Silence Isn't Always Golden...But Diamonds Are STILL A Girls Best Friend

Ok, so I have been MIA for a while. I am sorry. But I have some excuses to give. Yeah, yeah...I know the drill about excuses but hey, I'm going to give them to you anyway. LOL

After the last post I seen that the two photos were not showing up. I do not know why but they weren't. I didn't like that. I wanted you to see our lil friends. So needless to say, I was a little dis-heartened by this and decided to take a day or two (honest, that was my intention) to think on how to fix the problem and get the pictures showing again. Well, a day or two quickly evolved into this long gap and I am sorry for it. It was never my intention to go this long without blogging.

Ok, so on with the show...

We arrived in Wendell, North Carolina a week ago last Friday at Jerris' other cousin's home. This cousin is the brother (Cliff) to Latanya. Cliff and Carol were great hosts. Again the South is beautiful and any pictures shared here don't even touch on its charm and beauty. We have had nothing but GREAT hospitality all the way! The drive wasn't too bad from South to North Carolina but I wasn't able to fit in an extra stop that I dearly wanted to make in Hope Mills. Time was clicking by fast and some of the stops along the way have had to be revamped. But, that just means that a second road trip is in order! (Smile) We stayed through the weekend and started back on our journey Monday afternoon. We had wanted to be back on the road no later than noon but as things (and time) would have it, we didn't keep that time slot.

Travelling through the states between NC and where we are now had us stopping in Virginia for the night. One thing I have learned in this trip is not to push it with the driving. So we pulled over in Thornburg Virginia and stayed at the Holiday Inn there. It was just an over night stay and we were back on the road by 2pm. I have to admit, I liked the weather in Virginia. It was more close to Northern California weather for this time of year than any of the other locations.

New Jersey, I am not so sure about. We went through six toll booths just in that state alone. And don't think about getting off the freeway to get gas and jump back on. LOL I am glad we only did that once. Let's just say it was an adventure.

Washington D.C. was interesting. We didn't see the Pentagon or the White House but we seen highway signs for them. With how tight security in this country is now I am assuming that we would not have had the opportunity to drive close enough and definitely not have been able to take pictures without risk of being questioned. So we kept going.

New York. Well.... what can one person say????? If you are easily irritated by traffic then you wouldn't want to drive there. Lots of cars and lots of people. We went over the George Washington bridge (which I am told it was not the best bridge to travel on but it was direct) and had a lot to do to make sure to get in where we could fit in on that freeway. LOL Seriously though, I think this is another location that deserves another vacation....but I will fly in thank you.

By the time we were heading into Conneticut we were starting to experience the rain storm that was coming through. Whoah Nelly! is all I have to say. I have driven in storms, fog and hail but I have never been as scared to drive as I was at this point of the trip. Yes, I am a whimp....when it comes to rain that is coming down so hard that you can't see out the window, I surely am one. Not to mention the backsplashing from other vehicles that render your vision impossible. But I am here to tell you that my girl (Jerris) got me through it. That and PRAYER. My nerves were frazzled but I was so close to my Mom's house that I didn't want to pull off to stay another night in any hotel. So I kept pressing forward and eventually we arrived in Dover, New Hampshire. We have plans to be here for a little while longer and take care of some family matters and from here we will be going to Niagra Falls, (New York side).

It is actually 2am here as I am working on this blog and I still have to be ready to hit the door by a little after 9am to go to church with my mom. So with that being said, I need to bring this entry to a close. I have other pictures from this segment of our trip but I cannot seem to find them. I will post them when I do.

Before I go though...as I was saying about the Southern Hospitality...

If you leave from a table still being hungry, it's your own fault! We have eaten well (and beyond) while on this trip.

Tuesday, August 2nd

We arrived in Goose Creek South Carolina just before dark yesterday evening. The drive wasn't bad but as always, we were glad to reach our destination. Here we are visiting with Jerris' brother Gregory and his wife Yolanda. The Southern Hospitality is definitely present here as well as all the other stops we have had on this journey. There is no way that a person can walk away feeling like they weren't wanted with this type of treatment. It is sad to me that there are places in this country were we don't see or feel this same type of neighborly love. It is a lost art that's for sure.

After a good night's sleep, we hit the streets making our way downtown. They have a marketplace that was very interesting. I am sorry to report that I forgot my camera and so there are no personal photos to show of our marketing adventure. We have plans on going back and I will try to get some. Although, I must warn you...the vendors do not like photos taken. Several of them had notices posted prohibiting photos. But trust me when I say....it was a wonderful site.

