Clearwater, FL to San Antonio, TX 8/31 - 9/ 3/2020

Monday, August 31st, started with some rain, had to pull over one time with rain so heavy it was almost impossible to see the road.  That is how Florida rain can be.  Had a lovely lunch with new friend in Ocala, FL, Jenny and her daughter.  She made us a nice salad and we spent a few hours discussing many things.  Wonderful stop.  Thank you for your hospitality!

After lunch, hit the road to stay with an old friend in Tallahassee, Tiffany.  John and I had met her several years ago couch surfing on our way to Florida, and this was my third night with her over the years.  She's such a sweetie.  She is working from home so it was nice to be able to just arrive whenever.  I took her out for a good Mexican dinner and we had fun.  She has built a new home since the last time I saw her and it was lovely.  She is such a great decorator.  Hoping to stop by on my way home and stay more than one night so we can do something fun together.

Beautiful feather artwork.

Monday, long drive day.  Stopped and had chicken fried steak with eggs at Denny's and it was so good. They do a very good CFS, a favorite of mine.  After 3 solid months of "diet" it was so, so, so good.  Spent my first night in the car at a 24-hour gas station around Baton Rouge.    It was about 90 degrees in the car, so my little fan saved my life.  After that night I decided if it was 90 or above I would have to get a room.  Just too hot.  Again, I reminded myself I'm not 30.  It was an OK night despite the heat and not scary since there were people around.  

Little me in the middle.

Home Sweet Home for the night.

In the morning I wanted to go see something while there.  It was important to me not to just drive, but to find a little time to check out some things along the way.  I've been to Baton Rouge twice before so checked out TripAdvisor for top 10 to dos and decided to go to the Louisiana State University Museum of Art downtown, right next to the Mississippi River.  I had just joined the Imagine Museum in St. Petersburg, FL and it is a member of the Reciprocal Museum Agreement.  I asked if LSU Museum was a member and they were, so free admission.  Very nice, small (perfect sized museum for a morning).  Even had a painting by Diego Riviera.  Thoroughly enjoyed this reprieve from the road that morning.

Fun fountain in front of museum

Another interesting fountain across the street from art museum.

Very detailed hand-carved cross.

This was spun aluminum, picture does not do it justice.

It was so cool and different.

Called:  Cotton pickers.  A very expressive bronze statute

with so much detail.

Ray Charles art piece

Of course, Andy Warhol.

They had a great display of ceramics.

Tuesday I headed to Silsbee, TX.  I drove through Cameron, Louisiana, the city that about 4 days before was directly hit by hurricane Laura and it tore up the area pretty bad.  I got some photos and it was so sad.  The name of the city "Cameron" was upside down on the freeway, just bent over.  There were hundreds of the huge billboards knocked flat along the highway.  I couldn't stop and take pictures.  I was surprised at the damage.  Thousands of line trucks in the area and electrical lines down all over the place.  Sure made me realize that I don't want to experience a hurricane up close and personal.

You know things are bad when a McD's sign is messed up.

My GPS took me to Silsbee on some crazy back roads, but it was pretty.  Went to spend the night with my friend, another couch surfer I've know for probably 6 years.  John and I met Melinda in Galveston, TX when we went on our first cruise.  I had put out a note saying let me know if any couch surfers in Galveston want to meet up for a burger or brew and we met Melinda.  We had stayed with her several times coming and going Idaho to FL.  She and her son, Anthony, took me out for a nice seafood dinner and I had my first Boudin* balls and a bite of alligator.  We we had a good visit. 

Margarita called Bomb Pop

*not my photo

Up early on Wednesday and hit the road for San Antonio, TX.   Had an interesting side trip into a little town, Columbus, Texas.  This is where the Texas Rangers were first established.  Fun and well preserved historic downtown.  City was established in 1837 by European Americans after Texas achieved independence from Mexico.  So glad I stopped here for my rest break to enjoy this charming city.

Opera House

Main Street

This looked like a hole, but it is a rock.

Colorado County Courthouse, still active today.

