After waking up in a Walmart parking lot east of New Orleans, we continued down I-10. We’d be passing by Biloxi, and that’s a place that’s always seemed neat to visit. So we did. (If you’re from there, you say bil-UX-ee.)
Albert did a little research the night before and found a historic lighthouse. There’s also a Biloxi Visitors’ Center and Lighthouse Park, all located at the same intersection. Since it was still early, we pulled into the Lighthouse Park parking lot. Seeing a picnic table, we decided to eat our breakfast out in the morning breeze, with the Gulf right across the street.
And that’s when I met him. His name was George. He was sitting on a bench as the boys walked by to the playground, and I asked him if he’d like to join us for breakfast. What’s neat is he was friendly. That might not seem like anything special, but friendliness isn’t always easy to come by. I introduced myself to him, and we started chatting in easy conversation. He had to decline our breakfast invitation due to a doctor’s appointment later that morning. I found out he’d only moved there to Biloxi two years earlier from another part of AL for a new job. While on the job, he injured his back and hip and has been unable to work since. He was subletting a room, and the main tenant fell behind on his rent. A few days after Thanksgiving this last year, George had to move out. Thankfully, he was able to find another place to stay for a while, but in April, he became homeless. In talking to him there at the bench, I was actually in his “home”. Lighthouse Park is where George lives. He’s heard from Disability and they say he should be receiving his benefits by August. That means two more months in the park. He sleeps under the pavillion, but has to be up by 6am. The police don’t like people sleeping in the park past 6 since it’s tourist season. We talked of other things, too. He was interested in our trip, and gave suggestions as to what to see while in Florida. He explained some about the Gulf waters. It was fun learning what he had to share. After a good hug and a promise to keep him in my prayers, we said good-bye.

 

After a quick hello to the Visitors’ Center, we crossed the street to see the light house and to touch the Gulf of Mexico waters for the first time. It was so warm. Being so used to CA oceans, it was unbelievable!

 

We got back to Big Boy and I looked to wave one last time to George. He was already gone to his appointment. I still think of him and pray. If he crosses your mind, please do the same.

We arrived at Payne’s RV Park in Theodore, AL.

 

We intentionally got in early so we could do some much-needed housekeeping. It was all- hands-on-deck for taking care of chores. Dayne and Ean found some time to love on the locals, and they found it even harder to leave them behind when the office lady said we could take home as many as we wanted.

 

The next day, upon making it to Mobile, we headed straight to Battleship Park. Doesn’t that just sound awesome?! Ean is in love with all things military, so this place really spoke to his heart. There are jets, tanks, boats, you name it, it’s out there in the park somewhere. We toured the USS Alabama, a WWII battleship. Thankfully, we were able to borrow a wheel chair from the gift shop, but there were plenty of times Ean hoofed it with his crutches while Albert carried the wheel chair.

 

After the USS Alabama, we walked through the aviation museum and out to the USS Drum, a submarine. None of us had ever been in a sub before, and it was incredible to think seventy-two soldiers were deep in the water inside that sausage for long periods of time. And their beds were even smaller than the beds on the battleship.

It was time to leave Battleship Park and head to the historic district of Mobile. (Locals pronounce it MOH-beel, with a drawl, of course). I was hoping to see some more old, beautiful homes. And did God have a treat in store for us! We ended up driving down N. Monterey St. The homes were so, so, so cute and quaint. They had personality. Please Google them. The neighbors had worked together to string white bistro lights in a zig-zag across the street for quite a ways down.

And then, there was the mail lady out delivering. We had some postcards to send off, so Albert pulled over and I jumped out to meet up with her. While out, I decided to take advantage and take some pictures of the street. And that’s when a neighbor asked me if I saw something I liked? I said “Yes! They’re all just so precious and lovely!” She said, “Why thank you. That one over there is mine.” (With a beautiful Southern accent, of course). Well then another neighbor joined us, and for a few minutes, I felt like we lived on N. Montery St. in Mobile, AL. We neighbors just chatted there for a short while, after I mailed off our correspondence, of course. All that was necessary to complete the dream would’ve been sipping some lemonade on the front porch. It was perfect. For just a few moments, perfect.
Well, we said good-bye to our neighbors and headed to Cammie’s Old Dutch Ice Cream Shoppe. (The neighbors gave their hearty approval when they heard it was our next stop.)
Then, Pensacola, here we come! While on the USS Drum, a cute grandpa that works there suggested we visit the Naval Aviation Museum on base in Pensacola. After crossing the line into FL, that’s exactly where we headed.

