In the Beginning...

So many of you have been asking lately how this all began, so I'm posting here the original letter I sent to friends and family to assure them that we hadn't lost our minds. On the morning of the last day of this part of our journey, I am even more certain we are some of the sanest people on earth (just a little jaded-see previous post below!)

November , 2007

Dear Friends and Family,

As some of you may already know, Our family recently began an extraordinary journey. We sold our home in Orlando and purchased a new home, a 38 ft. RV. Since July we have been traveling the US and we will continue for as long as it works for us as a family. This may surprise some of you. It certainly surprised us! We made the decision to take this somewhat anomalous path for a number of reasons, the most important one being that life is short and the time we get to spend with our children in the “wonder years” even shorter. So far, we are loving the experience, enjoying the time together and are weathering the inevitable complications that you might imagine this way of life to entail.

For those of you that we’ve been out of touch with for “a while” (or for those of you we’ve yet to meet) we should assure you here that we have not completely “lost it”. We haven’t dropped out of society, gone crazy, joined a religious cult, or otherwise “flipped out”. We merely saw an opportunity and we dared to take it. We are still the same old Liz, Mike and the boys except for now our backyard changes more frequently and, wow, we’ve had some amazing ones so far. From a lake surrounded by autumn’s multihued trees in Maine to a mountain- ringed farm in Vermont to the Statue of Liberty beyond the bay in New York City… we are always excited to see what comes next. We are very comfortable in our new “home” and have many of the creature comforts we had in our more traditional one-Corian counters, double ovens, satellite radio, high-speed internet and even (ridiculously!) 4 flat panel TVs, including an outdoor entertainment center. We’ve given up some (okay, most!) square footage, but not much else. We have gained so much.

I am home schooling Gabriel and Elias, an undertaking that I never expected to attempt at all. I am both pleased and surprised to take so much pleasure from and be so gratified by the experience on an (almost:-) daily basis. For those of you who know me well, you are probably shocked that I have the patience to carry out this task. It’s amazing what one can do if the timing is right. We are also enjoying seeing the sights wherever our journeys take us and have tried to plan the boys’ curriculum to reflect our itinerary whenever possible. So far we have hit just about every Colonial/Revolutionary War-era hot spot up and down the eastern seaboard and are looking forward to heading south to Florida and west to the Four Corners region after Christmas. We plan to spend spring in California and next summer in Alaska. After that…well, who knows?

As for Mike, he is learning to balance a still busy work schedule with all the responsibilities and everyday chores (read dealing with the plumbing!) of the RV lifestyle. His company continues to be very supportive of “telecommuting’ and is aware that Mike has taken that concept to the extreme. Perhaps the most challenging for him is sitting out some of the sightseeing we have available to us in order to attend to business. However, he has made the time to “wet a line” in seven states to date and he’s planning many more! He’s on a first name basis with Fleetwood (for those non-rvers among you Fleetwood is our RV manufacturer) tech support and is becoming a better “handyman” by necessity, if not always by choice.

We’d like to invite you all to share in our experience via our website. Our web address is http://www.americandreamtraders.com/. We are working at getting up to date (I remain the Queen of Procrastination, a designation I bear proudly) with photos etc., but the blog remains sadly “unblogged”. It is on my To Do list to become the best blogger (bloggist?) EVER in ’08 [well, that didn't happen!!!]. Mike, too. Also, stay tuned for more news about MemoryStick Productions and Gallivanting Gourmet. Our entrepreneurial spirits have been fired up by this adventure. I am also in the process of writing a book about our adventures. We’ll see what happens with that.

I must emphasize here that it is one of our most fervent wishes that this site will serve as a bridge between us and those of you we have lost touch with along the way. I came across a quote (author unknown) that says,

"We may lose friends along the way. We lose them to distance and over time, but even though they may be lost, hope is not. The answer is to keep them in your heart, and when the time is right, you may well be able to pick up the friendship right where you left off. Even the lost find their way home when you leave the light on".

The light is on for all of you. We hope you are not lost to us. We also hope to strengthen the connection we have with those we communicate with on a regular basis. You are all important to us.

