"Today is a Good Day to Drive!" .....Van-Go

After playing the grooves off their new CD it was wonderful to see Shan Kowert and Annie Acton in person. One of the best fiddle/guitar players at Luckenbach, Levi Darr joined them. They each greeted us when they entered the Luckenbach bar with hugs and handshakes. Shan and Annie are singer/songwriters and are the best of new folk-country in Texas as far as we are concerned. Go to their site http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=150305923 and listen to some of their songs; you too will fall in love with their music. Expect to see them on the charts soon! Thanks for signing our CD Annie.

Danny Terry greated us with a big smile when we walked in. Luckenbach is still the same with legends and newbies all the same pickin' and a jamin'. We met Lorna, Danny's girlfriend. Another evening Dale Mayfield hosted the jamin'; he is one of many great singers that frequent Luckenbach. Cowboy Doug hosted yet another evening of great music with a surprize visit from Thomas Michael Riley. When we left that night Cowboy Doug graced us we a copy of his CD.

Walt Perryman is a story teller and the stories all start or end with, "True story!" Seated with the crowd at Luckenbach a pause will come in the music jam and Walt stands. He begins; the room gets quiet as Walt weaves his true tales in rhyme capturing everyone and taking them along on his memory. Walt gave us a copy of his new CD and even came to the Roadtrek for a short tour. We love you Walt!

November 24, 2006 It was a day to visit with friends at LBJ so we headed over to the farm. There were people coming and going; today was filled with activity. Children were invited to make a cedar wreath, wax candle and decorate a sugar cookie. Virginia and Steve were down at the farm with volunteers so we had a nice visit. Iris, Park Superintendent came along with her two boys. After checking on the chickens, three big pigs, fine looking turkeys and calves we headed to the visitor center. Zee was working the desk and gave us a warm welcome. Last year Mrs. Ladybird Johnson died; the house was donated to the National Park and they are restoring it. The west wing office will be open next year to celebrate the 100th year of President Johnson. Valerie just happened to be in town; she and Dave have moved to Oklahoma where Dave is manager of the Custer National Historical Park. Beverly happened to be in the office; she had surgery and is awaiting a liver transplant (Keep her in your prayers)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDcHOxiWjf4 Above is the link to "Ship Travels the St. Clair River" video that has received a new comment. The video joins "Niagra Falls", "Kathy on Segway in Shreveport,LA", and "Tiger Cubs at Pittsburgh Zoo" with five star ratings! You can these and other videos by clicking our Movie Gallery to the right.

What better way to end Thanksgiving dinner! http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=HY27482779 (by the English artist Jacquie Lawson) Special thanks to CarolAnn for this one. Kathy's favorite pumpkin pie recipe follows the Libby can directions but adds a mix of brown sugar, flour and cinnamin to the top before baking.

November 23, 2007 We got up and between sips of coffee we took apart drawers and pockets looking for our TX State Park pass. It was nowhere, but Will did find the receipt and Kathy found the discount camping coupons. We left our nitch in the trees and headed toward the Huntsville State Park. They would not accept our receipt, but let us go in to look around and take showers. The water was nice and hot on this cold day that felt good. We relaxed and enjoyed breakfast. Will called the Judge about the citation, but the office is closed for the holidays. We stopped at the Sam Huston Headquarters and talked with them a bit; still have to call the magistrate. About 60 miles east of Austin we drove through Carmine, TX; Kathy’s sister is named Carmine after their Dad. We drove around town taking pictures of everything named Carmine: Carmine State Bank, Carmine hardware store, Carmine Park and Carmine Volunteer Fire Department. The rest of the day we were on a mission to get to Fredericksburg.

