Moved to a new neighbourhood today....

Our Location: Magic River Rv Park, Long Beach, Mississippi

A warm humid night, a warmer morning threatening to become very hot today. The rays from the sun were extremely warm this morning, with bright blue skies and very dewy grass. As we packed up the inside of the Igloo before breakfast we discussed a few things as Her Royal Highness strutted around making it known she wasn't happy to see things in places they aren't normally. The sight of her cloth sided carriage did not sit well with her. She pulled a pouty face and hid under her royal chair. ~laugh~ We on the other hand continued on as if we didn't see her. Not sure who was trying harder to ignore who. ~laugh~ 

New Dogsled and New Igloo together

After packing up the inside we moved to the outside putting away the hose and electrical cable, backed up the new Dogsled and hitched up with no issues. Checking all the lights to ensure they worked and were happy to see the Christmas tree of red lights as we went thru the blinkers, brakes and 4 ways. Always a good sign. Riley managed after some hard labour to get Her Royal Highness out from the royal chair and into the carriage, then outside into the big white chariot for the short trip today. After that it was slides in, feet up, back up and gather up our leveling boards, etc, and then going around to say our goodbyes. Our first stop was Roy (Marksberry) as we managed to see him half way across the parking lot. Next Miss Pat as she came out in her nightgown to give us hugs and good byes. We managed to track down Vern and Miss Charlotte for more goodbyes, and hugs, some laughs and jokes. Next was Bob and Miss Norma for more goodbyes and good wishes, and a few others that I can't think of their names also wished us safe journey as well. After that it was into the Dogsled, put it in gear and head on out. We pulled out of Bluegrass at 8:56 am. Which made me happy as my hitch itch was getting pretty bad. ~laugh~ 

This cruise ship was docked at the Mobile waterfront...

We managed to get to I-10 within a short period of time and motored along with no issues discussing how much nicer the new Dogsled tows and rides, both of us agreeing it was the best choice and at the right time as well. We're both pretty happy with the new truck!! Even Her Royal Highness didn't put up a fuss at all. In fact she slept almost all the way to the new park only waking up when we stopped at the Mississippi Welcome Centre.  We didn't go into the welcome centre but stopped and got out to have a leg stretch and take a picture of Dogsled/Igloo together as we hadn't done that at Bluegrass. 

Heading down into the tunnel under Mobile Bay

Around 11:00pm we exited the Interstate at Mississippi Exit 28 and within a few minutes were once again on the familiar Tucker Road and heading to the great Magic River Campground. We managed to pull in and find us a spot to park and with help from Swilly we managed to get backed into our new address within a few minutes. As I climbed out of the Dogsled Swilly came up and gave me a huge hug, asking about my Dad. Always nice to have such a welcome. ~laugh~ We managed to get everything set up, plugged in, turned on, hooked up and slides out within a short period of time. They've had some rain here and as we settled in I noticed the front right corner needs to come up some but when I checked it the first couple of times it was perfectly on the bubble. So tomorrow or the next day I'll just tuck the pin back into the hitch, take the weight off the front feet and adjust them a bit, that should fix that problem. Not a big deal just a pain in the......well you know..~laugh~ 

 

Heading further down into the tunnel.

 

After getting everything all settled we once again were back in the Dogsled and heading to the office to pay for our time. Only pay one week at a time here as they may have to evacuate the campground due to flooding and they don't want to have you paid too far in advance. Not a problem, the office is a mile from the campground. After that we wandered down to the beach, parked and went for our walk. It was windy but nice walking along the white sand and the dark water stretching far out into the Gulf of Mexico. We decided the end of the walk would be out at the pier which sticks out quite far into the water. It was a nice walk with the sun beating down and feeling kind of warm but the cooling breeze was just perfect. After leaving the pier and making our way back to the Dogsled we stopped at the Wally's on the beach to do some groceries. We needed a fair amount because we'd kind of held off in Foley until we moved. Home from Wally's we managed to get all the bags into the Igloo and started putting stuff away when we heard a knock on the door. I called no one was home but the folks outside didn't believe me. ~laugh~  It was my good buddy Ron and his lovely wife Sharon come to call. Almost didn't recognize Ron, he has some kind of thing all over his face, looked like fuzz. ~laugh~ They came in for a bit to visit, we heard about their wreck, their new purchase and a bit about how they've been. We'll connect later and many times during our stay here. 

