Saulsbury, Tennessee – Day 4

The motorhome is parked at Thousand Trails Cherokee Landing RV Resort near Saulsbury, Tennessee. We are waiting out a rainy weekend and expect to depart from here tomorrow. You can read about this resort by clicking this link…
https://www.thousandtrails.com/getaways/tennessee/cherokeelanding.asp

Way out here in the country, we’re struggling with Internet signal problems. Keeping busy with miscellaneous stuff. Mary is resting and says she’s feeling better with each passing day.

Here are some early morning photos I took at a nearby small lake…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

Enjoying pretty, peaceful and quiet places is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows our approximate location near Memphis in the State of Tennessee. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…
http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2013
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

Vicksburg, Mississippi – Day 7

Note: I’m now expecting to arrive in Memphis on April 14th….about 250 miles north of Vicksburg. Mary has made her flight reservations. She’ll meet me in Memphis on April 16th.

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The motorhome is parked at Moose Lodge #1581. I expect to depart here later this morning.

Vicksburg has a very interesting history which you can read about by clicking this Wikipedia link…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicksburg,_Mississippi

For my final blog entry I’m going to share with you a somewhat unusual business called the Tomato Place. Owner Luke was busy in the kitchen while his daughter Mallorie was busy behind the counter and both had little time to talk. I did find out this old funky roadside-type fruit stand has been there for 12 years. They make an assortment of breads, jellies, jams, pies, cookies, etc…that seems to be real popular with the local folks.

Here’s their website link…
http://www.thetomatoplace.com/info.html

The Vicksburg Visitors Center even features them in their booklet…
http://www.visitvicksburg.com/dine/details.aspx?id=1500

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

For lunch, I had the best BLT sandwich of my life as well as a delicious peach smoothie…

They are located just a couple of miles south of Vicksburg at 3229 Hwy 61. Stop in…you won’t be disappointed!

If you have never visited Vicksburg, I highly encouraged you to do so. It’s a place you will not soon forget.

Enjoying interesting places is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows my approximate location in the State of Mississippi. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…
http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2013
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

Cajun Music Jam, Lafayette, Louisiana

Note: Mary flies from Baton Rouge, Louisiana today to her home in California. I’m hoping to get her back with me by mid-April. My current plans are to stay here for a few days and then start SLOWLY drifting north along the Mississippi River to Memphis, Tennessee where I’ll then turn northeast heading for New England. Can’t go north too fast because it’s still cold up there!
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The motorhome is currently parked at VFW Post #4224 in Baker, a few miles north of Baton Rouge.

Yesterday was devoted to laundry and other preparations for Mary’s departure later today. Nothing exciting to report there…so today I’ll share what happened last Saturday after we toured Vermillion Ville. If you missed that Blog entry you can read it by clicking this link…
http://wp.me/pDCku-7k0

You can read about this Cajun Music Jam weekly event by clicking this link…
http://www.bayouvermiliondistrict.org/index.cfm?load=page&page=55

As we entered Vermillion Ville we were followed by August Broussard, one of Louisiana’s most famous Cajun musicians. Broussard, 64, plays the accordion, guitar, steel guitar, harmonica and fiddle. He has been playing the traditional style of Cajun music professionally for over 35 years. He was accompanied by his student, 17-year-old Darien Fontaine. We had previously met August Broussard while in Lake Charles during Mardi Gras about a month ago. To read more about August Broussard, the living legend, click this link…
http://www.acadianmuseum.com/legends.php?viewID=208

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

Here are a few photos that I took during the Cajun Music Jam…

You can get the flavor of this Cajun Music Jam by watching my short video by clicking this link…
http://youtu.be/t5JigzcvBI8

Cajun Music songs have a tendency to last several minutes. If your feet do not start toe-tapping to this music…you’re dead! A great time was had by all! Mary and I both wished we could be here every Saturday!

Enjoying the Cajun Music Jams is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows our approximate location in the State of Louisiana. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…
http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2013
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

Harlingen, Texas – Day 17

The motorhome is parked at Tropic Winds RV Resort and is scheduled to be here until January 10th.

Yesterday Mary and I took the Bronco the about one mile to the Harlingen Arts and Heritage Museum. It’s an unusual museum because there are five museums at one location. Here’s their website link…
http://www.myharlingen.us/default.aspx?name=museum.home

You can read all about Harlingen, Texas by clicking this Wikipedia link…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlingen,_Texas

The cornerstone of the museums seem to center on Harlingen’s Centennial in 2010. The Arts and Historical Museums were closed because of exhibits rotations. The other three buildings are associated with the city’s creation in the early 1900′s.  The three buildings are the Lon C. Hill Home (first in Harlingen), the early Harlingen Hospital and the Paso Real Stagecoach Inn.

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

In the main lobby is a piano more than 160 years old…

The Lon C. Hill Home…

The Harlingen Hospital…

The Paso Real Stagecoach Inn…

Enjoying a wide variety of museums is another joy of the full-time RVing lifestyle!

The red dot on the below map shows my approximate location in the State of Texas. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…
http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2013
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

Harlingen, Texas – Day 14

Mary has been at home in California enjoying the holidays with her family. She will arrive here in Harlingen tomorrow.

The motorhome is parked at Tropic Winds RV Resort and is scheduled to be here until January 10th. While awaiting Mary’s return, I’ve been seeing some local attractions, performing repairs and preventative maintenance on both the motorhome and Bronco, plus thoroughly cleaning both vehicles.

