Here in Ochlocknee Georgia

The three things you see a lot of in Georgia is cotton, pecans and peaches. The area around Ochlocknee (southern Georgia) has the biggest pecan trees we have seen in our travels. As well as the largest cotton fields.

Even found some cotton processing plants here in Georgia.

Here are some of the pecan trees.

Oh, I forgot Georgia has a lot of water...ponds, lakes, and just everywhere......

We are near the Florida panhandle border -- actually about 45 miles to Tallahasee -- and have begun to see palms. It is a sure sign.


NEXT STOP --- FLORIDA!!!!

Back Home to Washington

As always our ten days at home were a whirl-wind. Between doctors, dentist, and eye appointments and visiting family and friends it was almost non-stop. Here are just a FEW of the highlights:

Meeting our new great-granddaughters Ava (left) and Alana (right) and Ben's wife, Jenesse:

Seeing Tia and husband Aaron at a Forler/Kulman mexican brunch.

And, of course, Morgan, Martin, Kevin & grandson, Steven.

A Kulman family get together at Jason & Danielle's lovely home.

And, always Mount Rainier, my favorite mountain

It was so good to get together with my sisters Kay and Teri (left to right). I really miss our gab sessions together.

Georgia Music Hall of Fame

You would never guess so many famous musical talent was from Georgia. They are honored at the Georgia Music Hall of Fame - a great museum in Macon Georgia. Here is just a few:

Ray Charles

Otis Redding

Johnny Mercer

Ray Stevens

Harry James

James Brown

Brenda Lee

Little Richie

Gladys Knight

Ronnie Milsap

Lena Horne

Chet Atkins

Allman Brothers

The B-52s

Trisha Yearwood

Kenny Rogers

R.E.M.

Usher

Ludacris

Onward to Robins Air Force Base, Georgia

We spent Thanksgiving at Robins Air Force Base...the base dining facility was open to retirees. They are always welcoming even generals are out there talking with us. This is a photo of the FamCamp we are staying at. Beautiful lakes in this part of Georgia.

We took a day to go to Macon, Georgia just north of Robins. Turns out it is has over 1500 registered National Historic sites. A driving tour of historic homes was fabulous.

The Cannonball House, named for damage sustained during the War Between the States, was built in 1853 as a planter's townhouse. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Hay House was completed in 1859. It has 24 rooms in 18,000 square feet. It is considered the most "opulent" of the mansions built in Macon before the Civil War. William B. Johnston included indoor bathrooms, hot and cold running water, central heat and many other features that were only then becoming popular.

Time to Catch Up -- Montgomery, Alabama

Just before Thanksgiving we stayed a few days near Montgomery Alabama. Took a day to check it out. I am so glad we did. The architecture in Montgomery is absolutely beautiful. There were three old, magnificent churches and many old state buildings.

And, a sternwheeler, too!

Many civil war historians recognize the White House of the Confederacy to be located in Richmond, Virginia. True scholars realize that the Capital of the South was moved to Richmond in an attempt to keep the war in the North. The first White House of the Confederacy was located in Montgomery, Alabama, int he Presidential home of Jefferson Davis.

The first White House of the confederacy was a Southern Mansion that was built in 1835. Jefferson Davis, the first and only President of the Confederate State osf America, moved his family to the White House in Montgomery, Alabama, after he was inqugurated in 1861. Jefferson Davis had been sworn into office as the President of the Confederacy just prior to taking residence in what was the first White House of the Confederacy. The Confederate White House was later moved to Richmond, Virginia, in an attempt to keep the war in the North and to protect the resources and infrastructe of Alabama. (Quoted from AC Associated Content by Jerry Garner)

Hot Boiled Peanuts are Real Popular in the Southeast

I had to do it. I had to try them. We had stopped to get some gas and there was a little store nearby that was selling fruit and hot boiled peanuts. So the man asked me if I wanted the larger cup or the smaller cup. I chose the smaller one. He took a spoon and dipped my hot boiled peanuts out of a roaster filled with water. Then he gave me a plastic bag to put the shells in...the was my first clue. I really was not sure if you ate the shell or not!!!

So, we are rambling down the freeway and I decided to try one. First, they were warm, well hot, actually. Second, the shells were very soft and very dark brown. Totally not what I expected of a peanut. I opened the shell and found three peanuts, also very soft and very dark brown. I pull one of the peanuts out and tasted it. Yucky!!! They did not taste like peanuts. They actually tasted like cooked dried beans!

I threw the rest of the peanut out the window. I would have spit it out if I could have. So, now I know what hot boiled peanuts taste like!!

Tiffin Motorhomes in Red Bay Alabama

This leg of our trip was to go to the Tiffin factory where they made our motorhome. They have a campground that holds over a hundred motorhomes waiting for maintenance, modifications and repairs. We had a couple of repairs and while there we decided to have the washer/dryer and oven removed and some shelves put in. We also got a great deal on a leather sofa trading out our cloth one. It is so soft and warm. We are real happy with all the work that was done.

They have quite a system for service at Tiffin. At the crack of dawn you move your motorhome into a service bay. After you have gone over the work you want done you are free to stay in their great customer lounge with comfy sofas and chairs, television, tables for your computer, puzzles, checkers or chess. Or, you can go explore the countryside. When they are done with the work your motorhome is put back into your site and hooked back up.

We stopped in and visited Bob Tiffin, the founder of Tiffin Motorhomes. He always welcomes customers and we had a great chat.

We also got to meet Lex Tiffin. He is head of the Paint Shop. We toured it. They allowed us to just walk around and visit with the nice people who work at Tiffin. It is quite a process to paint the motorhomes and put all the swirls on them. We wanted to tour the factory, however, it was a two hour walk and I am not quite up to that yet.

One of the local restaurants with a lot of "character" was Swamp John's. It is in an old service station. The food is great.

Yes, at the end of the day Lance decided to relax on our new couch.

U. S. Space and Rocket Center

Imagine our surprise when we went through Huntsville Alabama and discovered the U. S. Space & Rocket Center. We were staying a few miles from Huntsville so we took time to look it over.

I had no idea how many rockets we have shot off -- Apollo, Orion, Jupiter, Saturn, Juno, Redstone, Atlas, Hercules and more...

Of course, this group of students had their own rockets...one of them landed on the teachers head!

They had a great display on the first rocket launch. The engines were so powerful they would blow themselves apart until they came up with the right combination of heat protection, fuel and configuration. You can actually hear and feel the launch.

These are the real lunar explorers.

To the right is the quarantine motorhome. It was quite "compact".

They have rides there also. This ride creates a 4G pull on you....and you should have heard them scream.

At the Center they had a Space Camp for kids. Here are some little people enjoying their adventures. They also had an Aviation Challenge for adults. Looked a little strenuous to me.