DarlaJonesAK sent you a video: "Parasailing in Key West"

	help center | e-mail options | report spam
DarlaJonesAK has shared a video with you on YouTube: Zoe and I decided to go flying over the beautiful turquoise water. Here is our parasailing launch-the guys opted out of this particular adventure, but we had a great time! Parasailing in Key West Beautiful day to go flying!
© 2009 YouTube, LLC 901 Cherry Ave, San Bruno, CA 94066

Six-toed cats

Zoe's favorite part of the Hemingway home was the herd of 44 cats-
decendents of his original brood, some of which have 6 toes (like this
fellow here). Although you can't see it in the photo, he is sleeping
directly on top of a sign requesting that visitors please not sit on
the original furnishings!

Hemingway's Home

Hemingway has always been one of my favorite authors, so it was a
treat to tour his home in Key West. This is the study where he wrote
many of his most famous novels.

His birthday just passed, and we happened upon the annual Hemingway
look-alike contest held in one of his favorite bars. It was very
entertaining to see 50 or 60 Hemingways running around!

Key West!

At last-the Keys! We have now traveled as far from home as we can go
while still in the United States! It seems a fitting end to our
fabulous journey. In three short days, we will be whisked back to
reality...

Soooooo wet!

I am not certain this photo conveys exactly how soaked we emerged from
one of the raft rides on Islands of Adventure. Our shoes were filled
with water as well, but it was a great way to cool off!

Universal Studios Orlando

We had a blast exploring the two theme parts at Universal Studios in
Orlando! Here the kids are encountering a dinosaur who also appears on
a super scary raft ride with an 85 foot drop beneath his jaws.

Kennedy Space Center

We had no idea how extensive the Kennedy Space Center is! We expected
to stay for only a few hours, but we plan to go back tomorrow for a
second day.

All of the exhibits are terrific, and they do an excellent job
conveying the drama of the space program. I like this shot of the kids
in front of the Apollo 14 command module...we also got to see a re-
enactment of the mission to the moon-featuring a room full of the
original computer terminals used during the launch...

DarlaJonesAK sent you a video: "After the Gator"

	help center | e-mail options | report spam
DarlaJonesAK has shared a video with you on YouTube: Can't resist sharing Zach's reaction to our first up-close alligator encounter.... After the Gator Alligator encounter impressed the kids!
© 2009 YouTube, LLC 901 Cherry Ave, San Bruno, CA 94066

DarlaJonesAK sent you a video: "Exploring the Swamp"

	help center | e-mail options | report spam
DarlaJonesAK has shared a video with you on YouTube: Definitely one of the highlights of our trip was boating in this incredible and fairly spooky cypress swamp in the Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge! We felt like we had traveled back about 1000 years into dinosaur times... Exploring the Swamp Boating in Okefenokee, looking for alligators
© 2009 YouTube, LLC 901 Cherry Ave, San Bruno, CA 94066

Okefenokee Adventure

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC_LKhegdDE

Savannah

Another beautiful southern city! We took a trolley tour and explored
the city all day. Ice cream on the River Walk finally helped cool us
down-it's amazing how hot it's getting again each day as we head back
into the sweltering zone!

Alligator Food?

Here's another shot from Charles Towne Landing where you can see the
beautiful grounds. I tried to get them to back up a bit more for this
shot, but no cigar...

Charles Towne Landing

We have thoroughly enjoyed Charleston! We found an awesome county park
with a gorgeous campground, miles of bike trails, and a terrific water
park on the premises. It seemed like a good idea to take a day off
from touring historical sites and just relax and play!

Today we were back it, however! We read about Charles Towne Landing-
the earliest colony in South Carolina. They have preserved the area
and have some terrific exhibits, including this replica of a ship used
for trading goods in Barbados in the 17th century. We biked several
miles throughout the grounds-great day!

The trees

By far the most beautiful thing about the plantation...the stunning
trees!!!

Boone Hall Plantation

You can barely see the kids in this shot, but this is the oldest
working plantation in the country. Several movies have been filmed
here, and it was an interesting tour. Boone Hall is on the outskirts
of Charleston- a very charming city indeed!

Family in Raleigh!

We were so happy to be invited to stay with the Peccis for a couple of
nights when passing through Raleigh! They were fabulous hosts-Janet
showed us all over town, and George cooked his amazing Italian
meatballs & sausage...simply lovely!

Wishing the rest of the Pecci clan could have joined us as well!

Virginia Beach

Definitely one of the highlights of the trip so far! We found an RV
resort off the beaten path-we were right on the ocean with our own
private dock! Zoe and I played tennis, and we all enjoyed the two
swimming pools and the gorgeous beach. We biked for nearly 10 miles
into a wildlife refuge the first day, and our neighbors in the next
campsite (who live there for 6 months of the year) invited us on a
boat ride to watch the sunset. Not too shabby!

Today we traveled to the boardwalk in town and biked all the way to
the end and back-here's a picture of the kids in front of their famous
Neptune statue.

Colonial Williamsburg on the 4th!

We picked a great day to travel back in time! After touring the
colonial town all day, we were treated to one of the most beautiful
fireworks displays any of us had ever seen. They were followed by a
torch parade featuring fifes and drums-here us a shot of the parade as
we marched beside it.