Yolanda took us out to eat at the Olive Garden afterwards. Very nice meal. Since returning to their home we have been relaxing and watching movies. We made a couple more friends tonight as well.

First meet Baby Louie (Louie the Lizard). He was chilling on the front door when we opened it to take the picture of Glimpsie. Who is Glimpsie you ask? Well, he is Glimpsie Gully....the little green frog that was "hanging" out on the wall outside the front door when Jerris was coming back in from the car. They each stayed still for us to get the photos and then made their escapes without haste. Cute little fellas.

Today has been a blessed day. Great experience.

As you can tell, this blog entry is short and with few pictures but I will post more tomorrow (with pictures). I feel my pillow and blankie calling me so I am bringing this one to a close...for now.


Good Night All.

Gulfport Mississippi

Hello Everyone! I hope this Sunday has found you all doing well and happy. We are presently in Gulfport, Mississippi. We arrived here late Friday night around midnight. Today it is raining but still a great day for us. The rain literally feels like a warm shower. Of course anyone who knows Jelly Bean already knows that she has been playing in the rain.

Upon arriving at Latanya's (Jerris' cousin) house we went to the ocean. Beautiful is the only word to use. To hear the waves coming to shore, see white sand and the
dark water was a delight to the senses. Oh sure, we had the trusty smell of fish floating in and out with the motion of the air around us but it was great all the same. The closer we got to the shoreline, the less it smelled. I'm not sure if Jelly Bean appreciated the beach at night as much as Jerris or I but she made up for it last night when we went on the pier.

But back to the first night...
Upon leaving we came across another little critter. Jerris has named him Claus the Crab. I am not sure if you can appreciate the photo details as we seen them live. But this crab appeared to be translucent (see through). I personally think he is camera shy. We came across him on the sidewalk but by the time Jerris was able to get a good photo of him he was in stride toward the shore. Those little legs were movin'! LOL

We ended up sleeping in yesterday and got a late start to heading out the door. But we have pictures! We ate at the Boonstown in Biloxi. The food was great and the Iced Tea was beyond great. They even made me some vegetarian sushi, which was not one of the staples on the sushi table. I thought that was cool. I am not sure just how long we were in the buffet but as you see it was still daylight when we arrived and well after dark by the time we walked out. None of us had any desserts because we all had ate so much already. Needless to say, I left feeling like I was 14 months pregnant. LOL LOL
After the meal we let Jelly Bean burn off some energy on the barge that was alongside the building. She ran and ran and ran. Fell once but was a trooper and ran some more. It's hard to tell who enjoyed the time spent the most.

Jerris, the game show model, who is very photogenic enjoyed posing and playing with Jelly Bean.

Latanya, the hostess with the mostest, enjoyed everyone's company. She has an infectious laugh and sillyness that can make a rock giggle. If you don't find yourself laughing...you need to check your pulse. She has made both Jelly Bean and myself feel as at home as Jerris automatically feels. What can be said of Southern Hospitality can also be said of her. She exemplifies the words whole heartedly.

Jelly Bean, the sprinter, enjoyed it all!

And I, the spectator, enjoyed seeing the joy in everyone's faces and hearing the laughter from their hearts. We have enjoyed every part of our trip immensely. I don't think I could come up with any more descriptive words to explain this adventure.

Absence make the reader wonder why...

Road Call, Day Five (and a half)...

Wow! I am sorry that I have not been posting as often as I said I would. This trip has definitely been an experience. Nothing bad....but definitely an experience.

Traveling from South West Texas to South East Texas seemed like "forever". I don't know how people did it with horse and buggy. Maybe that is why the wild west was wild...and Jesse James moved freely. No one wanted to take so long to catch up to him. LOL Don't take the wrong impression from what I write though...there is beautiful country in Texas. Just don't think you will be going through it in just a few hours. Plan on not rushing. And plenty of potty breaks that have a dual purpose of gas fills.

Let me catch you up on what was seen and done during my online silence.

Meet Mr. Black. Jerris and Jelly Bean found him taking a midnight stroll while I was refueling the car in Lordsburg New Mexico. As you can see...he is no spider to be over looked. Makes you wonder where the rest of his family was. Can anyone say, Aracnaphobia????? LOL Mr. Black was our New Mexico ambassador and although he seemed pretty chill, I don't think that either Jerris or Jelly Bean wanted to hang out with him for very long. In fact I was told that Jelly Bean told Jerris, "Run Auntie!" I don't think she meant it in the political sense. By the way, check out the gas prices.

