She's My Tallahassee Lassie!

Thursday evening just before dusk, we took Sasha to the Pensacola Beach Dog Park. She's been known to run and play in the surf, so we thought we would give her an opportunity to do it again.

The surf was a little choppy since a cold front was approaching the area, and the wind was picking up.

While D and I were chatting with a young couple who had just moved to Pensacola from Hattiesburg, Mississippi with their two dogs, Kobo and Prissy, Sasha went at the play thing big time! Kobo is just a pup so he and Sasha had a great time rolling in the sand! Austin and his girlfriend had to get home since they needed to work the next day, so the playtime didn't last as long as Sasha would have liked, but she contented herself with her people.

We played until the sun began to sink into the horizon, then packed up our toys and left for home after snapping one last photo of Pensacola.

The cold front moved through overnight, with rain, lightning, and thunder. So much for washing the motorhome and car....

We left Pensacola this morning about 10 in a light drizzle that turned into a full fledged storm after getting back on I-10 East, so for a hundred and seventy miles or so we were driving in rain. We arrived in Tallahassee about 4 pm eastern, after having lost another hour, and set up "camp" in the rain. We're staying at Big Oak RV Park just a couple of miles north of town, because it was listed as being very close to the State Capitol complex that we want to visit. Big Oak is aptly named, and the rv sites are scattered throughout the grove of oaks.

Of the sites in the park, about 3/4 of them are used by long term residents; some working people, and some with an apparently uncertain future.... This is not quite the kind of park we would stay in as a rule, but for two nights, it's ok. We have been assigned site B10, which is plenty long and wide enough for Nessie and all her gear, but is completely and 100% out of level. When we tried to level the coach this afternoon, the front wheels were some 5" off the ground, a definite no-no, so we had to build up some ramps and blocks with supplies that we carry but hope never to use!

The weather has cleared as I write this, about 9:30 pm local, and the news pegs the temp at 68 degrees with 100% humidity. Could be an air conditioned night! Welcome to the South!

Kidnapped and Ransomed

Since I last posted, we've had a bunch of new (and sometimes not happy) experiences. Let me try to do this chronologically, ok?

I last posted on Saturday, when we did the Nostalgia Tour of Pensacola. On Sunday, that tour continued, when we drove west into Alabama and visited Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, and Foley. The beaches in this area are great, and we enjoyed walking on the sand. We like to take a different route home when we do these day trips, so we headed north to Foley, Alabama, to do a bit of shoe shopping at one of Donna's favorite shops, Sand Dollar Shoes. Unfortunately, there is also a huge outlet mall in Foley, so it was a two-stop shop. Sand Dollar is a store we visited years ago and found it to have a great selection of shoes and clothes. They have been so successful that they've expanded to a new location across the street in the mall, and have added two additional stores. Great! We were only able to decide on one pair of shoes (!), and got out of the store rather well, I thought. Lunch was upon us, so just down the street from the mall is the original location of Lambert's, the home of the Throwed Rolls. Only here it's pronounced "thow'ed". And yes, they do throw the rolls to you, from the aisle near your table or across the room, no matter, they are thow'ed! Lunch was good, the atmosphere was Cracker Barrel on steroids, and their gimmicks were amusing. For example, they have "Pass-arounds". In addition to your meal, young people wander the aisles serving fried potatoes, fried okra, boiled cabbage, macaroni and tomatoes, and, of course, the rolls. It's a "get what you want" thing, and we tried......potatoes, okra....and the rolls. The macaroni and tomato thing just didn't do it for us! Our entrees included chicken fried steak and chicken fingers. Not an every Sunday kind of place, but unique.

While we were in New Orleans, we discovered that several of the apps on the computer were no longer supported by the old operating system that we were using, so we set about preparing to install the latest OS. By Sunday evening, that task was completed, and I started configuring it. About 10 minutes into the process, the screen began flashing error messages, a voice demanded a call to Apple support to fix a severe security breach, and a "Apple tech support" phone number began flashing. Whoops! The computer is completely unresponsive to any command! I panicked and called the number, only to discover, after some time and with the help of Donna's friend Mary that we were the victim of "ransomware". When I called, the person guaranteed me that the problem could be fixed, and that I was in "good hands". When pressed to tell us what fixes were going to be performed, the answer was vague and had something to do with "installing Google Chrome". OK, I get it. Now my computer is infected, and I can't trust it anymore.

Fortunately, in midtown Pensacola, there is a computer store and Apple reseller called Graphicon. They are a certified Apple store, and were extremely helpful. They completely wiped the laptop and installed a new, certified version of the operating system. And they did it in record time...less than 24 hours! So I haven't been able to post while I'm setting things up with this new OS, but we've been busy seeing the sights, so I'll try to update.

Last Monday, we drove to NAS Pensacola. The US Navy has a huge air station here, as well as a complex of docks. Years ago, we toured the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy while she was in port, and thoroughly enjoyed it. This time we just cruised the area to see what changes had occurred since our last visit, and also as an excuse to have lunch at Sam's!

