Merry Holidays from the Gulf of Mexico...

I hope everyone had very merry Holidays!

We made a quick biz stop in Georgia, stumbled on to a VERY nice park... Georgia Veteran’s Memorial State Park which I highly recommend.

While David took care of the things he does... I sat at the shore of Lake Blackshear watching turtles. I was watching for a gator (my new obsession) but instead I saw turtles. Several of them. At one point there were 10 turtle sunning on that log.

This picture shows 7 and I saw 3 more in the water making their way towards the log and then suddenly something much larger slithered up and over the log. This caused the turtles to leap .. yes leap... back into the water and totally freaked me out. That is until I realized it was an otter!

I fumbled around trying to get my camera going to get a picture because he was swimming around with his head out of the water right in front of me. Unfortunately, muscle memory of the old fashioned cameras had me trying to find the button and putting the damn camera up to my eye and then not be able to see anything. Then when I finally remembered to look at the nice convenient digital screen he had gone under again.

Dang.

It ends up this was the only picture of the otter I was able to get.

While we were there I told David I don’t know HOW anyone in the South (before swimming pools) EVER learned how to swim. There is no way in hell you would get me into any body of water unless I could see all the way from one end to the other. I am pretty sure that there are no backsies with gators.

Either they are in the water, or they are not... and if they are in the water they eat you tearing off limbs by going into a death roll or dragging you to the bottom of the water to drown and they will eat you later. Or maybe not.

So... you tell me. How brave are ya?

You going to be the first in the water to test if there is a gator there?

(tee hee I just love it! The wild beasts)

Then after a couple days, on December 23rd, we packed up and headed south again...

passing cotton fields...

and pecan orchards as far as the eye could see.

We were leaving Georgia and heading towards Florida into the panhandle.

We landed at Grayton Beach State Park. Again another very nice park and I do recommend it but I have to tell you... I would not want to be here during spring/summer. If you come, come off season during the winter time and just be prepared for some rain and chillier days. During the “on” season this place would be a zoo.

The “towns” which are an easy bike path ride away are not really towns but beach communities along Santa Rosa Beach. Well, if you look a little deeper they are not really even individual communities. They are secretly housing developments that are pretending to be towns and while VERY nice and planned out and organized... they are rather sterilized step-ford wife-ish. Disneyland like. We have not seen so many BMWs, Land Rovers, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguars in one place in a long time.

Those of us familiar with the Mendocino Coast have plenty of opinions about the Coastal Commission... and I still STRONGLY believe they ere too far in the other direction. But when you see a place like this. You understand reluctantly why there is a need for a type of a coastal commission. Without one you can’t see the beach through the trendy, matchy, stylish, well planned condo - house things.

Anyway we wandered around on a stormy day in town... here I am playing with the sea nymphs...

and here is David playing with the sea...

And after we were done and a bit chilly we went on back home and set up camp.

David even put up the Christmas lights for me,

and I got out a couple of decorations that I had brought along for the trip. It was one very festive trailer!

On Christmas day we talked to the families back home... I talked to Amber like 3-4 times! And via the internet I immediately saw pictures of everyone and after the get together both Beth and Brooke posted pictures into their Picasa on-line albums and I was able to see all the photos of the day without having to download individual pictures. Technology is pretty spiffy!

I have had a couple folks ask me if we exchange gifts. Officially we don’t. But come on... I wake up every day on this adventure after sleeping a warm and safe night. We have all the comforts of home... literally... and I am on a trip I never imagined going on. In fact, in the past 5 or 6 years I have gone places and enjoyed experiences that I could not have imagined. No gift exchange? Yeah right. I get a gift every day... and while I try to express my gratefulness, there are simply not enough words. I appreciate it all more than I can ever say.

So... we had a great Christmas, and are looking forward to the New Year. Stay tuned as we are changing up a couple of stops on the itinerary but... get this...

we have not yet planned the route back! Isn’t that great!?

And look at this....

Donovan's First Christmas... and the festive reindeer outfit!

The start of something new...

We-uns noticed that we had some new neighbors moving into town just down the road from us. We noticed because the other day out of our window looking across the lake, we saw someone drop in on the other shore and swim diagonal towards the west end of the lake.

It seems there is a home being built just down the road from us on the lake. So David, Delta, and I decided to be neighborly and go greet them. We got dressed in our yooper best and headed out.

(Oh my gosh we are so goofy.)

Back to our path to the new neighbors house...

Delta thought she would take a host / hostess gift and found something oddly appropriate along the way. It took her a couple times to choose something she liked... she wanted to find just the right one.

Hmmm.. not this one... it's too small....

THAT ONE!
Just perfect but a bit hard to carry.

She brought it back to me to get my opinion.

Unfortunately, Delta's gift went unaccepted. When we got there, no one was home.

