Fifty States of Mind

2009-05-25T07:27:00.000-07:00

Wrapping up an adventure like this is bittersweet for all of us. Exciting as it is to have actually accomplished seeing all 50 states, it's going to feel strange transitioning back into real life (with far less eating out and gift shops).

The song, "I'm proud to be an American" has genuine meaning for the kids now. Grandma said a million times, "You just can't imagine this until you see it in person!" Each character we met along the way has had a unique story to tell and for all of you who shared your lives with us, we must express our gratitude. Thank you for being our kids' teachers and thank you for letting us share our story with you as it unfolded.

This trip was made extraordinary because of the engaging guides, curious flight attendants, patient servers, generous B&B hosts, random excited travelers, passionate locals and especially the "Smilers". Pretty early on we incorporated the phrase, "We've got Smilers!" as cars passed us on the highway smiling and waving, and especially those few young adults who chased our car down to tell us about a special road trip that had changed their lives. And we all got so used to life in the car that a "long driving day" went from a 2 hour stint to a minimum of 6 hours on the road.

The kids became versed in how vastly different American culture is from one region to another, but more importantly, they concluded that kids are all pretty much the same no matter where you go.

Here is some end-of-the-road trivia for you...

Top 3 Questions People Asked Us Throughout the Trip
1. "Do you Home School?"
2. "Well, how will you drive to Hawaii?"
3. "How come we haven't seen you guys on Oprah or the news?"

* We saw all 50 states in a 13 mos. period, specifically spending 5 months on the road.
* Most nights spent were in Hawaii (9), Alaska (8), New York and Texas (7).
* We agree on these favorites: North Dakota, Alaska, Vermont, doing the entire Lewis & Clark Trail backwards, seeing all 5 Great Lakes, Laura Ingalls Wilder stops.

Additional, specific favorites:
1. Grandma: Outer Banks, NC; Niagara Falls, NY; Alexandria & D.C.
2. Tomcat: Chicago, IL; Savannah, GA
3. CurlyTop: Lake Superior cabin; Echo Canyon, NM; Mystic, CT
4. Peanut: White Sands, NM; Mammoth Caves, KY; Niagara Falls, NY; everything Native American; Mystic, CT; snorkeling with turtles, HI
5. Little Man: lobster boat, ME; swimming in Lake Superior; (He gave up remembering and said he liked just about everything on this trip!)
6. Doodle: Renaissance Faire, PA

Here's wishing you and your family safe and happy travels!

Airport Fun

2009-05-24T07:36:00.000-07:00

Trying to get out of Florida proved trickier than expected. The entire state is drenched. When the Miami airport closed down we got to hang out in the Orlando airport for several hours. Eventually, we made it to Miami, but missed our connection and got stuck for the night, without our luggage, of course, to keep things mighty interesting.

Fits of giggles ensued when I told the kids they could sleep in their skivvies! We were all out by midnight and now a new adventure begins: mas y mas cafe cubana!

Wish us luck getting into the air today!

Tooth Fairy Joins us for a #4 Round

2009-05-22T19:39:00.000-07:00

Little Man lost his 3rd tooth of the trip -- front and center. This one he actually let me pull out before swallowing it in a hamburger (see other tooth posts).

So, despite the rain, it was a fine day for him. First, he got an exceptional Halloween costume for this year, and now he'll get a visit from the Tooth Fairy! I've had something for him since Kentucky,

when I thought it might come out on this trip. They always take longer than I imagine...

When I was tucking him in tonight he pleaded, "Try to remember okay, mom?" (I have to admit I'm not the most reliable fairy. One morning Peanut came running into my room and said, "Mo-om, you forgot again!" I told her how sorry I was for the 2nd night in a row, but that this Tooth Fairy is exhausted at night.)

So much for the "Sunshine State"

2009-05-22T17:56:00.000-07:00

The past few days have had short breaks without rain. In St. Augustine, we splashed through puddles on St. George Street and ate Cuban food. After arriving at the Inn at Cocoa Beach we fought the wind to dip our feet in the Atlantic o n e last time (and scoop our 50th little bottle of state dirt!). Naturally we ate more Cuban food.

Then at Cape Canaveral we stood in the most powerful rain we've ever experienced -- even those from Florida were convinced it was a hurricane on the way.

So, to put it bluntly, we're water logged and ready to get out of this dripping state!

This is especially upsetting since we intended to celebrate the culmination of our 50 state adventure by having a pretty extensive Florida itinerary: historical St. Augustine, lunch with an astronaut at Cape Canaveral, swimming with manatees in the Crystal River, Doodle's live mermaid show in Weeki Watchee, Caladesi Island, Sanibel Island for shells and finally a quick stint in Miami for a final Cuban food binge fest.

Ah well, we've promised the kids to come back another time...

Florida - State #50

2009-05-21T19:23:00.000-07:00

STATE #50!!!

Pinch us, please...

Florida License Plate

2009-05-21T19:21:00.000-07:00

Rain and Disappointment

2009-05-20T16:14:00.000-07:00

It's raining BUCKETS again and we've just had a terrible disappointment. In fact, it's the unrivaled error of the entire trip, and utterly upsetting to me.

Following the signs to Cumberland Island National Seashore and the little town of St. Mary's to catch our ferry, everything seemed eerily quiet. I finally slopped through a parking lot to ask some fisherman where the ferry dock was. As it turns out, to travel to Cumberland Island, you have to take the Fernandina ferry, which just happens to be in ANOTHER STATE... 45 minutes away in FLORIDA!!

Tomcat did his best to get us back on the highway, but traffic was horrendous due to the rain. There were spin-outs e v e r y w h e r e. Trying to remain calm, my eyes welled up because I knew we'd never make it to the ferry in time -- and to think we'd just crossed the border an hour before only to U-turn back into Georgia! Arrrrgh.

Just to paint a clear picture of how much tension there was in the car, Grandma puked in the middle of this. Not that she was so terribly upset about missing Cumberland, but rather her allergies got the best of her -- this dry cough has been her constant companion since arriving in Mississippi; the Southeast is experiencing one of its worst allergy seasons in years. We rolled down the windows, handed her a trash bag and wondered what had suddenly gone awry with this trip?

Grandma pulled it together. I pulled it together. Tomcat shook his head and made the call to the Greyfield Inn for me. We decided to forfeit our exorbitant deposit and move on to Plan B. Trying to tell the kids, I was too choked up. Tomcat took over and explained that in this storm we'd miss seeing the wildlife anyway -- yes, even the wild ponies as they'd almost certainly be taking shelter inside the forests. And we wouldn't be able to run in the grass or ride bikes either.

I was simply aching inside and questioning how I could have possibly missed the fact that this island was in Florida, not Georgia. (We'd spoken about coming here to many people along the way, and the mixed up location never once came up!)

Well, I was a wreck and Peanut showed a wee bit of disappointment, but Little Man simply wanted to know when and where we were going to have dinner now that the plans had changed. Typical, huh? And Doodle said it was good it was raining so the flowers could bloom.

Doing our best to be optimistic, I said, "Well, instead of thinking of all the money we wasted, look at how much money I saved us by not having to pay the other half of the bill! Hell, let's get to Florida and go shopping!"

Georgia - State #49

2009-05-19T19:00:00.000-07:00

Our Georgia picture was another miss because Georgia borders South Carolina on a river. Now, I've stopped on dangerous bridges before for a picture with the welcome sign, but this one was simply impossible. We do actually want to make it to our 50th state alive after all.

Today we left for possibly our most anticipated destination of this entire trip: Cumberland Island. It's only a few miles from Florida, so we quickly crossed over the line (without mentioning it to the kids) and did a U-turn for yet another welcome sign shot in the pouring rain!

In case you're unfamiliar with Cumberland, it's a small island -- almost pure nature -- with only one fancy-schmancy all-inclusive hotel, The Greyfield Inn. I'm a bit terrified about this because it'll end up being our priciest stop on the entire 50 states road trip and the dinner requires men to wear a jacket. Do you get the picture? Honeymooners come here. JFK Jr. was married here.

Kids under 5 aren't normally allowed, and they're making an exception for Doodle which I'm uncertain is warranted. How will the kids handle this? They've sworn to be calm and nearly silent during dinner this one night and to say "thank you" for whatever gets put on their plate. This potentially torturous evening will allow them to enjoy all that the island has to offer: sand, bikes, places to run free, hiking trails, very wild ponies, alligators and countless birds.

Focused on catching our ferry, we had just enough time to pop over for a quick visit to the Tybee Island lighthouse before leaving Savannah. It happens to be every bit as stunning as those we saw in North Carolina, but unfortunately, it's closed on Tuesdays!

Savannah, GA

2009-05-19T18:19:00.000-07:00

Atlanta has so much to offer its visitors and R.E.M. is from Athens, but we're continuing down the coast on this trip, starting with Savannah. It's a sister city to Charleston, SC and we expected them to be alike, but there's a very unique history here and it feels special somehow.

First of all, it simply looks more like a modern city

with its wide sidewalks and busy streets. And
it's a bit run-down; River Street is especially in need of some TLC; the 21 manicured, grassy squares, however, with their 200 year old trees dripping with Spanish Moss make the city seem velvety green and lush.

The biggest difference, however, is that Savannah boasts a really fun and interesting

history, full of multi-cultural arrivals, famous speeches, battles and ghosts.
More recently, it's famous for its authors, musicians and movie-making.

We walked River Street from the beginning, all the way to the Waving Girl Statue, then took an evening carriage ride through the historic district, buried under blankets. Mother Nature continues to driiiizzle, and chill us to the bone.

Our guide was a good story teller, casually mentioning the local ghost sightings without scaring the kids. For example she explained Sherman's time in Savannah like this:

"They heard he was coming to raid all of the goods from the warehouses, so the people of Savannah set fire to them -- just so he couldn't get them! Then they blamed him for the fires because if he hadn't come to town they wouldn't have burned them down. But Sherman actually never set a fire in Savannah. He stayed in town and everyone wanted him OUT. Well, the good church ladies next door to where he lived, started ringing the bells (over 100) attempting to make him go crazy. It worked, and Sherman was mad so he took the bells! Well, some of the ladies were friends with Mrs. Lincoln up North, and they sent her a letter pleading with her to get Sherman to give them their bells back. He did give them back, but he hung the bells upside down!"

Peanut just died laughing at all the cleverness...

Prior to coming here I'd read that the most important thing to do in Savannah -- and the thing most people forget to do -- is to wander. We decided to take a morning trolley and meander as best we could while shivering to death.

Created to act as a buffer for Charleston, SC from the Spanish down in St. Augustine, FL, lovely Savannah has endured a lot. Still, it remains a truly pretty, well-designed 1st city in America and we appreciated it. Voting to get off the trolley at the Forsyth Park fountain, the kids got to play chase in the grass and we got to peek into numerous hidden gardens along the street. What treasures!

We also saw the house where colonists used to come out at night just to stare into the windows -- it was the first house lit by electricity! Then the beaming cathedral kept us warm for a bit before going to have lunch at the oldest structure in Georgia: the Pirate's House. It's a Haunted House and still has visible tunnels below ground that connect it to the river. Apparently, people who passed out from too much drinking were dragged to the river to be shanghaied.

And we think the world has become more dangerous! Ha!

We were also told that South Carolina produces more peaches than Georgia; they just think theirs are sweeter. It was fun being a Georgia Peach for a day...

Georgia License Plate

2009-05-19T18:00:00.000-07:00

South Carolina - State #48

2009-05-18T18:24:00.000-07:00

As a side note we're having History Overload.

Before leaving South Carolina, I'd like to mention two things that are special to the Charleston area: sweet grass baskets and Lowcountry Cuisine.

Along the road in little shacks, and in every shop, tourist attraction and open market there are African American

women selling and weaving sweet grass baskets. They are lovely! We bought a little one for Grandma, but I never actually found the perfect one for me.

The weaver told me that she had just taught her nephew to weave 2 years ago, and that her family has been weaving for 7 generations. You can find them here, and on the coast of West Africa. That's it. Prices are high, but I suspect they should even be higher.

We found ourselves wandering around looking for a dinner spot the other night, when we happened upon an intriguing restaurant down a pretty alley. It turned out to be 82 Queen Restaurant where we discovered Lowcountry Cuisine. This will go down forever as a particularly savory memory for me!

Tomcat and I also had the good fortune of a dinner date (thank you, thank you, Grandma) and we had to find more of this delectably gooey fare which was pretty easy. Describing what makes this food different is tricky but we decided it has to start with some kind of starch like cornbread or grits (which are highly underrated in my opinion), then smothered with a delicious sauce and seafood.

Check out my breakfast this morning: "shrimp and grits" which showed up covered in brown gravy. The server said it was a standard breakfast item; looked bad, tasted deeeelicious.

Crossing into Georgia today, we did a U-turn for our Welcome to South Carolina picture and I said, "Who's crazy enough to get out for a picture in the rain?" As it turns out Grandma is the only sane person we've got with us.

Battle of Ft. Sumter

2009-05-17T20:41:00.000-07:00

Being told there are 3 things a 1st-timer must do in Charleston (Charles Towne Landing, visit a plantation and take a carriage or trolley tour), we were surprised by our spontaneous boat trip to Ft. Sumter today. We're in cahoots that this should definitely be on the list for any 1st time visitor to Charleston!

Peanut and Little Man earned their 7th Junior Ranger badge and they

worked incredibly hard on it. The assignments were complicated and full of meaningless names and dates. We all received a good lesson on flags and cannons, but our goal (with or without earning the badge) was for them to have a good understanding of the basics:

1. There were tensions between the North and South long before the Civil War. (I'd like to note that tensions happens to be a complicated word to understand when you're 8, 6 and 4, along with the labels Union and Confederate.)

2. When Lincoln became president, South Carolina basically said, "We're outa here."

3. Problem! South Carolina wanted Ft. Sumter which they could see from their shore. The North had control of it and refused to leave. The leaders of each side were friends at the time so it was a horrible situation; they tried to be honorable to each other and in the end only one guy died (accidentally from a cannon misfire). The Unionists split.

4. The Battle of Ft. Sumter is important because it essentially started the Civil War. Also, it was the longest battle in the Civil War (36 hours straight) and among the longest anywhere in modern warfare.

5. South Carolina won Ft. Sumter but the Unionists won the Civil War.

We also had to have a long discussion about the word "us" because the kids kept referring to "us" as the winners of the Civil War. I explained that kids from South Carolina don't feel like "them"; they feel like "us", too. I knew they meant that we agree with the North, but somehow their use of the word really rubbed me wrong. Maybe it was just the tone?

