SURPRISE!!!

If you ask 50 people, whether or not they like surprises, you're likely to get a 50% response each way. I used to think I was one of the "I love surprises" people until recently. What I've discovered is that it isn't really the idea of surprises that people react to, rather, the surprise itself and what means for them. For example, I love surprise visits, phone calls, emails, letters (yes, some of us still write them from time-to-time), etc from friends that I haven't seen or heard from in a while. But, I hate the "out-of-the-blue" unexpected bad news surprises that tend to make me feel like the air is being sucked out of my lungs and causes me to feel the resulting breaks to my heart. So, I don't think its the "idea" of surprises in general that people love or hate, rather, whether the surprise is  "good or bad."

Recently, I've had two "bad" surprises hit me, nearly back-to-back. The first actually caused my heart to break a little bit and actually caused me physical pain, though I'm positive the "surpriser's" intent was not to cause this heart break, the result was very painful. The second came the next day...(what is it they say about bad things happening in threes? Please Lord, two is all I need right now.) I received a phone call from a good friend in California. You might remember that Haime and I lived in California with Chipper and Boo for a few years. Anyway, I was immediately thrilled to hear from my friend. We hadn't spoken in several months and I thought "what an AWESOME surprise." And it was great to hear from her. Then, after the basics of "what's been going on with you" small talk was out of the way, I learned that she phoned to tell me she has a very early stage of breast cancer. There it was again, that damn "C" word. I HATE CANCER! It has taken too many people from us before we were ready to let them go; and even worse, in too many cases, it withers our loved ones until there is nothing left. I HATE CANCER! So, I told my friend that I was on the first plane out there as soon as she wanted me there. Mostly, she asked that I pray for her and for her family during this trial in their lives and I'm asking you to do the same. Thanks for that.

I am becoming quite the "people watcher". In my current "life phase," since I don't report to a job and don't interact with large groups of individuals on any type of regular basis, I've noticed that I spend more time "people watching" than I ever have before. OK, before you even go there, NO, I'm not talking about the sicko-voyeuristic-stalker kind of watching, (Geez, I can hear some of your thoughts from here...you know who you are!) I'm referring to paying more attention to people around me. Before I retired, I was so busy juggling my work, raising my sons, trying to be a good wife and mother, and just basically, trying to keep up, that I just didn't pay a lot of attention to the general "stuff" happening around me. Since retiring, however, I am taking the time to pay attention to people, nature and whatever happens around me. People are, by turn, entertaining, weird, compassionate, funny, annoying, inhibited and eccentric. (And I'm just talking about the first ten people I saw today). Let me preface this with a fact. I genuinely love people. OK, I'm no pie-eyed "everyone is wonderful" kind of person. There are certainly a few people who drive me absolutely insane! (I'm really working on that but GEEZ, just seeing them walk into a room makes the hair on my neck stand up and...OK, enough, you get the picture). But, mostly, people are fun. Remember my warning about the French Quarter in New Orleans, well, for adults, anyway, there is probably no better people-watching city and area. I guarantee, you will be entertained! You will be moved to compassion, you will be horrified, you will laugh and you will leave, certain that you have seen people from all walks of life, every life style will be on display and I guarantee you will not be bored. People are cool. For me, there is really nothing better than sitting on the porch  with Haime, at a table outside a wine-tasting room or pub, sipping a nice glass of wine and watching people go by. 

TTFN, 

Lois

Le Bon Temps Roule...

Or, for those of you who don't speak Cajun..."Let the Good Times Roll!"
Our last stop as tourists was in the parade capital of the world...New Orleans, Louisiana. If you ask one hundred people what is the first thing they think about when they hear "New Orleans," most will either reply "mardi gras," the Saints, or Bourbon Street. I have been to "The Big Easy" a few times and have enjoyed myself each time, but I have never been there for "mardi gras," nor the Saints, (but I have spent some time on Bourbon Street.) Mom has been with me on a previous "drive-thru" of NOLA, not long after the city was devastated by hurricane Katrina, and Doris had never visited.

