Busy, wet day....

Our Location: Bluegrass Rv Park, Foley, Alabama

The night was warmish and inside was almost moist with the humidity as the morning came into being today. Didn't take long to turn on the heater as the moisture seemed almost cool. Wasn't long before we were shutting the heat off. ~laugh~  

HUP-3 Retriever Navy Helicopter

Breakfast over we loaded ourselves into the temporary set of wheels we are driving and headed out to S. Pecan Street's dead end section to get our morning walk in. The weather was nice but it was windy with a few clouds rolling in. The sounds of a nail gun were constant during our walk today as was the sound of two airplanes circling overhead and making that sound you often associate with old war movies of planes diving toward each other. 

F1 Phantom

The green fields are proof of the upcoming spring, the blazing Camellia bushes are everywhere adding a splash of colour in various places along the road sides. Trees seem to be pushing out a few hints of buds and new leaves as well. Amazing the way spring comes here so early. 

 

F2H- Banshee

 

After our walk we climbed back into our 'rental' and headed out to Florida once again and the Navy base there. Our trip last week was a quickie trip and only whetted our appetite to see more.  We took a detour though before getting to the Naval base, instead opting to check out a future campground. Big Lagoon State Park offers promise for another time. The park has numerous sites, some with cement pads, some with small patches of sand, some with longer uneven sites, and some that look just like pretty good sites. We will keep it in mind for future visits. We made note of the sites we think would work for us just in case we want to make a reservation. Two weeks max stay in the park. No sewer, only a dump station, but lots of walking paths and white sand.This park is the state of Florida close to the Navy base. 

Fighter Jet parked outside the Museum

Arriving at the Navy base the line up to get in was long, took us at least 10 minutes to make it to the check point. Today the Navy was checking id's, not the tin men they had the other day. Today they actually checked our ids, to make certain we matched our pictures, unlike the last time, the guy didn't even look at the passports we handed him. Today they even wanted to see my drivers license along with my passport. Nice young fellas, polite, official, and efficient, just what you'd expect from the Navy!!!

Underside of 2 of the 4 Blue Angel Planes hanging from the ceiling.

Reaching the Museum we parked quite far out as the inner parking areas were all full. It's much busier these days than it used to be. Not complaining, always nice to see people making use of the opportunities to learn more about their own history, their life and liberty. Major check points at the door as well, had to go back to the rent-a-wreck and get my id or I couldn't get in the door. I had left my purse locked in the car because it's heavy and a pain in the ass to carry all the time but I wasn't going to walk all the way back to the car to put it away again. 

One of the many helicopters in the museum

We spent some time walking around, viewing the planes and helicopters, blimps, cars, jeeps, and camps that are scattered over a huge space. There is very little free space that isn't jammed full of artifacts of various kinds. Almost all of the planes/helo's/ exhibits have their information displayed in front of them, but some of those hanging from the ceiling or walls are often hard to find the information about them. Picture taking is also difficult as the exhibits are almost stacked on top of each other and in some cases are literally stacked one on top of the other. At one point I counted 4 planes stacked almost directly on top of each other. It's sometimes difficult to tell while looking at them where one plane starts and one stops, so when you look in the pictures, it's confusing. 

A Japanese ZERO airplane

We toured the Hanger Bay 1 today as well. We were able to board the front of Air Force One Helicopter used by both Ford and Nixon during their tenure in the White House, with a wax figure of Nixon sitting in the helicopter on display. Among the many things to see there were coast guard rescue helicopters and paraphernalia they use in their jobs every day such as rescue baskets, ropes, winches, etc. It was in this hanger that Riley and I took part in our first simulator ride of the day. It was a small set of seats that moved with the flight of the Blue Angels. Not as lively as the other simulator but it was enjoyable all the same. It gave you an idea of what the Blue Angels precision flying team is capable of in their shows. It described a number of the maneuvers they perform as well as take you through the maneuver. 

 

Man on the moon, and a lunar landing module.

 

From this hanger we went back to the Museum building and moved upstairs to continue our tour. We once again rode the Blue Angels Simulator just as we did on Friday when we visited. It was still interesting but not as thrilling as the first ride. We found out that we could take a different ride in the same simulator which would be more in keeping with the Desert Storm air assault and for an extra $3 each we took that flight as well. It had much different kinds of graphics and did a bit more maneuvering than the other flight. We enjoyed it a great deal. 

 

Nixon aboard Air Force One Helicopter

 

That brought us to the end of the day for touring the Museum, we may go back one more time to take a guided tour and ride the trolley into the bone yard to see some other planes, but we'll figure that out another time. From the Museum we headed down to Fort Barrancas, which we may tour at some point but as we pulled into the parking lot it began to rain. We decided to head home. 