A near collision when the motorhome cut the car off...

We finished putting away the groceries and just kind of settled down to rest and read for a bit, called my dad around 6 pm his time to chat for a bit. Catching up on the family/island news he told me a cousin of ours has passed at the age of 51 from a heart attack. She was the only daughter with 3 brothers. Rest in peace Sherry.

 

The light at the end of the tunnel...

 

 Before we knew it was time to start prepping dinner. That finished it was time to start to cooking. Couldn't get the BBQ to heat up very high due to the wind so dinner wasn't as fully cooked as we like even though I was outside for an hour and a half, we consumed the sausages that I finished frying in a pan and put the rest(veggies and taters) in the fridge to be 'heated, fried' tomorrow for lunch. We proceeded to make a big bowl of fruit and after that a bowl of ice cream kind of topped off the tanks. ~laugh~

One of the many Mississippi Bayou's.

Clean up inside and out, headed off in our direction. That was our day. Wonderful warm weather, bright blue skies and amazing friends!! Can't get much better now can it? 

Thanks for stopping by, feel free to leave a comment. Until next time...be safe, take care.....

Hot today......starting to pack up....

Our Location: Bluegrass Rv Park, Foley, Alabama

(all pics taken with my phone)

Morning dawned with lots of dew this morning but warm. Fog was thick overnight and was also still hovering a bit first thing this morning. Fog advisories were issued last night and this morning, it was just like soup. 

Getting greener every day...

This morning was cleaning day as tomorrow we are moving. So first things first, we cleaned, vacuumed, scrubbed, wiped, dusted, swept and tidied up everything in sight. Always makes me feel good to have a clean Igloo. That brought the time to almost 9 am. We are getting lazy and not rolling out until 7:30 am these days. I'm usually awake long before then but try to stay quiet to let Miss Riley get her beauty rest, kind mother that I am. ~laugh~ 

Trees are starting to push out leaves...

Breakfast was a bowl of strawberries and blue berries, to leisurely pick at while reading our books. No hurry to get out the door, it is Sunday after all. Riley opted to stay home, she's not feeling well. Started last night with just being achy all over. She goes from hot to cold to hot again quickly and since she's too young for menopause I'm sure it's the flu. ~laugh~ So I headed out by my lonesome to S. Pecan Street and did our walk there. The pics are from that walk. 

Flowers are starting to bloom along the roadside

Signs of spring are everywhere, flowers are blooming, trees are leafing out, bees, hornets, and such are everywhere. The grass is green, the sun holds a lot of heat in it's rays and the air is moist. I don't think I could manage in the south during the summer, way too much humidity. At 1:30 pm the temp is 80F/26.7 C and the skies are bluer than blue, with not a cloud to be seen anywhere. Riley is currently napping at this hour and I think I may just have a little lay down myself. ~laugh~ Later when it cools off a bit I'll start unhooking, packing and just getting things kind of ready to take off tomorrow. It's not a far drive but it'll take us most of the morning. We don't intend to travel too fast, and it's pretty much all interstate driving anyway. We'll go north to I-10 and take that west until we grab our exit in Mississippi which I think from memory will be #28 or #29, but I'll know it when I see it.

Pic for my dad, Graveyard, Produce, dead end....ring any bells? ~laugh~

A quick chat to Roy when I got back from my walk, he moved his truck to the back of his trailer so it will allow us an easier exit path in the morning. Very sweet of him. I had just planned to head the other way and take the loop around the park and head out but he's made life a bit simpler for us. Neither he nor Miss Pat want us to leave. They think we should stay longer. ~laugh~ I of course told Roy that I couldn't stay any longer due to his being too much of a pain in the...~laugh~ Telling him I can only put up with crazy for so long and he's about as crazy as they come. ~laugh~

Looking across the corner from the produce guy....

