Surprise!

Friends of ours from Montana (Darrin and Terri from a previous Glacier Mountain post) happened to be in Mississippi visiting family at the very same time we were heading to Texas from Florida. Terri and Sheila have quickly become great friends, so of course, a devious plot was created for us to "drop in" unexpectedly. Darrin and Sheila concocted a very detailed arrangement to get us to his parents front door bell – inside a gated community – without anyone being the wiser. The look on Terri's face when she answered the door was priceless.

 Darrin's parents place was a lake front house that we fished from and took morning walks around.

 
The hospitality was second to none, we enjoyed the visit very much.

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 A quick three night stay further down the road in Mobile, AL was extended due to inclement weather. I mentioned in previous entries the severe weather conditions the southern states dealt with this year, while our home state of Washington was fairly mild.
 

We did manage one less cold day out at the beach. But it was really too cold to stay out very long (and we were on the ocean!)

 Can you find Rufus? : )

There was a fort on the beach as well, we wanted to tour but too cold...brrrrr.

Some of our campground pictures in Mobile just miles from the gulf coast. Ice and snow are not something seen in these parts very often. The entire city was closed for days, not just schools, but businesses as well. Even Rufus wasn't sure what to do with the 5 degree temperature. (although he did get his first chance to roll in the snow) Every local news channel was devoted to updating conditions 24/7. And this was all due to a couple inches of snow and ice : )

 

Our truck and trailer were coated in a sheet of ice. Snow and ice removal from the truck and top of the slide-outs slowed our scheduled departure.


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We spent Valentines weekend at the L'Auberge Resort in Lake Charles. We had stayed the year before and really enjoyed it. Mostly we ordered room service and relaxed. We had a great time!

 

 

 

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We spent a very wet month in Beaumont, Texas and made some new friends. We're finding more and more families/couples are choosing to move to a job location and live permanently in campgrounds versus going through another home purchase. And these families are not just low income or temp workers, many are middle class to upper middle class as well. It's just what makes sense financially. 

Our neighbors were a permanent resident of this campground. He was a mechanical engineer at a nearby gas plant and she worked at the local church. The month we were there, he was constructing a Talapia fish tank and vegetable garden on their lot (small, middle picture above). The plan was to grow and farm enough fish and vegetables to be self-sustaining. Most of the power to their Motor Home came via the solar panels installed on the roof. We have also seen this in campgrounds around the country. It's true that people learn to adapt and survive in their environments.

This was another of Rufus's favorite campgrounds, because he could be off-leash most of the time. And as is usually the case, Rufus quickly becomes a favorite of the campground hosts and earns a little more freedom than most : )



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 Another entry awaits me today from our trip to New Orleans, so I'll close with this...

I'm not a beer drinker, and don't know enough about wine to make good choices. I have, over the years learned something about rums in general, at least enough to know I prefer not to mix it with soda. Most available rums on the market are used with mixers and really destroy any flavor associated with it.

Three years ago, I found and purchased a bottle of rare rum in Texas. So rare in fact, I could never find it again at any store on our stops throughout the U.S. Even after arriving again in Texas, I had to special order it from the retailer. (So I ordered a case of it (6). For fun and anyone is that's interested, here's a description followed by a judges comment.

Description: Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva

A fabulous Venezuelan dark golden rum, distilled from molasses in a copper potstill before 12 years of ageing. Rich, sweet and fruity. Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva is one of the most awarded rums with more than 20 awards to its name.

Judges' Comments from The International Cane Spirits Festival:

 

"Redolent of rich caramel and chocolate, hazelnuts and burnt sugar; tastes sweet, smooth and balanced – delivers the promise of its aromas – delicious! Orange, chocolate, sweet mango – the flavor notes are endless; full-bodied, lush and rich, with a lingering finish that demands another sip."

Award: Gold Medal, Best In Category.

Thanks for reading!