A WEEK IN PENSACOLA, FL

Hope that you had a wonderful family Memorial weekend.  We spent ours here in air conditioning as we did not want to battle the crowd at the beaches, especially in the heat.  But I did fix our favorite picnic foods!!!
Our next door neighbors had a neat deck. 

Think that I might enjoy one of those, but would need an awning.  We are thinking that we need to roll up our awning today though, as the rains and storms are rolling in by tonight.
Most of the time we are doing the usual, getting mail and prescriptions, doing laundry and shopping.
I had Gary get my sewing machine out from in the underbelly (basement to you),  After shopping at JoAnn's, I got busy and made a new toaster cover and added a cover for our small crockpot, as well as a cover for a basket sitting on the counter and a soap bottle apron.  All finished, though not my best work, I am considering it done.  After replacing the needle because of all of the thick stuff, it is ready to go back in the underbelly.  I get tired of the mess around when things are not in their place.  I guess that is because of such close quarters.
We have stopped in a few thrift stores, but have refrained from buying.  We've got enough STUFF!  We also drove over to  Crestview to go to another bookstore, but forgot to look for Victor's books.  Maybe we will have to make another trip  over there. After the book store, we stopped in Milton at David's Catfish House.  I think that I like the food better at this David's.  It was a great fish lunch.  They have the best slaw!!  I remember buying it by the pint there before. 
It made me sad to realize that we were so close to my oldest brother's home, since he is not there any more.   But he is doing well in Chicago near some of his family. I am so thankful for that!!  He loves being around his grand-daughters.

On a drive-about day, we stopped in at Hawsey's Books here in Pensacola.  Vic, we did ask for your books there, but they did not have them.  I think that we got away with just a dozen books.  We need to get through more of our supply!! 
Gary was disappointed the other day after going to a Hardee's for a Cruise-In.  There was no classic cars!!   Must have been the wrong date or the wrong place. 
Saturday we got up early and went to Pensacola's Saturday's Market on the Square.  It was good, and some good food.  We really had to restrain ourselves.  We left there and Gary just drove around the Bay area where we enjoyed the homes and scenery.  Enjoy the pics!


Love the gardens in the cities.

Minor league baseball stadium.

Interesting sign!

Crowded Bay Marina.

Looking across the Bay.

Hm-m-m, security needed?

Golf Course near the Bay.

The Bay is just down behind this great house.

The Bay is just down behind this great house also.

It all looks like a neat area for living.  But it is also very close to historic Pensacola.  So there was much to look at. 
We will need to think of more interesting area for this week.  Take care and more pictures soon.

DAY IN MOBILE, ALABAMA



Driving very early to Mobile we were expecting fog, but fortunately did not experience any that Wednesday.  After leaving the motorhome at the Glass Repair shop for the day, we left to find The Bellingrath Museum Home and Gardens. 

It was the home of Bellingrath who had bought one of the first twelve $1500. franchises for a Coca-Cola bottling company.  He grew up in Atlanta GA which is probably why he became interested in the CC Company after his first job in Mississippi.  He worked from his teen years in Mississippi for the L&N Railroad on their telegraph.  He was single at the time of his first career until after his franchise purchase.  After settling in Mobile, he realized that he need a clerical person to run the bottling company office.  The beautiful lady hired later became his wife and he built this home for her on approximately 60 acres of land just outside of Mobile.  

They never had any children of their own, but did dote on their nieces and nephews.  Our narrator said that she thought if they had children of their own they would have had nothing but green grass.  However, because of his wife's love of flowers, the gardens around their home grew and grew.  They are beautiful.  There were forty gardeners in those early days, but only twelve maintain the gardens as they are today. 

The home is full of the original furnishings as well as some that were added from their first home in Mobile proper.  The home boasts three dining rooms and twelve sets of china for all of their entertaining.  The chest and it's set of gold tableware was awesome and huge!

