. They are spacious, clean and have many amenities. One Florida highway feature that is helpful is the digital signage on the interstate informing truckers of the number of available parking sites at the approaching rest stop. It's nice to know in advance if there is space to park a big rig! We drove for about five hours and arrived at our destination for the night; good old Cracker Barrel Old Time Restaurant in Panama City, Florida. We parked in the back near two RAM Class B Vans from Quebec and Nova Scotia respectively. The restaurant was located next to a huge shopping complex. After leftovers for dinner we walked off our meal and stretched our legs before having dessert in the Cracker Barrel. Our destination for the next four days was Post'l Point Campground on Eglin Air Base near Valparaiso, Florida on the Choctawhatchee Bay. Before we checked-in, we stopped for lunch and a brief day-use visit at Grayton Beach State Park. It consistently ranks among the most beautiful and pristine beaches in the United States. Western Lake offers camping, fishing and paddling, and those who want to explore on foot have 4 miles of trails to traverse through a coastal forest where scrub oaks and magnolias are bent and twisted by salt winds. We walked the sugar-white sandy beach and were amazed at the clarity of the water along the shore. We rode our bikes through the campground to see what kind of facilities they offer and the pad sizes. We would love to come back and stay for a week at this location in the future. The Park Ranger told us that they book up quickly and the trick to getting a reservation is being on the website with all your information ready to submit 11 months to the day you want to visit. After our visit at Grayton Beach we continued our drive to Eglin Air Force Base and made our way to the Post'l Point campsite #102 near the water. We were here in April 2023 with our Granddaughter Morgan for two days and knew we wanted to return on a later trip. It doesn't get much better than this camping in Florida right on the water!. We met our neighbors on site 103, David and Terry Strand from Memphis, Tennessee and enjoyed getting to know them during our stay. We got together a couple of times to play games in our rig during the evenings after dinner. Nice folks that we hope we cross paths with again in the future. On March 22 we celebrated Karen's birthday by going out to dinner with her cousin Gary who lives in the area. He had suggested the Magnolia Grill in Fort Walton Beach, which is a wonderful old home converted into a first class restaurant. The food and atmosphere were perfect and incredible! We all enjoyed our meals and the experience. We would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who might visit the area in the future; definitely a do-over experience for us. The next day Karen and I rented a Robalo center console power boat for the afternoon at the base's Outdoor Services and we navigated the bay to meet Gary for lunch at the Fort Walton Yacht Club. The windy conditions were not ideal but we still had fun seeing the area from a different perspective on the water. I always love getting some "boat time". The quiet and the picturesque setting of Post'l Point made it an easy choice to stay at as we head west along the panhandle back to Texas. Our next stop on Sunday, March 24 is Meaher State Campground in Spanish Fort, Alabama for three days just across the Florida border.

We had an opportunity to return for two days while staying at the Royal St. Augustine Golf and Country Club facility through our Harvest Host membership. Our first stop was where America began. Built in 1672 by the Spanish over an approximate thirty year period, the fort sought to secure St. Augustine from invading forces from the water and land. Soldiers used the fort to fire cannons over the river. Castillo de San Marcos National Monument preserves the oldest masonry fortification in the continental United States. It was designed by the Spanish engineer Ignacio Daza, with construction beginning 107 years after the city's founding by Spanish Admiral and conquistador Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, when Florida was part of the Spanish Empire. The fort's construction was ordered by Governor Francisco de la Guerra y de la Vega after a raid by the English privateer Robert Searles in 1668 that destroyed much of St. Augustine and damaged the existing wooden fort. Work proceeded under the administration of Guerra's successor, Manuel de Cendoya in 1671, and the first coquina stones were laid in 1672. Coquina is a type of limestone rock made of shells and sand cemented together. The construction of the core of the current fortress was completed in 1695, although it would undergo many alterations and renovations over the centuries. We missed the fort the first time we visited St. Augustine last year, so we were very happy to get to experience it on this trip. Our second planned stop was a visit to Flagler College.. Founded in 1968, the Flagler campus comprises 19 acres, the centerpiece of which is the Ponce de León Hotel, built in 1888 as a luxury hotel. The architects were John Carrere and Thomas Hastings, working for Henry Morrison Flagler, the industrialist, oil magnate and railroad pioneer. It is now listed as a National Historic Landmark. Flagler College has received many top state and national rankings over the years. In 2022, Veranda named the campus "One of the Most Beautiful College Campuses Around the World," and mentioned its palatial, renovated ballroom with walls of original Tiffany stained glass windows. The ballroom now serves as the dining hall for students. The same year, Architectural Digest mentioned its buildings in "One of the 8 Most Unexpected Places to See World-Class Architecture in the U.S." Unfortunately, all the tours for the day were sold out so we missed out seeing the highlight of their tour in the dining hall. When classes are in session, students crisscross through lavish halls, loggias and gardens, walk under the elaborate murals of the Rotunda, and attend lectures in the Flagler Room and Solarium. Most remarkable of all, they have their meals in the original 3 ½ story, oval Dining Hall, in which jeweled light streaming through 79 Louis Comfort Tiffany stained-glass windows casts a beautiful glow on hand-painted murals on the walls and ceiling. The image below is courtesy of Wikipedia. How much are Flagler College Tiffany windows worth? APPRAISER: Because they're repetitive designs and they came in multiples, they would range in price from about $5,000 per window to $45,000 per window, and it really depends on the size, the condition and the provenance. By the way, they are protected outside with thick plexiglass panels. From the college we drove out to the St. Augustine Light Station then continued on south for a late lunch at the Beachcomber restaurant where "A Street meets the Beach".