 

Japanese GEORGE airplane

 

It rained all the way home and at times rained pretty hard, with lightning in the sky but line not sheet lightning. Lots of rumbling thunder as well. Home and into the Igloo we found that the rain picked up steadily and the thunder and lightning were loud and continuous for most of the afternoon. I had myself a little nap as I was totally exhausted for some reason. The rain continued until after dinner time. 

 

Riley testing her wings...

 

Dinner time for me wasn't happening, I just wasn't hungry, so Riley made herself some Turkey taco's and seemed to enjoy them a great deal. Sorry no pics. 

 

After that we cleaned up and I read for most of the evening. A call from Dad to check on us as he heard of bad weather down here in our neighbourhood. Always nice to hear  from folks whether it's on the phone, text or email. 

Headed off to bed around 10:30 and start editing pics from today, and to write my blog. Later than usual doing that but I was enjoying my book. 

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

Cool day today...some rain as well.....

Our Location: Bluegrass Rv Park, Foley, Alabama 

Woke up to fog this morning, not thick exactly but couldn't see where the fog ended and the overcast skies began. It was all the same colour. Not terribly warm but not freezing cold either, damp and unpleasant would be the best description. 

Breakfast was a quick, quiet time. We decided on dinner, only to change it much later in the day but it all worked out. We also decided our plans for the day. However they also kind of went out the window. ~laugh~ It was a day of planned events that didn't really happen.

This plane can set down on land or water. 

The morning was taken up by an errand that we hadn't planned on putting in so much time at. To say it took a lot longer than expected would be an understatement. We thought maybe a half hour, but instead of walking out around 9:30 am we ended up leaving about noon thirty. ~laugh~ From this errand we headed out to the Navy Base in Pensacola, instead of the train museum here in Foley due to time. The Train Museum closes at 2 and we didn't want to rush. We still hadn't had lunch and so we fixed that issue as got nearer to the Navy Base by stopping at Subway and getting some food. 

Coranado, this plane is massive.

We arrived at the Naval Aviation Museum on the base by about 1:15 pm. We just wanted to do a quick look and give Riley and idea about what to expect when we actually come back to spend a day looking around. She was quite excited by what we seen and is looking forward to going back next week. During our quick look around we managed to get into the Flight Deck Simulator for a quick 'tour'. It was great. It actually gives the full impression from wind, noise, vibrations and rolling movement of the deck to being on the deck of carrier. No smell though, which was good, it was a small room. Riley enjoyed it, as I did too. She was quite shocked at first with the big blast of wind from the Helo blades as it blew her hair all a skew. 

 

A bird in the sky...they even hang from the roof...

 

From there we walked a bit more and enjoyed the many planes, helo's and other exhibits but truly didn't spend any time at any of the exhibits, just walking while she took in all the many planes. We managed to find the simulator section of the upper floor and we enjoyed a Blue Angels cockpit ride simulator. It was as though we were sitting in the seat with the pilot. The whole simulator went up and down, twisted and turned, vibrated and moved as an airplane would. I know she enjoyed it very much. The small boy behind us was a bit of a pain as his parents let him go alone and with no one to watch over him he was bouncing around behind us, talking to himself, and kind of took away from the experience. However he had fun and he wasn't overly obnoxious. 

 

Riley managed to climb into the Blue Angel cockpit. 

 

After that it was a bit more sight seeing with the planes and we headed home, wanting to get back before dark as I dislike driving in the dark. We also wanted to beat the traffic of rush hour. 

 

This is the actual plane that G. Bush Senior piloted during his time in the navy.

 

Home around 4 pm we finally managed to just slip into the Igloo and settle down to do some relaxing. We've had a long day. I truly didn't feel up to cooking and so Riley offered to do that for us tonight. We opted to change our dinner plans to something quick and easy. A piece of last nights chicken left over, she chopped that up, added it some nice spaghetti sauce, cooked up some s'ghetti and voila, we had a nice dinner. I do appreciate her cooking for us!!!

 

The Parachute room, note says if you have a problem with the chute opening, bring it back, new one at no extra cost. ~laugh~ 

 

Quick clean up, read my book for a bit until it was finished and then headed off to our separate rooms to do our own things. A busy day here in  Foley. Tomorrow we have a few plans as well. I'll leave those until tomorrow though. 

 

Great dinner...added some cheese...yummy...

 

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

 

A trip back in time......

Our Location: Bluegrass Rv Park, Foley, Alabama

Overnight lows were warm enough to allow us to shut the heater off and still feel comfortable in the morning getting out of bed. Today's temps were excellent and we slathered on the sunscreen just ensure we wouldn't get burnt on our outing. 

