Back to the Beach!

 3/30/21 - 3/31/21 Bulverde, TX to Kingsville, TX - Stayed at Nature’s Own RV Resort for one night, $40

3/31/21 - 4/30/21 Kingsville, TX to South Padre Island, TX - stayed at South Padre Holiday KOA for one month, $999

Back to the beach

If you’ve read any of my posts, you know that the beach is my happy place. Bill and I have been coming to South Padre Island, TX almost every year since 2002, when we bought our first RV. The thing I love about SPI, besides the fact that it’s the best beach on the Texas gulf coast, is that it’s not too commercial. Maybe it’s just too far south for some people to bother. Don’t get me wrong, there are still some high-rise hotels and lots of kitschy souvenir shops, but there are also some great mom and pop places to discover. 

We spent the month of April 2021, shoulder season, at the KOA Holiday RV Park. It was windier and foggier than other stays, but, except for the holiday and weekends, it wasn’t nearly as crowded.

Every morning I walked 3-4 miles in a circuit beginning at the KOA, through the Isla Blanca County park, stopping at the jetty, along the beach, to the Holiday Inn board walk, and back to KOA.  You don’t have to pay to walk or bike through the County Park.  Just stay on the sidewalk to the left of the guard shack and walk on through. If you follow the loop road to the right around the park, you will find their performing arts/concert hall, a statue of Jesus, and a bait shop before you get to the jetty.  

If you go left, you’ll get to the beach faster. Isla Blanca has built some really nice day-use facilities in the past few years, which you can use for $12.00 a carload. There are two covered pavilions with picnic tables, grills and snack bars that have not been open since COVID began, but I bet they’ll be operating again this summer, and lots of benches from which to enjoy the view along the boardwalk. 

Either way, follow the beach down to the jetty. This was my favorite place to stop and watch wildlife. April is nesting season for Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles, and I saw quite a few in the water, as well as pelicans, cranes, and dolphins leaping from the waves. They like to follow the shrimping boats, because the wake disturbs the fish and makes for good eating!  

From the jetty, you can see across the Laguna Madre shipping channel to Boca Chica beach and, if the day is clear, the high bay complex and launch pad for SpaceX. We were in SPI for a month, mind you, and didn’t get to see a launch. We heard two engine burns that sounded like loud roars of thunder, but left four days too early to see SN-15 go up. Ugh!  It is an extra cool thing to do while at the beach. You can also drive to Brownsville and explore the area on you own on the days that the roads are not closed for testing. Check the internet before you go.

Shelling is best near the jetty, after a storm on a low tide morning.  The waves wash up small to medium-sized shells, lots of oyster shells, and some sand dollar fragments.  If you want big, hearty shells, drive to the north end of the island, as far as the road will go before the dunes overtake it.  Park on the side and walk across the dunes to the beach. There are lots of interesting finds along the way. Be sure to wear shoes and sunscreen or a long-sleeve shirt.  The dunes get REALLY hot.  

Besides fishing (get a free pass for the large pier at Pirate’s Landing when you stay at KOA) and building sand castles on the beach, you gotta visit Sea Turtles, Inc. When we first started going, they were housed in a tiny shack and worked on a shoe-string budget with the help of college interns, and volunteers like us. Now, they have a great complex with lots of educational opportunities and turtle patients to see.  Their mission is to rescue, rehab, and release injured turtles and hatch and release as many Kemps Ridley turtles back into the wild as they can. Summertime hatchling releases are thrilling!  Hundreds of babies swim back into the gulf while onlookers wish them luck. You can find out when they’re happening by calling the Sea Turtles, Inc hotline or their website.  Say hi to my favorite, Fred the loggerhead turtle, a permanent guest who’s lost too many flippers to return to the wild.

