tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8612649071332462692024-03-13T01:50:04.104-05:00Outside of Paris. . . a taste of travel through images and impressionswalterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01114679900780391200noreply@blogger.comBlogger365125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-861264907133246269.post-36768827931007896412018-02-20T20:52:00.001-06:002018-02-20T20:52:24.507-06:00Sometimes pictures will have to do<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When words and ideas elude one, then there's the next best thing </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: start;">N</span>ext post: As yet undetermined</span></div>
walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01114679900780391200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-861264907133246269.post-88729079554014685862018-02-13T20:04:00.001-06:002018-02-13T20:05:04.231-06:00Merriment comes to end for 2018 Mardi Gras<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjW-ghwjYkX0ep2PEbl_s-R6ggQpbu21u7jHqPcJ3oE0iWwqhUFdY0R2wXovRWAOvRW2OQNTRz7xG90l3Z-XS_DCNRHN6Ed6TgqFJso8VHWRIVb8RZ7F3OfQhCkB6fuAfok-BnT01Db5ec/s1600/IMG_2577.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjW-ghwjYkX0ep2PEbl_s-R6ggQpbu21u7jHqPcJ3oE0iWwqhUFdY0R2wXovRWAOvRW2OQNTRz7xG90l3Z-XS_DCNRHN6Ed6TgqFJso8VHWRIVb8RZ7F3OfQhCkB6fuAfok-BnT01Db5ec/s640/IMG_2577.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Revelers wrapped up celebrating <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mardi_Gras">Mardi Gras</a> as of midnight tonight (Tuesday).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are some places throughout the US where such a celebration is held, but mostly it is along the Gulf Coast between <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mardi_Gras_in_Mobile,_Alabama">Mobile</a> and <a href="http://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/">New Orleans</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Almost every town along the Mississippi Gulf Coast has at least one parade during the season.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Of course, New Orleans and Mobile both go big time for the annual event.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">Mardi Gras is also referred to as “Fat Tuesday.” It is the day where merriment reigns up until midnight with the <a href="https://www.catholiccompany.com/getfed/lenten-season-101/">Lenten</a> season begins on Ash Wednesday which leads to Easter.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">My wife and I don't usually take part in the celebration. There are any number of reasons, but even in our younger days we didn't make that many parades.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We know when the parades are taking place and manage to not get involved in the traffic problems.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are the other kinds of people who love the festivities and get totally involved.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And then some people don't want to even think about it and head off on a vacation far, far away.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Although New Orleans gets the most notoriety concerning the parades, Mardi Gras actually originated in Mobile AL.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For those out and about late on Tuesday, good luck and enjoy all the festivities while anticipating the Lenten season.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next post: February 20, 2018</span></div>
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walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01114679900780391200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-861264907133246269.post-87604084769222973112018-02-06T21:34:00.000-06:002018-02-06T21:34:04.478-06:00Beautiful day, great coffee house<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCS1bC1tRgQzpkAAEZK7TMEMtjTvOW9k4ELhE5ZcYoXDUUsEYcwWtNWU6DGENMT_pAcXbduPQ7crc3PZnsxF0ZNn8d7MJqzfu93IrvIfy3Dlmd6VS0A_7uhXZrHEKCmG57x_5x4ZI-gOZi/s1600/_DSC0067.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCS1bC1tRgQzpkAAEZK7TMEMtjTvOW9k4ELhE5ZcYoXDUUsEYcwWtNWU6DGENMT_pAcXbduPQ7crc3PZnsxF0ZNn8d7MJqzfu93IrvIfy3Dlmd6VS0A_7uhXZrHEKCmG57x_5x4ZI-gOZi/s640/_DSC0067.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">My wife and I enjoy checking out new coffee houses and the <a href="http://www.thesoutherngrind.com/">Southern Grind</a> just fit the bill on a recent trip to Orange Beach, AL.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We noticed the shop early last year on a trip to Pensacola, FL and the Gulf Shores, AL area.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Grind is located at a commercial complex called the <a href="http://www.alwharf.com/">Wharf</a>. Time constraints on our earlier trip didn’t allow for visiting the coffee house.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But on our recent trip over that way a couple weeks ago, we worked a visit into our schedule.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">During the earlier trip we were motoring around the area at night and the complex stood out in a surreal sort of way. We just had to return.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Wharf is located just east of where the Foley Beach Express bridge crosses the intracoastal waterway.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This visit was on a Saturday afternoon. The skies were clear, the wind cool and the day was beautiful. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">And the Southern Grind turned out to be a great stop on our day trip.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As usual my wife had hot tea and I ordered a vanilla latte, both which were very enjoyable.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">The business, in addition to the coffee shop, also offers home decor, art and gifts.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">There is also a second location at the Hotel Indigo on the beach highway in Gulf Shores.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next post: Feb. 13, 2018.</span></div>
walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01114679900780391200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-861264907133246269.post-47918692371579564432018-01-30T21:19:00.000-06:002018-01-30T21:19:27.464-06:00Mobile Bay's battle of the comma<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif5Uvbh9nHgJECbBn7BvCv-2d_6Zhh6ucyQuy87GzZTY01mStNfbiPjnL0elrUlvwsMwhX3yWGLAPeKIbr0_sfmlmX9UqfGm9Y7MLKy4MdyY24vRrUL6UfBbf-mBDs3zL6OwGjy4ncTCBO/s1600/_DSC0018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif5Uvbh9nHgJECbBn7BvCv-2d_6Zhh6ucyQuy87GzZTY01mStNfbiPjnL0elrUlvwsMwhX3yWGLAPeKIbr0_sfmlmX9UqfGm9Y7MLKy4MdyY24vRrUL6UfBbf-mBDs3zL6OwGjy4ncTCBO/s640/_DSC0018.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My wife and I took a Sunday afternoon jaunt recently.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: center;">Our trip took us over to Dauphin Island in Alabama and then by <a href="http://mobilebayferry.com/">ferry</a> to a landing and highway that led to Gulf Shores, AL.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Historians who cross the mouth of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Mobile_Bay">Mobile Bay</a>, and probably a lot of locals, harken back to a time and a phrase that became well-known because of an incident here during the Civil War.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And it had to do with Yankee <a href="http://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/battle-of-mobile-bay">Admiral David Farragut </a>and torpedoes, the stationary kind that sit in the water and explode when a ship comes into contact with it, unlike today’s torpedoes that are fired from a submarine or other such vessel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But, you may ask, what do torpedoes have to do with crossing this particular body of water.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Well, there’s a well-known phrase about the area that was believed to have been uttered by Yankee Admiral David Farragut.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">You see, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Mobile-Bay">Farragut </a>and his Naval group were soon to be engaged in an excursion that became the Battle of Mobile Bay back on August 5, 1864.