2001~ November 21-December 1, Celebrating Thanksgiving with Family & Traveling to Gulf Shores, AL

We stayed four days and five nights at Veteran Park to spend time with family for the Thanksgiving Holiday.

Day 1: Wednesday, November 21, 2001 

I spent the day with my children and grandchildren and ate Thanksgiving dinner.

Hannah, Nevada, Madison 

Nevada and Marcus are playing Video Games. 

Nevada, Jake is watching a movie. 

Nevada and Marcus in Jake's Room 

Day 2: Thursday, November 22, 2001

Celebrated Thanksgiving with family.

Day 3: Friday, November 23, 2001 

I spent the day with my granddaughter, Hannah, at the Conference Center and Veterans Park.

The Renaissance tower 

Hannah at the Conference Center 

Hannah at the Conference Center 

Hannah at Veterans Park 

Veterans Park 

Day 4: Saturday, November 24, 2001 

We celebrated Thanksgiving with Hubby's family.

Day 5: Sunday, November 25, 2001 

I spent the day with my grandmother.

My siblings and grandmother

Visiting my Grandmother

Day 6:  Monday, November 26, 2001

Hubby drove our Damon Escaper to the Luxury RV Park in Gulf Shores, Alabama, where we stayed a week with the other snowbirds.

Luxury RV Park

November is off-season at GulfShoress, and all you see are snowbirds. The pace slows down during the winter months. 

It is a good time to go sightseeing and drive along the Ocean. 

Luxury RV Park, Gulf Shores

Luxury RV Park, Gulf Shores

November 26, 2001

We toured ForMorgan's "Bowyers" Museum and walked among the ruins.

We walked along the windy beaches of Fort Bowyers, with the windy salt air blowing in our hair. We toured the museum, where we saw Mobile Point Lighthouse, a 4th-order Fresnel lens, built between 1873 and 1966. 

Fort Morgan "Bowyers" Museum 

Fort Morgan "Bowyers" Museum  

Fort Morgan "Bowyers" Museum  

Fort Morgan "Bowyers" Museum

Fort Morgan "Bowyers" Museum 

Day 7: Tuesday, November 27, 2001

We spent the day at the National Aviation Museum in Pensacola, which was festively decorated for the Christmas Holidays during WWII, with Christmas music playing in the background. 
On the upper level, we saw a grocery store, a barbershop, army camps, aircraft, jeeps, TV shows from that era, and jungle camps. 
We saw pin-up girls posted at camps, Hagia & Hagia Booz for fifteen cents, the Home of the Luck Marine, and what a house of a military family may have looked like. We saw Pawn & Loan, Sandy Ridge Grocery, a Colonial Bread sign, Jo, Jo's, a Buck Rodgers, and an airplane. We also saw maps, family pictures, and radios.
The museum was full of airplanes and jets of every size, shape, and color. 
There was a replica of a ship. We went inside and saw the sick bay area with medicines, bunk beds, and toilets. 

We saw the US Coast Guard, a miniature boat display with airplanes ready to defend our country, two floors of airplanes and flags from different countries, and a skylab that simulated flying. Hubby had always dreamed of being a pilot. 
We saw the cockpit of an airplane. We crawled inside and played 

We saw the 70-3M 129655 Aircraft, the Blue Angels US Navy 16483 Aircraft, and a flight of the Blue Angels over St. Louis hanging from the ceiling. 

Museum of Aviation in Pensacola

Museum of Aviation in Pensacola

Museum of Aviation in Pensacola

Museum of Aviation in Pensacola

We walked back upstairs, where we saw Jake's Garage, a sign for Pepis for five cents, and a Texaco sign. We also saw a malfunctioning melon scale and a popcorn theater.
We saw a hall filled with plaques of honor, and one was Alan Shepard, one of the first men to walk on the moon.

Our next stop was Big Lagoon State Park in Perdido Key, Florida. We were the only ones there as we walked along the boardwalk overlooking a natural lake teeming with wildlife. We saw an observation tower but did not climb it. We walked along the sandy beach, stopping at the water's edge. 

We ate dinner at Lambert's Restaurant, "Home of the trowed roll. "

They bring you all the food, and you can eat rolls. The original restaurant is in Sikeston, Missouri, and another is in Branson, Missouri. 

