Mardi Gras in Mobile AL - Keep your shirts on!

Next stop is the Mobile Bay area Alabama (only 1 hour from Biloxi).   

Who knew that Mobile started Mardi Gras?  We had the most fun during our stop at the Mobile Carnival Museum.  The Museum is in a wonderful old mansion on Government Street.  It is run by a volunteer staff of amazing and beautiful ladies, all of whom have participated in carnival most of their lives.  I do believe we may have been amongst Mardi Gras royalty as well.  The first parade was held in 1703 and revived after the Civil war.  The Cowbellion de Rakin Society was started when a couple of well meaning inebriants (Joe Cain day is still a favorite local parade) broke into a hardware store, “borrowed” rakes, shovels, cow bells and clanky things and started a parade (now we would arrest them and charge them with drunk and disorderly).  Now for three weeks every February, Mobile and surrounding cities are packed with parades, parties and balls.  There are elaborate coronations for the kings and queens, princes and princesses.  The parades are all for the families.  They are led by jazz bands with colorful floats, and people of the mystic societies throw beads, candy and “Moonpies” (for new years Mobile does the official “Moonpie drop to bring in the New Year).    Now, this is the deep South.  According to our tour guide, Mobile has tried to integrate the parties and balls.  The end result, after years of trying, the decision was made by black and white that everyone seems to like having segregated parties. So be it.  The museum itself is complete with sample floats, historical photos of the kings, queens and their courts.  The most impressive displays are the capes, gowns and crowns.  Room after room is filled with seamstress art work.  Each royal person designs and pays for their personal wardrobe parties and gifts.  It is so easy to feel the excitement and the love for Mobile Mardi Gras.   
Our first sight of Mobile

Carnival Museum

Yes, and we feel great too

Vernadean has been in the parades since 1948

All of the capes that we saw have been worn with in the last ten years

The purple capes shows that 8 family members had been a king or a queen

Golden oldie

Fanciful umberelas are carried in the parade and the watchers

Our lovely guide was also a princess

Polka dot Society

mystic society costumes

How did Dr. Green from ER end up in the 1940's?

Downtown Mobile is a very easy place to feel welcomed. We past many lovely oak filled parks with many many confident squirrels and chessboards (being used). There are beautiful houses and businesses. We saw a policemen stopping traffic. The reason; a wedding was going on. As we were chatting with him, people wanted to turn down this street no one seemed to be surprise or annoyed with the reason that they couldn’t.

This is the wedding hot spot

• RV TRAVEL TIP. The Robertsdale Camping World has 10 full hookup FREE camp spots. We spent three nights there and were perfectly comfortable.

“Damn the torpedoes, Full speed ahead!” The historians tell us this phrase was said during the sinking of the Tecumseh while breeching Mobile Bay Aug 5, 1864. Here we are at Fort Morgan. Across the bay is Fort Gaines (they claim the phrase too {though it does announce that MobileBay is lost}). FortMorgan is ground level and undetectable from the Gulf. Its overhead outline is the shape of a throwing star. Built in 1819 it was used as a defensive position through WW11 and was deactivated in 1946. Over years the original the brick batteries ( Cannon positions) were replaced with concrete to compensate for heavier weaponry used during the Spanish-American war and WW1. The many of the remaining bricks are naturally covered with crystallized sea salt. Some have formed into cute little stalactites. The fort is on a great chunk of beach. You can take a ferry to the other side of the bay. There are great views of the many oil rigs that seem to be running quite well. The beaches are being checked and cleaned by BP subcontractors. We saw at least 4 teams of two. One couple told us yesterday they were picking up hamburger sized chunks, but today they were smaller and fewer between. It was a cooler day but still a great day to be by the water. Brady was sure he would be able to catch one of those birds. I knew he was saying “just give me a chance”.

The tunnel into Fort Morgan

Tar balls

I know I can

We decided spending anymore time at the Camping World parking lot was tacky. We picked a nice spot in Robertsdale with nice trails for Brady (They have superman ticks down here { Brady is now VERY well armed against them}). We are close to a cotton field and over several days were able to watch the harvest process. I would love to know how many pairs of jeans you could get from one of these bales.

10 NOV 2011

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Beachy Beautiful Biloxi

Les on a Shoo-fly

Biloxi is our first look at the Gulf of Mexico and are we happy to be here for this short visit.The weather is a cool and breezy 75 degrees.The smell of the ocean is everywhere (the good smell – not the fishy smell).First off we were taken by the miles and miles of beautiful beaches from Biloxi to Gulfport (26 miles long 300 feet wide).Later we found out that this is a man made and man maintained beach. Every 8 to ten years (that is if there is no hurricane intervention) the Corp of Engineers scoops up bunches of ocean sand, they bring it to shore to dry, and then they spread it.The beach is held in place by a very useful stair step retaining wall.There are many fishing piers along the way and all seem to be its own social club. Our first stop was to the Welcome Center.This is new construction across from the Light House.It is chocked full of literature, area movies and a museum.We picked up a map for a driving tour and it led us to everything Biloxi

Oak tree art

The Katrina Memorial by it height shows us the water level of the storm.It is simple in construction and holds a memento chamber of recovered items.Biloxi was known for it old oak trees along the beach.That bitch Katrina killed many of these.This destruction leant itself to a new park. The dead oaks were sculpted (by Dayton Scoggins) into ocean life statues.They have become stars and it really makes the survivors stand out.

