BEIGNET .....DUN DAT!

Skyline of New Orleans, LA
April 2017

Our trips are always filled with surprises.  This one is no different.  New Orleans is ALWAYS a lot of fun and if you get bored, it's your own fault.  You can sit in one seat all day, and not only would you be entertained, you'll probably walk away shaking your head.  It's here...it's all here.

French Quarter - New Orleans, LA

Our campground and home until Friday morning is Ponchartrain Landing Marina and RV Park.  But first you have to get here.  Exit I-10 and meander down a road with potholes that could swallow an RV tire.  We arrived safe and shaken, but truthfully,  this is a nice and secure place to be as close to New Orleans (maybe 10 miles away).  A  restaurant is available on site as well as villas on the water if you don't have an RV.  

Breakfast on Day 1 in New Orleans is usually at a beignet and french coffee restaurant.  Cafe du Monde is the beignet restaurant of choice, conveniently located in the French Quarter, but it was packed and we had plans that began at 11:00 a.m.

Cafe du Monde - French Quarter - New Orleans, LA

Beignet from Cafe Beignet - NOLA

  Anyway, there may have been a line about 100 deep when we arrived, so we backtracked to beignet place #2, Cafe Beignet, and had the customary breakfast, jazz trio, etc.,  and left with me shaking about 5 lbs of confectioner's sugar off my clothes.

Maybe I should have worn the white pants!

After breakfast we had reservations for lunch aboard the steamboat "Natchez" for a 2 hour cruise.  The 2 hour cruise was enjoyable and the weather for the day was stellar.

Steamboat Natchez 

 A delicious buffet lunch aboard the "Natchez" started immediately upon our boarding but the only reason we decided on an early seating was because Melrose Elementary (not related to Melrose, FL Elementary), brought several hundred students on board for the cruise for the 12:30 p.m. seating.   The cruise was worthwhile and we learned more about New Orleans history.

Jackson Square
French Quarter - NOLA

We departed the steamboat and headed for another New Orleans tradition...a trip to Central Grocery, home of the original muffulettas.  Here you can buy homemade muffulettas, Central Grocery original olive salad, Louisiana BBQ Shrimp Sauce and Cafe du Monde Beignet Mix.

Central Grocery - Home of the original Muffuletta

Central Grocery - French Quarter - NOLA

Do you see a pattern developing regarding food?  We bought enough muffulettas to freeze and enjoy for lunch on the way to Cajun Palms on Friday (and then some),  just in case you think we're not thinking about the next meal.

SWEET HOME ALABAMA

WE ARRIVED!

Bella Terra RV Resort
Foley, AL

The last couple of days we have been guests at the Class A Bella Terra RV Resort in Foley, AL.  Bella Terra has been named one of the Top Five RV Resorts in America by Good Sam RV Club, and it only takes a quick drive through to find out why.  If you're looking for upgrades to enhance your RV lifestyle, Bella Terra offers pergolas, gazebos, fire pits, outdoor kitchens, upgraded landscaping and casitas.

Orange Beach, AL
Welcome to the Emerald Coast 

Foley, AL is a few minutes from the beautiful Orange Beach and the Gulf Shores area and surprisingly close to more than 300 restaurants.  People come here for various reasons: the sun, the Gulf, fishing, shopping, and festivals.  We came for oysters....and we found some beauties!!.... prepared many healthy ways....like garlic and butter, oysters Rockefeller, and best of all...on the half shell!

Bon Secour Oysters - Delicious!

We visited the new port-home community being developed by Bella Terra called Reunion Pointe.  

Reunion Pointe - RV Port-Home
Foley, AL

What, exactly, is an RV port-home?  Think of large carport (for the RV) and a single family home (1, 2, or 3 bedrooms).

Under the roof area you would have somewhere between 1,000 - 1,500 square feet.  The actual roof area can be between 1,800 and 3,000 square feet.  A port-home is connected with a patio/courtyard, covered or open, with features such as an outdoor kitchen, planters, fireplace/firepit and maybe a courtyard waterfall.  The Reunion Pointe development will consist of 45  upscale port-homes.   In our opinion, the prices we were quoted were considerably more than we expected they would be.

Garage Option - Reunion Pointe
Port-Home

Living Area - Reunion Pointe
RV Port-Home

Kitchen Area - Reunion Pointe
RV Port-Home

Our departure from Foley is tomorrow morning and we head west toward NOLA!  This ought to be an interesting ride - the love bugs are out and lots of construction.  We've gotten the word about the resurfacing of roads around Baton Rouge westbound.  Maybe we'll miss it.

As they say in Cajun French Louisiana, "Laissez les bons temps rouler" (LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL)!   Tomorrow we look forward to our arrival on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain at the Pontchartrain Landing Marina and RV Park.

WHO REMEMBERS CHATTAHOOCHEE?

I-10 going West in Florida This morning we left Webster, FL to travel for about the next 6 or more months - something we look forward to each Spring since we have been full time RVer's.  We are excited about the future months because we have many exciting plans, and we leave our winter domicile with many memories of the last season.  For the next couple of weeks we will be in a caravan of three motorhomes with friends, and we hope you will enjoy and make comments along the way! Our last sunset for the season Florida Grande Motor Coach Resort Webster, FL We enjoy many sunsets looking out over a ranch that encompasses hundreds of acres.  Our neighbors are certified angus cattle for the most part, but our favorite is a Welsh pony that has become special and visits several times a day. Toby A frequent dinner guest  Toby, as we call him, has learned how to work the system.  He usually goes up and down the fence that separates our property from the ranch and we all feed him....carrots, apples, and he adores peppermints.  Toby has the best smelling breath in his neighborhood.  We'll miss our view, the sunsets, and yesterday we spotted a bald eagle in the field for the first time in several years.  OK, take my word for it, it was a bald eagle a thousand feet away! Do you see that tiny little dot....well, it's a bald eagle! Today RV and I travelled to west Florida to stay overnight at the Triple C Campground, in Chattahoochee, Florida.  All I remember about Chattahoochee is a comment my mother used to occasionally make.  She would tell my brother and I we were going to "send her to Chattahoochee"!  I didn't realize it was the location of the State Mental Hospital, a very large hospital for severely and persistent major mental illnesses.  I didn't have a clue what she was talking about, but it wasn't a good thing!  By the way the Chattahoochee State Mental Hospital was the only State mental institution in business from 1876 to 1947, and currently has the capacity of over 1042 beds. Triple C Campground Chattahoochee, FL We'll look forward to sharing some of our unique destinations.  Many of the places we'll be stopping will be for Attitude Adjustment Painting Seminars, possibly more art therapy on the road.   I promise they will leave you shaking your head, maybe laughing, but always enjoying what is over the next hill.  Hope you will subscribe to our page if you might be interested in following our adventures.

THE 'NOLES VISIT THE SEMINOLE INN

On one of our many adventurous days, we discovered another piece of the puzzle of "Old Florida" in Indiantown, FL.  Although the Seminole Inn is only thirty miles northwest of Palm Beach, it is light years away in spirit and setting and is located in the heart of Florida's citrus and cattle country.

The Historic 1929 Seminole Inn - Indiantown, FL

Seminole Inn - Indiantown, FL

Baltimore banker S. Davies Warfield settled in this area in the 1920's determined to make Indiantown the southern headquarters of his Seaboard Airline Railroad (now known as Seaboard Coastline).  Along with all the other infrastructure, he built the Seminole Inn as a focal point.

Davies Warfield, Founder of Indiantown, FL

A piece of trivia is that his niece, American socialite, Wallis Garfield, (later to become the Duchess of Windsor), when she married King Edward VIII, and reportedly visited the Inn several times.

Wallis Warfield Simpson and her husband, The Duke of Windsor
(King Edward VIII abdicated the throne as the King of England)

The "Old South" decor is evident as you enter the main lobby.  The original solid brass fixtures and bronze chandeliers are molded to the crest of royalty.  The pecky cypress ceiling and hardwood floors highlight the room with a grace and style that grabs your attention.

The Lobby of the Seminole Inn

There are 22 guest rooms.  I had been told this is a haunted place, and upon questioning our waiter, Billy, I was assured the spirits were very active at this time but not to worry.  However, if you are interested, a YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDlBj9p78t4 video documents the paranormal activity.

The comfortable Lobby of the Seminole Inn

We especially enjoyed our visit to the Seminole Inn because it is unique and the surroundings bring you back to a time in Old Florida that only a few get to experience again.

The Windsor Dining Room - Seminole Inn

The Seminole Inn Lobby

We recommend the famous Sunday Brunch which is a country meal featuring home cooked vegetables, their famous sweet potato casserole (a recipe from the 1920's), local beef, roast turkey, fried chicken, freshly baked pastries and cobblers and made to order breakfast, Belgian waffles, fruit and a country salad bar.  Our seating was at 10:30 a.m., and while everything was delicious, I was comfortably full at the end of our visit and could have taken a nap very easily!

The famous Sunday Brunch Dining Room - Seminole Inn

The Seminole Inn Sunday Brunch 

Seminole Inn Sunday Brunch - All cooked as it was in the 1920's - Local Meats and Produce

 After our delicious meal, I walked around the gardens in the back of the Inn while RV waited in the lobby.  There might have been a lot of reported "paranormal" activity, but the only thing I saw was a HUGE gecko ...I don't know who scared who most, but I almost croaked when I saw the lizard with an orange head and green body!

Seminole Inn Gardens

Seminole Inn Gardens

The Last Train Out - Seminole Inn

YOU SNOOZE, YOU LOSE!!

We have proof.  The early bird gets the worm.

Lake Okeechobee before Sunrise

Our first morning in Okeechobee, Florida was one in which we decided to get up with the birds...for real.  Sunrise was at 7:15 a.m. and we were on the shores of Lake Okeechobee even through a pretty good cloud cover, a small amount of fog, and 70 degrees already.

Sunrise over Lake Okeechobee

After daybreak you could actually see all the activity on the lake.  Not just from the birds but lots of fish jumping out of the water, and many "early birds" getting ready to go fishing.

All these poles belong to one fisherman!

More Early Birds

 At over 730 square miles Lake Okeechobee is the second largest freshwater lake entirely within the Lower 48 states (second only to Lake Michigan).  The name "Okeechobee" means "big water" in the Seminole Indian language.  Also, there are many rare and protected species of birds in this area of Florida.  

Snowy Egret

Great Blue Heron - No matter how great, he has to
find his own breakfast!

Grey Heron - Breakfast on an edible  moving island

As Franklin Roosevelt once said,

I THINK WE CONSIDER TOO MUCH THE GOOD LUCK OF THE EARLY BIRD AND NOT ENOUGH THE BAD LUCK OF THE EARLY WORM. 

Life is meant to be lived and we hope you have an enjoyable day.  RV tells a joke about me asking what he did today.  He says "Nothing."   I said, "I thought you did that yesterday!"  He said, "I did, but I didn't finish it."