I continued to explain that the word "us" was incredibly important to President Lincoln and I wanted them to understand why. He wanted the UNION more than anything in his life, and that's why he didn't remove the stars representing the southern states from the flag when the Civil War started. He wanted everyone to believe we could overcome this trial as a country, and continue to be a union despite our differences. This country is called the United States so that we can all be "us". Further more, we weren't even alive then, so we weren't "us" or "them".

Charles Towne Landing

2009-05-17T19:45:00.000-07:00

Charles Towne Landing was the original settlement here in 1670, and it's built on high ground (a whopping 10 feet above sea level!); the Europeans settled inland when they realized the natives were hospitable, but the pirates and Spanish were a nuisance to say the least.

The need for trade won out, however, and after only a decade they moved to the current Charleston location -- much of which is below sea level and on the nation's 2nd worst fault line -- both hurricanes and earthquakes can take charge here!

We walked the entire grounds with an audio set, and visited the zoo. It's full of animals that were native to the settlement, but no longer there, like pumas and black bear. Our highlight was definitely the guide on The Adventure, a reproduction boat docked in the marsh.

He was knowledgeable and genuinely into his history, seafaring songs and riddles. When Little Man asked why all the oyster shells were lying on the bank, he responded with, "Well, I ate them!" Then, engaging their noggins he asked, "But why do you think I toss the shells over there?" ((To prevent erosion on the bank and to keep oysters producing!)

He did his best to stay true to the 17th century, but he knew an awful lot about The Hobbit! He got tickled with the kids as we were leaving and the next thing we knew he'd sprinted off the boat and plunked right down on the deck, refusing to let anyone pass until they could answer his riddles. Little did he know, he'd met his match in Peanut!

Gaters like Sun

2009-05-16T19:30:00.000-07:00

Tomcat joined us here in Charleston, SC last night so the kids were wound up from the minute they opened their eyes this morning.

Remember his view of New Orleans was through a window in the E.R. so he really got gypped missing the Honey Swamp Tour (see Louisiana post). To make it up to him, we decided to try the train tour

at the Magnolia Plantation one more time. Success!

Guess what? Alligators like sun and we saw plenty of them. Birds, too. We even saw two pelican babies duke it out for more space in their nest -- they're located at 1 o'clock in the cypress tree, which happens to be loaded with different types of bird nests.

The guide said that this neighborhood was a tough one.

If one of the birds pushed the other one out, it'd quickly become a gater snack!

Magnolia Plantation

2009-05-16T18:24:00.001-07:00

I'm no stranger to the rain... and I'm good at finding shelter in a downpour...

Magnolia Plantation was a rice plantation owned by some Reverend Drayton and his wife, Julia. After the war it became a visiting plantation, which means these people had buckets of money long before they started the plantation. Geared toward the masses of tourists who visit each year,

we happened to pick a day with a big black rain cloud and few people. That should have been a clue.

South Carolina has an extensive marshland, more than any other coastal Atlantic state and it feels low and swampy, like Louisiana. Just as we were about to board our little train for a tour of the grounds and the surrounding swamp, the rain came. It came down in sheets accompanied by a Rachmaninoff symphony from the sky. The kids were NOT impressed by nature's display despite my enthusiasm.

Grandma and I taught them the expression It's Raining Cats & Dogs and showed them how to judge thunder distance by counting slowly once you see lightning. We even bought fried peanuts (you eat the shell and all) to keep us busy while we waited out the storm under a small roof, just like the resident Peacocks.

The storm never did clear, so the shoes came off and puddle jumping ensued. We took a tour of the house -- which was a complete yawn fest. There's always something to be learned, however...

A grandfather clock stood in the house which only displayed hours and tides, but no minutes. Before Greenwich Mean Time was up to speed in 1884, people had no need for minutes! They checked the tide and if it was high, they could get to town on the river in about 3 hours. Useful enough. Who cared if they were 5, 10 or 15 minutes early or late? Doesn't that sound wonderfully appealing? Think what would happen in your world if you dropped the specifics of minutes in your day!

A quick stop at the muddy petting zoo and we were off to Charleston where only 15 minutes away, they hadn't seen a drop of rain all day!

Our Resident Knight

2009-05-15T18:28:00.000-07:00

Whatever memories from this trip actually make it to adulthood, I know for certain that a memory was made tonight: Little Man was Knighted.

There are only a handful of Medieval Times locations and Myrtle Beach happens to be one of them. For the love of my Little Man, we just had to go. Now, it's difficult to describe precisely what was experienced here; sublime grandeur, fantasy turned reality, something truly magical if you're a 6 year old boy who wants to be Knight when he grows up.

When you walk in, you're given a paper crown, your picture is taken and you're told who your Knight is; you cheer for your own Knight and boo the others throughout the show. It's set up like a tournament, with games of skill, presented to a King at his dinner party.

Before the show began they held a Knighting Ceremony. Little Man was the only one who participated so he was treated rather special -- he even had his name congratulated during the show with commentary about our 50 States Road Trip!

After the show the kids got to meet the big, sweaty Knights (and the princess) to have their pictures taken and get autographs. They were full of questions and awe, and it reminded me of Santa Claus -- their minds knew the Knights weren't real, yet in their hearts they believed they were real.

Apparently Little Man had a serious talk with one of them, because he is dead set on returning here when he's 15 years old to start training! Keep in mind that these Knights fight with real weapons and armor, and are impressive horsemen.

Dinner incidentally is served during the show, without silverware! Dragon soup made of ears, tails and eyeballs was our first course. Practically an entire roast chicken was plunked on our plates next, along with ribs, bread and some kind of potato. The girls dug in, but Little Man almost changed professions. Almost.

And one final important note: The Medieval Times gift shop reigns superior and believe me, I'd lay odds that I've been in more gift shops than any of you this year. In the end Doodle and Little Man were fully decorated -- and although I never thought we'd top his ukulele (see Hawaii post), tonight Little Man was adorned with his best souvenirs yet.

Resort Life

2009-05-15T17:59:00.000-07:00

Aware to some extent of my ordeal on the road yesterday, the hotel surprised us with an upgrade to a suite. We had a view of the ocean and the pool not to mention 3 bathrooms! It was a gift to be sure, and we lounged about and enjoyed the decadence as much as we could in a day.

The pool had a water slide (kids first time going down one alone) and I waited at the bottom to make sure everyone came out in one piece. Peanut came down, happy but cautious. Little Man came down, cocky but cautious. Then Doodle came whizzing down twice as fast as the other two, on her belly, screaming with delight!

We were freezing with the threatening sky overhead, but still managed to get sun-kissed cheeks and the knots in my shoulders relaxed. While it's hard to imagine ever going to a resort for a vacation, today I fully understood those families who do.

South Carolina License Plate

2009-05-15T17:44:00.001-07:00

A Night of Blue Flashing Lights

2009-05-15T05:36:00.001-07:00

The ferry was 2 hours but it felt like 4. Things got really fun when we all heard a hissing sound in the car -- no, not a snake. We finally realized that Doodle was standing on a bottle of sunscreen, which sprayed goo all over the cds. It reminded me of the old desitin days...

Oh, how we longed for the slick ferries in Puget Sound with their comfy chairs and their full galley. Processed food from a vending machine for dinner was a first; they each chose some version of cracker, with their penny sticks for dessert. Grandma and I skipped.

The marshes on the North Carolina mainland were absolutely breathtaking at sunset, but I was so nervous about driving in the dark on these winding roads that I just stayed focused on getting to the main road, Hwy 17. Grandma was shaking her finger at me to slow down... so you all know what happened next.

The North Carolina cop was really nice and swift. I told him why I was hurrying and he told me that was no excuse (slap!) and to slow down. No ticket. I got gas, and some bottles of water and we were off again.

Still, it seemed next to impossible to only go 45mph on these roads. I guess the speed limit is so low because every now and then there's a little town with a stoplight. Consider this extreme torture for someone who learned to drive in Texas.

(We crossed the state line into South Carolina, skipping the picture since it was pitch black outside. We'll do a U-turn with Tomcat when we get to Georgia.)

About 10 minutes into South Carolina, those familiar flashing lights reappeared in my mirror again! I looked at this new cop, questioning, and he said, "The speed limit is still 45mph here." ARRRRRRRRRRRGH. Panic set in when I couldn't turn up my wallet to show him my license. Naturally, I wanted to avoid telling this cop, "Well, I just had it 20 minutes ago when the North Carolina cop pulled me over." And the thought of driving BACK to retrieve my wallet was simply unbearable. Suddenly, I had a thought and asked the cop if I could get out and check the back. Sure enough, my wallet was nestled right in the middle of the bottles of water. Whew.

No ticket again, and I can't explain it. Personally demoralized, I felt like I was crawling my way through traffic but apparently it was an illusion. Blue flashing lights one more time. I wanted to cry. The cop pulled up along side us, gave me a scowling face and the hand motion to slooooooow down. After that, I hid behind the slowest car I could find.

If the Las Vegas Strip had a beach, it'd be called Myrtle Beach. We were totally unprepared for the neon, smut and fancy resorts. Still, it was just nice to finally be here and out of the car. We were all asleep by midnight and I was dreaming of a day off.

Captain Blackbeard and Ocracoke Island

2009-05-14T18:58:00.000-07:00

A 45 minute ferry ride and we found ourselves in the very inviting village on Ocracoke Island. It hosts the oldest lighthouse in North Carolina, which is still fully operational by the Coast Guard -- that's code for "no climbing allowed".

Our destination, however, was specifically geared toward

Captain Blackbeard. Charming with the ladies, he was likely from a noble family, but a blood-thirsty pirate none the less. He desired a menacing look so he'd weave hemp into his braided beard, light the strands and then blow them out causing his head to "smoke". Imagine?

After 2 years of terror on the seas, he was finally captured here on the island, and it was such a

momentous occasion that they severed his head and tied it to the bow of the ship. The rest of his body was tossed overboard where legend says "the body continued to swim around the ship 3 times". Blackbeard's ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge, was actually discoverd at the bottom of the sea several years ago and they're still bringing booty up today. Need I mention the gift shop thrill Little Man experienced here?

Yesterday Pilot had shown us the roof of his favorite place to eat on Ocracoke, the Jolly Roger. We found it easily enough and ate a leisurely lunch outside on the deck, watching pelicans fish. We chatted about how if Tomcat were with us, we'd probably choose to stay here -- the town was just so cute. I loved the feel of the place, but we had to get moving as we had a 2 hour ferry ride ahead of us and a 3-4 hour drive beyond that.

Meandering over to the ferry dock, we were stunned to find we'd missed the 2 o'clock ferry by 5 minutes and the next, final ferry was at 5 o'clock. The other ferry came every 20 minutes so we assumed this one would be the same. Bummer, bummer, bummer! Simply staring at the man in the ticket booth, I begged his forgiveness while I calculated the math: arrival time in Myrtle Beach is now 11pm and I'm already tired. What could we possibly do for 3 more hours -- the sun was hiding behind rain clouds again -- that we had't already done?

Well, we did visit the oldest lighthouse in North Carolina; we drove to some wild ponies; we ate ice-cream; we ate fudge; we lingered in the General Store; we bought souvenirs for Peanut's class; we wandered through a few art galleries; we picked up some penny sticks for the ferry ride; and then we waited... and waited... and waited... for what would turn out to be an e t e r n a l night on the road with more flashing blue lights in the rear-view window...

Fossils and Beaches

2009-05-14T18:28:00.000-07:00

Rain is supposedly on the way so we're leaving the Outer Banks tomorrow morning (2 days early) and heading south to a hotel with an indoor pool! We had a very full day, however, so there are no regrets.

We made a quick stop at the Native American museum, a tiny scrap of a place, but chalk full of impressive artifacts and a staff with a bounty of knowledge. On our way out the door the woman inquired, "Do you kids like fossils?"

So, we found ourselves following a nature trail behind the museum, to a huge bin loaded with 20,000 year old bones, teeth, you name it. With our crew this could have turned into an all-day event, but CurlyTop wanted to move on and see the beach.

The sand was deep and thick, with no muck. Not a piece of driftwood or a crab -- just birds, very cool skate egg casings, and broken shells. Perfect for climbing dunes and rolling around. The kids kept saying it reminded them of White Sands (see New Mexico post) but all I could think of was the life-saving station (see Delaware post). Shipwrecks and pirates.

Grandma's goal was to keep Doodle from drowning, her boundary being set at "not getting your feet wet". You could actually watch the under currents zig-zagging in all directions as the tide worked its way out. Terrifying. And as Peanut said, "The only problem with Doodle is that she has no fear." Amen, girl.

First in Flight

2009-05-14T06:16:00.001-07:00

The Wright Brothers flew their Kitty Hawk here in the Outer Banks, but we blazed past the monument and museum in one of our downpours. To pay tribute to them, however, we took a 45 minute flight in a small plane.

The gal who makes (delicious) breakfast at our amazing motel-turned B&B, said her step-dad operates small tours of the islands and to give him a call. As it turns out

he's a retired Coast Guard pilot and his plane was a 4-seater: pilot, Grandma, me and one other. Since the kids are so little and enjoy a good scramble, we just stuck Little Man in the back and the girls shared a seat next to me.

(I figured that if Pilot's flown in a category 5 hurricane and actually managed to save people, we'd be just fine.)

This must be one of the most interesting landscapes to see from the air. Grandma was in awe with all she learned! We could actually see the southern Gulf Stream warm water converging with the northern Labrador cold water; this is what causes Hatteras Island to be "elbow shaped" instead of linear, like most barrier islands. It's also the impetus for all of the violent storms.

Watching this in action solidified my decision that these babies would NOT be putting a toe into this current-mixing shipwrecked sea.

We flew over wild ponies, light houses and countless dolphins fishing in colossal schools of fish. Ferries navigate a slender, deep path between shores that might only be 6 inches deep at different points in the day. From above, these shallow areas looked like Navajo sand paintings.

Albemarle Sound is just a tad smaller than Puget Sound on the West Coast, but with an entirely different look and feel.

By the time we landed, I was so sick I could barely stand up. Why do I always forget to take Dramamine? The flight was smooth, it was me turning around to talk to Little Man, leaning over to hold Doodle while she stood up to see the ponies and spinning around to answer Peanut's questions that had my head and stomach in knots. It took it's toll, but I'm proud to say I avoided puking.

Graveyard of the Atlantic

2009-05-13T04:24:00.000-07:00

Look at this map of the Outer Banks; we're so vulnerable out here! Perfectly imagining a hurricane, and being on a Spanish Galleon when it crashes to shore, we truly understand why this area is called the Graveyard of the Atlantic. Most of the ships are buried in the sand, but after a storm their skeletons are perfectly visible lying along the beach.