The afternoon was too hot to work outside so I spent my time reading, while Riley slept the afternoon away. She woke up feeling much better and I wonder if she's somehow gotten run down or something. Around 4 pm we headed outside to start putting things away and getting ready to travel tomorrow. Cleaned up and put away the BBQ, the chairs, the table and unhooked the sewer connection. So except for water and power and a couple of leveling boards, we'll hook up and raise the jacks, and after securing the Igloo we'll be ready to go. Wonder how the cat will like the new Dogsled? I guess we'll find out.

Lots of these little white flowers along the road side...

While working outside we were stopped numerous times when Vern and Miss Charlotte, Miss Norma, Roy and Miss Pat all stopped by to chatter and make certain we don't leave without saying good bye tomorrow. Such nice folks here, always enjoy their company.

Fire Ants build these, and they are everywhere.

Inside I spent some time reading as it's Sunday night so Riley is responsible for making dinner as it's pasta night. Around 6:15 pm she started making dinner, finished eating by 7:00 pm, clean up and I had a shower before connecting with my dad. Skype wasn't working so he called me on the phone. Amazing!! ~laugh~ Usually I call him but tonight he beat me to the draw. 

Live Oaks along S Pecan Street, always green...

So after a brief chat with Dad my day drew to a close. Tomorrow will be interesting with the new Dogsled doing it's first tow for us. Looking forward to the ride.

Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed your visit. Please feel free to leave a comment, would be nice to hear from you. Until next time...take care, stay safe....

Shopping, walking, chatting, and just hanging out...

Our Location: Bluegrass Rv Park, Foley, Alabama

(all pics taken with my phone)

A warm night lead to a warm day. The rain of last night was still falling when I fell asleep and yet there was nothing laying around this morning when I looked out the window to see how high my hip waders needed to be. I didn't even need my new rainy shoes. ~laugh~ 

Cloudy skies on our walk this morning...

Breakfast was a quiet affair and before long we were out the door into the Dogsled and heading out to walk. Now I know you will find this hard to believe but I missed the turn. ~laugh~ I just drove right on past it. I have no idea where my head was while I was motoring right past S. Pecan Street. I did manage to cross the oncoming traffic onto Juniper Avenue, a left at the third stop sign would have taken me right back to where I wanted to go but we were talking and I just didn't turn. ~laugh~ Long story short, we ended up walking where I walked yesterday. We didn't make it quite as far but still managed to get most of the way and still manage to get back to the Dogsled at just about the hour!!! We didn't even miss a turn as it was a straight line walk!!! Impressive huh? 

Can you see the buds starting to show on the tree?

From our walk we once more scooted across the wide lane of traffic and headed south along US 59 heading for the Old Time Pottery Store just down the way. We wanted to pick up a back pack they had there that would allow us to have a small carry all type thing for when we do things like the Navy Base where carrying all those things separately is just a pain in the ..... well you know where it is. ~laugh~ We also managed to look around for a bit, not finding anything else that we wanted to bring home. Turning right out of the driveway bringing us North along US 59 we managed to get the Dogsled to slow down enough to make it into the Hobby Lobby/Big Lots parking lot keeping all four tires on the ground. We wandered around both stores for a bit and once again not finding anything worthy of bringing home. After that we managed to get back to Juniper Avenue which we followed all the way to US 98 and stopped at the little gas bar. Filling up the Dogsled with diesel for our upcoming journey to Mississippi on Monday. Diesel was listed at $2.35 per gallon and I pumped in $50 to bring us from about a 1/3 to the full mark, 21 gallons and few oz, so the tank is a fair size. 

