For our much needed and eagerly anticipated vacation, we
decided to become wandering nomads and just go wherever the road took us.
Andrew, Terry, Angie, and I started out from Pell City early Sunday morning and
drove until we reached Biloxi, Mississippi and decided to stay for a while and
check out the casinos and restaurants and beaches. We ate some good food (which
we did a lot of over the course of our 5 day adventure…we sure do love to eat:)) , found a comfy
motel, and headed to the Hard Rock Casino to try our luck at the slot machines and
have a few cold beverages. We won a little, then quickly lost it again playing
video poker, so we decided to head down to the beach and enjoy the ocean at
night. There’s just something so peaceful about being by the water…ah, bliss.
The next day we ate, drove around, and then Andrew and I decided to fill up our
cooler with some cold beers and sit down by the ocean and listen to music and
relax. The day was beautiful…warm sand, cool water, and ice cold drinks…plus
time together to talk, laugh, and be silly. After several hours (and a slight
case of sun-poisoning) we got picked up, headed back to the hotel, and passed
out from exhaustion and sun exposure. Going to bed at 9 PM on vacation is
pretty lame, but we are old now and our tired, sun-burned bodies just couldn’t
take any more. J
On day 3 we headed to Louisiana to wander around downtown New Orleans, eat at
the famous and delicious Bubba Gumps (where we discovered our new favorite
drinks…Coronitas…margaritas with ice-cold Coronas mixed in), and buy some
voodoo dolls. Instead of staying in New Orleans, we decided to travel on a
little further into Louisiana and I’m so glad we did. About an hour outside of
NOLA we came to Des Allemandes where we decided to go on an air-boat adventure…the
four of us piled into the air-boat with our captain, Arthur, and he took us
through a fast-paced tour of the swamps. We saw bald eagles, lots of beautiful
scenery, and I almost got eaten by a wild, hungry alligator who tried to climb
into our boat. It was the highlight of our entire trip…so much fun…I wish I
could do it again. After our super fun swamp tour, we ate at a little diner,
checked into another motel, and discovered (much to our amazement) that Walmart
in Louisiana carried liquor…a few margaritas and some Sublime closed out our
day perfectly. Day 4 found us driving down Highway 90 towards Texas…we drove
all the way to Orange where we toured some more swamps, took 90 billion
pictures at the state line, and then moseyed on over to the botanical gardens
for a boat tour and a walk through some beautiful scenery. It’s been four years
since I set foot in Texas and I had forgotten just how big and amazing it is…I’m
going to have to kidnap Andrew soon and take him on a trip to ‘Ole El Paso!
Texas was the end of the line for us…so, on day 5, we piled into the comfy van
and made our way across the state lines back to Alabama and our three kitties
who missed us so very much. It was one of the best vacations I’ve ever been on…laid-back
and relaxed and full of fun and adventure. I’m so glad I got to spend several wonderful
days with my sweet man and his amazing family…what a lucky girl I am!
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| On our air-boat tour of the swamp |
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| My hard life has driven me to smoke...NOT...just pretending with Andrew's dad's cigarette |
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| Andrew becomes a smoker too...what can I say, we have an addiction |
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| First stop...Mississippi |
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| Me and Elvis...yup, I met him |
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| Sunset over the Biloxi Beach |
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| Andrew gets his feet wet |
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| Me at the beach |
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| Me and my sweetie |
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| Dirty poo poo feet...YUCK |
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| Steve Vai's guitar |
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Hard Rock Casino...where we won and then lost it all :)
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| Andrew and Terry and Angie walking along the coast |
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| By the pier |
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| Andrew is thrilled to be at the beach |
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| Me enjoying the warm sun...pre-sunburn |
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| The best part of the day...warm sand and deliciously cold alcohol |
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My favorite picture of us <3 div="">
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It's not Florida, but it's still beautiful
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| Me and my love |
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| Playing in the sand |
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| Me again...a little tipsy and starting to get sunburned |
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| Riding to Louisiana |
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| Terry takes us into Louisiana |
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| Andrew again...he loves when I take a billion pictures |
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| The Blues Cafe in NOLA |
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| A dreadlock skeleton |
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| Everything is better when it's HUGE |
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A New Orleans' Leprechaun
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| Our favorite restaurant...Bubba Gumps |
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The path where Forrest ran
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| Our favorite drinks...Coronitas |
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| Getting our drink on |
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| Us at Bubba Gumps |
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Angie and Terry
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| Andrew's lunch...shrimp skewers and fried oysters |
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| My veggie burger and fries YUM |
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| The four of us at Bubba Gumps |
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| Terry and his friend, Cardboard Ranger Dan |
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| The statue in New Orleans' square |
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| The gator head at our air-boat tour |
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| The first gator we saw...a baby that appeared before we even got on the boat |
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| Me and Andrew, ready to tour the swamp |
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| Our guide, Captain Arthur (my Cajun boyfriend according to Andrew) |
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| Angie and Terry on the boat |
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Sweetness
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| The tour begins |
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| An oyster shell-lined bank |
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| Heading into the swamp |
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| Having a blast on the air-boat |
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| Andrew enjoys the ride |
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| What a beautiful day |
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| Andrew |
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| Beautiful, moss-covered trees |
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| One of the animals we see...a cross between a muskrat and a beaver |
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| Big Al...the huge gator we come across |
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Looking at the gator
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| Big Al gets closer to the boat |
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| Terry and Angie watch the gator |
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| Me hiding my fear of the gators with a smile |
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| Captain Arthur |
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| Another gator |
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A panoramic view of the swamp
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| The beautiful trees growing out of a fallen tree |
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| Us on the air-boat |
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| A duck blind |
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| Lily pads as far as the eye can see |
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| A blossom from one of the lily pads |
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| The flower I save from our tour |
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| Andrew's diner dinner...gravy and hamburger steak burger with a side of crawfish pies |
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| On the road again |
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| Andrew and his dad |
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| Terry and Angie |
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| The father/son look |
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| Super excited to be on our way to Texas |
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| Riding to Texas |
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| Putting on his cowboy hat so he will be ready for Texas |
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| Me and Andrew...ready to get out and stretch in the Texas sunshine |
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| Look, we made it to Orange, Texas |
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| Andrew standing under the lone star |
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| Andrew in Texas |
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| Me, smiling like a psychopath because I'm so happy to be in Texas again |
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| Andrew and Terry in Texas |
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| The four of us in Texas |
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| In the Lone Star State for the first time |
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| Angie, Terry, and Andrew at the state line |
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| Me and Andrew in Texas |
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| Orange, Texas |
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| The Blue Elbow Swamp |
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| Looking for life in the swamp |
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| The murky swamp |
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| Angie and Terry |
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| A snapping turtle statue |
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| Exploring the swamp from the safety of the bridge |
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| Looking for snakes |
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| A turtle pops his head out of the water |
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| A snake in the water |
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| Me |
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| TEXAS, oh how I've missed you |
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| Me in the state of my birth |
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| Andrew tips his hat to Texas |
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| Me and my sweet man in Texas |
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| Angie and Terry at the Shangri La Botanical Gardens |
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| Me and Andrew |
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| Flowerbeds in the botanical garden |
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| Angie and Terry on the boat tour of the botanical gardens |
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| Andrew |
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| Andrew, Angie, and Terry |
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| Me and Andrew |
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| Our tour guide talks about the nature and history of the area |
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| A bird...one of the few animals we see on our boat ride |
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| Trees |
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| Me in the swamps |
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| Some of the plant life that is taking over and destroying the natural vegetation |
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| The swamp |
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| Beaver pelts |
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| Angie touches the soft beaver pelt |
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| Angie and Terry |
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| Checking out nature |
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| Look! |
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| Shangri La Botanical Gardens |
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| The walkway over the water |
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| A panoramic view of the water at the botanical gardens |
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| Beauty in the botanical gardens |
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| The voodoo doll we bought in NOLA |
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| The highlight of our trip...the air-boat ride through the swamps of Louisiana |
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