(According to Misty of Chincoteague, it's bad luck to even pick up a rib of a ship.) Creepy, huh?

There's a chain of barrier islands and most of them are protected seashore -- never ending sand dunes. We're toward the southern end of this chain on Hatteras Island; it hosts 7 little villages with lots of Mom & Pop type things to do.

The entire coastline is dotted with beautiful lighthouses and we simply had to visit one of the most famous, Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. She's the tallest in the U.S. and the tallest brick lighthouse in the world. Naturally we wanted to climb its 249 steps to the top -- the equivalent of a 12 story building.

Remember back at Seaworld Doodle and Grandma had to sit out the fun ride and Doodle said, "I'm too short and you're too old!" Well, Doodle has apparently had a growth spurt! When the Park Ranger measured her at 42" she started chanting, "I'm tall enough to climb! I'm tall enough to climb!" And climb we did.

There were 8 landings along the way and Grandma used every one of them. At the end we gave Grandma the "best Grandma climber prize". The climb was breathtakingly worth it!

Rain, Rain Go Away!

2009-05-12T18:38:00.000-07:00

I've been asked many times what the kids do when we're stuck in the room due to rain. Creativity spawns from limitations and I'm constantly amazed what activities they can come up with on their own.

Here are some specific things we've done in the past couple of weeks during such times:

1. Games. We play "20 Questions" or "Remember the Road Trips" where we go around and each person says one thing they remember doing in any of the states. Peanut came up with a new idea the other day, "Let's make a list of all the reasons we like it to rain."

2. Books. Peanut and Little Man read to Doodle, and they draw endlessly.

3. Souvenirs. We buy a lot of souvenirs. Little Man will play for hours with his new loot (miner's hat, sticks he's found, whistles, dress-up) and Doodle tries on any new item of clothing repeatedly. She'll also brush anyone's hair at any moment.

4. Animal parties. At home the kids never play with stuffed animals, but for some reason, they're a favorite on the road. Stripe, Little Man's new raccoon, had an unexpected birthday. A full 3 hours in the car were spent making presents for him, writing sweet letters to him and basically planning the party. Once in the hotel room, there was a full-blown celebration. Fawn, Doodle's new animal, felt left out and had her own party the next night after similar preparations.

5. Animal Tragedy. Ailments are created for their animals: Priscilla the Panda broke her spine or Owen the Otter got his ear cut off and was bleeding to death. Then, the kids hide out in the bathroom mixing an elixir and making bandages to cure them.

6. Youtube. AuntNYC was shocked to hear the kids knew the Tom & Jerry cartoon. Yep, I've introduced them, and I allow one cartoon per rainy night. I also let them watch old country music videos when it's raining.

North Carolina - State #47

2009-05-11T17:36:00.000-07:00

Packing our suitcase this morning, the kids made themselves at home while breakfast was being made. I understand why B&Bs often refuse kids, but it can be a truly wonderful experience when they're welcomed.

After 4 nights here, they were particularly comfortable, but Doodle was especially taken with our hotel. She did yoga with our host this morning and I walked in just in time to hear her casually ask, "Can I comb your hair now?"

Peanut didn't want to leave the new books, and Little Man didn't want to leave the little yellow bear he'd adopted. Helping me load the car, he grabbed all of Doodle's things for her, but he forgot his brand new green dragon which is a sad, sad loss that he's still lamenting.

Well, good-bye Virginia! After a 2 day reprieve from the rain, it joined us once again as we hit the road for North Carolina. Driving 6.5 hours in a downpour to the Cape Hatteras National Seashore (i.e. the BEACH) was most disappointing. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?

North Carolina License Plate

2009-05-11T17:34:00.001-07:00

Old Town Alexandria

2009-05-10T18:12:00.000-07:00

I wonder why anyone ever goes to D.C. when there's Alexandria right across the river?

We feel like we've re-entered civilization here. Our lovely B&B hosts make delicious coffee and they serve breakfast sans grease! Oh, and we have fresh fruit and berries again. Two cheers for Alexandria!!

With enough museums and historical tours to keep one busy for weeks, we simply walked up and down King St. The restaurants are excellent, but pricey; the shops are interesting, especially the Torpedo Gallery with all of the working artists; street entertainment here definitely raises the bar and all the people seem kindhearted and relaxed.

Run-down from our day in D.C. yesterday, we just wanted to eat some delicious food for Mother's Day and take it easy. You could say we needed a day off.

Before taking AuntNYC to the airport we had just enough time for a quick dose of Alexandria history via tour boat.

An interesting fact: most of Virginia's coast is along the Potomac River, yet it has no jurisdiction over it. (Maryland and D.C. have control.)

Washington D.C.

2009-05-10T17:22:00.000-07:00

Am I the only person out there who truly feels no love for our nation's capital?

Tomcat and I visited once years ago and accidentally arriving in Philly on our way back to Albany, NY is the only good memory I have of that trip. Our D.C. visit took us from one memorial to the next, through a cemetery, deep into the Holocaust Museum, and around the capitol building, bustling with untrustworthy politicians -- it left me feeling empty and full of sorrow.

Succumbing to peer pressure ("You have to see the nation's capital on a 50 states road trip!), we skipped Chincoteague in favor of D.C. I gave it my most positive attitude and purposely skipped all things "sad" and over the kids' heads.

The highlights?
1. Grandma's joy when she entered the Capitol for our (meager) tour.
2. the Statuary Hall's Whisper Spot, specifically watching Peanut flatten her ear to the floor to experience it!
3. Lincoln Memorial and the view it provides.
4. Back-to-back carousel rides.

The disappointments?
1. Walking endlessly in the heat and humidity; we're back to the kids not being able to look at the camera for pictures!
2. Lack of direction in this town -- where is public parking, a Visitor's Center, a kiosk with maps???
3. Lackluster ambiance in general.
4. Smithsonian Natural History Museum -- seriously, I loathe these over-crowded, impersonal museums.

Having written this, it occurs to me that others in this party may disagree with me entirely, and insist on a separate post from their perspectives tomorrow!

Mother's Day Spontaneity

2009-05-10T16:59:00.000-07:00

AuntNYC (see New York City posts) had babyPoet in February and while we hadn't actually met him yet, we're absolutely in love with him.

Being so close yet so far here in D.C. was like torture for all of us. Well, AuntNYC does have a crazy streak in her...she flew down for Mother's Day weekend so babyPoet could meet his new aunt and cousins.

Talk about a surprise for the kids!

Doing our best to teach him the true meaning of in your face and overstimulation, he rarely seemed bothered by our expressions of love.

We all concur that he is by far the cutest, sweetest, smiliest and most perfect 3 mos. old baby in the world.

Mt. Vernon

2009-05-08T17:56:00.001-07:00

George Washington's home, Mt. Vernon, wins for
"Most Popular" tourist attraction. Swarms and swarms of people, primarily those pouring out of school buses. Ugh.

Did you know that Washington was a 4th generation American? I was shocked to learn that. When his father died, his older brothers received

larger estates, but little 11 year old George only got the cottage at Mt. Vernon and 10 slaves. It's impossible to imagine a more perfect setting, in the hills directly above the Potomac River.

I asked the kids what they liked best about today and they all agreed, "Running around in President Washington's backyard!"

Virginia - State #46

2009-05-07T15:36:00.001-07:00

Today was a free, run-around day at Lavender Hill Farm in Lexington, VA. The problem was ...relentless RAIN. While the chickens did get fed, it was hardly what we'd call hanging out with the animals and running around, as kids must at some point do.

Our hostess recommended visiting Stonewall Jackson's house in the historic district of town. F i n a l l y, a regular Southern gentleman instead of a wealthy plantation owner. He was a professor, a natural leader, and a military hero to some (he got his nickname from standing with his regiment at the top of a hill like a big stone wall).

But really, he was a man of faith who watched his pennies and lived on the wrong side of town (across from the jail and next to a hotel) simply because he fell in love with "this

old house;" it was already 58 years old when he moved in!

The poor guy, lost his first wife in childbirth along with his baby daughter. He remarried and lost his next baby girl to typhoid. The third daughter he met once at 6 mos. before meeting his own end in battle. That's his sad story.

The best part of the day was hurrying down the rainy street and finding such a hilarious plaque!

Virginia License Plate

2009-05-07T15:23:00.000-07:00

Mountain Homestead Museum

2009-05-05T16:24:00.000-07:00

Adjacent to the mine is a recreated Homestead with a very likable and knowledgeable tour guide, Miss Bethany. Every building is authentic although each has been relocated to their current location (taken apart and put back together like a jigsaw puzzle).

Apparently the Scotch-Irish settled the Appalachian Mountains for 2 reasons: the landscape reminded them of Scotland

and the lack of people. You had to be a hillbilly kind of person to do well here.

We learned the origins of Pop Goes the Weasel! A weasel is a contraption used to measure yarn. As the yarn goes around and around, the machine eventually makes a POP! sound which means you've wound a yard; each consecutive pop represents another yard of yarn.

The highlight was definitely getting to practice with real quills and walnut ink at the end. Peanut has been trying desperately to get a real quill and ink set as as souvenir on this trip, and I keep refusing her. This was the next best thing!

Into a Coal Mine

2009-05-05T15:03:00.000-07:00

Beckley is a bustling little town with a big mining (and hunting) culture. One of the old mines offers a short tour, and we got there early -- along with 2 different groups of kids from local elementary schools. This is how we knew we weren't in Kansas anymore:

We heard these kinds of statements

from the kids, "My Papa died last year and he was a miner." "My step-dad is a miner, too. But he works up on top." "My grandpa died in a mine; a coal car rolled over him and crushed him. I was only 3." We just listened, wide-eyed.

The grounds over the mine have been set up accurately with buildings and guides. We saw a Miner's Shack, the nice Superintendent's House (ironically, he made 10 times more money than the miner yet paid no rent), a school and a church. Peanut loved the "cozy and welcoming" Miner's Shack best, but Little Man was far more fascinated with the teacher's paddle!

An old miner gave us a fascinating 35 minute tour, taking us through the mine on a little train. I already knew mining was a sad profession -- we own The Rag Coat and know Coal Miner's Daughter -- but other than the Miner's Cough, I had no idea how physically straining the job was in the early days.

Imagine your man scooting on his hands and knees for 10 hours a day, along the floor of a 30 inch high cave. (The black line on the wall marks the old ceiling line -- now mines have much more head room.)

He'd earn 20 cents for every 1-ton coal cart he could fill and he'd probably fill 10 in a day. That's $2 a day if all went well. His rent (because he'd live at the mine all week and only be home on the weekends) was $2 a month.

Hard hats are a modern invention. Miners in the 1800s wore hats with little lamps on the front. Here are the ways a miner could die on any given day: Blackdamp, Firedamp, Kettle Bottoms, being run over, Miner's Cough and the list goes on...

When he showed us the original scooter -- used by miners -- I had to ask him to pose for a picture. Imagine?!

Grand Canyon of the East

2009-05-05T14:30:00.000-07:00

Back in Colorado, a man had told us about the Cass Railway and the New River Gorge (see Durango Rail post) in West Virginia. The train starts operating in June, so we'll miss that, but the gorge was impressive; I can only imagine the views in autumn.

The bridge is over 800 feet tall, the 2nd tallest in the U.S. Most people come here to enjoy the whitewater rafting options in the New River below. I can see us doing that somewhere down the road!

For now we took a hike as low as possible by boardwalk -- a 300 step round trip -- which wiped us out after the cave descent yesterday!

West Virginia -- State #45

2009-05-04T18:32:00.001-07:00

I might add a stat called "Welcome Signs on a Bridge" because they're pretty terrifying. The big one entering West Virginia was no exception.

Let's begin with the fact that this state makes Kentucky look barren. This state is breathtakingly easy on the eyes. To meander through

one holler after another is like taking a joy ride through colossal broccoli florets, except it also smells sweet. (To get the feeling of West Virginia, read one of our favorite books, When the Relatives Came.)

Tomcat travels to Huntington quite often, but this was our first visit. The plan was to drive right on past it, but I saw a sign and hollered to the back, "You guys want to see some art?"

The Huntington Museum of Art is closed on Mondays, but there was a High School Valedictorian Ceremony going on, so they let us in. We got to see the lobby (with an outstanding Calder overhead), the conservatory (with who else but our guy Chihuly), and the gift shop!

We wandered around downtown and found everyone we met to be extraordinary. It looks like this state is going to be another pleasant surprise like North Dakota!

West Virginia License Plate

2009-05-04T18:30:00.000-07:00

Stuck in the Mud

2009-05-04T18:16:00.000-07:00

Yeah, well, this is kind of embarrassing...

In an effort to get some Kentucky dirt, I pulled over and got sucked into about 6 inches of mud. Grandma tried to get out and push, bless her soul. (This my new Southern phrase.)

Fortunately, within 3 minutes these nice Kentucky folk were pulling us out. One of the men shook his head and said, "Well, we all do things we wish we hadn't." And that was the end of it.

Please let me take a moment to lament the fact that it's been raining for days. This is manageable rain as far as our trip goes, but it keeps me from taking pictures, and the scenery is absolutely breathtaking. Kentucky is gorgeous from one end to the other, but especially in the horse-country middle. I wish I could share the landscape with you as we go along...

Mammoth Caves, KY

2009-05-04T16:51:00.000-07:00

We made it to Cave City where I thought the kids would get a kick out of sleeping in a wigwam. Let's just say, the idea was much more fun than the reality. Think camping: dirty, no hot water, and mosquitoes. We stayed one night instead of two.

Only 10 minutes from Mammoth Caves, we were surprised to find it in such a lush landscape; we saw 4 deer and 2 wild turkeys before we even entered the park!

The Junior Ranger Program was fantastic and even Doodle earned her badge. There are some seriously inviting tours available (some require lanterns!), but we decided on the two-hour New Entrance tour because it shows the living part of the cave. Also, I liked the Ranger. The tour was excellent and here are a few cool things we learned:

1. Mammoth Caves is the l o n g e s t cave system in the world, but it only takes up about 10 square miles on the surface. The under-ground tunnels (carved by the river over time) go 5 layers deep. We went down about 300 feet and only reached level 3. At this point, we sat down to rest and Ranger said, "We're resting not for what we've just done, but for what we're going to do next." Climbing back up up!

2. The reason the cave is dry and smooth as opposed to drippy and full of formations (think Carlsbad Caverns), is because it lacks a leaky roof. The entire cave is limestone, but outside the cave lies a thick layer of sandstone. Sandstone keeps the cave water-tight. Wherever there's a crack in the ceiling, you'll find Dripstone, where tiny stalactites (hang tight!) and stalagmites (stand mighty!) will start to develop.

