WESTWARD HO!  Update Friday, December 13, 2019

Some additional comments on our travel thus far and hopefully we will continue on a more regular basis.
DAY 2
December 8, 2019
Savannah to Tallahassee

We met Peggy and visited ogling her collections of Christmas items.  Peggy, by the way, is looking amazingly well, having lost a huge amount of weight recently.  We agreed it's good to have those pounds gone and good to have opportunities to buy new clothes that actually fit.  We had a lovely dinner nearby and said our "goodbye" knowing travel time would begin early.

DAY 3
December 9, 2019
Tallahassee to New Orleans

Our weather was chilly with some drizzle early switching over to some sunshine later.  Along the way we drove 28 miles out of our way to see nothing (we made a wrong turn but thought it might lead to interesting surprises...it didn't). Later we deliberately drove 31 miles out of our way to see old familiar territory...Ft Walton Beach and Route 98.  Got some gas for $2.36, about what we paid in NC, and made our way to Pensacola Beach just to wiggle our feet in the sand...still cool but a little sunshine.   We arrived at our hotel on Decatur Street about 4:30 and figured out quickly that this city is not like any other we've visited before.  We were given a larger "suite" room with a lovely balcony, kitchenette, and a premium view.  Nicely decorated with whimsical quirky furnishings, it didn't take long to feel comfy.  We were both exhausted so a fast dinner (shrimp platters for each) was followed by an early bedtime.

We seem to come up with oddball questions from time to time...here's one that is actually from Day 1:  We were each given a cookie...warm excellent chocolate chip.  Each cookie is, according to the label, 2 servings, and is listed as having 150 calories per serving with the unit (whole cookie) having 310 calories.  This is some kind of crazy math.  What happens to the 'extra' 10 calories?


DAY 4
New Orleans

JB walked to find beignets and coffee so our breakfast was on our charming balcony before we were LYFTed to the Marquee Hotel in another part of NOLA (actually right across the street from the building that recently collapsed causing havoc and deaths in the city).  We attended a WAY TOO LONG meeting and followed it up by a little email time with a snack before boarding a bus for a very nice VIP city tour.  With parking a big problem and time limited we elected to do this also because the weather was rainy and very windy.  The exterior painting taking place at our hotel was halted because of the wind.

We returned to our hotel after 6 and wandered up Decatur to a recommended restaurant getting wet and windblown only to learn that the place was closed - temporarily - for two private parties, but would open at 7:30 and begin serving again.  So we retreated and waited, then returned at 7:30.  That seemed a good move because Jack's Red Beans and Rice and my Chicken & Sausage Gumbo were both wonderful and perfect for the nasty weather.  And, after dinner, bedtime came quickly.

DAY 5
Wednesday, December 11
NOLA TO Lake Charles, LA

Sunny morning and a nice breakfast in the hotel to start and we left about 9:30 heading for Lake Charles, LA.  We were looking forward to this travel day because we realized we hadn't seen a State Park or National Park yet and really hadn't found decent postcards (more on those later) or shopping
at any point yet.  But this day we had a plan and with good weather we were looking forward to visiting a restored Arcadian Historical Village with promised Christmas influence.  As we neared Lake Charles and the site I said to Jack, something like, "This doesn't look right...".  We were passing through many new neighborhoods with large brick homes...very planned communities.  But onward and finally down a dusty road appeared an empty sheriff's car and a locked gate with a pretty porta-potty parked outside the gate.  No people, no cars, no admission info.  Nada. The hours were said to be 10-8 and it was about 2:30.  We glumly turned around and continued to our hotel.

Our hotel was a brand new Hampton Inn on an odd corner off a new roundabout.  Took a bit of doing to figure out exactly how to get to it, but we managed.  Close by were two possible dinner spots: A DICKIE'S and an O'CHARLEY's.  Well, it was no contest once we realized it was FREE PIE WEDNESDAY at O'CHARLEY'S.

So, another day...no parks, no National Parks or stops of interest.  Surely tomorrow....

DAY 6
Thursday, December 12 and
Friday, December 13
Lake Charles, LA to San Antonio, Texas

Driving through Houston was challenging because many lanes required much watching for our route signs with so many trucks and a 75 MPH speed limit...also lots and lots of heavy traffic with road work here and there often along the way.  We went from traveling flatlands to nicely rolling hills and from swampy trees to airy shrubby plantings.  And the weather improved nicely too...back in the low 70's and partly to mostly sunny.  We arrived at our historic Riverwalk hotel around 4:30 and headed out for a nice walk.  Weather warm and lovely.  We found the shopping area I wanted to visit and had another lovely dinner spot suggested to us.  These places were within a block or two of our hotel so my knees were happy to oblige.  And, OH MY THE LOVELY DECORATIONS on the Riverwalk...all dressed up for Christmas.  I managed to find a few things to tuck into one of the corners in the car that doesn't already have stuff packed in it.

So, day one in San Antonio was a winner and both of us looked forward to today...hoping to pick up a few Christmas items, see more of the Riverwalk area and perhaps a tour, or at least wander a bit more.

And Day 7, today, was a hit, more of a homerun!  We started with breakfast - complimentary - and not too bad, followed by some quiet time on our balcony enjoying warm sunshine...pushing 80 degrees and a gentle breeze to refresh.  We headed out to shop around the corner and found an H&M which of course, meant a look to see if anything had kittycats on that might get a smile from Vati.  So that was a success.  An Artisan Show was happening on the Riverwalk, so, of course, we visited that too.  My feet needed a timeout so we came back to our hotel for an hour or so.  I had a long phone call with my brother, to figure out and fix my camera which I managed to mess up by hitting buttons while not paying attention at all.

A bit later we headed out again for the LaVillita little shopping village just behind our hotel. As we approached the entryway, a man offered to sell us all kinds of Joe Biden stuff and we noticed a large police presence and a bunch of wild-eyed and labeled TRUMP fans.  We asked if Biden was in the area and was told he was expected shortly.  WHO WOULD HAVE GUESSED????  If we had PLANNED this, it couldn't have happened like it did.  So, we did have a couple of glimpses of Mr Biden and we heard his speech and the hecklers, too, as we shopped around.

We stopped when the shops closed at 6 and headed to another recommended restaurant and had excellent Mexican enchiladas and I indulged in a superior margarita.  A band was scheduled at the Riverwalk and that's where we spent the next hour or so.  What fun!  What a day!