Zoom boom crane working at one of the many construction projects on Milfin Road

Home after that to find some lunch and just enjoy the now mostly sunny skies as compared to the all cloudy one when we left. The sun was very warm and I started off sitting outside for about 2 minutes until I noticed Linda the campground owner motoring by in her golf cart, I followed her to the barn where Linda, Jeff and I had a chat about my upcoming departure, a few little business things about any mail coming here for me and traded stories about trucks. ~laugh~ From there I headed back home to sit outside again and didn't any more than get my behind in the chair when Roy next door popped over in his electric wheel chair. We chatted about pretty much everything under the sun which took about an hour or so, during which time both Miss Pat and Miss Norma dropped in, not at the same time though. ~laugh~ By this time I was thinking I wasn't going to get any reading accomplished but then suddenly they were all gone. ~laugh~I of course didn't mind anyone stopping by, as I always love to chat with folks.  I sat outside for about another hour and read but found it too hot and ended up coming inside. 

Lots of construction on Milfin Road

Around 6 pm I started prepping dinner and noticed it was still pretty light outside and when I headed out the door to BBQ at about 6:20pm it was still somewhat light. Love these nights that are longer and warmer. Dinner was Potatoes with onions, and Rosemary Veggies along with Bourbon Chicken breasts. It was pretty good, even if I do say so myself. You'll just have to trust me!!!!

You know it's spring when you see dandelions that have gone to seed already.

A quick clean up inside and out, a dumpster trip, a quick stop at the clubhouse to grab a couple more books, then home to do a few little things to tidy up. Tomorrow will be cleaning day as Monday is moving day. Tomorrow will also be packing up day. 

Never get tired of some form of veggies/potatoes/chicken.

 

Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed your visit. Until next time...be safe, take care....

A productive day....

Our Location: Bluegrass Rv Park, Foley, Alabama

All pictures from yesterday, Thursday, Feb 16, 2017

A warmer overnight last night brought still chilly air this morning but it didn't take as long to warm up. While it warmed up the day was never hot, only mildly warmish. If you know what I mean. ~laugh~ The predicted rain for today didn't come but it might arrive over night. It calls for rain tomorrow and tomorrow night as well. Hard to know for certain but maybe we'll get it and maybe we won't. Hard to know with the way the weather changes here from minute to minute. 

This is the beginning of the path we walked yesterday.

Plans this morning changed when Riley decided not to walk as her feet have been an issue of late. Some time ago Riley had numerous warts on the bottom of her feet which we doctored with for a while and finally sprayed them, freezing them and within a short period of time they had disappeared. She had no further need to keep an appointment to have them removed. At least two or three have returned and we've once again treated them in the last couple of days so they are tender. In the next few days the tenderness should go away and she'll back to walking again. Or at least that is the hope. 

Some kind of puff ball along the trail we walked yesterday.

So this morning I was on my own, which worked out fine anyway. I jumped in the Dogsled and headed out to Lowe's Home Improvement store, as I had an idea in my mind as where I would walk. Lowe's is located on US 59 and Milfin Road, which is a straight line to the Foley Beach Expressway some 2.2 miles away. It was Milfin Road that I walked this morning from Lowe's to the Expressway, so my return walk was 4.4 miles, which I managed in 1 hour's time. I was pretty happy with that little exercise and managed to work up a wee bit of heat while walking. ~laugh~

The end of an off shoot path where it dead ended at a small river

Back at Lowe's I grabbed my wallet from the Dogsled where it was hidden from eyes, the wallet not the truck and headed inside to purchase a BBQ stand for the box to transport BBQ tanks without having to worry about them falling over. I'm telling you it wasn't an easy chore. ~laugh~ The first person was sure they didn't have them, but then she didn't have a clue what I was asking for, so I didn't really believe her when she said they didn't have them. The second person didn't have them in HER location which was inside Seasonal which included some grills and all things grilling. However she pointed me to the 'grill' section elsewhere in the store, which apparently wasn't anyone's section as I couldn't find a soul. ~laugh~ Things in that section must have been free since there was no one there to help, right? While looking around I found what I wanted to my great delight and believe it or not they had a dozen and all of them were extremely dusty and covered in cobwebs. ~laugh~

Seen this helo flying over our walking trail...