There is one area at Mammoth Caves called Frozen Niagara where the limestone has been dripping through large cracks in the wall. It's unfathomable, the size and beauty of it. When you look eventually think to look upwards, there's the most ornate rose-shaped stalactite chandelier on the ceiling. It's truly stunning.

3. Some of the "rooms" in the cave have to be measured in acres -- that speaks to the mammoth size of this cave and is the primary reason people come to visit it.

At one point we saw a glimpse of the industrious river below. The water was a murky but inviting, turquoise blue. Peanut desperately wanted to see eye-less fish, but the tour to the bottom will have to wait a few years.

Kentucky - State #44

2009-05-03T20:04:00.000-07:00

Crossing over the state line into Kentucky, fallen trees from the recently tragic ice storm came immediately into view. It looked like clear-cutting and it broke our hearts. We were told that out of 125 (?) parishes, more than 100 were affected by the ice.

We're getting set to cross this state
lengthwise from

West to East!

Paducah is like a quilters mecca. We visited the National Quilt Museum where all of our jaws dragged the floor until we exited. Each of us picked our favorite quilt, too, but remember that pictures never ever do a work of art justice:

CurlyTop - Breeze, by Rachel Wetzler
Grandma - The Beatles, by Pat Holly & Sue Nickels
Peanut - Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...And, by Choi Eun Ryoung
Little Man - Air Show, by Jonathon Shannon
Doodle - Le Jardin Nos Reves, by Myrl Lehman Tapungot

This was a grown-up day, to be sure, but don't be fooled -- my kids have a blast in fabric stores. It would be a sin to skip a shopping spree at Hancocks of Paducah; this fabric store feels bigger than my entire neighborhood. Everyone got something, along with promises from me to do such-and-such with it after the trip.

Peanut chose a rainforest animal fabric with 2 complementing fabrics, to be turned into a pillow. Little Man chose an actual U.S. flag fabric and a measuring tool, to be turned into...a flag...which will supposedly replace his pirates flag. Doodle chose a light fabric with big bumble bees on it, to become her "small blanket to bring into restaurants to keep her warm" -- we're scowled at if we refer to this as a shawl.

If you're into quilting, you'll completely understand this stop.

Kentucky License Plate

2009-05-03T20:02:00.000-07:00

Opryland Hotel

2009-05-03T19:49:00.000-07:00

We could have stayed at the Opryland Hotel but I was afraid the kids would never want to leave. (That was before I learned the amusement park had been flattened in favor of a big mall.)

Still, the grandeur alone makes it worth a short visit. It's the largest hotel without a casino in the U.S. and there's a breathtaking atrium inside. At the bottom runs a 1/4 mile river (full of water from all 50 states plus thirty or so countries) that actually has a boat tour! Of course we took it, and had ourselves a nice little time followed by pizza.

Remember to visit this spot should you ever find yourself in Nashville, in a downpour with 3 little kids, wondering what to do with the hour before bedtime.

Country Music Hall of Fame

2009-05-03T17:58:00.000-07:00

These 3 urban kids were star struck at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Grandma and I were tickled silly watching them swoon. This stop might even win the "Best Gift Shop" award.

They showed such delight here, and actually knew more country songs than I'd imagined. I'm a lover of old country (Don Williams, Patsy Cline,

Glen Campbell, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, George Jones) and 80s country (Keith Whitley, the Judds, Randy Travis, George Strait, Reba) and I guess I've listened to my old cds more than I realized.

Little Man discovered a large video screen with nutso performers and he went wild, doing his best air guitar with about 15 old guys watching him; he was

completely unaware. This was his introduction to Carl Perkins (we saw his blue suede shoes), shakin' Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis.

Ohhhh, Elvis. We talked about why all the teenage girls in the audience were fainting (along with their mother's back home), and why Elvis talked with pouty lips "thankyuhvurymush" and why he was and will forever be special. I thought Little Man was going to faint. New heroes were born in his eyes today.

I asked the kids to tell me what they liked so much about this place, and more importantly what they learned. Their responses came back at me in a rush and here is my attempt to translate their responses:

1. Little Man's biggest thrill was seeing Johnny Cash's real guitar. "I recognized it because it had that black shiny part on it. It's really scraped up because he used it so much. He always wore black because he wanted the sad and bad people to know he was singing for them, too. He didn't take care of himself either and he was a mess, but June fixed him. She was healthy and she helped him. We didn't get to see their graves because of the rain."

Peanut added that June and Johnny were in love and that he even sang to the people in jail. She likes his deep voice and how he sings on the Children's Album. Doodle and Peanut both liked coloring their Johnny Cash pictures although Doodle's looks much more like a glitzy Elvis, don't you think?

2. Elvis. Little Man went berserk, "I like him!!!!!!! He's AWESOME!!!!!!! He shakes his leg when he sings and then he puts his hand on his leg and pushes it behind him to kind of say, 'Hey leg, stop shaking so much.' But he just feels the beat!"

Peanut adds that he got a piano completely made of gold for his birthday, and that no matter how famous he got or how much money he made he always remembered to take care of his mother. "That's very important."

3. Watching Glen Campbell's video. We sat in benches in a small make-shift theater surrounded by plexi-glass, which Little Man tried to walk through at one point -- funny as could be. This video had us all captivated; it was basically old 1950-1990 footage of all the commercials (Loretta Lynn selling Crisco) and various shows (Hee-Haw) all run together. This was the first time the kids had ever seen Dolly Parton perform, for example. Minnie Pearl was beyond comprehension. Anytime someone sang a song they knew, they were pleased as punch, especially when Oh! Susannah rang out. This was certainly a new world to them, while it was such a walk down memory lane for Grandma and me.

4. The clothes! Doodle has fallen head over heals in love with Dolly Parton (and her wigs and dresses). She also likes the other girl's dresses and the cowboy boots with sparkles on them. Little Man would just like to add that he thought it was really funny when he learned that Dolly had big boobs.

I happen to truly love Dolly, too. She has the best sense of humor and is an unelievably talented song writer (up there with Willie). You know she wrote and sang Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You, right? Well, here's something she said on an NPR interview that just cracks me up:

"I will always appreciate her -- I made a lot of money, and I need a lot of money, because it costs a lot of money to look this cheap," she said with a laugh.

The Hermitage and Old Hickory

2009-05-01T19:44:00.000-07:00

I love a rainy night, I love a rainy night. I love to feel the rain on my face...

My oh my, what a fantastic rain storm! It's been y e a r s since I've heard thunder like this! Peanut actually said, "What was that noise that sounded like an avalanche coming into the hotel?" I wonder if Tennessee children know what an avalanche sounds like?

Grandma shrugged her shoulders and said to the kids, "It's a good thing none of us is made out of sugar; we're not going to melt." Deciding our intended "Walking Tour of Downtown Nashville" would be best saved for another visit, we decided to learn more about President Andrew Jackson by going to The Hermitage, his beloved plantation home.

Grandma had a high school obsession with Old Hickory and now I get it. There's a introductory video on Jackson's life that did a wonderful job staying objective, unabashedly stating his faults (slavery support, Trail of Tears, autocrat) while at the same time presenting his most notable and lasting qualities (devotion to Rachel, extreme compassion, the Democratic Party).

"Andrew Jackson was a patriot and a traitor. He was the greatest of generals, and wholly ignorant of the art of war. He was the most candid of men, and capable of the profoundest dissimulation. He was a democratic autocrat, an urbane savage, an atrocious saint."
- James Parton, Jackson's first biographer, 1859

Besides the video, you can walk through the museum which was just small enough for them, and interesting enough for us then move on to the actual Jackson house. The tour guides within the house, were dressed in period pieces and they treated the kids with the utmost respect. An upstairs guide explained that in Jackson's time there would have been children everywhere. He loved children and raised about 11, not to mention all the cousins and visitors! This particular guide was charming and spoke to the kids forever about the sleeping porch (could they bring a pillow? men wore nightgowns?), and he told them why his grandmother used to send him to sit on the horsehair couch when he was naughty -- it was prickly.

Outside, you followed an audio tour around the resplendent grounds. On a sunny day we could have spent twice as much time here, letting the kids run around. Check this out: they had an audio version specifically for children, narrated by Poll, Jackson's pet parrot. Even Doodle managed to use it effortlessly and thoroughly enjoyed it. Me, too! (Grandma listened to the adult commentary.)

Keep in mind that the rainstorm raged on and we were getting soaked! We still managed to walk through Rachel's lovely gardens, the tomb and one of the slave family cabins. I turned around at one point and the kids were happily barefoot, sloshing through puddles, soaked to their skin. We were quite a sight when we finally made it to the gift shop and I explained to the employees that these kids have never experienced a thunderous and warm downpour. We were all giddy!

Praise, praise, praise is all I can offer for every moment we spent here. It was such a breath of fresh air after our experience with Guide back in Louisiana (see Rant post). In fact, one guide in the museum passed us into the hands of another guide with the words, "Pay attention to these kids; they're not the usual lot -- they really want to know." That's just the medicine I needed.

Tennessee - State #43

2009-05-01T19:03:00.000-07:00

There are a million freeways in Nashville and they're chock full of kind and sensible drivers. In fact, Tennessee hosts the most wonderful people, rivaling North Dakota for what appears to be genuine friendliness.
The Marriott Hotel staff absolutely wins our affections for taking such an interest in us.

With a bounty of great energy about us, we decided to go for an evening stroll around our neighborhood (Vanderbilt University is only a block away). The hotel tried to give me a list of good restaurants beforehand but I said, "No thanks. We usually make out just fine." Naturally, we ended up in Gigi's Cupcake House for dinner! Why not? We only live once.

Well save your, "I told you so!" because now I know. Doodle came running over to me after Grandma had been trying to get her to bed. She was doing a peculiar side-step jumpy thing which complemented her sing-songy broadcast perfectly, "No more cupcakes at night for Doooooodle! She's allllllllll sugared-up!"

Tennessee License Plate

2009-05-01T19:01:00.001-07:00

Rockets in Huntsville

2009-04-30T18:33:00.000-07:00

Finding something unique to do in Alabama (with little kids) was as challenging as finding something interesting in Indiana. Remembering Space Camp, we found ourselves at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville.

The museum (indoors and out) stupefied Little Man and he insisted on writing 3 postcards, one of which said, "Your eyeballs would fall right off if you could see this!"

I took the kids into a Flight Simulator ride forgetting how sick they make me. Doodle, who I thought would fall out of her seat, was highly irritated with me and kept pushing my hands away when I'd try to hold onto her -- brave little thing.

Then, I took Peanut into a G-Force Accelerator that literally sucked my boobs right through my body and flat up against the wall behind me. Peanut's cheeks were flapping but I could hear her whimper, "I can't breathe!" I broke protocol and unfolded my arms, the force slapping my hand against her belly, and tried to reassure her, "Just hold your breath. It'll be over soon."

Our feet were off the ground, then slam, the floor beneath us reappeared making a deep breath possible, and all body parts were once again affected by the law of gravity (bummer!). I nearly puked. Peanut was pale and told Little Man and Doodle that they would not have liked it one bit.

Our included IMAX film was Tom Hank's Magnificent Desolation, which detailed the Apollo Missions to the moon. For some reason, my emotions take over when I think of these astronauts, and today was no exception. I highly recommend the film for your family; landing on the moon is ancient history to our kids; now these little ones are far more informed and touched by these prodigious experiences.

The movie ends with a tidbit of Socrates wisdom:
"Humanity must rise above the Earth, to the top of the atmosphere and beyond, for only then will we fully understand the world in which we live."

Alabama - State #42

2009-04-30T18:30:00.000-07:00

Sometimes accomplishing our state sign picture can be unnerving. This has to be our most interesting yet. Alabama claims to be beautiful and we agree. Curiously, all the wildflowers were in bloom when we crossed the border!

This was one of our longer drives and you can see that Doodle is up to some of her old antics. She settled down when we promised we'd listen to her cd, when we finished listening to the story, "Misty of Chincoteague". As expected, it put her to sleep in no time.

Alabama License Plate

2009-04-30T18:21:00.000-07:00

Jackson, MS

2009-04-30T17:23:00.000-07:00

Today we traveled a path first carved by Native Americans, then hunters and traders, followed by Jackson's army and finally people like us! From a mere path through the woods, the Natchez Trace evolved into the scenic road from Natchez, MS all the way to Tennessee. We got off in Jackson, MS and bid farewell to a lovely morning on the road. (Thanks for the tip, Forest!)

Jackson has some

lovely churches (rivaling Dubuque, IA) but the city goes to sleep at 5pm -- at least near our historic hotel near the capitol. We went for a drive in search of healthy fare for dinner and had to venture miles away to a lively neighborhood to find something open. (We're feeling t h i c k from all the heavy food.)

Fortunately, a Piggly Wiggly came into view and a new adventure was born. What fun to explore someone else's grocery store! Two aisles had our full attention: an entire row of various types of bleach (why?) and an entire row of canned vegetables -- in gallon-sized cans!

Our hotel picnic consisted of: salami, strawberries, grapes, apples, yogurt, rolls and Jell-O with fruit in it. (They thought the Jell-O would be a treat, but none of them would actually eat it!) Then Peanut bit into a strawberry and goes, "This tastes weird; are these organic?" I said, "Eat it and be grateful we have anything fresh at all. We could be eating out of cans!"

What does hard work look like?

2009-04-29T21:00:00.000-07:00

Tomcat is slowwwwwwly recuperating back home after his long stint in the New Orleans hospital, and I really miss him at times like these; he stays very calm while I get wound up. Obviously, I had to simmer down before I talked to Peanut about Guide.

note: I'm adopting the "black and white" verbiage because it's how things are presented to us here as we tour around.

Peanut and I stepped aside and looked at the Frogmore Plantation buildings. I asked several simple questions so that she could assess the situation for herself:

1. Who lived in those houses? Slaves. Where did they work? Picking cotton or in the white people's house. How many people lived in one of those 2 room shacks? 5 or so. What did they do at night after work? Sewed, cooked dinner, went to bed.

2. Where did the white people live? In the house like where we stayed last night. (see A Night in Southern Comfort post.) Where did they work? The women stayed at home and the men went to their offices. How many people lived in the Longhorn House we toured? She had 8 kids and Frederick, the slave. What did they do at night after work? Smoked pipes, lounged around, played piano, played with their kids. Did they do their own laundry or cook their own food? No. (I skipped whether or not they even managed to nurse their own babies.)

Then I explained to her that while the plantation owner's wife may have worked hard at some things, it can't be compared to how the slaves worked. We also talked about the struggles newly freed slaves had: no money, no possessions, no skills, no confidence.

3. Should we have kept them as slaves, especially since some owners were very, very kind, like Julia Nutt? No, because the slave children got skills and they could experience freedom better.

I ended with the fact that this is one of the precise reasons we make "travel" a family priority. Tomcat and I want them to understand these things with all of their senses so they can more accurately draw their conclusions.

Rant Against Plantation Guide

2009-04-29T17:58:00.000-07:00

**to be clear, I do not support the implied points below in #1-5. Those were the points Guide was making. For example, they don't like Lincoln because he waged war and ruined their way of life. I argue that Lincoln was stellar.**

I'm feeling rather huffy right now. Hopefully I can keep from offending any harmless Southerners who happen to be reading our blog. (Please feel free to comment and set me straight if you see the need.)

Researching plantations to visit on this trip, I noticed a recurrent criticism with reviewers: where were the slaves? When I came across Frogmore Plantation, I was thrilled because it seemed to be the one and only southern plantation that could provide a well-rounded introduction on slavery and plantation life; this is a very new topic for the kids. We can pick cotton, tour slave quarters, see one of the few working cotton gins in the country, and then learn about cotton in the modern world. Indeed this was going to be a highlight for all of us!

However, immediately it fell short of my expectations. The tour was to be 2 hours long: 30 minute historical video, an hour walk through the buildings and another video at the end discussing modern cotton production. I asked if we could tailor the tour a bit to accommodate the kids' interests and Guide simply said, "No, because if someone else were to join us I'd have to give them the proper tour." (Okay, but until someone else shows up?????)

Guide said that I, as the parent, would just have to decide if they could handle the 2 hours. Fine. We watched the video and I found myself relieved that the kids were bored and lost in their own thoughts. Certain facts were verbalized, but the message given through tone and body language was disturbing:

1. Most nations at the time had slaves. (So we weren't that bad actually.)
2. Only 25% of Southerners had slaves and only 1% of them had more than a hundred. (Keep in mind there were about 4 million slaves altogether.)
3. The Union states also had slaves and Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation didn't free them. It only set the framework so all slaves could be freed later with the 13th Amendment. (So he wasn't such a great guy afterall...)
4. Slaves were unhappy to be freed because they were no longer cared for and they left their plantations with nothing. (Freedom can be bad.)
5. Unlike Hollywood's depiction of Southern Belles, the plantation owner's wife was actually the hardest working person -- after the slaves, of course. (Entertaining is hard work, in a completely different kind of way.)

As we headed to our first building after the video, Peanut asked what all the tiny holes were, dotting the ground. Guide said, "Now is that really an important question? They're ants." I was stunned and explained to her that we really have no bugs where we live, so the ground is quite fascinating to them here in the south. She barely cracked a smile. She was extremely irritated with the kids asking questions the minute they walked in the door. She told them, "If you wait until I'm finished you probably won't have any questions left." There is truth to this, but we were the ONLY people here and we were actually the customers, right? Cutting them off so abruptly, they gave up trying to listen to her at all -- we all struggled with her accent and the speed with which she spewed out facts like a recorder.

This following example marks the moment when we truly understood each other:

Guide considered us misinformed, and I found her terribly condescending not to mention delivering an extremely biased and inaccurate history of plantation life. Peanut mentioned something about the southern ladies lounging around, and Guide looked her dead in the eye and said, "Who taught you that?" It was an accusation more than a question. Peanut sheepishly pointed to me and the guide lifted her chin and gave me a knowing look of disapproval. She explained that if a lady was lounging, it was because she had fallen ill. My mind drifted back to the fainting couch at Longhorn House last night where we learned Southern women often fainted (due to their tight corsets) and could land without showing their ankles. As we all know, it's also called a chaise lounge.

One of the cabins was set up like a little kitchen with papier mache food sitting around, mostly breads and such. Peanut said, "Is all of this food fake or is some of it real?" Guide responded, "Now, what would this food look like if it was sitting out like this? Could it really be real? It'd be all moldy." I was so irritated with her condescending tone by this time that I said, "Peanut, tell her where we actually saw real bread that was several months old and looked just like this." They all shouted, "On the ships!" (See Plymouth, MA post.)

The final straw was just before the last video. Driving around the countryside, we'd noticed green bottles hanging on sticks all over the farms. Guide pointed to one on display and spoke something but all we understood was "so they know what to do". I asked her twice to please repeat herself at which point I looked at Grandma and said, "Do you understand what she's talking about?" I was fed up by then after an hour with Guide that I no longer cared about offending her. Grandma missed it, too.

Finally, we realized she was talking about BUGS (one of our favorite topics!), the Boll Weevil. She wasn't about to make it clearer, and instead stared blankly at us while we tried to make sense of her words that ran together like molasses. It was like pulling teeth to understand the the mysteries of those green bottles, but finally, we got it: Boll Weevils are attracted to the green color. They climb into the bottles and someone comes along to count them. Based on the count, farmers know which crops need to be treated with pesticides and which can wait until later.

One final sin: Grandma wanted to buy a book on Slave Quilts in the gift shop and she asked Guide if she'd read it. Her response, "Yes, and you'd have to decide for yourself if you believe any of it. I mean, slaves really exaggerated and I don't know, maybe some patterns could have different meanings, but I don't know where slaves would be able to get different colors to mean different things." Grandma opted to buy the book, and held back mentioning the Gee's Bend quilters.

**cool facts** One of the slave quarters had a huge "cotton carrying bag" in it and we got to try to lift it. That's what they dragged through the fields every day. Slaves were chosen by their ability -- a "one hand" slave was 18-40 years old and strong, so they worked in the fields all day. A weaker slave would end up in the kitchen or laundry of the main plantation house or somewhere else picking cotton seeds. Cotton plants are in the Hibiscus family and can reach 6 feet tall. There are 26 seeds in every cotton boll; it would take a slave 10 hours to get the seeds out of a basket of cotton like the one Peanut and Doodle are holding in the picture. Eli Whitney, what can we say? Once the seeds are out, the cotton is called lint and is taken to be cleaned, then shipped to the textile industry. Any remaining fuzz gets turned into make-up, car parts, many random things. The actual seed becomes Crisco (Crystallized Cottonseed Oil), pure cotton seed oil, cattle feed or mulch.

Laundry on the Mississippi

2009-04-29T15:51:00.000-07:00

I'm often asked how much we pack for a trip like this -- 6 weeks start to finish. Well, we opted to pack twice as many outfits on this trip: six changes of clothes each. We felt like we needed to look fresher and a bit more put-together in the Southeast, to show respect so to speak.

Laundry day finally arrived and we had to cross the Mississippi again, because the nearest laundromat was back in Vidalia, LA. (Check out the stats to see just how many times we've crossed the Mighty Mississip.)

Driving through a poor neighborhood, I asked a woman where the laundromat was and she looked up surprised, "Well, it's ovuh dat-a-way. I was jus headin' ovuh deh, so can I have a ride?" Now, I was the surprised one, "Sure!"

Now this was an experience for the kids. We quickly flung Doodle's things from the spare seat to the floor, opened the door and let the woman in. That's when I realized she was unwell. She was older, a bit crumpled, shaky, weak and her eyes were somehow wrong. I helped her into the car and for the first time in 42 states all three kids fell silent.

Her directions went like this, "Ovuh deh. Now dat-a-way. Left-uh heh. Right-uh deh. Mmm-hmm das it right-deh." When we arrived Grandma casually remarked, "I wonder if there's a change machine?" The lady replied, "Mmm-hmmm dey do. Now can I have a dol-luh?" I looked at her and said, "You need a dollar?" She indignantly answered, "Yes'm, I doooo." So, I gave her 4 quarters and explained to the kids that she'd earned it by giving us directions. She promptly walked into the laundromat and sat down, presumably to enjoy the fans because she had no laundry to speak of.

We loaded our clothes, and I tried to take Little Man and Doodle for a walk to occupy the time while Grandma waited in the car with Peanut to keep an eye on things. We found a store selling western wear and although the front windows had been through some kind of battle, the older man inside was very kind and gentle and let Doodle ride the saddles and Little Man test the whips. We wanted to check out a nearby church but we were too afraid to cross the road. (You should see all the road kill.) We ended up being stared down in a gas station, where we bought some new-to-us candy to try.

Inside the laundromat we became friends with a nice old man who talked more than we did. Trouble was, between Grandma and I, we could only understand some of what he said. Here's what we got: he was retired from the Railroad, had 2 sons that refused to do their own laundry (one was 40 years old), 2 grand-daughters on the honor roll, and a mind full of things for us to do (lakes to fish in, alligator farms, places to eat boudin and cracklins) when our laundry was finished.

We took none of his advice, however, because each of his roads led in one direction: Arkansas. Grandma and I told him several times that we were heading East to Alabama, but he carried on with directions to all these wonderful places with roads that ended somehow-someway in the fine state of Arkansas.

A Night in Southern Comfort

2009-04-28T20:41:00.000-07:00

We found the Guest House easily, but the front door was locked and all the lights were off. A tiny note left a phone number should we need assistance. Well, yes, we needed assistance. I called the number and a man from a sister property across the street ran right over to check us in. Strange, right?

As it turns out, we were the ONLY guests registered for tonight! My little traveling family had the entire place to ourselves, without even a receptionist on duty! Do things like this happen to anyone else?

We were too tired for any exploring so we climbed right into our 4-poster beds, staring up at the 17 foot ceilings, admiring the velvet drapes over windows which overlooked a sweet little courtyard. Seriously.

This morning, I said to Peanut, "C'mon, let's pretend we live here!" So we jumped out of bed and started to waltz up and down the hallways, pretending to hide our ankles, checking out rooms and taking photos wherever we felt fancy.

Little Man and Doodle joined us soon enough (couldn't resist playing hide and seek) and all was well until Peanut ran downstairs and then right back up to say, "Mom, there's a man downstairs!" I slowed down gracefully (thankful I'd gotten dressed before this ridiculous escapade) and said to the young gentleman, "Good morning. Are you an employee?" He answered, "Yes m'am, your breakfast is waiting: french toast, eggs, pan sausage, homefries, fruit..." Like a giddy teenager, I ran back upstairs to tell Grandma that we were being served in the breakfast room!

When Grandma got downstairs, he asked, "Did you do any reading in the bathtub last night?" and when he saw Doodle he said, "Hello, are you the Pooper?" This young man had read our entire blog! (See Grandma's Been Naughty and the White Sands posts.)

Needless to say, each of us was quite delighted with our stay and we feel like we lived a Southern dream at least for one night right here in Natchez, Mi-crooked letter crooked letter-i-crooked letter-i-humpback humpback-i.

Mississippi - State #41

2009-04-28T19:31:00.000-07:00

We left New Orleans several hours later than planned and missed our Plantation Tour across the river, so we decided to spend the night in Natchez, MS. I asked the girl at the Visitor's Center if there were any Bed & Breakfasts that allowed children, and sure enough, she found us one downtown. That done, we hustled off to catch the day's final tour of

Longwood House -- a supposedly more interesting Antebellum Home tour for the kids.

This was the best introduction to the Southern way of life, and I'm so grateful to the woman who directed us here. The 97-acre estate has sprawling lawns with mature oak and cypress trees where the kids burned off some energy, and the enormous octagonal house is something words cannot adequately describe.

Julia Nutt and her husband had the enormous home built (30,000 square feet) but he died after only the basement was finished. We got to tour the unfinished upstairs which was truly remarkable.

The grandiose ceilings and French doors opening onto the balconies brought an incredible breeze through the house and the architectural plans on display so we could clearly envision what "should have been". Where the kids are standing, for example, would have been a grand staircase leading to the patio within with circle of trees. Think of some Southern Belle's first kiss.

Julia continued to live in the basement of her mansion, which was only 10,000 square feet, with high ceilings and full windows by our standards, raising 8 children alone. I asked if others in High Society looked down on her for living in a basement and the guide said she was actually considered lucky to have a house at all. When husbands were killed in the Civil War, many wives were ironically forced to earn money through their labors: doing laundry for the soldiers or baking and selling pies to the infantry.

Little Man thought it was such a clever design to only have 4 chimneys when there were 26 fireplaces in the house but he was truly delighted when he saw Julia's "evening commode." This consisted of a lovely upholstered chair that when the bottom cushion was lifted, a hole was presented directly over a nice-sized porcelain bowl! He wanted to know if they ever emptied that bowl?!

Peanut was far more interested in why there were only paintings of white people on the walls. (This terminology of "white and black" is brand spankin' new with our entry into the Deep South.) "Did the white people not like them?" she asked. The guide eventually directed us to the dining room and to Frederick, one of only two slave paintings in all of Mississippi! Julia Nutt insisted he be painted along with the rest of the family, and legend has it that after Mr. Nutt died, he stuck around and helped her raise the kids, too. We were listening to the guide talk about Frederick when Peanut whispered to me, "How come all the white people look so pretty and happy and the black guy looks so tired and sad?"

Mississippi License Plate

2009-04-28T19:29:00.001-07:00

Grandma's Birds

2009-04-28T18:44:00.000-07:00

Grandma is dumbfounded that I've yet to mention the birds, and she's right. Pure neglect on my part. If only I were a professional nature photographer, I'd show you each and every one of the beautiful birds we've seen in Louisiana.

The swamp is loaded with different types of herons, egrets, ibis, osprey and the elusive owl. We never tired of watching them fly in and out of the 500 year old cypress trees or gum trees, but it was the large Yellow-crowned Night Heron who earned our respect.

We were mesmerized as we watched it construct a nest; we're not talking mere twigs here, we're talking branches. It would fly by, land in a tree and we'd hear some chomping then a very large c-c-c-crack! as it successfully got it's piece. It'd soar past us, carrying the large branch over to its construction site.

But even on the freeway, we were distracted by the variety of birds! Forget crows and sparrows, there were flashes of red, yellow and blue as cardinals, warblers and bluebirds darted in and out of trees alongside the road. Yet it's the Red-headed Woodpecker I saw flying today, that stays with me. It's flight pattern had a unique rhythm, almost like poetry, dip, swaayyyyy, dip swaayyyyy. So brilliant in flight!

Honey Swamp Tour

2009-04-26T18:27:00.000-07:00

A bayou is a place you can navigate in and out of. A swamp is a place where you get stuck, with gators and snakes and such. Imagine spending your life on a swampy river, your house only accessible by boat, the river rising and falling at will. We saw a refrigerator floating by and the guide said it was full of groceries -- that one morning the people woke up to 2 feet of water in the house and the fridge had just floated off. It takes a special kind of person to choose a life like this.

Sadly, we didn't see a single alligator! They're just coming out of hibernation (who knew?) and starting to mate, so we figured they were a little busy.