I've already told you about El Perro so I won't bore you with a repeat. We left him (and his family members there at the Deming NM Holiday Inn and pressed on toward El Paso, TX which would be the half way point in our trek through Texas. After fueling up in El Paso, we decided to keep going, thinking that we could make it into San Antonio. Unfortunately, we didn't quite make it there. Ten hours of driving and 40 some odd miles north of our destination found us checking into the Kerrville TX Holiday Inn Express. We all were exhausted and needed to be able to stretch out on a bed instead of sitting in a car. We also took an extra day of rest at this location and utilized the pool. Jelly Bean is a natural frog in water and we were able to get quite a few photos of her playing in the water. She had a ball with Jerris in what I am calling a wading pool. As you see in the photos on the Holiday Inn link for Kerrville it is a rectangle that is only 1.5 feet deep. They were having a splash fight and I have a feeling it was a strong tie. Too much giggling was happening from both contenders. Afterward we settled back in the room (Had to....I had a problem listening to "Just give her what she wants!" from another little girl who seemed to think she needed to tell me what to do in the pool. And ya'll know how I am about being bossed around. Especially by a child.) for a few hours.

We decided to get dressed and head out to find a spot to have dinner at. Which was easy enough to accomplish since there were several establishments on the same street as the hotel. We decided on a Chinese buffet that is called Bamboo Asian Buffet. I am no food critic (pro anyway) but I have to say that the food was ok. It wasn't horrible but it wasn't the greatest either. The blogger who's link I have supplied suggested going to this place when they are already busy and I have to agree. We went when it wasn't busy and the food was not hot and rotating like I am sure it is when they are busy. Although this opinion may not sound like a raving endorsement, I would definitely have another meal there if I found myself in Kerrville again.

Their interior decor was nice though. A rich cherry wood partition with an etched glass inlay screen the view of patrons from outside the storefront. This place was very plain looking outside so to see the interior as it was was a very nice touch. The waitress and host were as the blogger posted...matter of fact and polite. No extra frills or fuss. I think we were probably one of the last few customers of the night as it was just getting dark and the parking lot was emptying out. Oh, and the Dollar Tree (next door) had just closed.

After fueling up, we headed back to the hotel and got the stuff ready to be packed into the car for our next portion of our trip through Texas. Taking what basically was a nap, we were back on the road by 4:30am. Nothing eventful to report with the drive during the dark hours. Just the usual stuff.

The sunrise was amazing and yes we have some interesting photos but I think it would be more fair to you if I made a separate blog entry of misc. photos than to put them in this one.

We arrived in Beaumont by late morning. Seems that the GPS unit decided to give us a scenic route to go with but all in all it was nice. Lush green trees and nostalgia here and there for the eye to see. Interesting signs along the way too, but again I think it is best to post the pics for them in another entry.

Our stay with MsV (Virginia) has been very enjoyable. I have known her (and her husband Harold) for several years now and consider them not as friends but as a treasured family members. In fact, she is one of a few that I consider to be a sister to me and an Auntie to my children. Even her mother is my mom. She opened her heart to me and my children back in the late 90's and welcomed Jerris as if she always knew her. A warm smile and infectious laugh is what you will have from her (and with her) when you are in her presence. No one is company...if you are in the house, you are home. The kitchen is open, the bed is ready....just pick up your dirty clothes. LOL She is "good people" and I love her dearly!!!! Can't get too emotional here.... yanno, street cred and all. But ya'll feel me. (Shaking it off so to look tough)

So anyway...She took us out to a buffet called Ryan's. Interesting is a word to use. The food....for being buffet was ok, (she said The Golden Corral is better), but no solid complaints from us (the travelers) were made. Wait! I take that back. Jerris did mention that she didn't see the "Shrimp Five Ways" menu items. But then again, maybe it is because its offered on the dinner menu, not the lunch. Sorry Jerris, maybe next time.

Today, we went to Marble Slab Creamery which is very much like Coldstones. They too have the cold slab of stone that they prepare the ice cream creations on before putting them in either a cone or bowl. Nice choices to pick from but Jerris has her mind set on one particular brand of ice cream that she was told is only sold in Texas...Blue Bell Ice Cream. We have planned to stop by a store on our way out tomorrow and pick up a small container to try for ourselves. I am not sure if it will be the same flavor as the one showing on the photo here but I wouldn't mind trying this particular one out. We will have to let you know what the outcome is for the choice(s) of flavor in a later blog entry.

Well everyone, I am sorry to let you know that I will need to continue this train of thought later as it is now 1:15am on Friday morning and I need to find my blankie and pillow. (smile) I will "try" to post on the blog tomorrow before we pack up and head out.

Buenos Dias Familia!!!!