A lovely building well preserved, 1890.

Water Tower

So many huge oak trees in the city.

Little Cinnamon did great on trip.

I love old theaters

Beautiful home

Tree dwarfs the bicycle rider.

 On to San Antonio.  I had located a couch surfer lady there who welcomed me to spend the night.  She called me and said she'd be gone when I arrived and set her house key under the mat.  I get amazed at how great some of the folks I've met are.  She got home, we visited and had a nice conversation.  She was working all night so gave me her bed and she slept later in the living room.  She's a counselor and helps direct people to therapy during the wee hours of the night.  Nice lady and she has invited me back on my trip home.  How awesome people are. 

Making small space work

On my way out of town I was thinking about my prior trips to San Antonio.  Thought about chicken fried steak and remembered that we had eaten at a place called Jim's.  I was on the "freeway" and looked over and there was a Jim's.  There are several in the area.  An old established restaurant that has been around forever.  I had eaten there when I went to see Robert at Lackland AF base, and again when John and I went for Robert's graduation.  I had to take John since it was so good.  So with all this wondering through my brain I was determined I had to go there to eat.  Well, since I had just passed it I had to drive down about 5 miles to turn around.  Well, if you've ever driven in San Antonio you will know that with their frontage roads, super u-turns, etc. it is a bitch.  I've never been able to drive well in that city.  So turned on GPS,  back on the freeway, all over the place, but determined I was going to eat there come hell or high water and finally got there.  Finally arrived, after about a half an hour, and had a great breakfast, with sweet memories, and it was worth all the effort to get there.

Happened on to this yard on my way to Jim's to eat, had

to pull over and take some photos.  Only in Texas!!!!!

My determination paid off.  So delish.

Out on the road again, headed to Fort Stockton.

Nice little picnic area.

So awesome to see mountain.  I've missed them as you won't

find one in Florida.

I recall John and I saw this mountain and you can probably

imagine what his comment was.  We cracked up then and

I had a good laugh too.

Always with the rules!!!!!

I will say that throughout this trip my mind kept going to memories of all the good times John and I had traveling back and forth of this road.  On the way to Tallahassee I said to myself, OK, you've done enough reminiscing so let's move on and have a new "you" adventure.  I thought I could do it, but John was just there with me the entire trip.  Finally I accepted it and went with the flow.  The drive really did make me miss him so much though.

So weird when up camping when Cheryl said to me, "I haven't had any feathers from John in a long time."  I said, "I know I haven't either."  I even took a little walk up at camp and was looking hard, around trees and on the trail.  Not a feather.  The next day when we were packing up and I was on the passenger side of Mike's old truck I looked down and there was a feather.  Wow, cool.  I went over the driver side to show Cheryl that I had found a feather and looked down on her side and heck if there wasn't another feather -- a really pretty one.  I said, "Here's your feather Cheryl."  So I put the feathers in my car and it was so cool.  Now the weird part.  We get back to Tucson at Cheryl's house.  She asked me if I needed a book to read and said that she had one she thought I might like.  I said yes and later she showed me where she had one of her little piles of books.  I picked up the book and sort of shook something off the top and it fell onto the other book sitting there.  I looked to see what it was and it was a little feather.  Cheryl does not have a bird, or a feather duster, yet there was a feather right on top of the book she suggested I read.  Just amazing.  John was just sending me messages.  I also had a dream he was in the night before and haven't had one that I remember for 2 years.  So he has been with me all along and I thank him for his messages.  Guess he's just going to be my traveling companion. 

Sorry I write so much, wish I could keep it shorter.  I'll work on that for next one.  To be continued.  Comments appreciated.  

*(Boudin are various kinds of sausage in French, Luxembourgish, Belgian, Québécois, Acadian, Aostan, Louisiana Creole and Cajun cuisine.  Balls are formed and then deep fried.  Pretty tasty.)  https://www.google.com/search?q=boudin+balls&rlz=1C1JZAP_enUS698US698&oq=boudin+balls&aqs=chrome..69i57j46j0l6.2449j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8