Our two week stay at the Kennedy Space Center (KARS) Park came to an end with a big bang! On our last night, Sunday, March 10 at 7:05 pm we got to see yet another SpaceX Star-Link Falcon 9 depart earth. This was our 4th rocket flight since our arrival on February 26, 2024. The weather was excellent with relatively clear skies and a light breeze. Because it occurred around sunset, the lighting conditions enhanced the flight for some potentially good photographs. I dug out my Nikon D700, the 80-200mm telephoto lens with a 1.4 teleconverter and my tripod from the front storage closet and headed to the wooden pier next to our trailer site to get ready to capture some spectacular images. As we waited for the countdown to reach zero, we ate our dinner of shrimp gumbo. Finally the moment arrived as the glow of the 9 Merlin rocket engines illuminated the bottom of the rocket and a plume of smoke engulfed the launch pad. Initially there was no sound, just a brightening object climbing into the heavens. Like counting after a flash of lightning and waiting for the thunder clap to arrive, we wait.... three, four, five, six seconds and then the rocket's roar finally arrived not long after the rocket was above the horizon. It is a sight I will never fail to totally enjoy! The show is always too short but always worth the wait. Our last day started out with a morning visit to Calvary Chapel Merritt Island for church services at 11:00 am. We both really enjoy the fellowship in this community of Jesus followers. After lunch, Karen had booked us a two-hour long, river cruise with Space Coast River Tours at 3 pm. We drove down to Kelly Park on the Banana River to meet the boat at the dock. We first cruised the Canaveral Barge Canal looking for alligators and manatees but came up empty. We had better luck with Atlantic Bottle-nose Dolphins in the Indian River on our way to the Canaveral Locks. This short cut to the cruise port saves a 45 mile trip to the open ocean. The locks have no pumps so once you're in, you tie the boat to the lock's interior side wall and wait. One pair of lock doors close then the other pair of lock doors open. The water level changes via the door opening. We started two feet above the sea level at that time in the tidal cycle, so it was fun to watch the pelicans float through on the moving water pouring thru the opening of the lock doors as we leveled with the ocean's height on the other side. Once inside the Port Canaveral Cruise Port basin area we explored the sights which included a returned Falcon 9 first-stage booster from a mission earlier in the week. We also got to see the SpaceX recovery vessel just for the Dragon capsule which was used to transit four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). Four cruise ships were at Port Canaveral while we visited. The port has a capacity of six and is increasing to seven in the future. Port Canaveral is home port to the Disney Cruise ship line and one of the busiest cruise ports in the world. So Monday morning arrived and we began the packing up process. We stopped to dump all our gray and black water before checking out. Our next stop is a Harvest Host location in DeLand, Florida about 75 miles to the north. We will spend only one night at the Church of the Nazarene in DeLand before leaving Tuesday morning, March 12 for another Harvest Host. Tonight we spend two nights at the Royal St. Augustine Golf and Country Club parking lot.

Not unlike most coastal venues, our present RV location is windy during the afternoon, but thankfully the mornings have been still with some incredible sunrises. We usually will sit outside drinking our coffee, do our devotions and take in the view across the Banana River at Cape Canaveral Space Force Base to the east. The river is the habitat for manatees right now and a variety of birds like pelicans, egrets and herons. The red arrow on the map below indicates the location of the KARS RV Park where we are staying until March 11. Looking north we have an unobstructed view of the Launch Complex, including Pad 39A or 40 where the SpaceX Falcon 9 launches. We were able to view the Leap Day launch of the Starlink 6-40 mission as they added another 23 Starlink Version 2 Mini satellites to the growing low Earth orbit constellation. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 occurred at 10:30 a.m. EST on February 29. This was a last minute SpaceX Starlink launch from Florida’s Space Coast because the astronaut launch was postponed due to weather. We're hoping the Dragon 8 crew flight happens while we are still here. Due to the weather conditions, the flight has now been delayed until March 2nd or 3rd. The latest news as of this writing was from the Spaceflight Now website. "A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a Crew Dragon spacecraft on the program’s 13th flight with astronauts. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will return to land at Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin will launch on a Crew Dragon spacecraft to begin a six-month expedition on the International Space Station. The Crew Dragon will return to a splashdown at sea off the coast of Florida. This has been delayed from Feb. 22, 28 and Mar. 1." Based on the weather data sites I am monitoring however, the rescheduled launch day and time is not looking very promising. Monday 3rd or 4th and Friday, March 8 appear to be the most favorable weather conditions. Karen just passed the four week mark since her surgery and is doing remarkably well. She is only using a cane when we go for a walk around the park. The only medications she is taking is Acetaminophen (Tylenol) or Ibuprofen (Advil) to manage the residual pain. There you have it... our current update as we continue relaxing here on the "Space Coast" of Florida while living the RV life one day at a time.