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Farragut’s force included 18 warships while the Rebels had four ships that included the CSS Tennessee which was said to be the most powerful ironclad afloat.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">On this particular Sunday, we boarded the ferry on <a href="http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/mobilebay.html">Dauphin Island</a> that crossed the mouth of the bay and docked near Fort Morgan, which was also a Rebel fort.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sunday was a nice, clear, brisk day. There were a few boats making their way across the bay while some service boats were tied up to the few natural gas rigs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We survived the crossing, unlike some of Farragut’s ships.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Well, back to that phrase that seems to be so powerful.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The placement of commas can make a lot of difference in a saying.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Maybe Farragut was heard correctly, then again maybe someone missed the possible pause which would have denoted where a comma should have been placed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The well-known phrase is “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But maybe it was heard differently then changed because it sounded more forceful.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What about the meaning if the comma was put into a different place, like “Damn, the torpedoes, full speed ahead.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Farragut survived the battle and his phrase lives on.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Next post: Jan. 30, 2018</span></div>
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walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01114679900780391200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-861264907133246269.post-43871888068676183072018-01-23T21:24:00.002-06:002018-01-23T21:24:41.429-06:00Fond farewell to Christmas, 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Holiday scenes shot at Bellingrath Gardens outside of Mobile, AL</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Next post: January 30, 2018</span></div>
<br />walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01114679900780391200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-861264907133246269.post-49041859614550720702018-01-16T21:16:00.000-06:002018-01-16T21:16:05.662-06:00Still a little bit of holiday cheer<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ku-Z5J_ti7c1BTpUTx8IUWXYzt1rfmmIj5yeE_J0GPgrMv7Xo00No5xFKR_4VsDfKd9Z_ZCwl3FC9NAvQ2-Ve0Wph_9JadEosdPpPZIukAGJxqjx1tZXXa8HRT2t4dq7vSo6JUxy8MnN/s1600/_DSC0218.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ku-Z5J_ti7c1BTpUTx8IUWXYzt1rfmmIj5yeE_J0GPgrMv7Xo00No5xFKR_4VsDfKd9Z_ZCwl3FC9NAvQ2-Ve0Wph_9JadEosdPpPZIukAGJxqjx1tZXXa8HRT2t4dq7vSo6JUxy8MnN/s640/_DSC0218.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Ice skating draws participants to Marietta, GA town square</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: large;">The end of 2017 and the beginning of the new year have been rather cold down South.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Well, that also means, naturally, it has been cold up North, too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And when one faces cold temps, going outside or hitting the road, is not always a priority.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But sometimes there isn’t any alternative.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So I will harken back to the weekend before Christmas when we were in Marietta, GA.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was cold, but not snowing at the time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The city’s downtown square had that holiday atmosphere. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Christmas decorations adorned the area, Santa was keeping warm and entertaining children in a building on the square. And others who really enjoy the cold, were ice skating there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The setting was idyllic.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And Webster, the dictionary, defines the word as “pleasing or picturesque in natural simplicity.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And the town square was just that. Hundreds were out and about shopping, browsing or enjoying the variety of gastronomic offerings of the various eateries in the area.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">My wife and I enjoyed a feast at a local place and then I strolled around the square snapping a few pictures.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next post: January 23, 2018</span></div>
walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01114679900780391200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-861264907133246269.post-28475520084347993822018-01-09T21:02:00.002-06:002018-01-09T21:15:42.207-06:00Fireworks and bonfires welcome Papa Noel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was a combination of the Fourth of July and Christmas all rolled into one.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">How can that happen?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Well, there were fireworks, a lot of them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And then there were <a href="http://www.nola.com/holidays/index.ssf/2017/12/christmas_eve_bonfires_on_the_2.html">bonfires</a> along the river lighting the way for Santa Claus.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Well, down in Cajun Country, he’s referred to as Papa Noel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The <a href="http://www.louisianatravel.com/blog/louisiana-christmas-tradition-bonfires-levee">combination </a>comes together each year on December 24 along the Mississippi River levee just west of New Orleans.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is a <a href="http://www.nola.com/festivals/index.ssf/2016/12/christmas_eve_levee_bonfires_5.html">great tradition</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thousands participate and show up in the river towns of Gramercy, Lutcher and Paulina for the <a href="http://www.festivalofthebonfires.org/Lists/History/AllItems.aspx">annual event</a>. Other areas also hold <a href="http://www.louisianafolklife.org/LT/Articles_Essays/SFbonfires.html">similar events</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Tradtiion has it that the bonfires along the river are lit at 7 p.m. on Christmas Eve to guide Papa Noel (Santa Claus) so that he’ll be able to find his way to <a href="http://www.experienceneworleans.com/bonfires-on-the-levee.html">Cajun country</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Locals spend up to two months time building special wooden creatures which are set on fire. Others build the standard teepee style structures which, currently, are limited to 15 feet in height for safety reasons,</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Apparently someone suffered injuries previously so those in charge started setting regulations.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I’ve been wanting to visit the area for the event for many years. My sister and brother-in-law often go down annually and this year I accompanied them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It’s a great time. Hundreds help build the structures and thousands line the roadway on foot or in cars to witness the setting of the fires that guide Ole Saint Nick.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next post: Jan. 16, 2018</span></div>
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walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01114679900780391200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-861264907133246269.post-81663091702323258652017-12-05T19:13:00.002-06:002017-12-05T19:13:37.822-06:00Tis the season . . . <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">An explosion of Christmas color on a time exposure while twisting the telephoto lens <br />Photo was at Bellingrath Gardens, AL</span></td></tr>