Sam's is a local favorite, with seafood from across the street: Joe Patti's! As you can see, Joe Patti has their own boat, and they sell fresh crab, fish, shrimp and the like caught the same day. It's a great place!

On the way home from lunch and our day trip, we stopped at Gulf Islands National Seashore, Naval Live Oaks Visitor's Center. Located just east of Gulf Breeze, FL,  this preserve of historical live oak trees was established in the days of sailing ships to protect the supply of oak timber used in building ships. The Visitor's Center is small, but informative, and has a large outdoor deck with a view of the surrounding trees and Santa Rosa Sound.

Tuesday last, we took a short drive east of our park, Santa Rosa RV Resort in Navarre, to Fort Walton Beach, Destin, and Miramar Beach. These are some of the most beautiful beaches in the world! Have I said that already?

The beaches are ringed with high-rise condos, but are, for the most part, open to the public.

Even with all the activity of people going and coming, a very tiny gecko manages to hold on to a wooden railing!

We stopped at the Whales Tail for a light lunch of peel and eat shrimp and a chicken wrap on the patio with a great view.

And then stopped at one of a dozen or so Alvin's Island stores for some much needed beach chairs and flip flops!

Ahhh, life in the slow lane....

We missed the sunset that night, but relaxed on a nice warm evening watching the lights across the sound in Navarre Beach.

On Wednesday, we drove west past Pensacola Beach to the ruins of Fort Pickens. A huge facility kept in a state of arrested decay, it is fascinating to contemplate the methods of naval warfare in the 17 and 1800's. All about brute force and awkwardness, I think.

We stopped for a few hours on Langdon Beach to catch a little sun and sand and watch the fishermen lined up along the shore. Charter boats were cruising back and forth a hundred or so yards off-shore, and a couple of dozen fishermen had multiple fishing rods in use, so the fish must have been biting!

What more can I say?

The beach is not well known for large shells, but we had to look, nevertheless. These beaches are made of such a fine white sand that as you walk the sand "squeaks" with every footstep!

Taking the long way home through Navarre Beach, we saw miles and miles of white sand beaches. Near the town of Navarre Beach, the condos appeared again, but the beaches continued to be beautiful!

So there you have it. It's been a week of ups and downs. We still don't have the computer figured out yet, but we're gaining on it. The iPad and the phones are not syncing properly with the new OS, but we'll get it figured out. Tomorrow we leave the beach temporarily and head inland to the Florida State Capitol, Tallahassee, to see what kind of mischief we can get into there!

Nostalgia

Saturday, today, we drove into downtown Pensacola and nosed around. Our daughter and her family lived here for several years, and we had the pleasure of visiting them several times. It's been awhile since then, and we wanted to revisit some of the places we remember with great fondness.

Our daughter lived in a '40's house in an area called East Hill. These brick homes have been kept in great condition for the most part, and are lovely examples of post-war homes.

One of the favorite haunts in town for coffee and breakfast is Bagelheads! An extensive selection of bagels and coffee drinks make this a spot to stop and visit anytime of the day. We had sampled their food in times past, but wanted to visit for old time's sake. The t-shirt selection was a little low today, so we weren't able to get a tie-dyed shirt from them that commands: Feed Your Head!

For a late lunch/early dinner we stopped at McGuire's Irish Pub. Our daughter and I had dinner here one evening years ago during some particularly hard times for the both of us. Sometimes a dress up date is just the thing to help get through a situation, and we both had a nice evening.

Today, being Saturday, was very busy for McGuires.

The $1 bills tacked to the ceiling at McGuires is a tradition dating back to 1977, when Molly McGuire first opened the restaurant. She tacked her first dollar to the wall for good luck, and friends have added to the collection over the years until now over a million dollar bills adorn the ceiling. Today, donors are welcomed as honorary Irishmen with great fanfare and receives a card declaring him/her to be an official Irishman!

Donna was contemplating the dessert list when I snapped this photo. Some of the bills are visible behind her!

We ordered two dishes of Irish comfort food: Donna had Shepards Pie and declared it to be fabulous, and I followed with Steak and Mushroom Pie. Both were cooked in small cast iron pans, and were absolutely delish! The Shepards Pie contained big chunks of meat, and the Steak and Mushroom Pie was baked in a wine sauce with a light and airy puff pastry on top with a Shamrock cut into it! A small loaf of hot buttered brown bread accompanied our meal, and bread pudding finished both us and the meal!

On the way back to Navarre, we had to stop and visit Pensacola Beach. One of the most famous Florida beaches, it is also where Jim Cantore from the Weather Channel broadcast his minute by minute hurricane updates.

Even though a bit cloudy, the beach was filled with people enjoying the warm day.

The Florida Gulf Coast beaches are world renown for their talcum powder sand. Imagine the worlds largest hour glass, and you have an inkling of the texture of the sand!

Tomorrow we're off for more adventures. Stay tuned!

