This land is peachy

Hello from Georgia......The land of southern Hospitality and new perspectives.This day started like most of our days on the road sleeping in a rented bed.....Marriott does this hotel thing just right....comfy beds nice warm showers.

We....um I mean Mom.....drove through the night so we could be in Atlanta in the morning ......Poor Mom she drove through construction and a posted 55 mile path the whole night....we finally arrived at 5am....fell into bed and ......could not sleep...... DANG ......Harley started seizing :(. We came to Georgia not just for the Puppetry museum but the see Uncle Bob My mothers Handsome older brother and his family...Mom had not seen her big brother for 20 years so this was highly anticipated.....Harley and I let Mom and uncle Bob and his stunning wife head off to brunch with out us....I have heard that the enjoyed lively conversation and wonderful creme brule french toast...yum. Harley and I stayed in the room and looked through our Georgia packet prepared for us by the Dixon family....(thank you girlies:)....permission for krispy creme was all we needed:).......

We were invited to Uncle Bobs house to retreve Grandma .....I got so very lost BUT the homes were so lovely that Lost was not a problem when we finely stoped for help I was greeted with a slow southern drawl and a BOW TIE.....Harley later asked why the man had a bow on his neck I guess we don't see bow ties any more ...why?... what a treat as this sweet man and his wife that was dressed to the 9's led us to Uncle Bob's neighborhood....utterly out of the way....Prospective # I people matter go that extra step....Harley was well prepped in the car about being polite and respectful....Perspective #2 manners are a life style not a threat in the car 5 minutes before you head into someones glass filled perfectly decorated stately home....Harley was a gentleman but sadly scarred mute....the poor thing sat on his hands spoke not a word and I am still thinking he barely took a breath....he did look a little blue:) I was taken back by the resemblance between Mom And her brother....(Claypool kids , we came from a very nice looking gene pool) I loved watching as both these Spreng kids eyes twinkled as the laughed...and how they both swelled with pride a bit as they introduced their children. I was introduced to uncle Bobs gracious wife and beautiful step daughter these women were the perfect picture of modern southern Charm beautiful with some sassyness mixed in to spice things up. Uncle Bob is a lucky man to spend time with these lovely ladies...

Perspective 3# If you think it and it is kind say it.....tell the person...it will make their day....

We did not get enough face time with Uncle Bob ....hopefully we will see him today before we leave...

We did get to the puppetry Arts museum and boy oh boy could we have used a few more hours....remarkable...

When we walked into see the Jim Henson exhibit....it was like seeing old friend Do you know that Jim Henson was Eriny? I didn't and Kermy is about 3 feet tall?

We had dinner at a place called.....hmm can't remember but the food was FANTASTIC...Harley of course had.....red beans and rice.....also delish....

as we hunker down for bed we are hearing warning about hurricanes....wait and maybe snow......as we drift off I start to dream of little houses dressed in snow being lifted into a place....called OZ....I am starting to look for my red sparkly shoes.....

what the heck?

hurricane or snow?
ice storm or rain.....
this is what the weather is doing here....eek

family part 2.....what a day

Today we had to say goodbye to the Florida coast and we left a piece of our hearts behind....Mom calls my cousin jay and I peas in a pod.....I did feel like we had a bond that was not completely understandable....so maybe we are peas:)

We had a great time visiting Saint Augustine the oldest city in the USA and we saw mile marker 1 on the drive back home....Jay treated us to a train ride around this wonderful old city and to a good Cuban lunch..... after we found our selves back at my cousin Linda's table for a few more Hellos and goodbyes....Linda's Home drips of love....it is in the walls...this visit we got to meet the littlest member of the family her Granddaughter and her daughters wonderful family.... sadly....I was so wrapped up in the chatting I forgot to take pictures but you can take my word for it this little family is beautiful.....This day was fun funny and fantastic but it pales in comparison to the relationships that were built while we were here....so Taylor Kids....we love you .....now you should come see us:).....please ...

family family family in Florida

With great excitement I was thrilled to meet 3 of my cousins.....and one cousin in law.

I am in the land of fast talkin storey tellers and feel right at home!

