2026 March 16-20, Trip to New Orleans with the Club, Diamonds in the Rough, Diamond Tours

 Day 1: Monday, March 16: Travel Day 

For breakfast, we ate Sausage and biscuits at home.

We rode to the Club, met inside for our name tags, and had a brief talk about the trip.

We loaded onto the bus by 8:30 and were on our way. 

Our driver's name was Jerome, on bus 334, Graylines Tennessee, with a mural of Nashville wrapped on the side. 

Our first stop was Loves in West Point, MS. Hubby bought a Diet Coke and some Sweet & salty trail mix; he spent $7.01.

For lunch, we stopped at Burger King, where we bought one Steakhouse Whopper, fries, and two cokes spent $15.98

We stopped at Love's West Point, MS, for a restroom break. 

For dinner was stopped at Golden Corral in Hattiesburg, MS., for a buffet meal. 

I got fish, okra, blueberry pie, corn on the cob, diet coke, and seafood salad. 

We traveled through Heidelberg and Laurel, MS., into Slidell and New Orleans, LA. 

We arrived at our hotel, Sonesta ES Suites New Orleans,212 Loyal Ave, around 6PM.

Took a shower, worked on this journal, watched some TV, and went to bed. 

3257-3261 Love's West Point, MS @10:32 AM

3264- Macon, MS 

3265-3268 Burger King Maridian, MS 

3269-3272 Laurel and Heideburg, MS Loves

3273-3275 Golden Corral Hattiesburg, MS @5:15 PM

3277-3281 traveling through Slidell, LA @6:28

3282-3299 Traveling through New Orleans, LA @6:48

3300-3301 Room at Sonesta ES Suites, room 905 

Day 2: Tuesday, March 17: New Orleans 

Breakfast in the hotel where I ate Egg, Bacon, Waffle, yogare and cranberry juice.

We were on the bus by 8:15. 

Our first stop was to pick up our rep and head to Mardi Gras World. We arrived a little before 9 and stayed until 11. 

We watched a video and then toured the warehouse where floats for Mardi Gras are made and repaired. 

We loaded back onto the bus at 11 and rode to Riverwalk Mall, where we shopped and ate lunch.

Hubby and I shared lunch we bought at Pei Wei Asian Kitchen of orange chicken, Seaweed Chicken, and steak with diet coke.  

We made a group photo before loading onto the Creole Paddlewheeler for a cruise to Chalmette Battlefield and returned to Riverwalk. 2-4:40 P.M.

We loaded onto the bus and rode to Landry's Seafood House, 620 Decatur St. 

We enjoyed fried shrimp, salad, fries, red velvet cake, ice tea. Tim bought appetizers of Crawfish bites and spinach and asparagus dip with chips. 

After dinner, we loaded back on the bus and headed for our hotel, but got caught up in the St Patricick's Day Parade for 2 1/2 hours. We sat on the bus waiting for the parade to end. 

We sang and danced on the bus while we waited. 

It was late when we got back to the hotel, everyone was exchausted. 

3304 Breakfast at the hotel @ 7:15

3305-3357 Mardi Gras World @9:19-9:39 AM 

3358 Mural Mall 

3359 Lunch @11:18 AM

3360-3365 Riverwalk 

3366 Riverwalk Jester @4:38

3371-3377 Walking to Landry's @5:07 PM

3378-3383 Dinner at Landry's @ 5:13 

Big Camera

7221-7307 Mardi Gras World @8:59-8:55

7308-7311 Riverwalk @11;3-1:28

7312-7360 Chamette Battlefield @2:46-3:36

Bought two Mardi Gras T-shirts at Puma for 18.01

Day 3: Wednesday, March 18: New Orleans 

Breakfast at the hotel, I ate egg, a sausage link, French Toast, and water. 

We were on the bus by 8:15 and picked up our guide, Wanda. We did a tour of New Orleans and we stopped at St Louis Cemetery #5, and everyone got out to listen to our guide tell about the cemetery.

One of the Crypts was built like a castle, costing several thousand dollars. I guess she took her money to the grave with her. 

Our next stop was at New Orleans City Park Restaurant (Benya's Café Du Monde), where we enjoyed a beignet and Coke. I took a few photos. 

We loaded onto the bus, dropped off our guide (8:30-11), and rode to the French Quarters, where we shopped and ate lunch.

We ate lunch at Frank's Restaurant, where hubby and I shared a shrimp po' boy and Coke. 

I ate the shrimp because the bread was very dry. (11-1:30).

Our next stop was the WWI Museum, 1:30-5PM.

Our next stop was for dinner at Crescent City Brewhous 527 Decatur Street. Here we enjoyed porkchops, green beans, spring salad, rolls, mac & cheese, bread puddin and iced tea.  