 

 

This is a phenomenal place to visit. There’s so much quality in everything they’ve put into this place. We only had 1 hr 20 min, so we made the most of it.

 

 

The Warriors would be playing in just a little while, so we headed to a McDonald’s in Navarre to finish the evening. And God, please be with George, as I know You are.

Monday afternoon, we drove into New Orleans. We first stopped and got pictures at the Pelicans’ arena and the Saints’ stadium. Again, the planners did a great job (the teams have the same owner) because you just have to walk across a pedestrian overpass to get from one to the other.
Next stop, the French Quarter. We’ve only ever seen it on TV, whether in the news, programs or movies. It’s a very busy place, and the streets are narrow. Albert navigated the streets with FedExpertise, and we found a parking spot a few blocks away. We walked around the French Quarter for a while. It felt a lot like San Francisco, but with a twist. It was intersting, to say the least.

 

 

And sad. The sidewalks are so narrow. We passed by several people passed out on the sidewalk, their alcohol spilled out on the concrete and they had no idea. One was a young man in his 20’s. He had passed out on a step, no wider than 10″, and he was out cold, with half his body hanging off over the next step. It was heartbreaking. I know God’s heart is so sad when he sees his precious children choosing to live life in a fog. The life they’ve been given slowly dies more and more each day there in that stupor. It was a sad reality. The locals seem very used to it.
After the French Quarter, we headed to the Garden District. There are old, historic homes, old trees, beautiful yards. We parked and took another walk, enjoying the early evening. It’s not every evening one gets to stroll among homes, some who’ve been there since the mid 1800’s.

Sunday morning, we left Memphis and headed south down I-55. We had one stop to make while en route to Baton Rouge, and that was in Jackson, MS. There is a Mississippi history museum located there. We got to learn more about the state’s history and they had fun, interactive exhibits.

 

Back on the road, we made it to Baton Rouge. The Warriors would be playing in Game 2 of the finals, and we needed to find somewhere to watch the game. McDonald’s and their WiFi wasn’t any help, but we found a coffee shop and parked out back. There, while the heavens opened up with showers, we ate dinner and watched the game. After that, we found a WalMart parking lot and snuggled down for some sleep.
The next morning, we drove through the LSU campus on our way to Magnolia Mound Plantation. This plantation isn’t one of those big, white-columned Antebellum style plantations. The main house is in the French Creole style.

We did a self-guided tour around the grounds. The boys were sadly amazed at the living conditions for the slaves in comparison to the overseer and main house.

The folks there have done such a nice job of preserving the plantation’s history, and we’re glad to have spent time there.

 

Coming into the Memphis area, we had some maintenance to take care of, so we spent the night in the Discount Tire parking lot. Our tire rotation appointment was first thing the next morning. With Big Boy’s foot massage out of the way, we headed to Memphis, and specifically, Mud Island. This is a cool place. It has a scale model of the entire Mississippi River, and YOU CAN WALK THROUGH IT!!!! We rode the monorail over. Mel did very well and even enjoyed looking out the window.

Below left is an aerial of the scale model. The picture on the right shows Memphis, mapped out on the side, in scale with how it actually is along the Mississippi. If you look closely on the right side of the picture, you can see a bridge spanning the river model.

We all, including Melbee, had such a fun time.

The scale model is very detailed, even to the depth of the water in certain locations, as the picture on the left shows. The scale model river empties out into a pool, otherwise know as the Gulf of Mexico.

 

 

And the Mississippi River Museum is a neat place, with other replicas and stories to share.

