Old Folks at Home

Well,not home exactly. Woke up Superbowl Monday in the hotel in NOLA and inundated ourselves with the Weather Chanel. The plan had been to mosey westward in Louisiana, exploring Cajun country a bit; slide on into Texas dipping a farewell toe in the Gulf at Galveston, camp somewhere east of Houston, then spend some Hotel money checking out Austin and San Antonio. From there we planned to hit the National Park at Big Bend,and follow the Rio Grand up to El Paso and into New Mexico. All of this was to have taken at least a week. Thus we were more than dismayed to see predictions of another full week or more of sub freezing temps in Texas, (all the way South to Brownsville) complete with footage of somebody doing double axles on their figure skates right on their street. This is where the Old Folks part comes in. To make it short and bitter, we bailed. Having not yet divested ourselves of our winter parkas,hats or gloves on this trip, we couldn't deal with more of the same,potentially into Arizona. Not to mention the prospect of pulling a trailer across an ice glazed State of Texas, surrounded by total neophytes in the winter driving game.
     Ah to be 20 something and clueless, when going camping meant maybe bringing a sheet. Period.
 Thus we find ourselves in Florida once again. APOLOGY TO ALL RESIDENTS, AND YOU MUSICIAN FRIENDS WHO WAIT ALL YEAR FOR THAT SARASOTA OPERA GIG. We take full ownership of the curse. Sorry.
      Backtracked across Mississippi on 10, and spent our first night at Falling Waters State Park in Chipley Fla., home of (you guessed it)

Florida's highest WATERFALL!,atop their highest hill (elevation 324 ft.). Moved last night to the Stephen Foster Folk Cultural Center,in White Springs,just South of Valdosta Georgia,on the Suwannee River. This place had a carillon tower (just like Andover) that plays Foster's music daily as well as a resident blacksmith doing demonstrations, the Stephen Foster Museum, and of course,gift shop.It also had something called "Nelly Bly Restaurant and Restroom". Having Wikipedia-ed Nelly Bly,I can't for the life of me fathom what she had to do with Stephen Foster,nor why she deserves her own restroom,but there you have it.
      Tonight we are in Rainbow Springs State Park. Years ago my father bought a lot near here from a business associate who created the Citrus Hills development, "endorsed" by Ted Williams. Being an ocean guy, my Dad never built here, and despite the area actually being very beautiful, we too are moving Southward and Coastward.
     Blog entries henceforth will probably be minimal--the been there done that syndrome. There are only so many Fat Families you can mock (last night's aggregate 1125 lbs,and 3 of them were under 16) before it ceases to amuse. But if I run across anything as exciting as Nelly Bly's Restroom again, I'll keep you posted.