Cajun Fun

Hi all,
We left Alabama with plans on spending a few days near Lake Pontchatrain, La. With rain storms predicted later in the day we thought there would be a dry window of time to drive a few hours and set up. We were wrong or actually the forecast was, we drove right into a super heavy rain. The sky at 10 am was as dark as night. After getting pounded by rain that slowed traffic to about 30 we pulled off the freeway to wait it out. Luckily it did lighten and we were able to get back on the road in about 1/2 hour. We then pulled into a rest area and had a visitor center rep call the park we were aiming for and ask how things were as I was afraid the roads may be flooded. They reported that most all the sites were pretty much under water and the forecast was just more rain.
 Time to change plans, Wendy had found a private park that was also a Passport America park so we could get some discount. Lakeside Rv Park just outside of Livingston, La sites were all concrete pads which sounded better than mud. It is a decent park with a private lake that holds bass, catfish, and bluegill. I tried a bit and landed a couple bass, it was just nice to fish.

who's the bald guy?? oh me

 So while there we checked out a big Bass Pro Shop just down the road a few miles. It is one of the biggest and  has a very Louisiana flavor.

 Friday was moving day again and after some night rain we got off to a dry start. We only had a little over 100 miles to get to Betty's RV in Abbeville, LA. On the drive Betty called us to check on our arrival and include us in a pizza party at happy hour later in the day. And so it begins.)
 If you haven't heard of Betty's RV it is a campground like no other. It doesn't have the frills that you might find in some  fancy RV resorts but what you find here are people who truly like to have a good time and are willing to join in the comrade. Happy hour happens every evening at 4:30 where sharing  adventures or planning new ones is a big part. If you are new to the area and want to know what there is to do the group will set you on course. Many times the group does things together and is well known in the community. One thing that is done pretty regular is attending the Saturday afternoon jams. They play a mix of old country and Cajun. They are held weekly alternating in venues in nearby towns Erath and Maurice.

Shenanigans

What happens at Betty's you never know

 This week the jam was held at Erath and although we didn't have a big attendance those of us there had a great time. I know that Wendy and I danced more than we have in a long time.
 Sunday was leaving day for a couple of the gang and the group usually has a nice farewell see ya down the road goodbye.
 Sunday's happy hour was a crawfish feast that Betty had arranged. We ordered in the crawdads and I must confess Wendy and I have never had a plate of crawdads. I guess it is just not something you get everywhere. OK my second confession here I You Tubed a video of how to eat them. I didn't want to embarrass myself to much. Although all you have to think is twist, rip, tear, peel, eat, and repeat.)

 Not to worry we told the group and they were totally helpful assuring we got the most form the mud bugs. Wendy and I both enjoyed the meal and will definitely do this again.
 Side note: one of the couples (Jim and Nanc) we had met before here that also write a great blog http://runningdownourdream.blogspot.com/ got a article in Nick Russells Blog. Nick Russell is well known in the RV community and the publisher of  The Gypsy Journal, congrats to them.

Strawberry Fest

Hi all,
Well the week started off good, we had a couple nice sunny days at the Gulf Shores beach. There was a pretty good spring break crowd here. We first parked in the main public parking but Wendy seemed to be getting bad vibes from there. We then drove down to the State Park parking area and found it more family friendly and less crowded.

 I wasn't going to tell yall this story but I guess I will. The first day I was driving in and the lady taking our parking fee ($6.) asked if we would get the senior rate, not one to cheat I said not quite yet. The second day Wendy was driving in and a different lady just said 3 dollars. Well Wendy handed her the money but as she got her pass she said we got the senior rate because of the passenger (me). I told Wendy I was totally insulted though Wendy just wouldn't stop laughing. I guess the old grey beard pays off.
 After a couple sunny days we took Friday to just browse some of the outlet stores. The prices seemed awful high or else I'm just to cheap. I must have been in a cheap mood because supper was then CiCi's buffet and we had a half off coupon.
 Saturday we found another festival, a strawberry fest in nearby Loxley. A fundraiser for the elementary school and ARC of Baldwin county. Though rain was in the forecast it seemed the afternoon would be dry, it actually was and we had a nice time. They had a decent sized craft sale and rides for the kids. There was also a stage with live entertainment which we sat and enjoyed. A band called Mustang Sallys from Nashville was the main act. Consisting of some great young musicians and a lead female singer.

