Big Fat Gypsy Vacation Takes a Beach Break

I returned from this summer's vacation feeling a bit out of shape. There is nothing I love more than getting my exercise on during a three week vacation. But like I said already, we had a week to work with, and made the best of it.

So after doing a little caving we headed to the beach. We had camped here 14 years ago, and found it had grown and improved greatly. It is a pricey place to camp. For a week of no interruption/obligation family time we didn't fret. It was worth it!

We played some Frisbee

 Wednesday morning we experienced a horribly, scary thunderstorm.  On Tuesday evening as we walked along the beach, watching little boys crabbing with their dads...watching the lightening crack down at a distance over the Gulf was an awesome sight.  Feeling the lightening crack over the camper, turning the bunk ends a glow of red and orange--CREEPY! SPOOKY! HEART STOPPING!  But By Thursday the sun was out in all day force, not small doses that you had to grab quicker than a sandwich from a gas station.

Then we had some good old fashion beach fun. We people watched. Made careful note:just because they make it in your size does not mean you should wear it. The girls got silly.

  We did a little bit of boogie boarding

We sipped a couple of bucket drinks (cause when your daughter is 21 you can do that)

We read.

D took a stab at some crabbing of her own...the crab would have none of that.

relaxed

Relaxing can be dangerous if you're the only man in the family

He longs to be the Alpha male, but he is just "our Beta."

The gypsy vacation continued....

Throw Me a Roll And Pour on the Apple Butter While You're At It!

When I return to work next week I will hear stories of co-workers trips to Vegas and Disney. I am certain the stories will be filled with fun memories but can they say they went to Sikeston? Not just Sikeston but Lambert's--home of the throwed roll?

That's right, for my spring break the girls and I took a two hour drive southeast for lunch. We took D's bestie who had never been. Turns out catching rolls flying across a restaurant was not her strong point--as one clubbed her in the head. When a roll clubs your head it's kind of a killjoy for future roll catching. 


The idea was on a Wednesday the place would be empty; the wait lines short...where sharing the bowls of pass arounds--fried okra, fried potatoes, black eyed peas, macaroni and tomatoes--wouldn't be an issue. Ha! Not the case.  It seems everyone traveling the highway desires a throwed roll. Along with  a heaping plate of food...

Roast beef anyone? I moved the carrots to make space for the fried potatoes, 'cause mashed taters isn't enough startch.

Maybe you'd prefer chicken fried steak and a baked sweet potato? With a liter size cup of beverage?

To ease anyone's panic that we actually ate the ginormous portions of foods...we left with boxes, all of us.  Ate half of the leftovers for dinner with yet enough left for lunch again tomorrow.

Since this is spring break we decided to be spontaneous and take a side trip to the Trail of Tears State Park.

(the muddy Missippi River is earning her nickname with

 extra muddy waters from a harsh winter and tornadoes)

My letter to Jefferson City would go something like this:

Dear State of MO

First you messed with me by letting the bats hybernate a bit longer, keeping the cave closed with no warning posted on the park's website.  Now today you have the visitor center at the Trail of Tears closed.  Not to mention the roads to the campgrounds.  How's a girl to investigate if she wants to park her home on wheels on your turf?  Quit jerking us!

There was one campground open--yuck! That is all I have to say.  I am not crazy about trains blazing in my camping backyard.  Done it before.  Not a fond memory...or a good night's sleep! D's bestie who has never camped before looked at me and said seems like the camp spots are awful close together. She's right! You could reach out and snag a beer from your neighbors cooler, that's how close the sites are. In the end I have decided we can skip the idea of building a fire and roasting our marshmallows here.  

It was fun day. I think this might end up being the highlight adventure of our spring break.     

Before The Snow

Last Saturday was a beautiful day.  The kids were in shorts. The sun was shining and the camper was begging to meet the truck's hitch for the first time. So. Off a camping we went.

