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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.

Karen and I have been staying in Central Florida since the end of 2023. We've had a few opportunities to explore the central part of the state between Tampa Bay, Gainesville and Titusville/Coco Beach. It is so much more than Disney World and the other City of Orlando tourist attractions. Before Walt Disney arrived in Orlando, Florida it was primarily a military town. With a population of about 50,000 people, the area featured the Orlando Airbase and McCoy Air Force base. The swampland and breezy streets didn't exactly call out to travelers. We've learned the region was originally inhabited by Timucua and later Seminole peoples. Settlement began about 1843 around Fort Gatlin, a U.S. Army post. First called Jernigan for Aaron Jernigan, an early settler, the town was renamed in 1857 to honor Orlando Reeves, an army sentry killed during the Seminole Wars. The greater area of Central Florida is mostly flatland with significant amounts of open space and over 1,500 lakes and ponds. There is a mixture of wetlands, Cypress, Oak, Maple and Pine forests, pastures, prairies and coastline. On Thursday, February 15 we ventured out west towards Crystal and Homosassa Springs. Our travels took us to the Florida Cracker Monkey Bar located near the World Famous Monkey Island in Historic Old Homosassa, Florida. So what is a Florida Cracker? The term generally describes a class of early pioneers, mainly small farmers and cattle ranchers. Cracker cowboys are sometimes called cow hunters. When it was time for branding or driving the cattle to market, the cracker cowboys would search the swamps and round up all of the cows with the aid of whips and cattle dogs. Florida Crackers are also distinguishable by the style of their frontier homes, musical traditions, and food ways. The restaurant had a 4.7 star rating so we stopped there for lunch and were not disappointed. Karen had the Ponte Vedra Salad with Jumbo shrimp, crispy romaine lettuce, avocado, hearts of palm, onion, and vine ripened tomatoes arranged “Florida style” with choice of dressing. I had the Cattle Drive Burger, an 8oz Angus beef with Swiss cheese, caramelized onions & bacon and topped with a heap of crispy onion straws and sweet BBQ sauce served with kickin’ slaw. Our server, Madison was very cute and attentive. She provided us directions to the state park nearby after we finished our meal We arrived at Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park after lunch and paid $13 each to visit. Karen got to travel the park via a wheelchair provided by the facility. Now I can say I push my wife around...ha ha! Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park occupies almost 200 acres around Homosassa Spring, which is the primary source for the Homosassa River. Although the spring has been the focus of human interest from prehistoric times, it was first developed as a tourist attraction in the early 1900's, attracting visitors from as far away as Europe. Beginning in 1978, the land around the spring changed ownership several times until it was finally purchased by the State of Florida to protect its environmentally sensitive features. The main entrance to the Park is along US 19 in the town of Homosassa Springs where you will find ample parking, a visitor center, snack bar and gift shop. From that location, you can take a tram or pontoon boat to the west entrance about a half mile away. There is a also a parking area at the west entrance along West Fishbowl Drive for those who wish to skip the gift shop experience. The central feature of Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park is the main spring, where you can view the spring from the "Fish Bowl" floating underwater observatory, where East Indian manatees are almost always present. The Park serves an important role of being a rehabilitation center for orphaned or injured manatees that recuperate in the spring waters before being released again to the wild. There is a boat tour company to take snorkelers to the springs to swim with the manatees. These animals are truly gentle giants. While viewing from an elevated deck, we watched a manatee swim up to a lady in the water and roll over; it was beautiful and amazing! The Park also includes a large number of native animals in natural settings. Paved, wheelchair accessible paths wind throughout the park, allowing easy access for viewing black bear, Florida panther, bobcats, deer, alligators, and many other species. In addition to the animals that are housed at the park - most of which have been injured, or for some other reason cannot survive in the wild - a large number of wild birds and other species call the Park home. The main Manatee Spring is only one of many springs in an area within a four square mile area around the upper Homosassa River. Collectively the springs produce over 200 million gallons per day and act as the source for the river. The main spring, where the floating observatory is placed, emits about 67 million gallons per day, making it a first magnitude spring. Underwater explorations have been conducted of many of these springs. However, public swimming and scuba diving in the main spring are not allowed. This outing was another benefit and interesting side trip of our extended stay in central Florida as Karen continues the recovery process.

