A Tornado Watch and a Good Time

After a few weeks of staying at home for the weekend, we were ready for a weekend away.  This time we went to St. Joseph Peninsular State Park.  We had postponed our trip from the weekend before due to a bad weather forecast.  Around Tuesday of this week, it was starting to look like we were facing another stormy weekend; however, being the fearless campers that we are we decided to let nothing stop us this weekend.  We left right after lunch on Friday hoping to avoid getting rained on as we set up at our campsite.
When we arrived, we discovered that I had reserved a site that was going to be difficult to back into.  A fellow camper pulled up right behind us and proceeded to help Bubba with backing in.  Thankfully Bubba has greatly improved in this area and before too long, we were getting set up.  It did sprinkle on us a little bit, but not too much.  About the time Bubba got us all hooked up, a ranger came by and handed him this:

Oh great, it kind of made me think of the time we spent a hurricane on a shrimp boat in the middle of the bay.  Bubba went for a look around while I put things in order on the inside (getting the channels set up on the tv).  He soon came back and wanted me to go down to the beach with him to look at the waves.

The wind was really blowing and  the waves were white capping behind us.  That is a red flag warning against any swimming in these type seas.

And, of course, that dark spot is a young man who is paying no attention to the warning flag and going for a swim.  I was ready to go.  If he was going to be that foolish, I wasn't going to hang around to watch.

This is another picture of us by a tree.  You can tell we are getting a lot of use out of our new tripod.
We returned to the trailer and I fixed ham, eggs, and grits for supper.  The tornado watch ended by 8:00 and we were able to get a good night's sleep.  The next morning after some oatmeal and strawberries, we went back out for a walk.  We wanted to pick some sites for our next trip that would be easy to get into and closer to the gulf.  I want to be able to open the window and hear the waves crashing on the beach.  There are two areas for camping.  The first is the Gulf Breeze Campground and the second is the Shady Pines Campground.    The Gulf Breeze Campground seemed closer to the water, but the sites were also more crowded there.  Still we picked out several sites there that we liked. Then we picked out several sites that we liked in the Shady Pines Campground.  

Then we went back for another walk on the beach.  It was cold and windy, but still enjoyable.  People were surf fishing and had on coats, hats, hoods, and gloves.  (I wonder if my friend Mary Ellen likes fishing that much?)  

We saw a lot of birds.  There was a bird watching walk scheduled for Sunday morning with a ranger.  As we passed leaving today, I was surprised how many people had turned out for this event.

This pelican just swam around while we took his picture.

We had tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch.  Then we read and played Scrabble and of course.....

Bubba won again.  This is starting to really get to me.  The man can't spell.  How is he beating me every time????

This was his reward.  Maybe I would have played better if I had know that was going to be the prize!

For supper we had barbecued pork chops in the crock pot, baked potatoes, broccoli, and tomatoes.  It was good, but I'm looking forward to the weather warming up so we can grill outside again.

St Joseph Peninsular State Park is a great place to visit. We're really looking forward to going back this summer so we can enjoy the beach.  It is a good place to go and it has the bonus of not being that far away.  If the price of gas continues to rise, this is a place we can go without too much expense.  By the way, Florida State Parks give a 50% discount to senior citizens who are Florida residents. There are some definite advantages to getting older. I'm also glad we didn't postpone getting a travel trailer until I retired.  We are enjoying these little excursions so much and we have no doubt that we did the right thing.   

And the Mailman Came...

We have just concluded a really fun weekend and no camping was involved.  We had a visit from Amy and Amelia.  It had been two months since their visit at Christmas and we were yearning to see them.  (Amy thinks that we don't look forward to seeing her any more, but we do.)  This visit coincided with the upcoming Valentine's Day which made it even better.  It gave us an excuse to spoil Amelia a little bit.  To start the fun, I bought a mailbox and decorated it for Valentine's Day.

Then I bought a lot of little treats to put in it at different times throughout her visit.  I started with a little Strawberry Shortcake doll.

Amelia quickly caught on to this "game".  She was pleased no matter how big or small the treat in her mailbox.  She would enthusiastically exclaim, "Look, what I got!" about everything she found in the mailbox.

She got the movie, "Treasure Buddies" for one of her bigger treats.  I thought it was an awful movie, but she seemed to enjoy it very much.

In fact, she enjoyed it so much that she watched it both Thursday and Saturday night.  Both times with popcorn and chocolate milk.  Among the items found in the mailbox were books, M & Ms, craft supplies to make valentines, a picture to paint, colored pencils, a bracelet, princess rings, Tinker Bell socks, goldfish crackers, card games, but the item that brought us all a lot of laughter was this.