I leave you with that and with our love,
Liz, Mike, Gabriel, Elias and Julian

Jaded

When gazing up at Mt. Rainier evokes the respose, "Yeah, whatever", it becomes apparent that there is a problem. This is especially true if this rejoinder is uttered OUT LOUD by not one of the the 3 children in the party, but by the adult mother person. I've become jaded. Not that this is a surprising state of affairs considering what we've seen and done in nearly 40 US states in the past 14 months. Just so you'll see where I'm coming from, here's a partial list:

Acadia National Park, ME
Grand Canyon National Park, AZ
Saguaro National Park, AZ
Golden Gate National Recreation Area, CA
Redwood National and State Parks, CA
Sequoia and Kings canyon National Parks
Yosemite National Park
The National Mall, Washington DC
Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site, Washington DC,
Washington Monument, Washington DC
White House, Washington DC
Canaveral National Seashore, FL
Everglades National Park, FL
Gulf Islands National Seashore, FL
New Orleans Jazz National Historical park, LA
Salem Maritime National Historic Site, MA
Carlsbad Caverns National Park, NM
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, NM
White Sands National Monument, NM
Statue of Liberty National Monument, NY
Fort Clatsop National Memorial, OR
Independence National Historical Park, PA
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN
Big Bend National Park, TX
Guadalupe Mountains National Park, TX
Mount Rainier National Park, WA
Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, WA
Jamestown/Yorktown
Plymouth
Colonial Williamsburg
Independence Hall –Signing Room
Liberty Bell
Ben Franklin’s Home site
The Statue of Liberty
Ellis Island
National Archives-Viewed original US Declaration of Independence and US Constitution
White House
Capitol Hill
Fort Clatsop-Site of Lewis and Clark winter encampment on the Columbia River
Seminole Canyon State Park (ancient cave paintings), TX
The Alamo
Kennedy Space Center
Smithsonian Museums-Air and Space, Natural History, American History
The French Quarter and flood-devastated areas of New Orleans
Ground Zero at World Trade Center site
Chinatown, NYC
The Body Exhibit
The Lucy Exhibit
The McDonald Space Observatory
The Las Vegas Strip
Disneyworld, Orlando

Do you feel like you need a nap? Me too. Now, is it any wonder that I'm a wee tad road-weary? Nonetheless, feeling like you'd rather be curled up in fetal position in a papasan with an Oprah magazine instead of standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon is a bit distressing, if not downright EMBARASSING. Actually what I need is a break and, lucky me, the whole family agrees that some time in one spot would be a good plan. At least I think they agree. That's what they said anyway when I was threatening to commit hari kari into the the crater of Mt. St. Helen's ...At any rate, we're taking a break.

To that effect we are currently on a 3000 mile journey from Mossyrock, WA to Wilmington, NC. We'll be renting a house there through May 2009 and homeschooling the kids as usual, hanging out with my mom, kicking back on the beach (ie. spending endless hours searching for icky sea creatures) and getting involved in Obama's campaign to the extent that we're able. Mike will be spending some good quality time with his "tribe" back in his NC home office. It seems his company is playing a rip-roaring good game of musical chairs and we thought it best if Mike were around to at least hear the music. I'm sure his colleagues will all be glad to see him and relieved that what I'm sure they think of as is his mid-life-crisis-of-epic-proportions is over. Perhaps also friends and family that weren't quite "onboard" with the whole "we're buying an RV and traveling the country for a while" concept will be calmed by the thought that we are headed "home". Don't count on it...

Whatever this journey may be, it is not over. We are on a stopover en route to our next destination. While we are looking forward to the charms of a wheel-less house (my favorite one being that I might not be able to hear EVERYONE snoring every night), some space to reflect upon what we've seen and some time to contemplate what's next we are equally excited about what lies ahead. This trip we're on is a chapter and not an epilogue. We'll see where the road takes us next. Stay tuned...