 Now for the food!  Fresh seafood and lots of it!  We always start at Dirty Al’s for the fried shrimp botanas platter for two enjoyed on the patio overlooking the marina. Watch out for the seagulls who will snatch a bite right off the table.  Pier 19 also has great fried shrimp and the best onion rings, AND Texas cinnamon rolls for breakfast!  Call ahead to make sure they still have some. Ceviche, Ceviche is relatively new.  They have a small storefront on SPI and Port Isabel serving super-fresh, you guessed it, ceviches. I go to Senor Donkey for blackened fish tacos (Mexicana taquitos) at least once during our visit.   We found a new-to-us, hole-in-the-wall, awesome, authentic Mexican food place called Chilito Pikin. They have different lunch specials every day.  Their enchiladas were particularly yummy. And, I love the addition of the food trucks on the island. We tried two of them that were parked at the Green on South Padre Island and boardwalk near Laguna Bobs.  Bill tried the street tacos at Breaking Bread.  I had a burrito and the cup of elote(Mexican corn) with butter, Mayo, chili, garlic and cortina cheese, YUM!  We also enjoyed the sunset, burgers and some adult beverages along the bay side at a tiki bar called Coconut Jacks, then walked over to the Gravity Park, where you can play putt-putt golf, ride go-karts, or try several rides that swing or fling you in the air. It was lots of fun just to watch. 

One thing I’m not thrilled about is the abundance of rentable, street-legal golf carts that can hold up to 10 people. Thankfully the speed limit is only 35 mph on the main strip, but you know how people get on vacation :(. At least they’re not scooters; they don’t work so well in the sand. I do also appreciate that SPI has numerous public access points, many handicap accessible, and free parking near the beach. Many beaches we’ve been to around the country allow large resorts to snap up the beachfront and you have to be a guest or pay to park to get near it. One of the many reasons we love SPI, and we’ll be back, again and again. 

2020 in the Rearview Mirror

10/17 - 10/21/20 Hot Springs, AR to Texarkana,TX, 126 miles, stayed at Shady Pines RV Park for four nights for $144.00

10/21 - 10/23/20 Texarkana, TX to Garrison, TX, 129 miles, stayed at Eagles Nest Hidden Lake Resort for two nights, $40/night

10/23 - 10/26/20 Garrison, TX to Caldwell, TX, stayed at Brazos River RV Park for 3 nights for $34/night

10/26 - 11/5/20 Caldwell, TX  to Bandera, TX, stayed at Skyline Ranch RV Park for 11 nights

11/5 - now Bandera, TX to Bulverde, TX, staying at TX 218 RV PARK, $375/month  

I get really lazy when we park in one place for too long. I stop taking photos and blogging. It’s easy to take your surroundings for granted and miss the specialness of the area you’re in. So before I forget, this how the year ended.

We came back to Texas earlier than last year, just before Halloween, so that we could vote in the Presidential election. We found a nice park with great wi-fi on the Medina River in Bandera, near my parents, and spent 11 days with them. My dad was immuno-compromised, so they had been isolating for some time and in dire need of some companionship.  I get it.  I love Bill, but too much togetherness can be too much.  Mom and I got out to do some very-carefully, distanced shopping and lunches, and we played games and crafted at their house.  The time flew by.

We had intended to vote by mail for this election.  We requested ballots be sent to Bandera, which is outside Bexar County, where we are registered,  and then expected to have them forwarded to us, so we could vote and send them back.  I’m glad we were close, because mine never came.  So we picked a day to drive in to San Antonio to vote early.  In case you’re interested, we had to sign our ballot requests. That signature was compared to our signature on file.  If we had mailed in our signed vote, that signature would have been verified, too.  Bill actually brought his ballot with him to the precinct and had to turn it in and sign extra paperwork that said he had chosen to vote in person.  One person.  One vote.  

In November, we moved to our old digs at Texas 281 RV Park. We’ve stayed here many times since 2002, when we first started RVing. You can’t beat the location- still in the country, but with easy access down Hwy. 281 (albeit through LOTS of construction) to downtown San Antonio. Bill’s mom and sisters are nearby. The Texas Hill Country doesn’t get a lot of fall color,  it this year was beautiful.

Even though it killed me to be so close to everyone and everything, we stayed isolated for the sake of our relatives. We got to visit Bill’s mom in memory care many times, but only by appointment.  When we visited, we had to sign in, have our temperatures taken, wear masks and stay six feet away from her. Bill’s sisters see her more often, so they got COVID tests and were allowed to visit with her in her room, without masks and touch her. She understands very little of what’s happening, but was happy to see us, and she still recognized us!

We also got to meet our grand niece and nephew who were born in February. Our niece is a nurse and very careful about who her family comes in contact with. Our first visit, we talked with her about the precautions we were taking and wore masks around the babies. By the end of the visit, she felt comfortable that we were okay, which is good because the babies pulled our masks off!  I love spending time with them at Carrie’s house. She cares for them three days out of most weeks-overnight, while Ashley is working. They have such different personalities. Logan is laid back, content and loves to laugh.  He is fascinated by Carrie’s cat and talks to it. Elora is a bundle of energy, constantly moving, and smart.  You can tell she is always working things out in her head. She tests everything and is good at making Logan laugh. 