This little thing cost just $1.00.  When you press the button, the inside spins and lights up with all different colors.  Amelia announced that this was her "super powers."  She then explained to all of us what our parts were and what we were supposed to do.  All of us were bad guys of one sort or another and Amelia was the good guy with her "super powers".  We engaged in numerous battles, each time with the "super powers" making Amelia the winner.  Paw-Paw's weapon was the remote control, mine was an old cell phone, and Amy's weapon was a bottle of water.  We had to raise our weapons and fight to the finish, but we always succumbed to the "super powers".  At the conclusion of each battle, Amelia would raise her hands and announce, "I winned!"
Over the course of the weekend, we ate Mexican food in P.C., hamburgers at the local doughnut shop, and fried fish.  We also had pancakes two mornings in a row (Amelia's request.) 

We baked cookies.  I will confess that they were slice and bake, but Amelia enjoyed sprinkling them just as much as homemade.

We made "valentines" although Amelia had her own ideas about what they should look like

Amelia taught Paw-Paw how to play a game on the iPad.

One more pose with the "super powers" as she and her mom prepare to head home (I think her braids are so cute!)

It is always hard to say good bye to our girls.  We enjoyed the weekend so much and can't wait until next time.  We love you very much!

My Valentine

I wonder  how many people when they marry give enough thought to exactly what kind of person they are committing themselves to be with forever.  I know that I didn't.  I thought Bubba was really good looking (especially in his blue mohair sweaters) and smelled good.  He drove a blue corvette convertible and seemed to have enough money to pay for anything we chose to do on a date.  He came from a good family.  We were in love.  I know that I hadn't prayed for God's guidance in selecting the husband for me, but God was looking out for me even if I hadn't asked for his help.


As a young husband, Bubba worked hard at the paper mill.  We didn't have much money.  The payment on the corvette used up one whole $95.00 paycheck!  (I wrecked it a couple of weeks after the wedding.)  He painted on the side to pick up extra money.  We lived through years of paper mill rumors of shut downs.  During a lengthy strike at the mill, he bought a shrimp boat with my dad and shrimped for a living.  He built a two story addition onto our little house doing all the work himself.  During those early years, we had our ups and downs but he was always rock solid. Money was tight -- partly because he had the wisdom and good judgement to save for our future.  Sometimes we would argue, but we always forgave each other never holding a grudge.


As a father, Bubba was devoted.  Even though he had to get up early in the morning to go to work at the mill, he always got up with me during the night when Baby Amy woke up and would run down the stairs to the kitchen to warm her bottle and bring it back up.  Eventually we were able to move into a new home.  He continued to work at the mill and did some painting on the side.  That enabled me to be a stay-at-home mom.
He saw to it that Amy had a car while she was in high school. He never put anything he wanted first.  It was always Amy and me.   He encouraged her and financed a college education.  What a proud father he was when she graduated and then received her master's degree!  What an empty nest we had when she left for college and then later married!


Life is different now.  It's just the two of us.  The rumors of the paper mill shutting down came true and Bubba started a painting business of his own.  I called him the "painter to the stars" because he was the most desired painter around.  I guess even his customers recognized how special he is.  He eventually accepted a job at a shrimp processing plant doing their maintenance work.  He learned how to fix things that he would have never dreamed he could conquer.  Then the day came that he retired.


Since his retirement, Bubba has taken over the demands of the house so that I can finish out my time and retire.  Somewhere along the way, he started making my coffee every morning and bringing me a cup (or two or three).  He learned to cook and can now prepare as good a meal as I ever could, some even better.  He cleans the house and washes the clothes and keeps the yard work done. He buys our groceries. He does all this so that I don't have to do it on the weekends.


Bubba is an amazing grandfather.  He loves spending time with Amelia.  He gets excited about the "treats" we plan for her.  He loves talking about the cute things she does.


I don't want you to think he is perfect because he is not.  His only obvious flaw is that he worries.  He worries about trees falling on the house, the amount of oil in the car, the septic tank, pulling the trailer, identity theft, someone stealing his boat, traffic, weather, the price of gas, the running toilet, freezing weather, rotting wood, the roof leaking,  Amy, Darryl, Amelia, etc.  He worries about my health.  He worries about growing old.  (We are going to continue to work on that little flaw.)


Now, personally, I don't think I deserve this man but I thank God every day for him. There is a poem by Robert Browning that I have liked for many years.  It's a long poem and I admit I don't understand all of it but I do like the first part which says:

Grow old along with me!