Katrina Memorial

Biloxi Lighthouse

Biloxi Welcome center

We are cemetery fans. There are two really historical stops here.The Biloxi National Cemetery(Military and Families) and Old Biloxi Cemetery which dates back to 1700s.One is dress right dress and the other has the rambling haphazard design that has gone a little schizophrenic over the centuries. Both are beautiful in there own way and give you cause to take your time.

Old Biloxi Cemetery

National Cemetery

Beauvoir is the last home of Jefferson Davis, the only president of the Confederate States of America (personally, I didn’t know they had one {yeah, his name was probably A,B,C,or D on a test somewhere}) .The house is amazing.It has recently gone through a major renovation as again the bitch Katrina messed it up.The welcome center is still operating out of a FEMA trailer and the Jefferson Davis Presidential museum is currently being built.Beauvoir (French for beautiful view {or so I have been told}) was built from 1852 to 1854 by James Brown ( no not him).This is Georgian style with two U shaped Galleries ( i.e. porches).Over the years the home was auctioned off, sold, and then sold again to the Davis’ after they had been renters on the property.The Davis’ were broke and after Jeffersons death Mrs. Davis and daughter Winnie moved to New York.The property was taken over by a caretaker and became a home for confederate veterans and widows.It stayed a veteran’s home for 54 years until the last resident kicked off.Now it is a museum.This house has such a cool history.I haven’t even mention all the other hurricanes this place has gone through. Side note – Thanks to the shutters all of the windows are original. Great pains have been taken to insure that the paint, fabrics and furnishing maintain the original.The rooms all open to the “galleries” to take advantage of the gulf breeze.The dining room and the Davis’ bedrooms are not even accessible with out walking on a gallery.

Beauvoir and Guest Cottage

Beauvoir

The view

Entry Room

Beauvoir after Katrina

Lighted makeup mirror

Back Galley with shutters

Foundation

Future Presidential Library

Beauvoir Welcome center.  No idea when the new one will be started or finished

Items recoverd from the Beauvoir

There are many casinos around. Not our deal, but they are big beautiful and the Isle has a really nice buffet (military half price).

As you drive around you will see many foundations without buildings. The recovery is well underway and all you see is a city ready to get the show going.

3 NOV 2011

Friends in Hattiesburg Mississippi

Les and I feel we have seen everything Elvis. Now it is time to see some real stars. Two old friends from our Military days, 1st Sergeant Craig Reed and Captain Cal Caverly. They are mobilizing at Camp Shelby for their deployment to Afghanistan. We had a nice lunch. It was great to hear what is going on in their lives, the pride they have in the soldiers they are leading and to see how terrific they both look. I admire them both and appreciate the families that they have left at home. Love you all and God speed.

Cal, Les and Craig

 I digress.After leaving Tupelo we stopped for gas in Okolona, MS.Across the street was a beautiful yet sad sight.It was a Civil War cemetery.800 Union and Confederate soldiers, mostly from the battle of Shiloh are laid to rest here.The majority of the stones were for unknown soldiers.It was nice to see it respected and taken care of.But at the gas station………We bought lunch – I had the best kabob of my life.Chicken, pickled pepper, and dill pickles –but get this it was battered and deep fried. This is now the kabob to measure all other against.Deep fried – not my style - the yumminess surprised me too.

We set up camp in a great RV Park. Brady has ducks to chase, trails to run on and varmints to sniff out. This RV Park also has many permanent residences. During our travels, we have noticed that along with gypsy travelers (like us) there is also a subset of displace Americans that are using RV parks as a holding ground until they get back on their feet. It is easy to see this park has become such a community. Much park work is done by the renters. Not unusual by park standards.  However this is the first park we have stayed at that the school bus had a stop. My hat goes off to these folks. They have figured out a way to make their world work. Oh, and lets not forget the chicken coops on the lots too.

Me as a bedazzled long horn

No car zone - Les by the Okatoma River

While here we have had our first RV problem.  My kitchen sink tank developed a leak.  No problem.  Pull into a little RV shop.  The options new tank or fix the leak.    Since the new tank would take about a week and we think we have seen about everything Hattiesburg has to offer.  So patch it up, get us on the road and we will get a new one later.  Bye Bye Hattiesburg Hello Biloxi. 

26 OCT 2011