Biscuits Lovers Unite!

After a long withdrawal, we are back on the baseball side of things. Our new home team is called the Montgomery Biscuits. That alone puts a smile on my face. The only problem: every time I look at that sign, I want to eat that biscuit, including buttery tongue. Thankfully, the concession stand does not disappoint, and I got my first biscuits as a Biscuits fan!

The night was perfect for baseball! One of those summer nights, that make you wonder if baseball was solely invented to highlight the beauty of a mild summer evening. 

The ballpark is beautiful! Incorporated into an old railway station, with the Montgomery skyline in the background. It really doesn't get much better than this!

The Biscuits ended up losing this one, but that won't dampen our enthusiasm for the team! Go Biscuits!!!

Thank you for traveling with me today!

Until next time,

Nadine

Gulf Coast or bust!

I am happy! We now live in driving distance to the beach again. It feels like a long lost puzzle piece has been found. The salty air, the wind from the sea, the sound of the waves. All of those things add up to instant happiness.
Our first stop after arriving in Fort Walton Beach is The Shack, which has quickly become my favorite place for oysters. Lucky for me, Pat usually orders something different each time, so I get to try my way through the menu, while still enjoying my oysters!

Next order of business was, of course, going to the beach. Look at these photos & keep in mind that it is July in Florida. This is a public beach, but it sure felt like our own private paradise. 

I went swimming. For me to enjoy swimming, I cannot feel anything below my feet. So away from the kelp & algae fields and into the deep blue sea it is! Well, guess what?! I wasn't the only mammal out there! Some dolphins came over to check me out! Not close enough to touch, but they were riding the waves about 50 meters out. It was amazing! 

And just when I thought the day at the beach couldn't possibly get any better, we went for a walk and saw this: 

I realize it's a little hard to read, so I'll help out. It's a Sea Turtle Nest!!! My immediate plan was to move to Florida now, so I could watch the nest every day and be there when they hatch. Unfortunately, reality put the brakes on that one. Perhaps another trip is in our near future.

We rounded out our trip by going antiquing. You know, one must practice for retirement. 

The Beetle enjoyed the trip as well. It was his first time back in his home state since 2004. He is still a little mad at us for putting him through those German winters, but I think he is slowly forgiving us. 

Thank you for traveling with me today!

Until next time,

Nadine

We're going on a bear hunt...

We thought we should take advantage of being surrounded by state parks full of beautiful lakes.

Wind Creek State Park near Alexander City was to be our destination. On our way, we were tempted to get an eye exam, because the place offered Free Go-Kart Rides with every eye exam. I am still hoping that the free ride will depend on the result of the exam. 

Onward we went. In Wetumpka, we came across a billboard advertising God's Time Plan - 6 April 2032. The website doesn't offer much insight, unless you download the brochure. I'm not brave enough to click on that just yet, but it is tempting me with "More than you ever thought you would know about the return of the Lord". Every little tidbit of information is more than I ever though I would know. So, I'm ahead then, right? 

Travel Advisory: Don't let the name fool you! Eclectic, Alabama has a Dollar General and a road. Stay on that road. Don't stop to look for eclectic little shops, or even just something to eat. I feel this is a real shame. The people of Eclectic are wasting a unique marketing chance. The ads would basically write themselves. If they had a town newspaper, I would write a letter to the editor. 

We finally made it to the park, and were not disappointed! The empty playground was the cherry on top! 

Our next idea involved hiking for almost 3 hours through the forest. I never thought I would so quickly come to dislike elevation changes again. We were rewarded with beautiful vistas and no other humans inside a 3-mile radius. I guess elevation changes aren't so bad after all. 

And look who waited patiently for us, ready to take us home. 

Thank you for traveling with me today!

Until next time,

Nadine

Sweet Home Alabama

Here comes the post you have all been waiting for. Pictures of our new home.

The house was built in 1924 and is listed on the Montgomery Historic Register. 

Yes, there are 2 rocking chairs on the front porch. That alone probably sold me on the place.

The back porch, including the huge backyard. 

So far, we have seen squirrels, lizards, assorted birds, and kittens. It's a zoo out there! 

I am very excited about my very own Arts & Crafts room!

