Per Leland’s suggestion, we left Athens by way of Madison, just a little south. It has so many beautiful homes. Some have been there since before the Civil War. There aren’t enough “oooohs” and “ahhhhs” once again to go around in a darling town like Madison. We took Melbee for a walk and enjoyed every step. We hope you do, too 😉

Leaving Madison behind, we headed to Atlanta. While passing through Loganville on the way to the interstate, the boys spotted a barber shop. One thing they were looking forward to was getting a barber shop haircut in a small town. This fit the bill. The owner, Jim, is a Vietnam Vet. He’s a quiet man, not much for conversation. But the others in the barber shop sure did give the boys an authentic experience by just being themselves. There was teasing, friendly banter and town gossip, country music in the background, and air hoses to blow the hair off after the cut. Very manly. Very much what the boys had been looking for. Very cool.

Now as I said, Jim is a man of few words. But he sure has a sense of humor! He had this up on the wall. It’s hysterical!!

After Loganville, GA, it was time to leave the small town behind and head for the big city – Atlanta. You can see the state capitol dome below. But after being in such cute towns earlier in the day, Atlanta didn’t hold a candle to the charm and personality we’d experienced back up the road. But we managed to find a couple of interesting things.

We finished up in Atlanta with a walk through Centennial Park, a site for the ’96 Olympics, then headed to the Marietta SDA Church to spend the night.

As the day came to a close, we all had heavy hearts. We’d received news from home that my sister’s dog, Denali was doing poorly, and would most likely be making a final visit to the vet.

Albert has a friend who lives in Athens, GA, with his wife. We’d be meeting Leland for dinner, so that gave us the day to explore a little.

The drive from Savannah to Athens was charming, as we took several country highways to get there. Everyone has rocking chairs on their porch, green grass that requires a riding lawn mower (has CA outlawed those yet? That would mean you had too much grass, in their opinion). It’s all just so cute!

We made it to Athens and found a park, both the people and dog kind.

Then we went to this place.

Dayne and Ean are comparing their wing span to that of a Bald Eagle.

 

Then it was time to eat! We met Leland at a downtown restaurant called “The Grit”. It’s all vegetarian/vegan. Everything was so yummy. It hit the spot!! The best part was getting to know Leland. Albert said it best…he’s the kind of guy it’s easy to get along with and talk to, like you’ve always known him. He and his wife will be out in AZ for Thanksgiving, and we hope we’ll get in another visit!

Before ending the evening, we took a walk by the UGA football stadium. They’re trying to squeeze some road remodeling in before football season starts, so we weren’t able to get as we would’ve liked, but we saw this…

The best part of being there? The boys saw their first fireflies!! Now that is awesome!

Making it to Georgia was another opportunity to thank God for his care as we’ve traveled. Georgia was another milestone. We were headed to Savannah.

We arrived in the early afternoon and took Mel to another dog park. She enjoyed more romping with the local canines.

Then we headed to the historical district. Our first stop was the Webb Military Museum. This is another jewel. Gary Webb, collector, curator, and owner, has personally handcrafted this museum, written every narrative, and placed each item himself in the displays. He’s been collecting since he was ten, and it’s all because of the love and respect he has for his parents. Here’s a link to learn more about this place. www.webbmilitarymuseum.com He’s not like any other museum curator you’ve ever met, unless it’s at a children’s museum – he let’s you touch some stuff! But he doesn’t have toys. He has genuine artifacts from wars throughout the decades. Of course, some things aren’t to be touched, but he encourages you to be involved in what you see. Very, very cool. 

Thank you, Gary, for what you’re doing. It was very special to have spent time in your museum.

Next stop was Forsythe Park. Now, this part of Savannah is beautiful. Just like every magazine shows. And this park, it’s just lovely. So many trees, so much green grass, so many beautiful flowers. The fountain was the perfect center piece. Savannah was such a treat.

 

 Everywhere we walked, it was just beautiful…

We decided a carriage ride would be fun. Felix got plenty of love before we left. Mel got to go, too. While on the ride, our guide told us a very inspiring story. The historic part of Savannah has these green park squares every few blocks in all directions. In each of these squares is a memorial of some sort for those who fought in the Civil War in that area. We heard the story of Sgt. Jasper. He was a Union soldier, and saw one of his men, who was holding the American flag, get hit and begin to fall. Jasper, revering the flag, didn’t want it to touch the ground and was able to grab it just before it did. He continued to fight with the flag in one hand and his saber in the other. He eventually died, but it took eight musket balls to do it. They found him, still with the flag, with his body pressed up against a building and the flag at his chest, so that even in his death, the flag still wouldn’t touch the ground. Isn’t that such a beautiful story? Such honor. 

Our day in Savannah wrapped up with a stroll down River St.

We’d be spending Father’s Day weekend in Orlando. First, there was a quick stop by the Magic Arena,

 

then out to the Orlando RV Resort.

The rest of the day was spent getting some chores done and we ran some errands. Then we enjoyed the swimming pool. Ahhhhh.

Walmart had these for $1 each. Being big spenders, we bought both!

 

On Sabbath, we visited the Oasis of Hope SDA Church. They had a special Father’s Day service planned, and we really enjoyed our time there. After church, they served lunch, and it was delicious!! Brodee really loved the spaghetti, and Dayne and Ean enjoyed the refreshing salad. The meal hit the spot.
The afternoon was again spent enjoying the activities the park had to offer. 

 

You can’t see him, but the whole time we were in the water, there was a 10 ft alligator less than 20 yards away. Sometimes, he’d go under…

 

On Sunday, we woke up early for some sunrise tennis. Then it was off to pick blueberries.

This farm is a family-run business of siblings and their spouses. One hundred acres of blueberries. This would be their final weekend of berry season, and this day the last one, period. Coincidence? Not a chance. This was another of God’s surprise blessings. Meeting Anna and Uncle Roy was a true blessing. They love Jesus and love being able to use their farm as a ministry. It’s obvious God is blessing them in their retirement work, and we’re so glad we met them.

After we said good-bye, we were off for Jacksonville. We took a quick picture by the stadium, stopped by a park to play for a little bit, and then settled in for the night.

One of the places the boys put on our itinerary was the Navy Seal Museum in Ft. Pierce. They’d heard about it from the Rush Revere book series. Pulling into the driveway, it was again a dream come true for them. Not just because we were there, but because in the yard, there were all kinds of Navy Seal transportation vehicles. And then rounding the corner, there it was – the obstacle course!!!!!!!!!! We spent time soaking in all the museum had to show us. And on Flag Day, nonetheless.

 

Then it was time for the O-course. These boys were ready!!!!!
When we were done visiting the museum, we headed to the beach. The entrance was right there across the parking lot.

And what a treat that was after a hot and sweaty run through the course.

As the afternoon progressed, we made our way north, going at a beach life’s pace. It was beautiful and sunny as we passed through village after village. As early evening approached, we arrived at Cape Canaveral. That was an awesome thing. To be out where such incredible space history has taken place.

We saved $250 and decided just to walk around and see what we could see for free, then headed west into Titusville for the night.

Some closing thoughts for the day…

 

It was hard to say good-bye to the Keys, but we had Miami to look forward to.
Then we were off to Key Biscayne. We were headed to….former home of the Miami Open.

Iguanas and huge lizards run around Key Biscayne like they’re squirrels. Mind boggling!!

Later in the day, we headed up to Hard Rock Stadium where the Dolphins play, and where the Miami Open will be from now on. We do not agree with the move.

We ended our run in Miami with a drive from Sunny Isles Beach down to South Beach.

We stopped at Pine Tree Park in Miami Beach to visit the dog park. Mel had so much fun running around and making friends. The dogs there enjoyed her company. One little guy, O’Malley, had so much fun playing with her. The owners wished we lived around there so Melbee could come back to play often. She was a super Malo embassador to the dog park. We couldn’t be more proud.

 

 

The Keys has always seemed like an untouchable place, too out of reach, too far away. But we made it!!!!!

This is a perfect time to stop and praise God for getting us this far. Florida, and the Keys particularly, are a huge accomplishment to our family. And it’s really His accomplishment. We’re thankful and grateful, and if we don’t make it any farther, this was awesome. With a trip like we’ve planned, things are bound to go wrong. Schedules won’t always stay on course. But we know that when things feel like they’re falling apart, God will have us still and we can trust Him through it. So thank you, Lord.

We now resume our blog-cast.

Key Largo was our first stop. I made pancakes while the boys scootered in the skate park. After breakfast, we watched some pickle-ballers and the boys did some shooting (the basketball kind). The pickle-ballers kindly invited us to play, but we’d be leaving shortly.

 

 

That’s another thing. When we were in Seminole and Sarasota, people in general were not friendly. It’s sad. You’re in the Sunshine State, but nobody is spreading sunshine. But in Key Largo, the people know how to be people. Thank you, KL.
The drive out to Key West was so cool. Again, one of those things you can’t believe has actually become reality. The beach houses are so fun. People are so creative. The birds and water so beautiful.

When we got to Key West, we decided to ride our bikes to the touristy part of KW. The streets, once you get into the tip, are so narrow. Traffic gets backed up. So being on bikes was a great advantage. This was also Melbee’s first official ride in her bike trailer. We’d taken her for some practice back home, but this was the first time on the trip. She was apprehensive again at first, but didn’t take too long to lay down and enjoy the ride.

After a hot ride, and with a head-wind on the way back, we decided to stop for a treat. Being paupers, we found Wendy’s and thoroughly enjoyed our Frosties.

As evening began, we headed back for Key Largo. We stopped along the way for one more dip in the warm waters. So fun.

Night ended with us snuggled up in the tiny parking lot of the KL SDA Church. It had been one of those memorable days.

 

Sunday, June 10, we did more driving, headed south. We drove through Sarasota and found Trader Joe’s. Good thing – Albert was out of Chocolate Cats! (Then we took a quick stroll to work off those Chocolate Cats)

We ended up staying for the night behind the SDA church in Naples (Thank you, Pastor Bill!). Before turning in, we took a walk with Melbee and saw several wild bunnies in peoples’ yards.
Monday, the 11th, it was Everglades NP time!

 

We took an airboat ride and saw two alligators.

After airboating and screaming with glee like a bunch of little girls, we did a mile loop on a boardwalk, out into the “wild”. It felt wild.

 

After everglading, we headed out to do some errands before heading south again toward the Keys.

We pulled into Tampa just before 10am. After picking up our rental car at the airport, we had some very important and long-awaited business to take care of. The removal of Ean’s stitches!!!!!!

The Urgent Care we found happened to be attached to a Children’s Orthopedist clinic. The irony of God 🙂

We drove to the Semiole KOA and had a fun time unwinding that afternoon. Albert and the boys headed to some putt-putt while I did laundry, made dinner, and uploaded pictures for this blog. It felt good to have some catch-up time.

 

On Sabbath, we visited the St. Petersburg SDA Church and learned the locals call it St. Pete’s. The boys enjoyed Sabbath School and were excited to find out there was a balcony to sit in during church.
After church, it was beach time.

It was absolutely fabulous. Never in my life have I just walked into an ocean. The water is usually very chilly, no matter how hot the day. And then there’s the tummy. My legs might get used to the cold, but never my stomach. That’s always the hardest part. But not here. There was no hesitation.

The boys had such a good time wrestling, riding the waves in, and just completely enjoying the beach. Our day ended with a drive around Treasure Island.

After waking up from another good night’s sleep and another Warriors’ win, we decided to visit the beach first thing. Navarre Beach was nice and quiet, and it was another chance to enjoy some Florida sunshine and warm gulf water.

 

Next up was the Panhandle Butterfly House. A cute grandma and grandpa built this place from the ground up. It was their dream to celebrate and share the butterflies that make the panhandle home.

 

This was a fun place. They have a small garden with a circular path to walk around inside a screened in gazebo. Hundreds of butterflies flit about.

The whole place operates by volunteers and donations, and there are volunteers there to answer any questions.
We left Navarre and set our sights on Panama City. Albert had looked online and seen there was a food place there called “Taste the World”. That would be lunch. It ended up being such a yummy day. They specialize in Persian food. Falafel. Hummus. baba ganoush, seasoned rice, salad, sauces, lentil soup…oh my….what a heavenly taste. We ate until we were stuffed. Like dolma. Unfortunately, they didn’t have any. That would’ve been yummm! It’s a family run business, and they offer free meals to disabled folks or veterans who can’t afford a meal. Very kind.
After tasting the world, we headed to a dog park for Mel to run and get some ya-ya’s out before our long drive to who knows where.  We were headed to Tampa but knew we wouldn’t make it all the way that day. We ended up stopping in Tallahassee for a little bit, then drove on to Ocala. We found a quiet spot to spend the night.