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With the first week of December almost over, it is amazing how fast the rest of the month will fly by.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGCUySuuZeO2G5CWb5dJ0SCR9GfLtgpXf-b_Vwiu2wMnyfF3CKbvIKf2mfnWmvafRc5YPEGsi5b7uqiwOeAJ5iUg6NXuH5JnmSUf-vE0OMvYoLoUO4Si0jyofG-b5i7ATbBS1t01jicIn6/s1600/DSC_0166.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="863" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGCUySuuZeO2G5CWb5dJ0SCR9GfLtgpXf-b_Vwiu2wMnyfF3CKbvIKf2mfnWmvafRc5YPEGsi5b7uqiwOeAJ5iUg6NXuH5JnmSUf-vE0OMvYoLoUO4Si0jyofG-b5i7ATbBS1t01jicIn6/s400/DSC_0166.jpg" width="215" /></a>It is raining outside our house tonight. The temperature is not cold enough to bring snow, although farther north, in places like Gatlinburg, TN, the forecast calls for some later in the week.</div>
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Once, while heading for some snowskiing on Sugar Mountain in North Carolina, we were doing an overnighter in Gatlinburg.</div>
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As luck would have it, as we headed down from I-40 in the Knoxville area, a light snow began to fall. That’s the only time I have been in that area to see the white stuff coming down.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Y8IbWaBprojgG2hCcI8CVLW_ylOu3E6eGRs5or8fh_3N-Pt0KhJ4g_Pb-ZTT3t_uco8V7KAzsTqSfG6UE0OSQCfbaOaftobTa4GxJmdHXdUAdHruM6YlGGFt6BbNdI56K9UpQSSw37os/s1600/DSC_0128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Y8IbWaBprojgG2hCcI8CVLW_ylOu3E6eGRs5or8fh_3N-Pt0KhJ4g_Pb-ZTT3t_uco8V7KAzsTqSfG6UE0OSQCfbaOaftobTa4GxJmdHXdUAdHruM6YlGGFt6BbNdI56K9UpQSSw37os/s320/DSC_0128.jpg" width="320" /></a>I want to return to experience it again, and told my wife if it fits into our schedule this December, expect to be heading that way.</div>
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We are already planning a trip to Marietta, GA., the week before Christmas.</div>
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Maybe it will happen then and we can drive on up.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRA-88sdwP7ZL1Av5p-oSKVBsOhhjXxkAtQCdO-XSkt2_QjFcrJdG7bPTu8rwfb31o_Bb2Q7x6tcG0wYNt8goQSB458yaYCX4-AzTTq_uU7ge4Jl_5_W_Oqt1-gHJaXn2SwK5xFUqLfCgZ/s1600/DSC_0095.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRA-88sdwP7ZL1Av5p-oSKVBsOhhjXxkAtQCdO-XSkt2_QjFcrJdG7bPTu8rwfb31o_Bb2Q7x6tcG0wYNt8goQSB458yaYCX4-AzTTq_uU7ge4Jl_5_W_Oqt1-gHJaXn2SwK5xFUqLfCgZ/s320/DSC_0095.jpg" width="320" /></a>The days are shorter, the nights darker and the body more tired. The fingers are also a little bit slower on the keyboard, thus it is easy to take another break and enjoy the holidays. </div>
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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 23px;">Next post: Jan. 9, 2018</span></div>
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<br />walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01114679900780391200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-861264907133246269.post-82107529902636803812017-11-22T22:11:00.004-06:002017-11-22T22:11:39.895-06:00Gobble, gobble<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Circumstances in our area became somewhat out of the ordinary this week so, a day late, all I can say is</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: x-large;">H</span><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">a</span><span style="color: lime; font-size: x-large;">p</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: x-large;">py</span><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-large;"> T</span><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: x-large;">h</span><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: x-large;">a</span><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-large;">n</span><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-large;">k</span><span style="color: #0c343d; font-size: x-large;">s</span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: x-large;">g</span><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-large;">i</span><span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-size: x-large;">v</span><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;">i</span><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: x-large;">n</span><span style="color: #7f6000; font-size: x-large;">g</span></div>
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walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01114679900780391200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-861264907133246269.post-50120534987645984402017-11-14T22:54:00.000-06:002017-11-14T22:54:13.901-06:00Heading down homestretch to 2018<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 22px; line-height: normal;">
I guess most every one, like it or not, is in the homestretch that leads to Christmas and the end of the year.</div>
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Is 2017 just about over? Seems like it just blasted off.</div>
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In preparation for everything that is going to happen (for us, three more out-of-town trips, and maybe a fourth before Santa arrives), I decided to get a headstart on decorating.</div>
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The action plan is underway. Just today, half of our outdoor lights were put into place. I figured I needed to get this done so that it would be ready in time for Thanksgiving.</div>
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For many years, it has been traditional for our grandchildren to decorate the tree (with help from moms and dads) during the Thanksgiving week, so why not have all the decorations up at that time.</div>
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Our previous tree helped us celebrate more than 20 Christmases before we decided to retire it.</div>
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Still in a box in the overhead storage area above our carport, the newer tree will be hauled down on Monday. It is about 7 feet tall, and although prelit, some of the lights, after just the first year, went dark.</div>
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The hope is that the remainder will stay bright for many more years.</div>
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And for many more years, our hope is to continue our travels and enjoy the journey no matter where it takes us.</div>
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Next post: Nov. 21, 2017</div>
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walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01114679900780391200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-861264907133246269.post-3104419569863780912017-11-07T21:22:00.000-06:002017-11-07T21:22:40.921-06:00Wear's Valley Road disappointment, delight<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">While up in the Smoky Mountains back in October, my wife and I on a Monday morning, decided to head over to Wear’s Valley for breakfast.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We had enjoyed a restaurant in the area and was looking forward to another good meal. Upon arriving, we found there were no cars in the parking lot.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A quick read of their sign indicated they were closed on Mondays.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Well, what to do?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We were open to options, but I knew if we headed back to Pigeon Forge there was a place I had been wanting to visit for quite a while.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So we took Highway 321 and upon arriving near the intersection with the main drag, there it was.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For years and years we had passed this particular place and I wondered about it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Was it that good? Did it have a good atmosphere?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The answer to both was a resounding yes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://melsdinerpf.com/">Mel’s Diner</a> is now on our list to visit again when heading back to the mountains.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">“Are your grits as good as Harbor House on the Mississippi Gulf Coast?” I asked our ebullient waitress.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">She said she was familiar with the coast but didn’t recognize the name Harbor House.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“McElroy”s! I said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">There was a quick affirmative response after having recognized its more formal name. She also added the fact that she had relatives on the coast who work for a local building supply store.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Concerning the grits, she said <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g55270-d449098-Reviews-Mel_s_Classic_Diner-Pigeon_Forge_Tennessee.html">Mel's</a> were just as good.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Well, they were good and comparable and therefore that made my day. The eggs, bacon and pancakes were also excellent.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">My wife liked the place so much that she got a gift card to give away at our family Christmas party.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are others in our family who like to visit the mountains and enjoy good food.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next post: Nov. 14, 2017</span></div>