Day 8: Wednesday, November 28, 2001

We toured the USS Alabama Battleship at 2703 Battleship Parkway, Mobile, AL 36602.

We walked along the decks of the mighty USS Alabama. 

The ship received nine battle stars from WWII. We walked up and down many flights of stairs and saw many memorials honoring our veterans who died for our country. 

USS Alabama Battleship Mobile 

USS Alabama Battleship Mobile 

USS Alabama Battleship Mobile 

A-12 Blackbird Spy

We walked through the aircraft Pavilion and saw exhibits, including an A-12 Blackbird spy plane, a Tuskegee Airmen's P-51 Mustang, a Vietnam PBR River patrol boat, and many other military aircraft. 

We walked through the USS Alabama rose garden, saw the Coast Guard 1378 helicopter in black and white, and saw the F-15 Fighting Falcon Viper Replica of the USS Alabama. 

We saw the photo gallery at the Battleship Memorial Park. Christmas music played on the radio, and the park was decked with decorations.

Day 9-10:  November 29, 30, 2001
On Friday, we rode to Gulf Shores and walked along the beach, filling our shoes with sand. It had stormed the day before, so the Gulf was still violent, with pounding waves, and red flags were out.
We saw the iconic Pink Pony Restaurant and watched birds feeding on fish. It was a very windy, overcast, and pleasant day. 
During the summer, this beach is filled with tourists' voices, but today, it is silent. 

It is time for our vacation to come to a close, so we are heading out. At 11:30 A.M., we crossed Mobile Bay in our Damon Escaper, and we could see the USS Alabama in the distance as we neared the Mobile Bay tunnel. 
At 6:29 P.M., the sun is setting as we ride through Mississippi. We stop at Sam's Town Casino RV Park, where we stay for a few nights before beginning our journey home. 

We gambled in Sam's Town, Hollywood, and Harrods Casinos.

The casino in Tunica, MS

The casino in Tunica, MS

The casino in Tunica, MS

Day 11: Saturday, December 1, 2001 

We spent Thanksgiving with family, rode to Gulf Shores for a short vacation, saw the Museum of Naval Aviation and the USS Alabama, spent two nights in Tunica, and traveled home to Fenton, MO.

2012~ January 16-18, Tunica, Corinth, MS & Helena, Arkansas

Day 1:  Monday, January 16, 2011

For breakfast, I cooked ham and eggs. 

We went to St. Joe to buy our weekly lottery tickets. 

We are on our way to Tunica, MS., for three days of fun.

Our first stop was at McDonald's in Corinth, MS, to use the restroom. Our next stop was at the Welcome Center on S. Tate Rd, MS.

We went inside and met three nice women working there. They said I could take pictures inside the Welcome Center, which was full of Civil War Memorabilia.

They gave us some information about Mississippi. We thanked them and were on our way once again.

We stopped at Murphy Gas 5970 Goodman RD.,  Olive, MS, where we spent $49.00, a pump 9, for unplus gas at $3.319 per Gallon for 14.762 gallons. 

We rode through Olive Branch, Lake Horn, and South Hampton, stopping in Tunica, MS.

We stopped at the Welcome Center, "Gateway to the Blues" in Tunica, MS. It was over 100 years old; it was a train depot that they had moved to Tunica along with some of the old train tracks.

Train Tracks

Welcome Center "Gateway to the Blues"

This will be the Starting point of Blues Park, which is set to open this spring, featuring many blues entertainers performing there.

I took pictures of several different types of guitars hanging from the walls of the Welcome Center. Some were signed by Blues entertainers. 

Guitar list is below:

• Jimmy Rogers had a Gibson E-S-345 (1966)

• Albert Collins had a Fender Telecaster (1983) 

• Stella was a12-stringg (the 1960s)

• Key-Value Leader was (the 1960s)

• Kay Archtop was (the 1960s)

• Hand-painted guitar case was (the 1960s)

• Harmony Archtop (the 1960s) signed by John Lee Hooker

Harmony Archtop (the 1960s) signed by John Lee Hooker

• National Trojan Resonator (1932) signed by Bonnie Reitt

• Key flattop was (the 1950s)

• Harmony H-54 Rocket (1968) signed by Muddy Waters

• Kay Kraft Model N was (the 1930s)

• Kent flattop was (the 1950s)

• Orpheum Archtop was (the 1930s)

• Fender Stratocaster (1984) signed by Ike Turner

• Gibson Trine Lopez was (1965)

Gibson Trine Lopez was (1965)

We picked up some brochures on the Blues Trail at Tunica Welcome Center and thanked the lovely woman. Outside, I took pictures of the Welcome Center and the Blues Marker "Highway 61."