Let me just tell you, it is a very different experience driving through the quarter with your mother than it is with your friends...but, I'm getting ahead of myself.

A little history first...The area around New Orleans has been inhabited since around 400 AD, according to archaeological digs in the area. French explorers, fur trappers and traders discovered the area in about 1690. The city itself was founded in 1718, and was chosen because of its relatively high ground, relative to the flood-prone area near the south Mississippi basin. (If you travel through the French Quarter in present day New Orleans, you'll see evidence of the early French settlement in the grid pattern of the streets. It is a very easy part of the city to navigate and is filled with shops, restaurants, antique dealers, boutique hotels, bars and of course, is home to St. Louis Cathedral and Jackson Square Park.) For a time, New Orleans found itself under Spanish rule, then the French took over again. Finally, it was sold to the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803.

St. Louis Cathedral, pictured on the right, is the oldest Catholic Cathedral in continued use in the United States. The image here is taken from Jackson Square with is located directly in front of the Cathedral. New Orleanians have worshiped there since 1727. (And my cousin Randall's daughter, Randi, was married there in 2012).

Unfortunately, we were unable to go inside the cathedral while we were there but we did take advantage of some sight-seeing, (and OH MY, some of the sights we saw!) while we were "in the neighborhood.

The architecture in the French Quarter is simply amazing. It is quintessential french, with lots of iron balconies, pillars, balustrades and colorful hanging baskets and cool street lamps. Not to mention NARROW streets.

After walking around a bit, Mom and Doris decided they needed a beignet. Well, first, they needed to know what a "beignet" was. I didn't get much past "well, its sort of like a donut..." and they decided that was enough to know. I mean, they just needed to "experience part of the local culture...right?!" they reasoned. So, I ordered them a batch and tried to get them to have some New Orleans coffee too...they declined. Apparently, they had heard about the potency-packed elixir the locals call coffee.

We ended our stay in New Orleans with dinner at Mandina's Restaurant. Great "down-home" "comfort food." As I was taking mom and Doris' picture in front of the restaurant, the gentleman below, stepped into the "frame" and introduced himself as a "real New Orleans character" and informed us that we would definitely want him in our picture...HAHAHAHA...You gotta love the South!

Today, New Orleans relies HEAVILY on tourism. There are so many gorgeous things to see and fun things to do in New Orleans, I recommend a visit, with one important caveat: I have always known, from my earlier visits, that the French Quarter is NOT a family-friendly part of town. While there are fun things to do that are away from the more popular tourist destinations around the French Quarter, (cemetery tours...no, I'm serious, these are a hoot; swamp tours; some of the best restaurants you will ever visit; zydeco music and dancing,  etc), the Quarter should be considered "adults only."

We left New Orleans and continued our return trip west. We spent our final night on the road in far-east Texas and arrived home mid-afternoon the next day. It was a wonderful trip and I am so privileged to have been able to spend this time with two such wonderful fellow road-warriors. Thanks mom and Doris, I'll ride with y'all anytime.

TTFN,

Lois

Savannah's Squares...Day 5

I'm actually having trouble focusing on this post about Savannah today because of the senseless tragedy in Boston this afternoon. My heart is sick for the victims of this horror and my prayers go out to all involved.

No trip to the Deep South would be complete without a visit to Beautiful Savannah, Georgia. Savannah is an old city, by our standards. It was established in 1733 and proved to be an important port in both the American Revolutionary War as well as the Civil War. The city maintains over twenty park-like squares in/near the downtown area. Each one is slightly different and all are beautifully maintained. Some have simple monuments, like the one on the right, (dedicated to the Scottish immigrants who came to Savannah). Others are much more detailed statues and are dedicated to individuals or to groups. My Girl-Scout Leader, Mrs. M. would be so disappointed if I did not also mention that Savannah is the birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of the Girl Scouts.

