2010 Year In Review…
December 31, 2010
Jim says:
2010 was a great RVing year for me. Here’s some on the places I visited, things I did and people met along the way in the about 17,500 miles…
* Arizona
Yuma with a walk-in to San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora Mexico
Apache Junction
Old Tucson Film Studios in Tucson
Biosphere 2, in Oracle
Chiricahua National Monument deep in Apache Country for three days
* New Mexico
Deming with a walk-in to Palomas, Mexico
* Texas
Big Bend National Park for three days
Judge Roy Bean Museum in Langtry
National Museum of the World War II Pacific War Museum at Fredericksburg
Luckenback, population 3
Lyndon B. Johnson National Historic Park at Stonewall
* Louisana
Fred’s Lounge in Eunice
Jean LaFitte National Preserve at Barataria
Mardi Gras in New Orleans for two weeks
Battle of New Orleans site at Chalmette
The mouth of the Mississippi River at Venice
Pilot Town, an island ten miles into the Gulf of Mexico
Bayou Terrbonne to Houma marshlands
Mandalay National Wildlife Preserve and Bayou Black Swamp tour
Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center at Thibodaux
Mr. Charlie Oil Rig Museum at Morgan City
The Oldest Rice Mill and Birthpace of Cajun Country at New Iberia
Tabasco factory and the Annual great Gator Race at New Iberia
Rice and Crawfish country in Crowley
Jean LaFitte Nation Historic Park at Lafayette
Martin Accordion Factory at Lafayette
Saints Football Team Parade at Opelousas
Historic Town of Washington
A visit at the home Greg Girard, famous Louisiana Author at Catahoula
The Great Atchafaylaya Swamp
Louisiana’s Angloa Maximum Security Prison 25 miles from St. Francisville
Civil War Battlefield at Port Hudson
State Capital Building at Baton Rouge
The Last Wilderness Ultimate Swamp Tour
Nottaway Plantation at White Castle
Laura Plantation at Vacherie
Bayou Segnette State Park at Westwego
* Mississippi
Beauvoir – Last Home Of Jefferson Davis, Biloxi,
U.S. Highway 90 and Hurricane Katrina Ground Zero damage area
* Florida
National Naval Aviation Museum at Pensacola for three days
Blue Angels Precision Flaying Team at Pensacola
Historical Museum at Pensacola
Fort Barrancas at Pensacola
Gulf Islands National Seashore
* South Carolina
A week-long visit with my friends Bob and Judy Michaud at Summerton
Santee National Wildlife Refuge at Summerton
* North Carolina
Asheville
Cherokee Indian Museum at Cherokee
* North Carolina and Tennessee
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
* North Carolina and Virginia
Blue Ridge Parkway
* Virginia
Skyline drive
A visit with Mary’s stepdaughter and her family at Front Royal
* West Virginia
Harpers Ferry National Park
* Pennsylvania
Gettysburg National Military Historic Park
Hershey Chocolate Factory at Hershey
Dutch/Amish Country in Lancaster County
The Covered Bridge Tour of Lehigh County
* New Jersey
A visit with my friends Jim and Ginnie Palumbo in Wayne
Thomas Edison National Historical Park at west Orange
A visit with my cousin Simone and her husband Pat in Bergenfield
* Connecticut
A visit with my cousin Diane and her husband Bob at Hebron
A visit with my son Jim and his family at Ivoryton
Katherine Hepburn Museum at Old Saybrook
Nuclear Submarine Nautilus and U.S, Navy Submarine Museum at Groton
United States Coast Guard academy at New London
Ivoryton Playhouse and The Buddy Holly Story
The largest casino in the United States at Foxwood
Mystic Seaport
Amistad Exhibit at New London
* Rhode Island
Millionaire “Summer Cottages” at Newport
* Massachusetts
A visit with several different cousins and their families at New Bedford
Whaling Museum at New Bedford
The Island of Martha’s Vineyard for one week
Chappaquiddick Island
A week on Cape Cod including Hyannisport and Provincetown
Sandwich Glass Museum at Sandwich
A visit with old school friends at Revere
The first public beach in the United States at Revere
97th Annual Portuguese Feast/Festival
Lowell’s Boat Shop at Amesbury
Newburyport
Manchester
Gloucester Maritime Heritage Center and Fisherman’s Memorial
Rockport
* New Hampshire
Portsmouth
* New York
U. S. Army West Point Military Academy
* Michigan
Henry Ford Museum at Dearborn
Motown Music Museum and Ford F150 Pickup Assembly Plant Tour in Detroit
* Indiana
RV Museum at Elkhart
Fleetwood Motorhome Factory at Decatur
Workhorse Chassis Factory at Union City
Little Italy Festival in Clinton
* Nebraska
High Plains Museum at McCook
* Colorado
Rocky Mountain National Park
Museum of Northwest Colorado at Craig
* Nevada
National Automobile Museum at Reno
In addition those identified there were many other smaller museums, numerous restaurants and other experiences during the about 17,500 miles of 2010.