Breakfast was the usual quick, painless effort. After that we read for about an hour before loading up the Dogsled and heading off to Florida. Sounds like a long trip huh? Well it wasn't, within about 15 minutes we were crossing the river from Alabama to Florida. A short drive away is Pensacola with numerous things to entertain a person. We took in Historic Pensacola Village today. 

Sewing Machine in on of the houses in Historic Pensacola Village

I've been there before but it was a first time for Riley (first time that it was open so we could actually go INTO the buildings not just walk around them like the Monday we visited when everything was closed), and she seemed to enjoy it. The tour guide left a few things to be desired but she managed to get us through it without too much trouble. She dwelt on things that weren't of interest to us such as length explanations about wall coverings, and window drapes, gossipy things and didn't spend enough time on the bones of the buildings such as windows, door taxes, incomes, etc. Riley and I both found her accent a bit difficult as she talked too fast. ~laugh~ Overall though we enjoyed the tour and will return again probably Friday to see if we can get a different tour guide for the tour. Our ticket purchased for $8 each today is good for a week! 

Some kind of old clock at the TT Wentworth Museum

Also part of the Village experience is the time lines depicted in various buildings that show the progression of Pensacola as a settlement/town/city. It's various ownership by different countries such as Spain, France, England etc. There is an interesting time line from the business angle in which it gives actual statistics for import/export from the cities earliest days until recent times. Cotton and lumber being among some of the top exports over the years. It allows one to see the growth of industry or the lack of growth or change in industry over the years. It's major industry being shipping for a long time, as a port it was highly profitable even in times of trouble, and played a key role in the early years of a young growing nation. 

A FLINT mantle around the fireplace helped to keep and distribute the heat, and were used in the 'public' parts of the house.

Also depicted in their time lines is the issue of slavery, and the civil war. A number of exhibits depicted the early struggles of blacks, free blacks, women and early life in the new city. The time lines moved along into the 1900's and showed the coming of new modern appliances, and conveniences such as washing machines, toasters, electric stoves, refrigerators, as well as the telephone, tv, and radio. There was a number of wagons, buggies, bicycles, tricycles, and even a train engine. 

Old Coca-cola vending machine. I think the price was a nickel or maybe a dime.

It was an interesting morning that both entertained and educated us. We enjoyed the TT Wentworth Museum as well. It had numerous small displays including one dedicated to Coca-cola. That display held a number of old Coca-cola ice boxes, vending machines, dispensers, as well as items that displayed the Coca-cola logo. It also held various bottles, cans, and posters that I remember as a kid. Some of the displays were very crowded and hard to see all the items in the display cabinet but it was still interesting. 

Dueling pistols on display at TT Wentworth Museum.

After we left the Historic Pensacola Village area we walked down to the little harbour. Not much to see but they have made a nice little sitting area that allows one to sit and watch out over the water. I'm certain it would be a great place to sit when the ships are moving about. 

This orange tree was growing outside one of the historic homes we visited today.

From there we headed homeward. A few stops along the way but nothing exciting. We arrived home about 1:30 pm and had a quick chat with Ed of Ed & Sue (our next door neighbours) and Neil (Ed & Sue's REAL neighbour back home in Missouri). I dropped Riley at the Igloo and went out to do a couple of things on my own. More on that at another time. Home by 4 pm I was tired and hungry, since I'd missed lunch. I came home to find Miss Riley sitting outside enjoying the sunshine and warmth. I'm glad she had some time to herself. She commented that she feels very safe here in the park which is a good thing. I of course being a smart ass said," Well of course you feel safe here you can out run all of these old geezers. " ~laugh~ 

The roots of a Crepe Myrtle tree on a side street in Historic Pensacola Village

Chatted with Ed & Sue for a bit after I got home and then inside to grab a quick snack and just sit down to unwind. About 5:30 pm we prepped dinner and I sat down to read for a bit. Around 6:30 pm I headed outside to BBQ dinner. It was nice outside, not too cold at all. I still bundled up but I didn't come inside chilled like I have a few times. 

Dinner was Dill Potatoes with onions, Parsley-Oregano Veggies, and Pork Loin Chops with Georgia Peach BBQ sauce. We followed that up with a bit of Cookies and Cream Ice Cream.  MMmmmmmmmm...good stuff!!

Dinner was excellent and not just because I was hungry. ~laugh~

Quick clean up inside and out, walk to the dumpster and that was it for the day. I came upstairs to edit the pictures we took today and to write this post. Riley went off to do whatever it is she does back there in her space. I think I can hear her snoring so that takes some of the guess work out of it. ~laugh~ 

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you have a great day as well. Until next time...be safe, take care....

It's Monday....some things aren't open.....

We are currently in Foley, Alabama but we were without internet connection for a couple of weeks so I’ll be posting the blog posts in order over the next few days until I get caught up.