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walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01114679900780391200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-861264907133246269.post-49861225619289289982017-10-31T22:29:00.000-05:002017-10-31T22:29:07.948-05:00New fire ring a Halloween night treat<div style="font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: x-large;">Happy Halloween!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There’s nothing like spending such a night sitting around a fire that is situated inside a fire ring from the Elkmont campground in the Great Smoky Mountains.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">My wife and I were joined in our north yard by my brother and sister and their spouses, all of whom have taken numerous trips to the national park.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The fire ring was a 50th anniversary gift to my wife and I by the aforementioned relatives.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We moved into our new house just over a year and a half ago, and because we like the mountains so much, we decided to construct a small stream in our yard and top out the look with a park fire ring.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There is a company that makes them, but with a little luck, our niece procured one on a trip earlier this year that she made to Gatlinburg.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Although there was a lot of back and forth concerning getting the fire ring, she was successful and it alll worked out. The fire ring was christened Halloween Night 2017.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We had chili, a staple on our trips, and of course s'mores.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Down here in south Mississippi, the day was clear and we were having a warming trend after a cold front had moved through a number of days earlier.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But as the sun went down, the air began to chill and the fire was all the more inviting.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We can’t get to the mountains as much as we would like, but with the manmade stream gurgling and the warmth of the fire, it was almost like being there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next post: Nov. 7, 2017</span></div>
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walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01114679900780391200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-861264907133246269.post-2566462921891783322017-10-24T20:15:00.002-05:002017-10-24T20:15:20.674-05:00Tram ride offers good view of fire damage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-jSQ7HVwokoprHIVOs2cMJt90GpcwGREmADa79wo0ALLdGTksPxYoRd2jNGtLExkmwSj0eRFQJLAExYPZn68W13M7ZAUs4_yotnFGrcqD6MsUPAP4KM5vWZDbiuXIhZ7a_5kDTFbHyIni/s1600/_DSC0040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-jSQ7HVwokoprHIVOs2cMJt90GpcwGREmADa79wo0ALLdGTksPxYoRd2jNGtLExkmwSj0eRFQJLAExYPZn68W13M7ZAUs4_yotnFGrcqD6MsUPAP4KM5vWZDbiuXIhZ7a_5kDTFbHyIni/s640/_DSC0040.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A recent aerial tram ride revealed a lot of the damage inflicted on the <a href="https://www.gatlinburg.com/">Gatlinburg,</a> TN area from fires in the Great Smoky Mountains last year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">My wife and I took the conveyance from downtown Gatlinburg, TN up to <a href="https://obergatlinburg.com/all-activities/activity-rates/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMItr2v68uK1wIVhoBpCh1AegLHEAAYAyAAEgKJlPD_BwE">Ober Gatlinburg,</a> a popular tourist destination in all seasons of the year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The view as we moved over the area helped one to easily see the vacant spots where houses once stood. It was also a good way to see how the fire moved through the mountains, causing heavy damage in some areas and skipping others.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Numerous trees stood tall, even though one could see they had been ravaged by the blaze. There was little, if any, life in them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In an earlier trip, we drove through the area, but weren’t able to experience the damage like we could see from the air. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A couple years ago, we dined at a local Italian restaurant. The owner came over and talked to us prior to the meal, mentioning and pointing to his house high on the hill opposite the town.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: large;">We didn't see him on our last trip, but where he had pointed to was a place that had suffered a lot of damage.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next post: October 31</span></div>
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walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01114679900780391200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-861264907133246269.post-18714659831655259142017-10-17T20:46:00.000-05:002017-10-17T21:26:26.225-05:00Greyhound helps solve problem<div style="font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;">"Sitting in a Greyhound station, with a ticket to my destination . . . . "</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Simon and Garfunkel’s “Homeward Bound” lyrics (although it was a railway station) sum up the thinking for a lot of people in such a situation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Just last week, for the first time since 1967, I found myself riding a Greyhound bus. The previous occasion was one ordered by the United States government. I was headed for basic training in the army.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The trip started in Hattiesburg, MS and ended in Fort Campbell, KY.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">My more recent experience was at the end of a nine-day vacation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We go camping in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park each year, and our 2000 Chevy van usually tows our popup camper on the some 1200-mile round trip.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But not this year. The van is showing its wear and earlier there seemed to be a problem with the transmission, so, not wanting to take a chance, we decided on another option.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That included renting a pickup truck with towing capabilities from Enterprise in a town about 65 miles away. That was the closest available location.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">My brother took me over to get the truck on the first day of our vacation. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But returning the vehicle, I decided to not put anyone out and see how I could do this on my own.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So the morning after arriving back home, I headed in the pickup back to Mobile and made it in just a little over an hour and turned it in.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Earlier I had used Mapquest to find out where the Greyhound station was located, and heading back home the day before, we detoured to make sure it was there and operating.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I had to traverse some four miles of city that had a lot of sidewalks, but then, in some places, my journey appeared somewhat dangerous with vehicles whizzing by.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It took me about three hours to make the trek. I purchased my ticket for the ride to Biloxi where I would use the local transit system to get home.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Other than the fact that it was a 10-hour day, I felt that things went well, under the circumstances. A bit better planning and I probably could have made the round-tripper in about 5 hours.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Greyhound ride was only about 68 miles and I slept about half the way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It gets a little getting use to, having to sit higher above the road and feel the sway of the bus. When awake, I kept an eye on the driver and found that he anticipated traffic issues and made adjustments for them in a safe manner.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I don’t know if I would like to travel a lot on such a bus, but having to this one time, I now know the local schedules and am prepared for a much better experience.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next post: Oct. 24, 2017</span></div>
