Southeast USA Travels May 2007

NOTE: Blogs are arranged from newest to oldest. Scroll down for older text & pics on New Zealand or check the archives for text older than 1 month.

Due to several circumstances, we had not seen our son Tom in about two years and had not seen our Daughter Anne since Christmas. This prompted a 2.5 week road trip that is the subject of this text. As Dr. Seuss said: "Oh the things that you'll see; oh the things that you'll do." Let's begin:

Thursday, May 3rd. Today is a driving day. Several days on the trip are driving days, as we covered about 3,000 miles between May 3rd and our return home on May 20th. Travel took us through 13 states: Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas. Five AM we leave for our first destination, Bloomington, Indiana. Anne has lived there for about a year now. Employment was secured as an engineer, and Anne really likes the area.

Driving was pleasant, and traffic was light, except for a 1-hr delay just west of Terre Haute. As spring has been wet, the whole trip offers a riot of flowers, fully leafed forests and lush pasturage. Our driving routine is that every 2 hours we switch drivers. It is about 14 hours from Kearney to Bloomington (with the delay).

Bloomington is very like the area in Connecticut where I grew up, a rolling terrain and tree-covered. I can see why Anne prefers this area. The next few days are thoroughly enjoyable, as Anne is fun and interesting to be with.


Friday, May 4th. Thirty miles south of Bloomington is the small town of Mitchell, Indiana. Virgil "Gus" Grissom was born and raised here. You may remember him as one of the three astronauts who died in the Apollo 1 flash fire during a test on the launch pad. Of course, he is a local hero and there is a memorial housing many items related to his life housed in Spring Mill Park, just outside of Mitchell. Of course we tour the memorial and then spend several hours in this beautiful state park.

Spring Mill State Park encompasses 1319 acres located in the Karst region of Indiana. About 25% of the park has never been lumbered. Which means that this park is one of the largest remaining Eastern virgin forests. I remember reading about this area in a long ago geography class. Always wanted to see "karsts". For those who weren't paying attention in USA geography class, a karst is a sink hole. Sink holes are caused when the underlying limestone is eroded away and the resultant cave collapses, creating a karst or sink hole. Caves are associated with the sink holes, as they precede the formation of the karst.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_Mill_State_Park
I love the trees (lots of oaks) and a short forest walk brings us to one of the caves, Donaldson Cave. As it is spring, and as it is wet, the cave hosts a rushing stream. The State of Indiana has kindly provided a walkway to keep you out of the stream and yet allow entry to the cave.




After getting my forest fix, we motor to another part of the park that hosts a restored 1830's village, known as Spring Mill. This town prospered until the mid-1800s when the B & O Railroad bypassed it, and the town became a ghost town. The buildings are original from the period (some being moved in and some restored). Costumed period volunteers explain and demonstrate the various crafts of the era. Weavers, leather workers, grist mill operators, etc. We visit several of the buildings, of which the mill is the most impressive. Corn is ground into corn meal, which you can purchase (we did), and the mill's upper floors host a museum of early to mid-19th century artifacts associated with the town.


A lodge/restaurant is also on the park grounds. It is a massive stone building that includes a hotel, a very locally-focused gift shop (ever tasted hickory syrup?), and a large restaurant. Unfortunately, we were in the lodge at a time about equidistant from lunch hours and evening meal hours. A return trip in the future seems appealing to me. We return to Anne's after a good Italian meal in a local Bloomington eatery.

Saturday, May 5th. Bloomington is the home of Indiana University, a very large land grant university. Each Saturday in the growing season a farmers market is held downtown. Off we go for locally grown asparagus, lettuce, garlic greens, flowers. Several musicians and folk dancers were entertaining the crowds. We decide to relax at home with Anne for the rest of the day.

Sunday, May 6th. One of Anne's friends has invited us over for a picnic. Several of the people that work with Anne are also graduates in engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (RHIT). One of the friend's boyfriend is from India (but educated at RHIT) and his parents happened to be visiting at the same time that we were. We spent the day conversing with many people and had a very good time.

Monday, May 7th. Anne has arranged a tour of her workplace for us. She gives us the tour and is impressive in her knowledge of the various departments, processes used and products produced.

