Just chillin....in 80 degree heat!!!!!!

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Cousins John and Penny had to work today, so we had the place to ourselves.  Mom took some pictures and then we went for a little ride to see the Manatees, but they were no where to be seen.  All the grown-ups went out to dinner, and that was about it for the day.

Here are some of the pictures Mom took while we were in Parrish, FL.

This is my new friend Digger.



This is Cousin John's horse - he's a real Mustang from Nevada!




This is "my" camp in John and Penny's yard

 

This is cousin Penny's horse




And this is the house........



Made it across the state today....

Saturday, February 26, 2011

We made it all the way across the state of Florida today to Parrish, FL, and got to cousin John and Penny's place.  It's real pretty here.  They have a real nice house with green pastures all around them.  They also have horses and cows wandering around.  I got to play with Digger (he really didn't play too much) and he let me eat ALL his dog food and drink ALL his water - he's such a gentleman!  I got the full run of the house and learned how to open the front screen door on my own, so I got loose and did some exploring on my own - Mom wasn't too happy with me! 

They let us set up the trailer in their yard, so we have a real pretty view of the pastures and horses.

Dad and John had a great visit and talked about the olden days and then they cooked a really good dinner of steak and baked potatoes for Mom and Dad.  (Dad wouldn't let me have any leftovers because I ate all of Diggers food.)

Dad said we will be here until about Tuesday, and then move on to the Florida Keys.

Mom wanted me to tell you she is still working on the video that Dad took of the Shuttle Launch, and she will be updating the map soon too..........stay tuned!

History was made......

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Well, Mom and Dad got their wish to see the Discovery Space Shuttle launch.  We got to cousin Karl and Michele's house about 11:30 am, because we were warned about the traffic - and boy oh boy, was there ever a lot of traffic!



This is a picture of the crowd in front of cousin Karl and Michele's
house - you can kinda see their house behind the trees - Mom and
Dad are at the end of this dock taking pictures.




Mom said the title of this one is "Pre-Launch Jitters"

 Anyway, we hung out with other cousins and friends until the launch time, then Dad put me in the back yard with Riley and we played by the pool.  The launch was delayed a few minutes because of a computer glitch, but when it took off it really took off!  Dad said it went up a lot faster that he thought it would.  Mom was taking pictures as fast as she could and Dad got some really good video.  Mom was disappointed in her pictures because we were so far away (about 7 miles), but Dad's video looked pretty good on the replay.  Mom said she will post some of Dad's pictures as soon as she can figure out how to get them down loaded (she is still figuring out the software).

After the launch, cousin Karl and Michele invited us for hamburgers and hot dogs.  I didn't get any because Dad has restricted my diet - we won't go into the details - but it has something to do with bowel movements.......  After Mom and Dad ate, we left to go back home and the traffic was horrendous!  It took us 45 minutes to go10 miles!

Here are some of the pictures Mom took, but Mom said she will post some of Dad's stuff just as soon as she can...



Ignition........



......and lift off!

Up, up and away!



Cousin Karl, Michele and
others at the end of the
dock watching history
being made



Contrail.....

Me and Riley by the pool.

We want to thank cousin Karl and Michele again for their wonderful hospitality.  It was an afternoon that will last us a lifetime.......THANK-YOU MICHELE AND KARL!

Shuttle Launch fever...................

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Dad took Mom and I for a ride today.  We were going to go to the beach, but, everything was closed because of this shuttle launch thing!  I guess they have to be real careful about people getting too close - you have to be at least three miles away when it goes up or you could get killed.  Maybe it isn't like a bottle rocket...


Mom said I was all set for the launch now.........(boy this is dumb!)


When Mom and Dad went to the Kennedy Space Center they bought a few souvenirs - Mom thought I looked good in her hat...I'm not so sure..............

There are RVs, tents, trucks and everything all lined up along the river already waiting for the launch tomorrow.  I guess this really is a big deal.  The TV is saying that they are expecting record crowds because this is the last mission for this shuttle - then it will be retired and be sent to the Smithsonian.  This shuttle is the oldest and has traveled the most miles of all of the shuttles.

Sure hope Mom and Dad can get some good pictures of this thing after all of the trouble of getting everything together - keep your fingers crossed for them.  Maybe tomorrow I'll have some good pictures of this event....

Kennedy Space Center

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Today Mom and Dad took a tour of the Kenedy Space Center.  Mom and Dad sure are excited about watching the Discovery Launch.  Personally, I don't get it....I mean, I've seen fire works before...isn't it like a big bottle rocket going up?

