Texas seen-s

The landscape changes from the flattest straw colored horizontal to hills with scrub bushes in shades of "southwest decor" to rocky outcrops with designer boulders jutting out in colors of rust and mustard and now some oil derricks that have always looked like giant tethered ant heads bobbing in place. Where giant watering rigs cross a field, sugar cane is growing, otherwise black cattle are clustered under occasional shade trees. There was a brief rain shower and the temp fell to 72 - now back to 100.
Bert thinks the green fields are sorghum. We'll check it out. 2 days one state- Texas is big.

Good listening from Minuteman

So, Bert, of course brought the Minuteman library along for the trip and we are listening with the help of Overdrive to Wallace Stegner's Angle of Repose. Story of a young NY artist who marries an engineer and goes West in 1876 to San Francisco. She took the transcontinental railroad 7 years after it was built and one month after Custer's last stand. Fabulous writing. Crazy idea. :-)

'member Trains?

I bet the daily batch of iPads are loaded in those containers that had Chinese names on the sides. Texas panhandle mighty dry - no rain since October.

Texas breakfast

Quality Inn this morning is serving up a Texas waffle - it's all about the size and shape here. Wichita Falls is the hottest spot too. We're heading to Colorado and cooler roads. We've earned our 3rd free night @ Quality Inn, too, after staying 2 nights - they actually serve up a pretty good complimentary breakfast.

Oh my - it's getting hotter!

We're almost to Wichita Falls Texas. We'll give the poor Subaru a rest soon.

HOT outside Dallas

Poor car. No shade. It got a new tire yesterday but today our covered wagon could use a relief shower. Big state big map and long drive.

New Orleans and Biscayne Bay

rain puddle in the French Quarter

Morning coffee at Cafe Du Mode - New Orleans

Buzz on his boat in Biscayne Bay checking the clouds

oops - time stamp is 6 hours early

I just noticed that the time stamp on the posts was 6 hours earlier than where I actually am.
So add 6 hours to all the posts before this one.
I think I was somewhere in the middle of the Pacific..... NOT!

Trouble on Ten

Just blew out our passenger rear tire in Baton Rouge on hwy 10. Waiting for AAA. Thank God we were right at an exit. AAA JUST PULLED IN. WOW!

Coco Kidnaps Us

So,.... we were wandering along off Prytania Street on Coliseum Street in the Garden District when we ran into Coco Edgerington who had just passed us while walking her dog. She was now on the porch of her adorable "shot-gun" house and We greeted each other- I asked her, "you get to live here?" and she invited us in to see exactly how she lived here! OMG! We walked thru the long front to back hallway and passed by over-the-top decor - a U-R-In-It House Beautiful. Hospitality to die for! Thank you Coco for sharing your piece of the "seven sisters" of New Orleans.

Charles Street Trolley to Garden District

Light rain and cooler temps this morning and we waited on St. Charles for the 1930's trolley that goes forwards and backwards on its route to the Garden District. The houses are magnificent along with the trees lining the walks - Live oak and Crepe Murtle and Magnolias. We paused at the Archy Manning mansion home to Peyton and Eli Manning.

Bourbon St Ladders Necklaces

A walk down Bourbon street @ night is the "party". Open bars with music pouring into the street while liquor beats off the worries people come here to forget and happy faces chuck necklaces from lacy balconies to lasso the passersby into the festivities. And in the middle of the street is a muscle tight man balancing on the rungs of a wooden ladder with a beam of wood on his shoulder - the ladder held up by the magic of the moment.

Bill cuts his pecan pie

And Sue can't resist a late afternoon sample. It was pretty tasty and the texture was perfect BUT it wasn't quite the Ben/Sue Pecan Pie. Yea us Ben!

Makin the Beignet

@ Cafe Du Monde. New Orleans is so cool. Everybody is on the verge of a party. Did 2 tours so far today and I've seen graveyards where they push the old bones to the back with a ten foot pole to make room for the .... And high water lines on houses still standing and silver caps in the sidewalks to check for termites and whole shopping malls gone and oil tankers on the Mississippi higher than the Jackson Sq and a 4 star hotel that charges for wireless and I haven't even been here a day.
Cant wait for the music tonight.

Seaside it's a Truman Story place

Adorable cute doll houses along an alabaster colored beach dotted with lollipop umbrellas. No sign of the BP disaster here. It's as artificial as the movie filmed there. DGMW - I like cute, but this is sort of "over the top" kinda cute.
Almost to Alabama and tonight we are in a 4-Star in New Orleans, thanx to good negotiating on Priceline.
We r finally heading West.

Clocked an hour

The Garmin and the iPhones just gave us an hour @ mile 2395 in Ponce de Leon FL. We r about to call it a day in 10 more miles in De Funiak FL. - 370 miles today.

Hours of Hot Highway

Tampa is behind us and Tallahassee is tonight's goal. Ate breakfast at A very healthy chain called First Watch. Actually had my breakfast of choice- fruit granola and yogurt- but they didn't have Greek yogurt. It's 95 but dry. The highway is very MT and we're getting real good with the cruise control. Lots of pine trees and trucks with the cut lumber go by. We love how Yelp guides us to good/unique places to eat which is a relief from the "anywhere USA" chain food choices.

Pancakes packing and parting

Our lovely extended weekend visit with sister Sally and Captain Buzz, 7 cats (Ramses, Eclipse, Sis, GreyFox, Frank, Sweetie,and Molly) and Parrot Jake plus numerous roaming peacocks, peahens and chicks, an elusive Iguana and a fat Buffa frog came to a close this noon as we finished putting all the bags back into the covered wagon, ate our plantains and nut filled pancakes and sipped our leisurely coffee on the enclosed veranda. It's their very loved spot and I'm eager to find our new spot. I love how all the pink houses look so right there.
Thanx Sal and Buzz

Rainbow Over Miami

Our last evening in Miami brought a shower and a rainbow hung in a Royal Palm Tree. A peacock also jumped into the Live Oak Tree just outside the dining room window. Colorful place - Miami.

Keys to good snorkeling

We caught the 12 noon snorkel boat out of John Pennekamp State park this morning. Water calm sky clear blue water like the bath. PERFECT day. We went to Grecian rocks and saw brilliant lavender sea fans lots of Parrot Fish other reef fish and conch on the bottom. Extremely clear water. A small Baricuda and TG no sharks. It's been a perfect Florida visit. We head up and out of Flotida tomorrow. Next destination - New Orleans.