For our tour through Savannah, we elected to take advantage of one of the "Hop-On-Hop-Off" (HOHO) trolleys that are very commonplace in many large tourist destinations. We found the drivers to be both entertaining and very informative. Our plan was to make a complete circuit then go back and spend more time at some of the places that really peaked our interest. Of course, like so much of our trip, time was not on our side. We soon realized that our best bet was to take the trolley around then drive back to particular areas ourselves.

Before we left Texas, we had specific instructions from Doris' daughter-in-law. We were to bring her a menu from "The Lady and Sons" restaurant. Now for those of you who are unfamiliar with Food Network, that may not mean anything to you. For the rest of the world, yes, that is the restaurant owned by Paula Deene. Apparently, Kim is a big fan. AND, it is important to understand how big Paula is in Savannah...there are "Paula Deene" themed tours. These guarantee the participants a "no-wait" dinner at the "Lady and Sons" restaurant in addition to more specific information about Paula and the Deene clan. Well, we didn't take the Paula-themed tour, but we did make our way to the restaurant and more importantly, to the Paula Deene store. Doris got Kim her menu and I bought my sons and their significant others some goodies too.

Back on the HOHO, we continued through the river-front part of Savannah. In 1996, Atlanta hosted the Summer Olympics and the rowing (probably some fancy name for it but since I don't know what that is, lets just stick with "rowing"), competition was held in Savannah. To commemorate this event, the Olympic Calderon still stands near the waterfront.

Then, like the rest of our trip, it was time to get back on the road, much too soon. Although we are all retired and had talked about our ability to be "foot-loose-and-fancy-free," we seemed to have come to an unspoken understanding that we would be back home by Wednesday. That would mark a week's vacation on the road. So, we made the turn and started our trek Southwest back to Texas. We planned on one more major stop, New Orleans. So, come back tomorrow to read all about that.

Please keep the victims of the bombings in Boston in your prayers.

TTFN,

Lois

 

Day 4...Amazing Charleston

As Day 4 dawned, we bid adieu to our hosts in Atlanta and continued east in I-20. As we were driving, Doris mentioned that although Georgia was known as "the peach state," we had not passed any peach orchards. In fact, we had not even passed any signs that advertised peach orchards...hmmmmm, the things you think about while driving on long trips. As we got close to the Georgia/South Carolina border, we noticed that we were approaching Augusta, GA. Now, if you've been reading my previous posts, you might remember that Haime is a golfer. We actually passed through Augusta on April 14...one week before what would be the final day of the Master's Golf Tournament which is played at Augusta National Country Club. Silly me, I thought it would be very cool to get Haime a cap/shirt/golf ball...something from the course. So, we On-Starred the directions and went in search of some "Master's Souvenir" for Haime...SCREECH!
HOLY TRAFFIC NIGHTMARE!!! Good grief people, the actual tournament wasn't even scheduled to begin until Thursday but you'd have thought that Ben Hogan (non-golfers, just google him) had reappeared and was signing autographs to the first 500,000 people lucky enough to get within 3 miles of the front gates to the club. OK, let me just cut this short, Haime did not get his souvenir...I think I'll order him something online after I finish this post...that's sort of the same thing, right?

So, after our little detour, we continued east and made a quick stop at the South Carolina Welcome center...remember, old ladies stop a lot. After making some inquiries about things to do/see/don't-even-think-of-missing while in Charleston, the nice attendant mentioned that it was sure to be crowded because with the Master's in town, everybody from Augusta had probably fled the city and was now in Charleston...GREAT! We also asked if there was a more scenic, but not too much out-of-the-way route to get to Charleston. She directed us to a very charming little town, not far from the center, where we could have lunch then turn to take a nice ride through the countryside to get to Charleston. Mom and Doris were more excited about this prospect than I, until she explained that it would actually take about the same amount of time as the interstate. It was the shorter route but because of reduced speed limits through some of the towns, it would still take about 3 (read 4) hours. While we were stopped, I also took advantage of the WIFI available and made a reservation at a Charleston hotel, just in case everyone from Augusta was indeed headed there ahead of us.

