Blog vacation too

 

Do you know what this is?

Consumed by vacationing I have had no time to blog, however we are now in AL and with only 8 other motor homes in this  new  Magnolia Farms RV park, just opened in December.  We left Bay Hide Away RV,  MS and all the compatible snowbirds and activities and conversation.  Here I feel like a hermit and so Jerry has to get his ears re- tuned to my babblings. 

One of the things I discovered this trip at Bay Hide Away on my walks is the photo at the left.  All along on  what will become lawn space in spring these mounds abound.  Right now the area is swampy from the rains.
Some   of these mounds appear in village like clusters. 

At the Slidell, LA Mardi Gras and Confederate Museum we learned from the tour guide, that early settlers to the area sliced from these mounds, baked them and used the baked clay donuts to make some of the first stove burners. 

Our museum tour guide who is involved in Civil War re-enactments said that he knew there were tunnels connecting these clusters of clay condos and as a boy  would ignite one, close off the top and then see the smoke arise from other mounds that were connected by the tunnels.  Maybe you are familiar with these,  I was not.  They are craw dad homes. Curiosity encouraged me to poke one to investigate but first I asked lest these be some type of wasp nest and I would regret their ire. 

This one  was abandoned, closed over
 

The Slidell Museum was a fascinating small place and  three of us enjoyed a historic personally  guided tour where I held a musket for the first time.  Whew those are heavy so the early soldiers and settlers who were not so big as folks today had amazing strength to use those arms and while riding a horse besides.  The old two cell jail is inside and from the likes of the stone walls and heavy  metal doors no prisoner was going anywhere, there was never an escape.  Although the guide told us that the sheriff was puzzled how one prisoner would be found  drunk every morning.  It seems friends of the incarcerated smuggled moonshine to him late at night and shared it through the cell window bars.  He would drink his fill and pass the container back. through the bars.  Many amusing stories like that.  Unlike bigger museums, the artifacts are all our where visitors can touch them, even the dresses, uniforms and all fabrics.  I asked if they were not concerned about wear and better preservation but so far no, although the guide noticed some of the clay balls missing from the fire pit over which there was a grate.  It is all to easy for unescorted visitors to help themselves.  It was a couple hours very well spent. 

Slidell Museum 

Have had some fun antiquing and flea market browsing and picked up a few trinkets here and there, which I will share later after we  return home and I have time.  Hah! 

This is  Magnolia Iron  antiques in Menge , LA where one cannot move comfortably sideways let alone forward inside amidst all the stuff.  Apparently the owner is more interested in collections than having accessible pathways for potential buyers.  Although we  talked and she  was concerned  about the lack of sales.  As we were leaving a young family was entering,  I do not think this is a good place for curious active children. 

 

We are now in AL between Foley and Fairhope at a new Magnolia Farms RV park, opened in December next door to one of those so called RV resorts which sells lots to snowbirds and which is in bankruptcy currently.  Only 8  RV'ers here.so it does not have the conversations as we had in Bay St. Louis, Bay Hide Away RV.  By staying there a month, we have only driven the coach 1323 miles and spent $725 for 189 gallons of diesel since leaving home.  We have been using the HHR of course for local driving  and so far although watching regular prices of gas escalate $.60 cents per gallon over the last month, we have spent only $ 160 for 60 gallons.  Jerry would like to go over to Daytona, FL where our new WI friends will be for the Daytona 500.  But not for me, not this trip, another time. 

 



Spring pools reflecting

In 1923 Robert Frost published "Spring Pools" which is the last poem I memorized for our Poetry group in CA.   

Last week we had rain here along the Gulf and when I was walking the next day I took  some photos that immediately recalled lines from that poem.....

These pools that, though in forests, still reflect
The total sky almost without defect,
And like the flowers beside them, chill and shiver,
Will like the flowers beside them soon be gone,

And yet not out by any brook or river,
But up by roots to bring dark foliage on.
The trees that have it in their pent-up buds
To darken nature and be summer woods---
Let them think twice before they use their powers
To blot out and drink up and sweep away
These flowery waters and these watery flowers
From snow that melted only yesterday.

Of course the reference to snow does not fit here in MS but the reflections do.  We have had a successful Snowbird experience despite some rain that is promised again this evening  oh and that  nasty TN ice storm on the way that forced us to wait it out in Southhaven, MS. 

This is the first time on our RV travels that we have remained in one place for a month, a testament to the comfort and cordiality of Bay Hideaway RV, Bay St Louis, MS.  While we intended to find a Snowbird haven in TX, MS is fitting just fine.  I find myself droppin' my g's and will soon be drawlin' with the rest of the folks.

A fun Superbowl party, last night in the club house  with other snowbirders and especially the guys from Baltimore, Sam and John who drove the motor coach overnight from Baltimore to deliver their bosses here for Superbowl attendance.  Sam & John are  in their words "repo & tow drivers"  and their bosses at the Dome, "are millionaires who own businesses and restaurants."  So while the other two were in N'awlins Sam and John joined us.  We joined them in cheering on the black bird Ravens; I'd been ambivalent about the Superbowl because my Steelers were not there.    Sam said that they especially dislike  venturing to  da 'burgh to repo, because the Stillers do not like Baltimore.  They also say the traffic cops are all over them, what can I say, Stillers land is stillers land and football is serious business.  Anyway they were interesting and left this morning about 5, but we heard not a sound from their coach. 

Saturday we drove to two flea markets and did lots of looking and antiquing.  More about that later along with our finds, not many but a  good full day of looking and talking to locals.  Blogger is tiresome today and I have no more time to fiddle with it. More photos later...