We were not permitted to take pictures inside the home, so you will just have to use your imagination.  They heated with coal originally.  It was built 'ready for electricity', but had a wood burning stove in the original kitchen.  This was later removed and replaced with a gas range and an electric range, side by side, and a dish washer.  The bathrooms each boasted modern pink or green fixtures with ceramic tile to match, which had been purchased at that year's World's Fair to keep with a modern trend. 

Waiting for our tour to begin, we enjoyed a sheltered shady walkway near the side entrance to the home.   

Rose Gardens outside, and orchids inside!

 

 

Before the tour we had time to go through the terraces beginning around the house, going down to the lake behind.  Beautiful!! 

Grotto down near the lake.

Another fountain behind the house.

Back entrance with a beautiful view.

From the tour inside, we continued through the grounds to enjoy the flowers.  We now offer them to you to enjoy.

 

 














The last thing to see was the restored chapel.  It's restoration was completed in 1982.

From this tour we returned to the Glass store to check on the motorhome.  The windshield was reset but they wanted to keep it until their closing to let it cure.  So we went off to do some shopping in a K-Mart nearby.  Since many K-Marts are closed across the country, it was nice to find a nice clean one that was pretty well stocked.  It made my day.  Then on to Hobby Lobby to stock up more on the scrap booking pages and protectors that were 50% off this week!!  I had emptied the shelves at the store in Pensacola, so made a big dent in Mobile's store also.  I am fully stocked to do our grandson's albums until he graduates!  And that will not be too far off, believe it or not.  I know that being on the road makes it seem like he should still be little, but NOT!

We took the motorhome from the Glass store and moved it just a few blocks to an Academy Sport store and asked permission to park in their wide open lot for overnight.  We felt that it would be good to let it sit longer to cure.  They were very welcoming and we had peace of mind as it gave us a traffic light to get out in the morning.

Now, fog?  We got it the next morning!!  But had a safe trip back home.  There has not been much going on since, just a run to a casino in Atmore.  It gives us a change of scenery and lunch at Dave's Catfish diner. It also gives me time to check out their acquarium.  They were cleaning it this day. 

We need to look for more to things to see.  Life is a little boring while we wait for the last of my medical appointments.  We are thankful for good results of what has been done this far.  I am so thankful!!  But we are getting anxious to move on to more sight seeing.

VISITING WITH OHIO FRIENDS ON THEIR WAY THROUGH and BLUE ANGELS PRACTICE in FL

It is always wonderful to visit with old friends!!  Bill and Jane were on their way through here on the way from AZ to Orlando.  It was neat to hear of their experiences, especially at Yuma when they crossed the border into Mexico.  They also keep us up to date on the work camping at Mesa Regal and also on the friends we made there.
Sunday after church we stopped at KFC and picked up dinner, taking it to Holt where Bill and Jane were parked.  Great to see you again and you look like the life style is sure agreeing with you!!

 

 

The week began with a trip in the motor home to a glass place in Pensacola, only to find out that they did not feel that they were staffed to take care of our problem.  So we had to make an appointment to take the motor home to Mobile AL on Wednesday. 

 

On Tuesday, with wonderful sunny weather in the 80's, we drove down to the Naval Air Museum in Pensacola to see the Navy's Blue Angels in practice.  We had planned to do this when the boys were here, but weather did not co-operate.  But, better late than never!!  Enjoy the pictures.  They are in the order in which they were in the air and on the field in front of us.  We had front row view in our own lawn chairs.  We also ended up with sunburns!!

Prop Trainers were used to start the show.

Fire Truck for Emergency, if needed.

F-18 Blue Angels

Diamond Pattern

The Marine's Blue Angels transport.

Exiting crowd.  There were actually a lot there!

Wednesday's practice was supposed to have an autograph time with the pilots, but that did not warrant going back for us.  They did say that the Blue Angel pilots average age is 33.  Seems so young to us, maybe because we are getting older??



Wednesday will be Blog material for another day since we will be Mobile AL for the day.  Tune in again.