Easin' Along

We greatly enjoyed our time in Destin, FL. We didn’t move around very much, and primarily used our three days there to better organize our new camper. As I wrote earlier, this camper has less space than our previous fifth-wheel, so Helen has worked very hard to find a home for our necessities. She did a great job, and Gracey is now functioning better as our second home on the road.

The Destin Army Recreation Center is an extraordinary facility. There are cabins, hotel and motel rooms, and a swimming pool. The Marina offers covered boat docks and rental equipment, such as Jet Skis, to military veterans and their families at affordable rates. The campground is very accommodating for large trailers like ours.

Along the sea wall at the Marina, rocking chairs sit in rows and make for an enjoyable evening of sunset watching over the surrounding bay. I took several shots to illustrate the view.

From Destin, we traveled to New Orleans, one of America’s great cities. There is a lot to do in New Orleans, and we have traveled there many times. We have driven through the Garden District to take a look at the lovely homes there. We have enjoyed the unique French Quarter experience and visited the World War II Museum, but this time, we came to eat.

We camped in the French Quarter RV Resort, about one mile from the Quarter itself. I admit, I was apprehensive at first about what this campground had to offer and whether it would be easy to tow our camper there. My fears were unfounded—the campground was perfect for our stay, and very convenient for what we had planned—finding good food. The only negative about the RV Park is that Interstate 10 runs next to it, and we heard a lot of sirens while there.

My tradition for day one in New Orleans is to rise early and head to Cafe du Monde for Beignets and coffee. We could have walked to the Cafe, but we were in a hurry for those powdered sugar delights, so we drove. Cafe du Monde was packed, but as soon as we walked up, a couple finished with a nice table near the sidewalk. A Jazz Band played softly beside our table. The morning breeze wafted through the open-air cafe. We were cool, comfortable, and in Beignet Heaven. They were as good as I remembered.

Oysters were on the evening menu, and we decided to try the selection at Acme Oyster House. We sat at the bar and watched as Jonas shucked our dozen and made sure we were taken care of. I got the raw dozen while Helen ordered a half dozen grilled and smothered with crab meat and a special cheese sauce. She allowed me a sample—made my day.

The following day, we chose to drive through the Garden District and land at Domilise’s Po-Boy Bar for lunch. My nephew recommended Domilise’s a few years ago, and I can’t thank him enough. The lunch place has been around for nearly 100 years and serves traditional Po-Boy sandwiches that are equal to or better than any found in the city. I ordered a fried Oyster Po-Boy, and Helen selected an Oyster-and-fried-shrimp combo. We washed them down with a local Amber Beer. That’s how to do lunch!

After a long nap, we agreed we should return to the Garden District for dinner at Pascal’s Manale Restaurant and Bar. This fine establishment is another oldie but goodie, opened in the 1920’s. Around 1939, a friend of the owner came in raving about a meal he had enjoyed in Chicago. Soon, the friend and the chef were in the kitchen for an all-night session and ultimately created the Famous Barbecue Shrimp recipe that put Pascal’s Manale on the map. I had to order it. Helen chose a grilled redfish dish with a side of barbecue shrimp. Our server was a delightful lady named Toi, who couldn’t have been nicer or more helpful. She gave us a loaf of the fresh bread used for dipping in the shrimp barbecue sauce to take home. What a fabulous way to wrap up two wonderful days in the Crescent City.

Our next stop is Shreveport, LA, where we’ll be back to Protein drinks and tuna salad, but at least we’ll have the memories of some awesome food. Hopefully, you’ll join us there.

We’re Easin’ Along (burp).

Nearly three months have passed since my last Easin’ Along. I can offer two excuses: I had little to report, and I’ve been very busy. Let’s explore both.

When Helen, Mortimer, and I returned home after a trip to Florida, our RV limped along behind us. It was falling apart after many trips to the West Coast and parts of the Southern states. We thought about giving up the RV lifestyle, but couldn’t…we love it too much. Thus began a frantic search for an RV we liked as much as our previous “glampster.” The process was arduous, but we finally settled on a fifth-wheel similar to the one we had, but two feet shorter.

By trading, we lost some storage, cabinet, and bedroom space. It will take some getting used to, but we’ll make it work. Again, we love the lifestyle.

With no trailer, we had no travel to share, and Easin’ Along went on break for a while. In fact, I took a Social Media break as well. I spent my time settling my late mother’s estate, completing my 2025 taxes, attending exercise class, and searching for a new RV.