We can see they have recently been doing a little fixing up of the place and settling in. They have just started on their home as you can see because it is rather modest in size. I hope they have enough time before winter sets in to strengthen it up a bit.

Hmm... I wonder if the fact the house is so small at this time of year... and that they are even starting to build a house this time of year is some kind 'old injun' sign. Dunno. Need to find me an 'old injun'.

Dad, any thoughts?

Heh heh.

As of yet, we have been unable to make their acquaintance. They seem to be rather shy folk. Delta found where they were taking down some maples and pines and dragging them off the bank and into the water... where they tow it across the water to their home. It is probably ok for her to be sniffing around there at the bank... but from what I hear even though she is 90+ lbs... a dog does not want to try to go after a beaver IN the water.

Beaver

Type: Mammal

Diet: Herbivore

Average lifespan in the wild: Up to 24 years

Size: Head and body, 23 to 39 in;
Tail, 7.75 to 12 in;
Weight: 60 lbs

Did you know? Beavers are second only to humans in their ability to manipulate and change their environment. Beavers can swim at speeds of up to five miles an hour. They can remain underwater for 15 minutes without surfacing, and have a set of transparent eyelids that function much like goggles. Their fur is naturally oily and waterproof. Hmm... interesting. Thanks National Geographic!

Now for a bit of tragic excitement.

In the past year I have mentioned a couple times the only drinking establishment here in town called the "Trail's End". It is the local bar and I mentioned it in my posting about the grand tour of Sidnaw and then again when I posted about the arrival of exotic dancers during one of the most popular local hunting seasons... which is just about to start again.

Well the Sidnaw landmark has fallen... not really fallen...
more like burnt to the ground.

What you saw on the corner here:

turned into this the other night:

I don't have pictures of what was left after the blaze yet but it took 2 hours for that place to burn literally to the ground. It included an explosion or two thanks to something most folks are attributing to propane... the alcohol, and soda tanks, and grease etc from the grill probably did not help much either.

As we do not live in town we knew nothing of the blaze until the next morning when I was going to work at the Post Office. All that I saw that was remaining of the building was two brick chimneys, and a small portion of a burnt block wall. The rest lay in smoldering heaps pushed and collapsed into the basement. The smoke still lingered in the air and it had permeated everything around it. The post office smelled of house fire all day. Additionally, throughout the day flames would lick out from the piles of debris, and small cinders would fall like snowflakes.

It was quite the attraction... I don't remember seeing that many people in town and they came all day. Heck, the local channel 6 sent the news team out from Marquette.

A pretty little gal in a magenta blazer / pea coat kinda thing came in and asked where the fire department was. I just kinda chuckled and directed her to the aluminum shed where the volunteer trucks are kept. Hmmm... she must like magenta. Have to admit that color does look good on her.

One of our local gals here Lonnie Collins even gave her a quick interview before they went and set the cameras up on the smoking ruins of the bar. I wish we got channel 6 local news... we could watch it and tell Lonnie how famous she is but the TV reception does not come in so well out this far from Marquette.

The fire happened around midnight and the bar owner who lived upstairs got out safely. Thanks to the volunteer fire department his truck was saved as it was in the garage. I heard the plastic and rubber trim was melted around the windows, and he was unable to wash some of the soot off the windows either but got it clear enough to drive... at least he had his vehicle and was able to drive out of town after he finished up with the Fire Chief.

No one will know where or how it started until the local Fire Marshall investigator comes out. At least no one was really hurt other than some smoke inhalation problem with one of the volunteer firemen. He is ok now also by the way.

The hunters, ATV-ers, and snowmobile people will miss one of their watering holes BUT it looks like someone has bought the restaurant in town! Maybe there will at least be somewhere for people to get a cuppa jo or even breakfast in the morning. Rumor is the folks who bought it have another restaurant up near Calumet and they are trying to get this one up and running before all the hunters come in... which is already happening in droves. The old deserted camps that are hidden away around every corner out in nearly every section of the woods have suddenly been filled with testosterone soaked life again.... Trucks, smoke, wood, boots, Carhartts, meat, beer, camo, booze, knives, ATVs, neon orange, guns, and outhouses. scratch scratch.

And now to catch you up on our exciting news... while we are very lucky and the snow that fell mid-October melted... Winter is still on her way. There is no snow or ice on the ground right now so moving around is still relatively easy if not chilly. So... we have decided to make like the snowbirds this year and pack up our knapsack and go in search of greener pastures! Literally. GREENER PASTURES... or maybe I should say greener greens.

I will post more later on our upcoming escape... but here is a hint.
We are movin' on up just like the Jeffersons:


Good-by old friend Palomino... you were a very trusty ride. Just what we needed... BUT

HELLO NEW FRIEND!