Karen is now 9 days post surgery and had her first Physical Therapy appointment on Wednesday, February 7 for an evaluation. Her first manipulation PT appointment was 1 week post surgery on Friday, February 9. She worked out for about an hour and was sore afterwards but survived the treatment. Bill, her physical therapist thinks she is progressing well, but he warned her not to push it too quickly. Sleeping comfortably at night is Karen's biggest challenge right now. We're still trying to figure out the right timing for the pain medication throughout the night. During the days, Karen keeps moving around the trailer just fine with the help of the walker or cane we have available and she even gets in those short walks without any aids to help the healing and strength process. She is having no problem getting in and out of the truck or trailer. We're staying relatively close to home in Bushnell most of the time. Occasionally we venture out to run errands, however she will stay in the truck while I go into the store. On Tuesday, February 6 we got brave and ventured out on a double date with Sean and Kathy Earley as we decided to push the envelope to drive 30 minutes to the Texas Roadhouse restaurant for a steak dinner. Karen navigated the restaurant and the crowd just fine; almost felt like normal life again. Super Bowl Sunday we have planned another dinner outing to the local Mexican restaurant Pico de Gallo in Bushnell before the big game. Besides playing the role of caregiver, I've kept myself busy doing RV projects in our fifth wheel. I added an accumulator tank to our fresh water pump system and changed a couple of the water hoses. Fitted close to the discharge port of the pressurized water pump, the accumulator tank acts as a pressure buffer, ensuring a smooth flow of water from the outlets. Without an accumulator tank, the pump is liable to switch itself rapidly on and off whenever its flow rate exceeds demand from the outlets. We also had a small leak in the basement around the water pump, so I fixed that problem too. Project #2 was mounting our Roku audio sound bar on the entertainment cabinet in the rig to free up a shelf behind the TV. Project #3 involved upgrading our RV radio with a better model that includes a DVD and remote control. We can now enjoy some of our musical DVDs when we cannot get Pandora using internet connectivity. And finally, I'm replacing our stock outdoor speakers with better marine grade, higher output speakers to enhance our outdoor music enjoyment. Sean and Kathy came over during the week to talk about our upcoming trip to Alaska this summer. We've completed the number one item on the checklist: we scheduled our meeting place and time in Shelby, Montana for June 11, 2024. From there we plan to drive through Canada to Tok, Alaska by July 1, and spend the Fourth of July in Fairbanks, Alaska. From there we have a three day reservation to stay in Denali National Park from July 8 through July 11, before heading south of Anchorage and a possible meet up with Jeff and Dana Guidi ,tentatively looking at joining us for a week or two in July. We are leaving the travel itinerary loose to allow time to modify the route, destination and visiting times in each location. We finished our planning sessions excited to see progress in making this trip of a lifetime a reality! The Earleys are leaving Bushnell on Monday, February 12, but we will see them in a few months in Montana...WooHoo! That's it for the Classy Nomads for now as we enjoy the warm weather here in Florida. We have asked if we can extend our stay at Sumter Oaks Escapees RV Park for another month if Karen's recovery warrants it, but honestly I think we might be able to hit the road again by February 26 when our original stay ends.

Karen was originally scheduled to go into Jacksonville on February 16 to have her hip replacement surgery, Well that was what we planned for on our calendar. On our way to see a rocket launch at Cape Canaveral on Tuesday, January 30 she received a call from the surgeon's office informing her that he would not be available to do the surgery on that date. Okay, what are our options now? How about this Friday, February 2? Ah, say what? Instead of 17 days to prepare for her surgery we now had 3 days to get her ready. I got the new extended trailer handle installed and a small step-up platform from Amazon for her to facilitate getting in-and-out of the fifth wheel and truck. She and I made a reservation at the Wyndham Hotel, less than two miles from the surgery center and departed on Thursday, February 1 to arrive the day before. We picked up her walker en route and received a call from First Coast Surgery Center asking her to arrive at 6:30 am on Friday morning. We got checked into the hotel around 4 pm and went to the hotel restaurant for an early dinner.. Friday morning, February 2 we were up around 5 am to get ready. We arrived at the surgery center shortly before 6:30 am and got Karen checked in. The staff had her in Pre-Op by 8 am where I got in one last visit to reassure her and give her a kiss before they wheeled her to the surgery. room. At 8:55 am I received a text message stating that she was in surgery. At 10:16 am I got a second text message stating that the procedure was almost completed and that the Surgeon would see me shortly in the consult room. A few minutes later I received my third text message that the surgery was finished and that she was in recovery. Dr. Lincoln, her surgeon met with me and told me that everything went as planned and he walked me through the medications she would be on during the rehabilitation process. I got to see her in recovery around 11 am. She was so happy to have this procedure behind her. Tears of joy and thanksgiving flowed as the anesthesia meds started wearing off. Meet Tilly, the Titanium Hip. For those who are curious, Titanium is a chemical element; it has symbol Ti and atomic number 22. Found in nature only as an oxide, it can be reduced to produce a lustrous transition metal with a silver color, low density, and high strength, resistant to corrosion in sea water, aqua regia, and chlorine. Because titanium is biocompatible (non-toxic and not rejected by the body), it has many medical uses, including surgical implements and implants, such as hip balls and sockets (joint replacement) and dental implants that can stay in place for up to 20 years. The titanium is often alloyed with about 4% aluminium or 6% Al and 4% vanadium. The next two hours were spent getting Karen back on her feet safely. Michelle, her Physical Therapist, started working with her getting out of bed and into a chair. She walked with a walker and turned around. Karen got light-headed a couple of times, so we slowed down the process. But by 2 pm we were released and they wheeled her out to the truck. She climbed in and we left for the hotel. Once we arrived at the hotel I carefully unloaded the 'package' and walked her to the lobby. After arriving back at the room she got horizontal on the bed and took a much needed nap. I ran out to get some food for us to eat later at the hotel. She was still a little loopy and the meds didn't help with clarity of thought, so we are in new territory for the lady who normally has it all together. Friday night was uneventful, so Saturday at 10:30 am we loaded up the truck and drove the three hours back to Bushnell, Florida stopping once to get her out to walk around. The medications are keeping the pain under control, but she has been dealing with nausea on occasion through the process. We have drugs for that too. Saturday afternoon we got back to the RV Park around 2 pm and she made it from the truck and up into the trailer to her recliner like a champ. Another quiet afternoon and evening with periodic walks around the kitchen island between naps, snacks and bathroom visits. Get her into the bed was challenging due to its height and narrow path between the wall, but she did it and we only needed to get up twice during the night. Sunday looks like more of the same as Saturday, however she seems more clear headed today than Saturday. My biggest concern is she might try to progress too quickly, so we've had that talk about easing into doing more. Next Wednesday, February 7 she has her first PT visit here in Bushnell. Until then, keep her in your thoughts and prayers for a complete, quick recovery. And prayers for me, to hold this spirited mare from getting away too quickly!