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walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01114679900780391200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-861264907133246269.post-79997194649041558742017-10-10T21:37:00.000-05:002017-10-10T21:37:14.304-05:00We said goodbye to Nate and then hello<div style="font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;">There’s nothing like a hurricane to diminish some of the fun of a vacation trip to the mountains.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That was the situation my wife and I encountered last week upon arriving at home.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We had been gone nine days to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park where we camped at Elkmont with one of our sons and four of our six grandchildren.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The days were clear and nights sleeping-bag cold. It was great. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For the duration, there wasn’t any rain. It seems like that is the first time we’ve ever been up there where we didn’t have any precipitation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But we’ll get to the mountain trip in another post.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our grandson Nate was with us in the mountains. And Hurricane Nate greeted us upon returning home.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We had a few days to figure things out to make sure we were prepared, although we always seem to have at least three days of food and water on hand and sufficient flashlights.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We moved into our new house last year, so this was the first time for it to experience a storm.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Although Hurricane Nate was a minimal Category 1, we decided to go to my sister’s house for the duration of the storm.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Arriving Saturday afternoon about 15 miles away and farther inland, we settled in. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">The winds picked up that night, the storm surge did some damage near the Mississippi beach front and the </span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: large;">power momentarily went off at our location, but that was it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Upon returning home Sunday morning, we found a lot of sprigs in the yard from two towering oak trees.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That was about it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">The electricity had apparently gone off momentarily and there was no damage to our house. Great!</span></span></div>
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walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01114679900780391200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-861264907133246269.post-85342818784224312382017-09-19T21:58:00.000-05:002017-09-19T21:58:09.456-05:00Chesapeake revisit a good stop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI4RGWTd8LzNvd0Y5TCG5zuIC_TrGQcbMT-CcxAZr_4KsbkeZuJXaTx4aAMZcNuTfc7_kyoIMKb03e3heqpnkWi8nO0C6hDYuMMEMrpHDo37O4g5VezzRqf7QaJU1MWlSXCft2FalN_n8I/s1600/DSC_0564.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI4RGWTd8LzNvd0Y5TCG5zuIC_TrGQcbMT-CcxAZr_4KsbkeZuJXaTx4aAMZcNuTfc7_kyoIMKb03e3heqpnkWi8nO0C6hDYuMMEMrpHDo37O4g5VezzRqf7QaJU1MWlSXCft2FalN_n8I/s640/DSC_0564.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">My wife and I scratched another itch this past summer on a rerun of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chesapeake_Bay_Bridge%E2%80%93Tunnel">Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel</a> in Virginia.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">On a previous trip, we failed to stop at the <a href="http://www.virginia-originals.com/">Chesapeake Grill</a> for a meal, but decided if we ever returned, that was one of the things we wanted to do.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Why? I really don't know.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: large;">A wedding brought up back to the area, so we decided to give it a try.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Maybe it was because of the location, that being on a bridge-tunnel highway that was so unusual.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Maybe it was for the expanse of water one could view from the tables along the wall of windows.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: large;">Maybe it was wanting to just sit there, trying to feel how it would be to experience gale-force winds howling across the open expanse of water with waves kicking up over the highway.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEjWnYSlwzj2zv7zG0xVaFYsmi-6rryFDLTPxvM2F5EWiAqB3khNF3K0n5neGRR2mfp_SwOy0wDNtR0m5RyrB2Ts43l-A0j_aHDnvq2A6W6X_tcO-8jPUTdH-K9ZX0A-qnLk6_h25-wTcc/s1600/_DSC0077.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEjWnYSlwzj2zv7zG0xVaFYsmi-6rryFDLTPxvM2F5EWiAqB3khNF3K0n5neGRR2mfp_SwOy0wDNtR0m5RyrB2Ts43l-A0j_aHDnvq2A6W6X_tcO-8jPUTdH-K9ZX0A-qnLk6_h25-wTcc/s400/_DSC0077.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We survived the July day, as waters were fairly calm, the sun was shining brightly and there were a few boats skimming over the waters and a few tankers waiting to get into Chesapeake Bay.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The cost of the food is incidental since one has to pay about $15 alone to just get on the bridge. But I was willing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">My wife and I enjoyed the outing and decided that the expansive “water view” across the bay and fishing bridge was exceptional.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next post: Oct. 20, 2017 (We’ll be out in the wilderness for awhile.)</span></div>
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walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01114679900780391200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-861264907133246269.post-84781512323016965422017-09-12T21:43:00.000-05:002017-09-12T21:43:33.441-05:00Lake Watauga -- a great place to picnic<div style="font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQ3omaDT5SzJOr_S2VOzPVUY56wmFIAHBI6CuJn6j0G0wqPPjr0YFDD9jWTCv5x0xZGyxAzMxxVw7j1dh31MbtWYDp_PkzhBQcBqsGMJpZJGnWO21ls_LDAh00mPDNmLLxYzGcnA6XqaX/s1600/_DSC0043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQ3omaDT5SzJOr_S2VOzPVUY56wmFIAHBI6CuJn6j0G0wqPPjr0YFDD9jWTCv5x0xZGyxAzMxxVw7j1dh31MbtWYDp_PkzhBQcBqsGMJpZJGnWO21ls_LDAh00mPDNmLLxYzGcnA6XqaX/s640/_DSC0043.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On a summer trip to a wedding in Virginia, my wife and I drove Highway 321 east from Gatlinburg, TN and about lunch time, started looking for a place to picnic.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After scouring the countryside and a couple of spots, which we didn’t like, we continued on. We were half expecting to have to pull off to the side of the road to eat our picnic meal.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">And then we traveled alongside a lake and came across the picnic area called the Watauga Point Recreational Area. It was one of a few facilities along <a href="http://www.highcountrync.com/play/watauga-lake-the-crown-jewel-of-the-eastern-tennessee/article_53781614-cb48-521a-a488-d83060c2e655.html">Watauga Lake</a>, which was formed in 1948 to help control flooding.