We're in Las Cruces, NM!



This is a door from Fort Pulaski, near Savannah, GA.

There is a saying that, for me, seems particularly apt:
     The sun is riz.

     The sun is set.

     And here I is...

     In Texas yet.

But today, after being in Texas for almost a week, we crossed over into New Mexico! The drive was long (for us) but easy. I drove about 3 hours, and Jack drove about 2. Over the past few days, we've seen the bayou land turn into Texas high-desert with its mesquite, creosote bushes, and yucca.

On Tuesday, we drove to Comfort, TX, near Fredricksburg. Right after we checked in, we drove to Fredericksburg and spent the next 4 hours visiting the World War II Pacific Museum. It was fantastic! Very well-laid-out, and much to read and learn, and some cool artifacts to peruse.

We returned to Comfort, and had a most enjoyable evening there. After a good brisk walk, we drove into town to see what it was like. By the time we got there, it was quite dark, but, even in the dark, we could tell that something was going on! People were everywhere, and parking spaces were at a premium. Hmm... We parked!

Ladies at a table along the street offered us free Mimosas. Other ladies offered us cookies. I like this! What it was, was Ladies Night Out -- a chance for Comfort's ladies to go out for snacks, shopping, and dinner. Jack was one of just a few estrogen-challenged people, but we tolerated him quite well.

Wednesday morning, we drove on to Fort Stockton, TX, where we met Val and Chas at the little cafe which is part of the campground. Nice people, and we quite enjoyed talking with them. They invited us back to their RV, and we shared a glass of wine.

The campground tonight is La Hacienda RV Resort, which is not quite as great as it used to be. This year, they informed us that they've discontinued the fabulous breakfast that they used to offer free. They've also stopped giving out USA Today newspapers. In their defense, they did cut the price $5, but that doesn't cover the amenities they've cut. We'll likely shop around next time we come through here.

San Antonio

We are in San Antonio, Texas tonight. We were walking down the road, on our way to the art museum, when I didn't see a curb and fell down hard. I sort of rolled right into the road, too, and landed on my right hand. Nothing broken, except the skin on the heel of my right hand, but I'd be very surprised if I didn't have some bruising tomorrow. Boy.. did I feel like an oaf or what? ;)


The art museum was really a good one -- huge! There were some interesting exhibits -- Egyptian art, Pre-Columbian artifacts, contemporary American art, and a fine display of Mexican artwork from different eras and genres.

After the museum, we walked back down via the River Walk. We were extra-careful, knowing that, if one of us were to trip on something, we'd be in the drink!

We then began our search for something to eat. The RiverWalk is teeming with cute sidewalk cafes and bistros, and we scoured several menus before deciding to eat at the Texas Cafe. I got the breaded catfish filet, which was wonderful! Jack had enchiladas and he ate every bite!

We walked to the River Center Mall for a little look-around. It was here where we found our I ♥ San Antonio pin! Tired and noticing that the bus would be at the stop in just 15 minutes, we headed in that direction. Easy ride, and now we're back here relaxing.

One Rosebud

Today we drove down to New Iberia on Avery Island, Louisiana, to visit the McIlhenny Tabasco Plant. Although the road through Lafayette was horribly rough, we made it. The factory tour was different from the one that Michael and I had taken many years ago. It was actually far better. We got to learn more about the process of making the sauce and we were behind a protective glass panel, which kept us from the really strong fumes from the crushed powder. 

We got to see the bottles being filled, labeled, and boxed, and we were allowed to take photos. After the tour, we went to the Tabasco Country Store, which I didn't remember at all, if it had even been there. We got to shop and taste all the different sauces and concoctions made from the Tabasco sauce. This included, not just sauces, but salsa, chocolate, ice cream, soda, chili, and more! We even had lunch at the little Tabasco Kitchen parked outside. I had Chili Fritos, which was their delicious chili atop Fritos, served in a bowl. Jack had sausage on a stick with Tabasco on it!

I bought a dishtowel and a pin, and Jack got some Bloody Mary Mix and sauce. And we took our little free sample bottles and drove on.