Our next stop was at Fitz's Casino Restaurant in Tunica, where I purchased two prime rib buffet dinners for seven dollars each.

 Fitz's Casino Restaurant & Casino  

We each had to sign up for a Key Rewards card before we could purchase a meal; our numbers were 001624571 and 001624573.

We both ordered prime ribs, but didn't care for the bloody meat.

I piled my plate with shrimp, onion rings, stir-fried green beans, a sweet roll, and a cream cheese roll from the Chinese area of the buffet. For dessert, I ate a slice of carrot cake. We both ate way too much food.

After dinner, we rode to Tunica Roadhouse Hotel to check into room 117. We unloaded luggage, rested, watched some TV, and then went next door to play the slot machines.

Tunica Roadhouse Hotel

We tried the twenty-cent machine with no luck. Then, we played the one-cent machines and won fifteen dollars on the fire truck one-cent slot machine. After cashing out, we went next door to Gold Strike.

We had to get a membership. As a new member, I was given fifteen dollars to play with.

I walked to the one-cent machine and won thirteen dollars on the Magic Slot Machine.

We walked to our room, Hubby took a shower because he said his clothes smelled like smoke.

Day 2: Tuesday, January 17, 2011

We both took a shower, dressed, loaded into the van, and started looking for somewhere to eat breakfast.

We stopped at McDonald's on 1375 Hwy 6 n, Tunica, MS. A big breakfast costs $6.59. 

We rode south down Highway 61in the wind and rain to Helena, Arkansas. We drove right out of the rain into the sunshine. It was a beautiful day, reaching up to 68 degrees.

We stopped at the Mississippi Welcome Center just before crossing the bridge into Helena, Arkansas. 

We rode down to the Mississippi River to see the Isle of Capri Casino.

We crossed the Mississippi River into Arkansas and stopped to take a picture of the Historic marker of Helena, Arkansas.

We stopped at the Delta Cultural Center Museum located on 141 Cherry St in Helena. Bill Branc, the curator, said we could take pictures inside the museum.

We were told to come back at 12:15 to listen to Son"y "Sunshine" Payne broadcast over the radio KFFA 1360 A.M.

King Biscuit Time

Sonny "Sunshine" Payne broadcast over the radio KFFA 1360 A.M.

I am at KFFA Radio Station for an interview.

We walked outside, where I took pictures of the Blues Trail Marker and the cemented handprints in the ground, which included names such as Jack Johnson, Rufus Thomas, Robert Lockwood, Jr., Pinetop Perkins, Sam Myers, Sunshine Sonny Payne, Lennie Shields, and others.  

We walked toward the Train Museum and the Levee Walk, where I took pictures, and then we went inside the Train Museum.

Train Depot Museum

In the Train Museum, the first floor featured a history of Arkansas and a movie about the great flood of Helena. Upstairs, there were artifacts about the Civil War in Helena. 

We walked back to the Delta Cultural Center to listen to Sonny Payne. 

I bought myself some Blues Eye sunglasses with guitars on either side, and they lit up.

Blue eye sunglasses 

My granddaughter, Sierra, called to say she was sick in the health room at school and couldn't reach her mother on the cell phone.

She wanted to know where we were. I said we were in Arkansas and that we could not come to get her. 

KFFA radio broadcast for the last thirty minutes, playing Blues music since the early '40s.

Mr. Payne has been with the show since the 1950s.

During Mr. Payne's show, he announced he had two visitors from Alabama. 

He asked, "Where in Alabama are you from?" and I replied, "The northwest corner of Alabama." 

We asked several other questions, then Mr. Payne went back to playing his music. 

We had our picture taken with Sonny Payne, dropped a couple of dollars in the donation box, and thanked Mr. Payne and the museum curator.

We rode down Cherry Street to the historic courthouse. I took pictures of the courthouse markers, war markers, several churches, and other historic markers.

Cherry Street, Helena, Arkansas

We drove to Maple Hill Cemetery to take pictures of the  Civil War Markers at Civil War Hill, which was located on a hill overlooking the river.