Dad even got Mom into a launch sumulator!  She said it was fun and it was suposed to be like going up in the space shuttle.

Anyway, Dad has talked to his second cousin and all is set up for us to go to the dock in front of his house.  Mom and Dad have been pouring over the cam-corder book trying to fingure that out.  Dad has a tendency to turn it on and forget to turn it off, so Mom has a lot of video from the Magic Kingdon of the sidewalk and people's feet!  She also talked him into using a tripod to shoot the launch.  This should be really interesting.

Discovery on launch pad 39A

Model of a space shuttle

As of today they said there was an 80% chance of launch.  They seem to be worried about a stray rain shower and fog.

Whales and Willie........

Saturday, February 19, 2011

I got to go BACK AGAIN to Best Friends Pet Care!

And.......Mom and Dad went to Sea World today.  They saw all kinds of animilas and sea creatures.  They saw a really cool dolphin show, and whale show.  There were manatees, and alligators, and polar bears and beluga whales.  And I think the part Dad really liked was, their tickets included lunch!

You may be wondering about the title?  There was a WILLIE NELSON CONCERT too!!!


Dolphins jumping during their show



Mom said this is a Lesser Killer Whale





This is a regular Killer Whale jumping

Look at those TEETH - Lesser Killer Whale



WILLIE NELSON on stage!  He sang Mom and Dad's theme song - "On the Road Again"

Mom and Dad really enjoyed themselves at this park...it wasn't quite as big, but they really liked seeing the animals and creatures.  The concert was a bonus - they had no idea Willie Nelson was going to be there until they got inside the park.  In fact, they were almost late picking me up because they stayed so long at the park! 

Tomorrow, we will be "on the road again" and heading over to Mims, FL to get close to the Shuttle Launch......

Disney World - Epcot

Friday, February 18, 2011

WOW!  Mom and Dad took me back to Best Friends again - YIPPEE!  I even got to send Mom and Dad an e-mail with a picture of ME that my friends took of me in the play yard.

Oh, and today, Mom and Dad went to Epcot - another theme park at Disney World.  I think they got over the sticker shock, and had more fun today.  They said there were all kinds of exhibits - one of them was an exhibit of a future garden - it was really cool because they grew everything above ground - sweet potatoes, a tomato tree that was as big as a regular tree and the pumpkins were in hammocks because they were so big - the even had a 5 pound lemon.

Then they went into a theater that the seats moved through the dinosaur age and taught them about energy and where it came from.  Mom said there was a lake in the middle of this park and around the lake they had all the different countries represented - Japan, Morocco, Italy, Germany and of course the US and a lot more. 

Mom and Dad didn't seem as tired today when they came to pick me up - Mom said that was because they got to go inside and sit more today.

We want to send out a HAPPY BIRTHDAY wish to our friend Berniece today, too!!

Sweet Potatoes grown above ground!



The Epcot Ball from across the lake.



Mom said the flowers were BEAUTIFUL

The German village

Disney World - the Magic Kingdom

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Today Mom and Dad took me to Best Friends Pet Care at Walt Disney World.  It wasn't as much fun as Camp Bow Wow because they didn't let me play with other dogs, but they sure had a big play yard for me to run in.  It had a Splash Fountain and EVERYTHING!

Oh yeah, and Mom and Dad went to the Magic Kingdom today.  Mom said it was fun, but she had no idea that it was SO BIG!  Disney World has FIVE theme parks on Mom didn't know how many acres.  They even have their own freeway system within the Disney World area. 

Dad said he got Mom on the Merry-Go-Round, but couldn't get her to go onto Splash Mountain.  Mom gets chicken everytime they have a warning at the begining of a ride that says you can get motion sickness - Mom says she is suseptable to motion sickness.  Then, towards the end of the day Mom said they got to watch the Magic Kingdom parade.

Dad said that Walt would be ashamed of how much they are charging people to get in, park, and eat once they got inside the park - Dad said it was a rip off.  Mom couldn't understand how families could even get through the front gate!  Dad took Mom to dinner and their dinner was only $3.00 more than their lunch at the park!  Oh well, they had fun at any rate!

The Magic Kingdon Castle

 

Mickey and Mini Mouse on stage





Mom and Dad with  Pinocchio - Pinocchio is in the middle!



We made it to Mickey's place....

