Ghost Children of San Antonio

THE LEGEND:
"Back in the 1930s a school bus full of children was making its way down the road and towards an intersection when it stalled on the railroad tracks. A speeding train smashed into the bus, killing 10 of the children and the bus driver. Since that dreadful accident many years ago, any car stopped near the railroad tracks will be pushed by unseen hands across the tracks to safety. It is the spirits of the children, they say, who push the cars, uphill, across the tracks to prevent a tragedy and fate like their own. The second half of this legend is that if a light powder - like talcum or baby powder - is sprinkled over the car's trunk and rear bumper, tiny fingerprints and handprints will appear - the prints of the ghost children pushing the car. Many who have tried it swear that indeed they can see the evidence of small children's handprints in the powder."

THE TEST:
Hey, we had an afternoon to kill (no pun intended). We found the small country road and parked 30 yards from the tracks on an uphill. Since our car had not been washed for a month I didn't see any use in sprinkling powder on the back bumper, there was plenty of road dust. Sure enough the car began to roll uphill gaining speed across the tracks.



We turned back onto the road to find another car had stopped, and was just sitting there. He rolled down the window and asked "how do you do this, I'm in neutral and nothing is happening". The car was a large sedan and I guessed that perhaps his car weighed too much, but just then, an equally large car pulled up behind him waiting it's turn. He pulled over and sure enough the other car began to roll.
The driver of the first sedan then decided that the "ghost children" needed some help. He got out of his car and began to push. When he had up a good head of steam, he jumped back in, but the car slowed to a stop well short of the tracks.



I suggested that the ghost children were none too fond of him and he drove away frustrated.

By the way... there were no tiny hand prints in the dust on the rear of the car. I guess now I'll have to wash it.

Westward Ho, Ho, Ho....(holiday humor)

Now that Christmas is over we have begun heading west....yes, I know, we've been heading west since we left Florida but now we're heading back "into" the west.

First stop, San Antonio. Let's see.... where did we go there??? Ah, yes I remember...The Alamo.



and of course lunch on The River Walk...



At first the city seemed overly crowded with tourist. We then found out that tomorrow is the Alamo Bowl. Thousands of Penn State and Texas A and M fans have made the trek. I think most of them picked the same day as us to tour the Alamo. A long line of Aggies and Nittany Lions wrapped around the building. Happily a second battle didn't ensue.

a Paws in our travels..

We want to wish everyone happy holidays while we visit with family in Texas.

Our adventures will continue soon.

Naw-lins

Since Donna has not been to New Orleans , we did all the touristy stuff: hurricanes at Pat Obrien's, catfish po boys, a walk along the Mississippi, a stroll to the garden district, clubbing down Bourbon Street, and of course morning coffee and beignets at Cafe du Monde.



Yes that's Donna eating fried dough and powdered sugar! (She only went there for me and since tomorrow is my birthday, the big 50, she couldn't possibly turn down the request...that's her story and she's sticking to it).

The tourist haven't quite returned in droves to the city. In past walks down Bourbon Street it was hard to get from one side to the other. This time there were only scattered groups of people and this was after a Saints football game in which they won.

I would say that only a third of the businesses are back in full swing. Another third are still being repaired and the final third have packed up and gone elsewhere. Good timing for us, I guess, as we have not had to wait in any lines.

Here's a final picture, the Royal Sonesta decorated for the holidays.

Swim'n with da fishes...uh..manatees

Our Manatee Tour began at 5:30 in the morning. It was cold. It was foggy. It was....well...DARK. After a one hour boat ride up river, it was still cold and foggy but at least it was daybreak. Apparently the manatees are most active in the early morning and the alligators are not, or so claimed our captain. After a little searching one was found lounging on the bottom but even after being warned and watching the required video, the two kids on board splashed noisily into the water scaring it away. I suggested we steam on and leave them there (to test the alligator theory) but the parents objected. Another manatee was located and this time we all quietly slipped into the water. All in all a fun experience. I wish I had a better manatee picture to post but we only had an inexpensive, disposable, underwater camera and it was...well...DARK!

What is this...Rocket Science???

We have been waiting for the space shuttle to launch since Thursday. Finally at 3pm today NASA announced that the launch would take place at 3:20pm tomorrow (Sunday). I rushed over to the office and extended our stay by one day only to get back and find that in the 15 minutes I was gone the launch is now "tentative" again!

We can send a man to the moon... BUT.... well you know the rest.