After Mud Island, we headed to the Pyramid where the mother of all Bass Pro Shops is located. They even have a $250/night Lodge you can stay at. Melbee was allowed in the store, so we walked around for a little while.
Then it was time to head to the Peabody Hotel for the marching of the ducks. These pampered water foul live in a penthouse atop the Peabody. Every day at 11 am, the ducks leave their penthouse, ride the elevator down to the hotel lobby, and swim in the fountain until 5pm. Then those little duckies get out of the fountain and waddle back to the elevator to go back up to their pad.

We caught the 5 o’clock march. While there, we stood next to some folks from the UK. One couple was from England, the other from Scotland. Standing nearest to the Scottish couple, we struck up a momentary friendship. He even held Ean’s crutches for us during the duck march. It was like being with family 🙂
After the ducks were done being cute, we said good-bye to our Scottish relatives and headed to our campsite out at the Agricenter International RV Park. This Agricenter Int’l is 4500 acres and a really cool place. If you Google it, you’ll see better for yourself. On our way out to the RV park, we stopped at a fruit stand and picked up these Memphis beauties. The RV park itself is not too bad. The spaces are a little close together, especially considering the whole place is 4500 acres!…but we asked for a spot out a little from the rest of everybody, and it was so nice. Quiet and country, so sleep came easily.
Sabbath morning, we headed to Memphis First SDA Church. We again had a special time worshipping with the people there, and even met a man who intends to visit his great niece out in Santa Rosa, CA, later this summer. Small world!
Sabbath afternoon, we went exploring a little more through those 4500 acres. We found Shelby Park, which has so many things to offer – be sure to Google that, too. We ate lunch by the lake and then took a walk for a short while.

It was a really hot day and we put Ean on a bike and Albert and I took turns pushing him along. Then we drove by the local buffalo range. (be still, Albert’s beating heart) There’s a herd that lives there at the park. Our afternoon ended with a treat for Melbee. No, not the edible kind. The absolutely awesome kind!!!! Please make sure you’re sitting as you read the next sentence. There is a 100 acre off-leash DOG PARK!!!!!!! Yes, your eyeballs DID NOT decieve you. 100 acres for dogs to run and roam around, OFF THEIR LEASH.

California would never do anything like that. What, let your dog run free and be a dog??? Isn’t there a law against that? (Yes, in CA.) Melbee had so much fun running through the water, around trees, back to us, and just being a crazy woman. It was hilarious, and another Sabbath blessing. At the dog park, there’s a spot to rinse off your dog. Such a great idea! Our day ended with much anticipated chili dogs for dinner.

Our next few days were spent in St. Louis. Thankfully, there’s an RV park blocks away from downtown.

Great location, but it was just a glorified gravel parking lot with hookups. The staff were very sweet, helpful people. The RV park is also at a major intersection, and people in St. Louis aren’t careful drivers as a whole, so we also heard the effects of a head-on collision while getting dinner ready. A police station was right across the road from us, so help arrived quickly and thankfully.
Wednesday, the 30th, was a day we’ve been looking forward to for a loooong time. We were headed to the City Museum.

I will say its name, from the get-go, gives the wrong impression of the place. It’s an all-out awesome 10 story playground. If you’re going to go there, be sure to bring a water bottle, a towel to wipe away your sweat, and wear plenty of deoderant. It’s also the ONLY TIME I wish I had a fanny pack. That way you can climb unencumbered. But this was THE only time. Ever.

 

There’s so much to crawl on, through, under, over, slide down, climb up — it’s so fun for everyone, all ages. We were able to help Ean do more than we expected him to be able to do, even with having to keep his leg straight.

 

Up on the top of the building, there’s even more fun, including a Ferris Wheel. You can ride an elevator up to the top of the ten stories, or you can climb 210 stairs, and they’ve numbered the stairs in a countdown format. Very fun! The ferris wheel is up on top of the roof, so you feel like you’re waaaaaaaaaaay up there. And from the top of the ride, we could see our RV park. Hands down, City Museum is a unique, amazing place to go.

 

We spent the later afternoon at the St. Louis Science Center. It’s located in Forest Park, and what’s neat about Forest Park is all the attractions/museums/zoo in Forest Park are free from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Here are some pictures from our fun there.