There was one noteworthy experience in April…I sold my toy. I have owned a 2008 Toyota FJ Cruiser for over thirteen years and kept it in pristine condition. I wouldn’t even let it get rained on, and I drove it less than 5,000 miles a year. Freddie (my FJ) had approximately 80,000 miles on it when I decided it was time to let someone else enjoy Freddie as much as I did. That someone was a tremendous young man who attended our church with his lovely family. Owen met me after church for a test drive with his father. That sealed the deal, and Owen came to our home later that day to pick Freddie up and give it a new home. It was a joy to see him so excited. It thrilled me to see him so happy.

Suddenly, May was upon us, and we needed a road trip. Cason, our granddaughter in Charleston, was being confirmed into her church on May 3rd. So, we loaded up our new trailer (Gracey) and left Knoxville on April 28, my birthday, for Cherokee, NC, to a new creekside campground very close to the casino. We arrived during peak Rhododendron season in our mountains.

The birthday gods were good to me, and I cleared over $1500 dollars that night. I gave Helen $400 the next day, which she immediately returned to the Cherokee Nation, one pull at a time. Oh, well…at least it was house money.

My son, Collin, and daughter-in-law, Austin, recently built a lovely new home on James Island in Charleston, complete with full hookups for our RV. We parked our Mother-In-Law suite in Collin’s driveway and settled in for a busy weekend. The new home has become quite the gathering place for neighborhood friends, and many of them arrived on Saturday for a Blue Angel Air Show over the Charleston Harbor, which is viewable from Collin’s backyard and dock. Alas, bad weather set in, and the show was canceled, but the party continued. The guys played a spirited round of Left, Right, Center while the ladies enjoyed lively rounds of conversation.

On Sunday, we were all up early and quickly dressed to accompany Cason to Grace Episcopal Church for the confirmation. In total, 72 children would take confirmation vows that morning, a truly blessed occasion to witness. Cason looked lovely in her new white dress. After church, the family went to Grace and Grit for brunch. I was over-served.

There is little I enjoy more than watching Bennett, the eldest of Collin and Austin’s girls, play soccer. Bennett plays a hard, smart, and skilled game of soccer. Her teams have consistently won more matches than they have lost. On Monday, her high school team, Porter Gaud, played in the quarterfinals of the South Carolina State Championships for Independant schools. It was no contest. Porter Gaud won 9-0. On Wednesday, Porter won the semifinals 3-2, and completed the trifecta on Saturday by winning the State Championship in Columbia 1-0. Helen and I watched the game on YouTube, stressed to the max. Congratulations to the team and the coaches for an outstanding year.

The day after the soccer match, the three of us drove to Jacksonville, FL, for one night at the Mayport Naval Station. We love this campground for its views of big ships and for campsites close to the waterfront. One night isn’t enough for us, but we’ll take anything we can get.

Our next stop was St. George Island, Florida, for two nights in the State Park. St. George Island and its bright, white sand are beautiful. We walked the beach on day one, and went to dinner on day two at Paddy’s Raw Bar for fresh oysters and a scrumptious seafood dinner.

I neglected to mention earlier that we have had three mishaps on our trip so far. We put a small ding in the front storage compartment door during a backup from a tight position. We’ve had two flat tires on our trailer due to faulty valve stems. One occurred outside Columbia, SC, which caused a 2-hour delay in reaching Charleston. The other flat happened in the middle of nowhere on the way to St. George Island. We had to wait an hour for the AAA service truck to arrive, but the young driver knew what he was doing and quickly got us back on the road. I will have all the valve stems replaced in Destin, FL, on Monday before we drive to New Orleans.

Helen and I will spend three months on this road trip. I hope I have reconnected with our readers enough to convince you to join us on our travels. We will reach Southern California in mid-June and have no formal plans for the return trip to Knoxville. We’ll just follow our nose.

We’re Easin’ Along on the road less traveled.

Helen, Mortimer, and I left a slowly warming Jacksonville and drove to Orlando. This stop was not on our original agenda, but when we learned that our California granddaughter, Abby, and her high school cheer team won first place in the state competition and thereby qualified for the National competition at Walt Disney World, we quickly rearranged our schedule. We would spend four nights at a KOA campground to support our beautiful red-haired granddaughter.

We attended the 2024 National Championships, where Redondo Union won first place in their division (Large, GameDay, non-tumbling). It was the first year her school fielded a competitive team, and the motto “Why Not Us?” fueled them to take home a Gold Medal. An amazing accomplishment for a first-year program. Abby was a freshman that year, and a few girls from that team remained to compete again.

Helen and I drove out to the ESPN Sports Complex to watch practice on the day before entering competition. I remember doing this two years earlier…it’s overwhelming. I described it then as “an abundance of cuteness and athleticism wrapped in a huge package, held together by a million miles of hair ribbon.” Nothing has changed except the colors of Abby’s practice uniforms (now green instead of red).

Lisa Hedspeth (affectionately known as “Coach H”) is the Varsity cheer coach and makes it known that the Championship is a business trip. Parents, grandparents, and family friends should have limited contact with the team. No distractions are permitted, including visits, dinner out, or even short conversations. When we walked past the team, we got a quick smile from Abby, then went to a balcony to watch practice. Soon, Wendy, our daughter-in-law, arrived to join us.

For this year’s competition, Redondo qualified three teams for the championship. The Varsity would field a large GameDay, non-tumbling team, as well as a team in the intermediate, Traditional, non-tumbling category, a first for Redondo Union. I don’t have the specifics that define each category, but it appears that GameDay is what one sees on a football sideline, while Traditional is a longer performance for the periods between quarters or halves of a basketball game. Don’t quote me. Redondo Union Junior Varsity also qualified a team for GameDay. The Traditional team would hit the floor at 8:40 the next morning, competing against 22 teams from throughout the country. The GameDay team would compete at 9:50 that evening against approximately the same number of teams. We mentally prepared for a long day, but knew that adrenaline would carry us through.

The traditional performance started well, but near the end, one of the girls fell during a lift. The team immediately recovered and completed the program. It was a downer, nevertheless. Two hours later, all of the competing teams assembled in an outdoor arena to learn which eleven teams would advance to the final round. Despite the fall, Redondo Union qualified in second place out of 22 and would perform at 11:00 am the next morning.

That evening, Redondo Union delivered a high-spirited, flawless GameDay performance—optimism reigned. The final eleven would be announced overnight on Varsity TV, a streaming service covering high school athletics. I was up early to check the results. Once again, Redondo Union qualified in second place, just ahead of Maryville (TN) High School, less than thirty miles south of Knoxville. The GameDay final was set for 4:00 pm that afternoon.

The 11:00 am Traditional final was a smooth, polished performance by Abby and the team. No mishaps or falls this time, and the girls felt very good about the results. The awards ceremony was scheduled for 1:00 pm. Helen and I arrived 45 minutes early, but we had to elbow our way through hundreds of Cheer Moms for good seats. The announcers began with the sixth-place team and worked their way down the line. The third-place team received a nice trophy and Bronze Medals for each cheerleader. When the third-place award was announced, only two teams remained, including Redondo Union. Our girls were smiling broadly. Alas, they finished second to a well-deserving team. Many were disappointed, and some were in tears. Nevertheless, they walked off the stage with their heads high, a silver medal around their necks, and carrying the new trophy aloft. Second place is quite an accomplishment for the first year in the Traditional Division.

Coach H refocused the team and mentally prepared them for the GameDay competition at 4:00 pm. When they took the stage that afternoon, any disappointment had vanished. The enthusiasm had returned, and the team went through every movement with precision. When the team finished, some had their doubts about finishing high. They didn’t have to wait long to find out, as the results would be announced 45 minutes later. Helen and I remained in our seats with our fingers crossed. Soon, all eleven teams were seated on the stage, gathered around the trophies and medals. Once again, the officials began with sixth place and counted down to the top three. Our girls were still standing, somewhat surprised. Once again, Redondo Union finished second, but was jubilant at the announcement. Maryville High School finished with Bronze Medals and deserves hearty congratulations.  Abby later told me she was somewhat surprised by the outcome. I knew they had it all along…that’s the grandpa in me.

In addition to the two silver medals won by the varsity cheerleaders, the Junior Varsity also took home a silver for their GameDay Competition. That’s three silvers for one high school out of a 49-page spreadsheet of competitors. Congratulations to all who coached and participated. Competitive cheerleading is a demanding sport, and I’m thrilled that Abby’s team was rewarded for their efforts.

I went back to our fifth-wheel and celebrated by hugging my dog.  We’re Easin’ Along…Panama City and great weather await us. In the meantime, watch this news clip from a Los Angeles television station.