No worries. There were a variety of Deliverance scenes coming to mind as we wound our way up and down the river to keep us plenty interested and freaked out. For example, there are rope swings hanging over the river that kids use all summer long. Apparently, there's only been one alligator attack on a human in the history of this place: a 12 year old boy had been shooting paint balls at a gator who eventually got fed up and chomped the kid's arm off. Our guide was very matter of fact about it: dumb kid. The guide, incidentally, had lost count of how many snake bites he'd received in his life!

Near miss for another E.R. trip.

2009-04-25T20:30:00.000-07:00

We happened upon a Oh! Susannah's doll and miniature Shop in the French Quarter and spent what felt like years in there. Doodle was picking her nose and kept saying, "The glass kind of tickles up there when I breathe." I had no idea what she was talking about, but I looked up her nose: dark and empty. At some point, Grandma heard what she was saying and pulled me over with eyes the size of saucers.

Apparently, before entering the store, Doodle had picked up a tiny piece of glass off the sidewalk to show Grandma. She told her to drop it, but Doodle thought it would be more interesting to shove it up her right nostril! Staying calm, I got a Kleenex and told her to blow. Nothing.

Plugging her other nostril I asked her to pretend she was swimming and needed to clear out her nose, to please blow. She got silly saying, "I can't blow because the glass is too tickly". Panic set in.

Memories of tweezers the size of salad tongs ran through my head of a past doctor visit when Doodle was about a year old: she'd shoved a "dot to the lowercase i" up her nose from a puzzle we had -- never to be found. Another memory surfaced of those tweezers going up Peanut's nose when she was about 2 years old: she'd shoved a tiny marble up her nose which finally came out with massaging and a big sneeze, thanks to a can of pepper I dumped in her lap. And then a different kind of memory came forward: the afternoon a silver barrette (minus the flower) mysteriously showed up in Peanut's diaper when she was about 18 mos.; is it possible to safely pass a tiny piece of glass, I wondered?

Trying desperately to avoid the New Orleans E.R. from becoming a family affair, I pinched Doodle's other nostril and firmly told her that she had to blow. "Too tickly," she insisted, followed by a fit of nervous giggles. Fortunately, her giggling made her snort, and, "Voila!" Out popped a much bigger piece of brown glass than I'd anticipated, landing directly on my finger.

Grandma and I took several deep breaths while our heartbeats slowed, and asked each other in a fleeting glance, "What could possibly happen next?"

The French Quarter

2009-04-25T19:03:00.001-07:00

.

Everyone loved this day because there was a strong breeze blowing and lots of moving clouds to create momentary shade. (Peanut made it known that her feet were still sticky.) This couldn't compare to the "sticky" we were after eating beignets at Cafe du Monde; powdered sugar covered us as well as the table, chairs

and floor!

Walking to Jackson Square, we stopped at a big red basket full of squirming crawfish on the sidewalk. A big man walked over and handed us each one, then took our picture. Moments later, he dumped them into a giant steaming cauldron. None of us had noticed it before, or the piles of onions and celery which followed the crawfish into the pot. This was the most tragic event of the Road Trip for Peanut and I thought we were in for a breakdown but she held it together; Little Man was mighty upset as well. I was stunned by their response because our family is very open about the animal --> food link, discussing it often at our dinner table. (I know this is weird, but there you have it.) However, the kids have never actually witnessed the death of an animal and that is traumatic even for zealous carnivores like myself. Did I mention how delicious that Crawfish Stew smelled?!

Down the road, fully recovered, the kids were mesmerized by all the street acts, especially when I let them drop a buck into the tip jars. My thrill was buying the sweetest miniature painting from an equally sweet and tiny artist named Barbara Muscutt. In fact, I practically swiped the freshly painted canvas right off her easel! Ever since visiting Baltimore, I've been enchanted with these little gems...

We took a carriage ride (pulled by a mule) around the French Quarter with an amazing guide. Then, with hopes of Doodle taking a much needed nap, we also took a Grayline City Tour which included a cemetery and the 9th Ward Katrina damage.

For those of you who haven't been here, the cemeteries are uncomfortably beautiful and sacred. They're referred to as "cities of the dead". In the past, bodies were buried underground, but they kept surprising families (boo!) by resurfacing after such and such amount of rainfall. They quickly learned to bury their dead above ground in little tombs. To save space and to keep kin together, they simply stack the bodies on top of each other and add their names to the cover stone. We counted 30 names on a single one! Here's the gory but practical part: each body needs at least a year to decompose enough to remove the wooden box so the next coffin can be brought in. Seriously! If two people die within the same year, the family either buys them their own separate mausoleum or they go into a freezer, until enough time has passed. The cemeteries are fantastic and I wish we could have taken one of the evening haunted tours, but the kids are too wee at this time.

Cheer for New Orleans!!

You really should come here on your next vacation, especially if you've never been here before. Or, if you were here before Hurricane Katrina. The history and culture are fascinating and their recent devastation has them working double-time to please their guests (you and me). Every penny we've spent has been graciously received and I already want to come back to support them, staying in different neighborhoods, eating at different restaurants and lounging on a huge porch or under one of their mammoth trees.

Jazz Fest

2009-04-24T19:08:00.000-07:00

Louisiana has many lovely people who dress-up in heels and make-up to trudge through the fairgrounds. (Note to self: wear more make-up on this road trip.) Along with this lesson, I also learned that whining goes up in direct proportion to the mercury. Today we soared above 85 degrees so you get the picture.

No matter how many times we were told, "Well, honey, this ain't even

hahhht," we were unequivocally HOT. SWEATY. HOT. HOT. HOT! I feared the kids just wouldn't be able to cope, but they pulled through in the end thanks to the Show and Tell Storytelling Tent. Along with many shared stories, the children were given a lesson in storytelling: the punchline is especially important when sharing a story. So, here's the funniest story of the day for me:

Walking in and out of all the artist tents was wonderful -- a bit of shade, interesting folk art not to mention the artists being available to discuss their art with the kids. One beautiful painting showed a woman with her arms stretched wide, head up, with a golden tree within her dress, branches extending. I loved it immediately and Peanut asked the artist, Maurice Evans, if the tree was meant to be her body. He answered that yes, the piece was called Freedom Bird, and that her arms were stretched far out like a bird representing freedom.

I looked at Peanut with big eyes and said, "Aha, Peanut! Look! Just like what you've heard your entire life!" (I've always said, "Free as a Bird" when I need them to stretch out their arms.)

For some ridiculous reason I wanted the artist to know we understood his painting, but Peanut just looked up at me quizzically. I searched her eyes and begged, "C'mon, what do I always say to you kids when I need to put sunscreen on you or help you get a jacket on or something?" She responded like lightning, "Freeze the bird!"

Tomcat's Turn at the E.R.

2009-04-24T18:53:00.000-07:00

Tomcat arrived in New Orleans late last night and awoke to maximum shrills of delight from the kids this morning. We had breakfast, jumped in a cab and headed to Jazz Fest. The bummer is, he lasted about 30 minutes, hopped into another cab and spent the entire day in bed wondering whether he has the flu or pneumonia.

We called our doctor back home and you know the rest. He's been so eager to explore New Orleans that we feel just awful for him.

Louisiana - State #40

2009-04-23T20:15:00.000-07:00

as

Something has definitely changed since last April. Birthdays. Doodle is 4 instead of 3, Little Man is 6.5 instead of 5.5 and Peanut is 8.5 instead of 7.5. Dramatic changes are afoot in our family car. With nearly 8 hours on the road today, including stops, Grandma and I enjoyed a mostly peaceful ride. Hallelujah!

Blue Duck Cafe in

Lake Charles, LA was a deliciously authentic introduction to Cajun food for the kids. With Voodoo hot sauce on the table, I also gave an unexpected lesson on Voodoo dolls and black magic -- the entire time thinking about that Gilligan's Island episode. Doodle explained afterward that good magic was the Cinderella kind of magic. Anyway, eat there if you ever come this way. The chicken-andouille gumbo was perfect.

Somehow we ended up in New Orleans for Jazz Fest weekend; call it a Happy Accident. Our hotel is a block from Bourbon Street and while we waited in line at Felix's for dinner, I took each kid individually on a walk to kill some time.

Doodle liked the balconies with their colorful lights and getting strands of beads.

Peanut was self-righteous about the cigar smoke she was forced to breathe, but interested in the blues music and especially pleasant once she got her lovely butterfly mask.

Alas, our Little Man focused on the music and the street performing tap dancers, until he clued into all the other things Bourbon St. has to offer: boobs and bums. At first I heard him burst out laughing, and then he got terribly embarrassed asking WHY those girls were wearing their underwear?! I finally said, "Well, I told you about the Crazy Cajuns!" and rushed us back.

Our food arrived just as we returned, and we happily tasted the alligator nuggets. I have proof that they don't taste "just like chicken". These kids really don't like chicken fingers, or any fried food for that matter, but they gobbled up the alligator! (Except for Little Man who wouldn't even try them.)

Louisiana License Plate

2009-04-23T19:15:00.000-07:00

Leaving Texas

2009-04-23T19:00:00.000-07:00

We had one last interesting night at Sister's house.

A farewell pinata, a last cascarone cracked on Sister's head to remember me by and the fact that Doodle went missing.

She was eventually found in a locked closet with her 3.5 year old cousin "counting vitamins". Their dresses were made into bowls and were full of the gummies. We're unsure how many were actually devoured, but both of their mouths were full upon inspection. Hoping for the best, we opted against any medical intervention.

Then, just as we were about to leave this morning I realized I was missing Little Man's pjs. That's when I discovered that he'd soaked his bed last night -- which was on the floor of a walk-in closet made into a nice, cozy nest. My fault for feeling bad that it was so hot and giving him a bottle of water. I know better. So, we did 2 loads of laundry because cleaning up someone else's kid's pee sheets exceeds the standard hostess responsibility.

Having overcome all that we are heading to Cajun country!

Dolphins & Churros

2009-04-22T09:30:00.000-07:00

We've mostly avoided big amusement parks, but Peanut's pen pal in New York recently sent her a post card from SeaWorld and the talk of the town has been dolphins, dolphins, dolphins!

The heat and fatigue kind of did us in, but sure enough, feeding the dolphins made it all worthwhile! Sitting for the Beluga Whale Show cooled us off and gave us the chance to indulge in one more Texas treat -- churros!

Fiesta in San Antonio

2009-04-21T21:06:00.000-07:00

If you ever plan a vacation to San Antonio be sure and come in late April for the vibrant week of Fiesta. Usually the bluebonnets are blooming in the hill country and the triple digits and bugs have yet to take over.

Even with the breezy, and I dare say perfect day, the kids were miserable in the shade, much less the sun. That's what happens when you grow up in the Pacific Northwest. I was so grateful to get some Vitamin D that didn't come out of a bottle, but the kids were far more focused on water, snacks and going inside somewhere --anywhere with air conditioning.

My sister with my niece and Flowerbaby drove us all over downtown for the day, even though the Riverwalk was closed for the parade. Still, cracking cascarones on everyone's head in El Mercado was a laugh (Little Man took absolutely no joy in this Fiesta tradition), and The Alamo turned out to be much more educational for Peanut than I'd anticipated. She was fascinated with the glass cases full of found objects: buttons, guns and soldiers' real letters describing the aftermath of battle as the Mexicans headed South.

We were just looking for a nice spot on the San Antonio river for a dinner picnic and ended up underneath the 300 year old Mission Espada Aqueduct. The Mission Trail is a must if you want to experience the true flavor of San Antonio although it's helpful to go before 5pm when they're actually open. Shoes were thrown off immediately and the cool, shallow water beckoned. A minute later Peanut started shreiking with glee and begging for us to come see the ants. We each crossed the river to find a gigantic Leaf Ant colony in action. A treasure!

Texas - Take Two

2009-04-21T20:28:00.000-07:00

San Antonio is my hometown and it's a great place to be from. We visit once a year, eating our way through Tex-Mex restaurants and visiting family. Here are the requirements: Taco Cabana for cheap breakfast tacos, a stop at Rudy's for bar-b-q sauce, Bill Millers for sweet tea, Mi Tierra for dinner and lard-induced pastries, kolaches from a road side stand, etc.

As it turns out one of my dearest nephews planned his wedding during Fiesta so we decided to start our Southeast Road Trip here. (Our visit was much more about family than food this year.) Now, Texas -- the biggest state in the nation -- except Alaska, gets a proper place in our blog.

The bride and groom were gorgeous (such babies), but can you handle these darling kiddos? Little Man wanted to be anywhere but next to Peanut, Doodle or any of his girly cousins!

Fisherman's Wharf

2009-04-17T17:11:00.001-07:00

Everyone had a San Francisco sight that needed to be visited before we could leave. Next stop: touristy Fisherman's Wharf. So many people loathe this spot, and if Tomcat and I were here for a weekend alone, we'd probably skip it. But if you have little kids, Fisherman's Wharf is a great place to be.

Doodle wanted a carriage ride. Done. We were told we could pet Susie, one of the horses, anywhere but the nose. They didn't understand and the driver said, "What if everyone always walked up to you and just kept petting your nose?" They got it after that.

Grandma and I wanted to go to the Musee Mecanique. It houses antique games from carnivals and World's Fair type amusements. Most of the games are in working order, for a mere 25 cents. Who knew the kids would be so enthralled? Grandma took a walk down memory lane and I just enjoyed seeing what used to make people laugh (Laughing Sal). The oldest item was a praxinoscope -- a truly fascinating artifact of human laughs.

Peanut wanted to go to Ripley's. Grandma and I had our doubts about this place, but it turned out to be a wonderful, engaging and highly educational stop.

None of the kids were freaked out, especially Doodle. When she went missing for about 5 minutes, I nearly lost my mind. Not so much that I feared someone had snatched her, but the thought of her being terrified in the life-size kaleidoscope or the simulated earthquake, or any number of bizarre exhibits we'd passed through was more than I could handle. Guess where we found her? Grandma saw her ahead of our group, hunched over on her elbows, staring eye to eye with an African mummified face, teeth and all. She couldn't wait to show me the treasure she'd found, completely oblivious to the heart attack she'd given her mama.

Little Man wanted to run free. So we hired a pedi-cab to take us down the Embarcadero to see the Cupid sculpture. I'd seen in a magazine on the airplane and just had to see it. From there he ran from one sculpture to the next all the way back to the bus stop.

Something we all needed was a stop at the Ghiradelli ice cream shop. Now that we've eaten a scoop of Ghiradelli ice cream, we can officially say we've been to California!

