Dancing-golf-shoes

Saturday - temps: High 75º, Low 63º

Saturday there is no group exercise at the clubhouse so Dennis and I walked around the park then took a bike ride through the adjoining subdivision. Also spent some time at the pool. We attended the dance that was held in the park clubhouse that night. The band was pretty good and we had a good time. Even Dennis and I danced! There are line dancing classes every Wednesday taught by one of the park residence so they were line dancing to about half the songs. We may have to take one of the classes so we can join them at the next dance!

Sunday - temps: High 77º, Low 56º

Golf with Cindy and Gary

Today we walked through the subdivision we road our bikes through yesterday. Then we went to a large flea market just a few miles south of us on Hwy. 19. It turned out to be a lot like Seven Mile Fair. Dennis bought a new wallet ($4) and some bungee straps ($1). Around 12:30 we left the flea market and headed to Gary and Cindy's house. We needed to be at their house by 1:00 to make our 2:00 tee time at Rivard Golf Course. We loaded our clubs into their van and made it to the golf course in plenty of time.

Sunday Rivard has a special. For $15 you can golf as much as you want and it includes a cart. Not a bad deal! We had a great time golfing with them however Gary only golfed 2 holes because his back was acting up. Bummer. It was a pretty easy course as there was no water or sand hazards on any of the holes. Afterward we went to The Upper Deck for a bite to eat. The restaurant is on the Weeki Wachi River and has a nice view of the water. When we left Dennis realized he had left his keys in the golf cart so we had to go back and pick them up.

Monday - temps: High 86º, Low 62º

I went to the 9:00 exercise session and Dennis ran on the treadmill. Afterward we relaxed for a little while then took showers. I wanted to get new walking/running shoes and I had located a runners store that did stride evaluations in addition to selling shoes. I forgot to bring my existing shoes so he could only watch me walk but did not see anything that required special shoes. I tried on a few pair but did not like any of them. We then headed to a nearby Outlet Mall and I ended up purchasing shoes at the Asics outlet store.

On the way home I got a Facetime call from Henry so he could wish me a happy birthday except he was too shy to say anything. Oh well, maybe he will talk to me tomorrow.

At the Mall

Supper - Tortellini and Shrimp in a creamed tomato sauce

Sunset pictures always look better when there is a palm tree in them!

Mermaids!

Friday temps: High 75º, Low 63º

Saturday forecast: High 75º, Low 51º

Saturday. Ah oh! I think I am already getting lazy on my blog. I have not posted anything since Wednesday! The weather has been gorgeous so we are spending a lot of time outside. Last night we went for a walk and ended up visiting with some folks (Doug and Ann) from Canada that own a place here. They invited on their deck for a drink. We left around 9:30 so I did not feel like writing anything last night.

Thursday we did not do anything special. Just got to know the park a little better. I went to Zumba in the morning and stayed for part of the Walking Workout which followed. Dennis walked outside and went on the treadmill at the clubhouse. In the afternoon we went to the pool. We went out to eat for supper at Frank's Diner. Dennis had clam pasta and I had stuffed shrimp. There are a lot of local mom and pop restaurants in the area so its tempting to go out a lot to try them all. However its not good for our pocket book or our waste lines.

Eating ice cream at the local ice cream hangout

Friday we both worked out again then went to Weeki Wachee State Park to see the mermaid show. Cindy took me to see this when I was here visiting them a few years ago. It was still enjoyable, at least for me. Not so sure about Dennis. I am sure Henry would get a kick out of it. In addition to the mermaid shows you can take a boat ride on the Weeki Wachee River as well as see the Wildlife show. We saw two of the mermaid shows and took the boat ride but did not do the wildlife show. The cost to get in was $13 per person which is a pretty good deal. Friday night we had supper at home and as I mentioned above visited with some neighbors.

Our lunch guest at Weeki Wachee

Our camper is oriented so when we are outside we are sitting on the south side. And because the sun is still pretty low in the sky our awning does not provide any shade. To solve this we purchased a awning screen/shade. It was pretty pricey at $200 but the lower half zips off and the upper half will roll up in the awing so to take it off or put it on you just use the zipper. Nice!