We stopped at the little town (Aiken), and mom and Doris ate lunch at a very cute deli while I perused the antique store next door. Actually, I was on a mission. A few years ago I bought 6 red (yes, I'm sure they are not actually called "red," probably something like cranberry or ruby or something, but I'm not sure what their real name is so I just call them "red"...OK?) antique sherbet glasses. Then a couple of months ago I dropped one. Well, glass, being glass, it broke. BUMMER! I love my red sherbet glasses. I looked at several local antique stores for a replacement but had no luck. So, since I wasn't particularly hungry, I thought I'd check at this place. SUCCESS!!! They had the exact glasses I needed, and, they had 10 of them, which I bought and, since I bought all of them, I got a great deal (I think...). So, off we went, all of us happier than we were when we got to the "cute little town."

We got to Charleston and took advantage of the daylight to do some preliminary site-seeing. One of the first "must sees" was the Mount Pleasant bridge...the picture to the right doesn't do this thing justice. It is HUGE, and gives you a bit of a rush as you approach and especially as you drive under the supports.

Another "don't-even-think-of-missing" thing to do in Charleston, is to watch the sunset from the "Battery." The historic purpose and the origin of the name is from the fact that the area was as an artillery battery during the Civil War. It is stretches along the Charleston peninsula and is bordered by the Ashley and Cooper rivers. Today, it is lined with GORGEOUS homes and has a beautiful park and sunset was lovely.


We all loved Charleston, it is historic, charming, and beautiful. We met the most friendly and genuinely helpful people while we were there. The colorful homes to the right are called "Rainbow Row." They are very pretty and definitely colorful. We learned that the houses were painted these colors during a renovation of the area and that the colors were chosen to resemble the colors of homes found on some of the islands in the Caribbean  Well, that fact is much too mundane for me, I like the myths much better. One being that the house colors helped drunken sailors, on leave, remember which house they were to bunk in by the color.

The Charleston market was another cool place we visited. In its early days, beef and produce was sold there. Now there are many shops that sell everything you would expect to find in a historic part of a very popular tourist destination. Thankfully, there are many local artisans represented there and especially Gullah Sweetgrass Basket vendors. These folks sit and weave their baskets, to the delight of tourists and onlookers. Some have developed special ways of dying the grass to introduce unique colors and designs...very cool place.

After leaving Charleston itself, we ventured out to the Magnolia Plantation. One of the coolest facts about the plantation, to me, is that it has been in the same family (Drayton), since 1676. Of course, much of the original property has been sold off over the years but it's amazing to think of the history surrounding this place. In addition to the house, pictured to the left, there are some AMAZING gardens on the property.   We had a limited amount of time here but we can tell you that it is definitely a MUST SEE! We didn't get to see nearly all of the surrounding lands and various wildlife habitats that are part of the property. I've included just a few of the pictures from the gardens but, again, they do not do justice to the beauty we saw...

                                                   

 


Oh, I almost forgot to mention, I also got an oil change in Charleston...you just can't leave out the important details...right?

TTFN,

Lois

Atlanta...Is It The Same Place If There Are No "T's"?

Whenever I have made friends with people from other states, they are always a bit surprised to learn that I am from Texas. Apparently, according to many of these people, I do not have a "twang." In yesterday's post, I mentioned that my mother's family are relative newcomers to the US. Both her maternal and paternal fore bearers are Germanic and immigrated to the US in the late 1880's. As is true with many immigrants, they spoke their native language, especially among their friends and family. Also, not surprising, their children learned German as a native language. This was true even to my mother's generation. My Aunt Mary Louise, (Meetsie to me), did not speak English prior to starting school. Unfortunately for her, the lesson for my grandparents, to teach their children English, was learned at her expense. My mother, the second eldest, learned English as a toddler as did her subsequent siblings. Also, my father was a Kansas native, so, he certainly didn't have a twang in his speech either. My theory is that since my mother actually learned English from "second-language" parents and my father was a border-line Yankee, I just didn't pick up any discernible accent or twang, (unless I'm really tired, then all bets are off...).

