The End of Our First Full Year on the Road

    Well, we’ve come to the end of another year. Last year, at this time, we sat out in the deserts around Wickenburg and watched the sun set behind the mountains. This year is a little different. We finally made it to Florida (just barely inside the Florida border from Alabama.). We are in a very nice little campground just outside of DeFuniak Springs. It is a small campground surrounded by a lake and trees. There are numerous fishing docks and you can rent fishing boats or canoes from the office. The swimming pool is also available, but I’m not training to be in he Polar Bear Club!!

    New Year’s Eve came in with gusty winds and an overcast sky. We went to nearby Grayton Beach, hoping to sit on the beach and watch the year end. When we got there, the offshore “breezes” nearly blew us over and they had a bite to them. But we’re never ones to pass up the opportunity to walk along the shoreline, so we braved the elements. The sea spray was so thick that it looked like fog in the distance and after a short while, you could taste the salt on your lips. 

Figuring that there wouldn’t be much to the sunset, we stopped at a local eating establishment and had a nice dinner while overlooking the panorama (from the warmth and protection of the dining room windows). The rest of our New Year’s celebration was relatively uneventful. Some reading, sharing an “adult beverage”, a kiss and a hug at midnight, then off to bed. 

    This year has truly been spectacular for us. It is the first full year that we have spent as “retired folks” or, more importantly, as full time RVers. We have traveled from Wickenburg to Tucson to pick up this motorhome. Then from Tucson to Moose Pass, Alaska for the summer. Then back to the lower 48, visiting places like Yellowstone, Little Big Horn, friends and family in Kansas. Then on through the Gulf States finally ending up here in DeFuniak. A little over 10,750 miles have been put on the motorhome in this year alone. I have tried to share a little of our wonder and delight along these travels with those who follow this blog but I know that I can only touch the surface of all that we see and do (and who we meet). If I inspire in you a desire to see more of the world around you, then I will feel like this effort has been worth it. I hope that all of you had a great 2010 and that 2011 brings you more than you wish for! Happy New Year to all!!

National WW II Museum

    After a relaxing couple of days following Christmas Eve, we zipped into New Orleans again to visit the National WW II Museum. This is a very well laid out and informative presentation of both the European and Pacific Theaters of operations. We started off by seeing the movie presentation, “Beyond All Boundaries”. This is billed as a 4-D experience and it is that and more. The film, hosted by Tom Hanks, presents a moving synopsis of the war from Dec. 7th, 1941 to VJ day. Personal comments and remembrances from soldiers are voiced by the likes of Kevin Bacon, John Goodman, Brad Pitt, and Gary Sinise. You are surrounded by sights, smells, and sounds of the battles. Your chair often literally vibrates with the action on the screen. I would be surprised if anyone leaves the theater without an appreciation for what was accomplished and the cost to all involved!

    The second floor of the exhibit building consists of a Pacific Theater timeline with displays, photos, and artifacts. One of the striking artifacts displayed was a copy of FDR’s Dec. 8th address to Congress. It is a first draft that has editing marks and changes made by the President. For instance, he changed the original text “... a date that will live in World History...” to the now famous “...a date that will live in infamy...”. It makes for fascinating reading as I have heard the address hundreds of times. It’s kind of like reading the actual Gettysburg Address. 

    The Third floor is devoted to the European Theater with a lot of emphasis on the Normandy Invasion and it’s immediate aftermath. Weapons used and uniforms worn by both sides are on display. 

Full size aircraft that were instrumental to fighting and winning the war hang from the ceiling. Along the wall to the right are the Colors of all of the Divisions that fought in the war. 

    Why is the WW II museum located in New Orleans? Well, at the start of the war, a small boat builder, Andrew Higgins, petitioned the Government and proposed a radical new troop and supply movement ship. Eventually this ship became known as the Higgins Boat and was a major mover of troops and supplies in all theaters of the War effort. His boat manufacturing facilities were in New Orleans. None other than Gen. Eisenhower said that “Andrew Higgins... is the man that won the war for us.”