We picked our state park soley for the purpose of touring the cave.  Inside the visitor center the time line of the cave's history there was a line that read, "go gaga for Onondaga". Ha! Because close by was a sign that read "Bat Hybernation Cave closed till April 15".  Bologna I say. The cave always opens in March! Why couldn't the website have warned cave seekers of this batty non-sense.  Wake the bats. Tell them daylight saving time was about to kick in.  So what if they are battling white-nose bat syndrome. We wanted the chance to go gaga over Onondaga [Cave].

Nevertheless we had a good over night get away. In 2002 they shut this park down, gutted and rehabbed the entire campground. It is really nice. We had only the company of a couple from Iowa tenting and another family in their mongo fifth wheel.  We all spread far enough apart so not to feel one another's company.

Uli went on her first ever camping trip

since no one was around we defyed the park rules by letting our pouch go leashless

she did take the leash when I went for a run 

the girlies cranked up the music and danced

(we've decided to go one more season with the pop-up

before buying the big boy) 

As the sun was thinking of setting we played B-S

 King Ralph doesn't wear a bullshit face to well

hence all the cards in his hands

Later in the night when the cold night air grabbed hold

we took the cards inside; changed to Uno

and still

King Ralph's sausage fingers grasped the whole deck.

We slumbered.

We made a roaring morning fire.

Ate bratwurst for lunch.

Laughed.

Then came home.

Next Spring Break adventure....   

For Dessert Pumpkin Pie With Whipped Cream. But First...

There is nothing like an early start to Thanksgiving--530am. 

 A start that did not summons to stuff a turkey bird in the oven...

instead to dress girls in uniforms for a parade down St. Louis' Market Street.  

The one and only time I have been to the Thanksgiving Day "Christmas in St. Louis" parade was in 2004 when Princess A marched.  Back in 2004 it was beautiful day.

In 2010 it will be remembered as a dreary-cold-windy-rainy day.

And the band marches on.

No one complains as we watch our favorite band take to the pavement--

where they placed fourth in the competition
with the bonus of outstanding drum major and percussion. 

Well M did moan a tad about how hard holding a flag pole can be 

as the wind attempts to take it sailing from her hands. 

 She fought back and kept a hold. 

  

      For just a little while the weather calmed and we were all smiles watching

There is only one other person in the world who would enjoy watching the popper scoopers in the parade more than me and my pal Terri...and that's Nellie. 

 I wonder how one gets this prestigious job? 
Do you volunteer? 
Are you appointed? 
Maybe it's a punishment for being a crappy (no pun intended) employee...
or are those criminals serving community service--those are the police mounty.
 Nothing says Happy Thanksgiving like a good shovel and a 1.5 mile walk whiffing horse dung. 
Try being placed next to those guys at dinner--no thank you! 

Where else in the world can you go to see Clifford the Big Red Dog all stretched out in a sexy center fold pose looking more like a wiener dog than a bloodhound?
  I'm guessing no where!
 Only in St. Louis.

Thirsty for some hot chocolate?
 There was this kid whose parents made him dress like a penguin and a bill board peddling beverage screaming no figgy pudding for you till you sell the hot cocoa. 

      Ha kid we have our own hot chocolate--and it's spiked.

Next time you go grocery shopping you may want to consider this cart as an option.

As the balloons began to mimic in the rain and wind an episode of Sanford and Son, with an echo of Fred saying "it's the big one" as they were going down--we decided to bolt. 

I know you are thinking before Santa's appearance and the snow? 

But bolt we did! 

Got all cleaned up and looking good...  

where we went over the river and through the woods [and snow]--literally.

For this:    

Aaaahhhh the proverbial turkey shot.

Now that I have paid homage to the turkey. 

It's time to begin the next season:

Commencing with tuning the radio to constant Christmas tunes.

Next Time We're Going Camping At Johnson's Shut-Ins

This past weekend was the last obligation free weekend for sometime--Friday starts football season...which means marching band.  It will be the beginning of the end.  This time when I say that I really mean the end;  M is my last marching band child.

So what did we do to enjoy our last band free weekend?  We went to Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park for a day trip on Sunday.

A seventy mile drive from home brought us here.

