Garden District, New Orleans, LA

Wednesday, March 27, 2013 4:49 AM

Update on Lord Byron’s Trip to the Vet

Thank You!

 

On a personal note, thank you for all who expressed love and support as we anxiously awaited the return of Lord Byron’s blood pathology report.  You words of support and encouragement really helped this week.  We received a reassuring from his vet saying the tests did not indicate the presence of cancer.  The mass in his groin, although non-malignant, however, still needs to be addressed, but at least we aren’t looking at a more dire outcome.  Again, thank you all for you support.  Lord Byron sends his love.

 

Tour of the Famous Garden District

This week, Kerri and I have been crossing the Mississippi by ferry to soak up as much of New Orleans as is possible and we have not been disappoint .  On Monday night, we hit the Garden District for a self-guided walking tour of the city’s Garden District.

You have to start early if you want to tour the Lafayette Cemetery, famous for it’s above ground crypts. I think the hours were 9-Noon and 1-2 pm…some such ridiculousness.  It was closed when we got there, but I did manage to get this killer shot.

Highlights included the St. Charles Avenue Streetcar; the homes of Anne Rice, Trent Reznor, Archie and Peyton Manning; Nicolas Cage, John Goodman and Sandra Bullock; and death site of Jefferson Davis; and film site of Brad Pitt’s “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

NOTE:  To get to this beautiful neighborhood, one has to jump the cable car and ride at least to Jackson Street.  It’s a fun ride, so don’t deny yourself that.

After our tour, we had a nice romantic, leisurely dinner at the famous Commander’s Place restaurant, located right in the heart of the Garden District.

Kerri and the cable car

In fact, combining the tour with dinner here guarantees a great day.  It’s a bit pricey, but the service is 5-star and the room reminds you what it would be like to live in a home in the Garden District.

 

Bayou Segnette State Park, Westwego, LA

March 24, 2013 9:54 PM

Bayou Segnette State Park is located in Westwego, Jefferson Parish southwest of New Orleans, Louisiana, on the west bank of the Mississippi River.

Bayou Segnette is not far from the urban center of New Orleans, yet it features access to two types of wetlands, swamp and marsh. Saltwater intrusion coming into the canals from the Gulf of Mexico created the marsh. This is a remarkable habitat for plant and wildlife. This habitat is home to American Alligators, Coypu, Nine-banded Armadillos, Virginia Opossum, Raccoons, American Mink, Red-tailed Hawks, kites, Red-winged Blackbirds, Bald Eagles, and Northern Cardinals.

First Things First: Lord Byron Gets Clean Bill of Health from His Vet

My little boy, Lord Byron, is going to be alright.  After a tense week waiting for lab pathology reports to determine if he has a malignant lymphoma, we got a call on Friday night from his vet saying there was no sign of cancer.  Thank you all for your kind thoughts and words.  I won’t go into a sappy lecture about how our animals become part of the family, but especially when you are traveling cross-country in an 27 foot Airstream, it really brings everyone intensely closer.  He was always, “my boy”…but he truly is so much more!

Well, we finally made it to New Orleans!  Took a wrong turn leaving Alabama and ended up backtracking about 30 miles because the ferry we ended up at did not take RVs.  Our fellow Airstream travelers  MaliMish, (http://malimish.com/) warned us not to go there, so of course we went.

——————————————————–

We Finally Made it to New Orleans!

Leading up to our arrival in New Orleans, almost every traveler I met warned me that it was a filthy, dirty city. SO NOT THE CASE.  Sure, there are signs of urban decay like any large city, and one has to keep in mind that this city nearly got wiped off the map with Hurricane Katrina, but what I saw was a beautiful, vibrant city fighting to put it’s best face forward, without complaint.

The Musicians of Bourbon Street

Although it was relatively quiet by French Quarter standards, there is always music to be found on Bourbon Street.  These guys didn’t disappoint!

Our Stroll Through the French Quarter

The Colors and Contours of Bourbon Street, New Orleans

Rough Day at the Vet, Gulf State Park, Gulf Shores, AL

March 21, 2013 8:31 PM

It’s been an anxious week in the Airstream this week as Lord Byron, our springer spaniel, has been back and forth to the vet. About a month ago, we noticed he had a swollen groin. At first we attributed it to a possible hernia from his over-active play time. But it just didn’t go away. So this week, we took him to a vet in Orange Beach, AL. Today, they confirmed it was a tumor and biopsied tissue and sent it off to a pathologist to determine whether it was cancerous or not. We won’t know until Tuesday of next week. Nothing more to do but hope.

This park has some of the most gorgeous sunrises. I caught this one this morning. Notice the Osprey on a pole just behind the tree. A couple of Osprey have been building a nest there ever since we arrived. I’ll miss them when we depart on Saturday.

Here they are later that day when I got home from the Vet.

That’s all I have for today. I’ll keep ya’ll posted about Byron.

Gulf State Park, Gulf Shores, AL (Monday)

March 18, 2013, 8:20 PM

Today was HOT! HOT! HOT!, and we just got word via a news banner on T.V. that we are in for severe thunderstorms this evening with a chance of golf ball to baseball sized hail.  For those of you who own an Airstream, you know all too well that hail is the “death” sentence for our particular recreational vehicle, not to mention the Silverado with which we pull it.  But this fellow just showed up to let us know it’s all going to be okay (fingers tightly crossed).  Keep us in your good thoughts!

We bailed on plans to go kayaking today as I had to take Lord Byron (just Byron) into the vet.  He has been having an ongoing problem with his hips (undeveloped muscles causing pain and fatique, and it appears he has developed a lymphoma in his groin.  He’ll be going back for some x-rays and a biopsy on Thursday.  If surgery is required, we will of course extend our stay at Gulf State Park.  Keep him in you prayers.  He’s our only child.

We did manage to take a road trip today into the Alabama communities of Magnolia Springs,

Foley, Clear Lake, and Fairhope.  Kerri and I went into a cigar store in Fairhope and meet a gentleman named Gene who spent the next 45 minutes giving us an in depth history of the town and a superb tutorial of selecting the perfect cigar.  He “gave: Kerri two cigars after asking me if “you always take your models shopping with you.”  Smoooooooooth.  She’ll have hers over bourbon drinks tonight.  He also had a framed well collection of every Cigar Afficianado magazine ever printed!

What is the flavor of the city of Fairhope?  Well, you only have to read the books, “Forrest Gump” and “Fried Green Tomatoes” as both books were written in this town and about this area.

Gulf State Park, Gulf Shores, AL (Sunday)

March 17, 2013  7:40 PM

Happy St. Patricks Day!

!

Finally fled Florida today…a one hour drive northwest to Gulf State Park, in Gulf Shores, Alabama.  Sweet Home, Alabama.  It’s beautiful country and the  gulf coast shoreline stretches out beautifully before us the entire way!

It is a humongous park, with 485 campsites,(and it’s full!), a 30 machine laundry, tennis courts, and a golf course.  Not really sure why we’ll ever want to leave, but let’s give it a week and I’m sure our restless feet will get restless once more.

Driving into the park, you pass this sign:

I’ll see if we can’t get a couple of photos of these cuddly creatures for tomorrow’s post.

The internet connection here is getting iffy; and I’m not able to upload any more photos today, so until then, here we are:

 

Gulf Island National Seashore, Pensacola, FL

March 16, 2013 5:40 PM

Last night we had our best dinner of the year at The Red Barn, a restaurant/jazz bar in Grayton Beach.  I highly recommend a visit, especially if you are into blackened grouper!  Be forewarned, the lighting is intensely red and makes one feel like your in a whore house, but the food is incredible and the live music great.

We drove northwest about 3 hours and arrived to the wonderful clog of Pensacola Spring Breakers!  Drunk and drunker laid claim to all the roads in and out, but couldn’t see any cops anywhere.  I guess the city simply surrenders this time of year!  (God, I sound like an old man!)

Party on dudes and dudettes!

Today was, however, a red letter day for Kerri. We finally arrived at the Gulf Island National Seashore around 3:30 pm.  Uneventful except that for the first time she backed in the airstream at our campsite.  She did a great job and now, being that this was my only remaining specialized skill, she no longer really needs me on this trip.  That’s right, I am officially obsolete.  Oh, well!!!!

 

 

 

Seaside, Florida

March 14, 2013 3:22 PM

Today, Kerri and I took a bike ride into the Grayton Beach neighboring town of Seaside.  It was like stepping into the set of the Stepford Wives….cute, but creepy.  Reminded me of the Seals and Crofts song, “Our house…in the middle of the street, our house”

Located in Northwest Florida’s Walton County, Seaside was developed in the 1980s by developer Robert Davis as a modern Victorian town with narrow streets, picket fences and pastel-hued dwellings. It is “sickly” sweet, if you know what I mean.  If you don’t, think of the soundstage for the movie, “Mary Poppins” with Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke.  EVERYTHING is priced as if only the Kardashians shop there…($250 for a pair of board shorts????)  The streets are immaculate, the town is overrun by snotty teenagers in heat, and the bicycles…OH MY GOD…the bicycles!!!!  Tens of thousands of bicycles everywhere…THE mode of transportation in Seaside.

Endless spokes

One of a dozen bike parks

But if you are Airstream enthusiasts, like we are, you’ll love their open street food trucks…ALL VINTAGE AIRSTREAMS!

Airstream Food Vendors in Seaside, Florida

 

Grayton Beach State Park, Santa Rosa, FL

March 13, 2013  2;30 PM

Short drive this morning from St. Andrews Island to Grayton Beach State Park (36 miles…YEAH!)  But before we left, I captured this stunning sunrise outside of our Airstream.

Sunrise over St. Andrews taken from outside our Airstream at 7:40 this morning.

We then pulled Calypso up to the beach in St. Andrews to say goodbye.

Calypso takes a much deserved break in the St. Andrews Beach parking lot.

Grayton Beach State Park is among the most popular in Florida, with massive dunes, winding trails, abundant wildlife, and shimmering Western Lake, one of many coastal dune lakes gracing Scenic Highway 30A along the Beaches of South Walton (SoWal).

Lord Byron beat a hasty path to the lake upon our arrival.  Perhaps we can sneak him in for a swim tomorrow.

 

And for those of you who like kayaking, the waters here are irresistable!

But watch where you swim!!!

History

BORING ALERT: According to the Coastal Heritage Preservation Foundation, in 1885 Army major, Charles T. Gray was the first to settle the land now known as Grayton Beach.

During this time the federal government owned most of the land so very few people had a reason to even settle there. The soil was way too sandy for farmland, and better timber was located inland. The settlement that was closest to here was around 5 miles to the north. This settlement was located at Point Washington on Choctawhatchee Bay. In 1890 Army General William Miller and William Wilson became Gray’s neighbors. They mapped out where the newly found village’s streets and blocks would be constructed. They named the new area Grayton Beach, named after Charles T. Gray. In 1913, a man by the name of W. H. Butler and his son Van R. Butler made the day long trip from DeFuniak Springs to Grayton Beach. Soon thereafter the Butler family became the community’s leading promoter. In 1926 a major hurricane swept through the area resulting in Destin’s East Pass and leaving the beach wiped flat. This storm flattened most of the dunes, which left the beach flat. At the beginning of the 1930s Highway 98 was completed, Highway 331’s bridge was built, and the Intracoastal Waterway was cut right through Walton, which made Grayton Beach and South Walton(SoWal) County much easier for everyone to get to.

Well, that’s it for today…so far!  Plenty of time left to get into a little trouble.

 

St. Andrews State Park, St. Andrews Island, FL

March 12, 2013 3:05 PM

Just a leisurely drive today…only 89 miles.  We arrived on St. Andrews Island and might I say…it is freakin’ gorgeous!

Well-known for its sugar white sands and emerald-green waters, this former military reservation has over one-and-a-half miles of beaches on the Gulf of Mexico and Grand Lagoon. Plenty to do with swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, kayaking, and canoeing. Too bad…we are only here for the night.  Kerri won’t say this out loud, but I suspect we are beating a hasty path to N’Orleans.  But if you have to layover in Florida, you can’t do much  better than this!

Our official welcoming committee to St. Andrews Island

Hey…you gotta love this.  On one side of the bay, there are multi-million dollar homes.  On the other, a state park full of RVs and campers.  In between, on the bay, is a pirate ship!  I’m not sure, but I think one of us is getting ready to attack the other!  If you don’t hear from me again, remember the Calypso!

Battle for the Bay

Share this: