Wandering America
March 2008
| Visitors From The East Charles Henry has been following our website for awhile and we have been emailing each other. He and his wife Ethel decided to fire up their beast, Roz the motorhome, and drop by for a visit. It was Charles birthday (he referred to it as his natal day) and we felt honored that he wanted to spend it with us. They arrived around 11:00 a.m. on a Friday and got set up in the dry dock area since the campground was full. That evening we went to Big Daddy's for dinner along with Norm and Linda Payne. It was a great time of getting to know one another while enjoying some great seafood dinners.  Naval Air Museum On Saturday the four of us went to the Naval Air Museum at the Pensacola Naval Air Station. Judy and I had visited the museum last winter while we were at Rainbow Plantation but wanted to go again. Judy loves the "Welcome to 1943" display which includes some World War II overseas airport sets. But it is the "Main Street U.S.A." display that catches her eye.     I just find all of the old planes interesting and could literally spend hours looking at many of them. Having been in the Coast Guard I took a special interest in the vintage Coast Guard planes on display as well as the Blue Angels.     That evening we got together to have a nice scallop dinner. Charles had brought some scallops with him so he prepared them for us. Judy prepared some long grain rice and asparagus to go with the scallops. It was a great dinner served with some "twine" to help us "wash it down". We also surprised Charles with a nice strawberry cheese birthday cake lovingly made by Sarah Lee (no candles, however, 'cause that many would have melted the cake and/or set off the fire alarm in the coach). Joining the Posse for Dinner Charles, Ethel, Judy, and I attended church together on Sunday morning and later that afternoon we went to the annual Gulf Posse corn beef dinner. We joined the table with Dave and Sharyl Tholen, Norm and Linda Payne, along with three others that we had never met before. It was fun with plenty of laughs and good food; just loved that corn beef. Charles and Ethel departed for Jacksonville on Monday morning. It was great to get to know them and we enjoyed their company. Hopefully we will be meeting up with them again in the future and I know that we will be keeping in touch by email. The Road Kill Cafe and Baldwin County Heritage Museum Elberta, Alabama, which is known for its Sausage Festival, is the home of the Road Kill Cafe. When you enter the cafe the sign says, "You Kill It, We'll Grill It". However, the menu, which is buffet style, doesn't list any of the varmits that you see laying along the road. There is generally fried chicken, which is excellent, along with another meat, potatoes, vegetables, and a salad bar. The price of $7.50 included the buffet, drinks and deserts. It is just plain good ol' fashioned down south home cooking. They open at 11:00 a.m. and remain open until the food is gone; once the food is gone the buffet is over so be sure to come early. A dozen of us caravaned over to Elberta and descended on the Cafe; there were Don and Gloria, Jerry and Betty, Norm and Linda, Dave and Sharyl, Kim, Doreen, Judy and I. We had to split up and sit at two different tables which worked out just fine. Again, the lunch was very good and, as always, we enjoyed each other's company. Food and Friends - it just doesn't get any better than this.   After eating we went to the Baldwin County Heritage Museum which is a tribute to the early farm communities of Baldwin County. "They came by the thousands ... during the first half of the Century to build their homes, plow the land, raise the Crops, and found the villages and towns that made the County prosperous. We who live here today have been enriched by the diverse legacies of these people, German, Scandinavian, Greek, Italian, Polish, Czechoslovakian, Yugoslavian, French-Canadian & others, in addition to the earlier English, Spanish, and French. We cherish and want to preserve for our children and future generations and all other nationalities who have joined us with the traditions they brought with them, together with the story of their lives in Baldwin." (Tourist Brochure).   Farewell to Rainbow Plantation The winter of 2008 is now history and it is time to depart the Plantation in search of new adventures. But you just don't drive away from the Plantation without the farewell send offs. We have been getting together with all of our Plantation family having dinners, going out to eat, and drinking plenty of "twine" as we are all getting ready to head out in different directions. This migration is good in that it will give us new stories to share around the camp fire next year. Our farewells began with a lasagna dinner with Randy and Terry, Dick and Pat, and Judy and I. Judy made her "world famous" lasagna especially for Randy, since he loves it so well. He was nice enough to share some with the rest of us - but not much. Terry brought a wonderful garden salad and Pat brought a nice garlic bread made with fresh Italian bread. The wine flowed freely and so did the conversation. Nice food, nice friends, cheap wine - who could ask for anything more? Bill and Lark Young, who are part of our Home Group, own a place on Mobile Bay and hosted a farewell southern picnic for the group. There are twenty two of us in the Home Group which is a lot of people but the picnic was outside and they have a nice front yard overlooking Mobile Bay. Their home is 13 feet up in the air on stilts with a "light house" copula on the top, it's Bill's little retreat where he goes to meet with the Lord and spend time reflecting. We sat around the fire with southern fried chicken and all the fixings while waiting for the sun to set. The sun setting over the bay is something different everyday and was, in fact, worth the wait. Thank you Bill and Lark for the southern hospitality and we look forward to seeing you guys again next fall.   