It had been a while since we visited the park-- even a while before the dam collapsed and destroyed the park.  We weren't so surprised to see how many trees were lost from the onslaught of water, still kind of sad to see such vast openness at the parks entrance.  The shut-ins don't look much different at all. The new visitor center was nice, some art outside and inside a few hand on exhibits. (Which lent hand to grown girls acting like children)    All the new day use areas were really nice--shaded solid structure canopies over picnic tables and BBQ grills on concrete pads.

Before we headed for home we checked out the newly located campground down the road from it original location inside the park.  It was really nice.  Bigger than before, five loops, with lots of full  or electric hook-up sites and really nice walk-in sites nestled in the trees for tent campers .  Every site is paved with lantern hooks, fire rings and picnic tables.  We picked out a site in the "electric" loop for our visit--site 310 (it had nice shade trees).  They also now have camping cabins that are quite spacious with little front porch decks. The shower areas (which is a huge pet peeve of mine) were nice and plentiful.  The toilets--flush.  Not just flush but let you choose which way to flush--up for number one down for number two (I'm not going to tell which direction I  moved the handle).  

It was to hot and humid to hike; the trails look they have been restored nicely. For .95 you can get a trail map, not bad considering it cost nothing to enter the park.  However, get there early since they only allow so many cars to enter at a time.  When we left after four hours of swimming and picnicing there were two cars waiting there turn to enter.   

We skipped Elephant Rocks State Park this time.  We really want to try to explore Taum Sauk Mountain State Park next trip out that way.   

As soon as the heat breaks (and marching band isn't all consuming) we plan to head back to the shut-ins for some hiking and marshmallow roasting over an open fire...'cause next time we're camping at Johnson's Shit-Ins!      

Opening Day

The next best thing to opening day at the ballpark is opening day at the drive-in-- Skyview Drive-in.

We like to treat the drive-in like it is our dinner theater. We opt for a more gourmet pallet of pre-show foods. Sure we have the standard fare of M&Ms, Mike & Ike's, Raisinettes and popcorn when the sunsets, but....we like to start things off with a meal that turns heads green with envy. For this opening day we had a menu of teriyaki pork tenderloin, hash brown casserole, Zia's salad and bakery bread.

Now we still relish in the scents that make the drive-in the drive-in--concession stand grease, bathrooms that have lines as long as Texas is wide (that sometimes can't keep flush up with the patrons needs) and the smell of wet gravel road dust; which is drowning in years of mystery scents. All the things that make the drive-in feel like going home again.

So I present to you: "how we roll"

Spring Break Costa Altantica Style

Getting back into the swing of routine life is a bit difficult when you have had the Caribbean sun kissing your skin for seven glorious days. Somehow I drug through Monday and then crashed at 7pm, sleeping till 530am. I woke to a Tuesday weather report of warm air and sunshine--just what the doctor ordered.

Last Thursday as I laid on a pool lounger on deck 10 switching back and forth between my novel and watching dolphins chase each other and the ship…I was a far cry from the torrential road blinding rain storm we drove through almost a week before that brought me to that place; that place of tropical relaxation and tranquility. Sunshine has a way of doing that. So does boiling hot sand on Morning Star Beach in St. Thomas that sends all running, no matter age, to the crystal blue and turquoise water. As does a Spanish fort in San Juan and crashing waves on Cabbage Beach in Nassau.

The dining room was another story. All I will say is the hamburgers at the pool bar saved my life each day. Things like this: seafood pasta with a dwarfed octopus placed on top was most definitely an appetizer killer. Don’t even get me started on the turkey with giblet gravy! I give kudos to the asparagus flan and the snow crab quiche, but I don’t have a lot of praises for the chef of the Costa Atlantica when he puts red and green candied cherries in the baked Alaska. I love me some candied cherries, IN MY FRUIT CAKE AND HOLIDAY STOLLENS, not in my baked Alaska!

The girls had a good time being silly
All us girls

We had a great time on the ship dancing

Relaxing with a good book

Most of all...being together as a family

Because after all that is what a family vacation is all about. Enjoying being together.

Most of all thankful the girls all have cameras they remembered to capture our memories when I forgot mine (because D moved it from the packing spot).