Each day comes bearing its own gifts. Untie the ribbons.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2010 from Richard and Joan Tice
We had a wonderful year, as we traveled in our motor home, seeing the beauty of America. We traveled in the South/Southeast. Traveled to Bossier City, Louisiana and spent time with Hilary. We traveled through Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. We were gone 7 months and 2 weeks.
While in Florida we saw one of the last space shuttle launches. Before leaving Patrick AFB, Florida, we took the motor home to Key West, Florida. We learned that Key West is Mile Marker 0. We had a picture taken of us standing at the spot where the border of Florida is 90 miles from Cuba. It was really, really hot and humid while we were in Key West! Worse than San Antonio, Texas!
After leaving Florida, we stayed near Woodbine, Georgia for 30 days at a submarine base. We were regulars at the Woodbine Opry country music night. Local talent came from Jacksonville, Florida and the surrounding areas of Georgia to play “honky tonk” every Saturday night. The country music was the whiney, old fashioned songs that we remember. We fell in love with the locals who treated us like we were one of them. They greeted us with “How y’all do’in”. It was so much fun!
After leaving Woodbine, Georgia we headed toward Charleston, South Carolina, where we enjoyed the Southern charm of this old city. After leaving South Carolina we journeyed to North Carolina. We headed for the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Great Smoky Mountains. Drove through Cades Cove, Tennessee, one of our favorite, beautiful spots in America! We stayed near Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and then on ward to Arkansas, then home to Texas.
While in Florida, we dined with old school friends from growing up in Rockwell City, Iowa. We had dinner with couples we knew from our military tours, who now live in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. It was nice to see old friends!
There is so much history in the South; we were amazed and enthralled with the history of the South. While in Mississippi we took a boat out to several of the barrier islands. This was before the oil spill in Louisiana. Some highlights of our travels are: attended a Tea Party Event/Rally in Mississippi, went to multiple museums wherever we were, wandered around old grave yards looking at headstones of patriots who fought in the American Revolution and Civil War, took a tour of President Bill Clinton’s library in Little Rock, Arkansas, toured and walked around one of the few working plantations that has been restored and preserved, toured a house in Memphis, Tennessee that was part of the Underground Railroad. We just had such a marvelous time and probably saw 1/16th of the history and sights there are to see in the South. We stayed in military campgrounds as much as we could and if none were available, we stayed in Corps of Engineer parks. We met some wonderful, friendly Rvers that we hope to reconnect with somewhere in our future travels.
Our lives have been truly blessed! We live in a wonderful country with many opportunities, great beauty and a wonderful historical past, waiting to be discovered by Dick, Joan and YOU!
Labels: Family Traditions, Holiday
