Blackwater State Park

Father’s Day Weekend finds us at Blackwater River State Park in Holt, FL.  This is a weekend that we had very much looked forward to because we remembered a long ago tubing trip on the cool, clear Blackwater River with its white sand bottom and beautiful sandbars.  Unfortunately there was a record breaking rain storm in the Pensacola area the week before and now the cool, clear water is a muddy looking brown.  Bummer!  

The park itself is very nice.  The campsites are gravel and very level with full hook ups, which is always nice.  There is not a lot of privacy between some of the sites but fortunately we are parked next to a nurse and her husband from Pensacola who are camping with friends from their Sunday School Class.  We looked around and determined that if we ever returned here, Sites #11, #26, or #29 would be our pick with the most space and privacy.

Since we were so close to Pensacola, we decided that we would check in on my 91 year old aunt, Cile, and take  her out to eat for her birthday which was a couple of weeks ago.  Cile was my favorite aunt when I was growing up.  She kept me a lot when I was very little and spoiled me rotten.  She is also the mother of my very special (almost like a sister) cousin, Vicky.   I might add that we allowed her to drive us to the restaurant and I was sure that we would never make it back alive, but we did.  She was very happy to see us and I’m glad we went. 

When we returned from visiting my aunt we ate supper and went to bed pretty early.  Saturday was a much prettier day.  We walked around in the park, visited the river, and came back to the trailer to enjoy the cool morning by sitting outside and reading.  We grilled a pork chop, had corn on the cob and fresh tomatoes with it for lunch.  

On the walkway going down to the river.

Then Bubba’s brother, Joe, called and asked if it would be convenient for him to come for a visit.  It is always a good time for a visit from Joe.  He arrived about 1 ½ hours later.  We sat around outside for a while and enjoyed visiting.  Judy, his wife, was not feeling well and unable to come with him so we really missed seeing her.  Joe and Judy are in the market for a travel trailer since they both recently retired.  We’re very excited about the prospect of having someone to travel and camp with.  We grilled hamburgers and hot dogs for supper.  Afterwards Joe and Bubba walked down to see the river while I cleaned up.  By the way, the sign Joe made us when we started camping has generated a lot of interest.  We had two people this trip who inquired where we got the sign because they liked it so much.

Joe and Bubba and our special sign

We got up Sunday morning, had a big breakfast, packed up, and started home. Happy Father’s Day, Bubba! You’re a wonderful husband, father and grandfather. Amy, Amelia, and I have been blessed to have you in our lives.

On a sad note, this may be Archie’s last camping trip with us. The vet is pretty sure he has stomach cancer and there is really not much to be done for him. He is still eating well and seems to enjoy getting in the truck to go places, but he spends most of his time sleeping and is getting obviously weaker. Please pray that we will know what to do and when to do it. He has been a wonderful companion and it is hard to visualize a life without him in it. I used to not understand when people mourned the passing of a pet, but believe me, I understand now.

Memorial Day Weekend and A Surprise

Memorial Day Weekend finds us at Florida Caverns State Parkin Marianna, FL, for the second time.  You may remember that this is where we spent Christmas.  At Christmas, I found this to be a rather gloomy campground; however, this weekend is beautiful and sunny and I am thoroughly enjoying being here.

On Friday morning, I was checking Facebook and was excited to see that some old friends whom we have not seen for at least ten years were also camping at Florida Caverns for the weekend.  Rather than let them know that we would see them there, we decided to surprise them when we arrived.   We set up our campsite and went for a walk around the campground to see if we could determine which camper belonged to them. We found it, but to our dismay no one was home.  We started walking back to our site when a truck stopped and our friends, Sid and Charlotte greeted us.  We have been visiting with them and their family all weekend.

We became friends with Sid and Charlotte when their son, Allen, was the youth minister at our church.  Allen ate lunch with us almost every Sunday and usually hung out at our house until time to go back to church in the evening.  He was like part of the family.  It also helped us deal with the “empty nest” while Amy was in college.  We enjoyed  a lot of good times with Allen and his family, but eventually Allen went to another church to serve and it became harder to keep up the relationship.  When I first discovered Facebook, I looked up Charlotte and sent her a friend request.  Then I found that they, too, were enjoying camping.  I kept telling Bubba that we needed to get together with them, but I could tell from Facebook that they were very busy with their family.  (They have four grandchildren, who all live fairly close.)   So I have to say that the highlight of this weekend has been rekindling old friendships.