Our Location: Bluegrass Rv Park, Foley, Alabama

(Jan 23, 2017)

A much cooler day today than yesterday with a crisp wind that brought a chill whenever it blew. In the sunshine it was nice this afternoon, in fact it bordered on being hot in the direct sunlight. The wind died down shortly after noon time and it was a much more pleasant afternoon than morning.

Devin Scullion

Condolences to my old neighbours back in Hamilton, Ontario, on the death of their son Devin who passed last night. Devin was very special young man, he suffered from a very rare disease that made him age rapidly. Referred to as ‘Old Man Syndrome’ Devin was one of a very few people in the world that had this disease. He managed to live many years longer than predicted by the experts but his life was cut short at just 20 years of age. My thoughts go out to his parent Jamie and Shaun and their family.  Rest in peace Devin.

Native Totem Pelican

Monday of course is cleaning day, as you know. Never takes long, it’s just getting started that’s the issue. ~laugh~ I took the time yesterday to clean out a couple of cupboards, wiping them out, putting them back in order as they seem to slip out of order as the week progresses. Nothing like a clean Igloo.

Christmas Decorations & Street Art

After breakfast the cloudy skies didn’t instill any confidence in the sunshiny forecast that I’d heard but never the less we decided we’d try to sight seeing today. We headed out to Pensacola and the Historic Village of Old Pensacola. Not a far drive but it took us back into the state of Florida of course. We stopped a few times along the way as I showed Riley some places that I remembered and wanted to check out again. Eventually we made it downtown to the old Village of Pensacola. I’d visited here once before but couldn’t find the parking lot I was remembering in my mind. Reason being that it wasn’t open to the public, it was closed off for renovations and it just confused me. ~laugh~ Eventually we parked and headed out to find T.T. Wentworth Museum to purchase tickets for the tour. Hmm…do you remember that it’s Monday? It’s not open on Monday. ~laugh~ I think I did the same thing before too. However we managed to walk around the old part of down town and see a few old buildings and get a walk in as we haven’t been walking here due to weather.

Parking meters

Back in the Dogsled we headed homeward with a few ideas of how to spend the afternoon. We went on past the Bluegrass driveway, headed into the village of Foley on a couple of errands. First we stopped at Piggly Wiggly, one of the little grocery stores here for a few quick things we needed. However it wouldn’t accept my debit card and so one of the errands wasn’t going to be accomplished. I was planning on getting some cash back from them as they offer that feature but well….Murphy …..~laugh~

Pedal trolley. EVERYONE pedals.

We opted out of the second errand until tomorrow as we were hungry and decided lunch was calling. Back home we managed to find our way to the fridge, put away a few groceries, eat a few more and start a new list. ~laugh~ I enjoyed a large garden salad while Riley finished off the chicken from yesterday. We both enjoyed our books as we ate lunch. The warm sunshine kept calling me to come outside and sit. However we’ve been doing a lot of sitting lately but decided today was the perfect time to get back to walking. We made 4 rounds around the park which took us about 20 minutes, we were pleased with that as we’d already did some walking this morning. Riley headed on home while I stopped to chat with a couple of folks I know here to ask a couple of questions they could answer. The park no longer fills propane cylinders so I need either have this one filled or exchanged and we can start bbqing again. Charlotte and I chatted away, catching up on a number of things. She’s one of my favourite people here in this park. I’ve always liked her, she and her husband Vern are super nice folks!!!

Camouflage crane truck.

Home from my little chat with Charlotte I changed into short pants, grabbed my book, outside in the warm sunshine with my hat to keep the sun out of my baby blues. ~laugh~ I wasn’t out there very long until Roy (next door) came motoring over in his chair. We chatted for about 45 minutes, I think Roy is lonely and misses his friend Tom (actually Roy's brother in law) who passed away about 18 months ago. Tom and his wife Linda own the park. Roy fell and broke his leg just about a year ago and has had two surgeries to fix it. He’s 88 but doesn’t act a day over 15.  Reminds me of someone that shall remain nameless. ~laugh~  As Roy and I are chatting the neighbour on the other side, Ed from Missouri came over to chat for a few minutes as well. After the two of them left I once again started reading, enjoying my time in the sun but it got to be too hot and I had to retreat inside. Doors, windows and vents open it was nice in the Igloo.

Building made of big rig boxes.

Puttered in the rest of the afternoon reading, and figuring out what sides to add our chicken for dinner. Before you know it, the air is cooling off and dark is coming. Shutting all the windows, vents and doors to keep in the afternoon heat.

Made with our own shelled Alabama Pecans

Dinner was excellent but cooked inside. Honey Pecan chicken breast with seasoned steamed veggies, along side bow tie pasta. Mmmmm…..

Clean up and head off in our own directions. Another day is finished here and night is settling in, thanks for visiting, I hope you enjoyed it. Until next time…be safe…take care…