We're officially home!

We're home! Isn't getting home after a vacation, no matter how good, great!? This is the story of our After Tax Season Vacation in words and pictures.

We actually got everything done Thursday and got most of our stuff into the motor home, so we were able to leave pretty early Friday morning. Once we got the dogs settled (they have anxiety issues) in my lap, the trip was very pleasant. I think I woke up 3 times before we got to our final destination. I don't know, something about the passenger seat and two dogs in my lap just makes me sleep!

We arrived early in the afternoon.....I said to Russell.....didn't you say your friend told you this was a 5 star park??? To which he replied, yes, but he did tell me they got there when it was raining in the night and left first thing the next morning.

I think I may have mentioned this about twenty times once before, but you do know who ranks the parks don't you????? The park owners! O.K. it wasn't that bad. In fact see for yourself!

That's the view looking from our motor home across the back of the park and across the street. There was a really beautiful farm with horses and cows and a lake.

This is Russell putting the shades on our front windows. It got so windy later that our awning rolled itself back in. The next thing any good R.V.er does is wash down the front of the R.V. He did. Actually I guess that is what he did before he put the shades on. Isn't this fascinating!??? I'll bet you're riveted to your seat!!


The Country Store.....now that's a nice little gift shop/restaurant right on the edge of Callaway Gardens. We ate breakfast there the morning after we got to Pine Mountain. We sat at a table looking out over the mountains and it was a really good view. We didn't actually go into Callaway Gardens....we drove to the gate and they said $15.00 per person and we asked what there was to do.....the really nice lady said well, there's the butterfly exhibit and..... we decided to turn around and go into the little town of Pine Mountain and see what was there.

This is Main Street, Pine Mountain, GA! There were some quaint little shops....I bought a couple of nick nacks and we walked around. We were actually looking for a church since the next day would be Sunday.

Interesting fact.....there are NO Presbyterian Churches within 100 miles of Pine Mountain. So the next day we didn't go to church.....and we're ashamed!

In this greasy spoon little cafe where that scary man in the booth behind ours was glaring at me....I guess he thought I was the paparazzi, I asked a man who had obviously come in to have lunch after church if there was a Presbyterian Church around and he said, No, mam, we don't allow none of them in town.

I said that man is a Baptist and Russell said how do you know?? Well, simple, I was a Baptist for 20 years and honestly (this is really true), I can tell if someone is a Baptist. Anyhow, he was a very nice man, as I'm sure the glaring man was too.....just in case he reads this.....:)

Monday, we took a trip over to Warm Springs to the Little White House. There were lots of interesting things there. We watched the updated movie about FDR and walked around the property.

The sidewalk below had the flags of all the states and a plaque with a little information about each state.

Katie, I took this picture just for you.....I know how much you love Rhode Island!


If you worked here during that time, this is where you lived.

If you visited, you stayed here in the guest house! They are both tiny and not so very comfortable.

Below is the little White House where FDR lived when he was in Warm Springs. He apparently had a great fondness for Georgia.....but I think he came here often for the treatments he got in the Warm Springs for his polio.

I'm sure some of you, if you're as old as I am, remember taking the first Polio vaccines. We got ours at our elementary school. The vaccine was on sugar cubes so everyone was glad to take their medicine! :) It didn't seem odd at the time, but think about it......people lined up taking sugar cubes with red stuff and eating them, then walking out and going home.

I'm pretty sure it was actually at this house that FDR died. He died while sitting for his portrait.



We then toured the little town of Warm Springs only to discover the town was having a festival, complete with horse and buggy rides! Sadly, we didn't take the ride.

We lined up with the throngs to eat supper at the Bulloch House.....we just didn't think it was that good.....if you want good fried chicken the little cafe above was great! Then we got back to the motor home just in time for the......

RAIN. Which meant red, muddy clay. .....which meant I had to wash the dogs feet every time they had to make a trip outside. I remember making fun of a woman several years ago because she litter trained her puppy. I would have apologized profusely if I had talked to her Monday!!! Seriously, what a great idea! Although I think it is too late for my own dogs.

Russell got on line.....oh, no, we go nowhere without our laptop!, and looked at D*stin.....a state park we really like there. They had ONE spot left.....one! So very early on Tuesday morning, we headed back to Florida!

Now, THIS is a 5 star R.V. park! It's so nice, has trees and the beach! Even though we weren't in an ideal spot, it was still great!

They even have a trolley that will take you to the boardwalk that leads to the beach. We walked once, then rode our bikes the next couple of times. The only sad thing was that since we were going to Georgia and since the weather was supposed to be cool there, I had no shorts.....but that was o.k. it is still too cool for this Florida girl to get in the water!

The picture below is looking down the road at one of our favorite spots in the park. It even has a fountain. We've never actually stayed in that particular spot, but we were next door once.

And then there's ....................................this........one of God's most absolutely beautiful creations, the beach! Just the sound as you get near is soothing. We took our shoes off and walked a little ways.

This picture of my sweet husband is looking toward the boardwalk. I'm not sure if you can see it, but yellow flags were flying, which means caution in the water. There were very few people on the beach.....a few were fishing.





If you can click on the picture below, you'll see that it says stay off the sand dunes. ......When Russell and I were children, the sand dunes were much bigger and we would climb to the top and roll down. We would then run into the Gulf and wash off the sand. That was such fun! I'm really sorry that children can't do that now. They have also planted new sea oats to help keep the beach from eroding.




The beach was so gorgeous! It's really worth clicking on the pictures to see the sparkling white sand!




Out of order, but this is where we left our bikes to walk on the boardwalk down to the beach.




Early this afternoon, after a short walk, we loaded up and headed home saying goodbye to our vacation.

Our time away was so relaxing. Russell has been working such long hours for so long that it was a pleasure just being together.

Remember, if you want to camp in a really nice campground, Topsail is your place!