Flamingo on a Stick

Captain's Log: Mission Control, Houston  If you remember anything from the 60's and 70's, you probably remember our space program was tasked with putting a man on the moon by then president Kennedy. That happened, of course, in 1969 when Neil Armstrong was the first person to walk on the moon as part of the Apollo 11 mission. Those missions and all the space missions prior to it and every mission since then including to the current International Space Station missions have all been handled by Mission Control in Houston, Texas. Since we were in the area, we decided to check it out. The first thing you notice when you get there is parking costs $6. When you actually get to the parking lot, there's a, no kidding, real space shuttle parked in the lot. At least they parked it in the back. The space shuttle, by the way, is huge with three monster engines poking out the back. Hard to believe they were able to piggy back it on another plane to transpo...

So when we left Mississippi I thought I had decided not to go to Betty’s but the closer we got the more I knew if I didn’t call and at least see if she had a spot for the 4 days we had I would regret it. So when we got to the Passport America Park at Duson LA (Frog City) I gave her a call and we were lucky as someone was leaving early so a spot had opened up. Yea!!!! This is Betty's porch where all the happy hour fun happens Now if you know about Betty’s RV Park in Abbeville, Louisiana, then you know you are in for a treat. This was our first time there but many friends have been there and given us the scoop. The park itself is a scattering of FHU sites around Betty’s home and many people that come are sure when they pull in that they will only stay a night and why is it people rave about this place. Well I will tell you why: it is Betty and her hospitality as well as the welcoming hospitality of all who stay here.  She helps you get parked and as soon as you are s...

Our site at Buccaneer State Park One of the many wooden sculptures along the Gulf Coast as a memorial to Katrina victims.  It has been a relaxing kind of week. We had great weather the first two days then rain for three but today the sun came out and though a little chilly it was great. After our Fat Tuesday in the rain, we laid low through the rainy days and then today we knew we wanted to get out and about. We drove back into Bay St. Louis and wandered through the downtown. Found a great kitchen shop with a few things I may need to return to get.   In one gift shop we struck up a conversation with an older gentleman who was manning the shop. I’m not sure how the conversation turned to Ram trucks but it did. His son is the art director for an Ad agency in Houston and he is the one that put together the Superbowl 2013 ad for Ram. It was over a year ago but I knew right away which one it was, because it was a favorite of mine. The ad was a testament to the American F...

Kayaking the bay. View of the bridge into Ft. Walton Beach After 3 months it is time to say good bye to Florida and the Fort Walton Beach/ Destin area. The last 3 weeks we actually had more good weather than bad. The last 2 weeks John and Gayle were there and there were some fun times at McGuire’s and just generally catching up. We went to the villa they were renting in the Military Rec Area one morning for donuts and coffee. Several other Cedar Rapidians and a local friend of theirs were there. We had so much fun that breakfast turned into lunch and the party continued. Though their stay was short it was fun to have them here. We also were able to meet with fellow bloggers John and Sharon of the On the Road to Retirement blog. I have followed their blog for a long time and we have some things in common including a love of microbreweries so we met at Props. It was fun getting to know them and catching up on their travels. They were headed to Betty’s in Louisiana and I am s...