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The Science Center has a pedestrian bridge that crosses over I-65. There’s radar guns so you can track speeds of the cars, a telescope, and even geometric cutouts in the floor with glass so you can watch the cars zoom under you.

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Thursday, we’d be leaving St. Louis, but wanted to stop by the arch for a quick photo and then the zoo for a couple of hours before hitting the road. We visited the arch four years ago on that same roadtrip that took us to Southwest City. But it’s always fun to see it again.

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

Ean had wanted to see a cheetah and gorilla. The cheetah is in the grass, left picture in the top third, right where the tree foliage ends. The gorilla is a little easier to spot.

 

Dayne made a friend. We only wish a hippo could fit in the bathtub. Ean has a real lion’s mane on his head.

 

Mansfield, MO is the home of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Association and Museum. The boys and I read through the series a few years back, and the stories have always had a special place in our hearts. We stayed the night at the Laura Ingalls Wilder RV Park directly across the road from the museum. It’s a wonderful, peaceful park, and we loved our stay there!

On Tuesday, the 29th, we visited the Wilder museum and took a tour of the farm house Laura and Almanzo built together.

It was sooo special. Everything in that house, save for a handful of items, are the actual items that belonged to them. He built Laura little things to make life easier. Almanzo was so resourceful and smart. And did you know Laura was only 4’11” and he 5’4″? It was just a really sweet time being there.

In the museum, they have on display Pa’s fiddle. The one Laura wrote about so often in her stories. Once a year, at their annual music festival, someone still plays it! You aren’t allowed to take pictures in either the house or museum, so we’ll just have the memories in our minds. Such a worthwile place to visit – so glad we did!

Southwest City, MO, isn’t usually on one’s vacation destination list. It’s named Southwest City because it’s literally in the very southwest corner of the state.

But this was where we spent the night, parked in an empty lot. Our reason for stopping here came the next morning, Memorial Day.
We headed to Dave’s Supermarket to buy some fresh flowers. Then drove down Choctaw Rd. to see Cousin Mabel’s house. She passed away years ago, but folks in town still remembered which house was hers and were kind enough to share. Mabel, Grandma’s cousin, didn’t have an indoor toilet until the late 70’s/early 80’s.

After that, we took our flowers and headed to the cemetary.

That’s where Mabel is buried, but it’s also where my grandma (Christina’s) is buried. She died in ’11, and four years ago, while on a family road trip, we stopped by with Christina’s side of the family. My sister, Leslee, and my mom got to be there together and see where she was buried. But it took us a long time on a hot afternoon that August of ’14 to find it. Thankfully, this time we knew right where to go.

 

We put flowers on Grandma’s mother’s grave an sister’s grave, as well. They’re all buried there together. We put flags, too, since it was Veterans’ Day. My grandpa was stationed at Pearl Harbor when it was bombed, so he and Grandma both survived that horrible time.
It’s comforting to know they’re resting there until Jesus returns. The next thing they’ll know is Jesus coming in the clouds to take them home. And no, our flowers won’t last long, especially in the Missouri heat, but it was nice to leave something pretty by their headstones.
While driving to Cousin Mabel’s house, we saw some teenage kittens along the side of the road. Being animal lovers, we of course noticed. But we also noticed they were playing with something. That “something’ happened to be a pond turtle. And he was on a path to be run over if he didn’t make an abrupt u-turn.

We rescued him and headed for Honey Creek, which runs through the northern end of town. Dayne named him Southwest. The boys and I took Southwest down to Honey Creek and set him down in a nice spot. He didn’t agree. He tried to climb out. So we picked him up and took him to an even nicer spot. Southwest started crawlling out to head for the road. He obviously was bent on adventure. We decided to take him across the road that runs through town and put in him over there. Maybe that’s where he’d wanted to be?…It worked. He so cutely paddled with his stubby legs and we soon lost sight of him in the taller creek grass. But we’d see the tops of blades moving and know where he was. Knowing our little man was safe and sound, we departed for Mansfield. Who knows when we’ll be back, but it was nice to spend some time in a place special to our family.