With my purchase in hand I headed out of the store and back to the Dogsled. One, two errands now accomplished. I'm on a roll. Next I dropped into the dealership for a quick minute to ask a couple of questions. Mr Manley was surprised to see me and looked almost crestfallen when I said I wanted my old truck back, but then I couldn't hold a straight face any longer, he and I had a good laugh. I told him I love the new truck and have no complaints but a couple of questions. One was about a sticky door handle, the other about day time running lights. He managed to answer both and I left within 3 or 4 minutes of arriving at the dealership with all my questions answered.

Huge cargo ship on Mobile Bay heading for the Gulf of Mexico

Heading home I surprised Miss Riley about 10:30 am. I had expected to be out most of the morning, and she had expected me to be as well. Looks like things worked out much faster than expected. I do have to slip out tomorrow for diesel fuel though before we head out on Monday morning. Other than that we're pretty much set to go, we've seen about everything we want to see in this area and it's time to move on. We're both excited to be hooking up again and heading out to a very favourite park in Long Beach, Mississippi called Magic River.

Two of the many oil rigs out in Mobile Bay, we could see and hear this fire quite easily from the top of the wall at Fort Morgan

The afternoon was a lazy one with only a slight deviation from lazy to put away the out door mat, and do a few little house keeping chores outside. After that it was pretty much a sit down and read type of day. I can tell you that we both had a wee nap this afternoon as for some reason we both just felt the 'sleepiness' creep up and settle in before we had a chance to escape. ~laugh~  Just a short half hour for each of us but I think it's something we needed or we wouldn't have managed to fall asleep.

Some dishware used at Fort Morgan during it's many years of service.

About 6 pm I started prepping dinner and since we weren't having the predicted rain I BBQ'ed. Dinner was good and it came with a show of sorts. ~laugh~ While I was outside cooking I was sitting in my chair, reading my book between flipping duties and I could hear Jeff calling his little dog. I didn't think anything about it until I looked down to see this little fur ball at my feet, soon she was standing on her hind feet and didn't even come up to my knee. ~laugh~ So I was petting her and talking to her, I called over to Jeff that I thought I had something that belonged to him. He's heading my way when the dog started back toward him but stopped at the steps going into the Igloo, Riley inside had heard me talking and opened the door to see what I wanted. The only invitation the little doggie needed was the open door and she scooted right into the Igloo heading straight for the cat's food dish. ~laugh~ Riley didn't see her enter, how I don't know but I knew because she didn't make any comment about it. Jeff in the mean time had arrived at the door as I had. I mentioned to Riley that she should give Jeff his dog back and she didn't know what I was talking about. I said,"The dog you let in the door just now, you should give it back." She looked around, seeing the dog at the cat's bowl and grabbed a hold of the little thing, carrying her straight out at arm's length like smelled bad or something. ~laugh~ We all had a laugh, Jeff took his dog and left. I finished cooking and headed inside. Riley and I had a good laugh about the dog slipping in past her without her even seeing it. ~laugh~

A Springfield rifle and a bayonet from the archives of Fort Morgan

Dinner was Garlic Potatoes with Onions, Thyme Veggies and Sweet Italian Sausage. Good stuff!! Sorry no pictures, I had eaten most of my dinner before I remembered I should have taken a picture. ~laugh~ You'll just have to take my word for it that we had dinner!!!

Quick clean up inside and out, trip to the dumpster and then off to do our own thing. Not a truly exciting day but an entertaining one all the same. As I write this I hear rain drops falling on the roof. I guess the weather guy was right finally.  Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed your visit. Feel free to leave a comment. Until next time...be safe, take care....

An excellent day....

Our Location: Bluegrass Rv Park, Foley, Alabama

A cool overnight that made us appreciate the heater. ~laugh~ It did warm up though and except for the small bit of wind it was very nice today, with wonderful blue skies and the big yellow ball throwing off warm rays that helped to warm us!!

Entrance between outer and inner walls, located in the 'ditch'.