J., Chuck, and I drove to Bon Secor, a fishing village about 10 miles south of the Plantation, to get a few oysters. We came home with 120 pounds for an East Traveler Street oyster bake. There were about fourteen of us who joined in to bake and eat oysters on the half shell. J. had prepared a garlic butter sauce and everyone else brought various finger foods to share. We began at four in the afternoon and were still going strong at seven that evening. As always, everyone had a great time - the oysters were fabulous - Yum, Yum. You'd think that that's all this lifestyle is about - eating and socializing. Well, you'd be right - that's pretty much it while we are "hanging out" at Rainbow Plantation.     We enjoyed our Resurrection Sunday (Easter) meal at the clubhouse. The clubhouse prepared the ham and gravy and everyone else brought the side dishes. We signed up for Doug and Anna Craw's table along with the Tholens, Martins, Paynes, and McRoberts. There was certainly more than enough to eat and it was certainly a day to be thankful for as we celebrated the death and resurrection of our Lord. Thank you Jesus for remembering us and providing eternal life for us. And thank you for all of our dear friends who we are enjoying so much. Judy and I wanted to have one last fling with the Paynes, Martins, and Tholens so we had a spaghetti dinner. The Rossi's, who are fellow East Traveler Street residents, were arriving that day so we invited them to join us (the "no cooking on travel day" policy). We had anticipated eating outside, but it was chilly and windy so we were forced inside. Our home accommodated 10 people just fine and we had an enjoyable meal of spaghetti with my special sauce, a vegetable platter, and French bread, and, oh yes, there was "twine". It was a nice and cozy dinner party.   Farewell good friends; happy travels and we'll see you next November. Be sure to bring back some fresh stories. Gulf Posse Rally in Baton Rouge, Louisiana Finally we were "on the road again" with Farr RV Park in Baton Rouge, Louisiana being our first destination. The Gulf Posse (Escapees Chapter 26) was holding their spring rally in Baton Rouge with around 25 rigs (and over 45 people) in attendance. It was a fun time just getting to meet more folks from Rainbow Plantation (yes, that's right, we drove over 235 miles just to sit and visit with our neighbors). We shared breakfasts, dinners, and wine with each other every day as well as doing local tours of the area. The rally officially began on Monday (March 31st) and concluded on Friday morning (April 4th).   Monday On Monday morning Dave and Sharyl Tholen and Judy and I headed for downtown Baton Rouge which is the Capitol of Louisiana. Baton Rouge is French for Red Stick and according to legend the French explorer, Sieur d'Iberville, while leading an exploration party up the Mississippi River, came upon a reddish cypress pole festooned with animal and fish heads standing on a bluff east of the Mississippi River. This was a hunting boundary marker between the territories of the Bayougoula and Houma tribes - hence, the name Baton Rouge. We began with a stop at the Welcome Center which has free parking across the street right next to the levee. The ladies at the Welcome Center were very friendly and helpful giving us plenty of information about the area as well as recommending a nice place to have lunch. From there we began our tour of downtown Baton Rouge by walking to Capitol Park.  Huey Long was a controversial Louisiana Politician who was the governor and later became a U. S. Senator who is credited with the construction of the current Capitol building. "Only a political figure as powerful and legendary as Huey Long could have dared to build such a spectacular new State Capitol in the middle of the Great Depression. After convincing the public and the legislature that the new Capitol would save the state money because of its efficient and modern structure, his political will prevailed. The new Louisiana State Capitol was completed in March of 1932, in a mere 14 months. At 34 floors and some 450 feet high, it is the tallest state capitol in the United States. The imposing edifice stands on 27 acres surrounded by formal gardens and magnificent oaks." (Tourist Brochure) Huey Long was shot in the hallways of the Capitol building on September 9th, 1935 and died two days later. His body was laid to rest in the park in front of the Capitol building and his grave is marked by his statue which faces the Capitol building.  We walked about the Central Gardens and visited Heuy Long's grave before climbing the steps to the Capitol building. There are forty-nine steps to the entrance of the Capitol with one step for each of the forty-eight states listed in order of their admittance to the Union. Alaska and Hawaii were added to the top step once they became states. We entered the building through the 50-foot-high main entrance which leads into Memorial where there is a large bronze relief map of Louisiana, two large mural paintings, along with other paintings and statues.   The area in the hallway behind the elevators where Huey Long was assassinated has been memorialized so we stopped there before riding the elevators to the Observation Deck. The Observation Deck is on the 27th floor of the Capitol building and affords panoramic views of Baton Rouge from 350 feet.   