Whew! It was quite a year!
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2010
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.panamaorbust.com
RV Trip Favorite photos #167-173
October 27, 2010
Jim says:
While Mary and I are taking care of business here at her home…there is little “new stuff” to Blog about daily. So I’ve decided to share with you some of my favorite photos from our recent 298 day, 16,000+ mile RV trip around the United States.
Since scenery and people snapshot-type photos require little special photography skills…and being limited by the abilities of my digital camera…I none the less took some photos that I really liked. They are presented in no special order of favoritism.
Today’s photos were taken at the Edison Laboratories and home in West Orange, New Jersey on May 23, 2010……
In other news…
62 degrees and partly cloudy. Scanned 95 of Mary’s old black and white family photos to digital format.
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2010
My three books may be purchased at http://www.lulu.com
Just enter Jim Jaillet in the search box.
New Windsor, New York
August 15, 2010
Jim says:
Yesterday I inadvertently reported we had just finished spending 48 days in New England…ooops, my mistake, I meant 78 days. After which my nine-year-old grand-daughter really didn’t want us to leave. While I was hitching the Bronco to the motorhome she laid on the driveway in front of the Bronco. In the below photo you can see her dad gently trying to pull her out of our way.
He finally got her moved and we said our last farewells. Three hours and about 150 miles later we arrived at American Legion Post #1796 where we parked for the evening. Our friends Ginnie and Jim Palumbo drove up from their home in Wayne, New Jersey to spend the remainder of the afternoon with us. On a recommendation from a local American Legion member, we found a great smaller Italian restaurant only about a mile away. We enjoyed a great meal of freshly made pasta. That’s the only downside of the full-time RVing lifestyle…long separations from family and good friends.
Today Mary and I will go on a two-hour tour of the West Point Military Academy about 12 miles distant.
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2010
My three books may be purchased at http://www.lulu.com
Just enter Jim Jaillet in the search box.
A Nice Family Sunday Afternoon Get-Together
August 9, 2010
Jim says:
Yesterday, on a day only a little to hot and humid, we had a nice family Sunday get-together. My cousin Simone and her husband Patrick who live in New Jersey are visiting my cousin Diane who lives about an hour away from my son’s home. The three of then drove down and spent an enjoyable Sunday afternoon with us. Diane’s husband Bob didn’t make the event staying home to nurse a recent foot injury.
Initially all three of my grand-children were around, but as older kids are wont to do they eventually wandered off as the afternoon wore on. The youngest, Jaime 9, picked up the slack.
My son Jim and His wife Wendy put out a delicious food spread for all of us to enjoy.
Here are nine photos that I took…
Eric shows off his new mountain bike tires.
My three Grand-children. Jaime 9, Jocelyn 15 and Eric 12.
Jaime licks a plate.
Years ago it was discovered that some Jaillets have a special talent. We take this special photo now and then to make sure we still qualify…
Only three Jaillets can touch their noses with their tongue. Myself, my son Jim and Jaime.
Cousin Diane and Jaime. They met for the first time three years ago.
My son Jim liked Cousin Simone’s name so much, he gave it to Jaime as a middle name. This was the first time the two of them have ever met…
Cousin Simone and Jaime.
Late in the afternoon just prior to their departure…
The happy family…minus Jocelyn and Eric.
Jaime performs on the trampoline for the remaining of us.
Later in the evening Jaime announced to Mary and I that she has never slept in a motorhome. Yup, you guessed it!