November 22, 2007 Turkey Day! It was a cold autumn day in the Sam Houston National Forest north of Huston. We stayed inside most of the day working on the calendar and puttering around looking for our State Park pass, the size of a credit card. Will went to start up the outdoor propane stove to find we were out of the fuel and he would have to cook inside. He put our Cornish hen in the heavy pan with some oil and spices and let it slowly roast. Meanwhile Kathy cut up onion and celery that Will added to the stuffing. Then she cut up some fresh cranberries and sweetened them with sugar. We set the table outside in a sunspot, but before we could enjoy our meal the clouds and cold breeze came. We moved inside and enjoyed our Thanksgiving dinner in our nice warm Roadtrek, ending our meal with pumpkin pie- not as good as Kathy’s homemade. We did up the dishes and played some Scrabble. Will was in the back working some Kakuro; Kathy was up front playing solitaire on the computer when bright l

November 20, 2007 Today is a good day to drive! We were on the interstate when we noticed that traffic was backed up and the exit an open roads called us. The radio announcer was giving a traffic report; I10 from Lafayette to Baton Rouge was closed due to a gas explosion. Good thing we got off! We traveled the smaller roads south and west. Pierre Part was right on the Bayou and we enjoyed breakfast there watching a small houseboat being put into the water. Louisiana doesn’t have the best small roads, but the traffic is not at a standstill either. We were on US90 when all of a sudden traffic was backed up, a parking lot! Officers were redirecting traffic onto side roads and around an accident with a truck filled with freshly cut cane. The cane truck was sprawled across the median and several cars and a truck were in the ditch. East of Lake Arthur on route 14 we saw them coming by the dozens, flocks circling to land by the hundreds-Snow Geese. As we got closer and small crop duster plane

November 19, 2007 The sun is warm over the Wal-Mart parking lot. Kathy’s throat feels raw. We washed up dishes, had some coffee and headed west. In Biloxi we saw the rebuilding. We liked the grand live oaks still standing strong. So much along the coast here is cleared of debre, but nothing is yet rebuilt. We parked along the Gulf shore and soaked in a few rays of sunshine and the air warmed up quite a bit. Breakfast was the usual, twigs and berries. Then we continued west. At the Stennis NASA Tour center we stopped to have dinner. The center was closed, darn. We enjoyed a few games of Boggle instead of touring. We then got on the interstate and drove to the Baton Rouge Wal-Mart for the night. The movie tonight was Pearl Harbor. There was a scene with the bunkers Justin took us to with photos inside of all the movies made there.

November 18, 2007 After shopping at the Wal-Mart, we went to the National Seashore on Perdido Key. The barrier island is mostly fine white sand with tiny seashell exposed by the winds. There were lots of dead fish making the beach smelly. The Ranger said it was due to “red tide” that causes the eyes to burn and the microscopic spores to get get into your throat. The dead fish were mostly mackerel. We didn’t stay long. Crossed into Alabama and continued west across the island to the Mobile Bay Ferry and crossed over to Dauphin Island. From there we drove into Mississippi and stopped when we got to Pascagoula and the Buffalo Wild Wings—trivia and Steelers football. Kathy got on the board a few times; the Steelers lost to the Jets. Next-door was the Wal-Mart. We watched City Slickers. About midnight Kathy bolted straight up with a burning sensation in her throat. The only word she could get out was, “water”. Will use to jumping up to help relieve the occasional leg cramp, wondered what sh

November 17, 2007 Comfort Inn Wifi occupied us for some time this morning after leaving the Walmart. A short distance down the road we found the Gulf Islands National Seashore. Our trip to the visitor center was fun. Kathy pulled on pulleys showing how different woods weigh; the two-foot square block of life oak was the heaviest thus good for early ship building. The orientation film, a movie of still pictures showing the mainland, ocean, barrier islands, bayou and all that goes on between and amongst them gave us one new piece of information: waves come in every 12 seconds! We will have to time them. We did pick up on a little history. It was in the early 1500s tha early Europeans visited the northern Gulf of Mexico. They found American Indians settlements thriving. There was a long stuggle for the control of this region between Spanish, French and English. Eventually, Florida and Mississippi joined the United States. In 1825 the US government began to develop Pensacola as a naval bas

November 16, 2007 We got up really early, 7am and the sun was just coming up over the trees. We were on the road by 7:30. The air is crisp and the sun is hot; should warm up to a nice day. Jasper had gas for just 2.98. Madison had a really fancy County Courthouse and Monticello’s courthouse was right in the center of town with a traffic circle around it. We had our tires rotated at Discount Tire in Tallahassee then enjoyed lunch at Subway. Outside Tallahassee we jumped on I10W to make up some time, but decided that the interstate had too many trucks so moved to route 90 and continued west. There was a picnic area in DeFuniak Springs where we made some dinner and watched a movie then continued to drive into the night. Traveling along US98 we made it to Fort Walton Beach, found the Wal-Mart-East and crawled into bed. It was about 2am when we were awakened to a sharp knock on the door and lights in the front window. A voice announced, “Sheriff’s office, open up.” Will said loudly, “I’m ge

