Getting acquainted with a new friend from the VooDoo Blues shop in the New Orleans French Quarter.

Inside St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans

New Orleans

On the ferry boat heading for the French Quarter in New Orleans.

For those of you who don't know, One of Tom's favorite movies is "Big" where a young boy makes a wish to be "big" and it comes to pass. Here, in a similar scene Tom makes his wish to be "little". Actually, in truth, I think that wish of Tom's came true long ago.

This is a Catholic cemetery in New Orleans. All tombs are above ground due to underground water levels.

As I write this, we are waiting in an Italian Cafe outside of Biloxi, Mississippi while our trailer tire is being repaired. On Christmas Eve we attended a candlelight service at the United Methodist Church in Mobile Alabama and then spent a quiet Christmas missing our family but enjoying opening our gifts and eating a Christmas ham dinner in our small trailer. On Sunday after attending the same church we were warmly invited to join a couple in their home for left over Christmas dinner. It was wonderful and truly a blessing. I'm hoping to receive a picture of our new friends through facebook and I'll get it posted as soon as I receive it and get back on line.
Now we are headed to New Orleans. We were told about a great 2 hour boat ride off the New Orleans shore along the Mississippi River ,that we may take and of course we hope to see the French Quarter , also, while we're there.

Here, Jessie gets ready to slice her favorite Christmas bread, Panetoni, imported from Italy.

Below, Captain Thomas H Latimer ("Aye! There was a man!") skillfully operates the dorsal fins of the USS Drum,

ledgendary submarine of World War II fame.

USS Alababa . We toured this ship and were glad when we came back out into the sunlight. Depressing maze of gray corridors, decending level after level leading nowhere.

A
Above, a tree with leaves of turkey vultures overlooking warm springs leading to St John' river where the Manatees hang out in cool weather.

To the left, Tom wraps Christmas gifts to mail to our families.

How could you not love this cat!! She's been a great traveling companion. We both wish we could sleep like this!

We think these yard statues will be a perfect addition to our own front yard. It'll definitely bring class to the neighborhood.

Tom, doing a crossword puzzle for the first time in his life all by himself while waiting for the DeLand Christmas parade.

This is a play house theater in Deland where we saw "The Christmas Carol" put on by the local community theater group. They did a great job.

Here at the Sugar Mill Pancake house in DeLeon Springs, Tom cooks his own pancakes on a grill at our table. There's nothing like blue berry pancakes hot off the grill.

Our .Christmas tree lights up the window and sends Christmas cheer throughout the neighborhood of Highland Park Fish Camp where we spent a couple of weeks

Our little 18 " Christmas tree we decorated and placed on the RV table . We have the Chrismas spirit even here in Florida although it feels like Christmas in July rather than December.

Even Santa gets to bask in the sun every once in a while.

We've made it to the Atlantic Ocean! We're at New Smyrna Beache here.

Sunrise at our beautiful campsite in a Georgia state park. We spent a week here, cooking over a campfire, relaxing and just enjoying God's beautiful creation.

We spent tim with Jessie's sister, Shirley and her nephew, Dale. We had a great time. Dale let us park in his driveway and showered us with hospitality. Here he.s preparing some delicious chili he served us.

One of the toy soldiers decorating the streets of DeLand, FL

Feeding a dog bone treat to one of Tom's sister-in-law Beth's goats.

Jessie, and artist, Noah Gerard, at his art studio in Asheville.

We had a great time here in downtown Asheville listning to local drummers in a "drummer circle" and watching people dance, hoola-hoop, juggle,etc.

Tom and Jessie posing with Tom's sisters-in-law, Margorie and Beth. Marjorie is an artist and Beth loves to tend her many goats. Both live in the hills of Robbinsville, NC

Tom , reminiscing about the past while sitting at an oldtime Woolworth soda fountain in Asheville, NC

This is one of the many beautiful sights we are enjoying here at a KOA Kamp in Asheville, NC.

East Coast

We've traveled from the Adirondacks in NY to the Blue Ridge Mountains in NC. We're camped at a KOA with our site right on the edge of a beautiful pond. As I write this a Canada goose is making him/herself at home here in our site. The leaves are in full color and the weather is beautiful, in the 70's. Some rain yesterday but it has cleared today. Jessie stayed back at camp to catch up on laundry and this blog while Tom went into town to check out some used book stores. He'll probably come back with an arm full.

You're looking at a very welcomed Starbuck's sign! Coffee houses are practically an unknown commodity here in the East. When we spotted this we gave a big hurrah and headed straight for it!

The Biltmore home, built by George Vanderbilt in the 1800's. We took a tour of it and decided our next home will be fashioned after it. It's the largest home in the US so we would have to add an extra room.

cruising Chesapeak Bay, viewing battle ships and forts.

Help! I'm being held captive!

An evening of solitaire

We're in the small town of Oxford, NC. The night before last we camped in a food store parking lot only to be surprised by the sound of cannon fire, flares in the sky overhead, the sound of a machine gun in the middle of the night, more cannon sounds at the crack of dawn while a trumpet played "Reveille" with more flares overhead. Unknown to us until talking to a service station attendant, we were parked next to a service training grounds.
We had a great time exploring the East Shoreline of Virginia and Williamsburg. We've entered NC and on our way to Durham. Found a library here where we're able to catch up on our email.

We have traveled through Pennsylvania, Maryland and Washington, DC and are now in Virginia near Norfolk in a small town called Hampton. We spent a few nights in the Gettysburg area at a KOA camp where we toured the battlefield and learned about the horrors of that war. We met some really nice people at the camp and Jessie even got to beat 3 opponents in a game of scrabble. We gathered around a campfire on one of the evenings and . had a great chat with some of the members of a group that camp together on a regular basis.
Washington DC was amazing with all it's historic buildings and museums. Our favorite was the Art Museum where we we able to view original artworks by famous artists. What a priviledge!
We crossed the border into Virginia and toured along the coast of the Cheasapeak Bay where we got our first glimpse of the Atlantic Ocean.
We attended an Episcopal church on Sunday and were warmly greeted by the Pastor and congregation. We were invited to go into their dining hall where many of the members were preparing for a pancake dinner that was to take place that evening. They had already prepared sausage and fried apples so offered some to us. Very delicious. I had never had fried apples before. You must try it. Simply slice the apples (skins and all) and fry in butter with a little sugar. Yummm!
Somewhere in Pennsylvania we picked up some horrible bugs that have been pestering us ever since. We're finding them everywhere in the trailer and the truck. I've encluded a picture of one of them. They're about the size of a dime with a hard shell and really creepy. Tom refuses to kill them so everytime he finds one he gently takes it to the door and releases it. Just when we think we've vanquished the last one another one appears. YUK!

We have arrived at Cherry Hill Park, an RV park near Washington, DC. How exciting!! We plan to take the bus tour through the capital tomorrow. Tom is looking forward to hanging out with Obama and chatting about Jessie's politics and what can be done about them.

This scrapple" was served to us on our breakfast platter when we ate at the Mountain Gate Family Restaurant in Pennsylvania. The waitress told us it was made by boiling a pig and gathering the grease and scum that floats to the top and compacting it into a square. Then it is deep fried. It can be served plane or with syrup. GOOD GRIEF!!