While we were taking precautions, Brendan also was doing what he needed to be safe in Michigan. That meant that for the first time in his life, we didn’t spend Christmas together. However, his roommates didn’t go home either, so they celebrated the season together with their girlfriends in their own northern bubble. We FaceTimed and Zoomed a lot!  Thank God for technology during this pandemic to keep us connected. 

We also chose not to see my brothers, who traveled to visit with Mom and Dad. Shawn and Kim and family chose to cancel their flight and stayed in Idaho. Chris, Christina and Audrey drove down, packing their own food and sanitizing motel rooms as they traveled.  They quarantined for some time before going out to see them. Nate, Becca and the kids shortened their visit, chose not to stay at Mom and Dad’s house, and spent the entire time outside with masks.  We went out to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas Day with them. In all, it spread out the visitors over more days and hopefully gave them more personal time with their family, even though we couldn’t all be together. 

So I’m trying to find ways to fill my time, being mostly isolated. Over the course of the year, I made 26 gifts, crocheted, painted or macrame, that I gave for Christmas presents. Yes, I became THAT aunt that gives caps and scarves and lap blankets, and I was so thankful to have that to keep my hands busy. I also signed up to walk a 7day6K marathon for Team World Vision. In March, I will walk 6k (representing the distance many children have to walk to collect drinking water) every day for a week. In so doing, I will have walked a marathon. Lest I feel too good about myself, remember, they walk to the water source, collect water and walk home with a full container. I don’t know that I could walk two miles carrying five gallons of water. 

Last year, we were at the beach in Gulf Shores, AL at this time. I had no problem walking four miles a day. Now, we’re in the Texas hill country, which is trickier terrain. But I’m loving the scenery as long as I don’t get stricken with cedar fever.  Pray my knees hold out until race week!

After all this, I know how blessed we are. Being retired and traveling, the pandemic has been more of an annoyance for us than anything. We’ve met people who are dealing with changing job situations or being out of work and worried about how to pay bills and buy groceries.  Now more than ever, I feel the need to be part of the solution, to find ways to help and give back. I’m taking some prayerful time to consider how to do that this new year. I’m thankful for my family’s good health and continued employment. I’m thankful for each new day we wake up in a warm bed with food to eat. And I thank God for you and am looking forward to the day that we can all be vaccinated and be together again!

In the Middle

 8/17/20 - 8/24/20 Goodlettsville, TN to Cave City, KY, 77 miles, stayed at Cave Country RV Campground, one week, $274

8/24/20 - 8/25/20 Cave City, KY to Shepherdsville, KY, 65 miles, stayed at Grandma’s RV Park, one night, $32

8/25/20 - 8/29/20 Shepherdsville, KY to Indianapolis, IN, 134 miles, stayed at Lake Haven Retreat, 4 nights, $155

8/29/20 - 8/31/20 Indianapolis, IN to Bluffton, IN, 115 miles, stayed at Bluffton/Ft Wayne KOA, 2 nights, $84

8/31/20 - 9/10/20 Bluffton, IN to Shipshewana, IN, 80 miles, stayed at Shipshewana South Campground for 10 nights

We’ve traveled up the middle of the country, not seeing much of anything besides corn and soy fields.  We stayed near Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, but learned there was only one self-guided tour through the cave that didn’t reach many of the interesting formations. BTW - the Access Pass did NOT cover entrance into the cave. That was another $12.00! So I thought we could at least go to the visitor center and look at the displays. National Parks usually have great visitor centers. As I walked to the entrance, I noticed yellow crime-scene tape that divided the entrance into three lines, one for purchasing tickets into the cave, one for the souvenir shop, and one for the cave entrance if you’d bought tickets in advance. So, nice drive in the woods, but no visitor center. 

We did pass the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, KY. That looked cool.  But, they weren’t offering tours at the time. 

We decided to drive through the countryside and look for barn quilts along their “Barn Quilt Trail”.  What a smart way to preserve old barns and drive tourists to explore the area.  I love these things!  We stopped at a great roadside farm stand and bought fresh veggies, and found a great hole-in-the-wall place called 5 Broke Girls in Horse Cave, KY to have excellent chicken-fried steak, mashed potatoes and cream gravy. It’s really hard to find good chicken-fried cooking, but the owner is from Ft. Worth, so she knew how to make it right!  And, there was an Amish bakery by the highway, so we picked up a dinner-plate sized cinnamon roll.  

We found Indianers to be very welcoming.  We met a group of about 30 campers at the Bluffton KOA who were all neighbors/friends back in Ft. Wayne who liked to get away on the weekends together.  When they found out we’d never been to Indiana, they heartily greeted us and invited us to join them around their campfire that night.  We brought the last of our jalapeño cheddar sausage, and they handed us solo shot cups to try Smoky Mountain Apple moonshine and peanut butter bourbon.  We were something of an oddity and some of them gathered around to hear about our travels.  

This is the best part of traveling - meeting people from all over the country and swapping stories.  But we were a little concerned about getting too close.  As it got darker, we scooted closer for warmth and to be able to hear each other, because the others got rowdier as the night wore on!  

Amish Country

We saw our first horse and buggy just outside Shipshewana. Of all the things that define Amish country, I love that unmistakable “clip-clop“ sound as they drive by. Poor horses only get a small shoulder on the side of the road to drive in.  And on the weekends, they have to share that with tourists on bicycles.  They must be well-trained.  It was funny to see them lined up at the hitching posts outside grocery stores, restaurants and even at the bank. Yes, Amish are allowed to use the bank, but some had to walk up to the drive-through window.  

Rules that govern their way of life vary greatly depending on their beliefs. There is a museum in town called the Menno-Hof that tells the history of the Amish people from their Anabaptist beginnings in Switzerland. I was fascinated by where they draw the line. In general, they don’t drive cars, but can go in a car driven by someone else.  They don’t have electricity in their house and they don’t have phones, but they can use one at a nearby location. 

I met a Mennonite couple who owned Teaberry Wood Products on Morton Street that made baskets and wooden nativity scenes. She wore a dress and covered her hair.  He had a short beard. They have a website to advertise their business. One of their sons operates a computer at a factory.  And they are Harvest Host hosts, so they have to manage reservations somehow. 

One night as I was walking around our campground, I stopped to watch a baseball game going on in the neighboring field between Amish and “English” teams. There were girls on both sides. The Amish girls played barefoot and hitched up their dresses to run the bases. Then I walked to the other side of the campground to feed their huge draft horses the tall grass they dared not reach for because the fence was electrified.  At their shoulders, these horses were taller than me and gorgeous!

Shipshewana holds a flea market every Tuesday and Wednesday.  People come from all over the world to shop there. Some of the stuff is typical flea market fare, lots of cheap items made in China, but you can also find homemade gems among them - jams, jellies, honey, maple syrup, baked goods, wood products, hand-sewn and hand-woven items.  I went twice.  It only costs three dollars to park, and it’s free to get in. I was lucky to go on a Wednesday to experience the Auction Barn. People who have items to sell, set their goods up on Tuesday in an assigned lot that’s designated by an area painted on the concrete floor. Buyers can browse to get an idea of what’s there. On Wednesday, A dozen auctioneers move around the space and auction off all the wares. It’s a cacophony of quick-fire bidding, and so much fun to watch!  I saw one older Amish farmer buy several large crockery, wooden block and tackle, a plow, chains, and a manual washing machine that he loaded on the back of his horse-drawn wagon. I wanted so badly to take a picture, but they don’t like people taking photos. They don’t believe in making graven images of themselves. 

On Friday night, Bill and I were craving Mexican food (I know, Mexican food in Indiana!). We quickly tired of the heavy, German-influenced meat and potatoes they served at the touristy restaurants. So we took a risk and went for take-out at the only Mexican food place in town, El Zorrito 2. When we pulled in, we noticed that that the hitching post, that was as long as the building, was full of buggies, and there many bicycles out front.  Inside, we found mostly Amish!  It was packed, and they don’t wear masks, so we ordered and sat outside to wait.  More Amish came and joined us on the porch.  We had the best conversations waiting there on the porch, really interesting, lovely people!

