Darla and I have been in Texas for awhile. We were in Rockport near Port Aransas for a month. Now we are in Galveston for a month. Texas is wonderful. It is HUGE — there are deserts and forests and grasslands and of course beaches. We are at Jamaica Beach RV Resort. Really a great park, a lot to do in the park — 2 dog parks! But, as always, the best part for Darla and me is how nice the people are. We are kind of beloved. People are always stopping to see us…. bringing us treats. One extremely wonderful lady comes all the way across the park everyday…

Darla is my scribe and she is starting to get the hang of typing with no opposable thumbs! Good work Darla. So, we are in Rockport Texas. On the Gulf Coast at a section called the coastal bend. It is really nice here. First spring break week and it got cold — really cold. 48 degrees cold! That is 9 degrees for our Canadian friends. In there is quite a lot to see and do in Rockport. Two of the most popular things to see are trees. Both are Texas live oaks. Just like southern live oaks but more drought resistant and they sometimes have multiple trunks. The first tree…

During February we stayed at a state park on St. George Island Florida. St. George Island is a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico. St. George Island was amazing and beautiful. It is on the Forgotten Coast near Apalachacola. The next island over is Dog Island. Darla has become obsessed with Dog Island. It s smaller than St. George Island — a mile wide at the widest point and 7 miles long. Darla read that it is a sanctuary for all breeds of dogs. The website says “Over 2,500 dogs are already enjoying a better life at Dog Island. Separated from the anxieties of urban life, dogs on Dog…

Darla heard there were alligators and she wanted to see them. She has some vague notion of wrestling one. Gulf Shores has a resident alligator name lefty. Lefty lives along a bike trail. So, we took a long bike ride today. There are so many bikes and trails in this park. We have never been to a more bike friendly park. Unfortunately — well actually fortunately— Darla did not find Lefty or any other alligator. The park was going to have stargazing at the beach tonight. But, the fog rolled in again….. no stargazing.

Darla & I are still at Gulf State Park in Alabama. Darla went looking for a bobcat on Bobcat Trail. No luck. But she was excited — she was barking and carrying on — I think the whole park heard her. But the big news of the day was the fog. It was crazy. The beach was so foggy all day. It started last night and is going straight through until tomorrow. And when I say foggy I mean FOGGY. I lost Darla in the fog a few times. As Yukon Cornelius says “this fog is as thick as peanut butter.” The surf was pounding a bit. Swells were 3.5…

Darla has been hounding me —-😂😂😂 pun intended to get back at writing the blog. I have been remiss in my blogging. A lot has happened this trip. We have been to a lot of places…. So, as I said, we started out on my birthday the end of October. Had to get away from NY for the winter. And thank goodness we did. 200” this winter or something crazy. 6’ of snow — 2 different storms. When you have 5” legs, deep snow is scary. That picture is from years ago — Darla still lived in Vermont. Darla is shorter than me so deep snow freaks her out even…

Well, I didn’t finish last years trip. But I will try harder this year. So, it was my birthday again. I got up and after awhile the girl put me & Darla in her car. We drove over to my basset bus and off we went for a new year of adventure. I glad. There were some cold days! The weather was beautiful for my birthday but time to head south again. Last year for my birthday I was given the basset bus. This year for my birthday we are heading south. Did I mention I am 5? 5 is a good age. Darla is ready to go to the…

Not a lot to say about it. You would think a perfectly round lake would be man made — but it is natural. The pictures from the internet below tell the whole story. Pilots call it Silver Dollar Lake and use it as a landmark. Darla and I went up to the lake but there was nothing to see — can’t get near it because it is all cottages and houses. It is the oldest and highest lake in Florida.

Darla wanted me to explain Stateside’s role on the Drum. She found this article… I hope the Bowfin Museum does’t mind. Submarine Macots (Pets) Bowfin Museum June 8, 2020  During WWII, many submarines carried dogs or cats as mascots. Dogs could serve a practical function, leading patrols onto foreign shores to search for food and barking a warning if there was danger.  Cats have served as pest control on ships for centuries.  Any and all submarine pets provided relief from the monotony of being at sea for months on end. USS Gar (SS-206)  had a dog come aboard while she was in Hawaii on her 10th patrol.  She was a…

Darla is a huge fan of Stateside — a dog who served on the submarine USS Drum during WWII. So, we had to go back to Battleship Park and take a tour of the Drum. There just was not time when we toured the Alabama to see the sub. The Drum was a Gato class sub. It received 12 battle stars and sank 15 ships during WWII. It was very small. It made the RV feel roomy — no torpedos on the RV. The Drum is 311 feet long with 75 sailors and 8 officers and of course Stateside.