My mother speak with an interesting combination of sounds. Seriously, I love to hear her speak. While it certainly would not be considered a true "twang," she does say some words very differently than do any of her daughters. One specific example is "Atlanta." When mom says it, it sounds like "Alana." Of course we all know what she is talking about and if she wasn't such a good sport, we would never mention it. But she is a GREAT sport so, we do...often...like now...in this blog that is being read by people across the US, Germany, Russia, Malaysia, Burma, and the UK, the last time I checked. So, to answer my own question...Yes, it is the same place, whether or not it contains T's.

ANYWAY, our first, (and only) full day in Atlanta started with our awesome hosts and tour guides at the Cyclorama. Now, I realize that the name sounds like it is some sort of carnival or amusement park ride that probably spins the occupants until they are all ready to puke, BUT, it's not. The Cyclorama is a theater, inside a Civil War museum. The "Cyclo" part explains that the theater is built "in the round." There is a painting, a HUGE painting that is hung on the wall of this "circular" theater. Then, in the center, is a set of "stadium" seats. The seat platform actually turns slowly so the audience can see the painting in its entirety. There is an audio presentation that accompanies the rotation and a spotlight highlights specific things in the painting. The subject depicts fierce battles of the Civil War as Confederate troops unsuccessfully defended Atlanta against the Union Army. Aside from the history depicted in the painting, the Cyclorama is worth the trip for a couple more reasons. It is located in Grant Park, a beautiful location and home to the Atlanta zoo, (definitely a must see...), also, the painting was completed in 1887...126 years ago! It is in amazing shape and I highly recommend taking the time to visit.

Our next stop was to "Underground Atlanta." This type of area is becoming more common in large cities. It is in downtown Atlanta and is full of shops, restaurants, clubs and tourists. The area actually traces its history to Atlanta's rebuilding efforts after the Civil War when the city expanded around the railroad lines that brought in goods and people. However, by the 1920's, traffic was horrible and the city began to build above the railroad tracks. Soon, the original, or ground floors were sealed up and forgotten until the late 1960's and early 70's when they were rediscovered and the revitalization began.

 These two photos, on the left and right, illustrate some of the art and decor in the Underground. There is an eclectic mix of history, modern shops, live entertainment and assorted sights, smells, and sounds. One thing I can promise...you will not be bored!

We wrapped up our Atlanta trip with a visit to Stone Mountain. Technically speaking, Stone Mountain is the world's largest exposed granite monolith. At its summit, the elevation is 1686 feet and it stands 825 feet above the surrounding landscape. In addition to its enormous size, Stone Mountain is also famous for the bas relief carving on its north face. The carving depicts three important Confederate men: General Stonewall Jackson, General Robert E. Lee and President Jefferson Davis and their favorite horses. The carving was conceived by Mrs. Helen Plane, a charter member of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. Gutzon Borglum was commissioned to do the project and he actually started it but abandoned it in 1925, (he later went on to begin Mount Rushmore). Augustus Lukeman until 1928, after which the project was abandoned until 1964 when Walter Hancock was hire to complete it, which he did on March 3, 1972.

So, our time in Atlanta came to an end. We are so grateful to Jerry and Renelle for their hospitality, their stories, for playing tour guides for us and for opening up their home to a trio of "travelling old ladies." 

Our trip continued as we continued east, this time to Charleston, SC...come back tomorrow for that leg of our journey.

TTFN, 

Lois 

Day 2, Atlanta via Vicksburg...

