V5N1A

The Broke Spoke and.....

Our first New Year's excursion was over to the Gulf Shores of Mississippi. It was a 2 hundred mile journey over and back, and on the way, we took a little detour to Kiln, MS. For those of you who are NOT Packer fans, it's the hometown of Brett Favre, Green Bay Quarterback extraordinaire. We recognized the place immediately from the big sign, "Welcome to Kiln, MS Home of Brett Favre." It can NEVER be said that we don't have a firm grip on the obvious. Not so obvious, was the way to the hangout of his "youth." We had to ask for directions to the bar with all the paraphernalia. The Broke Spoke was a block away down a side road. It was closed so we continued our journey to the Gulf Shores. With the sun shining for the first time in 4 days, we drove through all of the towns of the shores from Bay St. Louis to Ocean Springs. Beautiful, expensive homes and multi-million dollar casinos dot the landscape all the way. Turning north to the Interstate at Ocean Springs, we hopped on I-10 and headed back west.

A second stop for a beer at the Broke Spoke in Kiln revealed quite a site. The bar, which nearly burned to the ground 2 years ago, showed no worse for the experience. A "dive" would be expressing its condition kindly. Ladies undergarments hung from the ceiling everywhere along with hats, T-shirts and jerseys of the Packers. We noticed the barstools were too short for the bar when our beer cans sat at the same level as our Adam's apples. There are names written on every square inch of the inside of the building, including stools, tables, walls and ceiling. We drank our beers and headed for the exit, but not before the usual T-shirt purchase, of course. Back on the road, and headed for home, we noticed the utility posts in the town campground were painted Green and Gold. It could have been just coincidence. But maybe not!

Brits Abroad

We came across a pair of new friends while we scouted out the campground in Gibson, Louisiana. Much by accident, we met Mike and Jenny Davies at the indoor pool and discovered they were from Wales in Great Britain. We immediately took a liking to the couple and over the next couple of days listened to their stories of camping in Europe and in the United States.

They purchased their motorhome (Coachmen) in August and were traveling the US for the next year. They had started their journey in Florida, so we had met them at the virtual beginning of their travels. They were in the process of going to Livingston, TX to join the Escapees, to get an American Operator's License so they could tow a car. Without the license, insurance companies won't allow you to tow on an International License.

Before we parted company, we made some recommendations to them about places to stop along the way. Because they would be going through Broussard, LA we told them about Sicily's Ultimate Italian Buffet, and they told us about Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World in New Orleans.

A couple of days later we caught up to them on the highway, and waited for them at the Texas Tourist Information Center at the border. We asked if they had stopped at Sicily's. They laughed and said after they got done eating there, it was a good thing they were only going down the road a half mile or so, cause they couldn't go any further with their full stomachs.

Sicily's has become one of our favorite eating places over the past couple of years, but at the present time they are located in Louisiana and Mississippi only. So after a brief eating binge, we must rely on our other favorites as we head west. It will still be our pleasure to steer people who love good food, to Sicily's.

Gated Art

We have been driving through the Texas Hill Country for a few years now, and one thing stands out very uniquely. We have observed the front gates to the ranches that exist here. They are the largest collection of original construction we have ever seen. They range from wooden structures, to wood and stone, to wood and cast iron, to fully cast iron, to a combination of any of the above. This time through we spotted a number that had two waterfalls on either side of the entrance road. There was no body of water, only waterfalls and it was striking. We also noticed on this trip through, a double gate about 12 feet wide, of decorative cast iron, depicting horses and riders in all their splendor.

We have seen this on every trip through this area, and it doesn't seem to appear anywhere else in Texas. In all fairness, we haven't seen all of Texas........I don't think anybody has.

Drug Induced Paralysis

Receiving a visit from Mr. Kidney Stone in Texas, I was required to have an anesthetic to remove it. This is my experience with a spinal block. I was told that it would only be a temporary (couple hours) thing and I would be able to go home that night. First, they sit you upright in a yoga position, and then they inject the numbing solution in your lower back which is relatively pain free. Then the adventure begins. 20 minutes later I was separated from all feeling from mid-chest to my ankles. Being the Pillsbury Doughboy with no feeling is somewhat accurate. I likened it to being wrapped in foam rubber. Your hands can feel your body, but your body can't feel your hands. If this sounds a little weird, it is. In short, the "couple hour" block got me admitted to the hospital, when it didn't wear off. By 2:30 in the morning my ankles were attached to my body again, however, walking would have to wait another couple hours. I was fine by morning.