IT’S TIME. It’s time for us to move along! We’ve been in Florida, mostly Pensacola, for almost 18 months…far longer than we had planned. I’ve explained to you guys in earlier posts the reasons for our lengthy stay, and I can’t say we ever wanted to spend so much of our Great American Adventure here. But under the circumstances, we couldn’t have found a better place for a lengthy stay. We’ve seen lots of interesting sights, enjoyed the beautiful white sands and sparkling water of the Emerald Coast and met some of the finest people we’ve ever known.
Pensacola Beach at daybreak.
There are miles of beautiful beaches to explore and it’s easy to find one all to yourselves.
Florida’s Emerald Coast.
Mobile Bay on a cloudy day.
WE’VE SEEN LOTS OF SIGHTS. We’ve wandered through the world famous Naval Air Museum more than once and been impressed on each visit with the wealth of information and wonderful interactive exhibits. The young Marines who were our docents had stories to tell and made us proud to be Americans. The little beach town of Destin with its fishing boats and waterfront restaurants was a great day trip as was the Gulf Islands National Seashore. We visited a parrot sanctuary, saw more seafood on display at a fish market than anywhere else in the world, won a lot of money at the Wind Creek Casino in Atmore, took some cooking classes, saw the Blue Angels streak across the sky on several occasions, had brunch with CeeLo Green, and enjoyed lots of local restaurants “off the beaten path.”
Colorful parrots in Pensacola.
National Naval Air Museum.
Barrancas National Cemetery at Pensacola Naval Air Station.
Pensacola is home to the Navy’s Blue Angels and we enjoyed seeing them many times during our stay.
These Hornet Jets fly at speeds up to 500 miles per hour, so it takes a pretty experienced photographer to get nice clear photos. But even though these aren’t as I’d like them, I’m posting so you can get an idea of how impressive the show is.
A TURKEY SHOOT? HURRICANES? HUH? I never dreamed I’d participate in a turkey shoot, eat real legitimate Southern barbeque, or be glued to the weather channel for hours on end as several hurricanes and tornadoes passed close-by. And last but not least, Pensacola is where we welcomed our little puppy Molly to the family when we picked her up at the airport after she made her trip to us from the breeder in Oklahoma. She’s been a delight ever since day one and, looking back, we’re hard-pressed to remember what we did with ourselves all day before she arrived!
This is Molly on the day we picked her up at the airport. She weighed only two pounds when we got her.
Florence takes aim with a shotgun at the turkey shoot.
Joe Patti’s Seafood Market has every imaginable kind of fish and shellfish. It’s by far the largest display of fresh fish I’ve ever seen under one roof. If you can’t find it here, it doesn’t live in the ocean.
PENSACOLA RV PARK. We met lots of southern folks, up close and personal, and came to appreciate their respectful manners and gracious hospitality. The Williams family, who hosted our lengthy stay at Pensacola RV Park, is truly the epitome of all that’s good about the South. We will always feel blessed that we met and were able to get to know them. Hopefully our paths will cross again someday.
If you’re ever in the area, call this park for reservations. The park itself and the people who own and operate it are top notch! Thanks, you guys, for a wonderful stay and lots of memories!
The spaces are large and well maintained at Pensacola RV Park.
WE’LL LEAVE IN A COUPLE DAYS. Stay tuned, as we’ll announce our travel plans soon. We hope you’ll continue to join us on the next leg of our Great American Adventure.
I’ll continue my story next time.
HURRICANE SEASON HAS ARRIVED. The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season began June 1st and will last until the end of November. And the season is off to a quick start with tropical storm Cindy now threatening the Gulf coast. A tornado watch has just been issued for Pensacola and the National Weather Service is warning of imminent torrential rain, flash flooding, rip currents, high surf advisory and beach closures. Cindy will likely become a hurricane shortly. Great! Despite having been in the path of some very threatening weather in the past and being spared a direct hit, we’re concerned. These kinds of weather events are still pretty new to us and we’ll be glad when they’re just a distant memory.
and then take a look at Ponce de Leon Fountain of Youth Park. I was pretty sure that if I could consume a pint of that Fountain of Youth elixir I’d be good to go for another fifty years. That didn’t really work out, but at least I tried. And after that we hoped the weather would be a little warmer so we could introduce Molly to the ocean.
on the Atlantic Ocean. We left “home” early with our friends Ben and Suzanne and arrived at KSC on schedule in about an hour. The Space Center is huge, with lots of buildings and exhibits spread over a very large area, far too large to explore on foot. But we took a NASA bus took on a narrated tour to even the most remote facilities and it was a pretty special trip. It’s awe-inspiring to get an up close view of the facilities that have actually constructed the launch vehicles, pads and even NASA’s Atlantis, one of the actual space shuttles. It’s on display in the Visitor Complex, suspended with its payload bay doors opened such that it appears to be back in orbit around the Earth. A multi-story digital projection of Earth rotates behind the orbiter. Atlantis returned to Earth for the last time on July 21, 2011. By the end of its final mission, Atlantis had orbited the Earth a total of 4,848 times, traveling nearly 126,000,000 miles.
of the country to get warmer. We’ve learned that motorhome travel is severely limited during the winter months as it’s just too cold to do much or go many places. Having lived in Southern California all our lives, and being spoiled by the year-round temperate weather, it’s taken some time for us to accept this reality. On those occasions in the last few years when we’ve decided to brave the weather so we could continue our Adventure, we’ve been reined in by freezing temperatures, violent thunderstorms, tornado threats, 
thunderstorm, high winds and tornado warnings. That’s “warnings,” not “watches.” There’s a difference! Severe weather caused widespread damage to lower Alabama and by Tuesday morning the National Weather Service reported that 12 tornadoes had occurred in the area. Even though I’ve become more accustomed to severe weather conditions than we ever encountered back home in San Diego, this storm caused me to become alarmed. The lightening was so bright that the entire area looked like an overexposed black and white photo all night long. Our friend Dylan, who lives in Mobile, was concerned enough that she offered us shelter in her home, but we decided to ride out the storm in our motorhome. As it turned out, that was a sound decision. By morning, the sky was clear and although the temperature was only in the thirties the sun was shining brightly.
friends at my side and many others who prayed for me and offered their support last year at this time. Because last year at Thanksgiving, I lay in the intensive care unit of a hospital in Foley, Alabama, unconscious, 2,500 miles from home, on what appeared to be my deathbed. Today, I am healthy and able to enjoy the day. I have learned that every day of life truly is a gift from God.
gracious, welcoming and thoughtful folks we’ve ever encountered. “Southern hospitality” is a real deal. And the fried chicken here is absolutely the best! But some of the other food these guys consume in quantities is interesting, to say the least. This was evident today when we had a late lunch at Cub’s Crawfish after competing in the Turkey Shoot at the local VFW hall. Nope, to my friends in San Diego I will tell you this, “You won’t find the kind of seafood consumed down here at 