One Year, 12,000 RV Miles, 10,000 Tow Vehicle Miles, 22 States and Still Living the Dream

Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night quite certain that we have lost our minds. Other times I sit bolt upright as though awakening from a nightmare, sure that we have destroyed our childrens' lives. But most often (in fact, VERY often) I am positive that we are among the sanest people on earth. This journey we're on is not necessarily the one we intended to take, but it is the one we needed to take. Over the last 12,000 miles some of the romanticsim and lofty goals (learn Spanish in one year, read all of the classics, become perfect humans etc.) we had envisioned in the planning phase have faded into the distance, but we have seen and learned and accomplished so much with gusto and unparalleled gung ho-edness. We have had our highs and lows, our days of delight, our hours of happiness, our moments of madness. We have all stomped off, from time to time, to our respective corners and one or more of us has driven off in a huff, but we have grown stronger as a family and have begun to really look at what it means to each of us to have made this leap into the unknown. A year on the road. That was the plan. It has turned into so much more.



The picture above represents how I feel on this one year anniversary. Behind the wheel of our Acadia and hurtling down CA 1 on a return trip from Hearst Castle I braved a brief glance to my right to catch a glimpse of the Pacific. Expecting the blueness and the sheer drop off to the rocks below, all I needed was a fleeting look to lock that image in my mind's eye. I never expected the couch ( and somehow it didn't surprise me), but I had to stop the car and photograph it to take in the incongruity of the scene. To me, that's the best part of this journey. It has made us take a second look at everything and has given us the space, good bad or indifferent, to interpret what we find.



To mark our year we thought we'd put together some Top 10 lists. Enjoy. We know we have.


Top 10 Favorite Places


1. Acadia National Park, ME


2. New York City, NY


3. Carlsbad Caverns, NM


4. Yosemite National Park, CA


5. Big Bend National Park, TX


6. Sequoia National Park, CA


7. Las Vegas, NV


8. Disneyworld, FL (yes, really!)


9. Gila National Forest, NM


10. The Mendocino Coast, CA

Top 10 Favorite Camprounds/Resorts

1. Searsport Shores Camping Resort, Searsport, ME http://www.campocean.com/

2. Patten Pond, Ellsworth, ME http://www.barharborcampingresorts.com/content/4005/PATTEN_POND/

3. Pinewood Lodge Campground, Plymouth, MA http://pinewoodlodge.com/index.php

4. Oasis Las Vegas RV Resort, Nas Vegas, NV http://www.oasislasvegasrvresort.com/5. Danforth Bay Camping Resort, Freedom, NH http://www.danforthbay.com/

6. Liberty Harbor RV Park, Jersey City, NJ http://www.libertyharborrv.com/

7. Flying Flags RV Resort, Solvang, CA http://www.flyingflags.com/

8. Jetty Park Campround, Canaveral, FL http://www.jettypark.org/

9. Gregory E. Moore RV Resort, Santa Rosa Beach, FL http://www.floridastateparks.org/topsailhill/default.cfm

10. Stillwell Ranch, Big Bend area, TX http://stillwellstore.com/


Top 10 Favorite or Most Awe-inspriring Moments

1. Whale watching cruise out of Bar Harbor, ME.

2. Watching Elias win the Mutton-Busting Championship in Houston and Bandera, TX.

3. Riding the subway from Jersey City and arriving unexpectedly in the crater of Ground Zero. Humbling.

4. Seeing the orignal US Constitution and Declaration of Independence. Also humbling.

5. Sledding the dunes in White Sands National Monument.

6. Seeing the rings of Saturn through a high-powered telescope at the McDonald Observatory in TX.

7. Hiking into Seminole Canyon to see ancient cave paintings.

8. Encountering a bear and her cub in Sequoia National Park and similarly watching a parade of moose walk through our campsite in Maine.

9. Watching Gabe cliff jump in Sedona, AZ.

10. Airboat ride in the everglades


All-time Favorite Moment: The day Gabe told my mom on the phone, "Grammy, we got our imaginations back on this trip."


Top 10 Meals/Food Experiences

1. Lobster/clam bake on the beach in Searsport, ME. The owners of Searsport Shores campground do this a few times every season and we were lucky enough to be visiting during one of those times. Clams, lobster, corn on the cob, freshly baked bread all served at picnic tables on the beach. Yum.