While Karen is healing from surgery I have found plenty of additional projects to keep me busy. You know the saying, "an idle mind is the devil's workshop"! During our first week at Sumter Oaks Escapees RV Park we decided it was time to have our trailer's tanks cleaned and serviced. We contacted KLEEN TANK, an RV tank cleaning service franchise to do the work. In addition to cleaning both gray water tanks and the black tank, they also sanitized our fresh water tank and flushed out our water heater. Considering we have lived in our fifth wheel full time for over two years, it made sense to get this service done. I expected the black tank to be the worst, but it wasn't bad at all. Much to my surprise, the kitchen gray tank took the award for the yuckiest. The water from that tank showed evidence of accumulated black mildew, food residue and mold. The cost was $375 for everything...which was totally worth it. Here are some other modifications I recently made. I added a Traxion 5-100 Tailgate Ladder to our truck. It's heavy-duty construction has exceptional durability, giving easy access and peace of mind climbing in and out of the truck bed. It folds neatly against the tailgate and straps against the inside staying out of the way from the fifth wheel goose-neck hitch and cargo when not in use which maximizes the space in the truck bed. I also did an interior truck modification I learned about on YouTube taking advantage of the unused storage space behind the rear seats. By removing the rear seats and cutting off about an inch of the end of the retaining hook, the rear seat back will fold forward. I am using this space to store tools, emergency supplies and my Dewalt compressor. Finally, I built a storage shelf above the batteries in the front compartment which will serve three purposes; 1) Protection for the battery wiring connections above the plywood top and the front by a clear plexiglass between the tool bag and the batteries under the shelf. 2) Additional battery insulation from the cold. Charging a Lithium battery in ambient temperatures below 0°C / 32°F must be avoided. The reason for this is it may potentially damage the battery and / or reduce its lifespan. The optimum ambient temperature for charging a Lithium battery is +5°C to +45°C / 41°F to 113°F. During potential cold weather conditions I can insert a layer of Double-Sided Aluminum Bubble Insulation we use for our windows. And lastly, 3) More storage capacity in the front compartment space. The area in front of our 3000w inverter/battery charger (on the left) will hold the 5 gallon bucket I use for loose storage and as a seat.

At this writing, Friday, February 23 Karen is cooking in the kitchen, with no walker and no cane. Pretty amazing to think she had her right hip replaced 3 weeks ago to the day. Her last appointment for physical therapy will be on Monday, February 26 before we leave Bushnell, Florida. She has printouts of all the exercises she needs to continue to do daily. My only observation is a continued high right hip posture, but I think much of that is just habit from almost three years of dealing with the chronic hip and knee pain she dealt with prior to the hip being replaced. One more Post Op exam with the orthopedic office is scheduled for March 18 before we leave the state. Monday we travel back to KARS Park, Merritt Island, Kennedy Space Center, FL for at least two weeks this time. We were there last year on April 17, 2023 for seven days to visit the area. This park is for NASA employees, their families and active/retired military personnel and their families. Located on the Banana River, it has great views of the launch pads across the water. The RV park has 20 sites right on the water for only $30/night; all other sites are $20. There's no sewer service on any site but they have a central dump station. They are also re-doing the main bathrooms and showers. I was eligible because I'm a member of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary. While we are there, on March 1 at 12:04 AM, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a Crew Dragon spacecraft on the program’s 13th flight with astronauts. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will return to land at Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin will launch on this Crew Dragon spacecraft to begin a six-month expedition on the International Space Station. The Crew Dragon will pick up an earlier crew who have been living at the Space Station and return to a splashdown at sea off the coast of Florida. This mission has been delayed from Feb. 22 and 28. We are hoping to see a beautiful night launch and landing of the Falcon 9 first stage booster while we are camping. We look forward to more time exploring Cape Canaveral/Cocoa Beach and the surrounding area including a day trip up to St. Augustine. We are staying in this part of Florida until March 19 so I can get a dental filling in Melrose before we travel to Eglin Air Force Base for three nights. March 22 we will celebrate Karen's birthday in the Florida panhandle. Hopefully her cousin Gary, who lives nearby, can join us. From Florida we will travel Interstate 10 through Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana back to Texas just in time for April 8, 2024, when a total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada.