tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53646880596218583322024-02-06T20:48:45.259-07:00Our Adventures with "Josie"squawmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06814752309515986976noreply@blogger.comBlogger449125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5364688059621858332.post-31218035648111061252016-06-16T18:35:00.000-06:002016-06-23T18:36:44.877-06:00~~~ A Fort with an Angel ~~~<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I always love being in the Gulf Islands National Seashore area... There is so much to see & do here or nearby here. Today we took our friends over to Pensacola to see Fort Pickens. Fort Pickens has guarded the entrance of Florida's Pensacola Bay for more then 175 years and it is part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore - a fascinating old fort from the Civil War era</span>.<br />
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<span id="dscexpitem_2019949719_2"><span data-bm="85" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Fort Pickens is a historic United States military fort on Santa Rosa Island in the Pensacola, Florida, area. It is named after American Revolutionary War hero Andrew Pickens. The fort was completed in 1834 and remained in use until 1947. Fort Pickens is included within the Gulf Islands National Seashore, and as such, is administered by the National Park Service. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">We have been over to the Pensacola Navel Station several times to watch the Blue Angels practice. There had recently been an accident and one of the Blue Angels, U.S. Marine Corps captain Jeff Kuss loss his life so I thought we would not get to see them this time. What a wonderful surprise for us and our friends when they flew over the fort and continued to do there practice air show.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It was a great day and what a thrill for us to not only visit Fort Pickens again but to see the Blue Angels flying in the sky was the icing on the cake. Cone to Pensacola and visit there is so much to see & do. Visit the </span><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">National Naval Aviation Museum</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> and try to catch the Blue Angels practice show on the base. Also Fort Pickens has a great campground for those of you who camp...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Until Later</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Have FUN & Travel Safe</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.glitter-graphics.com/"><img border="0" src="http://dl7.glitter-graphics.net/pub/956/956467t7flrhds05.gif" height="57" width="102" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Poet John Masefield wrote, “I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied.” How true this is... There is nothing more relaxing and peaceful as sitting on the white sands of any of the Gulf Island beaches and enjoying the serenity of the place.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia";"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><b>Gulf Islands National Seashore</b> preserves natural and historic resources along the<span style="color: black;"> Gulf of Mexico barrier islands of Florida, Alabama and Mississippi</span><span style="color: black;">.</span> The protected regions include mainland areas and parts of seven islands. <br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";">We took an entire day to explore and enjoy the beaches from Pensacola, Florida to Gulf Shores, Alabama. This area of the seashore features offshore barrier islands with sparkling white quartz sand beaches (along miles of undeveloped land), historic fortifications, and nature trails.</span><br />
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Everything about Gulf Islands National Seashore is breathtaking. From the massive sand dunes to the water and abundant wildlife, this is a great place to spend an afternoon. And if you slowly approach the Heron, they will allow you to get close enough to take a good picture! <br />
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Not enough words to described the beauty of these beaches ... the photos speaks for it self. <br />
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Entrance fee is $15 per vehicle which is good for 7 days or you can get a year pass. If you are over 62 you can buy a lifetime pass for $10.00.<br />
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Be sure to get a spot on the rocks for a beautiful sunset! </div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Have Fun & Enjoy Life</span><br />
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squawmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06814752309515986976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5364688059621858332.post-49237911673648685332016-06-15T15:34:00.000-06:002016-06-21T15:39:24.118-06:00~~~ Throwed Rolls ~~~<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We went to Foley, Alabama to visit Lambert's Café "Home of the Throwed Rolls". Now this restaurant has been featured both the Travel Channel and the Food Network Channel and is one of the most fun places to visit... There is plenty of food choices and they also have servers walking around with BIG buckets of Fired Okra, Macaroni & Tomatoes, Fried Potatoes with Onions, Black Eyed Peas, Apple Butter & Molasses for your rolls, When the rolls come out of the oven the servers roll them out on carts and throw them across the room at you (if you want). Yes you heard me right - they throw them all the way across the room at you and they are BIG, HOT, and delish!!! Now here is the deal... The drinks come in cups so big you hardly ever need a refill. The menu is huge with all kinds of good old cooked meals with plenty of country sides for you to choose from and remember they are always walking around with buckets of food that you can have all you can eat and those yummy throwed rolls. If your main course is not enough for you they will gladly give you more meat. They have 3 locations: Foley ~ Alabama, Ozark ~ Missouri, Sikeston ~ Missouri. If you have never been to this restaurant and you get anywhere near one of them you need to "GO"!!! You will not be sorry...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";">Here are the photos of the outside of the building... Look how they have all these great paintings on them. The wall has a mural with mom & pop Lambert who started the business and one of their sons who was tragically killed in an accident (center picture). Now there other sons run all the restaurants and keep the family tradition going.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This side of the building really moved me... It had the Blue Angel and a tribute to the Firemen of our nation and the flag & American Eagle. I loved how they incorporated a real flag into the painting.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Here they are throwing the rolls... Look real hard and you might see one... and the guy who handed out the APPLE BUTTER (Ralph's Favorite) & Molasses.</span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Ralph had the 16 ounce hamburger steak with mashed potatoes, gravy and corn. Take a look at all the food we got? I had the Fried Pork Chops with French fries & applesauce. (YUM) Doesn't it all look so yummy!!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We had GREAT fun there with our good friends Buck & Jeannie and left with our tummies busting! We loved our food, service so much that we came here twice...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Now go find a Lamberts and have fun!!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br />Travel Safe !!!</span><br />
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squawmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06814752309515986976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5364688059621858332.post-81636347964863914842016-06-14T19:13:00.003-06:002016-06-14T19:13:38.610-06:00~ On Our Way to the Gulf Shores ~<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Got up this morning and decided we could stay at our campground until noon since we have such a long road to ride today. Actually it is a whooping 81 miles to Gulf Shores, Alabama where we'll be staying for the next 4 days. Blackwater River State Park was a really nice park especially for families. Click <b><a href="http://tassiescampgroundreviews.blogspot.com/2016/06/blackwater-river-state-park-holt-florida.html"><span style="color: red;">here</span></a></b> for a complete review of the campground.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">We finally pulled out at 12:30 and are on our way... the first thing we saw along the way was the Historic State Route 1 aka Old Spanish Trail...</span> </div>
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U.S. Highway 90 - Old Spanish Trail - Historic State Route 1</h3>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This roadway parallels current U.S. 90 to the north from Milton east to at least Florida 87. For the most part the road is in good shape for being almost 80 years old. It is open for bikers and pedestrians. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Throughout the Florida panhandle, the Old Spanish Trail follows either U.S. Route 90 or local streets that used to be part of US 90, many of which are designated as State Road 10A. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: black;">The </span><b><span style="color: black;">Old Spanish Trail</span></b><span style="color: black;"> was an auto trail</span><span style="color: black;"> that once spanned the United States with a full 3,000 miles of roadway from ocean to ocean. It crossed eight states and 67 counties along the southern border of the United States. Work on the auto highway began in 1915 at a meeting held at the Battle House Hotel in Mobile, Alabama: </span><span style="color: black;">and, by the 1920s, the trail linked St. Augustine, Florida to San Diego, California, </span><span style="color: black;">with its center and headquarters in San Antonio, Texas.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">We headed west on Interstate 10 and the weather was perfect - well HOT but no rain... We came up to Pensacola, Florida and first thing we saw was the rest station with a full size F/A-18 Hornet Blue Angel Jet. We've seen it many times and it never fails to get me excited.</span> <span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> Even the underpass has Blue Angel Jets on the pilings. I love this area and we have stayed in many campgrounds in the area. If you have not ever been to Pensacola you should put it on your bucket list - there is so much to see & do in this city.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">We took exit 5 in Pensacola and proceeded on the back roads into Foley Alabama and then onto Gulf Shores. I adore the beaches of Florida and Alabama - I feel at peace when I am there. Just look at the beauty ...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Finally checked into the campground, Gulf State Park and all set up for our 4 nights here.</span> </div>
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CiCi all snug in her site - View from our site - Our friends all set up in their site</div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">Life is Good</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">Have Fun & Travel Safe</span></span><br /><a href="http://www.glitter-graphics.com/"><img border="0" height="57" src="http://dl7.glitter-graphics.net/pub/956/956467t7flrhds05.gif" width="102" /></a></span></div>
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<br />squawmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06814752309515986976noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5364688059621858332.post-80438347002223445942016-06-14T09:26:00.001-06:002016-06-14T09:26:07.395-06:00~Blackwater River State Park - Holt, Florida ~<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Our ride to Blackwater River State Park was uneventful which is always a good thing. We led the way here with our friends close behind us. When we travel we always try to not go more them 300 miles a day and most of the time even less then that - it was hard after we retired to figure out that we are just not in a hurry anymore and we should be set up at least by "Happy Hour". Todays trek was only about 232 miles. Our stay here was just overnight because we wanted to check it out for a future place to stay when we are home and we want to go somewhere.</span> <br />
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Our Campsite # 18 ~ Roads in Campground</div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">There is plenty to do here if you are into tubing, canoeing, kayaking, swimming or hiking. This river has sandy beaches and the bottom of the rivers is also sand. Average depth is about 2.5 deep with just enough current to move you down the river.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There is a canoe/tubing outpost here that will take you down the river and pick you up when you are at the end. They also rent the equipment too. This park is a great place to come especially if you have kids. There is a short trial to the swimming areas from the campground and 2 nice hiking trails.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice sandy beach areas for you to spend the day</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";">There is a lot to do in the area since it isn't to far from the Emerald Coast on the Gulf of Mexico. We didn't get the chance to explore at all because we only stayed overnight. Tomorrow we will be heading to Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores, Alabama. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: x-large;">Have Fun & Travel Safe</span></span><br /><a href="http://www.glitter-graphics.com/"><img border="0" height="57" src="http://dl7.glitter-graphics.net/pub/956/956467t7flrhds05.gif" width="102" /></a></span></div>
