A bit overdue, but the blog is back! After a real good visit with Joan's brother Gerry & wife Maryellen in Phoenix, ( during which we were hit with the worst storm in AZ history ) we headed for the Tuscon area. While there, we met up with good friends Bob, Kathy, Andy & Marge Secker. It's always great to see friends & family from home. The pic here is from Boot Hill cemetery in Tombstone. It was a neat place to visit , and the nearby town of Bisbee was picturesque and historic. We also got over to Cochise's hideout, an amazingly beautiful and boulder strewn area. From there, we ambled east thru New Mexico and into west Texas. There were many historical markers to study and we marveled at the sheer magnitude of the lands and it was a good trip thru the hill country. Then, we got into San Antonio, land of Missions, the most famous of which was the Alamo. For us, it was very moving to see and think of the events that took place there. We also did the Riverwalk, a beautiful area filled with all sorts of shops, cafes, and other unique stuff placed along a meandering waterway with landscaping and neat lighting. It was quite the experience. From there, we proceeded to Austin and visited the LBJ Library and the state capitol building. Everything caught & held our interest. Weather was not the best, but we kept remembering that we'd missed all the snow up north and immediately felt better! After that, it was up thru Waco and then into Dallas to visit my cousin Larry and his family. He's a prof at UT Dallas, involved in neuroscince and has many interesting projects he's working on. We were amazed at the scope of it all. The whole visit was enjoyable, and included a trip to Dealey Plaza, site of JFK's assassination. A great museum was housed in the old Book Depository, where Oswald fired the shots from. Being there provoked many emotions & thoughts. We explored the downtown areas after that. Dallas got hit with 12" of snow the day before we arrived, but the roads were clear for us.
Upon leaving Texas, we went into La., thru Shreveport to a little town named Gibsland, where Bonnie & Clyde got ambushed by the law. After seeing the actual car while in NV, we felt we had to see where it happened, and it was worth the trip. Turns out that the place we stopped at to confirm directions was the site of an old cafe that the pair had stopped off to get sandwiches just before meeting their maker. Hmm, wonder if they were able to eat them.......
We're now in N'awlins, also known as the Big Easy. What a town!! All of our senses are under assault, what with the great foods, beautiful buildings, and interesting folk. It's pretty wild, and we can't imagine how much wilder it was at Mardi Gras and after the Saints won the Super Bowl. This place knows how to partee'!! We also got to view & tour some of the elegant river plantations and ante-bellum mansions in the area, plus those in the Garden District of New Orleans. That was a wow-a-minute tour.
We soon leave for Biloxi, MS, then to Mobile and Pensacola. Crossing our fingers for the southern warmth, but will not forget ya'll up north as well. You'd probably be happy with the days we consider bad here. We'll check back in later.....