 One thing was it was a alcohol free which didn't bother us, beer and shortcake  just don't go well together.
 And then the rains came, the last two days and a lot of rain in the forecast. But you all know you just can't change the weather. Our plans are to pull out in the morning (Tuesday) and camp at a state park in Louisiana for a couple days before heading to Betty's.

Goodbye Florida

Hi all,
 Time to put in the travel cd and hit the road. Our stay in Florida is over and just as it is starting to warm up. .
 We had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed helping Amanda and Pat get all settled in to their new place. We teased her a bunch about the sweat camp she is running all in good fun. She has promised weekly garden reports and we for sure will see more baby goat pics whenever.

My last project a kids see-saw

 We had a good Easter with Wendy cooking ham and fixins on Saturday and plenty of leftovers for Sunday. We got to watch the Wisconsin Badgers pull one humongous upset knocking off undefeated Kentucky and sadly lose to Duke in the championship game. 
 As we left we were to stock our freezer with chicken she had gotten from employee sales. We couldn't help leaving her a new friend in her freezer.

holding a note saying eat more beef

 So we made our first stop at a favorite of ours the Rainbow Plantation in Summerdale Alabama. It is just north of Gulf Shores and will give us a week to get reacquainted with the beaches, weather permitting. This is our third stay here as it offers reasonable rates and we enjoy the area.

Spring in full bloom

News, News, and News

Hi all,
 Exciting news today on the farm. We had a baby!!!! Well a baby goat anyway.) It was all quite cool after losing a baby goat a couple weeks ago this one just popped out all on her own. We had been expecting it any time and were checking frequently. As it turned out Amanda's husband Pat had just arrived home from working on the road for almost two months. He heard a beller and went to check it out and walla, there she was just born. So neat seeing it all wobbly legged taking its first steps.

Amanda and Phoebe

 We had a good weekend taking in a large flea market and farmers market in Jacksonville on Saturday. Sunday was spent doing some yard work and other jobs about. I talked with my son Nate and he said that I should remember that we are retired. Yeah but doing this just seems to be more rewarding though we may not be around to see or reap the rewards.
 Also exciting news for us our other daughter Colleen who resides in WI got a new doggy. They had been pursuing a Blue Heeler for some time and things finally fell into place. It is there first dog and we know he will be a great part of the family.

Grandson Isaiah and Marshmallow

 Wendy and Amanda had bought some gourds to paint and hang as birdhouses. Pretty artistic aren't we? And then the project for the next day was making a trellis to plant some of our own gourds. I always say one thing leads to another.

 Well time here will end soon as Wendy and I figure to hit the road again next Tuesday. We will enjoy Easter with the kids and then head to Summerdale Alabama for a short stay at the Escapee park there. We have stayed there before and find it a nice reasonable spot that is located just a short drive to the Gulf Shores beaches. From there we are aiming for Betty's RV in Abbeville, La. We have a two week reservation there that we are looking forward to. We stayed there two years ago and had a blast, we also met some great people and seems that some will be there then. We also will be meeting up with Tim and Renee, a California couple that we had worked with in Custer our first year.
 That is probably the best part of this lifestyle, meeting new people that end up as good friends.
 Now for the big news you have been waiting for, we got our winter jobs! We are happily returning to Roper Lake State Park in Safford Arizona. We will be there Nov. thru Feb. We had a great experience there last year and again met some great people that will also be back.
 So that's a lot of news, I will end with some of Wendy's pics of flowers here in the yard and of Wendy's latest needle work. Thanks for reading along, Have a Joyous Easter all.

