Happy birthday Devyn

Hey Devyn....can you see better with Gramp's glasses? We have all had a busy week with Randy & Devyn here. Randy has spent some time pulling cables and installing a couple TVs plus Internet and stereo stuff in Jody & Renato's home. The two northerners have spent time in the campground pool and at the beach a couple days. Randy flipped some steaks for all of us one evening for supper. We celebrated Devyn's twelfth birthday Friday night with red cake and we took them to New Orleans Saturday morning for a direct flight back to Michigan.

On Sunday Jody & Renato spent an hour or so on our HitchHikers roof applying a coat of 303 Protectant, THANKS! After that, and getting cleaned up...it was HOT up there, the four of us went to Newk's for a late lunch, our last visit at a favorite restaurant. THANK YOU LARISSA!

Here fishy fishy fishy

Saturday morning Renato was on our HitchHiker roof and washed it for us & dirty it was. Then we all washed the rest of our home. Randy & Devyn arrived in New Orleans Saturday afternoon and we all went over to pick them up. When we arrived back in Biloxi we all had dinner at a Japanese steak house. We were up early Sunday morning and at a marina at 7am for a days fishing. When we returned at 5pm we were all (at least me) done in. The captain made 3 or 4 stops in the Gulf at some of his fishing holes as far as 25 miles out. It was a beautiful day but a little bumpy on the 2 hour return. Judy & I thought of Clayton several times.....he likes big waves and bumping along on top of them. After returning the deck hand cleaned all the fish and I went to my Lazy Boy chair while the rest of the gang returned to Jody & Renato's for some grilled fish. I was told they were good but there's still 25 pounds left. Monday we just bummed around; Devyn and Judy were in the RV parks pool too. Today Randy & I went shopping for goodies to do some electrical, TV, Internet & music wiring for Jody & Renato. In the afternoon he was in the attic working in the installation. Randy also made chicken noodle soup in his spare time. All the ladies spent the day shopping.

We escaped!!! Free at last!!!

On Monday we escaped Gulf Shores. Saturday we ate shrimp at DeSotos with Don & Zola and Sunday we ate shrimp at the Shrimp Basket with Don & Zola. Shrimped out for awhile. Monday morning we pulled out for Biloxi, a short 107 mile drive. I think we surprised ourselves by packing up & towing like we never stopped for the winter, piece of cake. One itty bitty problem, as we crossed Mobile Bay I noticed the HitchHiker break away switch was blowing & flopping in the wind. If the pin pulled out the disk brakes on the HitchHiker would lock up. After passing through the Wallace Tunnel we pulled over in Mobile and duct taped it back up, I'll repair it when we get to Biloxi. Jody & Renato came over Monday evening to welcome us. On Tuesday we went to the kids house while they worked and did the laundry and washed the truck. In the evening we met them at Newk's for supper & then went to the $5 movies to see Paul, it was excellent but they could have had less swearing. Last night we had some niffty thunderstorms roll through all night long and we had LOTS of rain. Good to be travelling again!!

Fort Gains & the BIG Moon Pie

Last Monday we took the ferry from Ft Morgan across the Mobile Bay to Ft Gaines. These old forts were used to guard Mobile in the 17 & 18 hundreds. It was a beautiful day to take the half hour ride & get a close up of an oil derrick as we cruised by. We spent 2 or 3 hours at the fort. There was a blacksmith demonstrating his trade, when he was done we bought the finished product....happy birthday Randy. Lets see if you know what it is!

We returned home via downtown Mobile and some back roads. We stopped on the river so Paul & Dottie could see the Port of Mobile. The cruise ship was loaded and preparing to pull away while we were there. Judy spotted the big Moon Pie that Mobile drops on New Years Eve. OK Larissa....I updated the blog, your mom told us today that said you told her it was time I did this. FYI...they both had fried oysters at DeSoto's and tomorrow we are all going to the Shrimp Basket...let's see if they go for the oysters again, I bet they will have shrimp.

We have been busy the last couple weeks washing & then waxing the HitchHiker, the documentation tells us it 37' long but after waxing it I think it's 370' long. This is the first time we have done this ourselves. We are getting ready to hook up and move to Biloxi Monday.

Rum Runners + Ft Morgan & USS Farragut....no show!

Thursday evening we returned to Rum Runners with Clayton & Pat to see the dueling pianos. We were up early Friday to be at Ft Morgan by 8:45 to see the USS Farragut, a guided missile destroyer, arrive in Mobile for Mardi Gras. The USS Farragut was named after Union Admiral David Farragut who said "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead" during the Union victory at the Battle of Mobile Bay. The Farragut was going to stop at Ft Morgan and exchange salutes then place a wreath over the USS Tecumseh which was sunk by a Confederate torpedo (mine) during the battle.

It is VERY windy (35mph and gusty) which apparently caused the Farragut to sail right by the fort into the bay without stopping well before 8am and our arrival. So we missed the Farragut, cannon fire and the Farragut's response. We did see the flyover by the Coast Guard.

Clayton & Pat arrived

After a weeks plus delay Clayton & Pat have arrived and are staying a week here at Gulf Breeze. We went to Pensacola and the Naval Air Museum one day and saw the Imax movie Hubble along with some of the museum.
Yesterday we both had lunch with Don & Zola and Dave & Donna who are leaving today to start their summer travels around the USA. After lunch the four of us went to the Flora Bama for a drink, see the picture. Then we hit the Mud Bug bar and spent the evening playing cards.

Rum Runners duelling pianos

Well, it's been 3 weeks since the last post. We have been busy. Here's some pics from Rum Runners where have gone twice to enjoy the duelling pianos. After the first visit with Don & Zola's RV park Judy organized a trip for our RV park and had 92 people attend. They had so much fun some are going back tomorrow (we are going too with Clayton & Pat) & Judy is arranging one more for the end of March. Notice anyone familiar in a green hat?

Summer has arrive as if a switch was thrown. We had a week of sunny 60 degree days and now it's been in the 70s and sunny for the last two plus weeks. Beautiful.

We have been taking part on the usual many park activities.