The best is yet to be,

The last of life, for which the first was made:

Our times are in His hand

Who saith "A whole I planned,

Happy Valentine's Day, Bubba!

I'm glad you're mine.

Florala State Park

The local weather man was predicting beautiful weather for this weekend so we decided to take advantage of it by going on a "spontaneous" (meaning without careful planning for more than a week) camping trip to Florala State Park which sits right off of Highway 331 on the Florida/Alabama line. We had passed the park before on our way to Opp.  It sits on a beautiful lake right in town. 

Just as we were setting up camp, we got a call from Bubba's brother, Joe, who suggested that they join us in Florala for supper.  We thought that was a great idea since ham sandwiches had been on our menu for that evening.  The buffet was loaded with all kinds of good things including seafood.  Unlike most buffets, there were servers to dip your selections.  We enjoyed eating and visiting with Joe and Judy both at the restaurant and back at the trailer.

On Saturday morning, we ate a light breakfast and decided to explore downtown Florala.  There are a number of antique/second hand shops that line the main street.  We are definitely not interested in obtaining any more "stuff", but it is fun to look at things from the past.

This life size Elvis always gets our attention when we're passing through Florala.  While we were looking around Bubba expressed interest in a machete that he found in a display case.  It had saw teeth on one side and a sharp edge on the other with a pistol handle.  He talked himself out of getting it and I was glad.  I mean how many machetes can one man use?  It's not like he has to chop his way through the brush to get to his truck every day.

For lunch we returned to Country Folks Buffet and enjoyed another fine meal.  After lunch we went back to the trailer for some relaxation and then our traditional game of Scrabble.  Bubba has gotten so used to winning that he gets a little desperate if I get ahead by a few points.  He tried to convince me that "texu" was a modern word used for telling some one that you were going to send them a text message.  For example, "I'm going to texu."  I stood firm and would not allow it, but even without "texu" he won although it was a closer game than last time.

As usual, we enjoyed our weekend.  It is so pleasant to just get away.  The park was beautiful, but we will probably not camp there again.  TV reception was good, the bath house was old but clean; however, we could hear the traffic from Highway 331 all through the night - not enough to keep us awake, just enough to let us know that we were not that far away from civilization.
Country Folks Buffet was worth repeating and I would recommend it to anyone passing through the area.  My next blog will not be about a camping trip.  Our granddaughter and daughter are coming for a visit February 9 and that is even better than camping so stay tuned for news of their visit.

Do You See What I See?

When I look out my window........

There's a really large camellia.  Scattered around the yard are several more large camellia bushes that came from this bush.  But that is not what I'm really seeing when I look out that window....

This is what I'm seeing.  I remember that day so well for some reason.  It was somewhere around Valentine's Day in 1976.  Amy was around two years old.  We were commemorating this "romantic" holiday by planting a camellia that would always be there.  (We were more optimist back then about our green thumbs.)  Amy was right in the middle of things, covering herself up with leaves and helping us plant the new flower.  I remember the little pink plaid pants and pink shirt she was wearing.  Bubba is always surprised that I can remember what someone was wearing 36 years ago, but sometimes I can because it seems like it was just yesterday.  I remember the spring like weather on that day in February.  I don't know why this day is so vivid in my memory, but it is.  That little girl is all grown up with a little girl of her own now and that bush continues to grow outside my window reminding me of that day so long ago.

St. George Island State Park (Bubba and Mrs McGoo)

The weekend of the MLK holiday was eagerly anticipated.  We had not been camping since our Christmas outing and we were ready to go.  Reservations had been made a month prior at the St. George Island State Park.

I am now working what is called a flexible work schedule which means I work four 10 hour days and can be off every Friday for a three day weekend!  Friday morning we took our time loading the camper and around noon we started for our St. George Island adventure.  I neglected to mention that it was COLD, probably the coldest weekend so far, but we went anyway. This is a beautiful area.  We stayed in Friday evening bundled up, reading, and enjoying spaghetti for supper.

Saturday we ate a light breakfast because we wanted to eat seafood somewhere for lunch.  I had done some research online and found that most people recommended either  The Hut  or  Captain Snook's Seafood Restaurant in East Point.  We chose Captain Snook's and were not disappointed.  Bubba ordered the fried oysters/shrimp combo with french fries.  I ordered the fried shrimp/crab fingers combo with cheese grits.  It was all delicious.  I usually don't like to eat seafood away from home because most restaurants leave it a little under cooked for my taste; however, I mentioned to the waitress that I would like it cooked pretty done and it was perfect.  We finished off our lunch by sharing a slice of their homemade key lime pie  It was soooooo good.