Best food hint - Ben’s soft pretzels sell their pretzels for $1 on the first Thursday of every month!  Fresh and hot out of the oven, they sprinkle on your choice of flavoring, like cinnamon sugar or Parmesan, and add a dipping sauce, like cream cheese frosting or marinara sauce!  It’s easy to overindulge!

Forest Giants in a Giant Forest

 So we didn’t get to see the Chihuly exhibit in Nashville.  But I happened to see giants on the cover of a travel magazine when I was in the office paying for our overnight stay at Grandma’s RV Park in Shepherdsville, KY. They were only ten minutes away at the Bernheim Arboretum, so I hopped online, got our free, timed tickets and we took off. This is the kind of happy surprises I love about traveling. 

The forest giants were created by Danish artist, Thomas Dambo from recycled wood from the area. The giants are named Mama Loumari, Little Nis and Little Elina, and they are placed throughout the woods, so you can either explore and find them or follow the giant footprints.

Mama Lourami is relaxing and enjoying nature while her kids explore the woods. 

Little Elina is creating a feather sculpture out of rocks, 

and Little Nis is looking at his reflection in the lake. 

Music City, USA

 8/3/20 - 8/10/20 Hartford, TN to Crossville, TN, 130 miles, stayed at Spring Lake RV resort, one week, $270

8/10/20 - 8/8/17/20 Crossville, TN to Goodlettsville, TN, 133 miles, stayed at Grand Ole Opry RV Resort, one week, $226

Nashville, TN

The Grand Ole Opry RV Resort was situated about 20 miles north of Nashville.  But, they did their part to provide live music every night after dinner. They had some pretty good groups playing, even though country’s not my favorite style of music. You could hear the music wafting across the park, or go sit in a rocking chair on the patio and enjoy until the sun set.  

I had my first taste of hot chicken and waffles at Big Shakes Nashville Hot Chicken. Their spice levels were Original, Cry Baby, Stop Drop n Roll, Rambo, and Executioner. Now I like spice, but those names intimidated me a little. I choose Cry Baby with one Stop Drop n Roll chicken tender. It wasn’t that hot. But the spicy, salty and sweet flavors when mixed with the syrupy waffle were AWESOME!  

I’m a fan of American Pickers in the History channel, so I knew I wanted to visit their store in Nashville. I recognized some of the decorations in the shop, but they must keep most of the good stuff in Iowa, because there really wasn’t much there besides souvenirs. Of course I bought the t-shirt. 

Also in downtown, we saw the state capitol up a huge hill, and the Bicentennial Capital Mall State Park that is essentially a walkable timeline of the history of Tennessee outside the state museum. Also right close is the best farmers market we’ve seen so far. When it’s fully open, I bet it’s a buzz of activity. The restaurants inside were open, but there was only seating outside, and there weren’t as many vendors outside as I would have hoped, but we still picked up some veggies and ate gyros from the Greek place. I also had my first bubble chai tea!  I love the flavor, not so much the big black tapioca.  

We drove past the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Titans stadium, and down Broadway. There had just been riots there in the past week, so we decided not to get out and walk. But there were plenty of  tourists lined up on the sidewalks waiting to get inside places that had reached max capacity!

I found out that there was a Chihuly glass exhibit that had just opened at the Cheekwood Estate and Gardens. That’s one that I would love to see, but the tickets were sold out for the dates we were there, ugh!  Such is the life of a traveler.  If you don’t know where you’re going well in advance, you miss out on some things, but get to enjoy others.  

Head for the Hills!

7/24/20 - 7/25/20 Savannah, GA to Walterboro, GA, 90 miles, stayed at Eagles RV Park for one night door $30

7/25/20 - 7/27/20 Walterboro, GA to Kinards, SC, 125 miles, stayed at Magnolia RV Park for 2 nights at $46/night

7/27/20 - 8/3/20 Kinards, SC to Hartford, TN, 151 miles, stayed at Fox Fire Riverside Campground for one week at $270

Smoky Mountains

Last year, we visited the Great Smoky Mountains by staying in Sevierville, TN and driving through Gatlinburg. It is EXTREMELY busy and touristy. This time, we approached from South Carolina, up I40, and stayed just over the Tennessee border in Hartford, so We could easily go back and explore Asheville, NC.   The RV Park had only a few spaces, nestled between the mountains to the East and the Pigeon River to the West.  