We stopped at a Jewish church that was being restored. I was invited inside and asked if I could take some pictures, and they said yes.

We rode down to the Mississippi levee walk, where I took several pictures.

It was getting way past lunchtime, so we left Helena and stopped at the Arkansas Welcome Center, where we asked if there were any good places to eat nearby. The woman recommended the Ground Zero Blues Club at 352 Delta Avenue, Clarksdale, MS 38614-4213, (662) 621-9009, but it was closed. 

We ate at Western Sizzlin'., I ordered a sirloin steak, baked potato, and a salad.

Hubby ordered a 16-ounce rib eye, a salad, a baked potato, and dessert; we spent $33.12. 

On the way back to the hotel, I took pictures of  Yazoo Pass, Hernando De Soto Bridge, WROX Radio, and Hunts Mill.

We stopped in the historic town of Tunic, where I took pictures of the arm marker and the Ames Cotton Blues marker.

I took several pictures of thousands of birds flying, landing in trees in the park andthe surrounding area. 

When we arrived at the hotel, we purchased some snacks and took them to our room.

It had been a very long day, so we both took a shower and went to bed.

We were rudely awakened by a fire alarm at 1:00 A.M. 

We left the room, but it was a false alarm. 

Everyone went back to their rooms. It was hard to go to sleep knowing that it could be another alarm. 

We had everything packed and ready to go just in case.

Day 3: Wednesday, January 18, 2011

We showered, dressed, checked out, and rode to Cracker Barrel in Horn. At the lake, I ordered one egg, bacon, and toast. 

Hubby ordered three pancakes, eggs, bacon, and biscuits; we spent  $17.50. 

We stopped at Murphy Gas in Horn Lake, where we spent $40.00 on Unplus pump 8, with a gas price of $3.249 for 12.31 gallons of gas. 

We paid $9.00 to wash the van and seventy-five cents to vacuum it.

We stopped in Corinth, MS., at the Interpretive Center, Civil War Trail, Crossroads Museum, and the C. A. R. E.  Honor Garden.

America goes to war with itself.

Cannons at the Interpretive Center

the Interpretive Center

the Interpretive Center

We bought Three Musketeers and Mt. Dew at a gas station in Corinth, MS. 

We stopped in Iuka, MS, where I took pictures of the Battle of Iuka, 11 Ohio Battery, Front St, Episcopal Church, Methodist Church, Old Tishomingo County Courthouse, Twin Magnolias, World-Famous Mineral Springs Park, Iuka, and War Markers. 

Episcopal Church in Iuka, MS

Twin Magnolias World Famous Mineral Springs Park

Old Tishomingo County Courthouse

We stopped at Foodland in Killen to buy Shrimp, Crab legs, and milk. 

When we arrived home, the slide-out on our RV would not work. We noticed the refrigerator was not cooling, and the heater was not working.

Hubby pulls out his electrical tools to repair the slide-out, the refrigerator, and the heater.

He drew up some plans to make the slide-out and refrigerator work, but now the hot water is not working. 

The next day, we had no hot water and had to take a shower at his sister's.

Hubby had to go to work the next day and when he came home he worked on the hot water heater, he said a wire was loose. 

He said he did not have time to fix the wiring, it would have to wait until his off day.

Every time we go on a trip and come back home, something is broken. Afterr a whil,e there would be nothing left to fix.

Two hundred twenty-three dollars and twenty-one cents was the total cost of our trip to Tunica, MS.

• Spent $82.50a at  Tunica Roadhouse for two nights

• Gas $40.00 Horn Lake Murphy Gas

• Gas $49.00 Olive Branch, MS., Gas

• Food $17.50 Cracker Barrel Horn Lake, MS

• Food $33.12 Western Sizzlin in Clarksdale, MS

• Food $18.50 Fitz's Casino and Restaurant Tunic, an MS

• Food $6.5McDonald'sds Tunica, MS

• Other $9.00 Car Wash 

• Museum $6.00 Corinth MS

• Museum $4.00 Hel,ena MS

• Snack $10.00 Tunica Roadhouse Hotel Vending Machines

• Snacks $6.00 Corinth, MS., Shell Gas Station

• Total  $223.20 

• Spen, ling won 1,5, broke even

• Spent 15 of hotel money, won 13, so 13 to the good.

• Playeone-centnt machines