Tuesday, May 8th. A travel day from Bloomington to Kingston, Tennessee, where a cousin of Elaine's lives. Elaine had not seen "Bud" Meyer in years, but just last summer he attended a family reunion as we also did. Bud extended an invitation to come out and see him. This trip became a good opportunity to do so. The drive would take us all day.

Southern Indiana state highways 37 and 150 are our first stretches of road. Forests, rolling hills, dying towns that time has forgot and little traffic - a most scenic drive. One town still had a horse corral right on main street. Traveling through Kentucky we are on the lookout for something interesting to stop and see. Our handy AAA Travel Books for each state are consulted and we settle on visiting the Kentucky Country Music Hall of Fame in the Renfro Valley. While not my preferred genre of music, I have grown to enjoy some of the music over the years. The building doesn't look like much from the outside, but the inside is fantastic. Let me tell you a little about our stop.

Arriving there, we and two school buses are the only vehicles in the lot. Once inside, a large group of 8 to 10 yr olds are being entertained by a 3-person bluegrass band. The kids are obviously enjoying themselves as toes are tapping, fingers snapping and hands-a-clapping. Then they all get up and start dancing, teachers included. What an introduction to the place. We spend a few hours touring the place. Many of the great country and bluegrass artists come from Kentucky, and each is honored with an exhibit. A fascinating 1-hr film on the history of bluegrass music can be viewed (we saw the whole thing). An interactive room allows you to play musical instruments and experiment with mixing music. An oscilloscope enables you to see how sound waves differ between musical instruments (violin, piano and flute). Norro Wilson, a well known songwriter for many singers visited. Of course, I wouldn't know who he was; but, I'm told he is famous and I see by info on the Internet he is one of the top country music writers of all time.
Now we are proud owners of a bluegrass CD. A memorable visit.

We finish the days drive to Kingston, TN and find Bud's home. I thoroughly recommend Mapquest, as we find their directions very helpful when trying to locate a particular street address.



Wednesday, May 9th. We spend most of the day in conversation with Bud. Bud lives near Watts-Barr Lake, a TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) created lake. Bud takes us on a tour of the lake homes. Just like elsewhere, lake property has rocketed in price. We see some very ostentatious homes; but I'm not really impressed by that sort of thing. I really did like the lake. We enjoy a meal at a lakeside restaurant and meet a few of Bud's friends. His friends know who we are, as they remember praying in their Church for Anne back in 2001. We still are learning how this ordeal touched people all over America, and we still have unbounded gratitude for all who prayed for Anne. A photo of the nuclear reactor (all Kiwis and other anti-nukes, avert your eyes) at Watts-Barr Lake appears here.


Thursday, May 10th. Destination, Nashville, North Carolina, where friends who used to live in Kearney, have settled. Forests continue to be the surroundings and today we get to drive through the Great Smoky Mountains, a fabulously scenic road (Interstate 40) winds through Great Smoky Mt National Park. Sure thought I had a photo of this area, but can't seem to locate it. Late afternoon finds us in Nashville, NC at the home of Lin Lu (former nursing school classmate of Elaine's) and Ming Xu (an electrical engineer) and their lovely teen daughter Daixi. Enjoy an evening of conversation, good food (Chinese of course) and wine.

Friday, May 11th. Have you ever looked at the state flag of North Carolina? Probably not, huh. Well, if you do, you see the flag has 2 dates on it, May 20, 1775 and April 12, 1776. It is the April 12, 1776 that is relevant here. This is the date that the Halifax Resolves were passed by the North Carolina legislature. The resolves are significant because they were the first act by a colony that called for complete independence from England. So what you say. Well, we spent the morning in Halifax NC touring some of the old colonial era buildings and colonial cemetery with our friends. The town has a great visitor center and has period volunteer actors during the tourist season. We leave educated an impressed by this town that also was bypassed by the railroad and has fallen into a two-century decline. Population in 1776 was around 1,500; today about 200.


Saturday, May 12th. On the road again; destination Savannah, Georgia. We are on
I-95, a very busy highway along the USA east coast. Have to stop and see one of the places that I always wanted to see, Fort Sumpter. Fort Sumpter was the scene of the first battle of the Civil War (War between the states) on April 12, 1861. It sits in Charleston, South Carolina harbor and was constructed in the mid 1800's to protect the city from a sea attack. A concessionaire of the National Park Service runs a launch out to the fort.


A National Park Service Ranger comes on board the launch and we expect a lecture on don't do this and don't touch that, etc. Well, this guy had a great sense of humor and took on the roll of a marine drill sergeant and gave us a talk that covered all the info about seeing the interior of the fort. He did it in such a way that you left laughing. I also noted that he was the first ranger that I have seen in may years that wasn't armed with a gun.

The fort was originally 3-stories high. Bombardment by union forces (1863-1865) in a failed attempt to retake the fort reduced the fort to rubble, and only the first story remains. Following are some interior photos.




The launch takes us back to Patriot's Point where one can also tour the aircraft carrier Yorktown. time did not permit, but maybe another time.


From Charleston we drive a state highway to reconnect with I-95. For about an hour there is nothing but swamps on both sides of the road. Before entering Georgia we check the map for some place of interest to stop at; Blue Heron Nature Trail sounds like a good bet. A raised boardwalk takes you through a small part of a large swamp. I had hoped to see a gator or two, but no luck. There was another trail around a small lake, which we walked. This trail was not raised and every rustle in the bushes elicited a tensing in my mind and body. However, the gators must have had the day off.

Savannah is right across the state line from South Carolina, and we arrive around 7:30 PM. Tom works 3 12 hr shifts Fri-Sat-Sun and 4 hrs Mon AM. He had taken Sat & Sun off, so he was not home from work yet. Petrezia was home, so we introduced ourselves and unloaded the car. Tom arrives soon thereafter.


Their apartment is a small basement apartment. The story is that it used to be slave quarters for blacks that worked for the Central Railway Company of Georgia. Although it is called the basement apartment, it is really a ground level. I suppose the water table is too high for real basements here. When we take our ghost tour (later on), the mansion we tour also calls the ground level the basement, while not really being underground.

Savannah is a very old USA city (not like Europe old, but USA old), founded in 1736. It is laid out differently than any city that I have seen. Every few blocks a large square interrupts the straight travel of the city streets and one must make a series of 90 degree turns to continue on in one direction (like this turn right, then left, then left, then right). More effective than speed bumps. Each square is dedicated to some famous person, such as Samuel Oglethorpe (founder of Georgia colony), Nathaniel Greene (Rhode Island native and Revolutionary War general), Layfayette, etc.


Savannah is more of a walking city and we do quite a bit of walking while there. There are many very old buildings and very large mansions in the Central City area. General Sherman had his fill of burning Georgia and left the city pretty much standing. We enjoy a very long walk around the squares and plan to do wore while here.


Sunday, May 13th. Savannah is reputed to be one of the most haunted cities in the USA. Everyone has a tale about some construction project that just can’t get finished because the ghosts scare off the workers and no one can be found to complete some sort of project. However, I do not that the supposedly “haunted” houses are all pretty much restored. Maybe the ghosts don’t mind if you are going to turn something into a tourist venue. Tom & I look for ghosts in one supposed severely haunted bar/restaurant – same result as the gators. A walking tour let by Petrezia and Tom takes up a great part of the day. Lots of Spanish moss on trees (except if some part of the square is haunted, then no moss will grow). It hangs like lace-work from the trees.


There are plaques and monuments scattered all about.


The river front walk is the center of tourist activity (bars, restaurants, souvenir shops, ghost trolley tour pick up. Ocean going ships slide by on the Savannah River as we enjoy a rest along the banks of the river.


Admiring the large St. John the Baptist Cathedral tops our walk back to the apartment. A very European style interior wows us.



Monday, May 14th. On the seacoast at the mouth of the Savannah River sits Fort Pulaski.


Named after Count Casimir Pulaski, the Polish soldier who was a Revolutionary War General who died from wounds from the Battle of Savannah in October of 1779 (more on this later). This fort, like Fort Sumpter and many others was constructed after the War of 1812 to protect against future invasions. There are still about 30 of these forts remaining stretching from Maine to Louisiana. It was constructed between 1829 to 1847, but never really was finished or garrisoned. The Georgia governor ordered the state militia to seize the fort in late 1860, even before Georgia succeeded (Jan. 19, 1861). I guess he saw it coming. Each fort has some unique features and I just like poking around them. The four of us spend the afternoon exploring the fort and learning more about its history.

One interesting fact about several of these forts and Pulaski in particular, is that the Chief Engineer when constructing this fort was Robert E. Lee, (Kiwis note: This was the military leader of the Confederate Forces in Virginia). Another interesting item is that this was the first fort to suffer the effects of rifled artillery. The old artillery was essentially a cannonball that either exploded or just bounced off thick brick fortifications. The new rifled artillery was in the shape of a bullet. It also spun, due to the rifling groves in the artillery piece. The spinning effect enabled the shell to dig its way into the bricks and then explode, causing severe destruction not possible with the old cannonball technology.


In early April of 1862, the Confederates felt the effects of the Federal shelling and were forced to surrender when the walls had been breached. What you see here are two views of the walls: Nearly intact walls are those that were on the side of the fort that was not shelled. The ragged wall shows the artillery effects (actually, some restoration has occurred on these walls, so they actually looked worse after the battle). The one photo shows a round that remains embedded in the structure to this day. There are several rounds still embedded in the walls.


We also enjoy walking around inside the fort and looking at the various structures and rooms, some of which have exhibits of what life in the fort was like. It was later used as a prison for Confederate soldiers captured in various encounters. A costumed park employee conducts a demonstration of black powder musketry for us tourists. Always like those period re-enactors. Of course, being a National Park or Monument (Monument in this case), they have a very well done visitor center complete with a video about the fort and of course the every present gift shop.



On the drive back to the city, we stop at St. Bonaventure Cemetery resting place of many of Savannah’s most prominent citizens. The gravestones are extremely ornate. Of course, some of the plots are reputed to be haunted – we see no ghosts.



Oh, another thing about Savannah. Clint Eastwood directed a movie about an adaptation of a real story that occurred in Savannah. “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” is its title. Many of the places in the movie were places that we saw while visiting Tom. We saw the movie after we had returned home and enjoyed the somewhat strange plot and characters. Savannah seems to be a pretty tolerant place for all sorts of personalities and lifestyles. I can understand how young people might grow attached to the place.

Gluttony was on the agenda for the evening, as one restaurant offers “all you can eat” crab legs on Monday evening. I knew that my system could not take all the butter, so opted for some low country platter while the rest of the party ate, and ate and ate. I think Petrezia was the champion at 41 legs. It surprised me that no one got sick or burst, but they didn’t. Naturally there are haunted rooms in this restaurant. The story is that they will pay you $10,000 if you can stay the whole night in some upstairs room on Halloween. Seems that the ghosts won’t let works complete remodeling of the upper floor. However, they don’t seem to mind all the patrons slopping down crab legs on the ground and first floor.

At 9 PM we board the trolley of the doomed for a Ghosts and Graveyards tour.


Too bad they close the graveyards at 8 PM, so we only drive by the Colonial Park Graveyard. The driver is entertaining as she talks spooky, cackles and laughs and narrates many tales of haunts and murders in Savannah as we drive by haunted houses, hanging trees, parks, the graveyard, etc. The Sorrell-Weed Mansion is part of the tour, so we get to go inside and hear more stories of murders, voodoo, hauntings, etc. I try taking photos of the mirrors, figuring that the ghosts might be off their guard if I’m not pointing the camera directly at them.


Again, no gators, I mean ghosts. We walk home, and sleep undisturbed by all the frightening things we have seen today. The scariest thing was the tab at the restaurant.

Tuesday, May 15th

Here’s another thing worth seeing in Savannah, the Roundhouse Railroad Museum on the grounds of the Georgia Central Railway Savannah Shops. They actually made locomotives and rail cars here for many years. It began in 1833 and by 1859 it was the longest continuous railroad under one management in the world. Bet you didn’t know that. General Sherman and his troops put a stop to that nonsense, destroying the rolling stock and the rails. Nice guy that he was, he did spare the rail yards. The Central Georgia rail yards prospered for the following 100 years. They closed in 1963 as a result of a rail merger.



We enjoy a few hours here seeing old rail cars and the various shops where they were built and maintained. Good video of the history of the Central GA RR. The site is a National Historic landmark for both the railroad and the fact that the rail yard is actually on the ground where the Battle of Savannah was fought on October 11, 1779 (remember poor Casimir Pulaski dying here?).

Americans have not always been so concerned about historic preservation. The battle was the second most bloody for the colonists in the American Revolution (I don’t know offhand what the bloodiest was). We lost, by the way, as the Brits and loyalists were protected by strong earthworks and the colonists were trying to charge them across an open field. General Pickett should have taken this as a lesson of what not to do at Gettysburg in the Civil War. After the battle, the field is strewn with American dead. A large hole is dug and the dead are unceremoniously pitched in. No honored burial for the losers is there? The gravesite and battleground are soon forgotten. Guess where the rail yards are built? Yep, right on top of the burials. When building the yards the bones are dug up and pitched away. Nobody seemed to remember that a battle had taken place here 54 years earlier. Recently a replica of what they think the fortification might have looked like has been constructed on the rail yard grounds.


Later on we explore the Colonial Park Cemetery, where many historic figures are buried. It is not an active cemetery, as most graves are from the mid 1700s to the mid 1800s.



Guess what? It is supposed to be haunted. No gators again. Oh, I mean ghosts. All you ghosts out there reading this, I’m only joking. So go bother someone else. (Had to cover myself on this)

Destination Macon Georgia tonight. Petrezia’s mother and stepfather live there and have invited us to stay and have dinner with them. Interstate 16 is 2 blocks from the apartment and takes us all the way to Macon (about a 3-hr drive). The scenery changes from the low country swamp to fields and forest as one gains elevation with each mile inland. They have a beautiful large home and we enjoy dinner, drinks and conversation late into the night. John (stepfather) has built a Shelby-Cobra kit car and has to show it to us. Most guys would know what this is and would be wowed. If you know me, you know that I am not a car guy and would not really appreciate the beauty of such a vehicle. This may explain why I did not take a picture of this beautiful vehicle. John is willing to sell it to you if you’d like. Only asking $80,000. I now understand why I’m not a car guy. We meet Petrezia’s brother and sister-in-law. They are all very nice and we feel very welcome by these nice folks, even if we are a bunch of Yankees (just joking - we really had a great time).

Wednesday, May 16th.

Macon, Georgia is right by the Ocmulgee Indian Mounds, another National Monument. Another great visitor center. The Moundbuilder culture encompassed an area from the states of Ohio to the Mississippi River to western Florida and over to Louisiana. The mounds at Ocmulgee are said to be about 1,000 years old. It is an interesting morning walking around and on some of the mounds. The Great Temple Mound rises about 55 feet above the terrain and has a base of about 270 x 300 foot. A stairway has been added so that you can get to the top of the mound without climbing up the sides (which would erode the mound). From the top you get a good view of several other mounds. Of course in respect for the preservation of the area, the railroad in the 1830s used a good part of another mound for fill for the rail lines. The Funeral Mound is the only mound that appears to have been used for burials. Also on the site is an earth lodge that you can enter and read all about what they did in such places. If you live in the eastern part of the mid-west USA, there probably are some mounds nearby – worth a look.



Our destination for today is Atlanta, where we will visit the new aquarium on Thursday. A stop at High Falls State Park treats us to some views of the many cascades of this place. A good trail parallels the river for a ways and we enjoy the views. By late afternoon we reach our hotel and check in.


Have time to see another site that is on my list of must see in my lifetime. Stone Mountain is on the outskirts of Atlanta and is an impressive site. The same guy that headed up the carving of Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota was the chief sculpture of Stone Mountain. Such colossal undertakings involve hundreds of people, so when you hear that Gutsom Borglum carved Stone Mountain, it isn’t like he was out there all alone with a chisel. Stone Mountain depicts the leaders of the “Lost Cause”, President Jefferson Davis, General Robert E. Lee and General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson all on horseback.




A gondola ride takes us to the top of this Megalith where on a clear day you can see parts of three states: Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.


Incidentally, we had wonderful weather the whole time that we were traveling. Neither too hot, nor too cold and no rain to speak of.

Thursday, May 17th. Today we visit the new Atlanta Aquarium. If you like seeing the fishes and other aquatic animals, this is the place to see. Be prepared for a high cost entry fee (which is worth it) and high priced cafeteria items (which may not be worth it). It is best to reserve in advance and avoid weekends. For those over 55, you get a senior discount. There are many different tanks and pools, each focuses on different environments or animals, like fresh water fish, or coral fish, or beluga whales, or fur seals, otters, etc.





I am including several photos of different exhibits. There is a giant fish tank, largest in the world at 6,200,000 gallons. A tunnel takes you under part of the tank where you can see various fish (see photos) swimming overhead.



A large plexi-glass screen of about 30 foot high and maybe 50 foot across allows for some fantastic views. The “glass” is 2 foot thick.




The pride and joy of the aquarium are the whale sharks, which are the largest fish in the world. I believe that this is the only aquarium having such piscine leviathans. They can grow to about 35 foot in length – these are from 15 to 20 feet. Whale sharks have a throat opening about the size of a quarter (2.54-cm for kiwis). Thus, they are not known to attack humans or fish. I just read in the paper the other day that they have acquired two more whale sharks.



The tank also has hammerhead sharks, large groupers, rays, etc. To keep the hammerheads from eating the other fish, they are fed very frequently. We spend about 4.5 hrs in awe of the beauty of these creatures.
Tom and Petrezia head back to Macon, while we overnight again in Atlanta.

Friday, May 18th. Today is a big driving day, as we are bound for Memphis, Tennessee. Cross Alabama and Mississippi on a state highway that takes us through mostly forests. The politicians in Mississippi must have lots of influence on the federal level as we see some of the best roads with some of the least traffic that we have encountered on this trip. Six lane, state roads with nary another vehicle. I guess when you are spending others money, money is no object.

If you are ever traveling in this area, be sure to stop at a welcome center of the state of Mississippi. Volunteers, mainly elderly southern ladies of impeccable manners and charm, staff them. They truly do welcome you to their state. On tap, they offer free coffee, tea, and soda pop (Coke, Mt Dew, etc.). They offer to refill water jugs with nice fresh Mississippi water and all the ice that you can handle. I hear one traveler ask about some tourist site in Tennessee. The ladies answer with charm “we don’t really know about those places, but we sure can tell you all about our state.” Elaine and I enjoy a picnic on the well-maintained grounds. We arrive near Memphis (on the state of Mississippi side) and find a rib restaurant and relax from the long drive.

Saturday, May 19th. Today we fulfill one of Elaine’s must sees, Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley. Elvis bought this mansion and its 17 acres (6 hectares) for $100,000 in 1957 when he was only 22 years old. That was a lot of money in those days. He shared his home with his parents. We arrive early, because this place draws people like a magnet. The mansion tour is well organized and we learn much about Elvis and the life he lived. By today’s standards, the mansion isn’t all that big. I know of dozens of homes in Kearney that are probably as large as Graceland, but that’s more a comment on how excessive we have become since Elvis’ time. We learn that Elvis was very generous with his money. He was known for giving away automobiles. However, he was a consistent supporter of local charities and was one of the major contributors to the construction of the Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.





Drive to St. Louis, Missouri, where I have arranged to meet a buddy from my US Army days. Jim and I were both stationed in Hawaii and Johnston Atoll at the same time (1971-1972). Jim and I took 30 days of leave, hopped a military flight to Christchurch, New Zealand and proceeded to have a comprehensive tour of this land. This was the fulfillment of my desires, to be in New Zealand and this stated my lifelong obsession with this land. The last time I saw Jim was when he was bumped off our flight in Pago, Pago Samoa. I was returning to be discharged shortly thereafter. About 7 years ago we reconnected after all these years and have been emailing since then. This was to be our first face to face meeting since March 1972. Jim and Mary Ellen (wife) graciously invite us to their home for dinner and what a dinner they put on for us. Our conversation flowed late into the evening. Hope we get to see them again soon.

Sunday, May 20th. Today we go home, stopping on the way at Stone Hill Winery in Herman, Missouri. Herman is a beautiful town nestled amongst the hills of Missouri. It is noted for its German population and the tasty wines produced by several wineries. After sampling in the tasting room, we load up 3 cases of wine and make the drive to Kearney. The quick and steep rise in gasoline prices is shocking to us, but what are you going to do?

Arrive home with many wonderful memories of the trip, old friends we visited, people we met for the first time and the things we saw and did. Time now to enjoy summer at home. Actually, have lots of work as we are tearing out carpeting and replacing for 2 bedrooms, hallway, living room and dining room. Also, painting most of the interior of the house. That'll keep me busy until the next trip.