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<br />squawmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06814752309515986976noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5364688059621858332.post-14465866646131734072016-06-12T20:22:00.002-06:002016-06-12T20:22:37.182-06:00~ Our 2016 Summer Adventure Begins Sorta ~<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>Thursday June 9th:</b> It began as a hot muggy day as usual on Florida's Nature Coast. Today we are loading up our new little coach "CiCi" and getting it ready to go on our 2016 summer adventure. It is the first time in over 12 years that we had to get a coach ready for a long trip. That is definitely one of the benefits of full timing in an RV is that everything is always ready to roll. Any ways after many trips in & out of the house and hooking up our tow vehicle we were ready to head north to our friends farm and don't you know it started to rain - lightly at first but as we headed up the highway it became a torrential downpour. Not to long after we passed the town of Crystal River it stopped and we happily continued up the road. We stopped for a bite to eat at Bill's BBQ in Chiefland (so yummy) and then back on the road. Before we knew it we arrived at the Beckner's Resort (our friends farm) ... We parked on our assigned spot and set up for three nights as we wait for our friends Jeannie & Buck to load up their RV and get it ready to go. They will be traveling with us this summer. We were pooped and in bed early today!!!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drive up Highway 19 ~ Bill's BBQ in Chiefland</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>Friday June 10th:</b> After a great nights sleep we woke up raring to go.. Jeannie & I headed into the big town of Live Oak to get pampered. We had our mani/pedi done and I had to get my hair done. We also stopped at Wally World (Walmart) to pick up last minute things we needed on our trip. Later that night we went out to dinner at one of our favorite places up here... O'Neal's Country Buffet in Madison Florida. It is just what you expect from a local home style country buffet. The outdated Formica tables and booths, the terrazzo concrete floor, waitresses with southern charm and an endless restocking from the kitchen of the buffet. There is always fried chicken, with the selection on other days varying from fried pork chops, liver & onions, country fried steak, chicken wings, fried pork ribs. We went on Friday night so it was seafood night - They had fried fish, stuffed crabs, scallops, fried shrimp, boiled shrimp & hush puppies. The variety of sides also vary every day, but generally you will find mashed potatoes, mac & cheese, butter beans, farm peas and some type of greens every day. Cornbread and biscuits included on the buffet as well. In addition to the buffet there is a salad bar and dessert bar. Ice cream is available on request with sweet tea, lemonade or water included in the price of the buffet. We paid $11 per person and it was well worth it.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">O'Neals Southern Buffet</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>Saturday June 11th:</b> Another great nights sleep... ahhhhh fresh country air and good country food will always keep you happy & satisfied. Today is our last day here at Beckner's Resort... and a busy day it'll be. Buck and Jeannie pretty much have everything loaded in their RV but today they will be loading up their food, clothes and any other little things they will need. I am cooking dinner for all of us... using up a huge Turkey that we had at home. Looks like Turkey sandwiches in our near future.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Little "CiCi" ~ Beckner Farm ~ Buck & Jeannie's RV</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>Sunday June 12th:</b></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> Today we pulled out around 8:30 am and headed for Blackwater River State Park in Holt, Florida. We have never been there so we are looking forward to seeing another Florida State Park and getting our Florida State Park book stamped. We entered the Central Time Zone shortly after we passed Chattahoochee. what was about a 5 hour ride we finally arrived at our destination.</span> <span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> After setting up we enjoyed a simple BBQ of Sausages with Baked Beans... Definitely hot & humid here. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I'll have more on this state park tomorrow.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So now we are officially into our 2016 Summer Adventure... Stay tuned for more!!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Come on back and follow our adventures...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Have Fun & Travel Safe</span> </div>
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squawmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06814752309515986976noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5364688059621858332.post-26325372889418327762016-05-30T17:16:00.002-06:002016-05-30T17:16:32.461-06:00Here we are again... Meet "CiCi'<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span>As many of you know Ralph & I bought a home in a retirement community on the Nature Coast in Central Florida. After 10+ years of full timing we thought we could get a home and still travel part time. Oh how we miss our full time life and wish we were still out on the road. <br />
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However with all that being said about 6 months ago we finally traded in Tassie on a class "C" motorhome. She is a 31ft. 2016 Coachman Concord and her name is "CiCi". We are still trying to get use to a much smaller coach....<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meet CiCi</td></tr>
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We are going to be headed out on a summer adventure here in the next week or so. It will be for only 3 months this go round so we can become better acquainted with our new little CiCi. Our plans are to hook up with our good friends Buck & Jeannie and then travel to Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, South Dakota then heading down to West Memphis and Arkansas. Even though we have already been to these places our friends have not. It should be a really interesting trip with us adjusting to a smaller coach. Our main purpose of getting a smaller coach is that we want to go to more State Parks, COE and National Parks. Some of these places we were never able to go into because our coach was to big. <br />
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Well I just wanted to touch base with you all and let you know we are soon going to be ...<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Come on back and follow our adventures...</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Have Fun & Travel Safe !</span></div>
<a href="http://www.glitter-graphics.com/"><img border="0" height="57" src="http://dl7.glitter-graphics.net/pub/956/956467t7flrhds05.gif" width="102" /></a></div>
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squawmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06814752309515986976noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5364688059621858332.post-70359452444705289592015-10-01T12:47:00.000-06:002015-10-01T12:47:35.092-06:00Hello Old Friends<span style="font-size: large;">It's been a long time and a lot has changed but we are still around....<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> After 10 years of full timing we finally bought a house in Florida in an adult community. Do we miss the full time life - yes we do but don't count us out just yet. We love our new neighborhood and have met many new friends but our gypsy blood is screaming to us to get back out and continue our adventures. We are now entering a new phase of our life and will become part timers. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I miss blogging so I am going to give it my best to stay in touch with all of you and fill in the gaps of what we have been up to. I still follow many of you on Facebook but there is just something special about blogging. It's a great way to document your life & life's adventures.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Let me know if you're still around and reading my posts</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Thanks</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Donna</span><br />
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<br />squawmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06814752309515986976noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5364688059621858332.post-56344988903724357072013-06-21T06:01:00.000-06:002016-06-01T06:13:20.017-06:00A Wink & A Song & A Dune <br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Another fun day for us exploring the area surrounding Midland/Odessa area.... We loaded up the family and headed out early in the morning. We drove by many Jack Pumps and Oil sites... this area is polluted with them and that contaminates the water so you shouldn't drink it... we really have bought more bottled water since we've been here then ever before. Ok... back on track!!!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kermit. Texas</td></tr>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Next was a drive through the small town of Kermit. </span><strong><span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Kermit</span></strong><span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> is a city in and the county seat </span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">of </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Winkler</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> County</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, Texas, United States. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The population was 5,708 at the 2010 census. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> The city was named for Kermit Roosevelt </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">after a visit by his father Theodore Roosevelt </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">to the county.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Our next stop was in the small town called Wink. If you are old enough, you've heard Wink</span><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">mentioned for being </span><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Roy Orbison's boyhood home</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">. If you're like most people, while you were on the way to get an atlas you probably got distracted, so you're still unaware of exactly where Wink is. If you're young enough, you'll probably ask Roy who? Despite its remote location approximately 50 miles west of Odessa-Texas, Wink draws visitors from as far as Egypt and Australia. They make the trek to Wink to honor Roy Orbison, the black-clad crooner responsible for hits including "Pretty Woman" and "Only the Lonely".</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roy Orbison Museum in Wink, Texas</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alyssah & Roy - Donna & Ralph - The Grandtreasures Hannah & Alyssah - Street Sign</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Roy Orbison Museum is at 205 E. Hendricks in Wink. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Open by appointment, Tue-Sat. Call 432/527-3743. Free.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Monahans Sandhills State Park - Dunes is exactly what this park is and located close to the interstate for easy access. Imagine scenes from the Sahara Desert with miles of rolling sand dunes, great for sliding down on sands disks (available for rent at the Ranger station). The visitor's center has great info on the history of the dunes and how they are formed. For RVers there are great flat paved sites with water and electric and dump stations in park. Great place to spend the day and take a picnic lunch. Keep in mind, this is the desert, keep plenty of water with you and do not hike out into the dunes without letting someone know where and when you are going. It is easy to get lost out there. We had a great time visiting this park and the grandtreasues had so much fun!</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance to Monahans State Park - Alyssah - Camping area - Dunes</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUnBklkcBUwOwcVhyphenhypheneoG3XZsSiC3qKjfuxhBcCAdUd2pkfzWwBsAmszmoD2dpXwXDEIydtZQw4ftTf1tKi9lQu91euFgAn18OZ_1ZDgAfYsDTX8DCo4M11i2KcqFcJYXX7XVRYSwOokEgA/s1600/Monahan+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUnBklkcBUwOwcVhyphenhypheneoG3XZsSiC3qKjfuxhBcCAdUd2pkfzWwBsAmszmoD2dpXwXDEIydtZQw4ftTf1tKi9lQu91euFgAn18OZ_1ZDgAfYsDTX8DCo4M11i2KcqFcJYXX7XVRYSwOokEgA/s640/Monahan+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Info Board - The Girls - Dunes Oats - Picnic Area</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My daughter Jennifer, Grands Hannah & Alyssah & me - The Grandtreasures - Footprints - More dunes</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><a href="http://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/monahans-sandhills">Go here to visit Monahan's Sandhills State Park website</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";">We had a great day together riding around and discovering the unnoticed things that people find when they take the backroads. Get out and explore!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Until next time...</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Have FUN & Travel Safe</b></span></div>
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</span>squawmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06814752309515986976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5364688059621858332.post-89909159447743478332013-06-14T08:30:00.000-06:002016-06-12T21:21:27.560-06:00Oil ~ Oil Everywhere!Our main reason for being in Midland is spending time with our daughter, her husband Eric and our sweet granddaughters.... They moved to Midland because our son-in-law, Eric, is in the oil industry. Not to mention between Odessa & Midland there are thousands of Jack Pumps everywhere. So it seemed fitting for us to visit the The Permian Basin Petroleum Museum.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alyssah & Eric</td></tr>
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The <b>Permian Basin Petroleum Museum</b> is a museum with exhibits relating to the oil and gas industry of the Permian Basin of west Texas and southeast New Mexico. Museum exhibits include the geology of the area during the Permian period, racing cars designed by Jim Hall, and paintings by artist Tom Lovell. <br />
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It maintains a research library containing donated material related to the history of the Permian Basin oil industry. It also has a hall of fame, whose many inductees include the Odessa oil industrialist Bill Noël and the Bush family (both George's)<br />
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The Petroleum Museum is a wide-ranging journey through the history of the
petroleum industry, so important to Midland, the Permian Basin and West Texas.
The museum includes a Petroleum Hall of Fame, honoring oilmen (and women) who
made outstanding contributions to the industry; and an archives and library that
houses documents, photos, recordings, maps and films relating to the history of
the oil industry.
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But the main part of the museum has many exhibits that trace the history of the petroleum industry and the
role it has played in the life of the Permian Basin. Many of those exhibits are
interactive, such as one that recreates a natural gas explosion. There are also
ancient artifacts that trace the natural processes that create oil back 500
million years. And there are plenty of artifacts on display, such as antique oil
field equipment.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP5VZRu51HvX940pIy-zA2ybkneCRenIsIkgQXaa1ulHZKa6d-HtJ2fs2dUtRYdqyK0ArG0W93G1sLqodRQPoo7ixgQqVU8OMNxRk28QR-Bhyphenhyphen9v8OtEKYCk2kBN__pux11H8A7CqavQElA/s1600/Petroleum+Museum+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP5VZRu51HvX940pIy-zA2ybkneCRenIsIkgQXaa1ulHZKa6d-HtJ2fs2dUtRYdqyK0ArG0W93G1sLqodRQPoo7ixgQqVU8OMNxRk28QR-Bhyphenhyphen9v8OtEKYCk2kBN__pux11H8A7CqavQElA/s640/Petroleum+Museum+4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The visit to The Petroleum Museum was an amazing journey through over 230 million years of history. We had a great time visiting it ~ and of course spending time with our family. Thanks for following ♥<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Come on back and
follow our adventures...</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Have Fun &
Travel Safe</span> !</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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squawmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06814752309515986976noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5364688059621858332.post-75397424010857441052013-06-08T14:04:00.001-06:002013-06-08T14:04:27.981-06:00Watch out for falling METEORS and Stonehenge!!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3NRjQ0tbvPv_gRowhysAEwlcGB1UNEtjqo7BJVhNTVP2-ekYkfgIaVO44I0gypnv_LsUuZmst7NYuC279o-dsgCSiyjiRHs64s8sxqQy-ViXzf-zpQunR9uzaaNKloqHlOsKwjf5lfXgo/s1600/Donna+&+Ralph+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3NRjQ0tbvPv_gRowhysAEwlcGB1UNEtjqo7BJVhNTVP2-ekYkfgIaVO44I0gypnv_LsUuZmst7NYuC279o-dsgCSiyjiRHs64s8sxqQy-ViXzf-zpQunR9uzaaNKloqHlOsKwjf5lfXgo/s320/Donna+&+Ralph+4.JPG" width="320" /></a>Being the typical tourist everywhere we go the first thing we do is check the areas visitors centers and websites for area attractions. We will be in the Odessa/Midland area for 6 weeks so we definitely wanted to find some fun stuff to do. Today we headed out with my daughter and Granddaughters to find a couple of them but not before going to lunch. We ended up at a little Italian restaurant called Mi Piaci' that my daughter really likes & I love Italian so it was a go for me. I had the best dish I have had in a long long time... Chicken Verona</div>
<span class="foodmenu3">mushrooms, artichokes, asparagus, and
white wine cream sauce - baked with mozzarella cheese</span>... Yummo! To die for!!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPJXlNBV7B4KrROtMMbcEgFBICn389herXE9GwgU1r9TtmY3mV9siEHTzhjd7Yn-4SnuRSzJueh9gkT00uqhWIaUd9PuyUruUpmMf04hp02cXvcxYOAjgw-7MzaPTv-gm8dN924DBk6RSk/s1600/Mi+Piaci.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPJXlNBV7B4KrROtMMbcEgFBICn389herXE9GwgU1r9TtmY3mV9siEHTzhjd7Yn-4SnuRSzJueh9gkT00uqhWIaUd9PuyUruUpmMf04hp02cXvcxYOAjgw-7MzaPTv-gm8dN924DBk6RSk/s640/Mi+Piaci.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mi Piaci Restaurant - Odessa, Texas ~ Ralph's Huge Stromboli ~ Hannah & her Calzone ~ My Chicken Verona (YUM)</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX5dF674oJ0flf7Tt95X0VdolETM4ESNwDZt7eKKDUqkBZraLE0oKPpco178M2qtcdPSToSeeMsd-8s4Jc2e9xq9pmDoOIvnWkL4up0r810nHxY3HePSgvx__SnEuU3K8SXd0TBNAcYJOB/s1600/Odessa_meteorite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX5dF674oJ0flf7Tt95X0VdolETM4ESNwDZt7eKKDUqkBZraLE0oKPpco178M2qtcdPSToSeeMsd-8s4Jc2e9xq9pmDoOIvnWkL4up0r810nHxY3HePSgvx__SnEuU3K8SXd0TBNAcYJOB/s320/Odessa_meteorite.jpg" width="240" /></a>After lunch we were off in search of the <strong>Odessa Meteor Crater</strong>. The Odessa Meteor Crater is the largest of several smaller craters in the immediate area that were formed by the impact of thousands of octahedrites (an iron metallic type) that fell in prehistoric times. There was a museum and the site to tour when we arrived there. The museum was filled with meteor fragments and a lot of history about the area and crater.<br />
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It is 550 feet in diameter and the age is estimated to be around 63,500 years .The crater is exposed to the surface, and was originally about 100 feet deep. Due to subsequent infilling by soil and debris, the crater is currently 15 feet deep at its lowest point, which provides enough relief to be visible over the surrounding plains. Still, the site offers an excellent opportunity to view a relatively uncommon impact feature close to a major transportation artery near a major city.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR1gMAzTp0vpcYn1CHHq0b1z3_RGo5p1HHG9IB-bwTTIoHKvvk1Q1WdzgnhgVccRs8xv1MzC8A1gw8_IaMHPby22tFiinlRxXYFZdWMx9Z-Lb7piW71Ue9wnAa5QmTCph_Qe4OLBHGqIJD/s1600/5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="98" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR1gMAzTp0vpcYn1CHHq0b1z3_RGo5p1HHG9IB-bwTTIoHKvvk1Q1WdzgnhgVccRs8xv1MzC8A1gw8_IaMHPby22tFiinlRxXYFZdWMx9Z-Lb7piW71Ue9wnAa5QmTCph_Qe4OLBHGqIJD/s320/5.JPG" width="320" /></a>It was a fun visit and good to do some walking after such a big lunch.... After we finished checking out the Meteor site we headed to Stonehenge ~ no not in England but the full scale replica over at the <strong>University of Texas of the Permian Basin</strong> in Odessa. About 20 stone blocks, similar in size, shape, and appearance to the ancient Stonehenge in southwestern England, were unveiled in the summer of 2004. The replica matches the original Stonehenge horizontally, but it falls some 14% short in height from the English monument. The tallest stone on the original is 22 feet, while the highest in the Odessa is 19 feet.<sup> </sup><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP3Bot2qdtztyuUMWrEoRXqMD4pk20vKFxGkgKkiG72G7G7JwYd9jMwHBHvN7YxHKh1HG0Gz949OLnq9Wc9BDTonEVOgk6bfsr0D8zmYEDAeqTiMGVNhS2FD3yekZh_Lc8TBvw_hr4I8o6/s1600/stonehedge-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP3Bot2qdtztyuUMWrEoRXqMD4pk20vKFxGkgKkiG72G7G7JwYd9jMwHBHvN7YxHKh1HG0Gz949OLnq9Wc9BDTonEVOgk6bfsr0D8zmYEDAeqTiMGVNhS2FD3yekZh_Lc8TBvw_hr4I8o6/s640/stonehedge-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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While the original may have taken 2000 years to complete, the replica was placed at UTPB in six weeks. The stones were moved two at a time on tractor-trailers and lifted into place on footings made of reinforced concrete. The original Stonehenge marked the summer and winter solstices. Each stone weighs more than 20,000 thousand pounds and is composed of limestone slabs donated from the quarry of TexaStone of Garden City in Glasscock near Big Spring, Texas.<sup> </sup>It was a fun visit and the best part is that it is FREE.<br />
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It was a great day with our family and I sure wished our other daughter could have been with us.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Come on back
and follow our adventures...</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Have Fun &
Travel Safe</span></div>
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squawmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06814752309515986976noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5364688059621858332.post-28191417383329863622013-06-06T11:20:00.000-06:002013-06-06T12:35:34.135-06:00Midland Texas ~ Who'd a thunk!!!!We have been here in Midland/Odessa area for almost 2 weeks to visit our daughter and her family. That is just about the only reason to come here unless you are looking for work. There is plenty of jobs here and the unemployment rate is at about 3%. Mostly it is oil field workers and anything associated with that. And that is why my daughter is here because her husband is in the oil business. They try to make this a pleasant enough place, tons of stores, restaurants and some attractions but the landscape is dirty, the wind blows a lot of dust around and it is HOT!... not to mention the water is not fit to drink. Most everyone has to buy bottled water. So why am I here ~ Family which is so very important to us...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg58lBaptTuwxVHbECEK1QWgatd0fgNBPr_zcBYCKbAglGjRIqquMD5kc9-ARPo04qo4tbOo3MFeLAZInzOqsy7bfGSXlI65YS_xVnX4dBUie4E8YQsiGrLW6_WVMyBIARWZd3bbUR0wwI3/s1600/Jorges1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg58lBaptTuwxVHbECEK1QWgatd0fgNBPr_zcBYCKbAglGjRIqquMD5kc9-ARPo04qo4tbOo3MFeLAZInzOqsy7bfGSXlI65YS_xVnX4dBUie4E8YQsiGrLW6_WVMyBIARWZd3bbUR0wwI3/s200/Jorges1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yummo ~ Mexican</td></tr>
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When we got here we just had to go get some of that great Tex Mex food which I love so dearly so out we headed out with our girls to Jorges' Mexican Restaurant for some very yummy food... After last years eat fest from Florida to Nova Scotia, 2 bad knee replacement surgeries (which kept me from exercising) and a years hard work taking off the weight and getting healthy it was my first Mexican food in a long long time... but oh it was so worth it ~ YUMMOLICIOUS♥ We really didn't go crazy but we did have some delicious food....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEvYexB_GUvkGIcaYLBDjU8lOGd3xnsyAkNX280LW-s4jdMt9ZOB4yEgqS-OmfWgBhC8yHN0SASxBHQJtz3MpKFrjvAiKkXmd1_RqRfQv6N3wSdkzSerpepq5zuWZgkSR6gortX5wHopJW/s1600/DSCN7342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEvYexB_GUvkGIcaYLBDjU8lOGd3xnsyAkNX280LW-s4jdMt9ZOB4yEgqS-OmfWgBhC8yHN0SASxBHQJtz3MpKFrjvAiKkXmd1_RqRfQv6N3wSdkzSerpepq5zuWZgkSR6gortX5wHopJW/s200/DSCN7342.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmuG52No_RSjAxKQTBGDUKvubJrR90rLlPwNEPq744stj2pNHSWKklE3od7mIqslCBnUDFLOLoXzFBtPUZpkoKIQisZzF5OQ0AElzMr2Zu7mBvmrhjHS69UrsC1A7dhxAYNObGN320Cwqq/s1600/Chinese+Buffet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmuG52No_RSjAxKQTBGDUKvubJrR90rLlPwNEPq744stj2pNHSWKklE3od7mIqslCBnUDFLOLoXzFBtPUZpkoKIQisZzF5OQ0AElzMr2Zu7mBvmrhjHS69UrsC1A7dhxAYNObGN320Cwqq/s320/Chinese+Buffet.jpg" width="320" /></a>We also celebrated my honey's birthday on the 24th.... With friends & family we went out to eat at a GREAT Chinese Buffet (his favorite food) and to work off some of the calories we went bowling after. What fun we had ~ we haven't bowled in years except for WII bowling. It was a riot trying to remember how to throw the ball with out bouncing it out about 10 feet onto the lane... soon around the 3rd game we finally started to play better. This is something we both hope to do more often. (You know how I love showing you food... tee hee)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo27tiJMIpvfveLMI6ZcUXYiOCDoix0IIB9TwTFEJe2ujkqaSEZqk6CZj0-LuyNVgcLdvEpV4gO9lZUvzm49nXI8gtwgcWwBNk55pBkIEM6GO_7U7YQTMnGXSnD9zZGU5cLgOqML7RpLS0/s1600/Hannah.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo27tiJMIpvfveLMI6ZcUXYiOCDoix0IIB9TwTFEJe2ujkqaSEZqk6CZj0-LuyNVgcLdvEpV4gO9lZUvzm49nXI8gtwgcWwBNk55pBkIEM6GO_7U7YQTMnGXSnD9zZGU5cLgOqML7RpLS0/s320/Hannah.JPG" width="244" /></a>We had the pleasure of attending our oldest grand daughters, Hannah, Spring Concert at the Robert E.Lee High School in Midland. She is a drummer in the band and it was fun to see all the kids playing so beautifully. The best part was when all the grades got together and played the school song "Dixie for the graduating seniors. Funny but when I was in High School at Dixie Hollins in Florida ~ that was our school song too... brought back so many memories.</div>
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyiUuJV1vh0jq6rbIr41hFDil6skaBMHYbMnPuK6ykcyJkkEyW46sHWn3A19vzYXkeVz4XQUobMVN-MADm95A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />
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So mostly we have been spending a lot of quality time together with our little ones and enjoying every minute of it. Going to try and start seeing some of the attractions in this area this next week!<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Come on back and
follow our adventures...</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Have Fun &
Travel Safe</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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squawmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06814752309515986976noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5364688059621858332.post-90513056619765262722013-06-05T08:30:00.000-06:002016-06-12T21:19:38.172-06:00A Rabbit in the Bush????We tried to see as much as we could find in Midland while visiting our daughter & her family.... we were surprised at some of our finds. The first was George W. Bush childhood home... we stopped and visited this home but didn't get a chance to see The Presidential Museum in the Midland/Odessa area - We found it amusing that the house was also occupied George H. Bush, Jeb Bush & Barbara and thought that it should be just called Bush Presidential Home.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bush's Boyhood Home</td></tr>
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<b>George W.<span style="color: black;"> Bush Childhood Home</span></b><span style="color: black;"> is a historic house that was home to former U.S. Presidents </span><span style="color: black;">George W. Bush</span><span style="color: black;"> and </span><span style="color: black;">George H.W. Bush</span><span style="color: black;"> from 1951 to 1955. It is located at 1412 W. Ohio Ave. in </span><span style="color: black;">Midland, Texas</span>. <span style="color: black;">The home was built in 1940 and was purchased by the </span><span style="color: black;">Bush family</span> <span style="color: black;">in 1951 for $9,000. They lived in the 1,400-square-foot home until late 1955. It was also the earliest childhood home of Governor </span><span style="color: black;">Jeb Bush</span><span style="color: black;">. The house was added to the </span><span style="color: black;">National Register of Historic Places</span><span style="color: black;"> in 2004. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ohghYptefzPLjEqmcnEuNj3L50gp8a8wEctX0wm4-TiHTMOUJ5iLX9rimj9nry0qXj7d9Q4AiBZzIW2nC4UYBOXSDMj2yH5U3MpNB22g7_WMDfvBMmmesN9g7AFyZXt3UrwatGZPOR3M/s1600/info+signs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ohghYptefzPLjEqmcnEuNj3L50gp8a8wEctX0wm4-TiHTMOUJ5iLX9rimj9nry0qXj7d9Q4AiBZzIW2nC4UYBOXSDMj2yH5U3MpNB22g7_WMDfvBMmmesN9g7AFyZXt3UrwatGZPOR3M/s640/info+signs.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Information Signs & Childhood photos</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHcwJjFjx_6wC2YEHmnsG-0HLD7MUGwO_5JZ_Lr2TMwl4G6G_hppWEeCTMpG4E-_TBT0IGFjOh3zkLn3bJLJX8jbwIaxCEeIdwtSuLlzNFuawcTIVbycMJQpcU-N7wSTjnhDsUcgTsAtdv/s1600/Worlds+Largest+Jack+Rabbit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHcwJjFjx_6wC2YEHmnsG-0HLD7MUGwO_5JZ_Lr2TMwl4G6G_hppWEeCTMpG4E-_TBT0IGFjOh3zkLn3bJLJX8jbwIaxCEeIdwtSuLlzNFuawcTIVbycMJQpcU-N7wSTjnhDsUcgTsAtdv/s320/Worlds+Largest+Jack+Rabbit.jpg" width="320" /></a>We also went out to find the <strong>"</strong><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>World's Largest Jackrabbit"</strong> which is mentioned in Roadside America.</span><br />
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Built in 1962, the eight-foot-tall rabbit was the idea of Odessa Chamber of Commerce president John Ben Shepperd, hence the rabbit's official name of "Jack Ben Rabbit." It was Shepperd's way to pay tribute to the city's unique <strong>jackrabbit roping competition</strong>, held every year during the Odessa Rodeo. The competition ended in 1978, when The Humane Society shut it down for good.<br />
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The jackrabbit was displayed for years at the old Prairie Pete Park, then moved into storage in a maintenance yard -- until the public raised a fuss and forced it to be returned to a new location, in front of the downtown Ector County Independent School District Administration Building. Someone tried to steal the jackrabbit in 1997, so it's been bolted to the sidewalk ever since.<br />
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Several official Texas historical markers flank the rabbit, including one with a recipe for Jackrabbit and Dumplings. Click on pictures to enlarge. Still way behind on my post but will try to catch up soon. Thanks for following ♥<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Come on back and
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Have Fun &
Travel Safe</span>
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squawmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06814752309515986976noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5364688059621858332.post-6921557696486799322013-05-28T05:00:00.000-06:002013-05-28T06:21:47.561-06:00Trekking Through TexasDay 5 of our trip had us driving through Louisiana & Texas. We had one small rain shower that was just enough to get road dirt on Tassie & Silvie ~ After Ralph spent 2 days washing & waxing them... lol When we went through Shreveport on I-20 we were just behind a small tornado that turned over several travel trailers at a dealer, many trees knocked down and bent many interstate road signs. I think if I had seen that tornado I would have messed my britches.... <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8LTGTG-U1ACSf5sXwo_bnFcj5zWC09aa2KQhjysbyjQNg1M1jitH0ylamZ6ZAuhbl7OGW_wuod7CgThG-9Ty6KwBOu9pADlyG5oLuVNPTalTWiVXH_vK004PORGXKSV1d-lpTkacjfmpR/s1600/628x471.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8LTGTG-U1ACSf5sXwo_bnFcj5zWC09aa2KQhjysbyjQNg1M1jitH0ylamZ6ZAuhbl7OGW_wuod7CgThG-9Ty6KwBOu9pADlyG5oLuVNPTalTWiVXH_vK004PORGXKSV1d-lpTkacjfmpR/s200/628x471.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
Other then that it was a smooth ride and after about 500 miles we started looking for a RV Park for the night. After checking out our travel books and internet we found a small RV Park in Mingus, Texas. Cactus Rose RV Park was an easy on and easy off back onto I-20 so we decided that was a pretty good pick... we didn't expect much and was pleasantly surprised to not only meet very friendly owners but a clean well kept park with all that you could want in any campground ! <span style="color: #351c75;"> </span><a href="http://tassiescampgroundreviews.blogspot.com/2013/05/cactus-rose-mingus-texas.html"><strong><span style="color: #351c75;">Click here to go to our RV Park review blog. </span></strong></a> This park was so restful and nice we decided to stay an extra day and just enjoy it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cactus Rose RV Park ~ Mingus, Texas </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwlgx9u7Wa1PfPiBceyqQUUjtwLfhuLwNeeguFcYivs6xTFxneO3PIoYfnj4V1e1w_2d_Zi51RfS7251Bfo-sVoKF2UFkuU4XoSTMrWlFTN19-5X8ETyYqZYtCdePSO33N4L7pVQQXeSxZ/s1600/DSCN7240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwlgx9u7Wa1PfPiBceyqQUUjtwLfhuLwNeeguFcYivs6xTFxneO3PIoYfnj4V1e1w_2d_Zi51RfS7251Bfo-sVoKF2UFkuU4XoSTMrWlFTN19-5X8ETyYqZYtCdePSO33N4L7pVQQXeSxZ/s200/DSCN7240.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our site at Medessa Oil Patch RV Park</td></tr>
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After being well rested up we headed out to Midland, Texas where my youngest daughter & herfamily lives... We'll be staying in this area for about 6 weeks before we continue our journey. This was only 320 mile day which is really how we like it ~ 350 miles or less on travel days. The wind of Texas picked up for our ride and pretty much wore Ralph out and didn't do our gas mileage any good either. We had a horrible time finding any parks to take us and our first week was at <strong>Midessa Oil Patch RV Park</strong>. <a href="http://tassiescampgroundreviews.blogspot.com/2013/05/midessa-oil-patch-rv-park-odessa-texas.html"><strong>Click here for our RV Park review</strong></a>... Because there are so many oil workers in this area they fill up the RV parks so what a time we had trying to secure a spot for 5 more weeks after Midessa Oil Patch... we finally found a RV park out in the middle of nowhere filled with oil rig workers but they had one spot left in the back and that is what we took. Normally I wouldn't stay in a park such as this but we wanted to spend time with Jennifer and the family. So here we are at<strong> Stanley RV Park</strong> and all and all we have everything we need. FHU, no trees so great satelite TV, Water and so far very quiet. I think we are the biggest rig here...
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVpXBi-YTycN-QgzAjLCf2IiLcALLKMJd1szTSHKmj9k4W1bwf849uVl7dnarRcC1mJbuEhSch_vfhefd6enw-hLQc9kB0bWrV05RFups4eOG8TZjK1zzGYzd2G0flrohIe7Idq_DdzF5g/s1600/Stanley+RV+Park.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVpXBi-YTycN-QgzAjLCf2IiLcALLKMJd1szTSHKmj9k4W1bwf849uVl7dnarRcC1mJbuEhSch_vfhefd6enw-hLQc9kB0bWrV05RFups4eOG8TZjK1zzGYzd2G0flrohIe7Idq_DdzF5g/s640/Stanley+RV+Park.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stanley RV Park</td></tr>
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So we have already been in the Midland/Odessa area for a week and already have had many adventures ~ It is great visiting with my daughter, SIL, and granddaughters ~ will catch up on the next blog.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Come on back
and follow our adventures...</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Have Fun &
Travel Safe</span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.glitter-graphics.com/"><img border="0" height="57" src="http://dl7.glitter-graphics.net/pub/956/956467t7flrhds05.gif" width="102" /></a></div>
squawmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06814752309515986976noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5364688059621858332.post-66872276713053710902013-05-20T12:29:00.001-06:002013-05-20T12:29:09.981-06:00Hellllloooooo ~ I am still around ♥ and on the move....<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigtLHSmLhQr3BNR8Wj4F-acUoglFr8_SeB6t-JP9ylnzfgPsA8nf4wsZ-td73vuPrWuwaFTUgV6TBYmWPvRkTRMLihnOdBmvjigHiurJm3-_9EkHfRCs-R-Br-4WBUwL_GdX_SEv-oKysJ/s1600/IMG_7611.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigtLHSmLhQr3BNR8Wj4F-acUoglFr8_SeB6t-JP9ylnzfgPsA8nf4wsZ-td73vuPrWuwaFTUgV6TBYmWPvRkTRMLihnOdBmvjigHiurJm3-_9EkHfRCs-R-Br-4WBUwL_GdX_SEv-oKysJ/s320/IMG_7611.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our site at Rock Crusher Canyon</td></tr>
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Don't faint ~ I know it has been forever since I posted but I am hoping now that we are on the road I can get back to some kinda habit of posting... I think Facebook is easier for quickie notices but the blog is still great for more detail. Anyways a lot has gone on since my last post ~ first of all I had to have therapy on my left shoulder from when I hurt it last August when my knee went out. It ended up being a frozen joint from me babying it but after 12 weeks of therapy it now feels better about 90% of the time. With exercise and time it will be well again. We loved spending the winter up at Rock Crusher Canyon in Crystal River this year and have decided to go back to there when we get back to Florida in November. We love the nature there and it is not as crowded as it was down in Pinellas County.<br />
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After traveling the entire country with our faithful and dependable 2002 PT Cruiser (Petie) who had over 350,000 miles on it and many more towable miles we decided, as much as we loved Petie, it was time to trade him in. So in March we decided to buy a 2013 Chevy Equinox fully loaded and we are loving it... We especially love the On Star and GPS system in it... I am sure we will enjoy her (Silvie) and are looking forward traveling around the country with her and the many adventures we will share. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrdOMrOv2Y3UDpgDW-w68vqrdlzQC8AFxnsQC2AezXIEhAUTQMaYd3mBdbbMcRbb4HSTAWnd38AgBNw4NjdD1BYYPW_f-5NeE4t75yMcQ2m8T9WwKwhrwrd9UwF81ncGnEIq3J-gI1BGyR/s1600/photo+1-tile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrdOMrOv2Y3UDpgDW-w68vqrdlzQC8AFxnsQC2AezXIEhAUTQMaYd3mBdbbMcRbb4HSTAWnd38AgBNw4NjdD1BYYPW_f-5NeE4t75yMcQ2m8T9WwKwhrwrd9UwF81ncGnEIq3J-gI1BGyR/s640/photo+1-tile.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Silvie" ~ our new Chevy Equinox</td></tr>