We arrived on a Monday, and Hartford was dead quiet. It’s just a little spot on the map. But we ventured out the next day to eat and found the place PACKED!  Turns out, the Pigeon River is a Mecca for white water rafting, kayaking, paddle boarding, cycling and zip-lining!  And several rafting outfits ended at our campground. We learned that the river is dam-controlled and rafting is best on the days the dam releases water (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays). Hundreds of people came and went. On the other days, we had the river almost to ourselves, so we could sit and bask in the quiet.  On one of those crazy days, we decided to go to Asheville.

I’ve heard so many wonderful things about the Biltmore Estate, but COVID and budget were working against us. I wanted to spend my day at the River Arts District - two miles of warehouses and manufacturing plants near the river and train tracks that have been converted to artist studios and galleries. This is my kind of place!  It took us two hours to get there because of construction, and only 30% of the galleries were occupied. Everyone else was quarantining at home. Yet, I got a taste of what it was like to visit artists at work.  We also found Lexington Glassworks, a glass-blowing foundry not far away and spent time watching them practice their craft - so cool!   I loved this place.  It’s quirky and artsy, and I want to come back when things are in full swing!  

As the afternoon rains began to fall, we ducked into a taco shop and enjoyed a late lunch before dashing back to our car for the long drive home. Fun fact - the Smoky Mountains are a rain forest and it rains almost every afternoon. When the rain stops and the mountains heat up, the water evaporates, making it look like they’re on fire. This is one of the reasons for the name “Smoky Mountains”.  

The Hostess City - Savannah, GA

7/20/20 - 7/24/20 Brunswick, GA to Savannah, GA, 68 miles, stayed at Savannah Oaks RV Resort for 4 nights

When I was still in High school, I dreamed of attending the Savannah College of Art and Design. There is just something about that southern town and their hospitality.  As a matter of fact, they’re called “the Hostess City”. I read that the first city of Georgia was spared during the Civil War because they decided to welcome General Sherman and the union army instead of fight them.  

James Oglethorpe received the charter to establish the last English colony of Georgia for King George II in 1733 as a buffer against the Spanish in Florida.  Oglethorpe designed the city along a grid and 24 squares. Each settler would receive similar houses and amount of land so that no one person had more than the other.  Lawyers, Catholics, slavery and alcohol were forbidden. Unfortunately, those ideals didn’t last long, and Savannah soon became THE slave ship port for the colonies. It is said Sherman decided to save the city because it was so beautiful, and offered it as a Christmas present to President Lincoln.  

It still holds up today. The riverfront is lined with cobblestone streets, and inviting restaurants and shops, once you find a way down the iron staircases.  (There is an elevator at the Hyatt Regency, if you don’t do stairs well). Up top, you can stroll along Factor’s Walk with more restaurants and shops, or venture into the city. Savannah is easy to navigate because of the grid design, and each cool, grassy square has a fountain or statue or benches where you can rest under mature shade trees, a wonderful respite from the heat and humidity. 

Of course you can tour the city with the hop-on, hop-off Old Town trolley to get the lay of the land, as in most big cities, but they didn’t have the plexiglass between rows or limited seating as they did in St. Augustine, and I wasn’t willing to be that close to others even then. Such is life in the time of COVID. I found a great Self-guided walking tour that wound from the riverfront, past the historic Colonial Park Cemetery and the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist, ending at Forsyth park. It was so hot, we actually drove it. We followed a trolley for a while, Bill dropped me off at a few spots, but parking was easy at the Pay and Display spots along the road, and it was cheaper than the trolley. 

We ate at The Cafe at City Market in the City Market, a four-block pedestrian area, just across from the American Prohibition Museum. The lunch was okay, but the peach cobbler was TO DIE FOR. Then we meandered. I love to just explore after gaining a little knowledge about an area. Jones street, in particular, had gorgeous, unique townhomes on cobblestone streets and beautiful gardens. We parked on Monterey Square and walked along Bull Street to Forsyth Park.  It’s a great place to rest and people watch. There’s also a monument and a bandstand in the park. 

The next day, we went to Bonaventure Cemetery. Is that weird?  If you’ve read “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil”, that’s where the girl with the bird statue used to be, but like Forest Gump’s park bench, it’s been moved to a museum to preserve it. Still, this is an old cemetery, and I love to look for the oldest headstone. Again, I like to wander.  Here’s what I found.  

We only scratched the surface of this lovely place. I could come back again and again. It is that beautiful.