Chinatown

2009-04-17T16:20:00.000-07:00

Just outside the gates of Chinatown, we stopped at the sweetest little church where Green got married. They were actually in the middle of a small service so we sat for a minute. (My kids have a new fascination with different churches in different states.) We only lasted about 5 minutes because Little Man got frustrated not knowing when to say, "Lord hear our prayer".

If Peanut called Muir Woods home, Little Man wanted to move into one of the gift shops in Chinatown. Each kid ended up with a fun Chinese outfit souvenir, but none so appreciated as Little Man's warrior hat and sword.

We had to have a big lesson on the history of ivory because the endless Chinese antique stores are full of ivory figurines (mostly in kama sutra sex acts) that most Americans won't buy. Even with the history lesson, Peanut found her prize: a tiny ivory bunny. I let her buy it with her own money.

Peanut and I wanted to check out the galleries. I was on Cloud Nine with the number of originals in this town. I kept telling the kids, "You guys, this is like walking into museums!" Our favorite by far was the Weinstein Gallery. They have more original Miro's than I remember seeing in Barcelona! The kids were intensely interested in discovering new artists (Becker) and discussing their art in a meaningful way.

Pinnacles National Monument

2009-04-17T15:27:00.000-07:00

Bravely, I rented a car so we could take a day trip to Pinnacles. Have you heard of it? I highly doubt it, because no one in California had any idea what I was talking about!

What should have been a 3.5 hour drive turned into an all-day adventure. At one point I asked the kids if they wanted to turn around and head back or if they wanted me to continue the quest for the funky land formations. They wanted to keep searching! I love these kids.
We eventually found Pinnacles -- a spot on the San Andreas Fault where the plates collided and sent the earth upwards into a volcano and spiky fingers of land. Sounds cool, right? It was pretty hot and the kids' legs were so tired from our San Francisco hills, that we chose ONE hike. It just happened to be an uphill, mile-long hike to a big cave. The search was worth it! The formations were really cool, especially after just visiting Volcanoes in Hawaii last month. (This is what Kona will look like in millions of years!)

Peanut and I had our own thrill, though. We saw a tree covered in holes and then a Pileated woodpecker showed up. We felt like it landed there just for us and we watched it for as long as we could (we have a lot of patience when it comes to bird-watching). Little Man's thrill was having his snack in a huge, dark cave and having free use of the flashlights. It was really fun. Grandma adds that her thrill was making it to the top and down again in one piece!

Muir Woods

2009-04-17T14:52:00.000-07:00

Oh, if only I'd allowed us an entire day to hang out here!

The kids were so enamored with Muir Woods, and I'd forgotten what a special place it is. In fact, Peanut lost herself in imagination picturing how she could make these woods her home: bedroom over there,

living room over here, a little place to sit and be alone under that tree, a nice place to read on that pile of moss, etc.

We were linking experiences here which thrilled me; we learned all about John Muir in Alaska and Henry Thoreau in Massachusetts, and it was all discussed here in San Francisco. Is this called Home Schooling?

Did you know that Redwoods bark is extremely thick -- so thick it protects them against bugs, disease and most importantly fire? That's how so many lovely homes (see my last post) survived the 1906 fires after the earthquake! They were built from old growth Redwoods. Cool.

We stopped in Sausalito on the way back -- a foo foo community where we toured some galleries and indulged in a fantastic seafood lunch.

We took the ferry home, adding to our many modes of transportation on this trip, getting a good view and quick lesson on Alcatraz. (We opted against this tour, by the way, preferring instead nightmare-free bedtimes.)

Golden Gate Bridge

2009-04-17T14:07:00.000-07:00

We made it across the 1.7 mile long Golden Gate Bridge! Little Man said, "I got so tired I didn't think I was going to make it, but then I did make it."

Doodle promptly collapsed. She wins the prize for best 4 year old walker!

Peanut described the walk like this, "It was really hot, but the air was cool

blowing over us, and we got really dizzy up there. I mean, it was scary to be up there, but it was

cool to see the porpoises leaping at the bows of ships under us and the sea lion just hanging out."

I knew it would be fun, and we

discussed the fact that the bridge was actually orange, but the thrill of traffic buzzing past us was a bit unsettling. The weather was gorgeous; there wasn't a hint of fog or wind, or any jumpers for that matter.

We took a Double Decker bus back to town which gave us an entirely different perspective, with far less whining.

up and down, up and down

2009-04-17T11:06:00.000-07:00

Well, give us a day of sunshine and we love San Francisco! The in-your-face novelty of stepping over homeless people on the sidewalks and witnessing P.D.A. in every nook and cranny, we got down to the business of exploring and climbing hills.

Cable cars were at the top of our list and they maintained their rank through our entire stay.

(I should have anticipated the thrill for a 6 year old boy and bought the 3 day pass.) We stayed at a hotel in Union Square -- just a few blocks to the cable car turn-around!

We walked down Lombard Street peeking in the lovely street-side doors to see the hidden gardens within, found real lemon trees and freesia actually growing in flower beds and saw amazing views

of the city.

While riding the cable car, I overheard a mom say to her kids, "Did you know that some people go on trips and do absolutely nothing? They just lie around -- no exploring whatsoever!" We were facing opposite directions, but I really wish we could have met that family!

California - Take Two

2009-04-17T10:01:00.000-07:00

Our last attempt at seeing California involved a picture under the state sign followed by a quick walk in the Mojave Desert with a locally made bag of jerky. The emergency room in Las Vegas was calling my name -- darn infected eye -- and that was the end of exploring one of the most diverse states in our
country.

So we're going to try this again!

It's been a decade since I was in San Francisco (45 years for Grandma!), and with kids in tow it was an unrecognizable city. So seedy. It took me a while to figure out the secretive game Little Man and Peanut were playing: Count the Homeless People.

Needless to say, our first day left me wondering why I chose the Golden Gate Bridge over the La Brea Tar Pits.

Good-bye Hawaii

2009-02-22T18:58:00.000-08:00

We found a beach with proper sand!!!!!!! What a treasure for our last day in Hawaii, this tiny little cove at Kukio Beach. Not only was the water shallow and calm, it offered easy snorkeling, a few turtle sightings, numerous humpbacks breaching in the distance and finally, some rays to jump start our Vitamin D intake before heading home.

Here were our favorite parts of the trip to Hawaii:

1. Curly Top: the ultra soft feel of pulu (fern fuzz), and a red-footed booby landing next to me on the beach.
2. Tomcat: lava tubes, green turtles, the dose of Vitamin D.

3. Little Man: getting his ukulele, shave ice and swimming in the ocean.
4. Doodle: seeing Island Girl and whatever Peanut liked.
5. Peanut: besides the thrill of digging a pearl out of an oyster, she signed the guest book in our condo, and we're tickled by what she wrote (I corrected the spelling):

We loved our trip to Hawaii!! It was a pleasure to visit. Our favorite things were: going to the Sheraton Resort where the manta rays came out for plankton, hiking up Akaka Falls, Botanical Gardens where we saw trees with roots that can walk and lots of other cool plants, the long drive to the ranch where we road on horses, Volcano National Park and Kukio Bay. We are going to all 50 states. If you would like to visit our blog go to www.fiftystatesofmind.blogspot.com. We are not a big computer family but we are making a blog because we might write a book. We have had a wonderful time in Hawaii and we really enjoyed it! Peanut (cat face), age 8

Volcanoes National Park

2009-02-21T23:24:00.000-08:00

Doodle asked me if Pele, the Volcano Goddess, is nice and I said she's actually pretty grumpy. The natives were always trying to please her because if she got mad, she'd cry lava tears and throw her glass hair around (did you know lava rock is actually glass?). There are numerous Hawaiian legends and plenty of them involve the wrath of Pele when she gets pissed.

(Speaking of myths, my favorite Hawaiian myth is the one about the Naupaka flower.)

After ample time at the Visitors Center (with the best park ranger interactions to date), the kids earned another Junior Ranger Badge. What's required of them to get a badge is incredible and worth every day of missed school. One of the required explorations was to walk through a lava tube.

This was creepy as hell, but we all dug it -- just like the Tom Sawyer cave in Missouri. In fact, it was likely the highlight for all of us.

Kilauea volcano looks different than our Pacific Northwest volcanoes because it's flat and spread out. Picture a stack of pancakes with syrup pouring across them and you've got a good visual. Sometimes the pancake bubbles and syrup blows a hole out the side. It's alive and smoking and my gut was in knots the entire day.

Eventually I realized that I was simply afraid. With a small stumble, one of us could land in a crater or a caldera (why build railings when they just get destroyed by the random eruption?). Also, we watched a movie warning us about walking on the bench because it's "here today gone tomorrow". Falling into a boiling sea is at the top of the list for experiences I'd like to avoid. Finally, there are posted signs everywhere that basically say "walk or breathe at your own risk".

Right now the current lava travels underground for 9 miles, out of the park and onto private property before it pours into the ocean. The once lush hillside, dotted with houses, is now a sea of black lava rock from last year's eruption. A few houses remain...

This is where we were allowed to traverse the lava field. Peanut was fascinated that people would choose to live here (as am I), and she kept talking about the private property aspect, like how nice this person was to let all these strangers walk across their property. We survived the trek with only one stumble by Little Man (small as it was, the cries were loud) only seconds after asking why oh why we had to wear gloves.

At the end of the trail, we witnessed smoke billowing out of the lava tube, but since Pele was in a kind mood, we left without seeing any of the famed red glow. Bummer.

Hello Hilo

2009-02-20T22:16:00.001-08:00

There are 3 main roads on the Big Island:
1. A semi-boring one across the top, Rt. 19.
2. A curvy, car-sick potential one around the bottom, Rt. 11.
3. A partially paved rollercoaster style one that goes across the middle, Saddle Road.

Each takes the same amount of time

to get from Kailua to Hilo: 2-4 hours depending on traffic. ( I was thinking about how many states we crossed in that amount of time in New England!)

First stop was Akaka Falls State Park. The falls drop about 450 feet and they are pretty, but I think this would be a much more worthwhile destination for someone who's never seen an impressive waterfall.

The coolest part of this stop was the Hawaiian man weaving palm leaves into baskets at the entrance. The kids were in a trance watching him, and he indulged their inquisitive minds knowing we weren't going to purchase one.

As usual, it had been a few hours, and we were all in need of a shave ice. A funny little one-street town called Honomu is just outside the Falls. While we waited for our shave ice, I tasted several of the nearly 100 home-made jams for sale. Then I bought several bottles each of coconut and Jaboticaba (a kind of plum that grows right off the bark). They were to die for!

Peanut gets sucked into markets and antique stores like lava in a lava tube. This tiny town had a musty antique store with shelves upon shelves of old glass bottles, dug up around the island. Of course, this island doesn't have any sand to make glass, so all the bottles have their own unique history.

(Note to Texas: I thought this was a really clever concept for a store -- and one that my history-loving-brown-bottle-collecting sister should visit some day!)

When we heard the Big Island had a Botanical Garden we considered it a must-see for the kids. They enjoyed hiking through the cool rainforest -- it felt like a jungle to them. But I longed for a guide; it makes such a difference. (If you ever go to Kauai be sure to visit their little Botanical Garden -- it's a gem.)

Our final stop was Hilo, the biggest city in many ways: size, population, orchid production, port, amount of rain...

We found the big market and picked up a few trinkets, headed to a guitar shop where Tomcat bought his own ukulele (so he and Little Man can play together), and then I found our best cup of joe thus far at Sharks.
Boy, did we need it.

Little Man's Boobs

2009-02-20T22:06:00.000-08:00

Well, what can I say? His fascination continues...

The Big Island

2009-02-20T00:01:00.000-08:00

A quick flight and we've arrived in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island. Our beach time is essentially over because there really aren't any beaches here; the coastline is rocky as hell.

Supposedly, this is the "real Hawaii", but it seems the least like any of my Hawaii imaginings. We will undoubtedly be putting some serious miles on our rental car here as the island is far larger than you'd think.

Our condo has a good pool and a peaceful lanai, facing the ocean. The minute Peanut discovered it, she's been out there drawing. Nothing beats the sound of the ocean right out your door. I'm sleeping like a baby for the first time in...8 1/2 years?

We actually ran into a kid from Peanut's class and his dad gave us a phenomenal tip. The Sheraton Resort has a deck where you can view manta rays every night! Like moths, they follow light, and the hotel shines huge lights into the ocean after the sun goes down. Soon enough, they're flying around right below you in perfect view.

How cool is that?

We invited ourselves to a private presentation on manta rays while we waited for them to show up. The kids had excellent questions and I think they were so pleased that they just let us stay! Here are a few things we learned:

1. Manta Rays are gentle giants.
2. The oil on our hands wrecks havoc on their mucus membranes so we can't touch them -- but they can, and often do, rub against humans to check us out!
3. They have 154 manta rays along this coast, and they can identify them easily by name. One regular visitor has a wing span of 16 feet!
4. They're pregnant for 13 months.

Giddy Yap!

2009-02-19T12:56:00.000-08:00

The Big Island is so big you could put all the other islands on top of it and still have room left over. I booked us a horse-back riding trip at the Dahana Ranch (they'll allow a 3 year-old to ride alone) and this is when the enormity of the Big Island hit home.

Neighboring Parker Ranch occupies 250,000 acres -- 2/3 the size of Oahu! We seriously felt like we were in Montana. Despite the looming snow-capped volcano, we were meandering over lush green hills at 3,000 feet above sea level and it was windy and quite cool. Cows with their babies were everywhere.

Our ranger was awesome at controlling Doodle's reigns and let her control the ride, "More trotting! More trotting!" She loved going bouncy bouncy bouncy and I'm compelled to note that Little Man did not.

We also took a drive North to the Waipio Valley. This is a sacred place where Hawaiian deity used to hang out and we considered taking an HOV tour down the (near) vertical drop. Considering how many people don't actually come out in one piece, we were satisfied with a view from the top.

Eye to Eye with Sea Turtles

2009-02-18T20:43:00.001-08:00

We decided to get out on the water for a dolphin cruise with Ko Olina Ocean Adventures. Could these kids be any cuter in their wetsuits?

This was the kids' first time swimming out in the deep ocean and I have some advice at the end of this post, if you're planning on snorkeling at some point with your little ones. The captain said we were very well prepared.

Our first snorkel was along an underwater pipeline that shoots out warm water, which the fish love. It was alive with colorful fish, but getting there and staying put was tricky business. Oh, the current!

The captain gave Tomcat a huge boogie board for Doodle. She did great swimming until she saw a fish. Go figure. Maybe it was the pig nosed humuhumunukunukuaapuaa?