Three models of different derivations of the Higgins Boats. 

Looking up the ramp of a Higgins Boat. 

I could have spent days here, but limited it to a few hours. I highly recommend a visit if you are in the area and I dare you to come away unmoved!

Plantations of River Road

   Today we went out into the River Road area Northwest of New Orleans along the Mississippi River towards Baton Rouge. It is here where hundreds of plantations existed (and some still are in operation today) farming sugar cane and cotton. We visited two distinctly different plantations. One was the Laura Plantation.  ( www.lauraplantation.com ) This plantation was originally built in 1804. The plantation was owned by a Creole family and was operated differently than the “Gone with the Wind” plantations that we are familiar with. This plantation was run for business. As such, the “Big House” was the location for the offices and business was transacted there. It was not where the family lived on a regular basis. In fact, their homes were in the French Quarter of New Orleans. There were small bedrooms off of the offices, but were not lavish or extravagant. The other unique thing of the Creole way of doing things was that the duties of running the plantation were handed down, not to the eldest male heir, but to whomever the current owner felt was best qualified to run the place among the children! This meant that for three generations the plantation “President” was female. The last family owner was Laura Locoul. She was born in 1861 and passed away in 1963!! She was being groomed to be the “President” by her father but she rebelled and moved to St. Louis to spend most of her life. In 1936, Laura compiled extensive notes about life on the plantation which were only recently discovered. The current owner has published these notes in book form along with his observations and research (“Memories of the Old Plantation Home & A Creole Family Album”).  The Big House is laid out like most all of the Plantations. There are a large bank of doors along the front wall that all face towards the Mississippi. There is a grove of trees that line their way out towards the levee.

The trees served to funnel the breezes from off the water into the house. The doors were left open to allow the breeze to flow through the house. In the case of the Laura Big House, the offices were to the left and right of the front door. If you had business with the owners, you entered in them. The front doors, being open, allowed all manner of critters into the house. It was through this door that they were shooed out also. Therefore, among the Creoles, it was considered an insult to invite them in through the center front doors because only the animals and pests came in through them. The other thing to note is the brightly colored paint. Not the all white you see with the Anglo plantations. Again, a bit of the African and Creole heritage showing. 

    The building sat on pillars of brick and mortar. This allowed water to flow around the foundation and not damage the home. It also allowed it to dry quickly or, in the warm season, helped to keep it cool beneath the home. 

The pottery casks in the picture were originally buried in the ground to the neck. Then perishables like milk, cheese, and butter would be placed in them. The ground serving as a natural insulator. 

    The house itself was made of pre-designed and cut old aged Cypress trees. Cypress is resistant to rot and termites won’t touch it. The original plans for the building were found in the Library of Congress for the restoration and can still be found there today. There are very few nails in the house. The floor joist shown below is interesting. The two joining timbers were cut and angled with a notch in the middle. When put together, a stake of Cypress was driven in, thus tightening the joint. Over the course of three years, the stake would be hammered in further until finally the wood had dried out and the join was stable. 

One of the Office rooms as you entered the doors. 

The Foyer in the middle of the House. 

The dining room in the back of the house. It is here that you would be welcomed after concluding business with the family. You would eat a meal and enjoy music and dancing until the next morning. Then you would be on your way. 

It is on this bed that Laura (and in fact three generations of the family) was born. 

Looking at the back of the Big House. Originally there were two wings to the right and left. These had been destroyed by the time the current owners came into possession. He told me that he has plans on restoring them as time and funding allows. 

This is the location of the original kitchen. Like all plantations of the time, the kitchen was located behind and away from the home. This was because all of the cooking was done with open fires and it a.) kept the heat out of the house and b.) kept the home from being destroyed in case of fire. I was told that fires happened frequently and is, in fact, why there is no kitchen structure here today. 