Awning Shade

On to Florida

Monday temps: High 78º, Low 64º

Wednesday temps: High 76º, Low 56º

Monday we left Bayou Segnette State Park and headed East. It is a 9 hour drive to the area of Florida we are going to so we broke it up into two days. We found a Army Corp of Engineers park on our route. Eastbank Campground is actually in Georgia just across the border. We arrived there around 5:00 and were able to get a pull thru site which was great since we were just staying one night. The park is on Seminole Lake and has several sites on the lake. Very nice and pretty park. Would be a nice place to spent a couple of weeks. Left the next morning around 8:30.

View of sunset in Eastbank Campground

View from our back window and Dennis already chatting with someone. Go figure!

Diesel price increased when we entered Florida. In Mississippi and Louisiana we were paying between $2.20 and $2.40 per gallon. We purchased fuel in Florida Tuesday morning at $2.52. At the Flying J's and Pilots they are charging $2.70.

Tuesday we left Eastbank around 8:30. Made it to the interstate then stopped at a Denny's a few miles down the road for breakfast. We stopped a few more times to get fuel and stretch our legs and arrived at Barrington Hills RV Resort just before 4:00. The office gave us our information and our site number. We parked the camper and were all set up by 4:30. Nice! This is not the typical kind of park we like to stay at. There are a lot of Park Model trailers and the sites are really close together. But it is clean and the trailers and sites are well maintained. So far the sites on either side of us are empty. Hopefully no one moves in while we are here.

Our site at Barrington Hills

One reason we decided to come to this area was to visit our good friends Gary and Cindy. I called Cindy to let her know we were here and told them we would stop by after we ate supper. We found a real nice small cafe, Carolina's Cuban Cafe just a few miles away. There was only one couple in the restaurant so we were a little concerned. It was nice and clean and the food was excellent and inexpensive. We chatted with the other couple. They come to this restaurant all the time and really like it. They are from Superior and spend the winter here and summer in Wisconsin. We spent the remainder of the evening visiting with Cindy and Gary. We also made tentative plans to go golfing with them on Sunday.

Wednesday we ate breakfast “at home” then walked down to the office/clubhouse. There were a bunch of people sitting inside. Turns out they have a coffee and doughnut social every Wednesday morning. Coffee and a doughnut for a $1 and a “Share the wealth” raffle, 3 tickets for a $1. We were introduced as the newbys and chatted with Dick and Frank. Seems like a nice bunch of folks. The park has a calendar of events which was given to us. There are 4 to 6 things going on everyday. I am going to try the Zumba classes which are on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday mornings.

Events Calendar

After that we went to a Walmart to pick up a few things and stopped at a RV store to pick up a sewer seal. On the way back I noticed there is a Walgreen's and a strip mall with a Publix grocery store only 1 mile from the campground and a sidewalk along the route. Nice to know I can safely bike to a store if I want to get a few things. Today it was raining on and off in between bouts of sunshine. I think this is only the second day that we have had rain since we left.

(PS – Diesel prices are around $2.40 in the area around Barrington Hills.)

Goodbye New Orleans

Sat temps: High 77º, Low 60º

It is our last day in New Orleans so we went into the city again today to catch a few more parades and just walk around. We went to St. Charles Street and watched one of the parades in progress. We walked up St. Charles street for a while then headed back to the French Quarter. We ate in the Market Cafe for a late lunch, early supper. Then went back to the camper. Logged 6.3 miles on my tracker!

A unique instrument

Watching a cruise ship on its way to sea.

Goodbye New Orleans

Tomorrow we leave the park and will be heading east toward Florida. We have scoped out a Corp of Engineers park to stop over night. It is about halfway there near Tallahassee. We will check in the morning to make sure they have openings. Then Tuesday we will continue on to Florida and Barrington Hills RV Resort near Hudson Fl. We have made reservations there for a month.

More Parades

Sat temps: High 78º, Low 55º

Yesterday it was cool and started raining in the afternoon. We drove to Metairie to watch the Excaliber Parade. We went to a pizza place located right on the route. Nice! However once in the restaurant we learned they had canceled the parade because of the rain. Oh well. It rained most of the night but this morning we woke up to blue skies and sunshine.