Tonight we're in Lake Charles, Louisiana at the Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park. We're learning gradually that Yogi Bear parks are NOT all good. This one, for example, is not. We had to do laundry, and the laundromat is stocked with very, very old machines that are rusty and not in good repair. The room was dirty and the machines, for not working well, were $1.50 each run. Besides that, the bath house is about 1/2 mile away from all the campsites. Tomorrow will be better. I know.  

Roses for you!

Today we are in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. We arrived yesterday, after a short drive, hit the Bass Pro Shops (within walking distance, but we drove our car), loved our lunch there, and had a little shop around.

This was museum day. We began the day visiting the Louisiana State Capitol. This building is unique in its HEIGHT! Thirty-four stories tall, this Capitol stands alone among capitols we've visited. The decoration on the outside is capitoline, with many, many beautiful limestone carvings and statues around and on the building.

Inside? We didn't get to see much, unfortunately. Because there was a demonstration (protesting cuts to higher education funding), we didn't get to go upstairs. But we enjoyed the rotunda and the exhibit on Huey Long, Louisiana's controversial governor from 1928 - 1932. We even saw a hole made by a bullet in the gunfire which shot both Long and the man who (allegedly) assassinated him.

We next headed down the road to the Arsenal. This 4-foot-thick-walled building is where the powder kegs were kept for protection of this area of the southeast. It was constructed in 1838.

Another museum was on our must-do list. The Louisiana State Museum, right up the road from the Statehouse, is a fabulous, contemporary building. And it's packed with so many fascinating exhibits about life in Louisiana - past and present. From the role of slavery to Mardi Gras traditions, Zydeco music to Indian Mounds, it's all here. Oh, and did I mention that it was free admission? Amazing.

Jackson, Mississippi

The palm trees are from near Savannah, Georgia. Jackson photos will come later.

We arrived in Jackson on Saturday. Sunday morning we went to church at Fondren Presbyterian, which we really enjoyed. While they didn't have a coffee hour -- the best way to really meet people, they did have friendly people in abundance.

We shot a few pictures of the church, and then changed clothes in the car. Off we were to lunch, which was a feast at Golden Corral. Next we drove into town, and visited the Mississippi Museum of Art. We enjoyed the exhibit of Oraien Catledge's photos of Cabbagetown, near downtown Atlanta. There was a fine collection of Mississippi artists' visions of the Mississippi River, and a great collection of nice watercolors.

The Old Statehouse Museum was open for visitors, so there we were! The Old Statehouse went out of use from 1837 till 1903, when the NEW Statehouse was completed. The building itself was beautiful, and we liked the historical exhibitions about the state and about the renovation of the old capitol building.

We've discovered in our travels that weekends are actually three days long, sometimes 4. Many places we like to visit are actually closed on Mondays. This commonly includes museums. But the Capitol in Jackson was open for business today - Monday! We shot photos outside and in, and looked into all the rooms. What a beautiful capitol building you Mississippi people have! Marble floors, beautiful tiles, wonderful Beaux-Arts architectural detailing, a tall and lovely rotunda, and stained glass windows make this a sight to see.

Lunch was interesting. We had not discovered any eateries in our preliminary wanderings, and we'd forgotten to ask anyone inside the Capitol. So we enlisted help from the GPS and found that Capitol Avenue had several restaurants with interesting names. So we left our car safely parked and walked the few blocks south to Capitol Avenue.

A local saw us appearing lost and directed us to one of his favorite eateries -- the Elite Restaurant. Upon advice from the server, we ordered the chicken fried veal cutlet which came with a salad and fries. Jack also ordered the gumbo. Wow! This was soooo good!

It was still just 2:30, and the weather was beautiful (71 and sunny) by the time we returned to the car, so we decided to find something else to do. Back to the GPS, we looked up Points of Interest > Attractions... and found the Zoo! The rest of our afternoon passed pleasantly as we looked at, read about, and photographed the many animals there! Another great day!

With Fronds Like This

Here's a palm frond I shot on Cockspur Island, near Fort Pulaski, in Georgia.