When we were walking in the French Quarters, a Orential woman walked up to us, putting a couple of bracelets on our wrists, then she asked for money. She also put a necklace in my hand, and I handed it back. She told hubby that she wanted $40, and he said no. He gave her a $5, she said $10, hubby said no, and gave her another dollar. I tried to give back the braclets but she said no. As she walked away, hubby heard her say cheap ashole. 

3384-3391 Park @ 8:48 

3392-3415 St Louis Cemetery #5 @9:20-2:38 

3416-3420 City Park & Restaurant @10:17

3421-3424 French Quarters Park Jackson Square 

3425-3443 French Quarters @11:33-11:48

3444 Lunch at Frank's 12:10 

3445-3451 French Quarters 12:33-12:55

3452-3473 WWII Museum 1:44-2:30 PM 

3474-3480 New Orleans Headed to restaurant 5:-5 

3481-3483 Restaurant @5:24-6:15 PM

3484-3492 Hotel Receipts 

Big Camera 

7361-7366  French Quarters @8:54-9:14

7357-7371 Cemetery @9:26

7372-7381 New Orleans City Park @9:56-11:25

7382-7428 WWII National Museum @2:12-4:36 PM

Day 4: Thursday, March 19: 

Breakfast at the hotel . I ate egg, French toast, and juice.

After breakfast, we rode to Caesars Casion where several people gambled. We decided to walk over to the Riverfront Mall. 8:30-11

Hubby sat on the steps outside while I walked along the riverfront, taking pictures.

When  I got back, we went inside the mall, where we bought a beignet and walked around inside the mall. 

Lunch: at the French Quarter Market Bowl of Gumbo. World famous N'awlins on N peter st spend 12.32 cash. 11:30-3

We also got a scoop of cookies and cream ice cream in a cone at Southern Candy Makers spent $4.35 cash 

At 3, we headed back to the hotel to rest.

At 6 PM, we loaded onto the bus for dinner at Boomtown Casino & Hotel in Harvey, LA

At each table, we had a spring salad, rolls, butter, and water. 

One table at a time went to the buffet. There I got fish, green beans, beans and rice, gumbo, and bread pudding.

There was dancing and music, and we stayed until 8 PM. 

Rode back to the hotel, packed, as we are leaving tomorrow. 

3493 Breakfast @7:35

3495-3519 Riverwalk @9:08-11:07

3520-3527 Jackson Square @11:47-12:14

3528-3529- Dinner Boomtown Casino 6:01

Back to the hotel by 8:30.

Day 5: Friday, March 20:

Breakfast at the hotel, I ate egg, bacon, muffin.

We were on the bus by 8:30, headed home. 

We stopped at Arby's in Tuscaloosa for lunch. Hubby ordered their lunch special for $8, which included a sandwich, curly fries, cheese sticks, a pie, and a drink. 

I ordered a roast beef slider and a drink we spent $14.05

We stopped at Love's Poparville, MS, to fuel up.

We stopped at Walmart in Russellville for a restroom break

We arrive back at the Club around 6PM.

Hubby helped clean out the bus, and we loaded our luggage into our car and headed for home. 

We stopped at Hugos for a Shrimp Fajita for dinner. 

Washed clothes, uploaded some of my photos, and went to bed around 12.

2025 Christmas Letter/Journal

 Dear 

Hope this year has been kind to you.

We spent fourteen days on a Carnival Cruise from January 18 to 30. We visited Grand Turk, Aruba, Curacao, Ocho Rios, and the Grand Caymans.

In February (16-22), we went on a seven-day bus tour to San Antonio, Texas, with the Club & Diamond Tours. We had a guide the whole time we were there. We visited the Witte Museum, the San Antonio missions, the LBJ Ranch, watched an IMAX movie about Freedom, and then visited the Alamo. 

It was around 30 degrees when we took the River Cruise along the River Walk in San Antonio. 

We stopped to shop at Magnolia Market in Waco, Texas. 

On March 14, we took an all-day bus trip to Scottsboro with Backroads Tours  LLC. 

In April (7-11), we took a five-day bus trip to the Ark Encounter and the Creation Museum, with the Club and Diamond Tours. 

At the Cincinnati Museum, we watched an IMAX movie about National Parks and toured the museum. We were supposed to take a riverboat cruise along the Ohio River, but it had rained so much that the trip was cancelled. 

We saw houses, land, and trailer trucks covered in water. 

From April 27 to May 3, we took a seven-day bus trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina with Travel Lady, Lawrenceburg, TN. 

We visited Mount Airy, home of Andy Griffith. 

We did the Wild Horse Adventure tour. We visited several lighthouses, the Graveyard of the Atlantic, Wright Brothers National Park, the Village of Mantle, and Festival Park Living History Museum. 

On May 9, we did a mystery bus trip with Backroads Tours LLC.

