Yes, the little flower has only one more week of work left and then she enters the world of

R E T I R E M E N T!!

Yes, siree Bob, I offically retire September 1st which means I only have 1 more week to go! And, yes, they already know they're gonna miss me when I'm gone. Evil laugh!!

Bluebonnet and East Texas will head off on our most excellent adventure on Monday, September 5th.

We bought a new Ford F150 pickup (hey - I'm a Texan, right?) in June and we are hitting the road for a two week adventure.

We leave the Houston area and drive to Hattiesburg, MS.

Then we will drive from Hattiesburg to Knoxville, TN.

Then from Knoxville, TN to Arlington, VA and a much anticipated 4 days in the Washington DC area.

Then we drive to Mount Vernon, VA and on to Colonial Williamsburg, VA.

Then we drive to Kitty Hawk, NC (that is IF Irene doesn't tear it up) and from there to Charleston, SC.

Then from Charleston - well, we haven't decided if we are heading to Savannah, GA - Pensacola, FL - New Orleans and home

or

Atlanta, GA, New Orleans and home.

I can't wait!

A little over 4,000 miles. Whew!

And, yes, I will post pictures when I can so you can see my beautiful part of the country.

I'm not disappearing from here just taking a well earned vacation with my brown eyed handsome man!

Good for you, you sure deserve it, both of you. Have a wonderful time and stay away from the New Madrid area!

Good for you girl, I cant wait for the reports and photos of your trip..

I can't believe it! Today is my very last day EVAH to work!



There is so much joy in my heart - it truly is full right now.

Now if this dad gummed tropical whatevah will either come in as a depression or go away - we can leave on our lovely trip!

I wouldn't let my family give me a retirement party this weekend because I just KNEW a hurricane would put the quietous on it.

Had no idea at the time that one would devastate the area where we plan to go.

We've made some modifications to the last leg of the trip - no Outer Banks, Charleston, etc.

But we get to go to the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi, MS. I have a $20.00 bill folded up in my wallet (my mad money, ya know?) and I'm gonna see just how fast I can lose it at the slots.

Yep, East Texas and Bluebonnet last of the big time gamblers!

Congrats Blue

We made it to Arlington!

Rained on us from about Alabama til DC but the rain was off and on. Nearly froze to death in Hattiesburg - it was 58 degrees! Brrr!!!!

East Texas loved the hotel outside Knoxville TN - it was next to a Bass ProShops! LOL

Had a picnic lunch today on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia. Lots of beautiful country and some lovely pics to share later.

Folks have been so nice to us! Texans just naturally seem to attract nice people!

Off to the Smithsonian and the Mall tomorrow. I can't wait.

Ya'll keep the world in check for us.

Yes, I've seen the terrible fires at Bastrop! We used to camp there every Christmas and it just sooo hurts my heart to see it in flames.

TTFN

BB

Thanks for the update Blue, drive safe and we look forward to the next update

Hey Blue - missed your EVENT! Well done and Congrats to the n-th degree, You sure enjoy that trip and stay out of the black-out zones. Seems the Sun is playing havoc with the grid since yesterday...

Safe Travelin!!

Enjoy, enjoy, you both deserve it. We shall use our thoughts to keep all tropical anythings away from you.

Thanks all!

We arrived back in good ole Texas on Thursday. Lots to tell you and not much time right now - more later.

Turned around Friday and went to Galveston for the weekend with the kids and grandkids.

The house is stacked to the ceiling with dirty clothes.

Today is a bit surreal. Woke up at 5:00 am to the lovely sound of rain on the roof and the realization that

I DID NOT HAVE TO GET OUT IN IT AND GO TO WORK!

Doin' the happy dance!

I have pics to post but must be a domestic goddess for a bit!

TTFN

BB

Glad your home safe Blue.


Cant't wait to see the road trip report with photos.

Now that ya aint got no work you can really tell us a good story

Don't know how good the story is but here goes...

Hattiesburg, MS was a big yawn! Sorry to any Mississippians here but, DUDE, seriously?

I will nevah, evah, nevah stay in a Marriott hotel again. And Logan's Roadhouse totally sucks!

Blech!

On to Kodak, TN just 20 miles from the birthplace of Dolly Parton and Pigeon Forge. Totally missed a really nice county fair here - raining cats and dogs. East Texas lurved the hotel 'cause it was next to a Bass Pro Shops!

Here's a pic of a tiny portion of the Great Smokey Mountains.