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

We went to Trenton, FL yesterday and ended up in this really nice campground called Otter Springs Park in Trenton.  We all really liked this place - it was in the woods and smelled so good!  Lots of trees, big camping spaces and lots of acorns - which I ate while Mom and Dad weren't looking - and then I got sick in the middle of the night.  Mom was NOT a happy camper about that!  I got in trouble...


Our rig under the big Oak trees.



We got into Kissimmee, FL a little after 1:00 pm and got all set up and Mom and Dad changed into shorts and they have big smiles on their faces now - it's in the 70's and it's supposed to be in the 80's by Friday. I laid out on my rug and got some sun on my tummy - have to keep my freckles tan.  Mom found a place for me to stay while she and Dad go to see Mickey.  They are going to do that on Thursday and Friday and maybe Saturday.  I guess this is a really big place and takes days to explore everything.

Mom finally told me what the big surprise is in Titusville, FL - WE ARE GOING TO TRY AND SEE THE SPACE SHUTTLE LAUNCH!  The launch is supposed to be on February 24th, so keep your fingers crossed that it goes up on time!  We will be moving down there on Sunday, February 20th.  Mom had a heck of a time finding a place to park the trailer, but she found one.  Dad called his cousin in that neck of the woods, and he has a stepson who has a dock that looks right out on to the launch pad!  Dad call him and they said we can come over and watch the launch from their place.  The launch will be at 4:50 pm in the afternoon (Mom thought it was in the AM - she can't tell time yet - but, then again, neither can I).  Anyway, I guess this is a really big deal because there will only be two more space shuttle launches after this one, so keep your fingers crossed for a good count down...I will keep you posted!

Movin on...tomorrow

Sunday, February 13, 2010

We haven't posted anything, because we haven't done anything.  We have gone for a few rides, and of course, Mom and Dad have taken me to the beach.  It's just too bad they can't let me off of my leach on that beach.  It sure is pretty and BIG!  The weather has been getting nicer and warmer day by day.  Tomorrow we are heading out to go half way to Kissimmee, FL.  Mom and Dad said I get to go to were Mickey and Goofy live - I'm not sure if I want to meet an over grown mouse and a dog that walks on two legs.  Oh, well, Mom and Dad seem to be excited about it.

There is something else going on too - Mom and Dad bought a cam corder today.  Mom said it was to take video of a special place we are going to after we see Mickey.  They still haven't told me what the BIG surprise is, but Mom is beside herself with excitement!  As soon as I find out what it is, I will let you know.


Somebody had this really cool kite today




Met more new friends today




Just look at that BIG beautiful beach



Still cold in Florida.......

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

It's still cold here, but after it rains tonight, it is supposed to warm up....yeah, we've heard that before!  All we can do is wait and see what happens.

Today, we went for a little ride and found the dogie beach - only they won't let me off of my leash!  They have really strict rules about dogs here.  I guess some people don't take care of their dogs as well as my Mom and Dad do.  Here are a couple of pictures Mom took today:



This will make you look twice...Wonder Works is
a kind of indoor amusement park.  There are four of these
in the country!




Ears flying in the wind, but look at that
pretty white sand...almost had the
whole place to myself!



We made it to Florida

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Well, we made it to the sunshine state.  It sure was a pretty drive.  Dad took the road on the coast the whole way.  The sun is shining, but it's not all that warm - still in the 30's in the mornings and the 50's in the afternoons.  Mom and Dad want to get back into their shorts because their suntans are fading - I don't have to worry about that kind of stuff.  Mom said it seems like the warm weather is behind us now.  Tomorrow we will go exploring and picture taking.

A note to Aunt Nori;  Mom said she didn't get any of the okra because Dad ate it all before she got a piece!  Can you believe that?


Ugly duck!

Before we left camp, Mom took this picture of this (ugly) duck - we don't know what kind they are, but they sure were funny looking!

Moving on down the road...

Monday, February 7, 2011

Well, we moved on down the road today as promised, but stopped short because of the high winds.  We found a little RV Camp site in Theodore, AL.  Mom said she is in love with Mississippi, if only for KFC.  You see, Mom and Dad stopped at KFC for a quick lunch and they had a $5.00 buffet - that had gizzards and livers (and okra).  Mom said it was quite a treat!
We drove along the coast highway and Mom got some pictures of the great looking beaches, but the workers were out there picking up tar balls...too bad because they sure have pretty white sand beaches.  There was also a lot of building lots across from the beaches for sale.  Dad said we are going on the Florida tomorrow.
 