2. Mother's Day brunch at Bally's, Las Vegas, NV. Unlimited Perrier-Jouet champagne+ mother's day=long nap and even longer lasting headache. If you go, make sure you ask to be seated as far away as humanly possible from the actual buffet. It's a nice place to visit, but....

3.Shibuyu (Japanese+sushi) at MGM Grand, Las Vegas, NV. Amazing sushi and even more amazing sake menu. Very dark and hip and happenin', but the kids were very comfortable and welcome here. Julian ate his weight in sushi. We're still paying finance charges on this meal!

4. La Posta de Mesilla, Mesilla, NM. The best, most authentic Mexican we've had on this trip (even after going to Mexico). The chile rellenos are to die for and their Chile 'Rita is one of the best cocktails I've ever had!

5.Taste of India, Bangor, ME. We loved this place for the food, but also because it was such an unexpectedly authentic find on the coast of Maine.

6.Red's Eats in Wiscassett, ME. The lobster rolls and fried zucchini at this Maine landmark are worth the wait. We stood in line for over half an hour at this shack on the harbor. The boys loved the fish and chips.

7.Hitchin' Post, Solvang, CA. Old- style steakhouse made famous by the movie Sideways. Great steaks and fantastic house wines.

8.11th Street Cowboy Bar, Bandera, TX -BYO Steak! This place was pure Texas-cold beer, live country music and grill-your-own-steaks followed by washing your own utensils in the kitchen. Mike caused one Texan to comment, "I seen a lot of things in my life, but I ain't never seen no man doin' dishes". Toto?

9.Peking Mongolian and Japanese Restaurant, Williamsburg, VA. A higher-end buffet with live cooking stations and great desserts. Like an interactive food museum for the kids.

10. Ukranian Christmas dinner hosted by Ivanka Hromiak and family, Wilmington, NC. You can't beat a dinner party where you're greeted at the door by a tall, handsome Ukranian bearing vodka shots! The food was awesome, too.

Honorable mentions:

1.Apple cider donuts from Cold Hollow Cider Mill in Stowe, VT. Still trying to figure out how to make them!
2.Corn dogs at Houston rodeo, TX. The right balance of grease and crunch.
3. Fried dough at the Blue Hill Fair, ME. Same. I've loved these at this fair since I was a little girl. It was fun to introduce my boys to them.
4.Beignets at Cafe du Monde, New Orleans, LA. Worth the hype.
5. Jelly Belly Beans from Jelly Belly Factory Fairfield, CA. Or so my kids tell me....
6.Grilled rainbow trout caught by the boys in Helen, GA. Nothing better than fresh-caught trout!
7.Thanksgiving dinner with The Bogerts in Atlanta, GA. A tradition since 1995! Why is it that we make the same stuffing every year and still have to consult a recipe????
8. Mad Greek restaurant in Themiddleofknowwhere, CA.
9. Pizza on the beach in Fort Myers Beach, FL.

10.Falafel in Tuscon.

Top 10 Worst Experiences
1.. Waiting for RV parts in Houston, TX.

2.Getting locked out of the RV barefoot, alone (save for a certain cockapoo who decided this would be a great time to poop 17 times with no pick-up bags in sight!) and in the rain for 4 hours (Liz).

3. Encounter with irate non-English speaking truck driver at gas station in New Jersey (Mike).

4. Driving through CA forest fires and smoke.

5.Seeing the devastation in New Orleans and relizing how little has been done in 2 years.

6. Seeing the devastation at WTC in NYC and realizing how little has been done in 7 years.

7.The Unfortunate Enchilada Incident of 2007 (don't ask, but suffice it to say it involved 2 tired parents,a tray full of enchiladas, an uneven rv, a slippery microwave rack and 2 carpets-one of which we threw away and subsequently [and alarmingly!] found hanging on our neighbors clothesline the next morning).

8.Heatwave in Groveland, CA and dealing with the most (and really only, to date) unpleasant campground employees at Yosemite Pines Campground who, in their infinite wisdom closed the pool just as temperatures reached 612 degrees.

9. Every time we push the retract button for our levelling jacks. It's a 50/50 crap shoot. Will they retract or will we have to spend the day waiting for a mechanic?

