TO ALL OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS A HAPPY EASTER

Sunday, March 31 – HAPPY EASTER! We hope you have a blessed Easter day.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAUL

Wednesday, March 27 – We celebrated Paul's birthday today! He's not saying how old he is but is delighted that at least he now qualifies for Medicare. Now he can catch up on those doctor appointments he's been putting off.....gonna' be a busy summer.

We began Paul's special day by having breakfast at da Little Café. It is a great little place. Every breakfast item is $1. We choose to have their famous Beignets. We had them the last time we were here and are every bit as good as the ones we had in New Orleans.

Great way to start off any morning.

If that isn't enough powder sugar for you, each table has a shaker for more.

Paul spent most of the day just relaxing. Finally, the moment he has been waiting for all day…pumpkin pie and candles.

We decided to head to the Casino and see what was going on. Not a good idea on our part. We had a wonderful time, but Paul wasn't a winner. Now, Marsha did much better. She won $2.00.

 

Thursday, March 28 – With cool weather predicted to continue along the Gulf Coast, we changed our plans of going to Foley, AL, (that's the Gulf Shores area) and instead headed toward Paul's brother, John, in Augusta, GA. We'll spend Easter week there and then decide on our next destination.

We stopped for the night in Montgomery, Alabama. We are at The Woods RV Campground, a Passport America (half price) park. Boy does this place fill-up as evening approaches. It's a popular overnight stop for many RV travelers.

They have gravel sites and roads with some grass between the sites. They do have some long-term residents in the back half of the campground. It appears the front three rows are for overnighters or short term stays. The cost is $15 for 30 amp with an additional charge of $5 for 50 amp. It also includes water, sewer, cable TV, and free WiFi.

Site 306

Looking right

Looking left

They have a fishing pond in the back.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!

TOO COLD FOR THE BEACH, GO FOR A DRIVE

Tuesday, March 26 – With cool temperatures persisting, we by-passed the beach and took a ride to Biloxi, Mississippi, this afternoon. We took the beach highway (90 & 110) along the coast enjoying the beautiful view.

It's amazing to see remaining effects of Hurricane Katrina (It hit in 2005.) in the area. There are many vacant lots, most for sale, and trees still struggling to survive.

In most cases, it appears the local economy is booming as a result of Katrina. New buildings everywhere. Road construction, beach renovation, new stores and retail establishments are evident all through the area. It seems that if you were insured, or able to get a government grant, you could rebuild bigger and better. It's the uninsured or underinsured homeowner that has their lots for sale. Now maybe they'll be rewarded with a cash bonanza once the land sells!

New docks everywhere.

As we drove the beach road, we noticed that spring break wasn't happening in this area. Could be due to the very cool air.

We stopped at two lighthouses. The first was at the marina in Bay St. Louis. This is a beautiful marina that has been re-built and expanded since Katrina. Looks like a great spot for community events like concerts or craft shows. The sidewalks along the pier would make for a nice walk on a summer evening.

With the only deep-water harbor between Mobile Bay and the Mississippi River, Ship Island was used by early explorers as a base for further explorations along the Gulf Coast.

Ship Island Lighthouse and our truck.

The next lighthouse is the famous Biloxi Lighthouse. Obviously, it survived Hurricane Katrina and several others since it was built in 1848. You can take tours of the lighthouse and even climb the 57 steps to the top – for a fee.

A very historic event took place right across the street from the lighthouse.

We then returned to the campground and enjoyed sitting out in the sun – not in our bathing suits though. We did venture to the beach to enjoy the sand and watch the waves wash in. Soon the cool wind forced us back to the wind-block the RV provided.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!

