While Climbing the rickety stairs of Bodie Island Lighthouse, I prayed, “Dear Lord, please….” I wondered if this lighthouse was more structurally sound than its previous two predecessors. The first Bodie Lighthouse was built in 1837; However, because of poor construction, the fifty-four-foot tower began to lean a mere two years after its completion. So, in 1859, the U.S. Government commissioned and completed another tower, only to have it blown to smithereens, by the Confederate Army in 1861.  After the war, it was necessary to build yet another lighthouse in order to protect ships from ..read more

If you travel like us, Fido never stays home! So, it is always awesome to find dog-friendly places to stay. Our dog Lucy travels with us wherever we go. This weekend, we attended a wedding for a family member in Hattiesburg, MS, which is about a seven-hour drive from our home. Hattiesburg is also only two hours from the beach. So, we attended the wedding on Friday, and on Saturday we packed up and headed for the beach! It is hard being only two hours away from the salt and sand and not go there! (Especially for us in-landers) The closest beach to Hattiesburg is south of Mobile, Al, so t ..read more

Have you ever noticed that wet things are more colorful and vibrant? Today, I am reflecting on rain. Why?? Well, mostly because it’s raining. The day started with a quiet, humid, peaceful hush. Occasionally, as we sat outside on the picnic table of our campsite, we heard the low rumblings of thunder in the distance as we enjoyed of morning cup of Joe. We sat for a long time before we began to feel the big, fat, heavy plops of rain which sent us scurrying under the awning. Because it was a lazy sort of camping morning, I was able to observe, that with every drop of rain, the world aroun ..read more

This morning I am in my pajama’s working in my garden in the rain. TMI, right? And, this is supposed to be a travel blog, right? Bear with me, please. Because, I do have a point to all of this. I promise. I don’t travel the open road 24/7. But I do travel 24/7!! I travel this wonderful adventure called life. So, perhaps in a way, this is a travel post. Trust me, this morning I look like a hot mess. A happy hot mess! Muddy, as the sweet soft raindrops soak my face and hair, I reflect on my current station in life. Retired. Newly retired. Three weeks, newly retired. Loosing a job i ..read more

We often travel as a family of eight (including the dog) in our thirty-four-foot Class A Motorhome. Traveling with so many people, in a small space, poses many logistic problems. Luckily, there are hacks. The Safety Pin Towel Hack- Because we are a family of eight, we use many towels. It is hard to decide which one is which after seven people have showered. I created a hack for this problem. We use safety pins, a piece of two-inch light-colored ribbon, and a sharpie.  Cut ribbon from a spool in your desired length (we use about two inches), write a name on the ribbon with a sharpie marker a ..read more

Follow my blog with Bloglovin ..read more

Traveling west on I20, in an RV, through Atlanta and Birmingham is either a nightmare or comedy movie. Maybe a little of both. Faced with a 400-mile day, driving from Lexington SC to Jasper, AL (north of Birmingham) was a 13-hour day.  First off, there is no easy way through Atlanta. It is just so huge, and it is always a traffic nightmare. Our Garmin RV told us to take the northern route around Atlanta, but the flashing highway signs said that traffic was moving faster on the southern route. So, we ignored the Garmin and traveled the southern route. We were happy campers until…. just before r ..read more

For the first time ever, my family had a campfire on the beach. The sun was setting, and the grandchildren were chasing ghost crabs with nets and flashlights. My hubby, papaw, was playing old favorites on his guitar. The other adults were quietly singing along or peacefully listening to the waves and music, while staring contently at the fire.  It was perfect and awesome, until……. My thirteen-year-old grandson, proudly approaches his aunt and exclaims, “Look what I caught!”  While boasting of his catch, he tries to give it (a crab) to his aunt in her lap. She screams and jumps up, causing t ..read more

For five days I wrestled with the question, “How old is too old?”  Most might say there are times in life when we are just too old. For example, a four year old is too old for bottles; A six year old is too old for thumb sucking; A ten year old is too old for doll babies; A sixteen year old is too old to play house; A twenty year old is too old for high school; A forty year old is too old for a bikini and the list goes on. The question I struggled with for five days was, “When is a person too old to ride a boogie board in the waves?” And I answered myself, “You are sixty-two and sixty-two ..read more

Dolphins. Playful, frolicking puppy-dogs of the sea? Flipper? Yes or no?  Whichever your answer most of us would agree that human beings are attracted to these graceful, mysterious creatures. Me personally- I think that the ocean, boats, and dolphins go hand in hand. I love the feel of the open water with the wind blowing in my hair and sunshine on my face while dreaming having a new BFF (a.k.a. Flipper). That’s why I chose to go on a Dolphin Tour. I love the open water and wind in my hair. The tour we chose boasted about providing a lot of education about dolphins, and they did pro ..read more