I am fascinated by history. Maybe its the storyteller in me, but I love hearing (and learning from) stories about the past. Closely related to the history bug, I am also interested in genealogy  Now, let me be clear, I am not the genealogy sleuth that my Aunt Caroline is...I mean, she travels around the state, taking pictures of headstones in cemeteries, for goodness sake! Anyway, again, its probably the stories of the past that are of the most interest to me. If those stories also happen to include information (or antics) of some relatives, all the better. My mother's family is relatively new to the U.S. In fact, all of her grandparents were born abroad and immigrated. My father's family has been here longer, in fact, his grandfather fought in the Civil War. (You'll have to wait for an explanation of how I can trace my family's involvement to such a "close" generation in a later post...NO, I'm NOT THAT OLD!) Perhaps my great grandfather's involvement is one of the reasons I am interested in this tragic part of America's past. 

I first visited Vicksburg with my sons on one of our "multi-state" tours. I think I've mentioned them previously. However, neither my mom nor her friend, Doris, had ever visited the site.   

                                                         

                                                                        Mom and Doris at the entrance
                                                             to the battlefield

 As you enter the "drive-thru" trail through the battlefield  you learn that the Union Army, led by General Grant, defeated the Confederate Army, led by Pemberton, at Champion Hill and Big Black Bridge. These Union victories forced the Confederate Army to retreat to Vicksburg. For the Confederates, Vicksburg proved to be quite a fortress. It was built on high bluffs and was pretty easily defended. Interestingly, although the Confederate Army was not defeated in any battle around Vicksburg, they were forced to surrender because their supplies had been effectively cut off and the soldiers and residents were starving to death and were incredibly ill. (As you drive through the various parts of the battlefield, you'll see blue and red markers, like those above, to indicate the locations of each side).

Another interesting thing at this battlefield, several years after the war, many veterans (of both sides) returned to the site and gathered at the places where they fought during the war. There are placards and memorials depicting the location where various companies etc fought...I thought that was cool. There are also much larger monuments, like the one  to the right, above. These represent various states with troop representation in the battle. The one above is the Illinois monument. (I took this picture because, after the war, my great-grandfather moved to Illinois, rather than return to Virginia. He met and married my great-grandmother in Illinois. Yes, much to my chagrin, I do have a bit of Yankee in me...)

Another interesting fact involved the African-American soldiers in the war. It was becoming increasingly difficult to attract new soldiers to join the war. The Union army enlisted African-Americans and promised them freedom from slavery for fighting against the Confederacy, provided (of course), the Union army won the war. It did and the African-American soldiers who fought were given their freedom. There is also a monument (pictured to the left), honoring these men...pretty cool, right?

So, needless to say, we stayed in Vicksburg a lot longer than we had originally anticipated. We learned a lot and our hearts were touched. We had intended to get to Atlanta in time to visit some of the attractions downtown before venturing out to Tucker, a suburb, to visit some dear friends. Well, between the traffic for fans going to see the Braves, the Hawks and/or the NCAA men's final four, we elected to head straight to our friends' house. 

Jerry ("Woody") and Renelle are the embodiment of Southern Hospitality. As Doris said, "they made you feel as if you had known them for years, rather than hours." My dad and "Woody" were buddies in the army. As children, my sisters and I grew up hearing stories about their days together and "Woody" was one of the groomsmen in my parents wedding. I think it is a testament to their friendship that after nearly 50 years of corresponding only through Christmas cards and long distance phone calls and an occasional letter, when they did see each other again, they still felt the bonds of friendship. They became a permanent part of our family and we are so much richer to count them as friends. 

Jerry and Renelle opened their home to us and allowed us to be their guests for a couple of days. Come back tomorrow and I'll tell you all about our stay in Atlanta.