Earlier in the day we saw an up close demonstration of the fifes and
drums, and Zach was able to do a roll on an 18th Century drum!

Nights on the road

I taught the whole family how to play poker, and it's become an
evening ritual most nights. As you can see here, the kids really
cleaned up this night!

Just Scary

This one speaks for itself...

Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center

After my conference was over, we had the chance to see Nora's family
one more time at this air & space museum that is one of Bobby's
favorites. Here is the whole gang of kids in front of the Enola Gay.

Later that afternoon, Zoe and I watched the new Transformers movie in
the IMAX theater located at the museum. It was very cool because part
of the movie had been filmed in the museum, and we were able to
recognize many of the planes we had just seen.

Red Sox Game

I was so happy to get the chance to see my friend Nora and her family
during our DC trip! They invited us to a a baseball game to watch the
Sox play the Orioles-at first the Sox were stomping them, but very
late in the game (unfortunately after we had to leave), Baltimore
staged the biggest comeback in their history! This picture shows Zoe
with Nora's daughter Ella (on left) and Ella's cousin Nicole.

DC Birthday

Zoe is now officially 8, and we celebrated with a trip to the
International Spy Museum and a delicious Mexican dinner. Zoe tackled
this enormous dessert with only a bit of assistance. The motor home is
currently stashed in a state park about 15 miles away. It was quite
comical (especially in hindsight) when Bobby dropped me at the hotel
on Sunday-not exactly the most ideal spot for a 31 foot vehicle!

Natural Bridge

Yesterday we visited Natural Bridge in Virginia. The picture doesn't
really do it justice- it started forming about 500 million years ago,
and it's taller than Niagra Falls. George Washington surveyed the land
at one point, and Thomas Jefferson bought it along with 157
surrounding acres for 20 shillings (about $2.50 today)...

We are on the way to DC, currently with no idea where we will park the
motor home for 4 days!

Blue Ridge Dip

We found out about a neat hike off the Blue Ridge Pkwy that led to a
pretty waterfall and swimming hole. We took a picnic lunch and enjoyed
a dip, although no one told us how cold that water was! Still-very
nice afternoon! We are finding that time is running a bit short as I'm
due into DC for my conference soon. Since the Blue Ridge Pkwy is so
windy and steep, we've hopped off onto the freeway for a bit...

Biltmore Mansion

It had been about 22 years since I had seen this mansion-it was well
worth the return trip! This is the largest privately owned mansion in
the US-over 175,000 square feet and 250 rooms. Zach was most impressed
by the indoor bowling alley! We ran out of time, but we also had the
chance to tour their winery. They've added an inn to the grounds-would
make an excellent long weekend getaway...

Coaster Time!

Given that we have spent quite a bit of time driving and exploring more historical sites so far, we thought the kids could use a break at a theme park we had heard was good. Note that I am not naming the theme park because the snob in me is holding out as long as possible. I made great fun of this nameless park the last time I traversed this territory...

Anyway, it was an epic day. It was overcast, so we avoided the scorching heat that has been plaguing us since our journey began. There were no crowds, so we walked right onto most rides. It rained a couple of times, but only while we were occupied inside some pretty good shows.

Best of all, we have finally crossed over to the period when we can all enjoy the same rides! Our very first ride of the day was the scariest wooden roller coaster in the park! ZACH RODE IT! AND HE SURVIVED!!!!!  We didn't even drag him on--he willingly went, and we were sooooooo proud of him! This one had three 100-foot drops, shook like crazy the whole time, and was basically the most terrifying ride in the park.

Zoe not only survived that first ride but kept asking for more. She rode every coaster in the park (4), and repeated several (the one you'll see in the video she rode 3 times)!

Great day--forgot how exhausting all that fun can be!

Stones River Battle Field

We spent the morning touring Stones River battle field and cemetery
where Bobby's great grandfather fought in the Union Army during the
Civil War. We also witnessed the devastation brought by an F-4 tornado
that ripped through here on Good Friday-unbelievable to see the trees
that were uprooted and thrown everywhere!

Cypress Swamp

Yesterday we traveled over 200 additional miles on the Natchez Trace.
One of the highlights was a hike around this eerie Cypress swamp-we
expected an alligator to crawl out at any moment. I think I can still
outrun the rest of my family....

Windsor Ruins

Today we visited the ruins of the once magnificient mansion called
Windsor. It was completed in 1861, but its owner died only a few
months after it was finished. It survived the Civil War, but a guest
left a cigarette unattended and burned it to the ground in 1901. What
remains is an eerie scene reminiscent of Stonehenge or Greek ruins we
visited several years ago.

Natchez

After spending one night at a casino RV resort in Louisiana (where I
won and then lost a bit playing roulette), we crossed the mighty
Mississippi River and toured Natchez today. We visited the beautiful
Stanton mansion shown here-it survived the Civil War and is over
17,000 square feet. Afterwards, we drove a few miles on the historic
Natchez Trace Pkwy and are camping in a lovely state park.

Heading Out!

We've had a wonderful time in Texas visiting our family for the last couple of weeks! Loving being re-united with our motorhome, and excited to be heading out on our next big adventure!