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We also decided, after 8 years, it was time to update the TVs in Tassie ~ we had analog TVs and so we decided it was time to change them out for Digital HDTVs. We went to Creative Coach in Lakeland and had them change out all of the TVs. What a great job they did rebuilding some of the cabinetry and installing the TVs. In the bedroom they took the space the old TV took up and made it into a cabinet. More room to store more stuff ~ Yippee! Thanks Lester ~ they are awesome!!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrHw8Q1vjnFyqgyjlDRJKMeiG04R66aDV_THA5bE1HYJ5xOF98d8fbEHxeL5cis-kxF4-IxaQS519X1dZcyaepz87yEIn-ETfMMcMe-bhtDrqWo6jgu49nzrvF6voCKv-Vrwz5xghxcmP0/s1600/Living+Room.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrHw8Q1vjnFyqgyjlDRJKMeiG04R66aDV_THA5bE1HYJ5xOF98d8fbEHxeL5cis-kxF4-IxaQS519X1dZcyaepz87yEIn-ETfMMcMe-bhtDrqWo6jgu49nzrvF6voCKv-Vrwz5xghxcmP0/s640/Living+Room.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Living Room TV</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6urRNl7GtAiUrNCKC1qedmJmZibQHAnz-kqLeTYU7URFPxA-36lprMtjVYQgks2cUcuFGGotEqDQ_Zrs6BMH5LElBt-IQk3bO34e7_eUZ6qx5QmGcn8oux1ppmEZoxvpEx1RfMr5C5U47/s1600/Bedroom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6urRNl7GtAiUrNCKC1qedmJmZibQHAnz-kqLeTYU7URFPxA-36lprMtjVYQgks2cUcuFGGotEqDQ_Zrs6BMH5LElBt-IQk3bO34e7_eUZ6qx5QmGcn8oux1ppmEZoxvpEx1RfMr5C5U47/s640/Bedroom.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bedroom TV</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIrXiG-iO4wk8ytnSAfN8vnR5cPq8ocjZ0JYVrirrT_fjv4LbM8POyzXJJ_Lcq-EXvmQeREsRsLZk1TwUHHW8ptnbz3Osz2UfSZux8D_QoB_hyCoB71W30SE4pzMf02QcOggGQLd8w3_bd/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIrXiG-iO4wk8ytnSAfN8vnR5cPq8ocjZ0JYVrirrT_fjv4LbM8POyzXJJ_Lcq-EXvmQeREsRsLZk1TwUHHW8ptnbz3Osz2UfSZux8D_QoB_hyCoB71W30SE4pzMf02QcOggGQLd8w3_bd/s320/photo.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our spot up at our friends house....</td></tr>
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After they finished the TVs we headed out for our Summer Adventure ~ first stop was at our friends house up in Lee, Florida for a 4 day visit. Ralph was like the energizer bunny washing the coach, his truck and Silvie. He pretty much didn't stop the whole time we were there. Then it was time for us to start our long trek to Midland, Texas where our youngest daughter, Jennifer lives with her husband Eric and out 2 beautiful granddaughters, Hannah & Alyssah. We haven't seen them for over a year so we are looking forward to spending about 6 weeks out there. The first day we traveled about 450 miles and stayed at a Wally World in Jackson Mississippi. It was kinda a noisy place and we had other travelers in a travel trailer pull in around 3 AM and make loud noises, talking and slamming doors, like they were the only ones that were there. Well that will teach me staying in a Walmart parking lot... lol Not all of us are courteous campers....<br />
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Anyways I wanted to get an update post going and to let you know I will try my very best to keep the blog going over the summer while we are traveling... and don't forget to check out our RV review Blog... <a href="http://tassiescampgroundreviews.blogspot.com/"><strong><span style="color: red;">"Tassie's Campground Reviews"</span></strong></a> for updates at the RV Parks we stay at.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Come on back and follow our adventures</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Have Fun & Travel Safe</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.glitter-graphics.com/"><img border="0" height="57" src="http://dl7.glitter-graphics.net/pub/956/956467t7flrhds05.gif" width="102" /></a></div>
squawmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06814752309515986976noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5364688059621858332.post-36897551486777198322013-01-23T10:47:00.003-07:002013-01-23T10:47:51.527-07:00Happy Birthday to ME <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAfd6VHiLoUKiekfEkU-WN2LyLLjcfnnMA5rwrylvFZFlWHDXpBImwu8mgDDPsvLJKSvAyNgbBbi-uOi-lQFqeu1JLfhMWD3fyuGhWJx2NvzajD4yCX_CxjHfeR1Y-752rjYFMMIFgcWqy/s1600/Grill+Smith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAfd6VHiLoUKiekfEkU-WN2LyLLjcfnnMA5rwrylvFZFlWHDXpBImwu8mgDDPsvLJKSvAyNgbBbi-uOi-lQFqeu1JLfhMWD3fyuGhWJx2NvzajD4yCX_CxjHfeR1Y-752rjYFMMIFgcWqy/s320/Grill+Smith.jpg" width="320" /></a>Well another year and my birthday has come and gone but oh what a great celebration I had. We went down to stay with my daughter a day early and that evening we went out for a Birthday Dinner with her, her family and my younger brother Kenny and his family. We went to Grill Smith in Clearwater and what a fabulous meal we all had... they even brought out this incredible dessert for my birthday ~ it was sinful! Chocolate Decadence, made-from-scratch, flourless mocha-chocolate cake, topped with chocolate mousse, whipped creme and a raspberry glaze ~ YUM</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwXrO_12ESS8XPvCplX6Hh8cwKxkXoHyRJ8uXN-hBBijy78bEcMjH8TEiSjgkF8NajVI0haLTlq_K68sNhyphenhyphenz3iOASV-DgHFPbCYw_JtdrDYC2MKpS-VZEQyD7-3Fobi_FFYsh0v412VGMa/s1600/Grill+Smith+Food.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwXrO_12ESS8XPvCplX6Hh8cwKxkXoHyRJ8uXN-hBBijy78bEcMjH8TEiSjgkF8NajVI0haLTlq_K68sNhyphenhyphenz3iOASV-DgHFPbCYw_JtdrDYC2MKpS-VZEQyD7-3Fobi_FFYsh0v412VGMa/s640/Grill+Smith+Food.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">♥ GREAT FOOD ♥</td></tr>
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We had so much fun and our waiter was one of the best we've had in a long time. (at least a week) He really knew the meaning of customer satisfaction. If you ever get a chance to visit a Grill Smith Restaurant I highly recommend it. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHDeUcg2Z6jb8IXVdgUWqnuaLCIEAi6UH665HWfXOGwEtH88DwkT1ROZl6wyOXDFacyZUFKTvx6siHX2P967Ei0ccM-Kviz4R9w9MrXutt44pXAqoyV4_zEeHZjQf3ft-sXiTfVW25A_ku/s1600/Fun+with+Family.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHDeUcg2Z6jb8IXVdgUWqnuaLCIEAi6UH665HWfXOGwEtH88DwkT1ROZl6wyOXDFacyZUFKTvx6siHX2P967Ei0ccM-Kviz4R9w9MrXutt44pXAqoyV4_zEeHZjQf3ft-sXiTfVW25A_ku/s640/Fun+with+Family.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">♥ FUN WITH FAMILY ♥<br />
My daughter Denise, Frank and the twins Dominick & Wyatt ~ Nephew Ryan ~ Brother Kenny & wife Kathy</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDrzamHh6qmPOiArbkW4_rQcei7p7OxjchCzTtrjvPzRLc12nGAkzeXxDsMpDxz3WKbBJu-quenSgfJJ9_czADljDkBdfDOGjZPMUrSvW3Csv68xuYlrV66wS_mX3VwJsrwm7FhsVEF9Zk/s1600/DSCN6993.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDrzamHh6qmPOiArbkW4_rQcei7p7OxjchCzTtrjvPzRLc12nGAkzeXxDsMpDxz3WKbBJu-quenSgfJJ9_czADljDkBdfDOGjZPMUrSvW3Csv68xuYlrV66wS_mX3VwJsrwm7FhsVEF9Zk/s320/DSCN6993.JPG" width="320" /></a>On my birthday which was Monday my husband Ralph, daughter Denise, the twins and I went out for lunch to a Mexican restaurant "Valartas" in Tampa ~ Mexican is my very favorite food. After a GREAT meal their we went to Jared's so my daughter could have her rings check and to my surprise my Honey had bought me a beautiful Chocolate Diamond Ring... I was so excited!!! My daughter bought me a new charm for my Pandora Bracelet & some Herbs for my little Herb Garden that I haul all over the nation ~ you know how much Ralphie likes that...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifJzMh1HKgn7IuqYWh1MmsCsqorWPmCTZ5ZoDqq2YfkWLl9ISd6ob0mzQc5AORgAo8BtP2d9rkWNFaK7-tTHzNP1Jd6WdWsYSV63AjvGKm9UHCsgkdDo7JT21C-KLotluq-_ZDqQIRHdBF/s1600/DSCN6981.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifJzMh1HKgn7IuqYWh1MmsCsqorWPmCTZ5ZoDqq2YfkWLl9ISd6ob0mzQc5AORgAo8BtP2d9rkWNFaK7-tTHzNP1Jd6WdWsYSV63AjvGKm9UHCsgkdDo7JT21C-KLotluq-_ZDqQIRHdBF/s320/DSCN6981.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The evening was topped off with Greek Gyros for dinner and a Ice Cream Birthday Cake </div>
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<a href="http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZKman000" target="_blank"><img alt="Birthday Candles" border="0" src="http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/13/13_10_13.gif" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large;"><strong>Have Fun &
Travel Safe</strong></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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squawmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06814752309515986976noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5364688059621858332.post-72235121002095394982013-01-20T05:00:00.000-07:002013-01-20T05:30:19.263-07:00I've Been a BAAAAAAD Blogger<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3eFc3d28OT6tf5K2jc6v5uKE0vWteSkCjzom3FG9gge298OZpFBWRM8IIR-8uBTSBM6VwjFOZrktqGE_JK6IQr7QH17xtyGqyRggq40vNkwe6JKiwKaK1s3b5SnJe-oyaVuA5_yiH1Fib/s1600/IMG_7480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3eFc3d28OT6tf5K2jc6v5uKE0vWteSkCjzom3FG9gge298OZpFBWRM8IIR-8uBTSBM6VwjFOZrktqGE_JK6IQr7QH17xtyGqyRggq40vNkwe6JKiwKaK1s3b5SnJe-oyaVuA5_yiH1Fib/s320/IMG_7480.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tassie's front window decorations</td></tr>
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The knees are better, the colds have past, and so has the Holidays ~ The New Year blew in and now I am approaching my birthday.... along with February rapidly coming. Yet I have not blogged a single thing since December 2nd ~ I didn't even finish up my travels with our dear friends through wonderful Cape Breton but I will soon. Blogging is something I love to do but somehow I haven't had the desire to be even on and not only that I have not been following my friends which I love to do. So here I am re-establishing my good blogger habits... I hope you are all still out there and will come back to read our adventures.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2RAMVzOTgVJP_gU8HZ31x3RNHCZGo1o6E7q_df2EKQT77KVgRL2MEHO-bHN8iBrOriPcZtPtaX-mwvWiy8qzIlRFzW0rSb4XEh1vQ45EHWMGNXAQTgBoFJTHwxB3eBjXTEggcpJ8pEYXz/s1600/cookies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2RAMVzOTgVJP_gU8HZ31x3RNHCZGo1o6E7q_df2EKQT77KVgRL2MEHO-bHN8iBrOriPcZtPtaX-mwvWiy8qzIlRFzW0rSb4XEh1vQ45EHWMGNXAQTgBoFJTHwxB3eBjXTEggcpJ8pEYXz/s320/cookies.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">we baked a ton of cookies</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbSr-JXbnX6AtJhpMzDvtg7yPncJk2D0Cqb3JYGEoyPbwGH5zYcd8F_8mU4ij2RkvEYTn3avTsRG4GfnZ_cBmJ8TSbBYFD3PsWGEJe8AptoJ9dIjTHWK9rGh0ZB_R6CVdVVK9CQPttMqhx/s1600/Oh+Christmas+Tree.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbSr-JXbnX6AtJhpMzDvtg7yPncJk2D0Cqb3JYGEoyPbwGH5zYcd8F_8mU4ij2RkvEYTn3avTsRG4GfnZ_cBmJ8TSbBYFD3PsWGEJe8AptoJ9dIjTHWK9rGh0ZB_R6CVdVVK9CQPttMqhx/s200/Oh+Christmas+Tree.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">my daughters tree</td></tr>
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Christmas holidays were hectic but fun ~ I stayed down with my daughter for almost 4 weeks and really enjoyed being with them all especially my GRANDS. We baked dozens & dozens of Christmas cookies & desserts.<br />
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A wonderful Christmas dinner was shared with many relatives and friends... everyone was pretty full and enjoyed chatting, watching football and old Christmas movies.<br />
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I am pretty sure everyone got everything they wanted and more!
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ325KUIB3Kj3V-MSLJvM2wAqw59T-wwkyobr7KdaDCRuKk66v5xUO9QXO_PNVtBUpvA5hYPgH9C3M8FCtZR7rF14cl_0cOLuqg3NvAjUp8QDkBG0pbGEn-GtIyZhkaC0XmK9JnKNgNAZe/s1600/Christmas+2012'.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ325KUIB3Kj3V-MSLJvM2wAqw59T-wwkyobr7KdaDCRuKk66v5xUO9QXO_PNVtBUpvA5hYPgH9C3M8FCtZR7rF14cl_0cOLuqg3NvAjUp8QDkBG0pbGEn-GtIyZhkaC0XmK9JnKNgNAZe/s640/Christmas+2012'.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kids were very happy ~ and we enjoyed a great day of good food, Family & Friends</td></tr>
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We brought in the New Year watching Dick Clark's Rocking New Years Eve Party on TV and the next day we just hung out and had our traditional Good Luck dinner of Black Eyed Peas, Cabbage, Greens and Ham... It was very yummy!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkK2YEJZGu0bgqbNVjdxn8dokT5-YtlfB64cNRKJWINzjLX90eOdKwjniXecEQcO8KD8ZuwgG8DFCKLZihZlxjgq_veqTBXbIu72LsG_i_9j1g-ZZVZClxTBnwwput7bPTYXdcl8i63Stu/s1600/new-years-food.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkK2YEJZGu0bgqbNVjdxn8dokT5-YtlfB64cNRKJWINzjLX90eOdKwjniXecEQcO8KD8ZuwgG8DFCKLZihZlxjgq_veqTBXbIu72LsG_i_9j1g-ZZVZClxTBnwwput7bPTYXdcl8i63Stu/s320/new-years-food.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good Luck & Health</td></tr>