A Four State Day

Lying two hundred and twenty four miles east of New Orleans, Pensacola, Florida holds many memories for us, and so we've elected to stay in this area for a week. We left Ponchatrain Landing RV Resort in a light rain but with an onshore wind of about 20 mph. We were concerned initially about traveling across the section of I-10 that crosses Lake Ponchartrain, but it turned out to be cake. Five and a half miles of open water kinda got our attention, but the wind became steady and was therefor easy to account for while driving.

Safely over the lake, the Interstate settled down to mile after mile of highway cut through dense forests and swamps.

Soon enough we left Louisiana and entered the great state of Mississippi!

Another few miles, and we were in Alabama!

Now, Alabama has a wealth of wonderful places to visit and things to see, but for us the highlight of the state today was going through the George Corley Wallace Tunnel that goes under the Mobile River. The sections of tunnel were built by the Alabama Drydock and Shipbuilding Company and floated into place. It was a bit narrow and the western approach required a slow speed, but eventually we saw the light at the end!

Continuing on I-10, we eventually came to the Florida state line.

A few weeks ago when we started calling rv parks in the Pensacola area, we discovered that this time of year is called "the season". meaning that rates go up and availability goes down. Our park of choice became the Santa Rosa RV Resort in Navarre, Florida, some 25 miles east of Pensacola, which meant that we had to cross Pensacola Bay to get to the Navarre, Fort Walton Beach, and Destin area.

Our site number in the park is 69, one of the longest available. Nessie is parked on a concrete pad, with a nice concrete patio in outside. The utilities are fine, with good wifi and water pressure. A fenced dog park is a big plus and neighbors who have the same kind of dog is the icing on the cake!

We are parked one row back from the waterfront sites, but it's a big plus because our large front window looks out onto Santa Rosa Sound and the vacation condos on the barrier island.. If we had chosen a waterfront site, we would have needed to back in, negating the view, and paid an additional $20 per night. No brainer!

It's a nice park, if a bit expensive for our taste, and will serve us well for the next week.

Rain, Rain….

Yesterday it rained. I can't think of a better way to say it. Thunder, lightning, wind and rain were the order of the day. At 10 am, New Orleans had received 4.33" of rain just over night! And rain continued off and on all day. Except for a trip into Cafe du Monde for a cup of Cafe au lait and a plate of beignets. The coffee is blended with chicory (a result of a coffee shortage during the Civil War), and which adds a chocolate flavor to the drink. The Acadians brought coffee with them from Nova Scotia in the 1700's along with other French customs including beignets, a square piece of dough, fried, and covered thickly with powdered sugar. Beignets are the only food item on the menu of the Cafe du Monde, as they are committed to "keeping things the way they've always been".

Cafe du Monde has been in business since 1862 in the same location. The building, originally built by the Spanish in 1791 and called "The Butchers Hall" was damaged in 1812 by a hurricane. Rebuilt in 1813, it continues to serve locals and tourists alike just like they've been doing for years! They now have an online presence and eight satellite locations. The original location was not heavily damaged during hurricane Katrina, but the owners took the opportunity to refurbish the eating and kitchen areas. Six weeks after Katrina, the cafe opened to nationwide press as an indication that New Orleans was on the way back.

Today the weather was a bit better. Rain and lightning over night gave way to partly cloudy skies at midmorning, so a walk along the Mississippi River seemed to be a great way to enjoy the warm weather.

The paddle wheeler Natchez is docked along the Riverwalk, and is available for tours of the river.

The Mississippi is also a highway for ocean going ships. We caught a glimpse of this bad boy motoring along at quite a fast pace. I guess they know what they're doing! This particular ship appeared to be an ore-carrier from the Great Lakes, but more likely was carrying grain or chemicals.

After watching film-flam artists work the dock, we headed off for lunch. By the way, the scam o' the day seemed to be a promise to tell a person where they "got their shoes". After a fast talking and very involved intro, the victim learned that they "got their shoes on their feet", and that will be $20, please. Don't laugh! It was so entertaining to watch that the twenties were flying out like machine gun bullets!

On Arabella St, the restaurant Frankie and Johnny's had been recommended to us. This local eatery was opened in 1942 by Johnny Moreale and his brother in law Frankie Gaudin. They were successful feeding dock workers and merchant men who made a living on the waterfront. Johnny's warm personality became the hallmark of the restaurant, and the atmosphere continues today, with friendly "service with a smile".

We sampled Red Beans and Rice with Sausage, and a cup of seafood gumbo and a half Po Boy sandwich.

Across the street from Frankie and Johnny's is a beautifully restored "shotgun" house. We ate outside on the covered patio and admired the home.

Our taste of some of New Orleans' old homes caused us to want to take a side trip down St Charles St. This area is home to an iconic streetcar system and some of the most beautiful homes in the city.

Since traffic on the narrow street was congested, we were unable to stop and really enjoy the sights. Parking was almost nonexistent, and street construction complicated the situation. We had to content ourselves with a great many "ohhhs", and "ahhhs", as we passed by!

This has been the last full day in New Orleans for us this trip. While the city is packed with things to do and see, it is also a monumental tourist trap. Congested highways and one-way streets, along with expensive and minimal parking, lead to a stressful experience. Add in several inches of rain, and we're kinda happy to be movin' on!