The legislature was in session; this being their first day back from recess (don't you just love how they call it recess - kids and politicians get recess; now all we have to do is figure out how to give the politicians time outs and then we could really save some money!!). We visited both the House and the Senate chambers but being that it was lunch time not much was happening. The Governor was scheduled to address the House of Representatives at one o'clock and we could have watched from the balcony but eating took priority over Louisiana politics so we went on our way.   From the Capitol building we made our way to Florida Street where Poor Boy Lloyd's is located. They have authentic Cajun cooking with Monday being Red beans and Rice day. Judy had the special while I got the Seafood Combo that included oysters, shrimp, catfish, French fries, and coleslaw (a real heart smart meal). It was all good and we left satisfied. This is a nice place to have lunch so if you find yourself "Wandering" the streets of Baton Rouge at lunch time stop by.  Tuesday Our good friends, Rich and Diane Emond, joined us at Farr Park for a couple of days. It was nice to see them again - we hadn't seen them since October 2006 in Clarksville, Indiana. Rich and Diane have done an "Extreme Makeover - RV Edition" on their motorhome. They had the coach painted on the outside and quite a bit of wood work done on the inside. Their 2000 Dutchstar looks as if it just rolled off the showroom floor. We spent the day visiting with them and having a wonderful beef brisket dinner with the Gulf Posse Rally group.   Wednesday High on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River stands Louisiana's Old State Capitol, a Gothic architectural treasure. The 150 year old statehouse has withstood war, fire, scandal, bitter debate, abandonment and an occasional fistfight. (Tourist Brochure) Rich and Diane and Judy and I visited the Old State Capitol which now houses the Museum of Political History. The "Architectural Interests", "Huey Long Live! The Kingfish Speaks" Animatronic, and the "National Representation Exhibit" were the highlights. Architecturally the building looks like a castle; yes, Louisiana has a way of building state capitol buildings different that the rest of the nation.    Inside the spiral staircase and stained glass dome catches the eye as you can see from the pictures above. We enjoyed watching the animatron of Huey Long as he expounded on many different subjects - he was definitely a colorful politician. Another favorite was the teleprompter that was set up so that we could actually stand at a podium and read speeches given by various politicians.  Rich and Diane like to visit architecturally appealing older church buildings and cathedrals ( and so do Judy and I). This one caught our eye as we were making our way from the "Old Capitol Building" to the current Capitol Building. Built in 1853, St. Joseph Cathedral is Greek Revival in style and originally had a red brick exterior and a lower, square tower. The steeple was constructed in 1891 and the stucco facing added four years later. The parish continued to grow, and in 1924 the building was doubled in size. (Church Brochure) We didn't take any interior photos out of respect but the sanctuary was magnificently constructed with its beautiful stain glass windows and a pipe organ.   We continued onto the State Capitol Building so Rich and Diane could tour the building. It hadn't changed much from our last visit on Monday. We again visited the Senate and House Chambers, the spot where Huey Long was assassinated, and the Observation Deck on the 27th floor. The weather was a little clearer making for better picture taking. That evening we went to Corky's for dinner hoping to get good ribs but I was disappointed. Corky's of Memphis has been tooted as one of the best places to get BBQ ribs so I was expecting nothing short of excellent. The food was good but didn't even come close to what we had had at the Blues City Cafe on Beal Street. In any event, we had a great time with Rich and Diane and that is the most important part of any meal. Thursday Rich and Diane departed and we stayed in camp. I worked on the television reception issue but was not able to figure it out. It was too nice of a day to sit inside and play with televisions since we were not really watching them anyway. So, we just visited with others and got ready to roll. Friday We said our good byes and hit the road for Natchez, Mississippi arriving there around 1:00 p.m.. Actually we stayed in Vidalia, Louisiana at the Riverview RV Park which is just across the river from Natchez. A very nice campground with sites right next to the Mississippi River where you can sit and watch the river barges making their way north and south on the river. They are fun to see but a little noisy as they chug along at 3:00 in the morning. The Mississippi River was at flood stage and we watched the water continue to engulf the campground as the days passed by. When we left on Monday morning the water was up to the road in front of the first row of campsites. By April 15th the water is projected to rise by another 3 feet and the weather reports are calling for more severe storms on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday which certainly means that that projection may very well be revised.   We will cover our time spent in Natchez and our trip up the Natchez Trace Parkway in the April Travelogue. Until then, "Happy Motoring". |