Yesterday was a very interesting day.....we did a little sightseeing and checked out a local rv park. We know we want to spend some time in the French Quarter and we have decided we are just to far away to try and do that if we stay here at the St Bernard park. We have furbabies and we just don’t like leaving them for long periods of time. Then there is the issue of the parking and the narrow French Quarter streets. The RV park is aptly called “The French Quarter” and it is within walking distance of the French Quarter. The visitor’s center is also nearby......so off we went.

On our way to the Rv Park, we found Brad Pitt’s neighborhood. Apparently, Brad Pitt is building homes to help build back the area after Katrina. They were interesting....modular units.....with solar panels.....very modern looking. Signs of Katrina are still everywhere.......there are still hundreds of homes awaiting demolition or re construction. Many of these homes still bare the symbols left behind from search and rescue teams. You will see a large ‘X’ the date will be on top, to either side are numbers and letters identifying the search group, and finally at the bottom.....a number......a number that tells how many dead lay inside.......The people of New Orleans have suffered so much and many are still suffering....there is so much left to do here......

We finally arrived at the RV park. This is a small park and it is not in the best area of town. The park is gated and we were met by a very nice young woman at the gate who escorted us inside. The park is clean and well maintained and expensive.....you are definitely paying for location here. We have Camp Club USA and so we received a 50 percent discount on our first night, the second night was a full price rate of $69.00. That rate does go up.......expect to pay in excess of $100 per night for holidays and special events. She told us they were already booked for Super Bowl Weekend. I imagine folks who can’t go to Miami want to be as close to the ‘party action’ as possible.....and the French Quarter seems to be the place to be for that.

After the Rv Park we headed over to the visitor’s center. Now, we are armed with maps of the area, coupons, and tour information. I asked about parking and she showed us what was available. We decided to check it out. It only took about 5 minutes into our journey to know we made the right decision to stay at the RV Park. We could not believe how narrow the French Quarter streets are and the parking lots are not much better. We headed on out to the Garden District.....my advice.....TAKE THE TROLLEY! I couldn’t really sight see as I had my nose in the map trying to guide us through the maze of one way streets and no left turns and no right turns. The city is full of them. There are unexpected road closures and bridges are out and detours and OH MY! Billy did really well, but by early afternoon we had both had enough and headed back to the fiver.

We will move to the RV park on Wednesday.......I can’t wait to walk the streets of the French Quarter......I’m so drawn to this city, it’s history, architecture, culture, people.....they fascinate me. The adventure awaits and poor Billy is along for the ride....it may be a wild one! Poor Billy, ya know this really isn’t his ‘cup-o-tea’. He prefers a quieter lifestyle, but he loves me and so he diligently tags along.....letting the occasional moan “slip out” or giving me that ‘pained expression’.....sorry honey!

We did have our trip across the Mississippi on the ferry Saturday. It was amazing to see the number of cars that can fit on that ferryboat. I think Billy counted around 30. It only takes a few minutes to make the trip across and surprisingly not much more to load and unload. Once we were on the other side we headed to Wally World to pick up a few groceries. The trip back across was a little unnerving as there was a heavy blanket of fog on the river. How the captain of the ferry knew where to go is beyond me.....guess they have instruments for that sort of thing! At any rate, it was spooky being out on that ferry surrounded by all that swirling water and mist!

Sunday we settled in. as I’m sure many of you did, to watch the football games. We are Colts’ fans so it was nice to see them win. The Saints.......wow, I thought for sure they were going to lose. They just couldn’t seem to move the ball. Lucky the Vikings were having such a bad day with turnovers. The Saints and the Colts.....it will be interesting as I really like both teams. It was hard enough yesterday to see the sad faces of the losing teams......we have all been in their shoes to some extent and know what it is like to be on the losing side.......

It was not easy, but we managed to fit into a site here at St Bernard State Park. This is a fairly small park and it is about 20 minutes away from New Orleans. The sites are well spaced.....you don't feel like you are sitting on top of your next door neighbor, but most only average about 50 feet in length. Our site is about 55 feet long and with the truck we just barely fit. Each site does have a fairly level concrete pad, but they are very narrow. They have had quite a bit of rain here, so the swamp is really swampy! We spoke with the camp host yesterday and they said we were lucky here......there is another state park close by this one and they are practically under water. I guess you sink to you knees in muck just stepping outside your rv! The cost with Billy's senior pass is a $8.00 per night and that includes 50 amp electric and water. Sorry no sewer hook ups here.

Now let's talk about the nightly entertainment....and it is free. There is a regular symphony of swamp critters performing here at the park every night. I think the orchestra consist mostly of frogs, but many different kinds. We've got high croakers (we affectionately call 'the screamers') and low croakers and every kind of croaker in between! They are loud! In fact, our Cosmo boy hid in the bedroom most of our first night here. He didn't know what all that racket was, but he didn't like it. Then there is the nightly visit from our Armadillo friend. I have only seen him once, but he loves to dig holes all around the fiver.....rather large holes.....the kind where you can easily turn an ankle. Mosquitoes, yeah, we got em! Not too bad though, I think the evening temps are keeping their numbers down at present. You are never alone here in the swamp.....you can just feel all those 'night eyes' on you where ever you go!

