Dauphin Island, Alabama

February 16, 2014

Dauphin Island is a 14 mile-long barrier island situated off the Alabama Gulf Coast. 

Dauphin Island thrives upon its’ emphasis on low-key, family oriented vacations. Forget road congestion, water parks and outlet malls – the island doesn’t even have need for a traffic light. Instead, envision bike paths, walking trails, miles of white sandy beaches and simplicity centered upon outdoor recreation and the environment. Dauphin Island is a true hidden gem of Alabama’s Gulf Coast

Dauphin Island has been named one of the top four locations in North America for viewing spring bird migrations. The campground we stayed at had access to the the Bird Sanctuary which consisted of 137 acres of maritime forest, marshes, and dunes, including a lake, a swamp, and a beach.  The three mile trail system within the Sanctuary has been designated as a National Recreational Trail. 

The Sanctuary is of vital importance because it is the largest segment of protected forest on the Island and the first landfall for neo-tropical migrant birds after their long flight across the Gulf from Central and South America each spring. Here these birds, often exhausted and weakened from severe weather during the long flight, find their first food and shelter. Of the 445 species officially documented in Alabama presently, 420 (95%) have been observed on the island. It is also their final stop before their return flight each fall. The Bird Sanctuary has allowed Dauphin Island to be recognized by the National Audubon Society as being “Globally Important” for bird migrations.

Fort Gaines
The well-preserved ramparts of Fort Gaines have guarded the entrance to Mobile Bay for more than 150 years. Now a historic site, the Fort stands at the eastern tip of Dauphin Island where it commands panoramic views of the bay and the Gulf of Mexico. The Fort was recently designated as one of the Eleven Most Endangered Historic Sites in America due to on-going shoreline erosion.  The entrance was literally right out the door of our campsite.  We biked over there and then biked a couple of miles up the road to go get some BBQ for lunch.  

Fort Gaines is one of the key sites in the famous Battle of Mobile Bay where Admiral Farragut shouted his now-famous order, “Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!” The fort has original cannons, a blacksmith shop, kitchens, a bakery and lots of tunnels.  The blacksmith did some demonstrations for us and Tyler said he could have sat and watched him all day!  He was a nice young man, very well spoken, intelligent and he really just had a nice way about him. 

February 14th was the full Snow moon! No snow here, but these full moons are my favorite day of the month.  Normally, the moonrises at just the same time as the sun sets.  The light from the sun reflects off of the moon to give it the nice color.  

Moon rise 5:40pm Feb 14

Moon rise 6:10 pm Feb 14

Sunset 5:40pm Feb 14th 

Jack and I were back at it again and caught the moon setting at about 6:40 am on Feb 15th and the sunrise below at about the same time.  Jack and I doing mine and Kelly's signature sunrise shot!

We met a nice couple from Illinois camping next to us and when we arrived back from our day out biking and exploring, I had heard Steve playing a string instrument on his lap. I found out it was a dulcimer (The Appalachian dulcimer (or mountain dulcimer) is a fretted string instrument of the zither family, typically with three or four strings) so I hung out and chatted with them and listened to his music while Scott made some more cinnamon swirl bread.  Maybe I will take up a small instrument in my old age like a ukulele or a mandolin...

And here is a final photo of us on the island.

We have arrived in Florabama...slowly making our way home.  Although, by the looks of things, we could't come home even if we wanted too!

~Linda

Happy Valentine's Day

February 14, 2014

Today, we are on an island, and we’re staying here for a few days.  We went down to the beach, and it looked like some kind of building was there because it had a bunch of wood sticking out of the sand and some cement bricks too.  Then we started heading back, because we were going on a bike ride.  As we were heading back, my Dad was looking for some mushrooms.  He didn’t find much though.  I got on my new sneakers because my old ones were all soggy, wet, and never dried out.  We biked over to Pelican Point and there were a lot of pelicans!  My Mom said the moon was going to rise, and the sun was going to set here, and she needed a different camera.  We headed back and my Mom went back, this time with a coat.  Valentines was the day after, so I started righting the valentines.  Conveniently, I had rocks with hearts on them that I found on a different beach.  The next day, we all gave each other cards that we made.  My Mom gave me a panda card.  I gave my parents some and even my brother.  My Dad posted something on my Mom’s wall on Facebook.  I was really hoping it wouldn’t get emotional, but it sort of did.  I just looked away and played my video games.

~Jack

Jack was first up this morning to pass out his hand made Valentines. One for me,

For Scott

And this one for Tyler, titled the 3 Reasons why I like you.

I was able to make these and have them printed at the 1 hour photo :)

Tyler couldn't even finish reading his aloud, he was a bit emotional :)

I got a love letter on Facebook from Scott for the whole world to see, so I will post it here again so I have as part of our blog.