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This week we went to the Florida RV Super Show and met up with Friends and also with Blogging & Facebook friends... We ran into a few of our friends we haven't seen in a long time too... was really a lot of fun!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjImMzBQtsG0nHBK-v26P4mr8NHrW-iqZ-SXL_VnWDYAE8T8KLXuLqbctFOCvY_M3MwI3CAKAnFVeyFYe2n7BJMnHQt39_fjgu5MlXTjPD6k86tUI0_Ya0UzbbKWvcKr_SXbdoOp4Yemphl/s1600/RV+Super+Show.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjImMzBQtsG0nHBK-v26P4mr8NHrW-iqZ-SXL_VnWDYAE8T8KLXuLqbctFOCvY_M3MwI3CAKAnFVeyFYe2n7BJMnHQt39_fjgu5MlXTjPD6k86tUI0_Ya0UzbbKWvcKr_SXbdoOp4Yemphl/s640/RV+Super+Show.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me, Arlene, Nancy & Elaine ~ My Ralphie ~ Entertainer<br />
Guys who played Hillbilly Rock ~ Vendors ~ Expensive Rig</td></tr>
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Later that night we all went to Chilis' for dinner ~ <br />
It was a great meal with great friends♥</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs1gpjhTrCp0oXWZQWalnDPBy71HGMUcm5aKAVGnl5vV3E8KiT9t4ZCqKZvG6zFAZlwUnQRVZgMfnPgEpto5N3l-OITD1gLeZpDKAR5x-9n9awuglKlc3JN4NIxSYHqd_BjTcGvOmvdikY/s1600/Dinner+at+Chilis'.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs1gpjhTrCp0oXWZQWalnDPBy71HGMUcm5aKAVGnl5vV3E8KiT9t4ZCqKZvG6zFAZlwUnQRVZgMfnPgEpto5N3l-OITD1gLeZpDKAR5x-9n9awuglKlc3JN4NIxSYHqd_BjTcGvOmvdikY/s320/Dinner+at+Chilis'.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeannie & Buck ~ Ekaine & Rick ~ Donna & Ralph</td></tr>
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We are still in Crystal River staying at the Rock Crusher Canyon RV Park & loving it! </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Have Fun &
Travel Safe</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.glitter-graphics.com/"></a><a href="http://www.glitter-graphics.com/"><img border="0" height="57" src="http://dl7.glitter-graphics.net/pub/956/956467t7flrhds05.gif" width="102" /></a></div>
squawmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06814752309515986976noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5364688059621858332.post-66720245593796322202012-12-02T07:00:00.000-07:002012-12-02T07:34:51.471-07:00Update & More On Canada Trip ~ Baddeck, Cape Breton, Nova ScotiaIt has been 8 weeks since my total right knee replacement and I am doing very well... Yes there is still some pain but every day is an improvement. I had some stomach issues from all the drugs I had taken but that too is improving. In a few months I will bopping around the place like crazy!!! Thanks for all the well wishes I sure did appreciate it ♥<br />
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I know it is long behind us but I wanted to continue telling you about our summer adventure in Canada with our good friends Elaine & Rick ~ Our time there was exciting and we saw and did so much I just have to share it with you.<br />
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We started out the day with an exploring experience along the way ~ the guys decided to take a short cut which would take us along the Bras d'Or Lake but soon as the road narrowed and the cliffs got higher we realized that our short cut was not a real shortcut but a true adventure. Soon we were in almost a stuck situation but Ralph & Rick got us out of it safely. They managed to get the car turned around on a VERY narrow road and soon we were headed back out of our back road adventure... we can laugh at that now.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5fQuQhHkmORny0E7Y9CBAoeuOYGHgtUx4PyyKHayrLCEwph5HonsuvjrUeoi9mhk4kxI-CYcHL4bScHOIqFGC3sjPUNXelwwao0ousSGRdk_NalH8W8yJvL6B_McQgJw6Gz3p822FMiVb/s1600/Country+Road.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5fQuQhHkmORny0E7Y9CBAoeuOYGHgtUx4PyyKHayrLCEwph5HonsuvjrUeoi9mhk4kxI-CYcHL4bScHOIqFGC3sjPUNXelwwao0ousSGRdk_NalH8W8yJvL6B_McQgJw6Gz3p822FMiVb/s640/Country+Road.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OH no we went to far ~ better turn around ~ do we have cell service???<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ibuHfb1FaByON2HfphWM3cWyaW0lYWx400Q0tAwFdtLmkEEZb8fQ045N62Z16YPBrCgzD_faWw1yOg7lBMqJFAbZXObqPcujbotciNDGi44aSR1AfF9MzBDVgafgsEh-HaWJjQs0s41c/s1600/IMG_6424.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ibuHfb1FaByON2HfphWM3cWyaW0lYWx400Q0tAwFdtLmkEEZb8fQ045N62Z16YPBrCgzD_faWw1yOg7lBMqJFAbZXObqPcujbotciNDGi44aSR1AfF9MzBDVgafgsEh-HaWJjQs0s41c/s320/IMG_6424.JPG" width="320" /></a>Soon we were back on the road and headed towards the town of Baddeck... Baddeck is considered to be the beginning and end of the world famous “Cabot Trail” and is situated in the heart of Cape Breton Island. Stretching along the shores of the beautiful Bras d'Or Lakes, it is a village in full bloom with a kaleidoscope of colors displayed in baskets, boxes and gardens along its downtown shopping core. Finally we were all hungry and decided to go to lunch at a cute little restaurant called The Yellow Cello</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxPGUkqVsJWhOlowjDEGmiwegynbVuVM8Yy19nCm5MD_uTqNCAR_rLcwaC9_8lQh9JvxZL7iy0lri8G1PhjBhaqU9Z6WsBy_tpyQ0OqtWiRwuwHneU1XaA6nqtFkI1SqCPaSTMBCUf5AgK/s1600/Yellow+Cello+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxPGUkqVsJWhOlowjDEGmiwegynbVuVM8Yy19nCm5MD_uTqNCAR_rLcwaC9_8lQh9JvxZL7iy0lri8G1PhjBhaqU9Z6WsBy_tpyQ0OqtWiRwuwHneU1XaA6nqtFkI1SqCPaSTMBCUf5AgK/s640/Yellow+Cello+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yummy loaded Nachos ~ The Yellow Cello Cafe' ~ Their take on a Steak & Cheese (YUMMO!)</td></tr>
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They had a beautiful little marina were we walked out and saw a lighthouse and many beautiful boats. This was also the marina where we saw the Amoeba Sailing Yacht which you could go out on for a 2 hour cruise around Bras d'Or Lake. We decided that would be fun but that is for another post.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcogbwFWxUEK5SaLmXOh1AuFHcEtMD4bsx2knTtmkhlxq4S9mQozR6mZBD2MhqObDYBrLpEKVG68FLA6qhpcIojoJhizuLKRwsh2lx6r4uCk9tYjlHRKy3p2NiYNjuQBHQ1BGu9dKyTVd/s1600/Baddeck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcogbwFWxUEK5SaLmXOh1AuFHcEtMD4bsx2knTtmkhlxq4S9mQozR6mZBD2MhqObDYBrLpEKVG68FLA6qhpcIojoJhizuLKRwsh2lx6r4uCk9tYjlHRKy3p2NiYNjuQBHQ1BGu9dKyTVd/s640/Baddeck.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Views from the Baddeck Marina</td></tr>
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<span id="goog_16402482">It was a great day of exploring the quaint town of Baddeck, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia ~ I will be continuing in Cape Breton in upcoming post ~ Stay tuned...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimpefuVKJgHu8jH0RsOV2H45pul2nyA2GUAfwIQbYnITQbSVMofh6iR6plypJn0TtR9LHa70klJzwf3DmF1cCVFEbkY0oDcF6Fm3b61-rd2yVHoiBUFIhnDqSBUwlNqPxFcfENXqWD3olR/s1600/IMG_6460.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimpefuVKJgHu8jH0RsOV2H45pul2nyA2GUAfwIQbYnITQbSVMofh6iR6plypJn0TtR9LHa70klJzwf3DmF1cCVFEbkY0oDcF6Fm3b61-rd2yVHoiBUFIhnDqSBUwlNqPxFcfENXqWD3olR/s320/IMG_6460.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sum BIG boat!!!!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Have Fun &
Travel Safe</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.glitter-graphics.com/"><img border="0" height="57" src="http://dl7.glitter-graphics.net/pub/956/956467t7flrhds05.gif" width="102" /></a></div>
squawmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06814752309515986976noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5364688059621858332.post-35748653101482767942012-09-30T06:24:00.000-06:002012-09-30T06:24:15.800-06:00A Very Special Day Visiting Sydney Nova Scotia<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4OCxHXkHKdnURMMIOMms5vsy3mrGIDJt_ZjpMknZTXB6a_WA-7OjyLresLyvRu6hcSlgAQCQ_HvCTmsSBpNHYSX-klDD8lPYvh8VBY_UHDCWHYYtch3Y8_PL-UXtnM7jHmmnVolSTion0/s1600/Elaine+&+Rick.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4OCxHXkHKdnURMMIOMms5vsy3mrGIDJt_ZjpMknZTXB6a_WA-7OjyLresLyvRu6hcSlgAQCQ_HvCTmsSBpNHYSX-klDD8lPYvh8VBY_UHDCWHYYtch3Y8_PL-UXtnM7jHmmnVolSTion0/s320/Elaine+&+Rick.JPG" width="320" /></a>We had a great time spending the day in Sydney where Elaine grew up. She had so many interesting & fun stories to share about her escapades here in this area. She was a rascally rascal and if you know Elaine you would know that about her... she is so full of life and fun. We really loved seeing her town and glad her & Rick were able to show us around.</div>
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First we went to Resurrection Cemetery to visit Elaine's dads grave site. Elaine has a spiritual connection with her dad and she was definitely a daddy's girl. Just listening to the stories she told us about him you could hear the love she has for him. She surely does miss him ♥ It was beautiful cemetery and what gorgeous views from there ~ a nice final resting place for sure<br />
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After that we took a ride to the little park where Elaine hung out as a kid ~ it was her place for solitude and peace.... We all had those favorite places to go when we were kids right? Mine was in the middle of the woods by our house near a small little creek.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicNomjmD8ZbAdjpJur2-ydSh57E8YyoTVMGd01Najx8xdjRhpp1ltAVAxQFYrQKDaT3SI04HbekrTmDvhf0-o5Q8201DDKK-WMFMss2FZlo83TjuiWxI4lsqzwMLO9C4ZnQy6O5uWkcyLV/s1600/DSCN5488.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicNomjmD8ZbAdjpJur2-ydSh57E8YyoTVMGd01Najx8xdjRhpp1ltAVAxQFYrQKDaT3SI04HbekrTmDvhf0-o5Q8201DDKK-WMFMss2FZlo83TjuiWxI4lsqzwMLO9C4ZnQy6O5uWkcyLV/s200/DSCN5488.JPG" width="151" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMBdv4ki_XQl0SHPcbiFjIFFpylchTgCI6JYcOM3-4kOujzhOKJQNLkrp9ak2JQ1qu7s2z8wSZ_0L5STc9HWLld0xX2mVlSbGEMqCuBO-VnfgtzFd4e8oUX6LvbP1stITXId_OHET7yoRb/s1600/DSCN5481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMBdv4ki_XQl0SHPcbiFjIFFpylchTgCI6JYcOM3-4kOujzhOKJQNLkrp9ak2JQ1qu7s2z8wSZ_0L5STc9HWLld0xX2mVlSbGEMqCuBO-VnfgtzFd4e8oUX6LvbP1stITXId_OHET7yoRb/s200/DSCN5481.JPG" width="150" /></a>After visiting the park we rode around town with Elaine telling us stories of the area and her childhood adventures. Then we went down to the waterfront where we found the World’s Largest Ceilidh Fiddle, built to celebrate Nova Scotia’s Celtic heritage and the many folk musicians & fiddlers coming out of the area. This is where the cruise ships come in and there is a nice little museum on the life events of Sydney. It covered everything from the Mi'kmaq Indians to the mining history to the Music which is so abundant on this beautiful Island. </div>
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We truly enjoyed our visit to Sydney and what great fun we had with great friends. </div>
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<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Have Fun & Travel Safe</span></span><br /><a href="http://www.glitter-graphics.com/"><img border="0" height="57" src="http://dl7.glitter-graphics.net/pub/956/956467t7flrhds05.gif" width="102" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><em><strong>NOTE: I am so far behind in posting our wonderful time in Cape Breton, Canada. I hurt my knee and it was very hard for me to sit in a long time in one place. We have since returned home back in Florida and I will be having surgery on October 1st to replace my right knee. I will however continue posting the remaining time of our trip and will keep you updated as to my surgery & recovery.</strong></em></span></div>
squawmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06814752309515986976noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5364688059621858332.post-74507414446548696682012-09-09T16:02:00.000-06:002012-09-09T16:03:10.155-06:00On Our Way to Truro to Meet Our FriendsWell we had the best time at <a href="http://tassiescampgroundreviews.blogspot.com/2012/07/wayside-rv-park-glen-margaret-nova.html"><strong>Wayside RV Park</strong></a> (click for our review) in Glen Margaret, Nova Scotia and visiting Peggy's Cove and all the great little seaside villages around there. We stayed for two weeks and enjoyed many coastal drives and explored everything we could... loved it here!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peggy's Cove</td></tr>
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But now it is time to move onto Truro, Nova Scotia to meet up with our dear friends Elaine & Rick. Such wonderful people we know you would love them so go visit their blog <a href="http://e-rstravels.blogspot.com/"><strong>E & R's Travels</strong></a> and say "HI" to them. We are going to be staying at <a href="http://tassiescampgroundreviews.blogspot.com/2012/08/scotia-pines-campground-truro-nova.html"><strong>Scotia Pines Campground</strong></a> (click RV park name for our review) for the night before we head to Cape Breton with them to stay at Arm of Gold RV Park. Elaine is from Sidney, Nova Scotia so they are going to show us around Cape Breton style.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sites at Scotia Pines</td></tr>
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We were up fairly early the next morning and pulled out for Cape Breton... The drive to Cape Breton was a scenic and wonderful drive ~ we passed rolling hills, fields of flowers, beautiful lakes & rivers and finally came to the bridge to cross over to Cape Breton ~ I was so excited....</div>
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Soon after crossing the bridge at Boulderie Island we were soon at our RV resort <a href="http://tassiescampgroundreviews.blogspot.com/2012/08/arm-of-gold-north-sidney-cape-brenton.html"><strong>Arm of Gold</strong></a> (click RV park name for our review) in North Sidney. What a great park it is and we ended up with prime sites...<br />