 

Right after taking the above picture, we crossed the road to the gas station we parked at. As soon as we crossed the two-lane country road, a white Chevy pickup flew by. And I mean flew!! They were going at least 75 mph. What was going on? If you’ve ever watched the old TV series “The Dukes of Hazard”, you’ll be able to visualize precisely what came next. A police car, sirens blaring, was chasing this truck through this windy country road that runs south out of Southwest City into Oklahoma. It was just like the Duke boys were outrunning Roscoe P. Coltrane. The truck whizzed by. Three seconds later, the police car. And just as in “The Dukes of Hazard”, these Duke boys got away. Up the road we heard a loud screeching of tires and watched as the white truck put on their brakes and turned back to make a sharp right turn onto another country road. The police officer drove right by the turn-off. He turned around up the road and came back slowly. It seemed he knew which way they’d gone. He stopped at the gas station. We asked him why he didn’t pursue. He said since they’d crossed the state line, it was out of his jurisdiction. Those Duke boys….they knew exactly what they were doing. But had we been crossing the road on foot, and particularlly Ean on crutches, just ten seconds later, we’d all have been mowed over by the truck. It was a good lesson for our boys to witness. And hopefully those Duke boys won’t have to injure or kill someone before they change their ways.

After leaving the Perry’s with freshly washed clothes, we headed north for OKC. Along the way, we stopped at Chipotle for Ean’s much-deserved burrito. In the ER, Albert had told Ean we’d take him somewhere of his choosing once we were on the road again. That helped Ean get through his time of no eating.
We spent the night at a KOA. The boys got to get in some tetherball before dinner.
The next day was Sabbath. We attended the Oklahoma City International Church and thoroughly enjoyed our time spent there. I (Christina) also got to meet up with the parents of one of my 4th graders during my student-teaching year in Texas. My 4th grader is now a dental hygenist in north Dallas. I’m very proud of her. There was a yummy potluck after church, and it was so nice to be able to visit and make new friends.
Sabbath afternoon, we visited the site of the Federal Building bombing. They’ve built a beautiful memorial park honoring the precious people who lost their lives that day.

Here’s a few more pictures from the memorial.

Later that afternoon, we found a park with some shade to park under. Dayne scootered, Brodee, Albert, and I played frisbee, and Ean practiced more on his crutches.

In the evening, we drove to Bricktown, a portion of OKC’s downtown. We walked around the Botanical Gardens and found a dog park.

Melbee loved running around like a crazy woman, having the whole place to herself. Then another dog and his family came along. His name was Murphy, and the two of them had so much fun just being dogs together. Albert and I enjoyed talking with Murphy’s family while our boys kicked the soccer ball around with their son. They were such sweet people, and we ended up heading to the Children’s area together. God gave us another special Sabbath blessing in meeting this family and having a fun time in a pretty setting.

Next, we headed to the Oklahoma City Thunder’s arena to take a picture. They’ve been one of Dayne’s teams for a while, so we couldn’t pass up this fun photo op.  Speaking of basketball, the Warriors were playing the Rockets in Game 6, so we headed to McDonald’s parking lot. Their wifi is strong enough for our laptop to pick up in the parking lot, so we’ve been able to keep up with the series. Thank you, Mickey D’s!
Our last stop in OKC was the National Cowboy and Western Museum on Sunday. It was sooooooo worth it. It worked out that we were there there for their annual Chuck Wagon Days. There were fun activities for kids, and the Boy Scouts made yummy cowboy food for us to sample – biscuits, peach cobbler, beans with jalapenos, and rice pudding.

We met a painter, Steve Boaldin. He’s such a genuine person and we got to chat for a while. He has his own TV show on the local PBS channel, and this summer it will go national on the Cowoy Channel. Be sure to look for it. You can also visit his website: artofacowboy.com. His work is so beautiful and lifelike.

Overall, we loved this museum. It’s certainly worth the visit.

 

The dirt hills are a fun place Michael and his boys like to ride. And our boys had a fun time, too. There are some whoopty-do’s, some banks, and some inclines.