Sid

Charlotte and Granddaughter Julianna

We immediately learned from seasoned campers, Sid and Charlotte, that a fan set up outside would actually keep you cool and keep the bugs away so that you could enjoy being outside.  Thankfully, there is a WalMart in Marianna so we went shopping for our fan and now I’m sitting outside typing this in my Valentine’s Day recliner with our new fan keeping me cool and bug-free.

It’s hard to explain why I enjoy sitting outside at a campground  and it is so different from sitting outside at home, which I hardly ever do.  It’s peaceful here.  Everything is green.  The birds are singing.  Occasionally someone whizzes by on a bicycle.  I guess I enjoy it because I don’t feel like there is anything else I should be doing.  That is a feeling hard to achieve when you’re at home.

Enjoying a good book while we commune with nature. (Pre big fan purchase)

In the evening, we’ve enjoyed the lightning bugs that are plentiful in the woods beside our campsite.  Bubba says that when he was a boy, he and his sister used to catch them in a jar and that they would continue to light up and get brighter and brighter the more that were in the jar.  Of course, they always let them go.  I think Amelia would enjoy doing that.  Maybe one day she will be with us when the lightning bugs are in flight.

Food is an important part of every camping trip and this one is no exception.  Friday evening  Bubba grilled a chicken, which was served with fresh cucumbers, fresh stewed squash and a baked potato.  Saturday we ate at Sonny’s B-B-Q in Marianna, which in my opinion is the very best Sonny’s anywhere.  We had ribs and they were delicious.  That afternoon we cut an ice cold watermelon and then went down to enjoy peach homemade ice cream with our friends.  Charlotte makes the ice cream by my old recipe, which I don’t even have any more since we have not made ice cream in years.  I have often thought about how recipes keep people in our memories.  (That’s a topic for another blog.)

First watermelon of the summer and it was delicious!

Allen poses for a picture with us.

 Sunday included a return trip to Sonny's and a stop by Burger King for an ice cream.  We also did some walking, but mostly a lot of relaxing and visiting with old friends.  Sid and Charlotte were fortunate in having their whole family with them.  Allen and his wife, Tara, arrived in a trailer Friday evening and Jonette and her husband came earlier Friday.  All four grandchildren seemed to get along well.  They would ride bikes together and wave at us every time they passed.  Allen and Tara went to WalMart and bought a small swimming pool which they set up at their campsite, so they all enjoyed cooling it together in the pool after riding bikes.  Monday morning we pulled out around 10:00 after exchanging e-mail addresses and promises to stay in touch.  Hopefully, some of our trips in the future will find us heading in the same direction together.  That would make our enjoyment of camping even better.

Perks of Getting Older

Young people think that old age probably begins at 45 and that life goes totally downhill from that point.  They are so wrong.  I am constantly finding things I really enjoy about life as I get older.  I’ve listed some of these below, but maybe not in order of importance.

1.        Grandchildren

The joy of having a grandchild compares to nothing else.   Until you become a grandparent, you will not understand what is so special about it.

2.       Discounts

I love the fact that as a senior citizen, we qualify for a variety of discounts.  The most impressive ones so far have been at campgrounds.  Did you know that you can stay at many campgrounds for as little as $10-$12 per night?  You can keep your trailer as cold as you want without worrying about your electricity bill.

3.       Pedicures

I know that a lot of young women enjoy these also, but it is a habit that I have acquired in the last couple of years that I really enjoy.  I can even view them as a necessity because I find that it is harder to reach my toes these days.

4.       Tanning Beds

In 2006, I signed up to “lay” for a month before a trip that Bubba and I planned.  I loved the tan and I loved the relaxed feeling I felt as I lay there in peaceful contemplation for the required 20 minutes.  I did this for one month every year since then until this year.  With my new ten hour schedule at work, I just don’t have time.  But I did enjoy this unhealthy habit for a while.

5.       Flip Flops

When I was a teenager, I tried to wear flip flops and deemed that they were rubbing the skin raw between my toes and I never wore them again.  At age 60, I decided to give them another try especially since my toes were looking pretty good with my new pedicure habit.  Flip flops have become my shoe of choice.  I love them!  They are so comfortable.  I’m acquiring a pretty good collection of them.  When I retire, I may wear nothing else.  What happened?  Did they improve the part between the toes or what?  Whatever happened, they are now my favorite shoe.