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Cape Breton is noted for its beauty and similarity to Scotland... It is filled with fantastic views and so many different colors of green it is amazing. Every night you can find a ceilidh (pronounced "kay-lee") ~ a show featuring folk singing with fiddles, guitars and pianos) somewhere on the Island. We look forward to our next 2 weeks here on the beautiful Island of Cape Breton.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Have Fun & Travel Safe</span></span><br />
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squawmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06814752309515986976noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5364688059621858332.post-39415088325602036152012-09-04T06:26:00.000-06:002012-09-04T06:26:01.759-06:00Swiss Air Flight 111 ~ Tragedy at Sea <br />
I had never heard of Swiss Air Flight 111 or at least I didn't remember it. But while staying here we heard of 2 seperate memorials for this tragedy. It wasn’t until I started to research that I fully realized the sadness of the whole story. I was saddened for all these lives – famous United Nations officials, diplomats, students, couples heading to vacations, the pilots’ families back home, daughters, fathers, lovers. Some of the families of the victims return every year to this place, while others have even bought property here to be even closer to their loved ones. While only 3 victims were actually from Canada (nearly half were Americans, then Swiss and French), the residents of Nova Scotia and Peggy’s Cove instantly mobilized to pitch in and have been here to welcome the victim’s families still to this day…<br />
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<em>History from the internet:</em><br />
On September 2, 1998, the MD-11 flight, which was on its way from New York City to Geneva, Switzerland, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean right here killing all 229 crew and passengers on board. The flight crew had detected smoke coming into the cockpit and had requested a non-emergency landing in Boston. Air Traffic Control offered up Halifax airport, which was even closer. In the next several minutes, the crew proceeded to go through their ‘unknown smoke checklist’ (they had yet to ‘see’ any fire) and after heading toward Halifax Airport, they circled back to the Atlantic to dump fuel. From some reports of burned and melted parts, it appears that fire eventually affected the cockpit which caused the auto-pilot and other controls to shut down. Later reports showed that electrical arcing—a discharge of electricity from a damaged cable—from the wiring for the in-flight entertainment system, triggered the fire which spread rapidly in the plane’s insulation materials, while no one on board new of its severity. To investigators’ surprise, the aircraft’s thermal insulation blankets, which had passed an FAA test for fire safety, readily ignited in a test conducted during the largest transport investigation in Canadian history.<br />
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<a href="http://www.llworldtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/swissair.111.route_.map_.jpg" rel="lightbox[6266]" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="swissair 111 route map"><img alt="swissair.111.route .map Nova Scotia: Peggy’s Cove & the Tragedy of Swiss Air Flight 111" class="size-full wp-image-6283 aligncenter" height="199" src="http://www.llworldtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/swissair.111.route_.map_.jpg" title="swissair 111 route map" width="320" /></a>Just 10 minutes after the initial call, matters grew rapidly worse. It is said that the spreading fire led to the failure of key displays and systems making the crew unable to control the aircraft. Because it was pitch black out and he had no light to see the controls after the displays failed, the pilot was forced to steer the plane blindly. Both pilots now radioed a true ‘emergency declaration’. The Swiss Air flight began descending rapidly and once more declared an emergency. Just seconds later controllers lost all communication with the plane. The first officer continued to try to fly the crippled plane possibly in immense heat. He shut down the second engine approximately one minute before impact, implying he was still alive and at the controls until the aircraft struck the ocean, just about 17 minutes after their initial urgent (but not emergency) call. The plane hit the ocean going a speed of about 350 mph, at a 20 degree nosedive, and at a bank turn angle of 110 degrees (think of 90 degrees as perpendicular to the ocean). The aircraft disintegrated into millions of pieces on impact, killing all on board instantly. A search and rescue operation was launched immediately by the Canadian Coast Guard, the Canadian Forces Air Command, the Maritime Command and the Land Force Command. Dozens of nearby fishing boats and coast guard ships hurried to the crash site, about six miles off the coast of Peggy’s Cove. Because of the impact, only one single passenger was able to be identified visually, the rest were identified by fingerprints, dental records, and DNA and the operation quickly became one of search and recovery. Eventually 98% of the plane was recovered, including 150 miles of wire, and painstakingly sorted, labeled, pieced back together, and used to rebuild the front of the plane inside a hangar in Halifax. The meticulous investigation went on for four years at the cost of approximately $39 million dollars.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swiss Air Flight 111 Memorial at Peggy's Cove</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swiss Air Flight 111 Memorial near Peggy's Cove</td></tr>
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The cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder were found by a submarine using sonar. However, both had stopped recording when the aircraft lost electrical power at approximately 10,000 ft, 5 minutes before impact. The crash is generally believed to have been caused by faulty wiring, after the entertainment system in the plane started to overheat.<br />
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Airline safety expert David Evans said in an interview with PBS’s <em>Nova</em>, “the legacy of this case is enormous, because we have a continuing problem with in-flight smoke and fire. I like to say that if the cabin of a modern jetliner was a restaurant, it would not get an occupancy permit, because you’ve got people in a confined space with no fire detection or suppression, and they’re sitting on top of high-powered electrical circuitry and a big load of fuel. You have all this in very close proximity.”</blockquote>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swiss Air Flight 111 Memorial at Baywater</td></tr>
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I have to admit, as we stood at the shore on this beautiful sunny day in Nova Scotia it was sad that it held this tragedy. So sad ~ it broke my heart. The only fortunate bit of news in all of this was that the plane did crash into the sea and not on land in Nova Scotia perhaps killing even more. Also, the sea water was advantageous in instantly stopping the fire and leaving the debris exactly in the state it was just before impact. Such a sad story but is a BIG part of the South Shore in Nova Scotia.<br />
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squawmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06814752309515986976noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5364688059621858332.post-64495720644363513012012-09-02T06:07:00.001-06:002012-09-02T06:15:53.949-06:00Peggy's Cove ~ South Shore ~ Nova Scotia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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According to legend, Peggy's Cove was named after the only survivor of a schooner that ran aground and sank in 1800... a woman named Margaret. Local folk called her "Peggy" and her home came to be known as Peggy's Cove. The original lighthouse was built in 1868 and is one of the most photographed lighthouse in the world. It was amazing to walk out over the rocks and visit.<br />
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This was definitely a place of interest for us and was on our bucket list. Many of our friends had traveled here and we heard a lot of stories as to how charming the little village was and how magnificent the lighthouse was... Their stories were all true!<br />
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The lighthouse is definitely one of the major draws to this small community but there is so much more. It is an actual working fishing village with a year round population of only about 60 permanent residents. <br />
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There are many gift shops and museums in this quaint little village along with the William Edward <span style="font-family: inherit;">deGarthe Museum, a famous artist who carved a village scene on a granite wall and did many paintings showing everyday life of Peggy's Cove.</span><br />
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Peggy's Cove is one of the top tourist areas on the South Shore of Nova Scotia and is really a great place to spend the day... Great views ~ Good restaurant ~ Fabulous lighthouse ~ and the deGarthe Museum.. I hope you enjoyed our visit there and you get to see it for yourselves one day.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">Have Fun & Travel Safe</span></strong></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.glitter-graphics.com/"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="57" src="http://dl7.glitter-graphics.net/pub/956/956467t7flrhds05.gif" width="102" /></span></a></div>
squawmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06814752309515986976noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5364688059621858332.post-81347245294181843932012-08-31T05:46:00.000-06:002012-08-31T05:46:09.736-06:00Lunenburg ~ Nova Scotia ~ What Can I Say<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0w-uA-6loTNNVDWSv4YJLbwBRcRLz6CWk13cW-9N_Yow16btsHppAIqozKuLj3OabdVyoQuUCSbByorCr1QDSkCThpI2N774DTqUGF8AoiOPoVHLoqEQihcUiLOqM8509d8mTNcTjdpfQ/s1600/Lunenberg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="90" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0w-uA-6loTNNVDWSv4YJLbwBRcRLz6CWk13cW-9N_Yow16btsHppAIqozKuLj3OabdVyoQuUCSbByorCr1QDSkCThpI2N774DTqUGF8AoiOPoVHLoqEQihcUiLOqM8509d8mTNcTjdpfQ/s640/Lunenberg.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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If you ever visit Nova Scotia, try to spend a day at Lunenburg. This quaint,
beautifully kept heritage town was established in 1753 as the first British Colonial settlement in Nova Scotia outside of Halifax.
These early settlers were from various parts of Germany, Switzerland, and
France. Many of the settlers were enticed to come to Nova Scotia by being
offered freedom of religion - there are five rather large churches in this small
town, one of them being the oldest Lutheran church in Canada and there is also a larger beautiful St. John's Anglican church built by the British .<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDp8Mlq5laUh61j1TTFzKgz6krFLHpUYJrb0FKjQEhZEUzGKCqbBjem5NyXsGl1q5a839Z9F97wsuuSv7-FF6s_emEHhLQDMpkfmio7CKW8mppUFXZSf9BtAFK6h2ipWlptGUwONxyc6eD/s1600/St+Johns+Anglican+Church-Zion+Evangelical+Chruch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDp8Mlq5laUh61j1TTFzKgz6krFLHpUYJrb0FKjQEhZEUzGKCqbBjem5NyXsGl1q5a839Z9F97wsuuSv7-FF6s_emEHhLQDMpkfmio7CKW8mppUFXZSf9BtAFK6h2ipWlptGUwONxyc6eD/s400/St+Johns+Anglican+Church-Zion+Evangelical+Chruch.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. John's Anglican Church ~ Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Lunenburg prides itself on its many historic churches — St. John's Anglican (built 1754), Zion Evangelical Lutheran (1890-91), St. Norbert's Roman Catholic (ca.1840), Central United, formerly Methodist (1883-85) and St. Andrew's Presbyterian (1828). <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7XY3BV9vI1fBRBcKjYpRb8CqPJ1Wly_4e274n_CgvXKkWBf1aqN0mUK5TLyomuJlMI7Kyd0fqEC9aOT9Ou8-iIWy6mpMBVpDnAhohQAAZzGx6FXhPzNo3ac8VkNrA5DfPAy_hV1SIEOBa/s1600/Church+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7XY3BV9vI1fBRBcKjYpRb8CqPJ1Wly_4e274n_CgvXKkWBf1aqN0mUK5TLyomuJlMI7Kyd0fqEC9aOT9Ou8-iIWy6mpMBVpDnAhohQAAZzGx6FXhPzNo3ac8VkNrA5DfPAy_hV1SIEOBa/s640/Church+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Andrews Presbyterian Church ~ Central Untied Church ~ St.'s Roman Catholic Church</td></tr>
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All the beautiful Historic and really great homes.... These homes were painted in such vivid colors and designs with each one having it's own great personality ~ Here are just 8 of the many<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWd3wuPPVYFALjjburpMfVTlx0fkhfdvrkX8pilujceC6gNrUb7psurUcOnatl8VLtNWchZSEh1qHlPQlkw_KvkRE-07AKr6Ae_Uu1HpZn76IgWvaH6mqn_bQErybLDoWyKfAzpbMgR_gD/s1600/Homes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWd3wuPPVYFALjjburpMfVTlx0fkhfdvrkX8pilujceC6gNrUb7psurUcOnatl8VLtNWchZSEh1qHlPQlkw_KvkRE-07AKr6Ae_Uu1HpZn76IgWvaH6mqn_bQErybLDoWyKfAzpbMgR_gD/s640/Homes.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Historic Homes from the late 1700's to the early 1800's</td></tr>
