Vacation In Our Nation: On The Road Again!

Hello Gulfport Patchers!

I know, I know, it’s been a while! Well, really, only since Friday, but it seems like a long time!

Meet My Family

Well, let me start out by sort of introducing you to the people we’ve been staying with. For starters, there is my Grandma and Grandpa whom I call Gammie (because that’s what she called her grandmother), and Grandfather (because he makes his grandchildren call him that because it sounds “more sophisticated”). Gammie is a masseuse and Grandfather is a disabled Navy Veteran from the Vietnam War and he is the president of a California wide company that helps disabled veterans get jobs. Oh, I forgot to mention, they live in San Clemente, California, Grandfather is an avid golfer and every single day he goes to Dana Point Harbor at exactly 3 o’clock, with his two Tibetan terriers named Fred and Emma and has coffee with his golfing buddies; Mikey, Lee, and Dick, whom I’ve been golfing with before. Then there is my Aunt Lisa (my mom’s sister). She is a barista in a Starbucks in Anchorage, Alaska, and is retired U.S. Coast Guard. Next is my cousin Eric, he will be 27 years old on Thursday, and lives in Los Angeles (or as Grandfather says it ‘Los AN-ge-LIS’), California. He is a barista in Los Angeles at a café called ‘Paper or Plastic’ and he knows anything and everything about coffee, and he is a really funny guy. Then there is my mom, dad, and I, and let me just mention, this is only the second time my daddy has been west of the Mississippi river.

Panning for Gold

Now, let me tell you about what we’ve been up to since I last blogged. On Saturday morning, mom, dad, Grandfather, Fred, Emma, and I went up to Monarch Pass (also where the Continental Divide is) to see if there was any snow for the dogs to play in. We left disappointed because there wasn’t any. Then we went back to the cabin, dropped off Grandfather and the dogs and we headed to the outskirts of Granite, Colorado to go . . . . PANNING FOR GOLD!! And I’m sorry, Rob Fowler, I wasn’t able to get a picture of my dad panning, but you’re right, he does look like an ‘ole prospector! We found two little flakes that possibly could’ve been gold, but we never brought it in to see for sure or not. We also found A LOT of pretty rocks (and may I mention I am a passionate rock collector), and, my personal favorite find of the day, an animal bone! I don’t know what animal it’s from or what part of the body it’s from, but when we picked it up on our way back to the car I said loud and clear “I . . . am satisfied.”

A Ghost Town and it's Chipmunks

Then we headed up the mountain to St. Elmo, a ghost town, that used to be a booming mining town, but now it’s just (as my dad says) a "gotcha" shop, an antique shop, and . . . CHIPMUNKS!! If you’re like me and when you hear the word chipmunk you immediately think Alvin, Simon, and Theodore, you’re wrong because, sadly, these chipmunks don’t talk, sing OR dance! But, they do come right up to you, climb all over you, and eat right out of your hand! It was the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen and done! There was one chipmunk sitting under all of the logs with sunflower seeds in his hands and cheeks looking around, and if I could put a voice to that chipmunk, I’m pretty sure he was saying “These seeds are mine, all mine, and no one else shall possess them except me and my tummy!” There were also two huge Harley Davidson rider guys with chipmunks crawling all over them it was absolutely adorable!! Then we headed back to the cabin and had dinner with everybody including my Great-Aunt Suzi and my Great-Uncle Jim. And that night mom, Aunt Lisa, and I watched ‘Winters Bone’ starring Jennifer Lawerence A.K.A Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games!

On Sunday, mom, dad, and I went to the local laundromat. While the clothes were in the washer, Dad and I ran across the street to Murdoch’s Tractor Supply, where dad got two Levi jackets, a pair of suspenders, and we got a bag of 20 cow ears for our puppies back home in Gulfport! Then we went to lunch at Backroad Burgers, got the car washed after lunch, went to Walmart and went back to the cabin. Back at the cabin I wrote, AND addressed 30 postcards! Then we went to dinner with Aunt Lisa at Amicas, a local pizza place that used to be a funeral home where they brew their own beer, and boy was it busy!! Then we went to Aunt Suzi’s and chatted for a while, and met the people she takes care of and the granddaughter of those people looks a lot like Gulfport Patch Editor Cherlene Willis. Then we went back to the cabin.

Heading Home

Eric left early Saturday morning, Grandfather, Gammie, Fred, and Emma left on Sunday morning, Aunt Lisa left yesterday morning, and mom, dad, and I also left yesterday morning. We left at about nine, went to the post office, mailed the postcards, stopped at the local Loaf ‘N Jug to get a bag of ice (yes, we brought a cooler with us for our tea and coffee), and headed out.

For Rob!

This is for Rob, we also went through a town in Colorado called Fowler! We had
lunch in Lamar, Colorado, and went to the Lamar Museum which triples as their
Chamber of Commerce, and train station. And, you’ll never believe this, but in
Lamar, it was a whopping 104 degrees!!!!!

On the Road Again

Then we drove, and drove, and drove until we got to Woodward, Oklahoma, where we had dinner at K-Bob’s Steakhouse and Salad Wagon, then we stopped for the night in Weatherford, Oklahoma. I would’ve blogged last night but we didn’t get in until about 11:15.

Tuesday morning, we ate breakfast at the hotel, then headed to the Harley Davidson World store in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma where we got a gift for our friend Louis.

Then we went to Wewoka, Oklahoma, the capital of the Seminole (or as they used to be known Seminili) Indian Nation (I don’t know if you know this or not, but my dad and I are of Seminole and Cherokee descent), and we went to the Seminole Nation Museum. Then we had lunch somewhere in Oklahoma, and headed to Arkansas.

Dinner Date with Old Friends

You see, when my mom was married to her first husband, who was on a submarine in the Navy, she lived in San Francisco, California. And her neighbor at the time was the wife of a man who was also in the Navy, so they became friends. Well, we had dinner with them Tuesday night! They live in Lamar, Arkansas (yes, Lamar, again) right by the Trail of Tears (the trail the Seminoles
took to get to Oklahoma when we were kicked out of Florida.) When they were
giving us directions to their house they said “Turn onto the gravel road, go
over the hill, and past the log cabin.” And my mom replied “Will we hear banjo
music?” And her friend replied “My husband will wait until you get a little
closer to start it.” It was a really nice dinner and now we are headed to
Jacksonville, Arkansas to stay the night, which is just outside of Little Rock.

Trivia Time

Here are the answers to the trivia from Friday:

1. 3 remain

2. The Pikes Peak Cog Railway (the longest of the three), the Mount Washington Cog Railway, and there is one in New Hampshire.

Here is todays trivia:

1. Bill Clinton was born in Hope, Arkansas what is that city
also famous for?

2. What three possible tools for survival are produced in
Rogers, Pine Bluff, and Washington, Arkansas?

Well I hope all ya’ll’s week started out okay and I’ll talk
to you tomorrow!