Jaime camps out on the floor of our motorhome.
All in all, a delightful and enjoyable family Sunday afternoon.
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2009
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.panamaorbust.com
We Arrive At My Son’s Home In Connecticut…
May 28, 2010
Jim says:
Yesterday we drove about 30 miles to arrive at my son’s home in Ivoryton, Connecticut. Ivoryton is so named because, once upon a time, there was a factory here that manufactured piano keys.
Crossing the Connecticut River.
We arrived about noon and got settled in…
Parked at my son’s home.
Later in the afternoon/evening my son and his family gathered in the motorhome…all five of them with Mary and I made a total of seven people…for a cozy family get together. Mary cooked up some Alligator Sausage…which none of them had ever tasted…and they all said they liked it. I’ll be featuring pictures of my son and his family on this Blog over the next few days.
I need to make a correction. A few days ago when we arrived at Wayne, New Jersey, I reported that I had so far traveled 7,000 miles on my current journey…well, I had a senior moment…it was really only 6,000. Here’s an up dated chart showing the 6,250 miles traveled to date.
I’ve traveled 6,250 miles since I departed Mary’s home in California last November 30th.
Yesterday was 71 degrees and partly cloudy…a delightful day after the previous record-setting day of 99 degrees in this area. Forecast for today is 72 degrees and partly cloudy. The Weather Wimp…that’s me…is a happy camper! 
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2010
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.panamaorbust.com
Jim says:
Yesterday, Jim, Ginny, Mary and myself visited the Thomas Edison National Historical National Park in West Orange, New Jersey. He called the place…The Invention Factory. He earned 1,093 patents, most of which came from this location. It was his last work location and he worked here 44 years until he passed away in 1931. Being an ex-engineer, I found this a most interesting place to visit.
After visiting the factory, we visited his 13.5 acre Glenmont Estate a short distance away.
Here’s eight photos…
To see the other 62 photos I took, click this link…
http://picasaweb.google.com/jimjrver/EdisonFactory052310#
Here’s the official government website link…
http://www.nps.gov/edis/index.htm
Here’s a Wikipedia informational link…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Edison_National_Historical_Park
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2010
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.panamaorbust.com
JIM AND GINNIE PALUMBO
May 22, 2010
They took us to a favorite restaurant of their’s here in Wayne, New Jersey. At Tony’s Brothers they like the mussels and an Italian style pizza. Delicious mussels in a heavy tomato sauce, hot or mild and a giant garlic and mushroom “pie”. No liquor is served but we were allowed to bring our own drinks which the servers put on ice for us. We stopped at a liquor store where a six pack of Arrogant Bastard Ale was 17.99 and Sierra Nevada Ale was $13.99. Whew! A shocker to pay almost as much for beer as a pizza. In California, you can take one bottle out of the six pack and buy one bottle. The store owner seemed a bit offended by that idea and sent us back to the frig.
The restaurant had pictures of the Mafia Dons from various movies, Sinatra, Brando, Di Nero, and more. Its interesting to visit other states and see how things are done.
From the Palumbos, Jim will take me to meet his cousin Simone who lives a short drive away. This is a restful stop for us. We knew we were scheduled here and got mail, my new phone battery which is charging for 24 hours,and my absentee ballot so I can vote. Thanks to the internet I can keep up with candidates from home and issues important to me. On the road, a cell is a necessity.
Our temporary yard at the Palumbos. Ginnie warned we could be visited by a local bear and many deer and chipmunks. The bear robbed their bird feeder of seeds.
We Arrive In Wayne, New Jersey
May 22, 2010
Jim says:
Yesterday we drove about 100 miles and arrived at my friend’s Jim & Ginny home in Wayne, New Jersey. In 173 days I’ve driven about 7,000 miles.
My travel route since November 30, 2009.
In the late afternoon we went out and had some delicious New Jersey Pizza.
I last visited Jim & Ginny in September, 2007.
Finally, some good pizza!
The restaurant does not have a liquor license, so you can bring your own beer. They put it in this iced bucket for us.
As much as I enjoy being on the West Coast…you just cannot get good pizza or seafood. The good seafood awaits us in New England a few days away!
We’ll be here for four days.
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2010
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.panamaorbust.com
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