Ean was going down a steep hill to attempt another when he realized the rider at the top of the next hill hadn’t cleared out. He put on his brakes, knowing he would lose much needed momentum. Albert and I lost sight of him as he descended, but knew he went down because Brodee and Jaden asked him if he was alright. That’s when we heard Ean yell, “I can see my flesh!”

Albert ran over the hill and down. Ean was trying to come back to us but fell again, unable to walk. This is what I saw as Albert brought him back. 

Blood was running down into his socks. We got going to iCare Urgent Care as quickly as possible, hoping they could take care of him there since it was closer than ER. The doctor saw him and after a quick exam, told us it was quite possible Ean’s knee could be compromised. The staff there was so kind and helpful. They got us on our way ASAP to the Children’s Hospital in Plano. While at the ER, Ean had a few x-rays taken. Then the Orthopedist came in to talk to us. He said it was still hard to determine whether Ean’s knee joint had been violated or not. He was going to have to do a dye test. That meant injecting the side of Ean’s knee with blue dye. If the blue dye came out into the wound, we’d know the joint was compromised and have to take action.

Let me stop here and say Ean was in no pain. From the moment he was torn up by his pedal, he felt no pain. It’s so hard to look at his laceration and comprehend that. The Orthopedist said the wound looked like a gunshot wound. Throughout this ER stay, even when the Orthopedist was injecting his knee with a long needle, Ean was a tough little champ. And we give God the glory. God subdued Ean’s pain, and helped him handle this with courage. The Orthopedist was a tough, no punches doctor. When he was done with the procedure, he looked at Ean and said, “You’re a superstar, my friend. There’s not many people that take that the way you did.” And Ean never cried. Ever.

After the Orhopedist left, the ER doctor came in to begin the laceration repair. This would end up taking 1.5 hours and require over twenty injections into the actual wound itself to numb it throughout that 1.5 hours. Those injections made Ean the most uncomfortable and were quite painful. It wasn’t easy to stitch Ean back up. It took twelve internal stitches, and the twelve you see on top. When the doctor was done, Ean’s cheeks were flushed because of the pain he’d been internalizing. We’re so proud of him and the way he carried himself. The nurses and doctors appreciated his demeanor  and trust.

We got to the ER before 6pm, and left at 2:30am. A nurse wheeled Ean out to the back parking lot where Big Boy was parked. After getting Ean tucked into bed, he finally was able to eat. The Perrys kindly sent pizza for us, and Ean ate two slices of veggie before falling asleep. We spent the night there in the parking lot. It was finally over.

We thank God for all he did to give us wonderful people to help Ean, for keeping the pain at bay, and for wonderful friends like the Perrys who looked after Brodee and Dayne for a while when we were in the ER. We praise Him for stitches instead of surgery.

The name Ian/Ean means “God is gracious”. Our Ean is living proof of that.

After a good breakfast, our first stops in Dallas was to the Cowboys’ Stadium and the Texas Rangers’ field.

Both are right there together – very convenient. Thank you, stadium planners! Next on our to-do list was to meet up with our friend Eliel. He’s from our church back in Gilbert, AZ, but is out in Dallas for work for a short while. It was fun to see him and have a little bit of home in Texas.

Our last planned stop for the day was in Frisco, where one of Albert’s friends from Jr. High lives. Michael and his wife Erin have three boys also. The two oldest are around our boys’ ages, so they were all looking forward to spending the afternoon playing.

But the big question was what to play? Basketball, go swimming, ride bikes at the dirt hills? The dirt hills won by one vote. But by the end of the day, we would all wish basketball or swimming had won. You see, while at the dirt hills, Ean had an accident. An ER type accident. If you’d like to know more and don’t mind some bloody pictures, be sure to read EAN’S EPISODE. If blood and raw flesh aren’t your thing, then here’s a quick summary. Ean got a laceration in his leg about 1.5″ in diameter and about 0.5″ deep. Jagged edges. Urgent Care couldn’t help. We went to the Children’s Hospital ER. 8.5 hrs later, Ean had twenty four stitches and crutches. We spent the night in the hospital parking lot. The next day, we went back to the Perry’s home to do some laundry. So kind of them to allow us to wash our stinky stuff 🙂 Then we set off for Oklahoma City.