Made it to Georgia

We made it. Did you know it's over 1,800 miles to Georgia? First thing, the family had a catfish fry with fish they caught themselves. Yummy! Neighbors made coleslaw and cheese grits. Double yum!

Nieces and nephews came.

And Sam's little sister, Robin.

Robin and Buddy. So good to see them both.

Sam's big sister Faye organized the event and worked herself to death before and after. She also arranged for us to stay in a neighbor's unoccupied house across the street. A Godsend for us, with our cats!

Jeff is Faye and John's next door neighbor and good friend. He opened his backyard to all of us and did all the cooking. Does he look tired, or what. We had a great time.

The next day we hooked up with Vic and Bobbie and ended up at Fincher's for dinner. Sam and Vic have known each other since first grade, and were thrown out of the middle school library for cutting up and giggling more times than they can count. (They haven't changed much.)

The day after that, we drove to Macon to the Big House, home of the Allman Brothers Band in the 1970's.

It was a great museum and I learned a lot about southern rock.

The Allmans and other members of the band used to eat at nearby H and H Restaurant, and had a great relationship with the owners. They took Mama Louise on tour with them in later years. So we had lunch there and it's still good soul food.   https://www.handhsoulfood.com/

Then we visited the Allman graves in Rose Hill Cemetery, which was a beautiful spot. Vic and Sam kinda look like the Allmans, don't they?

Last night, we ate at the Fish and Pig, then sat out on their deck and enjoyed the lake. Altogether, a great day!

On to Florida!

New Orleans

I don't have much time, so ya'll (see, I'm picking  up that southern drawl already) are spared my usual narrative. But I wanted to show you our trip to New Orleans!

First, we dropped off Dingus and Frankie at the Canine Connection. Sam spotted John Goodman, the actor, dropping off his dog and is greatly disappointed that he didn't get to say hello. Evidently John lives in the neighborhood and is a very nice guy.

Then we're off on a carriage ride around the French Quarter!

With a wonderful guide.

Louis Armstrong park.

St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, dating from the 1700's. Fascinating!

Nicholas Cage has a crypt waiting for him here.

Featured in the movie, Easy Rider.

Then we drove over to the Bywater section of town, with many more colorful buildings.

Cosmo was the mule who hauled us around. (Photo is out of order; I'm in a hurry, dinner is coming!)

Stuck my toes in the Mississippi River, as I have done in St. Louis and at the headwaters in Minnesota!

Magnolia tree and blossom.

Sam made me a clover bracelet, like I used to do as a kid in Kansas City.

And ended with dinner at Frankie & Johnny's, a local neighborhood place.

A really fun day!

Memorial Day

This is my Uncle John. He was in the Army in Vietnam, and in 1966 his plane went down and he and the pilot ejected. He received a Purple Heart and went on to live a full and adventurous life.

I last saw him about 3 years ago when I was visiting family in Kansas City, right before my Aunt Lela, his oldest sister, died. Uncle Johnny died last month and the memorial service was in Kansas yesterday. I'm proud of him. I so wish I could have been there.

Instead, Sam and I are off on a road trip. Sam's last day of driving the school bus was Friday. I took Mom into Tucson to stay with Becky. Our brothers, Ben and Tim, are also coming to stay with her this week and next week. And on Saturday morning, we packed the cats and our stuff into the car and headed east!

We gave Dingus and Frankie a break on the banks of the Rio Grande River in Las Cruces, New Mexico. They aren't real comfortable out in the wild, or in the car either, for that matter, but we're all adjusting.

Sam drove about 700 miles the first day and we slept in the back of the car in Ozona, Texas. We wanted to see this automobile museum, but it was closed, so we pushed on.

Yesterday we stopped in Ingram, Texas for a photo op! It's a nice little town in beautiful countryside.

Pretty wildflowers were everywhere, including the same orange and yellow daisies we have near the ranch.

In Columbus, we had lunch at Mikeska's Bar-B-Q, which Sam visited many times when driving his semi truck. Evidently Mr. Mikeska was a hunter!

The barbecue was good, too.

Last night we got a hotel room in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Dingus and Frankie loved it and thought we should stay there forever. As opposed to going back out into the noisy parking lot and the car.

Today we see New Orleans!

Happy Memorial Day, everyone.