UPDATE! We are HOME

Well again its been awhile since my last post, so thought I would give everyone a quick update.

We left Country Oaks on March 14th and headed for Alabama to meet up with Deb's cousin Al.

We won't talk much about the 1st days drive except to say it left a lasting impression on us and the camper. It seems we found a 12' bridge and the camper is 12' 8". Almost stopped, but not before the 1st 15' of the camper went under. Only damage was to the roof vent covers and my pride. Got the covers fixed and the pride thing I can now laugh at.

Had a great get together with Al and his family at Smith Lake, Alabama. He brought his 18' Bayliner with him and we went for about a 17 mile ride on the lake. Even Sam liked it.

We made stops in Americus, Ga; Auburn, Al; Smith Lake (Near Cullman, Al); Bowling Green, Ky; Lebanon, Oh; Monroe, Mi and finally home on Mar 26.

It was sort of a let down to get home and see about 8" of snow still on the ground, but that's Mi for you.

It was GREAT to see the kids and grand kids when we got home. Even tho it was a wonderful trip and loads of experiences, we still missed everyone.

I will try to keep the blog up to date a little better.

DAD

P.S. not sure if they made it all the way home with us, but about 1/2 way home I did notice a couple of the lizards on the roof of the camper. Tried to catch one but he ducted under the cover to the a/c unit.

SALAMANDERS & SKINKS

We have friends hanging out in the trees beside the camper.
The green ones are salamanders and the big brown one is called a "broad-headed skink".
http://www.uga.edu/srelherp/SPARC/trip23.htm
He is about 9 inches long and is very shy, only coming out completely when we are inside and watch him from a window. They are cool to watch. The green salamanders turn green to brown depending on what they are on.
Hope none decide to come home with us. We have seen them on top of one of the slides on the camper.

DEB'S BIRTHDAY 2-29-08

Friday, Feb 29th, we had a surprise birthday lunch for Deb at Marianne's Cafe in St. Marys. It is and old restored Victorian Home and they serve home cooked Southern meals in about 5 of the different room in the home. There is a picture of the Cafe at the bottom of this post. Then that evening we all got together at the pub ( local gathering spot at Jeff & Sid's campsite) for snacks, cake & ice cream, and a pint of brew. Great time. These are just a few shots from the pub.

ST. AUGUSTINE 2-27-08

Feb 27th, Another group trip down to St. Augustine, Fl., http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St.%20Augustine,%20Florida The oldest continuously occupied European city in the U.S. Very charming and beautiful. Toured the Fort of Castillo de San Marcos that guarded the city. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castillo_de_San_Marcos Visited the quaint shops in the downtown area. Visited Some of the administrative buildings of Flagler College. That's where the shots of the woodworking were taken. It was originally built as a hotel for the rich, known as the Ponce de Leon Hotel. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponce_de_Le%C3%B3n_Hotel Also visited a beautiful Presbyterian Church, and saw the oldest schoolhouse in the U.S.. Check out the bananas growing on the tree to the left.

CUMBERLAND ISLAND 2-25-08

Feb 25th, we went to Cumberland Island National Seashore Park. It was about 1/2 hour ferry ride out to the Island. Very warm and sunny. Walked about 5 to 6 miles on trails and down the beach. Made a lucky find on the beach. Found a whole sandollar, about 4 inches across. We saw wild turkeys, armadillos, and wild feral horses. The ruins at Dungeness were great. It was built by the Carnegie's and used as their resort. It was later destroyed by fire. Rumor has it that they had caught some poachers on the island, and that the poachers had came back and torched the mansion. I will try to add a link to more info on the island. http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cumberland_Island&oldid=193404711

JACKSONVILLE ZOO 2-12-08

Feb 12th , another group trip to Jacksonville to take in the Zoo. The pictures pretty much tell the whole story. Had a great day and really enjoyed seeing all the animals. The baby giraffe was only 2 weeks old. and the one of the ostrich was wild. He was doing a mating dance. He dropped down and held out his wings and whipped his neck and head back and forth for about 5 minutes. I took a video of it but can't post it because I had the camera turned sideways, and there is no way to rotate the clip like you can do a picture.

Anyway hope you all enjoy the pictures.