Hello and Good Morning Everyone!

What a day, what a day!!!! We seen sunny rain, high humidity and lightning. It started raining in La Mesa, CA mid afternoon yesterday but because of the humidity...the rain evaporated before it could settle well on the ground. While driving through Arizona we watched the lightning storms dance along the landscape, with sprinkles of rain here and there. But like La Mesa, the humidity was drying the rain out quickly. Let's not forget the triple digit weather AFTER the sun went down. And just think, I signed up for the deluxe tour package of heat and more heat with lots-o-humidity. (Man, I am blessed to know what the Delta breeze during the summer is all about!) LOL

Ya'll know the A/C was and will be rockin'!

Paulito, the border reference means....
I have officially driven through my first border checkpoint, which was in Arizona. Almost felt violated....dog sniffing the car with men (trying) to look in the window of the car. LOL Only contraband we had was dried Mango, bottled water, Sesame Cashews and dried Pineapples from Trader Joes. hahahaha (I guess the dog didn't want any.)

Let me introduce you to our lil friend. His name is El Perro. He was patiently waiting for us when we arrived in our room. With him was a little note that said, "El Perro is here to welcome you to your room at the Holiday Inn Deming. He trusts you will enjoy your stay. If you wish to adopt El Perro a $5.00 adoption fee will be added to your bill." HAHAHAHA...too funny. I'm thinking that he has family members stowed away in the bathroom, just waiting for an opportunity to relocate. Jokes on them tho....I can't afford to take on any more dependents and I am not sure if they have a Green Card/Working Visa so ummmmmmmmmmm.... yeah, El Perro and his family will be staying here.

After nearly 12 hours of driving from La Mes,a CA to Deming, NM it is time to call this one done so I can take a PrePress nap and be ready for the next 12 hours (which will get us to Beaumont, TX).

Will write more as time and sleep permit...
(I haven't forgotten about the pictures, they are still coming)

:o)

The View

Road Call, Day Two:

Good Morning Ya'll. After some much needed sleep, we are getting ready to pack it up and hit the highway. I just wanted to share this view with you before we left. Imagine waking up to this every morning. This is the view from the terrace on the front of the house. I am not a morning person but a view like this one could cause me to make sure to see the sunrise every morning.

Gotta go for now, will post more later this evening...

This Is How We Roll

Road Call, Day One:

Leaving out in the middle of the night was both invigorating and interesting. Everything went well. Packed the car with all the final stuff and we were rolling by 4:08am. Overall the first leg of the trip went well. We pretty much had smooth sailing until Los Angeles. I-5 became a parking lot. LOL Interesting is an understatement to say the least.

We had live entertainment with Ken and Barbie (in the backseat)...with appropriate sound effects. It's funny what the imagination of a 5 year old can produce.

After almost ten hours (yes there were several stops along the way) we arrived in San Diego. Thoroughly enjoyed visiting with Zero and The Fam. Great Hospitality and Great Food. Lots of laughter. Seems that our lil Road Dawg really missed her uncle. She was a giggling wiggling little bundle of energy.

Plenty of pictures were taken but I have yet to upload them all. Bear with me, I will get them done. Just not tonight. LOL

Tomorrow...
We head out on our way to Beaumont. What time... I do not know yet as I still need to call this night a wrap.

It's a wrap ya'll...

And so its begins...

Ok, so we are on our last week of homeside activites which basically means that we are packing, running errands, buying supplies, & realizing that we do not have it all together yet. But hey...this is part of the adventure right?!

With the help from my favorite NCA PrePress IT guy (Thanks Alex!!!) I have the map showing the route we are taking. Can we say, lots-o-driving? LOL This is definitely going to be a memory making, fun filled time.

Are we there yet?

Intro...

Welcome to my little moment in time. Specifically, How I Spent My Summer 2011.

I am embarking on a an exciting summer's journey with my girl, Jerris (we've been BFFs for 20 plus years) and my Road Dawg (grand-daughter, "Jelly Bean"). We are traveling across country, stopping in multiple states along the way to see family and friends we know. What makes this an intriguing trip is that we are driving, not by train, plane...but by automobile. The auto of choice, a Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible. Needless to say we have plenty of sunscreen, visors and sunglasses are packed for the trip!

Along our journey, I plan to blog often (aiming for everyday, but time will tell the truth), giving insight for you to experience our trip with us. Sit back and enjoy the ride. Just don't be the back seat driver....that's the Road Dawg's job.

I encourage you to become a follower of the blog so you can find this site easier. There will be plenty of entries and pics along the way to read and view. Please feel free to leave a comment, suggestion or just a hello.