TTFN

Lois

                                                 

On the Road Again...Day 1--to Vicksburg

If you've been reading this blog for awhile, or, if you go back to the very beginning of my posts, you'll remember that one of the things I really enjoy doing is travelling. (You might also know that Haime does not travel very well. He is very content to stay in his rut, following his very regimented routines and stay put. So, the dreams of travelling in our retirement just don't usually involve more than our annual trip to the coast...bummer!) Well, I hit the road again last week. This time, there were only three of us "road warriors..." my mom, one of her friends, Doris, (they graduated from high school together) and me. Together, we were "The Old Lady Tour."  I toyed with the idea of writing this blog while we were "on the road" but decided that I'd rather wait to write until we got back. I thought perhaps I'd be able to put some events into "perspective" after some days had passed and I'd had time to remember certain events and gage them against others. So, here goes...the first installment, or "Day ONE."

Unlike most of my long-distance treks, we did not start the day before dawn. In fact, we didn't leave until nearly 8:00 AM. Given the fact that I normally start these trips at 4:00 AM, I'd say I showed remarkable restraint and consideration for my fellow road-warriors. Of course, mom wasn't so sure. This would be a great time to tell you more about me and my mom. As I've written before, I have 4 sisters. We all have some physical traits in common, as well as, (and perhaps more importantly) some shared personality traits. One of the most obvious trait is that we are all "night owls." My mother gave us that particular characteristic. The only time I can really overcome this natural tendency is on these road-(or any other)-trips. I enjoy getting to my destination so I can see and do as much as there is to see and do given the amount (or lack thereof) time available. When we were growing up, my father, an unapologetic  "morning person", used to wake us all up by singing "M-I-C, see, its time to get up...K-E-Y...why? because it's morning and you have to go to school...M-O-U-S-E."  Cute, right...NOT! Morning people should just go about their business and stop picking on those of us who enjoy our sleep-induced-oblivion. OOPS, I've digressed again...Anyway, mom, was not overly impressed by our early morning departure but once she'd had her coffee, she was a trooper!

So, we started toward Tyler, TX. For those of you who are familiar with many of the beautiful cities and sights of our great state, you know Tyler is known for their beautiful roses. Apparently, they are also known for their GORGEOUS azaleas. However, unless you are from the I-20 corridor region of the state, you may not know that Tyler is very hard to get to. There are just no fast, easy ways to get there, particularly from South-Central Texas. Now, for those of you who may not have reached a certain age, or have not had "intimate conversations with people of a certain age about the jokes the body plays on one as one ages..." let me just say, if you intend to travel with people "of a certain age," plan to make LOTS of stops. Another thing my trips are noted for, in addition to the normally early starts, is the number of miles travelled. My philosophy is that you should see and do as much as you can because you don't know when (if) you'll get a second chance. Even though we did stop a time or two, the normal travel time to Tyler is about 5ish hours and we took at least that long.   

In doing a bit of research about our planned route, I came across an interesting sounding restaurant in Tyler. The Potpourri House advertised great food and a very unique setting. Knowing that we were going to need a break to walk around while we were in Tyler, I got directions to the restaurant. Like Tyler, it is not particularly easy to get to but it is definitely worth the hunt. We enjoyed good food at a good price and a great atmosphere. OK, I also did some shopping, (and buying) in the retail part of their business. 

The main attraction for us in Tyler, however, were the GORGEOUS azaleas. Honestly, the photos below do not do them justice. These things are amazing! My friend Laura asked whether the police were called about a slow-moving car of old ladies driving through the neighborhood, taking pictures...I'm not sure. We heard sirens but didn't stick around long enough to see who they were coming for. 

 

 We left Tyler and made our way to the I-20 East.                                                                                      Our planned stop for the day/night was Vicksburg, MS. We arrived in Vicksburg after dark and checked into our hotel, ate dinner--at every travellers "go-to" restaurant....you know the one...it has rockers outside...;and called it a night.

So, more tomorrow for Day 2.

TTFN, 

Lois