We found Florida a bit soggy and hard to figure out but today as we coddle into our beds at the hotel we feel....well bigger....okay not just because Uncle Jimmy can't stop feeding us but because our hearts feel full and some how complete....er. To have a connection by biology is fantastic and to look across at a face that is a slight reflection of your own is truly remarkable. Sisters and Bro....we have cool cousins...interesting, warm, funny and insanely smart....tomorrow we do a bit of sight seeing and then we will say a sad goodbye to new found family....then on to Georgia.....

We Made it yippee!!! we are in the land of the Atlantic ocean palace were the sun rises over the ocean.

We found Aunt Donna and Uncle Jimmy.....they look great.

It was fun to hear all uncle Jimmy's stories but tomorrow we get to listen to aunt Donna:).....or else.

Please pray for us....Harley is not doing so well and I can't shake this cold.

I will post pictures tomorrow

rain rain rain

please pray for us as we drive through a storm in florida....we are hopeing to be in jacksonville by 1 pm today

beads and red beans

so the hotel that we stayed in last night.....HATED my computer so it died in the middle of posting.....
okay mom says Louisiana was the most unique place she has ever seen....I totally agree unique fantastic and old.....i kind of expected the whole city to smell like mold ans be dripping with debauchery but not this Louisiana....I say that because the locals refere to there time line that way....before and after Karina....This new Louisiana is cleaner and in some place just days old.....It seems this city as a ...whole is pleased with the big changes....it is also clear that some homegrown folks walked away and won't come back....demolished buildings sit next to brand spanking new ones recovery is in the air, not mold ....and the debauchery ....well they still house that where it always lived ....on Bourbon street. we loved every thing about this place but the highlight if our time was the trumpeter that played for grandma and Harley on the ferry we accidentally took.....just like New Orleans we experienced the joy and wonder of the here and now.....

hello did you miss us?

I am so sorry that we did not blog last night....the land of the BiG Easy got the best of us:)

After our really really gross room at the Hilton we were so SO blessed to, check into the most adorable Marriott in New Orleans...So adorable that we never wanted to leave ....But leave we did after our Fantastic dinner we wandered the city felling slightly intoxicated by the music, sites and sounds. It was a little hard to settled down to sleep ....we drifted of chatting about our trip and all the fantastic things we were going to see the next day.

My sister Cathy planed some really interesting things for us to do.....First on our list

SWAMP TOUR so tour we did it was the most fantastic trip we could have taken.

mom says she loved this tour it was great and so relaxing just being out there in those beautiful trees and the irises and roses if we never saw any animals it still would have been a great experience.....Harley adds that the fast boat rocked the snakes and alligators were creepy.

I loved being in so much nature...Our God is so creative....the birds snakes flowers moss alligators.....otters....how awesome and creative. I have to say we had a great Cajun boat captain he was so charming and knowledgeable.

The day my unplanning built

Because I gave up my day our day unfolded in an amazing way....sadly none of the pictures that I took of our plantation tour and walk through an Arcadian village set up on the most incredible river or the old Village that is run entirely by developmentally delayed adults in the Layfaette community..or the muffelleta sandwiches or the university of Louisiana or the way the sun sets the swamps a glow or the most interesting series if bridges or Spanish Moss Dripping from antique oak trees or this tiny furn that is called resurrection fern....but what we did get was a picture of our fantastic dinner of Red beans and rice and ALLIGATOR.....that we ate this while listening to cajun music....Harley loved it so much he made me but the CD