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We usually look for a picnic table with a shade tree, a nice restroom and perhaps a good view.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsjHK8Q2gz2AERTdYFEhDvpXMW2QGKyyWrtUSsCKHIENvARL0zuvhoFQV69g7XUKvgJdXdpXMUQA58a2QVnVmpgV6OqPvre7hHzM0kcMPDu1ZixeaviEBr6c7RPE2EYvyykGHrTsiL6mPV/s1600/_DSC0065.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1063" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsjHK8Q2gz2AERTdYFEhDvpXMW2QGKyyWrtUSsCKHIENvARL0zuvhoFQV69g7XUKvgJdXdpXMUQA58a2QVnVmpgV6OqPvre7hHzM0kcMPDu1ZixeaviEBr6c7RPE2EYvyykGHrTsiL6mPV/s400/_DSC0065.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Well, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watauga_Lake">recreation area</a> just happened to fit what we were looking for. It wasn’t too far a walk to the table, and the view was worth it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Mountains surrounded the giant Watauga Lake on which a number of power boats were operating. The temperature in July was pleasant.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I made a few trips carrying various picnic supplies to the table and then my wife and I just enjoyed the food and the view.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The drive around the picnic area takes one close to the edge of the lake which is in the Cherokee National Forest. The <a href="https://www.tva.gov/Energy/Our-Power-System/Hydroelectric/Watauga-Reservoir">Watauga Reservoir</a> is part of the Tennessee Valley Authority,</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next post: Sept. 19, 2017</span></div>
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walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01114679900780391200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-861264907133246269.post-88528159836273656212017-09-05T21:11:00.001-05:002017-09-05T21:11:15.280-05:00Irma or Uncle Sam? Closures possible<div style="font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Vacation travel is sort of on hold for a lot of people in the southeastern United States.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Hurricane Harvey walloped the Houston, TX area pretty hard recently with devastating flooding results.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Other cities in the area also suffered.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And now, the lookout is for Hurricane Irma, which is potentially to have a heavy impact on Florida. Although at this time Tuesday night, there is no forecast that everyone seems to agree on as to where it will finally make landfall in the US, if at all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Hopefully it will take the track some are anticipating and make a northeast turn before coming into hard contact with Florida. That would push it out into the Atlantic.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A cool front moving across the US could enhance the storm's move to the east, depending on when the front arrives in the Southeast.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">My wife and I are planning on heading out during the last week of this month to make our annual camping trek to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A bigger problem than the hurricane could affect our plans. Senators and congressmen will be fighting over increasing the country’s debt.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If that problem isn’t quickly resolved, the national parks would probably be shut down. Such a situation occurred a number of years ago.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We were headed to the mountains and got to a trailhead/picnic area called Panther Creek in northern Georgia.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Before getting out of our vehicle for a picnic, a couple local guys in a government truck pulled up and told us, because of budget problems, they were closing the place down. And quickly padlocked the facility.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our meal was enjoyed just down the road where we pulled off.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Whether it is hurricanes or the government, the best plans often end up changed because of things out of our control.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next post: Sept. 12, 2017</span></div>
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walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01114679900780391200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-861264907133246269.post-82095139890384370602017-06-20T21:13:00.002-05:002017-06-20T21:13:52.783-05:00Summer break<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Taking a summer break, please check back on Sept. 6, 2017. Thanks</span>walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01114679900780391200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-861264907133246269.post-80445773594650797462017-06-13T20:11:00.000-05:002017-06-13T20:11:38.700-05:00Mississippi heat stirs thoughts of California<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBWB2OBwNxWgsYIb_tU-Y8L1zc-N6HPUEL47lYRxabXLQqiKVo-m-eHXrnaT0wen1_gLWMtY6MwCJql8EC9v2I7Hqy2SNgXdoaD1ieGp-8Hhl3IdiK6zwDBsW5eTq08Vd0Eon6N95dfXXb/s1600/DSC_0163.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBWB2OBwNxWgsYIb_tU-Y8L1zc-N6HPUEL47lYRxabXLQqiKVo-m-eHXrnaT0wen1_gLWMtY6MwCJql8EC9v2I7Hqy2SNgXdoaD1ieGp-8Hhl3IdiK6zwDBsW5eTq08Vd0Eon6N95dfXXb/s640/DSC_0163.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Golden Gate Bridge, looking toward San Francisco</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What to do?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Would one want to live under what may be considered a warm wet blanket for three or four months?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Or spend time in an atmosphere that in the past made one feel anew, refreshed, and full of life?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">All too often, it is not what we would like to do, but the reality of the situation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There is home, family, routine. Everyone becomes comfortable with the everyday.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But that’s not to say, one doesn’t think about other options.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On coastal Mississippi, when the nighttime low temperatures start staying in the 70’s, summer has arrived. That’s usually early to mid-May. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And those low temperatures hang around, often through September and into October.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And daytime temps usually hit the high 80’s to mid 90’s or higher sometimes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">That’s when my thoughts, though not often as much lately, turn to California Dreaming, and along the Coast, with lows in the 40s and 50s and highs usually in the 70's with low humidity.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I would now change that title to “West Coast Dreaming,” because when I bring up California, a lot of people refer to it as a place inhabited by fruits and nuts. Flyover country residents don’t take a liking to the Left Coast.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But I can’t help it. The West Coast still beckons.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Just this past week, for the first time in ages, I told my wife I had a hankering to once again see the Pacific Ocean.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“Are we going to fly or drive?” she asked.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Let's see, eight hours in the air, or drive seven days out, spend seven days there and take another week to get back home.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Flying would seem to be the best option. And when the costs are added up, would probably be cheaper.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But health issues come into play.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It’s been about five years since our last excursion in that direction and I’m getting the itch.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After all, we are retired, don’t have to answer to any bosses and can chart our own course.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The West Coast is getting closer all the time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next post: June 20, 2017</span></div>
walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01114679900780391200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-861264907133246269.post-85864986022195279732017-06-06T22:24:00.000-05:002017-06-06T22:24:19.423-05:00Sometimes a little push is needed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm02V7ETbufhIRFOQp-_7OwxtAWReKlA7jOyts2tb4x3ddS_P2t1iefILg_PHQM-pD5f4t526L6JwB6Cf4huIqANl_jJc-O74L28qp2g1KlmxRtRkHe1GG9tltPa1jc9fsvH8_Je4sLEkX/s1600/_DSC0014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm02V7ETbufhIRFOQp-_7OwxtAWReKlA7jOyts2tb4x3ddS_P2t1iefILg_PHQM-pD5f4t526L6JwB6Cf4huIqANl_jJc-O74L28qp2g1KlmxRtRkHe1GG9tltPa1jc9fsvH8_Je4sLEkX/s400/_DSC0014.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sometimes the body just doesn't want to do what the mind tells it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">"Go ahead, you have got to do a blog post tonight." the brain said.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">"Why?" my body asked.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">"Because you post almost every Tuesday night. You know. It helps keep you motivated to maybe do some more serious writing in the future."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">"But that's in the future," my body responded. "I'm tired. It's not that I don't want to do it, but tonight I am just plain lazy. Well, not lazy, I just haven't done anything or want to dredge up something from the past concerning any of my travels."</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkpX4f6cIsyUZSbJDkf0s-S9045KJXKRdWhL4hK0UjXNoUD37OcBEitDkTuX3km5JC11fSxADv8r2wMUX-fzyr20KzbQowU7CJb7sG2UCQIeTxHYtXuNF_qi4GXrSG0N5ibhkAv6xhY4bI/s1600/_DSC0003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkpX4f6cIsyUZSbJDkf0s-S9045KJXKRdWhL4hK0UjXNoUD37OcBEitDkTuX3km5JC11fSxADv8r2wMUX-fzyr20KzbQowU7CJb7sG2UCQIeTxHYtXuNF_qi4GXrSG0N5ibhkAv6xhY4bI/s400/_DSC0003.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">"Well, haven't you done any traveling lately?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">"Not really. That is unless you can call going down to the beach a travel event. Yea, that's what I'll do. I''ll call my beach excursion a travel event. Well, I did take a few pictures. I'll put them on this post and with that I have finished out my weekly requirement.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">"Now that wasn't that bad after all."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Next post: June13, 2017</span><br />
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<br />walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01114679900780391200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-861264907133246269.post-85326615389547383132017-05-30T21:24:00.004-05:002017-05-30T21:33:00.150-05:00Time for lunch in small town Americana <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ6Vuoq7ICGbc4jnaljy-V5d7qnxLlWZWYajwf1up7Eb89S1ODZXfvWZmb9G8R3aTnyTMv-9j1axtjQNeXbZV3xo5wgaJlr3oQIBKBlMUUgsIbdEOViknRKO1MwqvFyKAXcQTUTkJk6Zhx/s1600/_DSC0060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ6Vuoq7ICGbc4jnaljy-V5d7qnxLlWZWYajwf1up7Eb89S1ODZXfvWZmb9G8R3aTnyTMv-9j1axtjQNeXbZV3xo5wgaJlr3oQIBKBlMUUgsIbdEOViknRKO1MwqvFyKAXcQTUTkJk6Zhx/s640/_DSC0060.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When traveling, people usually want to try something new.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">New, that is, as far as a place to eat. There’s that adventure aspect.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But that goes against the grain sometimes when not in somewhat familiar territory or a town big enough to have a “fast food row.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On a recent trip, on a road in Alabama never traveled before, lunch time arrived when we were in what some would call the “middle of nowhere.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Well, it was somewhere for those who live there. But to us, there wasn’t a lot of civilization 20 or so miles before we arrived, and upon leaving, it was the same way in the other direction.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">I can’t remember the name of the town, but I believe it was Grove Hill. We had gotten off the main highway to take a break and check out our GPS to see how to get where we wanted to go.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After a few minutes of checking and not arriving at a different decision about how to head north, my wife and I decided to have some lunch.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But where.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The road we took off the main highway into the town took us along the side of a courthouse complex. It was a rather large building. This had to be the county seat, I guess. I didn’t know.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We were traveling on the road parallel to the front of the courthouse, but about a block away. We turned toward the building wondering what was in the neighborhood.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The road curved to the right and away from the courthouse. Before I realized it, we were already back to the road we had come into town on.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But wait, there was a restaurant to the northeast of the courthouse that we had just passed. I figured they had to have somewhat decent food. We turned around and decided to give it a try.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I found out that not only did the Courthouse Square Deli and Bakery serve good and reasonably priced food, but they were located in a building that once housed the Clarke County Democrat, which apparently was a weekly newspaper. I once worked on two weeklies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The paper served the area from 1856 until 1941, al least that’s what the lettering on the building indicated.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As usual my wife got a salad and water and I had coffee and a Philly cheese steak sandwich.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There was a homey atmosphere to the place, and since it was early afternoon, the courthouse workers had apparently already made their appearance at the regular lunchtime hour.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There were a few patrons in the spacious building, enjoying the socializing that comes with a small town restaurant.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We enjoyed the meal and soon set out upon our adventure.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next post: June 6, 2017</span></div>
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walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01114679900780391200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-861264907133246269.post-39153119760437712142017-05-23T21:33:00.002-05:002017-05-23T21:33:35.667-05:00Opryland resort offers unique experience<div style="font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Opryland Resort complex at Nashville offers abundance of flowers, walking space</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The first time I ever saw the outside of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryman_Auditorium">Ryman Auditorium</a> building in Nashville, TN was back in January of 1967.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was a very inauspicious occasion that took me to the front of the facility that housed the Grand Ole Opry.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Earlier on that particular day, I had hopped on a Greyhound bus in Hattiesburg, MS, heading north. North into the unknown. North to Fort Campbell, KY, where I would undergo eight weeks of basic training.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The bus station in Nashville was close to the <a href="https://ryman.com/">Ryman</a>. It was sometime around 2 or 3 a.m. when we arrived in the city. There was about an hour or so wait before the next bus.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Some others who were also headed to Fort Campbell all decided to walk down to the famous building.