November 15, 2007 The sun came up and we departed Waldorf heading south on US1 which brought us to Okefenokee Swamp. Puddles of black water with alligators swimming around. We drove into the park where they offer tours but no one was about, nor was anything open. We drove on. Folkston was a great stop. They have a Railfan stage where one can sit with other fans of railroad watching and wait for trains to pass, listen to dispatchers, and share train stories. The bathroom is clean and they even offer free wifi. We enjoyed breakfast, watched a passenger train chug past, listened to dispatchers talk of work along the tracks, used the restroom and wifi, and had a nice little visit. We finally found the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. About two miles back a paved road lined with long-needled pine trees thinned with palm bushes growing under them, was the Visitor Center. The building was fairly new with great exhibits. One area put you under the swamp looking up at the rump of an alligat

November 14, 2007 After some shopping we drove into Savannah, GA. We skipped Tybee Island lighthouse; we were there in 2001. We decided to pass on the Oatland Island Wildlife Center where the wild thing roam, the Bass Pro Shop “where adventure starts”, the Roundhouse Railroad Museum, a family friendly facility with boxcars filled with activities and Old Fort Jackson, a National Historic Site. Instead we parked down on the riverfront and walked around. At the River Street Sweets we nibbled pralines. Stopped in the little town of Ludowici at a little park just off the main street and made tilapia for lunch along with a garden salad. After our meal we challenged each other to a game of Boggle. Justin bought us the game a few years back for Christmas. It is right up our alley; a word game with letter dice. You roll the dice and then write down words as fast as you can; when the timer goes off you compare lists, count up the letters of the words you partner didn’t get to see who had the mos

November 13, 2007 We had coffee, went for a morning constitutional and had breakfast sitting in the sun. A hunter who had stopped our first day here drove past and chatted with Will for a time. Seems the spot we are in is not the safest; there is a fourteen day free Forest campground not far from here. Tomorrow is dog-hunting day. We had already decided to pull out today. Spent the morning putting the van back together and cleaning while we went along organizing. Kathy ran the sweeper; Will changed the oil in the generator and we both put things away. Snack today was peanut butter cheese crackers and diet soda. Today is a good day to drive! A four-foot medium girth rattle snake blocked our departure. It’s rattle was about 2-3 inches long; its head was up and his tongue tested the air. We tried to encourage him to leave the road, but even the sound of the horn didn’t give him reason to more so we just drove around leaving him to gather the warmth of the gravel. Lunch was imitation crabm

November 12, 2007 It was really cold last night. Inside was 45 and outside was in the low 30s. Will got up once and started the Roadtrek and ran it for about fifteen minutes to warm things up so that the pipes wouldn’t freeze. Kathy got up about five and did the same thing. By nine in the morning the sun was shining and the temp outside was in the low 50s in the shade. Will made us some coffee, we sat in the sun and ate breakfast. Then we sat a bit more reading and puzzleing. Another hour we worked on our Mexico Scrapbook. We took a morning walk. Then it was time for lunch. We worked on next years calendar. And then it was time for dinner. We watched the smoke rise and the coals glow for a while after dishes. Stars came out; the air got cold. Inside we watched The Family Man with Nicholas Cage and Tia Leoni. It was getting cold inside too; it was about 48 degrees. We crawled under the covers with our featherbed , thanks Sueann, and were nice and warm all night long.