From there on to Virginia and Arlington. Here is a pic of DC



This was from the tour "Monuments at Dark." Gotta give 'em a plug - great tour.

We took this tour on Saturday, 9/10 and had a very scary experience. As the trolley was pulling into the Capitol area, we were stopped and boarded by Capitol police. The officer was holding an automatic weapon and made eye contact with each person on board - about 40 people.

He looked like he would shoot at the slightest provocation.

And here is a pic of my souvenir:





Seriously, it's the Hope Diamond at the Museum Natural History. Sigh!

Ladies - that is the biggest darn rock ya evah saw!

We visited the Museum of American History and saw the First Lady's gowns. Way cool!

Saw R2D2 and Julia Childs' kitchen.

Her kitchen was soooo awesome!

Saw Archie and Edith Bunker's chairs.

Went to the Museum of the American Indian, too. That was a beautiful buildings with a great cafeteria serving food from all over the Americans. They had bison burger!

It was kinda sad, though.

Visited the Botanical Gardens and saw the First Lady's fountain.

Since both of us had already been to DC separately we tried to do things we hadn't done before.

Went to the Eastern Market - that was very interesting, too. Discovered a Belgian sandwich shop serving open faced sandwiches run by Ethiopians. Only in America, right?

The Museum of Natural History was very interesting, too. Here's another pic



That, ladies and gentlement, is the ancestor of the horse.

Went to a restaurant called Jaleo by chef Jose Andres. He is on the Cooking Channel and Food Network.

He started the whole tapas craze in the US. Wow! What else can I say but wow! The food was awesome and the service even better. This was in Pentagon City.

Went to a farmer's market in Falls' Church, VA and scored some huge peaches and locally grown apples. Also bought some artisan cheeses for the picnic lunch on Sunday.

We left on 9/11 and got caught in a huge traffic jam near the Pentagon Memorial. All the 18 wheelers were stopped on the outskirts of DC.

Oh, forgot to include this picture - this monument made me cry a river! For you see, my Dad ran a landing craft that landed the Marines on Iwo Jima. He always told us the story of seeing the second flag raising on Mount Surabachi (sp?).



We also saw the Jefferson Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Korean War Memorial and the Wall.

I was really glad I saw the Vietnam Memorial at night. I must confess that I totally broke down and boo hooed. It was very emotional.

And that's all I'm gonna say about that.

On to Colonial Williamsburg...

Looks more Like a Dog then a Horse!

Yes, Freak, it is about the size of a cocker spaniel.

Colonial Williamburg was not what I expected. I think they are more interested in preserving the buildings than actually showing how folks lived.

I thought I would get to see some demonstrations of colonial life - yeah, not so much. The wig maker, weaver, blacksmith, etc. all turned out to be shops.





As East Texas said "they need a bit of Disney here."

We drove to Yorktown after spending the morning at Williamsburg. This is truly the birthplace of this country.

The embankments are still there - didn't go into the Visitor's Center because they charge for it.

This picture was taken in the actual town of Yorktown and it commemorates the battle.



This picture is a model of the Betsy, a British ship that sunk off Yorktown, Va. in 1781. General Cornwallis scuttled this ship and a number of others just off shore to protect a beach from the French navy, which was going to attack him to stop his siege of Yorktown.

Left Williamsburg and drove to Greenville, SC. Missed the Outer Banks due to Irene, sigh.

From Greenville we hauled it through 4 states to Biloxi, MS and the Beau Rivage for some gambling.

This is a view of the Gulf from our room.



I swore after Aruba that I would nevah, evah allow East Texas to filch my winnings from the slots.

Yeah, uh huh. I was winning on a great machine and cashing out. Next thing I knew HE was using my winnings and promptly LOSING.



We lost about $100 but had tons of fun.

We closed our 4,000 mile loop at Slidell, LA and then

Hello Texas!



Isn't that big ole Lone Star bootiful?

Forgot to tell you about the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia. It was awesome, too.

All-in-all we had a great time. Got home on Thursday the 15th sick as a dog. Around Williamsburg I realized I had forgotten my allergy meds and the cedars and pines kicked my bootay!

Arrived home with a sinus infections, both ears infected and bronchitis.

Hurried to the doctor 'cause the little flower still had another adventure. Met the kids and grandkids in Galveston at a beach house we rented for the weekend.

We had a great time there, too!

Now, I'm back to being a domestic goddess and loving it!

fab report BB - thank you.

Blessings for your wonderful new life at home!