We spent the rest of the day working on our photography skills using our new tripod to take pictures.  There are plenty of beautiful sites that make good backgrounds for pictures.

It was driving Bubba crazy that there were oysters on the flats behind us and he couldn't get to them (this time).
Supper Saturday evening was grilled hot dogs accompanied by chips and dip.  (Is there anything much better than a grilled hot dog?")

We will definitely return to St. George Island in warmer weather.  The park was nice, plenty of privacy between sites.  The public restrooms have just been refurbished and are very clean.  There is not very good television reception.  At night we got Channel 11 (PBS) and that was it.  In the morning, we got a little NBC and a little ABC.  We're not hooked on television, but we do like to watch some news every day.

Sunday morning, we started the day with some pancakes and sausage that Bubba had cooked on the grill while he was doing the hot dogs the night before.  We got out and explored the island some more and for lunch we got a pizza from BJ's Pizza and Subs.  Once again I had searched the internet and found many favorable comments about their food, especially the pizza which was described as "old fashioned homemade".  We got a sausage and pepperoni, loaded with cheese and it was a refreshing change from the pizzas that come from the chains.

We made the decision to head for home Sunday afternoon rather than Monday as originally planned because I had an eye doctor appointment on Monday.  I broke the leg on my glasses Thursday and I can't do without them for very long.  You might have noticed that I was not wearing them in all these pictures and I looked like I was squinting like the old cartoon character Mr. McGoo.


All in all, it was a very good weekend.  We're looking forward to returning in warmer weather.  Sister-in-law Winifred loves St. George Island after vacationing there one summer and was excited that we were going.  She definitely steered us to a idyllic location.  Thanks, Winnie!

A Tribute to Aunt Gladys

I woke up Thursday morning and started my day like any other. I sat in my recliner, opened up my laptop, and began drinking my morning coffee.  I always click on the local newspaper and after glancing at the news, I go straight to the obituaries.  (I guess I'm making sure my name isn't there.)  But there was a name and picture there that I recognized -- Aunt Gladys.  She was my dad's younger sister and she had passed away at the age of 89.  I must confess that I had not seen Aunt Gladys in the past five years.  The last time I saw her she seemed so glad to see me and I told myself that I was going to make a point of going by to see her.  I wanted her to tell me about my dad when he was a boy and about my mom and dad when they were first married.  I never made it.  I told Bubba that I wanted to go to the visitation and the funeral so we did.
Although it was a sad occasion, it was good to see cousins that I had not seen in years.  We exchanged addresses and I hope that we do make an effort to stay in touch better than we did in the past. Aunt Gladys' obituary might not have been impressive in the eyes of the world, "She loved her family, gardening, shelling peas and cooking for her family."

"She loved her family."  She raised five children, pretty much on her own.  She doted on her grandchildren. She cared for her parents.  She loved her brother and sisters and their families.  She was interested in them all and loved every occasion when they could get together.

"Gardening" was included in the pictures displayed at the visitation.  Some of her flowers were pictured.

"Shelling peas" while she watched soap operas was jokingly referred to as a favorite pastime.

"Cooking for her family" was an occasion for them to be together and she enjoyed that.

The greatest tribute to Aunt Gladys was not in the words of the obituary; it was in the gathering of her family to say good bye.  They were all there with their children and grandchildren.  Not only did they love and appreciate their mother, they loved and appreciated each other.  In the words of Proverbs 31, "Her children rise up and call her blessed."  What a great testimony this is to a good woman -- rest in peace, Aunt Gladys.

Christmas Future?

 After celebrating Christmas a week early with our family, we were anxious for the long Christmas weekend to arrive so that we could once again venture out into unknown territory.  Since Governor Scott gave state employees an extra day off for the holiday (in lieu of raises), we were able to head to our Christmas destination, Florida Caverns State Park in Marianna, FL on Friday morning.  The weather, like the weekend before, was just not Christmasy at all. It was cool and very damp feeling with very little sunshine; however, we did not let that dampen our spirits.    We arrived at the park and were greeted by a cheery park ranger.  He directed us to our site that we had reserved online.  It was a beautiful site.  This was our first time staying at a state park in Florida and apparently Florida's philosophy is to go with nature rather than a lot of landscaping.  We were surrounded by woods which gave us a lot of privacy.

After we got set up, we decided to take a short hike down to the Blue Hole where people swim in warmer weather.  Before we made it to the Blue Hole, I tripped over a root and fell on my knees and palms.  This is one time when fat actually helped me.  I think it cushioned my fall.  A skinny person would have probably broken something.  We cut the hike short and went back to the camper where we decided that playing Scrabble was a safer activity for the afternoon.  I fixed spaghetti for our supper and then we watched tv and read until we were sleepy.