At my current location, I’m in an area of South Texas known as the Rio Grande Valley. It is also known as The Magic Valley…where anything will grow. The primary is citrus fruits of which the Texas Ruby Red accounts for about 70% of the products. If you have ever tasted a genuine Texas Ruby Red Grapefruit…you will never forget it…absolutely delicious!!!

Like Jackie Gleason used to say … “How sweet it is!!!”

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

You can read all about the Rio Grande Valley by clicking this Wikipedia link…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_Grande_Valley

Here’s an interesting article about the Texas Ruby Red Grapefruit…
http://www.texascooking.com/features/jan2000rubies.htm

A short, but interesting video…
http://www.texasweet.com/texas-grapefruits-and-oranges/

Enjoying a wide variety of fresh local produce is another joy of the full-time RVing lifestyle!

The red dot on the below map shows my approximate location in the State of Texas. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…
http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2013
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

Roma, Texas – Day 3

Mary remains at home in California tending to medical and personal business issues. She has made her airline reservations to join me at Harlingen, Texas on January 3, 2013.

The motorhome is parked at VFW Post #9175 in Roma, Texas. I expected to depart yesterday but the windshield glass chip repair service said the repair man couldn’t make it until yesterday. Now I’m expecting to depart here tomorrow.

Yesterday the first event of the day was the windshield rock chip repairman showing up to accomplish the job…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

In yesterday’s Blog entry I discussed meeting my new friend Horatio. He introduced me to his dentist Dr. Alma Lidia Cantu de Graza. She lives in Roma, but her office is across the border in Ciudad Miguel Aleman, Tamaulipas, Mexico, population about 27,000. She met me in a nearby parking lot in Roma and we crossed the bridge over the Rio Grande. Pick-up trucks pay $3 for a one way passage. Pedestrians pay $.25 to walk across the bridge…

The Rio Grande River looking west-northwest as seen from the bridge…

And into the city…

Her office is about one mile from the bridge and looks more like a house on the outside rather than an office…

It has a large waiting area…

With three dental rooms…

She cleaned my teeth and repaired a damaged tooth. Here’s a banner for her services…

I shot this next photo through the glass window in her front door looking towards the outside…

She had one other patient which took about an hour. Then she went with me to the pharmacy and help me buy my sinus medication for which she had to write a prescription. The 40 tablets I purchased cost me $22.40…in the United States they would cost $275.00! Then we went to a small local eatery for lunch and then back to the bridge to return to the United States…

The Rio Grande River looking east-southeast…

I have crossed back into the United States from Mexico many times over the years. I have never seen tighter security than yesterday. You can read of drug-related shootings in 2011 in Miguel Aleman by clicking this link…
http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-04-25/politics/30059508_1_drug-violence-border-city-cartels

Fortunately we had no problems yesterday in Miguel Aleman.

Enjoying getting dental work done and buying medications in Mexico is another joy of the full-time RVing lifestyle!

The red dot on the below map shows my approximate location in the State of Texas. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…
http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

Gallup, New Mexico – Day 1

Yesterday we drove the motorhome the about 50 miles from Bluewater State Park to Red Rock Park near Gallup, New Mexico. Since we arrived so early we decided to go into Gallup because Mary wanted to by some more Indian jewelery. While she shopped, I took photos…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

From Red Rock Park…

Gallup kind of reminds me of Mexico…lots of shops selling the same stuff. I took these photos while Mary was shopping…

Back at Red Rock Park, our site…

and the view from our dinette window…

Finally this formation known as Church Rock…

To see the other 26 photos that I took, click this link…
https://picasaweb.google.com/110455945462646142273/GallupNewMexicoDay1

Today we’ll return to Gallup for further exploration and tell you about it tomorrow.

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument – Day 4

Yesterday Mary and I started our day with a pre-sunrise walk on the Sonoran Desert here in the park. We walked about two miles not far from our campsite. Our outing lasted one hour and fifteen minutes. Because the sun had not yet broken the horizon…I ended up with a lot of silhouette photos. It was a nice change doing photography without the bright harsh sun overhead.

To see a map of the park, click this link…
http___www.nps.gov_orpi_planyourvisit_loader

Here are a few photos that I took…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

In this first photo of the day you can see the lights of the United States/Mexico Border on the right…

To see the other 25 photos I took, click this link…
https://picasaweb.google.com/110455945462646142273/APreSunriseWalkInTheSonoranDesert

Yesterday completed our last full day of our visit to the monument. A most enjoyable visit it was. Over the last four days we’ve seen thousands of cacti…however none were as big as this one I came across during my 1998-99 Winter in Baja California Sur, Mexico. It was Muy Grande!!!

Today we will move on…uncertain at this time where we will spend tonight.

You can find out all about the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument by clicking this government link…
http://www.nps.gov/orpi/index.htm

You may also click this Wikipedia link…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organ_Pipe_Cactus_National_Monument

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

This Guy Lives In A Garbage Truck…

Here’s another unusual RV story… Check it out… Pretty cool…huh?

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2011

For more information about my three books, click this link:

http://lulu.com/panamaorbust

More Visiting With Long-Time Friends…

Jim says:

Yesterday started with another beautiful Southwest sunrise at Quartzsite, Arizona.

We drove the motorhome about 75 miles to Lake Havasu City, Arizona.

An enjoyable two-hour visit with Ted & Judy Price, my ex-neighbors of 16 years, from Olympia, Washington at the local VFW. We’ve been good friends since 1980.

When we came out of the VFW this beautiful face sitting in a car, greeted us.

Just another great day in the life of a full-time Rver!

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2011
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.panamaorbust.com