6.       Servants

No, I don’t have a maid.  I have discovered that the people I work with must think I’m old and feeble.  Everyone wants to help me.  If I’ve been standing a long time, they want me to sit down and they offer to bring me food and something to drink.  If I need to turn in my keys at the Control Room, someone offers to do it for me.  I was waiting outside Target with my cart the other day and it was raining.  A young man I’ve known for years, pulled up and wanted to go get my car for me so I wouldn’t get wet.  (Bubba had already gone for the car.)  I thought that was so sweet that he was willing to get soaked so I could stay dry.

7.       Memory Loss

Most people probably think this is one of the negatives about getting old.  You have to learn to use it to your advantage.  I’m reading a Nicholas Sparks book now that I know I read before.  A dog ran through the hedge into the good-looking neighbor’s yard.  That’s all I remember from the first time.  It’s like reading it for the first time!  I don’t have a clue about what is going to happen next.  I’ve found that even mysteries  I’ve read before become new again after a few months.  I really can’t remember “who done it”.  The same thing is true for movies and TV shows.  Just  think how easy I am to entertain.  I can just re-read a book or watch a re-run and I’m content.

8.       Impaired Vision

Not mine.  I hate squinting to read the fine print.  Bubba’s impaired vision is what I’m enjoying.  I never leave for work or any other function that he doesn’t compliment me on how I look.  He doesn’t seem to see me any older or any less attractive than I ever was.  That’s why I think his vision is not what it should be, but I am certainly not going to rush him in for an eye exam.

9.       Freedom

I’m looking forward to my retirement in 1 ½ years and I’m already enjoying Bubba’s.  Until recent years, I’ve always felt like my life was controlled by circumstances and responsibilities that I had no control over.  I love my job, but I want the freedom to go and come as I please.  I want to be able to go camping and stay an extra day if I’m having a good time.  I want more time to spend with Amelia.  I want to go fishing and to the beach.  I want to go to Montana.  I’m not waiting for life to begin with retirement, I trying to do as much as I can now.  Thankfully, Bubba has made that possible by taking on the household responsibilities during the week so that we can have every weekend free to do as we please.

10.   Naps

Remember how when your children were little, you could never seem to find time to take a nap?  No matter how tired you were you just could not take a nap and leave them to their own devices.  Well, now there is time for a nap! 

11.   Recognition

I’m not speaking about fame here – just the simple acknowledgement from your children that just maybe you knew what you were talking about when they were growing up.

12.   Alternative

We all know what the alternative to getting older is so we might as well be thankful for every day we’re given.  The older I get, the more I count my blessings. 

Sixty-five is just around the corner for me and I’m looking forward to it (and you should too).

Postscript from Nana

For Memorial Day Weekend, we had a site at Florida CavernsPark in Marianna.  We were sitting outside in our Valentine’s Day recliners when I could hear a little voice somewhere nearby singing, “Shoo fly, don’t bother me, shoo fly, don’t bother me.”  It reminded me of something that happened as we were taking Amelia to Baton Rouge not long ago.  I had intended to include it in my last post, but somehow forgot about it.  So here it is.  I thought it was precious.

We were traveling down I-10.  Amelia, the perfectly content traveler, was riding in the back seat of the truck.  All of a sudden we were in the midst of a downpour.  Amelia began singing from the back seat, “Rain, rain go away.  Come again another day.”  (Cute, right?)  She sang this over and over , but then the rain seemed to come down harder.  Then she said, “Okay now, louder and faster.” And she began singing the little song much louder and much faster.  And then, all of a sudden we were in the sunshine again.  The look on her face was priceless.  She was convinced that the little song (louder and faster) was responsible for the sunshine.  And I’m not too sure that it wasn’t.

Tupelo Festival and Bubba's Buddy

It you didn't visit the Tupelo Festival in Wewahitchka, FL, this weekend, you missed out.  Bubba and I usually go to the festival and almost always leave feeling like we have wasted our time.  This year was very different.  All the vendors' booths were well arranged and there were plenty of interesting things to see.  The food looked really good and there was a wide variety of things to eat.  The festival was well attended and the crowd stayed constant up until closing time.  We saw a lot of people we hadn't seen in a long time and really enjoyed the outing.  