10.The moment we acknowledged the reality that diesel prices were never coming down again and we would have to adjust our budget and our lifestyle accordingly.

Top 10 Lessons Learned

1. Never, ever travel with an unsecured and open jar of honey. Ditto bottle of soy sauce.

2. Bold type on a map does not neccessarily translate into a bold place in reality.

3. Campground websites rarely tell the truth and pictures can lie.

4. We Americans are, by and large, really cool people.

5. It pays to read the suitcase full of manuls that come with a new RV, especially the ones with a giant stop sign on the front cover with words that say, "DO NOT OPERATE UNTIL YOU HAVE READ THIS FULLY AND COMMITTED THE INFORMATION WITHIN TO MEMORY AND SIGNED A BLOOD OATH THAT YOU WILL OBEY" or something to that effect. Had we done this we may have saved ourselves from ponderances such as, "Hmm, I wonder why our water is brown?". The RV learning curve is slow. Manuals speed up the process. A little.

6.RV park laundry rooms are microcosms of American life. Every laundry room must, by force of nature, have one ranting radical republican, one babbling liberal democrat and 1 middle of the road person (usually me) quietly folding her laundry. There is also always 1 person of a "certain age" doing a monologue on their ailments, diseases and "lucky to still be alive after my fifth triple bypass and emergency spleendectomy" tales.

7.It seems that it is a law in California that every Californian must a) own an RV and b) use it on the weekends rendering all RV parks full to over-flowing c)wear those funky wool hats even when it's 106 dregrees in the shade.

8.We would starve to death (or be a lot skinnier, anyway) without the GPS Navigation in our car to tell us where to find the nearest Walmart or McDonalds.

9.I'm the best teacher my kids will ever have. And vice versa.

10.380 square feet of space is more than enough for our family.

Leaving the Big Easy Behind

We had been warned by many not to go. "Too depressing", said some. "Too dangerous", said a few. "It's just not the New Orleans we remember", said others. Yet, having never been, we were curious. Much like rubber-neckers passing the scene of a horrific accident on the highway, we were intrigued by what had traspired in this place. On that front, we were not disappointed. In almost every other way imaginable we were very disheartened.

Driving from the Florida panhandle we began to see Katrina's path of devastation almost as soon as we crossed into Alabama. For as far as the eye could see were broken tree limbs, shredded billboards and not many signs of life. Crossing lake Pontchartrain on the bridge from Slidell to New Orleans we immediately flashed back to those horrific days in the autumn of 2005. We rembered the news footage we had seen of this very bridge being torn into pieces by Katrina. Its current state is not much improved. Huge sections of the five mile long bridge have been patched with temporary pieces cannibalized from what remained and most of the guardrail is missing, twisted into bent reminders of the power of the floods. Apparently, the federal government has spent about $600 million for a new, six-lane Interstate 10 bridge over Lake Pontchartrain that will replace the existing four-lane twin spans by 2009, a full four years after the obliteration of Katrina. Until then, we'll all have to risk our lives as we traverse the puzzle piece structure masquerading as a bridge. Neither Mike nor I frighten easily, but this was not a bridge we'd like to be crossing on a daily basis.

As we continued westward into the city we began to see what we had read and heard so much about. Entire neighborhoods had been abandoned, their insides left to rot while their exteriors looked almost normal save for the missing windows and water stains. Piles of debris, grim reminders of all that was lost, were on nearly every street corner. How long had they been there? Could these poor people still be digging themselves out nearly three years later? It was truly a sobering sight to see and reminded our family of the feelings of helplessness we had had watching the events on tv back in 2005. It was not one of our prouder moments as a nation and seeing the horror today I felt even more ashamed. How could we have done so little in so many years?