Yesterday, Billy decided he needed to have the truck looked at again. That dang engine light is coming on and off. So, off he went......7AM to see the wizard! Not knowing how long this would all take.....I stayed home with the furballs. Around 10AM, Billy calls.......he can't get to the dealership. He can see the dealership, but no matter what direction he goes.....he just can't get there! Road construction, no right turn, no left turn, road closed, traffic out the wa-zooo......well, you can imagine his frustration level. All this and he was with out his nag-igator to boot! Long story short, he came home. He called the dealership and they completely understood.....told him to try again on Tuesday. Apparently, traffic and construction should be better that day. We'll see!

We plan on laying low this weekend.....the Saints and the Vikings do battle here Sunday. I think we will try to take the ferry across to the west bank of the Mississippi. It is free to ride over and a dollar to come back.......

We did survive the rain, thunderstorms, and flooding here in Mobile. We pretty much spent the day in the fiver yesterday. We did venture over to a Chevrolet dealer because we had a check engine light on the truck. Billy spoke with one of the techs and he felt it was our locking gas caps that were causing the problem. The truck seems to be running fine. Billy changed out the caps, but apparently it may take as many as 9 or 10 engine start ups to clear the light. Time will tell and don't ask me why the locking gas caps are causing the problem. It has do with the "pressurized system" whatever the heck that means....LOL!

See you in New Orleans.....ya all!

This is the USS Alabama. She is quite the sight!

This is really scary.....Billy at the wheel of the submarine!! LOL!!

Yesterday we toured the USS Alabama. It was stunning. I was absolutely awestruck at the size of the ship and it's history. My Dad was in the Navy and I really don't know much about that.....I was so very young at the time. Seeing this ship makes me want to know more about my Dad's time in the Navy. So, DAD.....next time we are together....I want to hear all about your Navy Days. We were also able to tour a submarine and many planes were on display as well. I was amazed that we were allowed to go through both the ship and the sub on our own. There are very few areas that you are not allowed to wonder through.....It really gives you a sense of what it must have been like living on the sea. If you are in the area, I highly recommend taking the tour. It is a powerful moment in life. I could almost hear the crew as we went through the ship. I felt a great sense of pride for our country and it's people! We watched a short film while on board and one of the crewman made a statement, "They said we were the luckiest ship on the seas.....It wasn't luck, WE WERE GOOD!"

We arrived at Shady Acres in Mobile Alabama around 3:45pm yesterday. We gained an hour by entering into the central time zone. One of those moments in life where you can actually 'relive' an hour of your life. Unfortunately, was not much we could do different as we were just 'driving down the road' on I 10. So far the trip has been uneventful and that is just the way we like it!

Shady Acres is a nice little RV park and it is close to all the action in Mobile. It is certainly not a fancy park, but the folks here go out of their way to make you feel welcome and answer your questions. The sites are somewhat narrow.....I think we might just be able to get our awning out, but that is it. We have a back in site on gravel with plenty of length for our fifth wheel and truck. Their cable and internet are super and included in your $20 per night with Good Sam (regular $22 without discount). They do have a laundry room and bath area. We would definitely come back here again. We plan on spending at least two maybe three nights here to take in some of the Mobile Alabama sights.

Last night we went out to eat at the 'Original Oyster Bar'. It was nice, but the food was a little disappointing. It is kinda on the same level as a Red Lobster and we just felt it could have been a bit better. Today we are heading to the USS Alabama. You can take a tour of it and a submarine. From there we will probably do a little exploring to see what else we might want to check out.

One last note.......DAD.....I'm afraid the dreaded "cold from Hell" has found where I live. I came down with it yesterday....so far it is not so bad and I'm hoping I fair better than you and Uncle Jim did with it. I know it will have to 'knock me down' to get me down as there is too much I want to see and do right now to give in to it!

Today was travel day for us. We are finally on our way to the Rio Grand Valley in Texas. Along the way, we will be stopping for a few days to check out New Orleans. We made it as far as Perry, Florida today. We landed in a KOA right off Hwy 19. KOAs are not the norm for us, but we did not have much to choose from in the area and it was getting late in the day. We have a pull through....so easy in and easy out! Both of us are currently in our respective easy chairs watching the Jets beat San Diego.

Last Thursday we went to the RV Show in Tampa. We had a great time and met up with more RV Dreamers for a nice chat. We did come away from the show a little poorer. Many of you know we have an air bed made by Bear Beds. Well, for the second time in as many years we have sprung a leak. The warranty is a joke as you have to prepay for the new air chamber....then pay to ship the old one to them.....if they find your leak to be a manufacturer's defect, they refund the cost of the chamber, but not the shipping. You are stuck with shipping on both the new and old air chamber. So, when we stumbled across a booth with another brand of air beds on display we had to investigate. What a difference! You could see the quality of their beds. We looked inside and out, asked a million questions, and then took a "test" drive right there in the booth. SOLD! We are now $1995.00 poorer! They will call us when the bed is ready and then ship to where ever we are.......and we don't have to pay the shipping or sales tax. The company is called, "Custom Comfort" and they don't have a web site. They are making a custom size for us "70 by 80" so it will fit perfectly! I sure hope it is perfect at that price! LOL! Time will tell.

Friday night my Aunt and Uncle came by the marina and we all went dancing. It seems a local singer that my Aunt and Uncle knows was performing at a bar near by....so off we went. We had a great time. I can't tell you how long it has been since I was on a dance floor. The band was fabulous and did a lot of "oldies".....none of that "head banging" junk!

Saturday was spent in recovery mode from all that Friday night dancing.....I think we got in bed around 1am Friday. Been a great week here in Tampa at the marina.....we will sure miss everyone!