Breakfast and a bit of a laze around first thing this morning, as it was too cold to do much outside unless one layered cothing but that made walking tricky as the layers made one too warm but peeling them off made one too cold. Tough decisions. ~laugh~ 

Inside the inner walls of the fort

We loaded ourselves and a change of clothes, the big camera and a few snacks into the Dogsled around 10 am and headed south again to the Back Country Trail in Orange Beach. We normally start walking at the "headquarters' building and walk 1.7 miles to the 'last parking lot' before the gate which stops all vehicle traffic but today we actually parked at this lot and walked a new part of the path which leads to the campground at the Gulf Shores State Park. The walking path is nice, very wide and clearly marked for pedestrians, and cyclists so there are no mishaps of any kind. Marked much like a highway the outer lanes in each direction were for walkers, the inner lanes in each direction were for cyclists. It meandered thru the marshes near the Gulf of Mexico between the Campground at the state park and the inner coastal water way/Canal. Not a lot to see as the marshes are pretty consistent with dead trees, tall grasses, numerous birds, etc. A number of small off shoots with wooden walkways lead to various overlooks into the marshes and small rivers at various points along the path. A couple of benches here and there were available for resting along the way. We passed the cut off to the campground at the State Park and continued along the path which ran just beside the roadway. From there we took an off shoot that took us to the small overlook on a small river. It was nice but nothing spectacular. There aren't enough labels, directions,  and/or names on the pathways here. The maps are difficult to read and the path has no indicators as to names or locations so it's confusing for those using it for the first time or unfamiliar with all the paths. They could do a better job of marking things. 

The Postern or tunnel into the 'dtich' before entering the fort.

The walk as usual took us about an hour and we enjoyed the bright blue skies and near windless conditions. The sun was warm and inviting, and we enjoyed chatting with a few folks along our travels.

One of the many inner rooms looking out into the inner courtyard

Back at the Dogsled we changed clothes as long pants were hot. We kept our long sleeved sweaters near by though, as the wind closer to the water was a bit chillier. 

The ditch or moat between the inner and outer walls of the fort. Known as deadman's land due to it's high walls and almost impossible ability to escape.

From this parking lot we once again drove the few miles to Fort Morgan on the very tip of the strand. The wonderful sunshine, heat and amazing skies invited us to enjoy the Fort and it's history while educational and informative wasn't too overwhelming. The cost to enter was $7 per person and well worth the price. We parked the big Dogsled and hoofed it around the area for a bit, taking in the fort, and the batteries, the scenery, sights and smells all while enjoying the warm rays of the sun.

The Glacis or mounded earth on the outer wall slopes up to the top of the walls which are quite high. The earth helped to protect the walls from damage by cannon balls. A Postern or entry tunnel built into the outer wall and Glacis offered limited access to the inner areas of the fort. The Postern/tunnel could be closed off with two very heavy reinforced doors of which there would be two sets to make a quick entrance was impossible. Inside the outer walls and outside the inner walls was the area known as the ditch or moat. It wasn't filled with water but was barren of all things. It was a wide swath of flat land that was butted on both sides by high brick walls between the outer walls/Glacis and the outer inner walls of the actual building inside. This was known as a dead man space, once in this space the ability to avoid cannon fire, rifle fire and any other kind of weapons was almost impossible as there was truly no where to do. The walls were too high to climb back out and too close to guns to allow you time to do so. IF it was possible to get past the ditch one still had to manage a way into the inner buildings which were also brick and could be defended from both inside and outside the ditch. The inner parts of the fort were also interesting in that all of the walls facing the outer walls were lined with cannon openings, as well as rifle slots so that no area of the ditch was left uncovered. These areas were located in a complete ring of the outer wall which was totally brick while the inner walls that opened into the courtyard were covered with wooden walls and doors. All light came from the gun openings.

One of the gun placements at Battery Dearborn. The gun mounted on this track could be swivelled 360 degrees to face ANY enemy from every direction.