Linda, 

For over 13 years my love for you has grown as well as my friendship. I remember the day when you walked down that isle and I cried so uncontrollably as my love for you filled my heart and looking at how beautiful you were. I thought I was the luckiest man alive. Now 13 years later, I love you more and you are more beautiful than ever. I watch you with our two beautiful boys and realize not only are you still my perfect bride, but the perfect most loving, wonderful mother of our children.

When we started on this journey across this country, many people couldn't image spending 24/7 with their kids and their spouse. I had no doubt about our decision because our family was made from pure love. With this love we can endure anything and everything.

Happy Valentines Day to my true love and best friend,

Scott

Scott and I were reminiscing about Valentine's Day 10 yrs ago.  He bought me a minivan and I was expecting Tyler!  Shortly thereafter, I said lets go on a road trip! We met my sister and her family in Florida and brought the dog.  I remember saying NEVER AGAIN! More because the dog panted in our faces the entire way, but, it was just a long ride.  Look at us now! haha

Enjoying this little island we are on. More on that in another post.

Happy Valentine's Day!

XXOO

~Linda

Gulfport, MS

Feb 11-13

So Jack collaborated with me on this one...he would not let me edit it down either...just a warning...

Saying goodbye to New Orleans and hello to Gulfport, MS.  

click here to Watch Jack spell Mississippi with one i

When we arrived at Gulfhaven RV Resort, it was a good time to get some serious homework done.  I thought it would be fun to have a spelling test! The kids, not so much!  I think Scott should stick with the schooling and I will stick to the journaling and field trips. The kids watched a movie on evolution and we had some really intelligent conversation afterwards.  They are learning so much on the road and mostly from Scott.  We are fortunate that we have had this time together.  His main theme is always “question everything” and don’t just believe everything you read and what other people tell you.

For dinner we ate pasta with really spicy sausage that only my Dad could eat without scratching his tongue, licking the bread, and chugging down the water. The pasta and the bread were good though, really good, because the bread was homemade! 

Today we just hung out, I did my schoolwork and my Dad added a new thing to it.  He said I should watch a video from a site daily.  It’s called tromsite.com.  I watched one about science, and I liked it because it talked about what science really is.  At the end, it took speeches about science and made a song.  We also saw one called The Evolution of Everything.   

Tonight we are going to watch a movie. It’s about modern day pirates, called Captain Phillips. It was based on a true story. It said it was an action movie. They got that right! Tom Hanks was in it as Captain Phillips and he’s always in good movies. Somali pirates took over his ship and threatened to kill the crew because they wanted money.  I think they should’ve said please. Tom Hanks, (Captain Phillips), convinced them to leave with $30,000 dollars in cash. They left, but they took Captain Phillips hostage on a small rescue boat! They treated him pretty bad. I think they should’ve at least offered him water! It’s common decency! Eventually, the Navy SEALS saved him. 

~Jack

JACK: I got into bed after the movie was over, but it had some effect on us. My mom was feeling like she was on a lifeboat. I was feeling queasy with all this sea stuff and the bad weather was starting to arrive here. It turned out, something was inside of me that my body wanted to get out. It was coming out one way or another, whether I liked it, or not!  It was either the hard way, or… well, it was going to be gross either way. I got up, told my mom I was nauseous, and plopped onto the toilet seat. I fought against it, trying to get it out my bottom instead of my mouth. It was just a never-ending nightmare. Finally, I won the battle! I got it all out, fortunately, in the toilet. Then… the weather started getting rough, the tiny RV was tossed, if not for the courage of the fearless family, the RV would be lost. When the storm ended, we finally got some good night’s sleep.  (I think someone has been watching a lot of Gilligan’s Island on this trip!) 

we are the blue dot, left of center

Well, the RV did not get tossed, but we pulled in our slide out so the awning wouldn’t get damaged. It was thundering, lightening and pouring pretty good but the wind was pretty calm.  I think the wind is the scariest in an RV.  Here is a screenshot of the weather at the time! They were right on as they usually are in the exact moment that the weather is occurring!  It didn’t take too long to pass and the Tooth Fairy finally made an appearance after 4 lost teeth on this trip.  Last night was the first time anyone put a tooth under their pillow so they both got their payday!
    

We had a down day in the RV, kind of like a down day at home.  I worked on a Google Tour which you can find here click here and you will be redirected to Google Maps that maps our entire trip to date.

Scott made more bread...so good.  He made a honey wheat loaf too! He's spoiling us now.

~Linda & Jack

New Orleans!

February 11, 2014

En route to New Orleans, I caught the boys in this great moment. Best friends and still little boys, stuffed animals and all!  