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The middle of the night was cold, but I can’t remember it being bitter cold. We just sauntered down to it, walked around and then went back to catch the next bus.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That was my only personal experience with the Ryman until a couple weeks ago.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On a trip to a college graduation in Louisville, KY., my wife and I spent a couple nights with a relative in Bowling Green. The next day we went back to Nashville, taking in the gigantic <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaylord_Opryland_Resort_%26_Convention_Center">Opryland Resort Complex</a> and then driving to downtown Nashville.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After a couple hours of walking around the resort, we weren’t much into walking around Nashville so we just did a drive-by sighting of the Ryman and other downtown spots.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The older one gets, the fewer are the places that one wants to spend time walking around and seeing. Our sightseeing nowadays is more akin to ‘one and done” which means giving our attention and energy to just one location.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The <a href="http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/bnago-gaylord-opryland-resort-and-convention-center/">Opryland </a>complex was a delightful surprise with all the walking paths, flowers and plants, and open spaces under those giant domes. The waterfalls were great.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I just loved that aspect of it, being able to be outside while being inside.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We spent so much time browsing around that we decided to enjoy a meal at one of their “outdoor” spots before heading out for a driving tour of the town.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next post: May 30, 2017</span></div>
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walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01114679900780391200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-861264907133246269.post-16990599859797616472017-05-16T21:16:00.003-05:002017-05-16T21:16:52.492-05:00Still recovering from the longest day<div style="font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;">How long does it take to physically get over an 800-mile day trip?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Well, so far, it is three days and counting for this driver.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The older one gets, the harder it is to recover. At least, that is what I am finding out.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A one-week trip from home for a college graduation some 800 miles away had a few challenges.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The first, of course, was the first day out when we had a flat tire on the vehicle we were renting and easily swapped it out at another rental location on the road.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But the last day, what turned out to be the 6th day, wasn’t what we had in mind.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Unfortunately, my wife had a medical condition that required an emergency room visit of about five hours on day 5. (She missed seeing her nephew receive his diploma.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Having somewhat recovered from that, the decision was to get back home as soon as possible in case there was another flareup. We wanted to be close to her personal physicians.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There wasn’t another incident, but it was a long day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Traveling from Louisville, KY to Ocean Springs included another challenge. Just below Birmingham, AL traffic ahead of us came to an almost standstill.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Traffic was barely moving. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A month or so earlier, we came upon a traffic slowdown and after getting through it, realized that whatever had happened was cleared up and the slowdown was just a long chain reaction to get back to normal speed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What was the Alabama situation?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After eventually arriving at Alabaster, AL, we saw ahead that traffic was being re-routed off the interstate onto Highway 31. Vehicles were backed up in all directions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The officer at the off-ramp said there had been a diesel spill a few miles down the interstate. Both the northbound and southbound lanes of I-65 were re-routed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After a short stop for a meal, we headed back into the traffic and edged our way through Alabaster. There was a sign pointing to an I-65 connection.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We took the turn, but there wasn’t anyone following. Did we make a mistake?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After about a three-mile distance, we saw the on-ramp to southbound I-65 and easily got on to it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was clear sailing. A mile or so down the road, we saw the on-ramp where most of the other vehicles were getting on the southbound interstate.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The two-hour or so delay resulted in our not getting home until about 12:30 a.m. Sunday, a long way from the 9-10 a.m. start.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">All in all, it was a long, tough day, and I am still feeling some of the effects.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next post: May 23, 2017</span></div>
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walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01114679900780391200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-861264907133246269.post-52111597917598161442017-05-09T22:05:00.002-05:002017-05-09T22:05:47.751-05:00Trip's first day: A challenge overcome<span style="font-size: large;">Sometimes things just don't go as expected.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Like, our current one-week trip.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I picked up our rental car on Monday morning and within a couple hours my wife and I were on the road.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We planned a two-day trip to our first destination up in Kentucky. Looking at a map, there was the thought that taking a different route other than an interstate would be interesting. Well, interesting sounds good until something goes wrong and one ends up with more mileage to cover with less time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Well, we decided that we would go up Highway 43 from Satsuma, AL and when it intersected with Highway 5, we would take that road to I-20 into Birmingham and then northward on I-65 to Kentucky.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">That's the way it seemed to be working. That is, until we hit Mobile. A warning message on the dash signaled that one of the tires was losing pressure. What to do? When a tire is losing pressure that means, of course, that it must be going flat.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Arriving at the rental car franchise in Mobile, the tire was checked. Sure enough, it was low. The car maintenance person spread some soapy water on the tire to see where the leak might be.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The water started bubbling. There was a nail in the tire where the air was escaping. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The rental car representative at that location quickly offered another vehicle for our use and then we were on our way with only a minor delay.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The rest of the first two days went as expected. Tuesday afternoon we pulled into our first scheduled destination for a short visit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Life does have its little surprises, but often they can be overcome. Especially when a company's representatives work quickly to help solve a problem. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thanks, Enterprise!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next post: May 16, 2017</span>walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01114679900780391200noreply@blogger.com0