Cisterns were located in the inner courtyard to allow for fresh water. Also located on the inner courtyard was the stairs leading to the top of the wall which offered up amazing views of both the Gulf of Mexico and Mobile Bay. Large movable guns stationed on the top walls helped to guard against attacking forces both in water and on land. These guns could be swiveled 180 degrees due to the track that was laid before gun placement. Took a lot of man power to do so but it was possible.

This yellow marker indicates the place the Tecumseh sank during the battle for Fort Morgan between Union and Confederate troops.

Batteries which is where they stored their powder, shot and cannon balls  were located in various places in and around the fort. Fort Morgan has Battery Duportail, Lighthouse, Schenck, and Thomas inside it's walls and Batteries Bowyer, Dearborn and Federal Mortar near by, as well as the Peace Magazine which also stored shot, gunpowder and cannon balls.  

This heavy gun could be swung around into any position as you can see the arms that would rest on the tracks.

Construction on Fort Morgan began in 1819 but took 15 years to complete it which brought us to 1834. It was built using slave labour leased by the federal Government from southern slave owners. Slaves include men, women and children. They manufactured 30 million bricks by hand as well as all needed mortar. Over 200 slaves laboured either on Mobile Point or within the brick yards and mortar kilns during the construction. Fort Morgan was named after General Daniel Morgan, a hero in the Revolutionary War. The total cost of construction in 1834 was $1,026,777.41. 

The inner courtyard, each arch represents a room in which located at the far end of each was a small cannon as well as two gun slots (those small pieces of light )which all faced into the ditch. The inner arches were covered by wood with small man doors to allow access to the inner yard.

The fort was seized in 1861 by Southern Forces and remained in Confederate hands until early August 1864 when Union Navy troops managed to storm Mobile Bay. The only Union ship lost during the entire siege was the Tecumseh, even though the Rebs poured over 500 rounds into the naval ships. The Tecumseh struck a mine, known at that time as a Torpedo, and sank within a minute taking most of her crew with her to the bottom.

The inner side of the courtyard showing the wooden coverings, and doors.

The Fort was handed over to the state of Alabama in 1946 as a historic site. The preservation is amazing. Well worth a visit.

Views of Battery Schenck and Thomas as well as Mobile Bay

 

From this bit of sight seeing we headed back to the Igloo with a couple of stops along the way, one at Wally's to pick up a few groceries and the other was a stop at Subway for a sandwich but which ended up being the door before Subway at Papa John's Pizza instead. We grabbed a couple of pizzas and headed home. 

Standing on top of the walls looking out toward the Gulf of Mexico.

After a great lunch of pizza we finished the putting away the groceries and realized it was almost 4 pm. The day was about gone. ~laugh~ Reading and just resting for the rest of the afternoon and into the evening was how we spent the rest of our time. We opted to have some more pizza for dinner and so no one had to cook. Bonus!!!!!

 

A pelican flying over the waters of Mobile Bay

A quick game of Yahtzee, which Riley won and the night was over. Time to head off and do our own thing. 

Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed the visit. Until next time..be safe, take care....

Cold front moved in....

Our Location: Bluegrass Rv Park, Foley, Alabama

 

All pics taken with my phone yesterday. 

A cold front moved in overnight bringing our warm temps down to the cold mark. We didn't break 60 F/15C today and a cold wind made it feel downright uncomfortable unless you managed to block the wind. With cloud cover all day the air  never did feel warm. Tonight the low is going to be 40F/4.4 C...can you say Brrrrrrr? ~laugh~ 

Sign seen on a Kitchen/Bath advertisement

 

Today we hung around the Igloo until it warmed up to the high mark of 58F/14C around 11 am, then we headed out to walk once again on the Back Country Trail down in Orange Beach. We walked to the end of the trail where we found another parking lot, so if the weather is at all nice tomorrow we will drive to that parking lot and take the 'off shoot' paths for our walks. 

Think a car could actually ride up on that?