November 11, 2007 We set up camp in a recently cleared area. There were branches with green needled and small trunks; all of the “good” wood was taken. But for our little campfire and smoker there was more than enough laying about. The immediate area is cut pretty clear all the way to the ground, but beyond our camp trees were selectively cut leaving many tall slender trunks reaching for the sky with long needles stretching out at the tops. We have our awning our and surrounded with camo-screening. In our little screened in room sit our two tables, one for sitting at and one for counter space, and our two plastic chairs. Will has the cook stove out back. We are set. Thoughout the day we moved the table and chairs about to keep up with the tracking of the sun. We read, puzzled and journaled a bit. We spent about an hour listening for sounds of the forest. Two long walks, one in each direction, gave us plenty of exercise. We started our scrapbook of our Mexico trip last winter and got tw

November 10, 2007 We sat at the Walmart in Myrtle Beach for most of the morning. Will had the high temp last night that Kathy had yesterday. By lunch we were both feeling better. We bought a roasted chicken and ate half then headed for Myrtle Beach. The day had warmed up nicely and we walked along the beach. This beach must be very crowded during the summer season. Even though it is cool there are lots of people We found some shells with holes in them and remembered our lesson learned from the NC Aquarium that a moon snail drills that hole and sprays in an acid then sucks out the liquid food leaving the shell for us. Time for some road time; we drove down US17 into Francis National Forest. We found a great little road off a little road off the main road. It ended in a cal de sac and that is where we set up camp…real camp.

November 8, 2007 The North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher was a great adventure. We came head to head with an alligator, touched stingrays and horseshoe crabs, met a baby Loggerhead turtle and heard his story, listened to a scuba diver talk about the sharks and fish in the tank with him, smiled with a moray eel, watched an octopus feed, and built a paper tube squid. It was sunset as we crossed the intra coastal water on the ferry at Cape Fear. We arrived in Southport and found the marina where we had dinner and…yep, watched West Wing episodes.

November 7, 2007 The sun came out and warmed us up. We had been 44 degrees inside, but nice and warm under the blankets. Picked up a few things from Wal-Mart and made a stop for gas-$3.05ppg- and began our drive south on rt258 to the coast. Wrightsville, NC is across the Intra coastal waterway (We dreamed of traveling here soon) and on the Atlantic Ocean. We walked along the beach at low tide. There were piles of crumbled shells, some shiny and polished from years of tossing in the sands. We found a McDonalds and filled our need form some greasy foods. Then we continued south. The Masonboro Walmart didn’t have the camera we were looking at so we picked up a few Fuji apples. At check out we learned that the manager had been stabbed chasing a robber. The manager was being transferred, as it is Walmart policy not to chase robbers. The stabber is being let go. What is our country coming to? We drove through Carolina Beach State Park and sat at the intra coastal waterway waiting to see a bo

November 6, 2007 The morning was slow. Sitting in the Roadtrek Kathy journaled while watching “A Bug’s Life” with Stella. Will took advantage of indoor pluming at Jill’s. After the movie Kathy played a gazillion games of Candy Land sorting the cards by color and number after each game. Then between tea parties she downloaded pics from Jill’s camera. After lunch we gave hugs and drove off with Jill running along beside…she is going to run a marathon on Saturday with her sister, Jen, and husband, Nate. The trip south was uneventful as we crossed into North Carolina. The most exciting this was when another Roadtrek from Ontario past us and everyone waved. We found a church parking lot outside Kinston where we made dinner and watched West Wing then drove to the Walmart.

November 5, 2007 We had such fun at Jill’s: A bonfire blazed in the back yard cage and everyone roasted marshmallows-haven’t done that in years. Stella would put her marshmallows on the stick and wave it in the direction of the fire and announce they was done; got to eat more that way. Rolled up our own Asian wraps with rice skins that you dip into hot water then spread out on a dish, pile in veggies and meat and dribble some hot spicy sauce over them, yum. Will was going to crawl under the house to close the vents as per Jill’s instruction. He had his trusty big flashlight, a gift from Forrest, to scare off the spiders and ooby goobies, but found that the vents all have little levers right outside each one. With sister Sueann pushing Silas in the stroller Kathy walked the neighborhood streets including all the cul-de-sacs to add more time and exercise to our outing. Took turns reading books and listening to stories. Had temper tantrums with Silas. Stella joined the girls for a real t