GOOD BYE TEXAS…HELLO BAY ST. LOUIS, MS

Sunday, March 24 – We have been in the State of Texas since November 5 (all except a brief flight back to Ohio for the Christmas Holiday). Guess that's why we call Texas our “official State of residency.” We hoisted the anchor early this morning heading East. We are staying one night at the Coushatta Casino campground and will then spend three nights at the Silver Slipper Casino RV Park in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. We have been to both campground casinos in the past. Coushatta makes a great over-night stop. Silver Slipper is a wonderful place to enjoy the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

We decided to take TX-12 and LA-190 instead of driving Interstate 10. TX-12 did not disappoint us. Texas sure has some nice highways as an alternative to the interstates. Now Louisiana 190 was a different matter. It was mighty bumpy! Paul had to switch on his emergency flashers and travel at about 25 MPH to keep from shaking everything apart. My gosh! Why does Louisiana have such terrible roads? We won't take that route again.

Regardless, we made it to Coushatta Casino Campground in Kinder, LA, in one piece. This is a very nice campground with full-hookup 50 amp sites. Each site has a concrete pad and patio with a picnic table and nice trees and grassy areas between the sites. The streets are paved. They have a shuttle that picked us up and deliver us to the casino and back home. Nice that we didn't have to unhook.

Site #131

Looking right.

Looking left.

 

Monday, March 25 – Brrrrr ....it got dang cold last night. We woke to temperatures hovering around freezing. We are still in the South, aren't we? Looks like things are going to be a little chilly all week with highs in the 60's and lows in the 40's.

We are moving further East this morning to Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. We are staying at the Silver Slipper Casino Campground, which is right on the Gulf of Mexico. We really like this campground for its close proximity to the beach. You are only about 100 feet from the beach with its “sugar-like” white sand.

All the sites are concrete with patios and concrete streets. There is some grass between the sites, but it is sandy, beach type grass The sites aren't huge but they are nicely spaced at angles, so you really aren't right next to your neighbor. We like it here.

Our favorite site #24.

Looking right. No spots to the left. Wonderful!

Right across the street.

With the cool weather, the beach is deserted. Actually, we've been here three times and have never found the beach with more than a dozen sun worshipers. It's like your own semi-private beach.

Ahhhhhhh!

The one negative this time at this campground is the insect hatch. We are on the edge of a wetlands and a small flying insect is present in the millions. They are especially present in the evening. They look like a mosquito but they don't bite. They love landing on the our white 5^th wheel .....jeesh! Thank goodness they don't bite...LOL

All the brown dots you see are these pests flying around.

The moon sure has been giving us some gorgeous skies. It rises right over the Gulf. Stunning!

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!

BIGGEST GOLF DRIVING RANGE WE HAVE EVER SEEN

Saturday, March 23 – Our final stop on our Treasures of Houston tour was the largest golf driving range we've ever seen!

Looking into the clubhouse.

This 3-story driving range had it all. Indoor & outdoor bars, over 200 TV sets, pool tables, shuffle board, lounge areas, private party areas and of course, 3 floors of gold tees.

Level one

Carrie's group was on level two.

Level three

Lounge area where you wait for your next turn.

Outdoor patio on level three.

Participants pay by the hour and can hit as many balls as you like in that time. The cost is $20 during the week and $40 weekends and high volume times. There are electronic scoring machines and different target areas to hit your balls toward. Check out the HUGE screen used to keep the balls in the playing area.

Carrie's gang of friends were meeting here for the afternoon and chipping in to pay for the party area.

Carrie's friend, Nick, showing us how to do it.

Carrie tried it twice. She needs some work on her swing as it looks more like she is hitting a softball than a golf ball.

Just a few of Carrie's closest 50 friends.

We hung out with them for a couple hours and then headed back to the Elks Lodge.

The Elks Lodge was having a dance tonight, and we decided to attend to say “good-bye” to the friends we've made here at the Lodge. Since we stay here frequently, we've managed to become friends with many of the members and others that stay in the campground. We had a great time and got to get a little 2-steppin' in before leaving Texas.

Guess who's birthday is on Wednesday, March 27th…

Cowboy Paul

Next stop Kinder, LA, for an overnight stay then on to Bay St. Louis, MS.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!