We are staying at a resort just about 5 miles from the French Quarter on Lake Pontchartrain.  The nice part is that they have their own shuttle that drops you right in the French Quarter for a nominal fee.  Scout held down the fort and we didn't need to worry about a rental car or parking.  Traveling in an RV without a tow vehicle does limit us, but we seem to manage most of the time just fine and rent a car when we really need it.  

Truman Capote once described New Orleans as, "of all secret cities, the most secretive, the most unlike, in reality, what an outsider is permitted to observe." New Orleans' French Quarter may be its most secretive neighborhood. Here, in an area famous for its raucous nightlife and hedonistic abandon, there lives a community in love with the area's timelessness, its beautiful buildings and handcrafted details, its proximity to the river, and its quality as a great, walkable neighborhood of world-class restaurants and vibrant street life.

Since 1862, Cafe du Monde, a New Orleans landmark, has been the original French Market coffee stand serving cafe au lait and beignets. We waited in a long and patient line for about a half an hour.  The beignets are dropped into a bag full of xxx sugar and the boys shook them extra long to make sure every nook and cranny was filled with the sugar!  We found a great spot to listen to some street music and people watch while we indulged.

Founded in 1791, New Orleans’ French Market is the oldest public market in the country and has played a historic role in the development of the city’s economy. From the Native Americans who brought herbs and spices to African-Americans who brought coffee and pralines, the market has always been a popular trading post. Spanish, French, Italian, German and Caribbean immigrants have all mixed and mingled here to give birth to New Orleans’ unique culture.  I bought another hat and Jack and Scott bought some beads.  Tyler wanted lamb beads and they didn't have them so he took a pass.  Lets just say the beads are "very creative" and and much more evolved from the traditional yellow/green/purple beads  that you typically see.

After the market, we went over to Oceana Grill for some lunch.  We ordered some typical New Orleans fair like Jambalaya, red beans and rice, sausage and crab cakes.

And, right out the door of the restaurant was Bourbon Street.  We had to check it out and we thought it would be pretty tame in the middle of a Sunday afternoon, and it was.  Although, from the picture of Tyler he did see something most likely inappropriate but entertaining.  Oh boy...they are getting quite the education on the road!  I kept thinking...yup...Mother of the Year! hahaha

Hey, we’re in Nawlins Louisiana.  That’s to say New Orleans.  We watched a film on Hurricane Katrina.  It gave me a pretty good idea what it was like there, it was a jazzy area.  It was also the same as Las Vegas on the inside, but totally different on the outside.  We took a shuttle bus into the French Quarter.  The roads were crazy!  I couldn’t tell how they worked it out.  People were crossing the streets like crazy, bikes, horse drawn carriages, and Pedi cabs were in the same lane as the cars.  I was glad the RV wasn’t in there because I would have myself a mad Dad.  We started roaming the streets and there was just so much!  There was so much art, street performers, and tarot card readers.  We stopped when we saw a beignet line coming from a café our Mom had been talking to us about.  We didn’t care what they served as long as they had beignets.  We immediately got in the line.  Beignets are basically fried dough covered with powdered sugar.  They weren’t completely covered when we got them so we shook them up in the bag.  They were so good!  We ate to the sound of two street performers drumming.  Then, we were in search of a restaurant.  As we wandered, we saw some things that I would not like to tell you because, like I said, it was like Las Vegas in a way.  There was coffin on the ground with a dog in it.  There was a sign that said “NEEDS MONEY FOR A PROPER FUNERAL”  I felt sad but my Mom said it was fake.  The dog was just sleeping.  She said she would be crying if it was real.  When we found the restaurant the host took us to our seats and the Winter Olympics was on and they were skiing.  I ordered the Taste of New Orleans.  My Dad decided to get that too.  When we got our food, it was delicious!  I was starting to get achy on my legs and down.  We bought some pralines and then we took the shuttle bus home.

~Jack

We wrapped up the day up back at Jackson Square to watch the street performers and view the church up close. Few cities in the world are so identified by a building as is New Orleans. The city is instantly recognized by the cathedral and its position overlooking Jackson Square. The Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis King of France is the oldest Catholic Cathedral in continual use in the United States.

We had to try some pralines...

This dog was alive and well, but, jeez what people will do for a buck! They have a note there saying how they tire him out in the dog park first and the owner was quite affectionate towards the dog...it's just that first sight that gets you!  I made sure the kids knew it was alive and well…

Making breakfast was a bit challenging this morning for Scott.  As you can see, Scout was literally underfoot praying that he would drop some bacon into his watering mouth.  On a side note, the pungent aroma really does fill the RV up and there is nothing like getting out of the shower and wrapping yourself in a nice warm piece of bacon because that is what my towel smelled like!

We all loved New Orleans, but it's time to move on.  We are East of the Mississippi again.  Uncle Jack, if you are following along, we should be in your neck to the woods by next Monday, the 17th!

~Linda