The Dining Room

It's quite the labyrinth. 

The foyer, with views of the kitchen and the hallway. 

View of the front door

Standing in the kitchen, looking towards the dining room. 

Yes, I am able to clean the top of the fridge without using a stepladder. 

View of the kitchen from the mudroom. 

The place also comes with a lizard. Lexington showed up on day 1 and hasn't left yet! In fact, we find him in a different place every day. It's a game of hide & seek. 

The reading nook in the Florida room. 

The Master bedroom, including an antique wardrobe. Maybe I'll find my way to Narnia after all. 

This place is great, although it may take us a while to get used to "old house noises" again. The sound I woke up from last night could have been a motorcycle, a monster in the basement, or the a/c kicking in. One never knows. 

Thank you for traveling with me today!

Until next time,

Nadine

Honeymoon in Huntsville

After 4 days of cleaning the house, we were ready for our first Alabama road trip! Huntsville seemed like a perfectly good place to start. Not only is the U.S. Space & Rocket Center located there, which on its own would be pretty cool already...

...they are also hosting the exhibit "Two Lines" about the Berlin Wall and the DMZ in Korea. I had been wanting to see it since I found out about it in March, and it was as gripping and moving as I had hoped. The exhibit will stay in Huntsville until 3 August, and then move on to Germany. If you can't make it to either place, here are some of the photographs:

Our hotel was located inside the Huntsville International Airport. We got the "Honeymoon Package", including champagne, chocolates & a Jacuzzi tub. Airplanes, bubbles, and chocolate! The perfect combination! Cheers! 

Thank you for traveling with me today!

Until next time,

Nadine

Ready or not, here we come!

Leaving Oklahoma is always easy. Leaving our friends is not. After a month or so of Goodbye lunches and dinners, Pat and I were heading South towards new adventures, new surroundings, and a new dialect. Some of the phrases used in this part of the country make "y'all" sound like a real word. I will report on the many unavoidable incidents from time to time.

For now, let me tell you a little bit about our drive down here. 

Our first stop was in Little Rock, chosen solely for the purpose of a baseball road trip stop-over. The Arkansas Travelers did not disappoint! A beautiful game on a beautiful night in a (you guessed it) beautiful stadium, overlooking North Little Rock's downtown skyline. That alone would have been enough to make me happy. But there was another delight in store for me! A game between innings. Find a poster of the local laundromat "Fun Wash" located somewhere in the ballpark. Be the first to stand in front of said poster and win a gift card to Fun Wash. Only, all I heard was "stand in front of poster" (which I had seen earlier) and "win". A human lightning bolt shot across the mezzanine without any warning, leaving any would-be competitors in its dust. Boom! I won! Highly amused strangers came over to talk to us after I had claimed my prize. Apparently I had made quite a splash. I was told that no one ever actually wants to play the laundromat game, because the prize is "only" a $25 gift card to Fun Wash. Whatever. A win is a win!! Instead of doing laundry in Little Rock before hitting the road the next day, I just gave the card to a college age looking youngster. 

Somewhere between Little Rock and Memphis, we saw this lovely sign:

Use the Rod on your Children and save their Lives

which has nothing on the one we had seen outside Pottsville:

Possessing the Land for Christ - Pottsville "Poltergeist" Assembly of God 

(Guess which word I added...)

Crossing the mighty Mississippi is always a special treat. Having only done it once before, I was grateful Pat was doing the driving, which gave me more opportunity for the Mark Twain channeling. One day we need to actually go to Memphis, not just passing through.

We spent our second night in Birmingham, forgoing the planned Birmingham Barons baseball game. Thank you, I-22 planning committee for marking your detours so extremely well, adding about an hour to our trip. We really didn't need to see Jasper, AL. 

On 17 July, we were on approach to Montgomery on the "War on Terror Memorial Highway". You can't make that stuff up. 

And now, here we are. Rolling into our drive way, I had forgotten how much I liked the house already in March.We spent the first 3 days getting it ready for our furniture shipment, which may take just a couple days longer than we thought. Oh well, more time to explore our new surroundings.

 

Thanks for traveling with me today! 

Until next time,

Nadine