Hello look what happens when we let go

I know I am a planning nut......I get that

Yesterday morning was my day to plan....and I did plan it boy oh boy am to pm it was planned baby:) This trip has been a great lesson on how to sit on my hands and enjoy other peoples ideas and planning but this day was mine and I had something to prove (Don't you just know God was watching with a smile..) I was certain this would be the best leg of our whole trip I knew what we would eat ...Cajun food .... i was excited about our 40 priceline Hilton Hotel room.....I knew we would spend the day poking around recreated village called Vermillianville then off for a swamp tour that would answer all of our swampish questions.....hit the road listening to Zydeco music..... excited by the trip I had planned and I was certain every other day would pale in comparison .
so to help you understand our days are more like the Jewish day sundown to sundown so for my planning purposes that is how I scheduled...
After our drive we were exhausted and hungry....We opted to pick-up food and take it up to what I was sure to be one LUX hotel.....I was having the cranky tummy blues so we decided to enjoy the "safe" food at Outback steak house and their curbside service.
Salad for me fish for mom and mac and cheese for the boy....
we found our very un-lux hotel with its dirty room and smelly lobby.....Harley was great he had a bed and the room did not have a bath tub so he was in heven.....Mom loved her food but my salad was not wilted but the point just past wilted... almost liquid lettuce you know the stuff the sits in the fridge until it gets thrown out......I kept thinking I could eat around it.....YUCK.
so after I did the cockroach stop around the room....we tucked in for the night....I was happy to know that the sun would rise on a perfect day......Pride comes before the fall as God and my Mother says:)
As we were packing up and getting ready my mother noticed that vermilionville was not NOT open on Mondays ......what you are kidding me .....this stinks why why why......arg allot of really bad attitude thoughts latter I said no worries lets just get going and see about out swamp tour..... and breakfast.....okay so you get the idea .....it was a silly exercise in planning because we never got breakfast and we were to late for our swamp tour......all my planning shot to heck.....lesson learned thank the Lord.....after I dumped all my plans on to the very soft earth ....We had a day unfold around us that was lovely.

The Good the Bad and the Squished

Lafayette Louisiana.....

Animal count

a billion Horses

2 billion cows

a bunch o, sheep

lamas

Ostrich that crossed the freeway in front of us HELLO!

the fattest bunnies ever

one lazy alligator

and what we think was an otter....crossing the road.

and now for the dead stuff because they tried to cross the road

beaver
Armadillo

Dear

and one large 18 wheeler.....

Okay so this leg of our trip was supposed to be a quick jaunt into Cajun country highlighted by a visit to a Cajun village from the early 1900....

but because we wound up sitting on the freeway watching he bravest firemen put out a raging fire that engulfed an 18 wheeler....we never got there.....We did take the most amazing drive through the creole Nature Trail. We drove on ferry (AWESOME) Drove over 14 bridges saw The 95 mile drive took us through salt domes and rice fields marshes and bayous.We saw u close the devastation that this fine land endured during hurricane Katrina....and like a phoenix rising from the ashes homes rebuilding.....on very tall stilts:)

these are resilient generous welcoming people....we are looking forward to the exploring even more today...but on foot and in a swamp boat.

q &a

okay little girls and boys.....you have had some very good questions and so now it's time for answers....
Nellie i wear a size 8and i/2 :)
really you have been great with the comments we love them...thank you.
Linda you asked how long we are staying ....we really don't know....at least 5 days but really I'm thinkin' .......until Aunt Donna and uncle jimmy evict us from their RV:) they do remember we are staying there right;}
My girlies.....I have NOT found a MAN....although the cowboys are SO cute....
Harley is loving this trip.....sometimes......yesterday was his super crabby day.
i have come to realize that we are a family of people that need time alone.
Time to just sit and reflect on the day to be quite and enjoy the quite....this I realized after my sweet and polite son said just under his breath...."good grief Mom backup and stop talking please"....well he did say please:) okay so he id get a good old southern lecture about the rudeness....but point well taken and ya you get the idea.
YES we are loving these folders.....What fun to open a new plan every day.
for those of you not in the know......I asked some family and some friends to fill in a little packet with places we could go or see do and take a picture of ....in any place I knew we where going to stop along the way.....this has been a fun way to bring you along...we love love love the music and the quests you have been sending us on.....
Health stuff.....mom is doing great....she seems to feel better when we are off on our wanders on foot Harley.....hmmm...he is having seizers and (gross alert) these blasted bloody noses that don't want to quit we finale had them under control when last night the poor thing had a siezer and cracked his nose on the table in our room.....I thought he would need stitches but I think we held it together.....emergency room averted.
YES Harley got his boots.....sorry....I forgot that:) We had bad timing for el paso boot stores so...he got his boots at a place called Cowtown Boots in Austin....
He loves them Did I say LOVE?
Okay kids.....that wraps up Q&A time....remember no question is a dumb question....except maybe ask a lady her age....that really would be dumb.....and a little stupid.