The main reason for attending the Tupelo festival was to visit our friend Charles who had set up a booth to sell his hand crafted wood projects.  We found Charles and his wife, Helen, surrounded by a crowd of people who were admiring his work.  Charles started working with wood a few years ago and since he retired, he has had more time to devote to his hobby.  He makes everything from wooden chests to toys.

My favorite things that he makes are the trivets which are pictured on the right.  I have one or more of each one of them and today I bought one of the fish trivets for Amy's kitchen.  I know that she is going to love it as much as I do mine.

Charles is a unique individual.  He and Helen have been our friends for as long as I can remember, but Charles has been Bubba's buddy.  Years ago Bubba had surgery on his back and it was a very traumatic experience for him.  Charles was there with him through the surgery and was waiting in his room with him as he came out from under the anesthesia.  Bubba was very groggy and I leaned over him to tell him that Charles and Helen were there.  He said, "I know, he's my buddy." and he went back to sleep.
Charles has always been the person Bubba called if he needed help. He was the person he called if we broke down on the road.  He was the person he called if the hot water heater was spewing water everywhere.  He was in Milton with us after my nephew died in a house fire.  He was there when Bubba's mother and dad died and when my mother died. He was there when I had my pacemaker surgery. His wife, Helen, is also a very special person. She is a cancer survivor who pushed herself while taking chemo to get Amy one of her special afghans finished for a wedding present thirteen years ago. (Go, Helen!!)  I'll tell you all about Helen another time.
Charles is the person Bubba calls when he needs help, but he is also the person he calls when he wants to have fun like fishing or floundering.  
Charles plants a big garden every year.  He is an excellent farmer, but I think he gives away more than he keeps.  Whatever he has, he wants to share.  We have enjoyed everything from figs to satsumas to corn to squash from his garden - and it's not just us, he shares with anyone who stops by.
There is not a person in our community that he does not know.  He loves people and they love him.  
There is a quotation that says the more you give away, the richer you are.  According to that, Charles is a very wealthy man, but Bubba is even wealthier because Charles is his "buddy".

Helping with the Move

Baton Rouge is now home to Amy, Darryl, and Amelia.  We were fortunate to have been able to assist by keeping Amelia for a week two times in the past six weeks.  In the past we helped by lifting furniture, hauling the piano, putting down shelf paper, building a fence, etc.  I much prefer the role we played this time in the move.


We met Amy in Mobile as they were in route with their belongings.  We did many of the same things we did last time Amelia was with us.  We had pancakes every morning, played at the playground, and fed Bucky and  Doe-Doe, the goats.


We spent Tuesday and Wednesday at St. George Island in our travel trailer.  Amelia seems to enjoy that as much as we do.  This time I carried some toys for her to play with inside and she entertained herself very well when we were not at the beach.  The wind was blowing and the surf was rough, but she was content to play in the ankle deep water.  We also rented two movies that we watched every evening before bedtime.


Rather that bore you with every detail of the week, I'm posting some pictures to tell the story.

Amelia discovered that she likes her pancakes with cheese.

She loves the playground.  She calls the tire swing "the swing with the hole".

Amelia and Paw-Paw pose for a picture.

Amelia takes a break and enjoys a Yoo-Hoo.

We both enjoyed the opportunity to spend a special week with Amelia.

We treasure these times we share with Amelia.  We're always looking forward to the next visit.  She is a precious child and brings much joy to us all.

Pancakes, Goats, Beach, Camping and Easter

The week before Easter we met Amy and Amelia in Eufaula, AL, to pick up Amelia who was spending the week with us.  After lunch at River City BBQ, we headed back home.  Amelia is the best traveler.  She entertains herself as she travels and I believe she would ride all day without complaint.  The weather for the week was a little disappointing although the forecast had been for sunny days.  Rather than give a chronological account of the week as I usually do, I'm going to post about several different aspects of the week.

I know that I've mentioned this before, but Amelia is a picky eater.  For her first supper I prepared mac and cheese, crackers with peanut butter, crackers and cheese, and fresh strawberries.  All I which I had been told that she would eat.  She did not. This trend continued throughout the week.  She would occasionally eat a grilled cheese sandwich and some of the other "favorite" things, but didn't really eat much of anything EXCEPT

the first morning, she crawled up on the bar stool at the bar and announced, "I'm ready for my pancakes."  This little girl can put away some pancakes.  