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The fabulous waterfront..... was charming and full of energy!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3pzKtKeazUa_4-8A1II33uhfN7nKC58twUhJfGkdRJQGaYSn7mIjXg8KEbNin0-RBvGEcLC-Nlgeuz0_he1WV-KUgLH7N6w7rPYnLsMuA7WitczqmymHIjT_ZX9cT_-HXOde8MCQZsSQS/s1600/Waterfront.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3pzKtKeazUa_4-8A1II33uhfN7nKC58twUhJfGkdRJQGaYSn7mIjXg8KEbNin0-RBvGEcLC-Nlgeuz0_he1WV-KUgLH7N6w7rPYnLsMuA7WitczqmymHIjT_ZX9cT_-HXOde8MCQZsSQS/s640/Waterfront.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwnc4IIAkg5crCGa8IS5hl8S3axVwWFMYwp2ehe752kC2SqI6gy_WUZ8oXlLPwABXwOEgpohU325Jxrf-k5FEPuiy7Wn3GopwCqNB6Zmm3TdQy0qTkA1KJUgYYKzleU7KBWYv_QeUiY5Bo/s1600/Bluenose+II.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwnc4IIAkg5crCGa8IS5hl8S3axVwWFMYwp2ehe752kC2SqI6gy_WUZ8oXlLPwABXwOEgpohU325Jxrf-k5FEPuiy7Wn3GopwCqNB6Zmm3TdQy0qTkA1KJUgYYKzleU7KBWYv_QeUiY5Bo/s1600/Bluenose+II.jpg" /></a>Also the world renowned <strong><em>Bluenose II</em></strong> Sailing Vessel is located here in Lunenburg ~ <strong><em>Bluenose II</em></strong> is a replica of the fishing schooner <i>Bluenose</i> which was built in 1963 as a promotional yacht for Oland Brewery and became Nova Scotia's sailing ambassador in 1971. It is being refurbished and should be ready soon to sail the seas once again.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The</span><em><strong> Bluenose</strong></em> was a Canadian fishing and racing schooner from Nova Scotia built in 1921. She was later commemorated by a replica <i>Bluenose II</i> built in 1963. A celebrated racing ship and hard-working fishing vessel, <i>Bluenose</i> became a provincial icon for Nova Scotia and an important Canadian symbol in the 1930s. The name "bluenose" originated as a nickname for Nova Scotians from as early as the late 18th century. The Bluenose sank on a reef off the coast of Haiti in 1946.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1dvmIAzAMsIh1WfksmCP-TWjsBRDuNJ6lqn3_vs6H1tPH2XeAIiK0IPbMO7UMUpAiR9fQYjW9EG4X7_wZgEfco7goeriOxOuhFq3Dwk70R1U2Iu16T3QrQLrb8yjf4U07X5DyzewMgPTx/s1600/Bluenose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1dvmIAzAMsIh1WfksmCP-TWjsBRDuNJ6lqn3_vs6H1tPH2XeAIiK0IPbMO7UMUpAiR9fQYjW9EG4X7_wZgEfco7goeriOxOuhFq3Dwk70R1U2Iu16T3QrQLrb8yjf4U07X5DyzewMgPTx/s640/Bluenose.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bluenose II being renovated and will soon be sailing once again</td></tr>
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Last but not least the sweet historic walk down the main street along the wharf ~ with all the colorful historic buildings ~ gift shops and many good restaurants to choose from ~ there were also horse and buggy rides and buildings to explore. What a fun town...<br />
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Lunenburg is right up there as one of our favorite towns to visit in Canada ~ with it's historic buildings and the color explosion throughout the town and unique architecture... It definitely should be put on your BUCKET list if you haven't been here.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">Have Fun & Travel Safe</span></strong></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.glitter-graphics.com/"><span style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="57" src="http://dl7.glitter-graphics.net/pub/956/956467t7flrhds05.gif" width="102" /></span></a></div>
squawmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06814752309515986976noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5364688059621858332.post-82866608819149182202012-08-19T06:10:00.001-06:002012-08-20T06:15:37.722-06:00Two Charming TownsI was finally getting caught up with my blogging but atlas I am in Cape Brenton and still haven't finished my post on around the South Shore area of Nova Scotia so here I go again... <br />
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We started out towards Lunenburg but got sidetracked by 2 other quaint little towns ~ Chester & Mahone Bay. What a beautiful day it was indeed... we drove along the coast until we came to the Old Train Station in Chester, which is now a visitor center. Gorgeous coastal drive...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAvCfKXnVGl7hjO-GNLvJMddm1Ts9kGUrIZSCPuO-S4saNzhqAb0GZOsnjaIslQvRPHeghNE6LmmZc7egP3f5qHK4_9HSiLlXFqzjqxwc8UqteYsochXzfGge9S3pbV0FlcmUBneUX7qVO/s1600/Scenic+Route+to+Chester.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAvCfKXnVGl7hjO-GNLvJMddm1Ts9kGUrIZSCPuO-S4saNzhqAb0GZOsnjaIslQvRPHeghNE6LmmZc7egP3f5qHK4_9HSiLlXFqzjqxwc8UqteYsochXzfGge9S3pbV0FlcmUBneUX7qVO/s640/Scenic+Route+to+Chester.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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Chester, a charming historic seaside village, rich in tradition and hospitality, which was officially founded in 1759. The first permanent European-descended settlers were a group from Massachusetts who came to the area in 1761.<br />
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Chester is one of the wealthiest communities in the province of Nova Scotia with many seasonal and year-round residents. The nearby waters of Mahone Bay and its numerous islands are well known for yachting and have made Chester into a vacation destination. The day we were there, there was a lot of sail boats on the bay ~ we sat for a long time and just enjoyed watching them as the glided through the water so gracefully.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyqIlrV9bSif6xGaY2759nEmOSSmbtEN408dumI6BNa3k0bGzw2u8o2poXAFz91B_zzIn4DboRQn7r0bD6AneiuKkYLgT-4NDitLRdJwnQdBGli9AJaSmDimTbdwnFKgxUV6kxVku4gYKF/s1600/Chester2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyqIlrV9bSif6xGaY2759nEmOSSmbtEN408dumI6BNa3k0bGzw2u8o2poXAFz91B_zzIn4DboRQn7r0bD6AneiuKkYLgT-4NDitLRdJwnQdBGli9AJaSmDimTbdwnFKgxUV6kxVku4gYKF/s640/Chester2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Our other stop for the day was at the very touristy town of Mahone Bay... So beautiful and is Mahone Bay which was founded in 1754. The harborfront is the heart of Mahone Bay. Three historic churches are perched on the water’s edge and is an awesome site as you head into the area. The downtown area is filled with historic homes, craftspeople, art galleries, quaint shops and restaurants. You could spend hours walking & driving through the area.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFTaUMaBANT8AvVTu6BumazvZCp_xVHJtzgbgGlbDm34EQZb7jz5ZN5BB5ZbkGjgZCN44kvsce7aEkgf_qmy8PaRprhnYYxgudYqao_FU_NaHhvQNFFdqgJtNYC1dHmuCHrYd3bpfPIVU/s1600/Mahone+Bay+Photos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFTaUMaBANT8AvVTu6BumazvZCp_xVHJtzgbgGlbDm34EQZb7jz5ZN5BB5ZbkGjgZCN44kvsce7aEkgf_qmy8PaRprhnYYxgudYqao_FU_NaHhvQNFFdqgJtNYC1dHmuCHrYd3bpfPIVU/s640/Mahone+Bay+Photos.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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We love these small coastal towns and enjoyed our day driving and walking around them. </div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">Have Fun & Travel Safe</span></strong></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.glitter-graphics.com/"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="57" src="http://dl7.glitter-graphics.net/pub/956/956467t7flrhds05.gif" width="102" /></span></a></div>
squawmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06814752309515986976noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5364688059621858332.post-13303708652545445042012-08-07T08:05:00.001-06:002012-08-07T08:05:54.806-06:00A True Tragedy ~ SS Atlantic<span class="field-content">We headed out early in the morning to find a Lighthouse and a memorial on the SS Atlantic. The SS Atlantic was a White Star luxury liner that sunk on April 1st 1873 ~ the same people owned the RMS Titanic which sank on April 15th, 1912. Both of these ships has history with Nova Scotia and we went to visit the area that was involved with the SS Atlantic while down in Lower Prospect.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgfq-oxe_9jN87e35XxMZNc60NE4IyQPA4mbvUpxRl9u_Sr0E0BLQC2DzoVPnHegsBqKVGrb5WwnfNqvl_OBdS6fGw3blR29J_xPUndRkv-Qa8Lo2OTiuU0gAK-3Dq8h8XQV_BI3nDoKkm/s1600/Lower+Prospect.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgfq-oxe_9jN87e35XxMZNc60NE4IyQPA4mbvUpxRl9u_Sr0E0BLQC2DzoVPnHegsBqKVGrb5WwnfNqvl_OBdS6fGw3blR29J_xPUndRkv-Qa8Lo2OTiuU0gAK-3Dq8h8XQV_BI3nDoKkm/s640/Lower+Prospect.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sandy Cove Lighthouse ~ coastal views and a small replication of the town that some man made in his front yard <br />
(it was very cool)</td></tr>
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Here is an old photo from the museum of the retrieval efforts of the SS Atlantic ~ all you can see is the mast of the ship. It sunk here but within 5 days had fallen further down into the ocean.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="imagecache imagecache-620x310 imagecache-default imagecache-620x310_default" height="310" src="http://www.openfile.ca/files/imagecache/620x310/files_halifax/story_text/atlantic2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="" width="620" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sailors scavenge the wreck of the The S.S. Atlantic—the other White Star catastrophe—for bodies and valuables. The Atlantic has more casualties buried near Halifax than the Titanic, and its hulk lies on the floor of Nova Scotian waters.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The White Star’s luxury steamship <em>S.S. Atlantic </em>ran into Mar’s Head at Lower Prospect on April 1, 1873. It appears April was an unlucky month for the White Star Line. This was the worst single vessel disaster to occur in Canadian waters prior to the Titanic which also sank in April. Five hundred and sixty two people lost their lives that day, but 390 were saved due to the efforts of the local fishermen and their families.<br /> </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBXsGahyd9rXoqqCZs1ZuG91T3BCq4vrJkuREiMTMHwhtEzqpQhLOaroDEnBOWznp20-jx9XmmRluL1dkImFkfNbXoMUJknDrHj0yO8gYv1BNJrcajiYX9-sjclDJ04kE9ymQNivv1uk4G/s1600/Interpative+Center.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBXsGahyd9rXoqqCZs1ZuG91T3BCq4vrJkuREiMTMHwhtEzqpQhLOaroDEnBOWznp20-jx9XmmRluL1dkImFkfNbXoMUJknDrHj0yO8gYv1BNJrcajiYX9-sjclDJ04kE9ymQNivv1uk4G/s640/Interpative+Center.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Visit the SS Atlantic Museum first to understand the horrific tragedy and the stories of heroes rescues. See artifacts that have been recovered from the sunken ship stories of the crew and passengers.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">There is an Interpretation Center, the mass burial site, a boardwalk that wraps around the coastline, and a gazebo to take in the magnificent view. This area has been landscaped and interpretive panels installed which tell the story of this disaster.</span> The young man in the Museum was so full of information and was very helpful helping us understand more the circumstances that lead up to that fateful crash upon the rocks of Terence Bay.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeu5DrVmXfGMNgVbTcC1Epgnj8tF18Cyke2D7luOBixsZ89ruDK4nFmniJuSlXo8UBLAs4RzwnTkOZLwKs_qAMewuOWKN1KQSDH5lqH0vzaZId8eRHR_o8GuChzP2cii1Q7FIUwm5uuwdI/s1600/SS+Atlantic+Memorial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeu5DrVmXfGMNgVbTcC1Epgnj8tF18Cyke2D7luOBixsZ89ruDK4nFmniJuSlXo8UBLAs4RzwnTkOZLwKs_qAMewuOWKN1KQSDH5lqH0vzaZId8eRHR_o8GuChzP2cii1Q7FIUwm5uuwdI/s640/SS+Atlantic+Memorial.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">~ Memorial Park ~ </td></tr>
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The ships of those days divided their passengers by class... The front part of the ship held single men, the center was families and the rear of the ship held single woman. When the ship hit the rocks the front half was broken completely off and the other two thirds of the ship sunk right away. The only survivors were all men and one small boy who just so happened to be spending the night in the front with his brother. So terribly sad... This area we are visiting right now has had more then there share of tragedies and have put together beautiful memorials for each one of them. Tragedy that brings people together to help and remember. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfITh3T75lED3dA8IIXi9cO7NLgnLsVO6WdqMhwuBU7MmJQV_GDcaoB7P4Z274TA83LGsHpO_gRAPbEQs6lLHfm8J2qSFoJGUrL5h2966EDH3bZswE0u102VlZZvDF1LDtCT_hInhvhf0/s1600/SS+Atlantic+Memorial2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfITh3T75lED3dA8IIXi9cO7NLgnLsVO6WdqMhwuBU7MmJQV_GDcaoB7P4Z274TA83LGsHpO_gRAPbEQs6lLHfm8J2qSFoJGUrL5h2966EDH3bZswE0u102VlZZvDF1LDtCT_hInhvhf0/s640/SS+Atlantic+Memorial2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">~ Memorial Park ~</td></tr>
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We really enjoyed learning the history of this sad event in Terence Bay as strange as it may sound. If you come this way be sure to come out to explore this coastal area town, Sandy Cove Lighthouse and the SS Atlantic Museum & Memorial. It is well worth the trip.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>Have Fun & Travel Safe</strong></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.glitter-graphics.com/"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="57" src="http://dl7.glitter-graphics.net/pub/956/956467t7flrhds05.gif" width="102" /></span></a></div>
squawmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06814752309515986976noreply@blogger.com3