These are two restored slave cabins. Each cabin originally housed two families but  that changed in the mid 1800’s when only one family occupied each cabin. These cabins originally stretched side by side and across the lane for a mile! Life began at 4:00 am during the season. The animals had to be fed and hitched up and breakfast had to be eaten before daylight. Then they worked in the sugar cane fields until dark. The care and holding of slaves was strictly regulated in the French colonies and governed by the Code Noir. It is over 60 rules for owning and treating slaves. It is interesting, but chilling reading if you have the curiosity.

This is the view from the back of the cabin. Here one family would reside. There were no beds in the cabin. The residents slept in hammocks hung out on the front porch. 

    I was told by the current owner that he bought the place, not for the Big House, but for the existence of the slave cabins and for one other piece of history that happened here. It seems that a neighbor of Laura’s compiled stories from the slaves and eventually these stories were published as the “Tales of Uncle Remus”. You may be familiar with one of the main characters... Br’er Rabbit!

    We next went down the road to one of the most photographed Plantations in the area, Oak Alley. Back in the early 1700’s, a settler planted 28 oak trees in a line from his house to the river (14 evenly spaced on each side). In 1839, Jacques Roman bought the place and built the Plantation home that stands there now. The view down the lane is the picture at the top of this blog. This house was made for living and entertaining in. Jacques’ wife loved New Orleans society and frequently entertained. Unlike the Laura Plantation, the family lived in the Big House and business was rarely transacted within its walls. Over the years, the plantation has had several owners and is currently a national Historic Landmark and owned by a non-profit Oak Alley Foundation. You can tour the home and stroll around the carefully manicured grounds. No photos are allowed inside the home, so I can’t show you them. But I will tell you that they are very magnificent.  (I was struck by the similarity to the Seelye Mansion in Abilene, KS. The furnishings and decor were similar. If you ever get a chance to tour that Mansion, it is well worth it also. )

This is the side approach to the mansion. Notice all of the old oaks. These are only about 100 years old, so they are referred to as the “Baby Oaks”. 

Even though they are the “babies” that doesn’t mean that they are small. 

The view of the 28 Oak Trees from the balcony of the Big house looking out. 

Like the Laura Plantation, the kitchen was located away from the house. Today it houses two antique cars that belonged to previous owners of the plantation.  

This was a wonderful place to just stroll around and enjoy Christmas Eve day. 

The French Quarter

   No visit to New Orleans is complete without a trip to the French Quarter. We packed up and headed into town to do just that. Since we are camped well above the North Shore, we took the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway and drove into town. 

    As we came into town, we stopped at the Visitors center near St. Louis street. From here we went into the St. Louis Cemetery #1. Here it is said that one of New Orleans most notable (or notorious) citizens resides. None other than Marie Laveau. It is generally acknowledged that she is buried here, but it is not for certain. To appreciate her whole story, you should go to this link: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Laveau . Short story is both she and her daughter were famous practitioners of vodoo in New Orleans in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. She was very powerful and influential in her day. People to this day mark her grave with three X’s (you can see them below) and make a wish for Marie to grant them. If the wish comes to pass, then the person making the wish is supposed to return and circle the X’s on the tomb. It’s said that many X’s were circled after the Saints won the Super Bowl!!

As you can see from the shot below, burials are above ground in family crypts. Many members of the family are buried in one crypt. Tradition holds that the latest burial goes on top, and all previous burials move down into the crypt or along the walls. 

Moving on we went into the French Quarter and just walked around. Here there are many examples of old architecture and history. Far too many to chronicle here. But I will share a couple of photos.

Along Esplanade street. 

LaBranche house.

The French Market

The Statue of Andrew Jackson in Jackson Square.

Here is St. Louis Cathedral along with the Andrew Jackson Statue. Here Pope John Paul II held services during his second visit to the US. 

The ornate interior of the Cathedral, looking towards the Altar. 

This is the large pipe organ as it sits on the second floor at the back of the Cathedral.

It is said that this is the last actual steamboat that operates on the Mississippi. It runs several river cruises daily and a dinner cruise in the evening. 

    From the French Quarter we made a short drive to the Garden District. Here many 18th century homes are decked out for Christmas and surrounded by beautiful gardens (even in this colder weather). 