I fixed her pancakes every morning except one and she always ate them all and would usually eat a piece of bacon with them.  It was my pleasure to serve her and watch her enjoy them so much!

Amelia enjoys visiting the local playground.  It is well equipped with all kinds of equipment on which to play.  She has no fear.  There is no slide too tall for her.  She runs from thing to thing with so much energy that I'm envious.

She is a very friendly child.  She greets  other children when she sees them and speaks to all the people who pass her on the walking path.  The main attraction at this playground is a pen which contains two goats.

 "Bucky" and "Doe-Doe" are probably some of the best fed animals in captivity.  The first time we visited Amelia pulled the little white flowers growing on the clover and fed them.  The next time we carried carrots, which they ate but did not seem very excited about.  Then we carried lettuce, which they would not eat at all and some bread, which they loved. I thought goats were supposed to eat everything including tin cans --- did someone forget to tell these goats that fact?  We went three different times and Amelia would call out to them when we arrived.  They would start bleating (Is that the right word?) as she walked up and that thrilled her and made her laugh.

Amelia wanted to go to the beach.  We thought that because the water was so cold, she would probably just play in the sand but we were wrong about that.  She loves the water.  We would talk her into coming out every now and then to warm up.

Here she is warming up and eating a Rice Krispie treat that we made the day before.  (She is not a picky eater when it comes to sweets.)  She talked with other children at the beach.  One group shared their swimming noodle with her and another little girl gave her two juice boxes.

She and Paw-Paw did manage to build a small sand castle, but she much preferred  being in the water to playing in the sand.

Fishing was a top priority for Amelia.  She has wanted to go fishing ever since Paw-Paw gave her the Princess rod and reel for her birthday.  We tried over the Thanksgiving weekend when she went camping with us, but had no luck.  Our first attempt this week was at the lake across the street from our house.  The lake was so low, it was almost impossible to throw out where the water was deep enough.

Next we went to the river where Amelia patiently sat next to Paw-Paw and watched her cork.  No bites so they moved to another location.

This spot was too windy, but she kept on trying.  Still no fish.

When we went to Lake Seminole for our camping trip, we finally found a "fishy" place for Amelia to fish; however, soon after her bait hit the water and a fish began to nibble, Amelia discovered that she had mud on her foot.  About that time the fish took off with her bait and Paw-Paw was telling her to reel it in.  She was so distressed over the mud on her foot that she missed the excitement of catching a fish after all that trying.

If you look really hard inside the yellow circle, you will see the fish.  She was satisfied to catch just the one and we all hurried back to the camper to get the mud off her foot and flip flops.

The Lake Seminole State Park was beautiful.  This is the third time we have camped here.

The park has a small playground which we were parked near.  Amelia was pleased to find a lot of rocks at our campsite which contained "super powers".  We all know how important it is to have a good supply of super powers on hand.  You never know when you will need them.

In addition to playing outside, Amelia enjoyed her time in the camper.  She first claimed our bed as where she was going to sleep.  She liked the tv and vcr and enjoyed watching her movies there and eating popcorn.  Bubba was going to let her sleep with me and he was going to sleep on the couch that makes into a bed; however, when I started putting the Dora sheets on that bed Amelia changed her mind and wanted to sleep there.  (I promise that if Bubba ever sleeps under the Dora sheets, I will post the picture on this blog.)  We had a good time camping.  It is definitely not one of those restful camping trips when Amelia is with us, but she does add a lot of fun and is a joy to be with.


We took Amelia back to Georgia on Good Friday so that we could all spend Easter together.  I will finish up with the typical Easter pictures.  They require no explanation.  We attended church with Amy and Darryl.  We went to an Easter Service that was one of two held on Saturday night.  This was done to accommodate the large number who worship only at Easter and the large attendance they usually have.  The church is a "campus" of the North Point Ministry established by Andy Stanley.  The music is contemporary.  In fact it was so loud, I could feel a pounding in my chest at my pacemaker site.  Later I looked it up and found that loud music (vibrations) can cause a pacemaker to speed up your heart rhythm somewhat.  At any rate, the sermon was one of the best I've heard in a long time.  The message, "The Resurrection, It's Essential", is worth listening to. Click on the link to see what I mean.  Andy Stanley speaks to the intellect as well as to the heart.  I'm so glad that Amy and Darryl had an opportunity to sit under this man's ministry.  Amy works with 9th grade girls and Darryl works 5th and 6th grade boys.  I'm very proud of their desire to serve in this way.