I took Peanut and Little Man and practically dragged them over to the reef by their life jackets. It was incredibly exhausting, but we still managed about 15 minutes in the water; it was just enough time to thrill and terrify them. We hadn't prepared them for the depth of the ocean and it made them very nervous.

Back on the boat they seemed done with snorkeling...forever. Tomcat, ocean enthusiast that he is, refused to let this be a negative experience for them. So when the captain said we had another opportunity to snorkel -- with sea turtles -- he was all set to get them below sea level one more time. Apparently, the turtles have a little ocean spas down below where they get picked clean, etc. by other critters. We'd found such a spot and were allowed to go down.

Tomcat took Peanut back out alone and she returned beaming and full of stories! This got Little Man energized and out he went. Doodle joined them and they both came back thrilled with snorkeling. Persistence pays off once again.

(I have to credit the on-board photographer for the incredible under water pictures -- mahalo!)

Alas, we never found a pod of dolphins, but a mama humpback whale and her baby surprised us with a little show on our way back. It was fantastic -- we'd just seen these creatures in June up in Alaska! They'd had their feast and were now here for the winter to birth and feed their babies. Such marvelous creatures; I never tire of seeing them.

TIPS FOR SNORKELING WITH WEE ONES:
1. Get good snorkel gear and practice in the bathtub for about a month. The hardest part is getting them to cope with the rubber strap that pulls their hair when you're putting on the mask!
2. Just use good goggles on little ones like Doodle. When their nose is covered, they drink more water and do better just holding their breath.
3. Either practice with fins in a pool beforehand or skip them in the ocean. They help with swimming, but are really hard to maneuver when trying to "stand up" in the ocean, which kids want to do all the time (to talk to you mostly!).
4. Get prepared to swim harder than you've ever swam in the ocean. When helping little kids, your own snorkel experience becomes an endurance test rather than a "float".

A Day with Island Girl

2009-02-18T17:43:00.000-08:00

My brother has had an Island Girl daughter for the past two years; she's going to school here at BYU-Hawaii up on the North Shore. It's always better touring with a local and lucky for us she was eager to show us around. We hadn't seen her since State #1 (Oregon) when we all met for her brother's

wedding reception. I have to say Hawaii looks very good on her, and she has the hang loose aura down to a tee.

We started out in her town of Laie where she showed us the nicest and certainly the cleanest student apartment I've ever been in. Adding to the appeal is the Hukilau beach which she calls her backyard. (We got a picture in front of the Hukilau Cafe because we loved 50 First Dates, but sadly the real cafe is in Hollywood somewhere.)

Ted's Bakery was only a short drive away followed by a picnic at Sunset Beach in search of big waves and surfers. Check out my local lunch: a slice of chocolate haupia pie and Loco Moco (think gradeschool cafeteria salisbury steak and gravy, over 2 scoops of sticky rice, topped with a fried egg!).

A good friend of mine told me to go Hale'iwa for Shave Ice at Matsumoto, and Island Girl knew exactly what we were talking about. This place was well worth the wait in line.

Driving along, Waimea looked so gorgeous from the road that we just had to pull in. There were several teenage boys jumping off a rocky cliff into the crazy death-surf, and I was so happy to get a picture of them. Tomcat and the kids were watching them and Island Girl kept telling them to back up. Sure enough an enormous wave came out of nowhere and tried to swallow them alive. Between the waves and the rain we never did completely dry out! This was definitely the fun, surfer beach we had in mind.

In our planning stages we'd decided to skip 4 obvious Oahu attractions: Hanauma Bay for snorkeling (too many people and too easy to get scratched on the coral), Pearl Harbor (not into this history yet with the kids), Polynesian Cultural Center (too cheesy) and the Dole Plantation (kids would be bored?).

Well, since we were so close we decided to visit the Dole Plantation anyway. I really wanted the kids to see how pineapples grow! Island Girl hadn't been there before and my brother used to work on a pineapple plantation as a teenager, so I thought she should see what it was all about. As it turns out we got there at closing time. No worries, they have a pineapple garden and the kids were as impressed with the little spiky bushes as I hoped they would be.

The highlight of this stop goes to Little Man who may have recieved his favorite souvenir of the entire road trip: a blue ukulele. He really thinks he has some kind of talent and can't wait to surprise Grandma back home; she has her grandpa's ukulele and has let Little Man play it a few times. All I can say is, "Look out, Grandma."

Our fun day ended at an L&L Drive In -- greasy fast food Hawaiian followed by a grocery store. I wanted to buy a few things Island Girl told me she'd miss back on the mainland: Li Hing Powder in particular. She said the Hawaiians sprinkle it on fruit, candy, whatever. I'm not urging you to try it, although it does have a certain revolting yet delicious appeal.

Mahalo, Island Girl, for a great day. We wish you could come with us to the Big Island so Tomcat and I could go on a date...alone.

Byodo-in Temple

2009-02-17T23:54:00.000-08:00

On our way to the North Shore we stopped at the Byodo-in Temple. There's something very special about Buddhist temples, isn't there? You know the dimply grin monks wear? The one that makes you think they must be happy and worry-free all day long? Well, I want that grin.

The visit affected all of us positively; watching the kids ring the enormous Peace Bell was

indeed a powerful image. The temple itself commands respect -- it's an exact replica of one in Japan and we'd love to see the original in person some day. (A note to Niece back home: the first season of Lost was filmed here!)

After putting our shoes back on and answering more questions about Siddhartha than we ever anticipated, we walked the grounds over to the gift shop. (Little Man is still enthralled with gift shops.) We fed the koi, talked to some cats and passed some women making tea pellets, preparing for the upcoming tea ceremony. We are quite the tea-drinking family and Tomcat was fascinated. I wish we could have hung out longer...

Paradise Cove Luau

2009-02-17T22:52:00.001-08:00

I know a luau can be extremely cheesy, but it's a great opportunity for kids to see native Hawaiians in their element, and learn some Polynesian history through sensational dance and food. So, even though the luau at Paradise Cove was extremely expensive, we'd highly recommend it. If nothing else, the sunset location and the elaborate costumes make the entire event worth it.

This particular luau opened its gates 2 hours before the show so you could participate in all the activities: a Hawaiian version of horse shoes, conch shell blowing, tattoos, traditional canoe rides, dress-up in hula clothes (which I desperately wanted to do but everything was child size) and a mock hukilau with a dance lesson on stage to follow.

A luau involves a feast to be sure. Hawaiian food is pretty bland and unhealthy, but this luau had the best Hawaiian food we've ever tasted. The kids even devoured the chicken, salads and the kalua pork. We got to sample poi, too. They brought around little cups and told us to dip in two fingers and smear it on our pork, which we did. Peanut gagged first, fiercely so.

Those of you who ate paste in Kindergarten just might have what it takes to savor the slightly chilled "purple glue" staple food of Hawaii.

There's also a lot of skin exposed at a luau. Peanut asked me why the native Hawaiians were so huge and the men truly are giants. The women are, too, actually. I told her it was their diet and hang loose lifestyle, their lack of exercise. However, when the dancers got on stage they were very fit and Peanut announced, "Oh look, mom! The dancers get exercise and they look really healthy!"

Lanikai Wind

2009-02-17T00:54:00.001-08:00

This is the Windward side of Oahu and as we arrived in Kailua, Tomcat and I agreed that this is where we should have stayed. The entire area is incredibly laid back, with a cool local store, the Kalapawai Market, and a tidy neighborhood with numerous painted mailboxes. We were actually told to skip Kailua's beach and head down to Lanikai beach. It was easily missed, but I spied a public pathway and we soon realized these paths run between several houses in the neighborhood. We parked along the road and made our way to Lanikai, one of the most beautiful beaches we've ever seen.

I was in heaven, lying on a pristine beach wondering what would become of my New Year's Eve lavender hair in this Hawaiian sun; Tomcat was taking Doodle out to a small coral reef; Little Man was in awe of some college kids tossing a football in the waves until he got the grand idea to dig deep holes in the sand (with his hands). We thought all was well with the world until Peanut was found scrunched down in one of these sand holes trying to escape the wind. They call it the windward side for a reason and Peanut was howling in no time as the sand whipped at her from all directions. Needless to say, we left our post-card perfect paradise after only 30 minutes.

The drive alone was worth it though. I wanted to take the Likelike Highway (pronounced likey-likey) just so we could make stupid jokes like, "Oh, I likey this place so much" and it paid off. It is an incredibly scenic drive, however, green and lush with tall mountains that look like they've been clawed by some prehistoric beast. We have a favorite book called the Friends of the Menehunes about the legendary elf-like people who live at the top of the mountains in Oahu and the kids kept asking, "Is that where the Menehunes live?" And as usual, they started doling out parts so they could act out the story in the car.

Our road trip has officially begun again!

Hawaii - State #39

2009-02-16T23:20:00.001-08:00

After our New England road trip, we spent 3 months reconnecting with our school, the piano, neighbors and especially with Tomcat. Now, winter in the Pacific Northwest will get anyone dreaming of Hawaii and that's precisely what we've been doing for weeks now.

Aloha to everyone out there following us on adventure!

We plan to spend a week on the Big Island where the highlight is supposed to be horse-back riding (this explains the cowboy hats) rather than volcanoes for some reason. But first we'll hang out on the island of Oahu, staying on Waikiki. How exactly we ended up here is anyone's guess. All I can say is that sometimes I get it right...and other times I book us in the wrong part of town.

Not only is traffic horrendous in Waikiki, but we're surrounded by stylish Japanese tourists and posh shops. We actually went shopping for swimsuits, and the extremely helpful Japanese girl working the counter told me that 3 year-old Doodle was "very sexy".

No worries. We got a rental car and went exploring. That's how we discovered that while none of us are surfers, we're pretty happy in dive shops like Aaron's. Smiling, dread-locked dudes who get goofy with our kids is what's going to make Hawaii a special state of mind for us. Hang loose, Jeffrey, and Mahalo for showing us the way to the turtles!

Hawaii License Plate

2009-02-16T23:18:00.001-08:00

Round 3 Wrapping Up

2008-10-27T09:14:00.000-07:00

Waking up to a gorgeous day, we were all a little peeved at the downpour from yesterday; it was our only day of bad weather! We had Renaissance clothing hanging all over the hotel room and many things were just going to have to be packed soggy.

I asked Grandma if she was ready to leave and I got a frown followed by a reprimand for the Philadelphia tease -- our hotel was in an incredible part of the city and she didn't even get a taste of Philadelphia! (A Philly Cheese Steak for dinner at Campo's didn't count.)

So I asked the kids if they were ready to go home because very few homesickness comments have been expressed and we've been gone over a month. Immediately they said, "Yes!" Peanut misses school. Little Man misses his friends. Doodle misses Tomcat and Niece.

I should note that Tomcat never managed to join us this on this round of states. Naturally, the kids take for granted how hard he works, funding our adventure without bitterness. He's truly happy for the kids to have this opportunity. While we're away we see him in the unexpected and it's like he's there with us. Grandma and I, of course, are endlessly grateful and don't take it for granted.

Before closing, I've again asked each person what their favorite part of the New England road trip has been and here's what we all have to say:

Grandma: All of the historic little towns, especially in Vermont. Mystic, Bar Harbor...but nothing can beat Niagara Falls.

Peanut: Shelburne Farm; our PA farm especially the calf being born; the Wizard of Oz and The Little Mermaid shows.

Little Man: Lobster boat; Renassainse Faire; playing in the 'swamp' with Slugger; the PA farm and "coming home to see my dad".

Doodle: The Little Mermaid show; playing 'don't kiss me' games with Tio and Aunt NYC; playing with Sprite and the girls I met.

The O'Hare airport -- surprise surprise -- has too much wind today and our flight has been delayed by 1.5 hours. We're looking at arriving home close to midnight by our body clocks. But as the kids lounge all over me on the floor of the airport (and Peanut loses another tooth!), it occurs to me what a gift I've been given: one-on-one time with the my kids and my mom. I have to say that our New England Road Trip has been truly exceptional. Short driving distances, fantastic stops at the end of every day, beautiful weather and two visits with dear friends.

Someone actually asked Friend if I was doing this trip because I was dying. Imagine? But I see how fortunate I am to be healthy and alive and spending time with these wee ones while they still want to spend time with me. I can say with certainty that I like my kids more as people because of this experience. I know them. And that is my, CurlyTop's, favorite part of this trip!

I hope you'll join us again in February when we head to Hawaii. Your support and comments are such an important part of our trip!

PA Rennassaince Faire

2008-10-26T07:01:00.000-07:00

Due to spend a day in Philadelphia before heading home, we changed plans once again. A nice woman back in Vermont or New Hampshire heard Little Man saying he wants to be Knight when he grows up, and she told us we just had to go to the PA Renaissance Faire.

Once we were in Pennsylvania, I checked it out and guess what? It was in Lancaster County, very near the farm! We were able to get a hotel across the road from the Faire so off we went! The kids have dressed up in my nephew's clothes before -- he digs this stuff and has armor, shields, the whole bit. We all knew it would be fun, but had no idea what to expect.

At breakfast in the hotel

we saw people in costume and Doodle's eyes were as big as saucers. She had her heart set on something fancy. When we got to the Faire, we were stunned. Crossing through the castle courtyard, we entered into another world! Jesters, pubs, theaters and a village of shops. William Shakespeare greeted us and soon we saw pirates and their wenches everywhere.

Little Man started to grunt and Peanut started saying things like, "G'day ye." The first costume shop we saw had our full
attention and everyone (except Grandma) got decked out. We even clothed Tomcat and Niece who weren't even with us! (We're going to look great for Halloween!) It was a blast.

Doodle was in heaven while the rest of us worked out our gear. Grandma made the comment that the longer we stayed, the more expensive her outfit got -- a cape here, another scarf there, a necklace or two... One thing I noticed here was the quality of ware in the shops -- swords, mugs, leather, jewelry. No kitch whatsoever. Grandma and I could have spent all day people-watching and mentally taking apart the incredibly unique costumes.

There were clever medieval rides, and pirates everywhere handing the kids trinkets and booty. Everyone, even children, were in full character. A Jousting Match happened right in front of us while we ate big hunks of bread and cheese and suddenly the rain came. I'm not talking a little bit of rain. I mean a downpour. We had water pouring down our faces, water and mud soaking into our shoes. (It was fun until it got cold.)

Little Man kept saying, "Well, this is how it is for pirates!" but I was seriously starting to look like a wet nurse and Doodle was a shivering lass. We were really bummed to miss the Mud Ring Fight but meltdowns were moments away. By the time we got to the car both girls were in tears. Fortunately, the hotel we had stayed at the night before let us in to use their bathrooms. We changed clothes and headed to Philly a couple of hours away.

This Renaissance thing is something our family is just going to have to do again!