November 4, 2007 We woke to sunrise over the James River. Will had been up for hours playing Fate when Kathy joined him for coffee. The air is cold today, and brown crumbly leaves cover the areas under the trees and gathers in the quiet places. The Glasshouse stands on the grounds where early conlonists of Jamestown would have blown glass. Today the National Park Service has demonstrations of green glassware being blown. On our way to the parking lot we recognized another Roadtrek parked right beside us, a newer version from California. Before crossing the Jamestown Ferry security pulled us over. They used a mirror on a long handle and like the dentist checked our teeth…no checked under the Roadtrek. Then they had us open some compartments and checked them out. We cleared and the ferry arrived. We stopped in Machanicsville’s Walmart and bought a new camera, a Cannon with view finder and sound. We sat trying it out and our other new toy, Sirrus. Will discovered that the antenna needed t

We made it to Richmond and our visit with Jill and the kids was really great. We got another visit in with Kathy's sister, Sueann too. Oh, and we bought a new Cannon digital camera!

November 3, 2007 We woke to a windy fall day. Hot coffee was good. We drove off heading south doing a drive through of Kiptopeke State Park. The Virginia National Wildlife area provided us some entertainment: a flock of several thousand tree swallows flying around, diving, swooping, and a tornado of LBBs settling into the brush. Rocky and Jan Larken were the volunteers on duty and we chatted for some time sharing stories of travel and volunteering. Back in the early 50s ferries operated across Chesapeake Bay; in the early 60s the Cheapeake Bay Bridge –Tunnel opened to traffic and the ferries were discontinued. The project was selected as one of the Seven Engineering Wonders of the Modern World in 1965 In 1999 the second bridge-tunnel was open to traffic. For just $12 you get to go over and under Chesapeake Bay and for $5 more you can do a round trip. We stopped at Williamsburg and made some lunch, walked around the visitor center and decided to save it for a day that started earlier at

November 2, 2007 We woke to a view of the Ocean City Expressway; it was already mid morning and clouds were moving in. Will had gotten up at 4am and returned to bed because it was too cold; Kathy go up at 9am and took a little walk about. Will was getting up when she got back. We made some coffee and drove over to Ocean City across Big Assawoman Bay. The Golden Beach Condo in Ocean City was where we spent a week a two years ago and where we parked today. We walked along the boardwalk peeking in the few shops still open. Then we walked back butting into the headwinds along the beach. The waves were roiling. Tropical storm Noel is heading toward north pushing storm clouds our way. Assateague State Park, and Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and National Seashore, is a barrier island built by sand that persistent waves have raised from the ocean’s gently sloping floor. We did the drive through, saw some LBBs(little brown birds), a Great Blue Heron, gulls and a Bald Eagle. Twenty-three

November 1, 2007 Kathy was up first and did some journaling. When Will got up; we drove over to Rehoboth Beach for a morning constitutional. Many of you probably walk along the beach picking up shells. Well, we walked on the white sands with the waves of the Atlantic crashing in water and pulling back sand picking up feathers. Gulls and plovers seemed to be the ones preening with ducks, geese and cormorants flying overhead. We walked back along the boardwalk. It is a great place when there are so few people and the weather is wonderful. Blue skies, pufferbelly clouds and a warm breeze. We sat on a bench facing the ocean and enjoyed our breakfast, the usual twigs and berries, then walked the main street window shopping. Our favorite was a window filled with various shades of blue glass balls hanging. At Dolly’s Kathy bought two saltwater taffies and enjoyed the texture and flavor while Will got non para something or others, chocolate disks with colored sugars on top. A stop at the post

October 31, 2007 There was a knock on the window. Was it in Will’s dream or was it Jen and Troy leaving for work? We slept in til after nine, got up and enjoyed coffee. Thanks guys! We watched some high definition TV while internetting. Two little kitties curled on blankets and watched TV with us. Thanks so much Jen and Troy for a wonderful visit and letting us spend the morning hanging out at your place. It was about eleven when we headed south. Time went by fast and before we knew it we crossed the bridge into New Jersey. Cape May was where we finally stopped for lunch. We sat on the beach of Delaware Bay reading and listening to the waves lap up. By sunset we were on the Delaware, the Cape May-Lewes Ferry. After getting a few pictures we went inside and relaxed in the lounge. We tried parking at the terminal, but security stopped by to let us know there is no overnight parking so we drove about five miles to the Rohobeth Walmart only to find a no overnight parking sign. We drove on