sad for us no stop in Houston

Okay so we thinking that we would be able to hang with our Houston Homies for a bit today ....but....as fate and traffic would have it....we had to book it past Houston with a mere look over our shoulder and a wave but I will say that sitting on the 10 so many fine memories came flooding back...oddly allot of them were of past boyfriends:) .... but it was almost stifling with all the memories washing in on top of the other.
I am including Harley's snaps of our trek past the land of our old life...he has an amazing eye:) enjoy

yeehaw

WE MADE it....the lone star state has welcomed us home.....I LOVE TEXAS....we are staying tonight in the hill country....so so beautiful....how lovely to be surrounded by this rich land that is teaming with history.....
Today we went to the Alamo.... we stood where brave men fought and died to secure freedom for Texas. Harley was appropriately in awe of this place...As we were leaving he asked me if I knew anyone that was that brave....I was proud to list the men and women, friends and family that have given themselves to keep our freedom. So to all of you who are brave and committed to maintaining and protecting our freedom I say Thank you from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet that is standing where we are remembering the Alamo.

hey y'all....

sorry I never got to blogging' yesterday....we drove from Phoenix to Tuscon spent a ton of time poking through Old Tuscon studios....we had a great time eating some Tuscon BBQ and then hit the road....what an amazing thing to see the sunset behind those Arizona plateaus...God is so awesomely creative...And the colors...I never thought anything could ever be as stunning as a sunset over the ocean....but truly the way the sleepy sun ducks behind the mountains and shim es it's light is nothing short of breath taking....of course We never got around to snapping a picture but I would be happy to try to wrap words around it if ya want me to:)

Then we drove ALL NIGHT to get to San Antonio by this AM.

let me just say MY MOTHER IS A SAINT!!!!

every passing hour that I was awake I got crabber and crabbier....she was worried that I would fall asleep while driving so she never closed her eyes ....

around 4:30 we pulled into a parking lot and slept for a few refreshing hours...nothing like sleeping in a cramped car to improve the mood:)

Whew....is that the wind

As I write this I am sitting at my sisters table watching the wind...Yes i did say watching. The wind is so strong Harley and I watched it pick up a shopping cart....My sweet son said "it's a good thing you are heavy so you will never blow away" jeepers I guess it is a good thing:)
The song tumbling tumble weeds makes more sense after experiencing this wind .
This morning Harley and I took a walk to find tiny ground owls and what we found was the most adorable baby cow...we counted 32 crazy looking lizards a huge tower made by red ants Harley hond a rock that he swears is an arrow head....we are enjoy this windy west but tomorrow Harley, Grammie and I head off to Tuscon... we are very excited to go a studio where they filmed a ton of our favorite westerns...then a good drive through New Mexico hopeing to be there in time to see the bats of Carlsbad caverns come out to dine....and then the high light of Harley's trip....To buy cowboy boots in El Paso.

Long Drive....cute babies and a nice soft couch:)

Hello from the great state of Arizona and the soft couch of the Underwoods house....Today was filled with alfalfa fields and lazy cows..a search for one armed cactus and laying eyes on the family of Underwood's that we have been missing. As we snuggle into our make shift beds contemplating our day tomorrow....Harley and I are trying to choose between going to a silly place called rawhide ranch or a Renaissance festival.....Harley could not decide.....so what do you think we should do? Please vote we will do as you vote Power to the people:)

Comment away....

Hey all you cool cats....if you were getting stopped be the blog police saying you could not leave a comment....The issue has been FIXED....thanks to some pretty savvy advise from my sweet niece Nellie....So you know what that means.....Comment away....just be nice...or not....heck be funny....just stop picking on my shoes:)
We miss you all already:).

hmm....shoes

I know I know I should be embarrassed ....i am just NOT....actually I am still looking for a pair of black pumps ....because you just never know:)

Here we go......

holy cow..I had no idea how much work it would be to run away from home....My air filled head had visions of tossing things in a bag and heading out the door with a quick glance that nothing was going to catch fire.....then my estrogen kicked in and now we have something akin to a self sustaining pod that is only lacking beds and maybe oxygen....if I don't squish things just right as I close the trunk.