Amelia had a beautiful Easter dress, but I couldn't get a picture of her standing up in it.  I guess that this was her special Easter pose.

          A rare picture of me and my girl!

Amelia sat on the grass and opened every one of the plastic Easter eggs to inspect them.  It was a week of good times, special memories, and family time.  Bubba and I were both exhausted afterward, but already we are looking forward to next time.


On a side note, I worked two 12 hour days this week as I played catch up after my week off. After doing that,  I am really concerned about all the families who will be affected by the correctional officers having to go to 12 hour shifts in June.  Please keep them in your prayers.  It is really going to make their lives tougher and create serious problems for many of them.


I hope I haven't bored you.  I read a lot of blogs by people who live in their RVs full time and I find I'm more interested in their day to day personal lives than the details of where they are and what they've seen.  


We're finding that unless you really plan ahead, you're out of luck if you want to go camping.  State parks are full especially on the weekends.  I never realized that so many people are camping.  I thought it had gone out of style.  We're starting to find Corp of Engineer campgrounds that don't seem to fill up as fast and we're looking forward to staying at one of those on Lake Seminole very soon.  Our next trip will be back to St. George Island with Amelia when she comes for her next visit.  Until then, take care and take time to enjoy life.

Georgia Veterans State Park - Trip #10

This past weekend we reached a milestone.  Since we bought our travel trailer in August, we have made ten camping trips!  That's a pretty impressive statistic considering that I have not retired YET.  This past week we traveled further than ever before and we did some sightseeing that we had always wanted to do.  We had originally scheduled this outing for next weekend, but I had built up some extra time at work and needed to take a four day weekend this weekend so I made the calls and was able to get our reservations moved up.  
Thursday morning, we left the house at 8:00 AM and headed for Cordele, Georgia, home of the Georgia Veterans State Park.

This park was beautiful.  We had no idea that the park we were headed to was so nice.  It is on Lake Blackshear, which is huge and apparently full of fish if the fisherman we saw was any indication.  As we entered, on the left was a beautiful golf course.  To the right was a Veterans Memorial Museum and on around the bend was a lodge and villas.  There were three campgrounds with two of them having sites on or across from the lake.  The third campground was wooded with really nice size drive through sites.  Since we were arriving on a Thursday, we had no trouble finding a site on the lake.  

We were set up in no time, had sandwiches for lunch, and then left to survey the area around us.  At the entrance to the park, we had seen an interesting store so we went there to gas up and check out what was on the inside.

Well of course they had sausage just as advertised.  In fact they had more sausage than I had ever seen at one time.  We bought a link of the mild smoked sausage to try for our breakfast the next day.

We returned to our site and grilled hamburgers for our supper along with a link of the sausage we had bought.  It was sooooooo good.  It had almost no fat in it.  We went back the next day and bought some more to bring home with us.  

This is our view.  I can drink my coffee in bed and look out my window at this. It is so serene and beautiful.  By the way, while we were eating our hamburgers we watched the man at the site next to ours casting for bass from the bank.  He caught one right after another.  It made me wish we had come prepared to fish.  I will next time.
On Friday, we wanted to explore the park since there appeared to be so much there.  After a breakfast of pancakes and sausage (oatmeal for me, I'm dieting), we set out.

I included this picture because Bubba liked it.

 This picture was taken on our walk over to the marina.

 These are the villas behind me in this picture.  Each one has a screened in porch with a lake view.

Behind Bubba in this picture are a lot of pontoon boats.  They have pontoon boats for rent.  That would be fun if you had family or friends with you (hint, hint).

I have never seen dogwood in bloom like I did in this part of Georgia.  They were everywhere and all of them were full of blooms.  I love spring!

Established as a memorial to U.S. veterans, Georgia Veterans Park is home to a display of aircraft, armored vehicles, weapons, uniforms, medals, etc. from the Revolutionary War through the Gulf War.  All of this is free.