Interesting culvert ends, don't you think?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We headed out to Fort Morgan today after our walk, we weren't far away anyway. Figuring it would be too cold to walk around the fort but still nice to get out and see something different for both of us. We stopped at the Fort Morgan Ferry Dock which is a flat bottomed and blunt nosed/tail barge that carries folks across the bottom of Mobile Bay. The bay was once guarded by two forts, Morgan, located on the east side and Gaines, which is located on the west side of the bay. It's not a far trip across, I've made the trip before many years ago. The cost of taking a vehicle over 25' long such as a 5'er or motor home is $36.00 in summer and $35.00 now. Pretty inexpensive but you have to ensure that high tide is in or you can't get your rig on the barge as it sits too low in the water.The ferry is the Dauphine Island Ferry and travels between the two forts numerous times a day.

Knobby looking tree trunk...

 

Dotting the water of Mobile Bay are  numerous oil rigs some easily seen from the shore, and others merely dots on the horizon. Pelicans are always near by hoping and searching for some scrap to eat. I don't have the particulars of the ferry as it was too cold to stand around and read anything. ~laugh~ We hopped back in the Dogsled and headed down to the fort but once again the winds kept us inside and we opted to come back another time when the weather is warmer. Due to it's location on the outer edges of the long spit of land the wind is just whipping around there and since there are few or no trees to block it the rawness of it leaves you shivering on a day like today. 

 

Corner of S.Pecan Street and Michigan Ave, straight across from the veggie guy.

In the Dogsled and back home by around 2 pm, we spent the rest of the day just hanging out and staying warm. I made a visit to the clubhouse to return a book that we exchanged, we'd already read it before. I managed a quick chat with Linda, Charlotte, Pat and Norma before I came home.

 

Say that quickly and it comes to a whole different meaning...clever sign.

 

Dinner tonight was cooked inside as it's too cold outside to BBQ. We had some leftovers from last night, Garlic Onion Potatoes and chicken stuffing (warmed up ) and a Chicken Breast with friend Roger's wonderful BBQ sauce, done in the oven. For dessert we had some wonderful sliced peaches from a can. 

 

Everything is camouflage down here..

Clean up inside, no walk to the dumpster tonight, we didn't have much trash. Then off to do our own thing. 

Thanks for stopping by, hope you had a great day. Until next time...be safe, take care....

Two posts in one tonight

Our Location: Bluegrass Rv Park, Foley, Alabama

All pics taken with my phone

Two warm days and nights in a row, one would think it's spring time here. ~laugh~ Slept with the vents open last night, but tonight they are calling for rain so they are closed. Even with covers the wind always seems to be blowing the water directly INTO the face of the vent. So of course the tiny screens just spread the water out. ~laugh~ 

This soft pink bud is just days from opening

I'm combining yesterday and today's posts together since they were duplicate days of each other. We didn't do a whole lot for a couple of reasons but mostly because we are lazy. ~laugh~ The only thing we actually did of any consequence was walk both days. Yesterday we walked along S Pecan Street, and today we walked the Antique Rose Trail from the Train Station. 

Amazing to see roses blooming in February

The rest of the days were spent idly doing a bit of cleaning, a bit of research, a bit of 'to do' list, as well as some reading, some chatting with the folks back home and of course just enjoying the fine weather. Tomorrow if the weather is nice we have some tentative plans. 

Some of the roses are in full bloom

The weather forecast is calling for rain tonight but so far we've not had a single drop and I haven't looked at the weather since around 5:30 pm so maybe it's changed. 

Some are starting to wither....

I talked to my Aunt last night for a while, always a treat to chat with her. We caught up, gossiped, and generally just had a nice visit on the phone. 

Pretty Yellow, I wonder if this is a peace rose?

Tonight's dinner was good, Bourbon BBQ chicken breasts, Garlic Onion Potatoes and Chicken stuffing. We cooked the chicken and potatoes on the bbq but the stuffing was cooked in the microwave. A good dinner, a bit different but we enjoyed it. 

Lots of buds in various stages...

The pictures today are all from the Antique Rose Garden Trail.

Sorry for the short post but nothing exciting. Thanks for dropping by, until next time, be safe, take care......