On June 21, we took a bus trip to Nashville for a Dinner cruise on the Andrew Jackson Showboat with Backroads Tours LLC. 

In July (12-20), we took a nine-day bus tour to Cape Cod & Martha's Vineyard with the Club and Diamond Tours. 

We visited Martha's Vineyard, Hyannis, Sandwich, toured the Outer Cape, Provincetown, Chatham, JFK Museum, and the Foxwood Casino in Rhode Island. 

One of our members had a UTI infection and had to spend several days in the Hospital, and they had to fly home. 

Another member fell inside her room, and she had deadbolted her door. She could not get up, so we had to call the fire and police departments.

She was taken to the hospital, but later joined us. 

We had another couple who were not happy with the trip, so they flew home. It was still a good trip.

In August, (2-10) we flew to Denver, Colorado, and then took a guided bus to ride several trains with the Travel Lady from Lawrenceburg, TN. 

We rode the Georgetown Loop and the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, with lunch in between. 

We rode the Pikes Peak COG RR.

We were going to ride the Durango & Silverton RR, but there was an accident on the Million Dollar Highway. A couple with a child in the backseat went over the edge. The road was closed the whole day. A helicopter was called to get the car. Both adults were killed instantly, but the child survived. 

We had already started up the mountain on the Million Dollar Highway. We had a great driver; he turned the bus around, and we went back down the hill.

We saw a forest fire, and everyone kept getting alerts, but we were heading away from it. 

We stayed in a hotel that had a winery and orchard around it.

We stayed in the Durango Hotel, which was like a museum. 

We stayed at the Cliff House, a hotel within walking distance of downtown Manitou. We visited Garden of the Gods, Mesa Verde, and Manco, CO. We toured several towns and museums. 

On August 23, we took a bus tour to North Georgia Junkbox Review. We were entertained with a musical. Backroads Tours LLC.

In September (3-15), we took a thirteen-day trip to the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas. We spent three nights at the Flamingo Hotel, with Bean/Smith Travels & Diamond Tours.

We visited the William Clinton museum in Little Rock, AR. We visited the Route 66 Museum in Clinton, OK, and the Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, and Boulder City, AZ.

We visit Grand Canyon National Park, the Route 66 Museum in Kingman, AZ, the Mohave Museum, the Petrified Forest National Park, and the Quarter Horse Hall of Fame Museum in Amarillo, TX. We visit the Fort Smith Historic Site in Fort Smith, Arkansas. 

We stayed in ten different hotels. 

October 13-19, we flew to New York and spent one night there. There we ate dinner and walked the streets of NY.

We boarded the NCL Getaway for a seven-day cruise.  

A deadly storm slammed the East Coast with winds, waves, and floodwaters. Waves pounded beaches, and storm surge flooded coastal roads. So, the ports in New York were closed. We sat in port for two days, missing several of our excursions. 

We did visit Bar Harbor, Maine; Saint John Bay, New Brunswick; and Halifax, Nova Scotia.

On our return trip to New York, we took a bus tour of New York, where we saw 59th Street, Columbus Circle, Lincoln Square, Central Park, 49th Street, Times Square, the Garment District, 34th Street, Penn Station, Macy's, Trump Tower, the Apple Store, Rockerfellow Center, Hershey's, and the University of NY. We stopped to tour the Grand Central Terminal and go up to the Summit.

The Summit is a three-level multi-sensory art immersion. 

The first level was on the 91st observation floor. (All Glass)

The second level is on the 92 observation, where you are standing on a glass-bottomed ledge that extends 1,000 feet over Madison Ave. 

The third level is on the 93-observation floor with an open-air terrace.

From October 30 to November 5, we took a bus trip to Washington, D.C. with the Club and Diamond Tours. 

We visited the Lincoln Memorial, the Roosevelt Memorial, the MLK Memorial, the WWI, WWII, Korea, and Vietnam Memorials, and saw the Capitol, the White House, and the Lincoln Monument. We took a trolley through Arlington Cemetery. We visited the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

Nov 19-21, we took a bus tour of the Biltmore House Museum and stayed on-site. 

We toured the grounds, the house, and Antler Hill Village with Backroads Tours LLC.

We stopped at the Bush Bean Museum and Restaurant in Danville, TN.

We visited Sweetwater Farms in Philadelphia, TN.

Dec 5-7, we took a bus tour to Eufaula with Backroads Tours LLC. 

We enjoyed dinner, lunch, and hors d'oeuvres with entertainment at the Shorter Mansion.

We toured eight homes, including the Shorter Mansion. 

We visited the movie town of Spectra and Wetumpka.

This was our last cruise and bus trip for the year. 

I have already planned cruises for February, March, and October. 

A trip to Greece to follow the Footsteps of Paul in April. If the Lord's willing and we have good health. 

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year