After driving through miles of despair we finally arrived at the French Quarter RV Resort. When your RV park is the nicest real estate in the neighborhood you know there is a problem. A mere two blocks from the French Quarter and surrounded by a low brick wall with miles of razor wire, the resort is entered through a grand wrought iron fence. Inside the resort is a gorgeous tree-lined courtyard replete with bar, pool, jacuzzi and mini movie theater. Meanwhile, across the street in an empty lot behind a chain link fence are occupied FEMA trailers. Still...in 2008. Directly in front of the park is a closed and shuttered Winn Dixie, apparently a bad investment in an area directly impacted by the 100,000+ evacuees who made the decsion not to return to New Orleans. The backdrop of the resort is the infamous Canal St. overpass tent encampment. Hundreds of homeless are living in tents under the bridge in a scene reminiscent of the shanty villages in New Delhi or Bangkok. How could this be in America? How did we let this happen? The homeless population, by many accounts, has more than doubled since Katrina, yet where is the assistance? The irony of this situation screams for attention. In the shadow of the Superdome, where people died waiting for help after Katrina, now sleep hundreds of homeless. The Superdome was completely operational less than a year after Katrina, yet thousands are still without a place to call their own.

The French Quarter, largely untouched by the flooding, still draws hundreds of thousands of party-seekers each year. We were among the many who flock there for the beignets at Cafe Du Monde, oyster po-boys, gumbo and etouffe. We ate well, enjoyed the street performers and admired the architecture. One afternoon the boys and I took refuge from a downpour in the cathedral of St. Louis and lit a candle for those we have lost in our lives. As a family, we stood on Bourbon street, looked left and right and decided to keep walking. Maybe this scene would have appealed to Mike and me at another time in our lives, but this time we were content to just walk and look and listen (and taste).

In the end, we were glad we came, but felt that we would somehow never get to see the real New Orleans. It is probably gone forever. I think when something this catastrophic occurs the spirit of a place is forever changed, yet what remains is both inspirational and demoralizing. New Orleans, in my eyes, is just that-a city of paradoxes. It is a bewildering and frustrating mix of recovery and loss, rebirth and death, joy and sorrow. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Beignets anyone???

The boys at Cafe du Monde, New Orleans...Notice the powdered sugar all over Elias. It was all over the floor as well. Pity the guy with the mop!

Greetings from the Confederacy!

In the brief time we've spent in Alabama I've begun to wonder if an entire portion of the population here failed to get the memo that the Civil War is indeed over (I'm not even getting into who won and who lost!!!!...shhh). Yesterday the boys and I took a trip out to Dauphin Island off the coast of Mobile and were really blown away to see so many Confederate (Dixie, rebel..whatever!) flags flying. Now, being somewhat aware of the world around me, I do know the controversy over the flying of this flag, but to actually see it in such ABUNDANCE gave me the heebeegeebies. Maybe the memo is coming in the mail....

Out on Daupin Island we visited the Alabama marine biology lab's Estuarium, a very compact yet informative aquarium-ish facility. We then visited Fort Gaines, a Confederate fort that played a role in one of the Civil War's most famous battles (the Confederates lost, btw). The boys really enjoyed the canons, the magazine and particularly loved seeing the latrine which consisted of 10 holes in a row. It made our RV facilities seem like the Ritz. Dauphin Island itself was interesting. After coming from the very touristy, glitzy, BUSY panhandle of Florida it seemed very laid-back and almost forgotten. If you go, don't go hungry. We had a very hard time finding something to eat and ended up having a lunch of slim Jims and Funyuns. The kids were thrilled and I felt like I was going to throw up when all was said and done!

Today we spent the day in Mobile. The big draw for us was The Body exhibit at the Gulf Coast Exploreum. This is the exhibit that features actual plastinated human specimens. We have wanted to see it since we first heard about it and were glad, for the most part, that we did. I say for the most part because Gabriel stressed his way through the entire thing. He kept saying, "I wonder why my stomach hurts so much?" At first I thought maybe it was the tuna sandwich he had for lunch, but then it hit Mother of the Year (another self-awarded title)-THIS CHILD IS STRESSED OUT BY THIS EXHIBIT! DUH. Anyhoo, once I figured that out we pretty much picked up the pace, DEFINITELY skipped the section on reproduction (that probably would have pushed him right over the edge) and wrapped up our time with the dead bodies. I personally found it fascinating and very tastefully done. I have read about the 20/20 expo saying that some of the bodies may be executed Chinese prisoners. However, the founder of these exhibits now SWEARS (yeah, okey dokey) that the current specimens are from Europe and willingly donated their bodies. At any rate, it was cool.