Busy week

Hi all,
Well busy, busy as usual and time flying by. We had a great week with grandson Alex and his gf Emily. Maybe we can relax now-HA.
 We finished the week with them taking a nice kayak run on the Santa Fe River. We did about a three hour trip but leisurely made it in four. There were a couple large springs to check along the way and then the highlight visiting with Naked Ed.

 Naked Ed (John Edward Watts) has been living in a hut or shack by Lily Springs since 1985. And as you can guess he is a bit eccentric. He has signs up that show he is a free thinker and you can argue with him about it but you would have to remove your clothes first as to be on the same playing field( according to one of his signs).

 We had a nice chat with him but he was gracious enough to be stay behind a fence on his pier. He was proud to show us a bottle from a local brewery that named a beer in his honor.
 Wednesday was a chore day, the kids planted a garden and Wendy and I rebuilt a flower bed. On Friday Alex, Emily, and I went fishing on the gulf near Stienhatchee, Fla. Amanda set this up with Keith a friend from work. We had a great time although the fishing was slow. We caught a mixed bag of Spanish mackeral, hammerhead shark, and a stingray. Not quite what we were fishing for but enough to keep it fun. Alex ended up getting quite a burn even though he was dousing with a spray sunblock.

Alex fighting with a stingray

Keith and Emily

 While we fished Wendy and Amanda went shopping for more bushes which we planted on Sunday. Wendy repainted a bench and we spruced up a flower area in the front yard. There were quite a few rose bushes and some other flowers and they are now beginning to bloom. We have seen hummingbirds frequent the area and hear orioles and some other birds. We repainted a bird feeder and will begin to stock it so we will see what we can attract.

 Big news is also on the horizon for us. Stay tuned for more in the next exciting blog of Wendy and Ray.)

Live Oak and Cumberland Island round II

 Hi all,
Our time at St Augustine sadly came to an end. We had a great time touring and spending time on the beach. We do like the beach time, we ended up at the beach 7 of the twelve days there. We found driving a bit north on A1A led to some very lightly used beaches. The two times we hit the beach right in St. Augustine were busy but nothing you would call packed. I guess the main spring breakers have yet to arrive.
 So we left on Sunday with the plan of setting up camp at our daughters place. We were just a bit skeptical as we would have to enter in one of her fenced fields and not sure where we would actually set up. Things turned out well and we were able to pull in to the first double gate with ease, do a nice back up to align ourselves through a 10 foot gate and swing in close enough for about 75 feet of cord to give us some juice. Looks pretty comfortable we may have trouble leaving(winkwink).

 So while here we have a few projects to help with and can you believe a to do list. I thought those days were over. Well most things are not huge or strenuous so we really don't mind.
 The first project was actually a fun one as grandson Alex and I teamed up to build a goat milking station. Though she doesn't plan to milk her goats it will be used for trimming hooves and cleaning them up when needed.

 This became a priority as one of her goats gave birth over the weekend. Sadly the kid was stillborn, but Blanche was a mess and needed a thorough cleansing after. The stand worked like a charm.
  Alex and his girlfriend Emily are down from Wisconsin for spring break so we have some days with planned activities sandwiched with work days. Monday we built the goat stand then later in the day they planted a garden while I helped Amanda with some irrigation lines. We are trying to get things set up to make watering everything as easy as possible. That and the fact she has so little time to get things done. The joys of being a small farm owner.
 Tuesday we goofed off and made a trip to Cumberland Island. Wendy and I had made this trip two years ago with Mandi and Pat but it was something Alex wanted to see. We arose early and hit the road at 6:30 wanting to be on the 9:00 ferry. They only run a 9 or 11:00 ferry and return at 4:45. Reservations are strongly suggested.

 The island just off the Georgia coast has the remains of a mansion owned by Thomas and Lucy Carnegie. Family members donated the land in 1971 and in 1972 Congress created Cumberland Island National Seashore. The mansion was built in 1884 and all but destroyed by fire. The mansion had not been inhabited since 1925 and the fire happened in 1959. Massive partial walls still remain.