If the shuttle doesn't launch tomorrow we will have to leave as we have reservations to swim with the manatees at 5:30am on Tuesday on the other side of Florida. I hope the manatees are more reliable than our space program.

Coincidence....I think not!

We decided to take a tour of the Kennedy Space Center a day before the scheduled shuttle launch. Security was high, including a metal detector and search of carried bags. Those bringing in cameras, which we both had, were required to turn them on. When Donna went to turn hers off she hit the button to take a picture by mistake causing the flash to go off. Security was immediately scrambled and they stood next to her to make sure she deleted the "out of focus" picture of the floor. BUT NOW we find that the shuttle mission has been scrubbed for today. Obviously a closer security check has turned up something in her background. Oh well, we built in one extra day here just in case but after that we will have to watch it on TV.

5th Rock from the Sun

Currently in Jupiter, Florida. This is the first week since we have been gone, that we have done absolutely nothing! No pictures to post no stories about close calls with wildlife and no death defying hikes. Each morning we go on a long walk and then swim the dog at the beach across the street. Afternoons are spent by the pool with a mai tai. I think after 6 months we are finally getting the hang of this.

When in Rome...uh...Naples

While in Naples, our closest stop to the everglades, we took a 30 mile drive down a narrow dirt road in the middle of the swamp.



At every possible stop there was...you guessed it...alligators.



Dory had to stay in the car as we were fearful of letting her out even for a moment. This was reenforced when Donna stopped by the ranger station for a map and saw a photo of a gator eating a german shepherd (the dog not the nomad). In fact one of our guides on a later trip made a point of saying that if you get out of your car, make sure to leave the doors open so you can jump back in in a hurry. No mention was made of what to do if a gator had crawled in your car while you were away.

The day before Thanksgiving we took a boat tour of the Everglades 10,000 islands.



These mangrove (not to be confused with mango) covered islands are teaming with birds dining on fish....



and Pacific bottle nosed dolphins that rode the wake of our boat and jumped out of the water...






Tomorrow we leave for the Atlantic side of Florida, ah Palm Beach...Boca Raton.... the only alligators there are on izod shirts.

Gators-Galore

Ok, we chickened out on kayaking and opted for an airboat tour. There were hundreds of birds ....ho hum... more beautiful birds in flight....



...and of course gators...



...gators....



...gators...



Each time we passed one, it would enter the water and swim towards the boat. I think our decision not to paddle in our inflatable kayaks was a wise one!

Duck, Duck, Goose...

Or as they play it here in Florida...Turkey, Turkey, Gator. We watched this guy sneak up on a meal only to turn away at the last minute. I think he figured out that they were turkey vultures. Besides Thanksgiving isn't for another week.



We hiked on trails surrounded by palmettos...



...and brightly colored birds like this Roseate Spoonbill...



I'm trying to convince Donna to rent kayaks, but here is a picture of the launch area...



We might have to take an air boat ride instead.

pagers....cellphones...you know what to do with them.

....a post for all our friends currently working at Oracle OpenWorld.

Alas, I can't bring myself to post a picture of us here is Sarasota Florida, 82 degrees, sunny, our barefoot feet caressed by the warm Gulf of Mexico, while you all slave away, that would be too cruel. But rest assured I am raising an umbrelled drink in your direction and hoping it's as painless as possible. Our thoughts are with you....well at least until the second drink.

OK I lied.... here's a picture:

In the Garden of Gump and Evil

Our search for the warm weather took us first to Myrtle Beach, SC. where it was 80 degrees and we had the beaches to ourselves....



....not to mention the, all you can eat, crab leg buffetts....(yes, they're lowfat!)



The weather turned cold and windy so it was on to Savannah, GA., were we we took an open air bus tour of the historic district and saw block after block of manicured town squares including the one where Forest Gump sat on a bench telling his story to any one who would listen. There were also several buildings from the book/movie Midnight In the Garden of Good and Evil.



We opted to stay in Skidaway State Park where we hiked through trees draped in Spanish Moss...



...and filled with wildlife (no gators yet)...



...as well as the remains of a moonshine still, I guess we're finally in the South.

The nights and mornings are still chilly so tomorrow we have decided to head to Florida.

Other than that Mrs. Lincoln...How was the play?

Other than the emergency room here are some other things we did while in the Shenandoah Valley:

A tour of the Luray Caverns provided spectacular scenery...



...as well as a recital played on an organ more than 150 feet below the surface. Hammers strike stalactites in perfect pitch.



There was also a classic car and carriage museum. Here Donna checks out an original gas saver...the Stanley Steamer.




A mere 4 days after my surgery I was fit enough to hike in the Shenandoah National Park and view the fall colors.



While in Staunton (pronounced Stantan), home of Woodrow Wilson and the Statler Brothers, we attended a Shakespeare theater performance of Romeo and Juliet.

This area has definitely made our short list of places to live.

Time to pay the piper....

Our previous blog spoke about the delicious meal we had near Monticello. Apparently that was all my body needed to send me over the edge. Another midnight rush to the emergency room left no doubt about the outcome and I was scheduled for surgery the next morning. The simple outpatient operation turned out to be not so simple once they found my gallbladder had reached the acute stage with gangreen and some 20 or more stones. We have extended our stay here for a few more days to make sure that I am healing properly. I don't think I'll be having any more fried chicken dinners any time soon.

Monticello: Thomas Jefferson and historic lettuce...

We took a rainy-day tour of Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence (an original copy of which is in the mansion....no pictures please!)

After a tour of the mansion we walked to his grave site where some visitors have placed nickels atop the tomb.....and others, those who had flunked grade school history, placed pennies.



A journey around the grounds took us to the garden containing flowers and vegetables that were direct descendants from those that grew there 200 years ago. Donna bought several packets of these "heirloom seeds" to start a garden when we land somewhere. I don't care how famous the broccoli is I'm still not eating it!




And speaking of food...our next stop was the Michie Tavern, for hundreds of years a stop for weary travelers. Costumed servers dished up a southern fair consisting of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, and cornbread followed by peach cobbler ala mode. Hard to believe but this was Donna's idea. She even complimented the fried chicken. I would have taken pictures but wasn't about to free up a hand to do so before Donna came to her senses.

Fall is finally in the air and the sunny 80 degree weather of last week has turned to cold and rainy. The colors are just beginning here in Virginia.

On the Road....Again

Today we hit the road, again, for part 2 of our journey...or is it part 3?

We have been on a 11 day stop-over in Suffolk, Va. visiting with granddaughter Lydian, as well as having repairs done to the RV. Along with Virginia Beach...



... where the water was full of porpise and the air full of jet fighters.....



...we went to the aquarium ...




the Children's Museum (for kids of all ages, that's Ryan in the bubble machine)......



...and Busch Gardens...


While here, we decided to splurge on a hotel for the first time during our trip.....now we'll have to get used to the confines of the RV all over again.

Whew! Time to catch up...

This will be a lengthy blog as we have been very busy and not posted for more than a week. After leaving Massachusetts we headed to:

Mystic Seaport, Connecticut.

Donna was here when she was 16 and remembers it as a quaint re-creation of a whaling village. We really liked the museums and tall ships, or short ships if you are below deck.



On the downside asking directions was a little tough and they need to work on their petting zoo.



From there it was on, to Pennsylvania. Although the leaves still had a ways to go there was color to be found.

We had a nice visit with relatives in Danville as well as a trip to one of the largest farmers markets (more than a football field in length) restocking our supply of fresh fruits, vegetables, and pies.



Then it was on to Lancaster, right in the heart of Amish country. Driving through towns with names like; Bird in Hand, and Intercourse, you have to share the road with horse drawn carriages and people powered scooters, which are the main modes of transportation.



Here the modern world collides with the past:



Another day was spent on a driving tour of Gettysburg. After purchasing the audio CD in the bookstore, you followed it on a 2.5 hour tour of the battlegrounds. As well as a walk through the cemetery where Lincoln delivered his address.



And of course no trip to Pennsylvania is complete without a visit to the town of Hershey where the street lights are Hershey's kisses.



And there's chocolate a plenty!



Then it was on to Washington DC.



We actually stayed in Maryland and took the Metro right from the campground to the Mall. There were of course monuments and museums...



...as well as the Smithsonian where you could not only see items like, The Wright Brothers plane, giant stuffed elephants and Albert Einstein's pipe...



...but a few gems like, Dorothy's Ruby slippers and The Hope Diamond...



...along side Archie Bunker's chair, Seinfield's puffy shirt and Mr. Rogers' sweater...



...and my personal favorite the original penicillin mold.



Finally we were off to the National Zoo to see the pandas...



...and no matter the museum, exhibit or monument there are no entry fees, because, that's right as taxpayers, you've already paid for it (only 42 thousand dollars each!)