Saturday we had a piece of pie for breakfast and decided to get out for a while, maybe eating lunch at Sonny's.  We went to the Marianna WalMart, which was not crowded and enjoyed just browsing around.  Then we went to Sonny's for lunch.  When we returned to our camper, we decided to try the hike to the blue hole again because I wanted to try out the tripod that Amy and Darryl gave me for Christmas.  We walked very carefully avoiding the many roots in the path and made it to our destination.  Then we set up the tripod and began taking pictures.

I love the picture on the bridge because Bubba set up the camera and then he had to run avoiding all the roots to get up there before the picture snapped.  He made it!  He's pretty agile for a senior citizen.  I love the tripod.  Now we can take pictures of both of us together on our outings.  Thanks, Amy and Darryl.  We enjoyed sliced pork sandwiches courtesy of Sonny's for supper and then played another game of Scrabble.  (We're hooked.)

How does he win all the time?  He can't spell !!!!

Christmas was different.  We had coffee and hot chocolate in bed and then we got up to open our gifts.  We only carried our "surprises" with us.  We opened them and then we had blueberry pancakes and sausage for breakfast.  Somewhere along in there Amelia called to tell us about Santa Claus coming and what he left her.  She sounded very pleased so I know that she was a very good girl all year.

Bubba said that these were the best blueberry pancakes he's ever eaten.

Archie loves his new bed.  As he gets older, it gets harder for him to jump up on the couch to sleep.

Bubba got out and walked some later that day.  I stayed in and read and prepared our Christmas dinner -- chili with crackers.  It was pretty good after all the holiday food we had been eating.  Christmas night we experienced a good night's sleep with the sound of rain on the roof.

Monday morning, we finished packing up and headed for home.  We had a good weekend even though it was different from any Christmas we had enjoyed in the past.  Is this the ghost of Christmas future?  We'll see.  

We're already planning our next trip.  We have decided on St. George Island. We're going to fish some on this trip.  Amy and Darryl gave Bubba a cart to haul all our stuff to the beach so we plan to try it out next time.  A nice thing about Florida State Parks is that they offer a 50% discount to Florida senior citizens.  Alabama and Georgia only offer 15%.  There are definite advantages to getting older.

Christmas Present

According to plan, we celebrated Christmas with Amy, Darryl, and Amelia the weekend before Christmas.  They came in on Saturday afternoon.  That night we had a non-traditional dinner of Barbecue Ribs, Potato Salad, Peas, Corn, Macaroni and Cheese and Yeast Rolls with Carrot Cake for dessert.

My mother would have been proud that I made the table pretty.

Following dinner, we opened presents.

Much to the dismay of Darryl and Amy, we gave Amelia a PlayDoh cake decorating kit.  She also got party hats, candles, and napkins so that she could have birthday parties for her dolls.

Amelia thought it would be more fun to have a birthday party with Nana and Paw-Paw.

Cookie, the Playful Pup, was intended to be her main present from Nana and Paw-Paw.  This is a "wonderful substitute for a real dog".  It barks, wags its tail, moves its head, and chews a bone.  We thought Amelia would love this because she is so crazy about Archie. She was very excited as she opened Cookie, but when we finally had her out of the box, she just sat there -- no barking, no tail wagging, no head moving, no bone chewing.  We decided that the batteries that came in it were dead so Bubba was going to change them when he discovered that the batteries in it were corroded and leaking battery acid everywhere.  Amelia couldn't even hold Cookie.  It was kind of pitiful.  Cookie just sat in her box on the floor and every now and then Amelia would put a PlayDoh cake in front of her and talk soothingly to the still quiet dog.  The  next day after church,  Bubba and I headed to WalMart to exchange Cookie for one that actually worked.  Amelia seemed pleased with the swap and christened the new dog, "Lilly".

Bubba received the most unusual gift of the holiday season.  My cousin, Vicky, found this squirrel feeder and thought it was the perfect gift for him.

I can't wait to see if a squirrel will actually walk into the gator's mouth to get a bite off the ear of corn that it holds.

Amelia is enjoying "The Polar Express" sitting in her rocking chair with her doll, also named Lilly.  The doll house was Amy's many years ago.  I kept it hoping that someday I would have a little granddaughter who would enjoy playing with it  -- she does.

Anyway, we had a good Christmas with our family even though it was a week early.  We had a good visit and a good time.  We love you all very much!  Merry Christmas!