After a busy morning, we were adventurous once again as we headed to Smoakies Bar-b-que.  I had researched restaurants in the Cordele area online and found a lot of good reviews for Smoakies.

This is it.  It doesn't look too impressive from the outside, but there were enough vehicles in the parking lot to be encouraging and since we were being adventuresome we went on in.  The reviews were right.  This was a really good place to eat.  Bubba and I both had chicken, Cole slaw, and Vidalia onion rings (I know, I know.  So I can have onion rings on this special diet I'm on.)
We returned to the camp site to enjoy some down time.

These are our recliners that we bought for Valentine's Day.  This was the first time it was warm enough to enjoy being outside for long at a time.  Supper was grilled pork chops, hash brown potatoes, and broccoli.

Saturday we had reservations on the SAM Shortline Railroad.  We boarded the train at the park and headed out for Plains, GA, home of President Jimmy Carter and then on to Archery, the boyhood home of President Carter.  The train stopped at Plains for an hour.  I thought we would never have enough time to see everything, but Plains is a really small town.

 Jimmy Carter was the 39th President of the United States serving from 1977 - 1981.  His was one of the first presidential campaigns that I was really interested in.  Maybe it was because he was from Georgia or maybe because his character appealed to me after the Nixon years.  Even Amy who was about Amelia's age during this time sat at her little school desk and shouted, "Vote for Jimmy Carter, Praise the Lord, for President of the United States!"

 This is downtown Plains.

 Even the peanut has the Jimmy Carter smile.

This is peanut butter ice cream.  Although I'm on a diet, how could I go to Plains, Georgia, and not eat peanut butter ice cream?  Oh, I only ate one cone.  The other is Bubba's. 

 Brother Billy's famous gas station.  Billy Beer is still available in the little stores.

This is obviously a picture of Bubba and the train.

We saw a sign at the train station that said the Carter's home was just a five minute walk.  We were starting to run out of time so we really hustled to get a glimpse of the Carter home.

This is pretty much all we could see.  The conductor said that there used to be an observation platform here that you could actually see the house from but Homeland Security intervened and made the Park Service take it down.

According to the internet, this is what the Carter's home looks like.  It is the same home they have lived in since the 60's except for their years in the White House.

We hurried back to the train and went on to Archery, his boyhood home.  Bubba had read Carter's book, An Hour Before Daylight, so he knew a lot about Carter's life there.

This is the home Jimmy Carter, his two sisters, and his brother were raised in. The inside has been restored to the way things looked when Carter was growing up.  We recognized some of the things we had read about in the book.  For example, his mother would go to her nursing job and leave a list of chores on a black table in the living room for the kids to do before she came home.  There was a list on that table.  Carter said that they jokingly referred to the table as their mother when they were growing up.

 This table was set for Sunday dinner.  I know that it is fake food, but the fried chicken and deviled eggs sure looked good.

This is the little country store that was right next to the Carter home.  Earl Carter (Jimmy's father) owned it.  It looked like the store my dad used to tell me about going to when he was a little boy.
I think that it is just amazing that we live in a country where a man with such humble beginnings and a unpretentious life style can become President of the United States.  I've read that Jimmy Carter's presidency was complicated by the fact that he didn't know how to play the political games it takes to get things done.  Maybe he had too much integrity to be in Washington?  He returned to Plains, GA, after one term and continues to live in his home that he built in the 60's.  He still teaches Sunday School on a regular basis at the Maranatha Baptist Church. Whether you liked Jimmy Carter as President or not, you've got to have some respect for Jimmy Carter the man.
We rode the train back, went for supper at a Cracker Barrel in Cordele and went to bed early after a very satisfying day.  The next morning we left by 8:00 and were at home before noon, with plenty of time left for an afternoon nap.
Our trips we are making have really added a lot to our life.  We enjoy planning them almost as much as the trip itself.  We've discovered that camping is alive and well.  The park we were at this weekend had 177 sites and it was full by Friday evening.  We've also learned that if you don't make reservations at least a month ahead of time, you may be out of luck when you get ready to go.      I am looking forward to retirement more than ever.  I want to be able to go during the week and stay longer when we want to.  The only thing that could make this lifestyle better would be if some of our family or friends would join us!  Amelia is coming for a visit soon and we are planning a camping trip with her that will include fishing, bike riding, and roasting marshmallows.  I can't wait!