Workers on the beach picking up tar balls



In those trees on the left are all the lots for sale - very pretty place.



A VERY Different Way of Life

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Today was Plantation tour day.  We drove North along the Mississippi River and checked out a couple of plantations.  Mom and Dad wanted lunch, so we stopped at Oak Alley.  It was full of oak trees and had very pretty grounds.  Mom said she couldn't take any pictures inside, so she only got pictures of the grounds.  The rest of the plantations were closed, so it was a good thing that Mom and Dad picked this one for lunch.  Mom took a lot of pictures along the way, so here they are:

Oak Alley Plantation - backyard!

 

View from the second floor balcony - 26 Oaks that go all the
way to the Mississippi River.

We will be moving on to to Mobile, Alabama tomorrow - heading closer to Florida - it's supposed to be warmer there.  Mom and Dad said they may have a surprise for me in Florida - wonder what that could be?

The sun came out and so did we!

Saturday, February 5, 2011

We finally saw the sun today and it sure was nice - even warm when you were out of the breeze.  We went for a ride to Lake Pontchartrain and down town New Orleans.  I think everybody did the same thing we did - there were a lot of people wandering around.  Tomorrow Dad is going to take Mom and I "up river".  Mom looked a little worried when he said that, but I don't think he meant it that way - he said we are going to see some plantations...


This is I-10 going across Lake Pontchartrain!





Still not open.


It's kind of hard to see in this picture, but there is an X spray painted on the front of this building.  These are the marks made by the rescuers when they were looking for bodies in the flood.  They marked every building they searched with this system.  In one quadrant they put the date of the search, in another, who did the searching, in another how many bodies they found (they just left the bodies to retrieve later because they didn't have enough room in the mortuary) and the last one was how many bodies were removed.  In this picture you may see a "O" with a slash through it - this means zero bodies.  As we drove around, some houses obviously had been remodeled, but they left the spray paint like a badge of honor.  The hurricane/flood was in 2005!  They are still rebuilding six years later.

Typical New Orleans!



Early start to beat the ice storm!

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Whew!  We made it!  Mom and Dad got up "early" and we headed out for New Orleans this morning.  The Highway Patrol were closing all the overpasses (bridges) because they were afraid of ice on them and they wanted to prevent accidents.  There are a lot of bridges and overpasses because of all the water and swamps here.  We had to take a couple of detours because of the closed roads, so what was going to be a two and a half hour drive, turned out to be a little over 4 hours.  But, we made it safe and sound and we are hunkered down and warm.  At one point when we stopped to "stretch our legs" there was a sheet of ice on the front of the trailer.  Mom took a picture of the mirror on her side of the truck so you can see the ice:


Ice on the back of the mirror after
it started to melt.


This just looks like water, but it is ice on the back of the mirror.  Mom noticed it after it started to melt off.  We didn't get rid of the ice until we actually got to New Orleans.  Luckily, the roads weren't like this.  They closed the schools and some state offices today because of the ice.  They are really cautious in Louisiana!

It's supposed to rain for the next few days, but it's not supposed to be cold enough for ice - upper 30's.  Then the weekend is supposed to be in the 50's to 60's - thank goodness!

Dad said we will be here through Sunday (at least), but if the weather gets a lot better, we may stay a few days longer.

Very cold and windy

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Well, we loaded up and headed out today towards New Orleans, LA.  It was S-O-O-O-O-O   C-C-C-C-C-C-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-L-L-L-L-L-D-D-D-D-D my ears were almost frozen, and with that wind I almost took flight!  With the wind chill, the temperature was in the low 20's, high teens.  Dad drove real carefully and we arrived in Broussard, LA about 2:30 pm today.  We are just a few miles south of Lafayette, LA.  Tomorrow we are going to New Orleans, LA and stay there for a few days. Its supposed to start warming up (anything would be an improvement) to the high 50's-low 60's by the weekend.  I think Dad wants to stay there until the Super Bowl is over.

And, last but not least, we want to wish Del a Happy Birthday today!

We ain't goin'!

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Dad said we ain't goin' today!  We just had a MAJOR rain and thunder storm go through here and it's headed to Lafayette, LA, which was going to be our next stop.  It was so loud that Mom and Dad had to shout to each other to talk.  The storm is almost gone from here (8:15 am CST), but it will be heading into LA, so Dad said it was too dangerous to be pulling the trailer through the rain and wind.  Mom will keep you updated when we move out and get to Lafayette...

By the way, we want to wish Terry a Happy Birthday!!