Received notification of another RVillage member in the park. What do you know they are right next door to us! They were here before we were but just updated there location. They are from Quebec. We stopped and chatted with them this morning. They are here until March 2 then are also headed to Florida.

We decided to go into New Orleans again today. The plan was to purchase a 1 day Jazzy Pass which gives you unlimited access to the Street Cars and Buses. We were then going to spend the day riding the Street cars to see more areas of the city. However because of the parades scheduled in town today some of the main trolley roads were closed so the trolleys were not running. Bummer!

Panoramic of the river and New Orleans sky line

Cruise ship

Plan B...watch a parade! We found a spot on St. Charles street east of Canal street and waited for the the parade to start. The floats in this one were much better than the one we saw last week and they threw more beads. About 3:30 we were getting hungry so we left the parade to hunt up a place to eat. We headed back to the French Quarter and stopped at Oceana. I had Blackened Chicken with Jambalaya and Collard Greens. Dennis had a Cajun Sampler with Jambalaya and Shrimp Etouffee. It was all very good.

Parade bleacher seating

Kids seats

National World War II Museum

Wednesday temps: High 58º, Low 52º

Today's temps: High 63º, Low 48º

Today we went to the National World War II Museum in down town New Orleans. Museum admission is $26 plus we paid an extra $5 to see the 4D cinematic experience Beyond All Boundaries. The 4D movie was very powerful. The two main exhibits are the Road to Berlin and the Road to Tokyo. Each one walking you through the war as it unfolded in the European and Pacific theaters. There was also a exhibit on the Nazi Propaganda and how it helped to promote the rise of Hitler to power. The lobbies are filled with many of the various vehicles, tanks and aircraft used in the war.

A few things struck me. One was the maps showing the extent of the of the Nazi and Japanese occupation at the height of the war and how insurmountable it must have looked to the Allies. The second was the horrendous loss of life.

We learned the museum is located in New Orleans because of Andrew Higgins. Higgins was the founder and owner of Higgins Industries, the New Orleans-based manufacturer of "Higgins boats" (LCVPs) during World War II. At the end of the war, more than ninety-six percent of US Navy ships were "Higgins boats" It is believed that the contribution of Higgins and his boats was instrumental in winning the war for the allies.

Grand Isle State Park

Today's temps: High 77º, Low 51º

When we were first thinking about visiting New Orleans, Dennis spotted a State Park way south of New Orleans called Grand Isle. As the crow flies it is about 45 miles away but to drive there its 100 miles and will take 2 hours. Today we drove there to check it out. 

We took Hwy 90 west from the park then picked up Hwy 1 which takes you all the way to the Isle. We stopped at Dots Diner for breakfast and both had biscuits with Julia sauce, a type of gravy with craw fish and vegetables. It was very good.

On the way we drove through several small towns and along a coastal inland waterway. Once we were about 15 miles from Grand Isle the land started to disappear and it became mostly water. We drove over several large bridges and causeways of which one we had to pay a $3.00 toll.

The island is mostly vacation and fishing homes all raised above the ground. Grand Isle State Park is at the east end of the island. The park has 49 drive thru campsites with water and electric and a dump station. There is also tent camping available on the beach. Once we arrived we drove through the campground then parked and walked the beach. It was a beautiful day with sunshine and a slight breeze. On the beach we saw a large flock of shorebirds, perhaps some type of plover or sandpiper and many pelicans flying over the water. We also spotted what we think were porpoises out in the water. The park was very nice and we may want to return someday and spend a week or so there.

I heard from my Mom today that my brother may be able to go home today. That is great news!

Barataria Preserve

Today's temps: High 70º, Low 60º

This morning I thought I would call Kohler to touch base with my old co-workers. I was on the phone for and hour and a half and it was nice to talk to them.

