HOME AGAIN

WE MADE IT HOME FROM OUR BILOXI ADVENTURE YESTERDAY AFTERNOON SAFE AND SOUND. THE CATS WERE GLAD TO SEE US AFTER OUR 16 DAY ABSENCE.


THE PRIUS

WE LEARNED LAST SUMMER THAT THE PRIUS DOESN'T LIKE FREEWAY DRIVING.  WHEN YOU'RE CRUISING THE INTERSTATE SYSTEM WITH THE CRUISE SET AT 80+ MILES AN HOUR YOUR MPG DROPS SIGNIFICANTLY. THIS TRIP WE LEARNED THAT HYBRID CARS DO NOT LIKE COLD WEATHER. THAT BEING SAID WITH WINTER WEATHER AND OUR DECISION TO RETURN HOME ON INTERSTATE 10 OUR MILEAGE PER GALLON SUCKED.

WE DROVE 3,915.6 MILES AND GOT 49.0 MPG, DOWN CONSIDERABLY FROM 60 MPG LAST SUMMER ON OUR TRIP TO WISCONSIN ON THE BACK ROADS.  WE SPENT $170 DOLLARS ON FUEL FOR THE TRIP. 

OUR WEATHER FORECAST FOR THE MOHAVE VALLEY LOOKS GOOD FOR THE COMING WEEKS WITH THE RETURN OF "SUNNY & 75".

STUCK IN BENSON

WE HAD OUR EYE ON THE WEATHER AND HAD MADE THE DECISION TO TRAVEL BACK TO MOHAVE VALLEY ON THE SOUTHERN ROUTE (I-10) TO AVOID THE SNOW STORMS OF NORTHERN ARIZONA.  GOOD DECISION. THE I-40 WAS CLOSED AND FLAGSTAFF GOT THREE FOOT OF SNOW.

AFTER TWO TWELVE HOUR DAYS OF DRIVING ON THE I-10 WE DECIDED TO STOP IN BENSON AND NOT GET TANGLED UP IN THE TUCSON RUSH HOUR. BAD DECISION. JUST 50 MORE MILES YESTERDAY AND WE WOULD HAVE MISSED THE SNOW.

WTF, WE’RE RETIRED, LET’S TAKE A SNOW DAY.

THE SNOW IS GOOD FOR ONE THING…….

“SNOW & 33”

BILOXI, MISSISSIPPI

MARY AND I ARE WRAPPING UP OUR WEEK ON THE GULF COAST IN BILOXI, MS.  YESTERDAY WE MET UP WITH AN OLD PONDEROSA BUDDY AND HIS WIFE, BOB & CORRINE, FROM HAMMOND, LA. WE ENJOYED COCKTAILS AT THE 305 BAR IN THE HARD ROCK CASINO, FOLLOWED BY DINNER AT THE HARD ROCK CAFE.

THE WEATHER FOR THE WEEK SUCKED, LIKE THE REST OF THE NATION, BUT WE DID HAVE THREE DAYS THAT WE WERE IN SHORTS AND T-SHIRTS.  WE WALKED THE WHITE SAND BEACH AND BOARDWALK, LOST OUR MONEY GAMING IN THE MANY CASINOS, AND NOW WE ARE FORCED TO DRIVE HOME ON THE SOUTHERN ROUTE (INTERSTATE 10) TO AVOID THE SNOWS OF NORTHERN ARIZONA.

KILN, MS

IF YOU'RE A TRUE CHEESEHEAD AT HEART A TRIP TO BILOXI AND THE GULF COAST INCLUDES A ROADTRIP TO KILN, MS, THE HOMETOWN OF BRETT FAVRE.

MARY AND I WERE HERE 18 YEARS AGO AND THE ONLY CHANGE WE SAW WAS A NEW FAST FOOD RESTAURANT OWNED BY SCOTT FAVRE, BRETT'S OLDER BROTHER. HERE IS MARY WEARING A T-SHIRT FROM THE OLD FARVE FAMILY RESTAURANT WHICH WAS DESTROYED 14 YEARS AGO IN HURRICANE KATRINA.  

THE T-SHIRT GOT A BIG SMILE OUT OF SCOTT WHEN SHE WALKED IN !!!

THE CONVENIENCE STORE AT THE 4-WAY STOP.

AND OF COURSE A MANDATORY STOP AT THE BROKE SPOKE BAR, WHERE NOTHING HAS CHANGED SINCE BRETT BECAME A PACKER.

I REMEMBER THIS STOLEN SIGN ON THE WALL FROM YEARS AGO, AND THE CURRENT POPULATION OF GREEN BAY IS LISTED AT 105,106.

TODD & DI, PRAIRIE DU CHEIN, WISCONSIN.  TODD IS MARY'S NEPHEW AND OUR FINANCIAL GUY.  THANKS FOR YOUR BILOXI HOSPITALITY !!!!

"CLOUDY & 72"

Beauvoir

We toured Beauvoir today.  It was the last home of the first and only president of the Confederate States of America, Jefferson Davis.

This statue is in front of the Presidential Library.  It is in a newly constructed building.  The former building was destroyed during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.  