It was in this house, on December 6th, 1889, that Jefferson Davis (President of the Confederacy) died. He was originally buried in New Orleans, but later his widow had him removed and entombed in Richmond, VA. 

This was the home of Anne Rice. She wrote several novels set in and around this area. In fact, many of the settings in her books can be found nearby. There is a small bookstore down the street where she always releases her latest book first, and is available for autographs when she does. 

Southward Bound

   Well, we knew it had to come. After a wonderful six weeks visiting with friends and family, we packed up our belongings and started our trip south. We’re back on the road again. We had a great time visiting with everyone and, for the most part, the weather was unseasonably warm and dry. 

    But all good things must come to an end. We needed to head southwards and continue our journey. So, today was the day we had decided upon. None too late either. The wind blew in gusts over 30 mph most of the night and the temperatures plunged into the mid 20’s!!! The wind was so bad that we pulled in a couple of our slide outs because the awning fabric was being buffeted by the wind so much we were afraid of damage. The morning dawned sunny but no less cold. The wind, still a factor this morning, made hooking up “fun”. Cold metal and cold fingers are not my idea of a good time!! So, we got the motorhome pulled out and lined up. Then attached the Jeep and at 9:25 we rolled on to the highway. 

    Our first destination was the town of Carthage, Missouri. I spent many a summer there with my Grandparents and both of us love to go back to visit. Many of my relatives are buried in the local cemetery, to include my mom, dad, grandparents and great-grandparents. We had a strong wind all of the drive, but luckily it was mostly behind us. We arrived and set up camp at the Big Red Barn RV Campground. We’ve stayed here before and highly recommend it if you are in need of a neat, clean, and picturesque campground. Carthage offers a neat little Civil War Museum that highlights the Battle of Carthage. The Battle of Carthage, also known as the Battle of Dry Fork, took place at the beginning of the American Civil War on July 5, 1861, in Jasper County, Missouri. The experienced Col. Franz Sigel commanded 1,100 Federal soldiers intent on keeping Missouri within the Union. The Missouri State Guard was commanded by Gov. Claiborne Jackson himself and numbered over 4,000 unorganized, inexperienced soldiers, along with 2,000 unarmed troops who did not participate in the battle. The battle was rather meaningless from a tactical or strategic view, though it was deemed a victory by the Missouri State Guard. Carthage played a part in determining Missouri's course during the war, as it helped spark recruitment for the Southern regiments. On the edge of town is the State Historic site that is little changed from its 1861 appearance.

    Carthage shows its Civil War era roots in the multitude of large Colonial style homes. Unfortunately, it has been cold and all of the leaves have fallen from the trees. The homes loose some of their elegance without green lawns and large leafy trees surrounding them. The town square is quaint and the Jasper County Courthouse is the centerpiece (pictured at the opening of this blog entry).

    Also in the area (but we didn’t visit this time), is the Precious Moments Chapel and Gardens ( www.preciousmoments.com ). You’ve all seen the Precious Moments figurines. In 1984 Sam Butcher came to Carthage from California and built the Chapel and Gardens. The Chapel is beautiful. It has many areas lit by stained glass windows and he has painted many murals featuring his characters all around the Chapel. If you like the Precious Moments figures, you’ll love the Chapel and Gardens. 

    Tomorrow, we move a little further south and plan on reaching that “Vegas in the Ozarks” known as Branson, Missouri. There we’ll meet up with Barb’s son, his girlfriend and her family for some fun and entertainment. 

Hey Toto, We’re Back...

    After the Little Big Horn, we packed up and began to visit more friends and family. We spent time in Colorado Springs visiting my daughter and grandson. We then traveled on to Manhattan, Kansas and spent time with Barb’s family. Now we are in the Kansas City area visiting friends and more of Barb’s family. At the beginning of next week, we will head a little south and hang out for a while in Wichita. So, for a time, we will be stationary and not doing much. Around the first of December, we will pack up and head south, continuing our adventure. If you’re in the area, stop by and say “Hi!”