In the afternoon we went to the Jean LaFitte Barataria Preserve Trails. The visitor center was closed but we met a ranger and he told us about some of the trails in the preserve. We took the Bayou Coquille Trail to the Marsh Overlook Trail to the Marsh Overlook, a little under 2 miles round trip. It is made up partially of raised boardwalk and gravel paths. The beginning of the trail is a raised boardwalk and as soon as we started I spotted an armadillo shuffling along next to the walkway. We watched him for a few minutes then he ducked under the boardwalk. Dennis was the alligator look out and he spotted several along the way. We also saw a heron, a rabbit, a gecko and an eagle.

Armadillo

Alligator 

Krewe du Velo Parade?

Sundays Temps: High 78º, Low 62º

Another warm and humid day today. Not unwelcome as this is what we came down here for. Did not have any touristy plans today. Wanted to get some shopping and wash done. I decided to make a loaf of bread this morning. Did not want to heat up the camper by starting the oven so baked in the dutch oven. Turned out pretty good but need to remember next time to put more coals on the bottom and fewer on the top.

Honey Oatmeal Bread

Once the bread was done we headed to a seafood market just a few blocks from the entrance to the campground. They have a variety of fresh fish and shell fish. They had cray fish, blue crab, shrimp, red fish, red snapper and several other kinds of fish. We purchased 2 pounds of jumbo shrimp for $5.50/pound. Then went to Petsmart to get buddy some dog food and then the grocery store.

Sorting Cray Fish

Fresh Shrimp

It was 5 o'clock by the time we got back. We then had to head and clean the shrimp. We made a pasta dish with fresh shrimp, lemon, basil and spinach. With a Jazz station playing on the radio it was just like eating in a fancy restaurant. While we were eating we heard a commotion outside. Coming down the park road was a group of bicyclist with their bikes all lite up. I think it was a bike Krewe! It was pretty cool.

Shrimp Lemon Pasta

Bicycle Parade

Never did get to the wash. Oh well. There is always tomorrow.

Krewe du Vieux parade

Posting this on Sunday as I was too tired to write anythng last night.

Saturdays Temps: High 76º, Low 61º

Today (Saturday) we planned to attend the Krewe du Vieux parade which starts at 6:30 p.m. The parade route is thru the French Quarter so we figured it would be really interesting there this evening.

We ate breakfast at the camper then just hung out for the morning. On Friday I received a message from another RVillage member notifying me they were in the park. We walked over to their site and chatted with them for a while. This couple just recently moved to Lake Geniva, Wisconsin from California. What? They plan on snowbirding just like us. Ok! Once back at the camper we left to head to the French Quarter.

As you can imagine parking is at a premium in downtown New Orleans and the French Quarter and is expensive. We opted to drive to and park at the Algiers Ferry Terminal and take the ferry across the river. It drops you off at the end of Canal street and then it is just a short walk into the French Quarter or downtown. The fee is $2 per person each way. The last trip on Saturday is 11:30 P.M. We arrived at the ferry in the early afternoon and found a free spot on the street about 2 blocks from the ferry. When we got back to our truck the streets were parked full for several blocks. It pays to arrive early!

New Orleans from the ferry

Once off the ferry we visited the The Outlet Collection at the Riverwalk which is an indoor mall adjacent to the river. The rest of the afternoon we spent walking around the French Quarter. Dennis even got chosen to represent the “rich white guys” in a street performance. He was really good sport and did not even resist! We ate dinner at Cafe Pontalba adjacent to Jackson Square. Dennis had a Cajun Pasta dish and I had a combo of Jambalya, Gumbo and crayfish pie. It was all yummuy! We each had a fruity drink as well.

The volunteers...um victims!

What did I get myself into!?

From there we headed over to the spot we had picked out in front of the Louisiana Court House on Royal Street to watch the parade. It is right next door to the New Orleans Police Department. How convenient! We waited about 1.5 hours for the parade to reach us. In the meantime chatted with people and watched the crowd which was fascinating. The parade was interesting. The floats looked homemade and had lots political satire. More than a few shots at President Trump. It ended around 8:30 p.m. We were tired so headed back to the camper. Parking at the ferry worked out well as once we got across the river there was very little traffic.

Street crowd

Balconies and bead throwers

Crowd on the street before the parade

Parade float

Crowd and New Orleans skyline