Having worked up an appetite (peeled, dissescted and plastinated bodies will do that to you, no?) we headed over to Wintzell's Oyster House on Dauphin Street for some Happy Hour half priced raw bar (or nude oysters as Mr. Wintzell liked to call them) and dinner. The place has been around since the 1930's and is a trip. The walls are completely covered with J. Oliver Wintzells many sayings. My favorite: "Some of the deepest footprints in the sands of time were left by heels." We had an awesome waiter who told us in no uncertain terms to skip the etouffe until we get to New Orleans and order the gumbo instead. Mike had the gumbo and loved it-I'm not a an okra fan. I had the crab soup (hint of sherry)and the fried green tomatoes with crawfish sauce. I could have just eaten the sauce-fantastic! The kids menu was great and they comped them each an ice cream for being such good eaters.

We then went home and watched American Idol. Some things are the same, even on the road. Sometimes the best part of the day is doing something ordinary in an out of the ordinary situation.

P.S. We stayed at Shady Acres RV park just outside of Mobile and right off I-10. While this park is basically a trailer park and quite run down, I would recommend it for 2 reasons. Firstly, the owner Charlie Siebert is a lovely man. He not only stayed late to greet us, but then personally walked us to our site and made sure we were okay. He gave us many suggestionsof things to do and even came over the next morning to see how we were doing and to recommend Wintzells for lunch. Secondly, the location was perfect and very central to Mobile's attractions.

Okay, So Now That We're All Caught Up....

Wait a minute...we're not. Now I have the last two weeks to catch up on. This blog thing is hard work!

Tonight's the last night of our 2 week stay at the Gregory E. Moore RV Resort, a part of Topsail Hill Preserve State Park in Santa Rosa, Florida. We have loved our time here and have very mixed emotions about moving on. We are sad to leave Florida (yet again!), but so excited to see what comes next. It's been a great place to kick back for a bit, but now we're ready to head west.

We couldn't recommend this park more highly. The sites are, for the most part, spacious and private and the facilities are fantastic. We made good use of the half mile bike trail to the VERY pristine beach as well as the beach itself. The boys (especially Gabe) even swam in the FRIGID, but crystal clear blue-green water and they really enjoyed all the washed up neon purple (?!-not sure they exist that way naturally) jellyfish. We even played a game of baseball on the beach with the Neumann family, our campground neighbors. They had three boys as well-almost a full team between the two families!

As far as sightseeing, we really took it pretty easy these two weeks. We took a "field trip" to Fudpuckers (no, not a typo) one day for lunch with about 100 alligators. Luckily they were too cold to eat that day, so we ate and they, well...sat. Seriously, though, only in Florida could you have a burger and then hang out with alligators. We went with our new friends Deb and Jonathan (Elias' age) Smyth. The following Saturday we went to the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola (again with the Smyths). Tom Smyth is retired from the Air Force and knows just about evertything there is is to know about aircraft (and most other things-truly!), so we felt like we had our own personal docent with us. He also shared some hilarious stories about his days working on airplanes. We were sad to see the Smyths go on Sunday, especially as Deb had been just a fantastic motivator to get up and hoof it on the beach every morning!! The second week we pretty much just relaxed around camp, did school and tried to stay dry. I have never seen rain like that in my life and we did not particularly enjoy the tornado warnings. Where do you hide in an RV/tin can? By our last weekend the weather had improved a bit, so we headed over to Seaside, the town where Jim Carey's The Truman Show was filmed. A little to cutesy for me, but we had a great lunch at our private dining room (see photo) overlooking the beach. The following day Mike took the boys (even Julian) on a six mile hike to a lake in the park. It was dark by the time they returned and I was about to send the ranger on a search and rescue mission. I had visions of Mike keeled over on a sand dune with the boys trying to revive him. They had a fantastic time, however, and saw many creatures, puddles and creatures in puddles. I, on the other hand, stayed behind, read my book and took a nap. Bliss-testosterone free BLISS! The boys are writing about their adventure in their journals as I write this.

So, I think now I can truly say we're caught up. I'm going to do my best to keep it that way. Don't anyone hold their breaths...