We had a really good time with Ken (Jack's brother) and Judy for the past few days. Yesterday was just a lazy day, which we both needed. We ended it with a trip to The Shack, a fun restaurant at the foot of their mountain. I had the catfish, and Jack had ribs. We'll have our leftovers for supper tonight!

And tonight finds us at Byram, Mississippi, just south of Jackson. The drive was easy and we stopped just twice -- once for fuel, and another time for a short rest. We had crackers and salami for lunch as we rolled!

Trees on Cockspur Island

Here are some Cockspur Island trees! The first one I shot through one of Fort Pulaski's windows.

Today we drove to Decatur, Alabama, about 3:20, and are tonight at Point Mallard Campground. We drove up the "mountain" to Ken and Judy's, enjoyed a good dinner with them, and then visited their church. It was good to see them, and we'll see them again tomorrow.

Pics from Fort Pulaski

Here are a few photos from our visit to Fort Pulaski yesterday (Monday).  This is the Cockspur Island Lighthouse. We took a 1.5 mile trail out to get this shot:

Here are some photos of the fort itself. Those holes in the brickwork on the outside of the fort are from cannonballs from the North, which ultimately breached the wall, bringing forth the surrender of the fort.

And here's Jack:

Today we got going at the crack of 9:40, unhooked the utilities and hooked up the car, and set out for parts west. After about 6 hours of driving, we made it as far as Waco, Georgia, where we are camped at a Yogi Bear's RV Park.

We went to the WalMart* and got a few supplies, then returned to the RV where we cooked dinner. Tonight we shared a most delicious artichoke and chicken tortellini with artichoke and spinach pesto with plenty of shredded Parmesan.

It's getting a little bit chilly here, with a brisk breeze blowing. But we're cozy inside and getting ready for sleep. Good day!

Fort Pulaski

Today we did some laundry. Then we headed up the road a bit to Fort Pulaski. It's a beautiful fort and was important in the Civil War. Until the Battle of Fort Pulaski, the US defense was limited to brick forts like this one, but, after the beating that this fort took, thanks to the rifling cannons of the North, no more brick forts were built after this.

It was a perfectly lovely day! We really enjoyed the Ranger talk, our walking tour of the fort, the short movie, and the hike we took out to the lighthouse overlook. Photos will come!

This is a clump of sea oats that is growing near the Savannah River, very near our campsite:

Another Day on Tybee Island

These are my sunset photos from the river right behind our campground here on Tybee Island, near Savannah, GA. Do you like these? Which do you like best? Why? Give me your ideas in a comment to this blog. Click "Comment" at the bottom. I moderate my comments (to keep spam out), so you won't see your comment right away.

We had another good day today in Savannah. We began the day with a church service at the Wilmington Island Presbyterian Church. They were nice people, and we particularly enjoyed the children's service.

Next we went home and changed clothes. Then we drove into town and parked at a public garage. It was easy to get in and out of, and, for the 4 hours we were there, it was 8 bucks.

We went to the Telfair Academy Museum, and the Jepson Center. Both had good galleries of art and they were close to each other. At the Telfair Academy, there were several rooms which were set up like the rooms of the house that the building used to be. The rest of the house, including the magnificent Ballroom, were filled with statuary and other artwork.

By this time, of course, we were starved. Tapas by Anna was where we landed and we enjoyed a most delicious Cajun-spiced chicken pizza. We hit a candy store, which featured all sorts of things, including caramel corn and pralines. We got Jack some popcorn and me some caramel corn (with pecans!) and we muched on these as we made our way down Savannah's sidewalks to our parking garage.

We returned to our RV Park, where we sat and talked a bit with Beth and Ken, a couple we had met at church. They suggested the North Beach Grill right up the road, here on Tybee Island. We found the food to be delicious! Jack had a flounder with sauteed vegetables on top, and he loved it. I had a great piece of salmon, perfectly cooked, with garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus. We understand that this restaurant is under new ownership and we agree that these folks have a good thing going.

Now we're back here in our RV, goming out and watching some tube. Ahhh :)