This is the front of the house.  The house itself was still standing after Hurricane Katrina, but the porches were all gone and the water was up to a foot inside.  Millions have been spent restoring it and other buildings on the grounds.

Don't see these two flags flown side by side very often.

This beautiful flower grows on a tree.  The plant name is Japanese Camellia.  Absolutely gorgeous!

It was a nice tour and pretty typical of other homes of the same era.  The sun was shining and the grounds were a really pretty place to get our steps.

THE BUSH LIBRARY

TODAY WE VISITED THE BUSH 41 LIBRARY IN COLLEGE STATION, TX JUST NORTH OF HOUSTON.

ALTHOUGH GEORGE BUSH WAS JUST BURIED HERE LAST NOVEMBER, THE PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY HAS BEEN HERE AND OPEN FOR 20 YEARS.

HERE'S MARY DISCUSSING DESERT STORM WITH THE PRESIDENT.

AND REX TAKING OVER THE OVAL OFFICE, NOTE MY PACKER HAT ON THE DESK.

IT WAS A COLD AND GLOOMY DAY, BUT WE HIKED AROUND THE PRESIDENTIAL POND AND OUT TO THE GRAVE SITE.

TOMORROW IS A STOP AT THE ISLE OF CAPRI IN LAKE CHARLES, AND THEN ON TO BILOXI.

Magnolia Market

Today we are in Waco, Texas.  Since we are in Waco, does anyone have any guess at where we visited??

Yes, of course, we went to Magnolia Market!  The retail location that was built by Chip and Joanna Gaines of HGTV'S Fixer Upper program.  I knew going in that I most likely would not be buying anything.  Joanna and I are not on the same page when it come to decor.  I love color so a neutral pallet is not my thing, but I do love the show and really wanted to see Magnolia Market.

After visiting the Silo's we needed a drink!!  About a block and a half away we found "The Backyard", a nice bar with a big back yard.  The weather today was horrible so no one was out playing in the back yard but I bet on a nice sunny day it is packed.

We asked the bar manager if having the Silo District nearby had increased his business.  He said during the day it had because his bar is where the husband's hang out while their better halves took care of shopping at Magnolia Market.  That was the upside, the downside....parking for sure.  He said because of the parking situation, the locals no longer come during the day.  

Magnolia Market is someplace I am glad I saw, but once was enough.  The bakery is on the grounds but for the entire hour plus we were there, the line never got smaller than half way around the building.  I would never stand in line for a bakery, however I did peek in the window and up it looked like a bakery!

So tomorrow we are on to College Station, Texas and the Bush, Sr. Library. 

That sounds more exciting to me than Magnolia Market and I bet the gift shop will have something I actually like.

“PRIUS-PARTY”

THE “PRIUS-PARTY” CONTINUES. WE BOUGHT THE PRIUS LAST JUNE AND HAVE PUT OVER 21,000 MILES ON IT ALREADY. HERE IT SITS ON THE MOUNTAIN YESTERDAY IN THE SNOW.

NOT “SUNNY & 80” HERE, AND CHECK THIS OUT, MARY SHOVELING SNOW…….

SO WHAT THE HELL ARE WE DOING IN THE SNOW? YOU REMEMBER LAST FALL WHEN WE CUT OUR TRIP TO SOUTH PADRE ISLAND AND THE GULF OF MEXICO SHORT?  WELL, WE’RE HEADED BACK TO THE GULF TO MEET UP WITH TODD AND DI ON THE GULF IN BILOXI. MS.

TONIGHT WE ARE IN TEXAS AND HEADED TO THE BUSH PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AT COLLEGE STATION. WE WILL ARRIVE IN BILOXI ON TUESDAY FOR A WEEK OF WHITE SAND BEACHES, GAMBLING, SMOKING, AND DRINKING WITH BOTH HANDS.

Retirement Update

It’s been about six weeks since I retired so guess I’ll give an update.

First things first, I had to set a morning routine. I’ve settled into a 10 PM bedtime and 6 AM rising time. I must admit that part of the reason this is my time frame is because AZ has decided that he eats at 6:15 AM SHARP! Those hours work for me because I love the early morning hours. Another decision I have made about my schedule is that I don’t really want to go any place before noon. I truly love having the whole morning to do what I like to do to start my day and I don’t have to hurry to do them.

So, what have I done?? We went hiking in the Grand Canyon, (before the government shutdown), went hiking at Death Valley, (also before the government shutdown). We have been hiking on Fremont Street-more than once. Hiking the strip-also more than once. We have been to Vegas 4 times. Rex really likes Vegas!

On the home front, I have redone a landscape project from years ago. I also am working on refurbishing a drawer cupboard for storage. I’ve got the painting done, but the countertop isn’t finished yet, probably because I am not yet sure of what I want to do with it.

I also decided to clean out my filing cabinet for the first time. It was like going through a treasure chest. I found my original birth certificate in the envelope with a date on it of June 13, 1950. That was cool. I also threw away enough paper to reconstruct a tree. AND my closets look organized and neat.

Bottom line-we are staying busy and active! Love it!