Easter Vacation

 We are at Henderson Beach with my son and his family The beach is gorgeous and the weather is perfect in the mid 80s Hope everyone had a Blessed Easter Here are a few pics


 

My Granddaughters enjoying the beautiful beach. It is glorious here.

My grandson fought going to sleep till almost 3 p.m., but when we placed him in the wagon to go back to the campground he fell sound asleep in seconds

Back Again

I have been snoozing for quite a while now. Think I will give this blog another try. Its a good way to document my interests and family life as time flies by.

We had a wonderful family reunion Saturday with my sisters and brothers and their families. Little brother boiled crawfish along with corn, potatoes, mushrooms, and sausage for about 50 people. We also had hamurgers and hot dogs and LOTS of yummy desserts. Kids had an Easter egg hunt and the top prize was a 1922 Silver dollar donated by my oldest brother. My cousin from Maryland was our special guest for the day. Some of us hadn't seen her since we were kids. It was a little on the warm side, but everyone enjoyed themselves.

Lake Bruin State Park

We had a wonderful weekend  at Lake Bruin State Park in St. Joseph, LA. With six of our grandchildren and my son and daughter- in- law, and 2 dogs, we had quite a crew. Our camper sleeps 7 pretty comfortably and we had a tent set up too. It was pretty cold at night and very nice during the day, except Sunday was kinda cold and dreary all day.

The kids brought their bikes and had a great time riding them to the playground. They brought the dogs with them and even had June climbing on the equipment and going down slides. She was soooo tired  at the end of the day she wouldn't even eat.

 

 

There were boats there you could rent (without motors), but my husband and son brought their canoe and kyack. A few of the kids wanted to go in the canoe, but most just wanted to hang around and relax. The lake is really pretty with cypress trees and several nice fishing piers.

Feeding the crowd was an ongoing chore, or um... adventure. We had jambalya one night, hamburgers and dogs one night, monkey bread and of course pancakes and sausage and hasbrowns for breakfast too. I even tried making a dump cobbler that wasn't half bad.

I even ran in to a dear friend from high school. Who woulda thunk!
All in all it was a very nice trip and I think we will try to make it an annual affair.

Race for the Cure 2010

Yesterday was the Susan B Komen Race for the Cure in Baton Rouge. My sister and I are both breast cancer survivors. We had a small group of family and friends join us in the 5K run/walk.

My husband and son cooked some good jambalaya. We raised $330 in donations from friends and family for research.

The weather was perfect and we finished the walk in about and hour and 15 minutes. What's that, about a 23 minute mile?  Not bad for an out of shape oldtimer like me!

I want to thank everyone for their participation, hopefully this awful disease will be a thing of the past and our children and grandchildren will not have to experience it.

My Son....the Marathon runner!!!

My youngest son ran his 1st Marathon yesterday in New Orleans. We got to see him at the 16 mile, 25 mile and finish line. He finished in 5 hours and 3 minutes...we are very proud of him.

After the race we went out to eat in the French Quarter at a place called the Oyster House.The food was O.K. but very expensive, as usual in that area.We were seated in the upper area and had to climb some long steep stairs.

 

The weather was gorgeous in the low 60's. The kids had a good time walking down Royal St.

Steve and his family stayed in the elegent old Hotel Monteleon on Royal Street.

Here are few pictures of the beautiful cystal chandeliers that hang in the lobby.

Mardi Gras Pet Parade

Some of my grandchildren and my husband and I went to the Crewe of Paws Mardi Gras parade last weekend. Everybody brings their dogs, lots of them are dressed in costume. Some of them walk in the parade, but most just stand on the side and watch the sights. There was lots of barking and tail wagging. Here are few pictures of some of the sight.

Next year the kids want to dress up our dogs and walk in the parade. They threw beads and dog biscuits. We had a nice time.

I'm Back!

Been gone a few months....busy with Holidays and Vacations. We took a great camping trip to Petit Jean State Park in Arkansas for Thanksgiving. It was COLD and we couldn't stay outside very long. Hiked down to the waterfall, that was very physical for me, but I made it. So what if I couldn't walk the next week.

Christmas time was busy, but wonderful. I sang in the Midnight Mass choir and then Christmas Day all my children and grandchildren came for dinner and we had a lovely day. My birthday is in December too and I received a very special present from my grandchildren. They decorated an apron with their handprints and names. It's priceless to me.

January brought a cruise to the Carribean with my sister. We just returned and had a delightful break. We cruised on the Carnival Triumph to Belize, Isle de Roatan and Cozumel. The temperature was perfect, just a tad warm for me, the water temp was fine. We snorkeled in Belize and had beach time on Roatan and shopped in Cozumel. What more could you ask for?

Hiking the Port Hudson trails

The last 2 weekends husband and I took some of the grandchildren hiking at Port Hudson Historic State Site, a civil war battleground out around Zachary and St. Francisville. There are hills (hard to find in this area of the country) and bridges and streams to explore. Although you're not supposed to get off the trail, we detoured a few times to walk over some fallen trees and down to a creek bed to let the dog swim. There are not many hikers, though this is our season in Louisiana for hiking. Tunica Hills  is another trail I really want to hike, but not during deer hunting season. At least that's what hubby says. There is supposed to be a waterfall along that trail. Maybe sometime before it gets too hot and muggy. Happy Hiking to everyone.

Livingston Parish Fair

Husband and I had a ball with our grandkids and children at the annual Fair. We had corn dogs and funnel cake, nachos and of course cotton candy. The kids took a ride real horses. All the lights and action was exciting, not to mention all the neat carnival rides and games. Rain was threatening all evening, but we miraculously missed getting soaked. It was a neat evening and everyone enjoyed themselves.

Labor Day Weekend

Camping in Florida again. This time with my son Kelly and his family. My daughter Emily and her children stayed in a hotel, while we camped in the camper. My husband and I were supposed to get there early Friday to set up camp. Toward the end of our 6 hour drive, I looked at the shadow of the camper on the side of road and saw something flapping on top. I thought it was a tarp Kelly had used to cover a small leak we had on the roof. I mentioned it to Dan and we kept on going. When we arrived at the campground we realized it was the rubber cover on the top of the camper that was flapping and just about shredded 1/3 of the way back. Of course it's not under warranty, so we threw a tarp over it and tried to enjoy the rest of the evening. As we were sitting outside waiting for everyone to arrive, I heard a dripping noise coming from under the camper. I though maybe the air conditioner was dripping or the hose to the camper and I asked Dan why the tire was wet. After a little inspection, he opened the camper door and it was flooded inside. Earlier in the day, Jasper (our 3 yr old grandson) was in the camper and tried to turn the water on in the bathroom sink. Unfortunately he left it on with the stopper in and hence the flood. We drove on over to Wally World and bought some groceries and a shop vac. Back at the campground we sucked up all the water we could and put up groceries. By that time I was exhausted. Then the kids showed up and we went on to have a wonderful weekend....not counting when Catherine (our 5 yr old granddaughter) got lost Sunday night for about 10 minutes. She was found safe and sound and all was well.

We also brought June, our lab, for her 1st camping trip....not sure if she enjoyed it, but I did.

1st day we spent at the beach.

The 2nd day we went to Turkey Creek, a fresh water creek in Niceville that is super cold. The kids loved it.