To the Coast!

From Memphis, we traveled South to the gulf coast. We made a long stop along the way for a work meeting and lunch. We had a hard time finding a place to park in this small town, and ended up at the lot of some Union workers. It was a small building, and a small, empty lot when we got there. During the meeting, very dressed up people started pouring in with their cars and their fancy shoes. At one point a limo and security-looking SUV pulled in, perhaps with another "official" looking vehicle. I'm glad nobody was too bothered by our presence. It looked like a big deal!

We drove quite well until we were about an hour away from our destination -- TJ got pissed, and needed that booby NOW! We pulled over and fed her in the parking lot of a Methodist Church in the middle of the country.

We arrived at a Ntl Park in Ocean Springs, MS. It was all swampy, and luscious and green. It was night-time when we arrived, and we were slightly bummed that we never get anywhere early enough to see where we are. We got over it soon enough. We built a fire, roasted tofurky kielbasas and smores. There were tons of animal noises, but nothing we felt a photo would capture well, so no photos of that.

Next, it was off to the visitor's area of Ocean Springs, and went directly to the Walter Anderson museum. He is such an inspiration to me. I could never leave life behind the way he did to embrace nature, but the depth in which he embraced it is moving, and his art is magnificent.

We ate at a strange restaurant that was delicious and had a lovely and friendly waiter. The bosses daughter followed her around and helped her. They were a fun team. We also stopped at a small local grocery. It was quite minimal, but very nice. We got a few things we needed.

There was just enough time to treck over to the Penny Pincher and see my old work-mates. It was so delightful visiting with them, and I became teary and sentimental a number of times. I suppose I was a blip in their busy lives, but they were a very significant blip in mine. I know they have fond memories of me, and that they did enjoy our visit. I only hoped we knew that we had more time. It would have been nice to have planned a bit better, seen Rex and the kids, chatted more and perhaps build a fire.

The sun was setting fast when we left, so we drove over to a large and lovely RV park in Waveland for the night.

The Memphis Zoo

Right now, we're in McAllen, TX, trying very hard to fulfill our duty to be responsible and respectful citizens and tourists. It's really hard, and awful frustrating. Nikolai Gogol, help me see the humor in all this...

But on the lighter side of things, let me tell you about our wonderful time at the Memphis Zoo. I will refer to the entire stay as a visit to the zoo. We had our traveling zoo. Brian has his own personal zoo (and rehab facility). And then, of course, there just weren't enough animals, so we had to go to the Zoo Zoo!

Brian and Laura were great hosts. They entertained us, feed us, and kept good company. We let them cuddle with Tetra and the other critters in return. They have a wonderfully large fenced in back yard. We were able to park there, with electric, and let the dog and cat roam free most of the time. When we went away for the day, they let Jack and/or Douglas stay in the catio. Douglas loved it.

Matt and I harangued Brian about eating healthy, and I made some reference to the planet, how we are all connected, our actions affect the rest of the world... etc. I can go on, but this is the travel blog. Let's just say, B is thinking about his consumption, and I was IMPRESSED that he was collecting his mountain dew bottles to see how much plastic waste he produced. He said he may make some changes after that.

For those of you who think that plastic is recyclable - think again. There are a lot of articles out there. Just do a search. And the "green fence" is certainly a barrier to recycling, but what about the shipping of our waste all the way over the pacific ocean??? Is it really making any progress if your wasting fuel and resources? And I hope you're all familiar with the Great Pacific Garbage Patch... Alright, enough of this banter... but consider this... challenge yourself to do something different. Change one part of your lifestyle and see what happens.

Back to Memphis -- in addition the the zoo, we went to B's work, Sun Studios and Brian's spooky front yard -- which was absolutely and totally spooky!

As We Get Closer

As we get closer to our destination, I remember all the good times we had with people along the way, and how those times always felt too short.

As we get closer to our destination, my concerns about details, paperwork, order and decision makers grow... and grow... and grow...

As we get closer to our destination, I've become more and more curious about Mexico; the roads, the landscape, the stops, the towns.

As we get closer to our destination, I see the evolution of our family... every stinkin' critter.

As we get closer to our destination, I hope deep in my heart that following my moral and intuitive compass' will continue to return good favor to me and those I care about.

Final Days at the Original Home

I apologize. It’s been a long time since I have been able to update the blog. So Ill was so fun. When we weren’t having fun, we were working. And when we weren’t working, we were doing laundry, or getting groceries, or cookies, or dinner. Eating is important, you know! Then, we had to squeeze some sleep in there too!

Tetra practicing to stand.

The last 3 weeks there, we went to a car show in Tunica, MS, and had visitors by the name of Mark and Julie, and Kelli, Anya and Audrey. Tunica was a blast. It's a car show in the lot of a casino that Brian goes to yearly, and Mom and Dad join him there sometimes. We were trying to get the truck done in time to take it there, but it wasn't ready. We all drove from our respective abodes and converged at the Casino Buffet. Laura had some VIP deal because of a friend, so we skipped the long line to get into the buffet and had a very filling meal with family. We spent a full day and another half day at the show together. It was great fun sitting, walking, chatting and enjoying each others company. On the last night, we went to eat at the Hollywood Cafe. The place was a popular spot for musicians to do unannounced shows. You may recognize the name from Marc Cohen's song "Walkin' in Memphis."

Memphis baby-napper... actually a friend of Brian's. We let him hold TJ. Then he walked away with her! He was just showing her off to his friends, but it was pretty funny.... Not a word... just wandered off!

This is the only Stud we saw at the show!

It was really fun showing off So Ill to Mark and Julie. It’s interesting the things that visitors notice. Comments about Illinois included, “why is the grass so green?” and “even the fields are mowed!” We cruised on Kinkaid Lake in the Fun Toon. We went to Giant City State Park and Makanda. We visited Blue Sky Winery, and the homestead in Ava. And, of course, M and J got to cuddle with TJ for nearly a week.

garden entrance in Makanda. we all thought of August and Margo and how they would have loved it. :)

at giant city lodge

in the garden in Makanda

 
Matt, TJ and I rode to the airport with Dad to deliver Mark and Julie. Afterward, we ate at Los Palmas. If you ever fly in or out of St. Louis, this is a GREAT place to get some good Mexian food in a fun environment, AND they have a bakery next door.

After some sustenance, I realized it was the perfect time to take Matt to Cahokia Mounds. We took a slight detour in that direction and were able to get there just in time to visit the museum and hike up Monks Mound to see the sunset over St. Louis. Needless to say, Tetra enjoyed every minute.

on top of Monk's Mound

We then had that evening and the next morning before Kelli, Anya and Audrey came. After squeezing some work in, we gave the house a clean sweep. The gals joined us and stayed two nights at Clark St. Matt and I slept with the critters in the RV. Sleeping out there was a good staging exercise for us — after living in a house for a month.

Kelli came to visit us in the RV after the little ones went to sleep.

It was really awesome to meet the girls, and to spend time with Kelli. She also contacted our friend Crystal, and we got to eat breakfast and meet her 13yr old, Evan. All the kids were so sweet and kind.

Anya and I had a great time washing shells in the rain.

Throughout our time in Illinois, we were able to visit with Mary 1-3 times a week. Her boys are full of energy, and she’s a powerhouse. They all make a good family, and Mary continues to impress me with her life-management and enrichment skills.

Oliver is a cutie-patotie, but I really enjoyed some of the interactions I had with Finn. I don’t know how to explain it, but I guess he liked me, and I liked him.

and at one point, Douglas thought this was a good place to sleep.

TJ helps Matt mail records

this is where she slept most of the time

Stay tuned for the Memphis Review coming up soon