Days 49 and 50 Moving On

We left Disney in a heavy rain storm.  It was the first rain in that part of Florida for 39 weeks!  We drove north to Atlanta, Georgia (our 22nd state, by the way).  The scenery in this part of the country has these wonderful low-hanging trees that look a bit creepy.  There are also fields of cotton.  This is Lisa with a cotton plant at a Tourist Center in Georgia.

We spent a night with our friend Melissa and her family in Atlanta.  We had a good visit before coming down with a flu bug.  We quickly moved on to South Carolina to spend the time recuperating with Alan and Tricia (better to get family sick.....)

More Disney!

Days 44 through 48 Disney World

This trip to Disney was very different than our last one, four years ago.  The temperature was much hotter and the humidity made us more tired. But because we were there in October we saw Disney decorated for Halloween.  Minnie and Mickey came to our resort in costume. 

Max and Simon are also 4 years older so their interests have changed from our last visit.  As a result, Lisa spent much of her time waiting for the boys to do their roller coasters:  Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, Expedition Everest, Hollywood Tower, Rockin' Roller Coaster.  She would hold the hats and back packs and trading pins.  Sometimes they would go three times on the same roller coaster!  One advantage of this time of year is the line-ups were manageable.

We did do a few of our old favourite things..... like the Buzz Lightyear Ride.   And we found a few new favourites...... like the Toy Story ride.

Days 42 and 43 Space Coast

Tim was keen to see more than Disney World while in Florida.  He spent a full day at the NASA Kennedy Space Center with Max and Simon and gave Lisa a day off to catch up on blogs and to rest.


There is so much to see at the Kennedy Space Center - the Astronaut Hall of Fame, the Rocket Garden, a 3D IMAX movie about the International Space Station, and videos on the Apollo Missions to the Moon.  There is also something to touch  -- we shook hands with an Astronaut, and touched a rock that came from the Moon.

The most exciting part of our visit was to see the Space Shuttle Discovery on Launch Pad 39A at Cape Canaveral.  Discovery is all set to blast off for its final mission to space on November 1 (now delayed to Nov 3).  Discovery's mission, called STS-133, will mark the 133rd time a U.S. shuttle has been sent into orbit.  The mission is expected to last 11 days. The last Shuttle mission is planned for February 2011 because NASA is moving in a new direction and will no longer be using Shuttle crafts.

Day 41 Gulf of Mexico

Another day of driving through a couple of states.  Today it was from Mississippi through Alabama to Florida.  We took the shore road so that we could see the coastline.  This was our first time putting feet in the Gulf of Mexico.

Days 38, 39, 40 Deep South

We spent a few days with Tim's Uncle Glen in Poplarville, Mississippi.  Glen and his wife, Fran, are building a home on 25 acres in the middle of nowhere!  So we pitched our tent on the deck of their garage.  We were pleased when Fran's son, Brent, arrived with his family.  It was a great family weekend.

Max and Simon really loved having 12 dogs to play with.  They each had a couple of favourites!

The boys also enjoyed driving the ATV and the golf cart around the property.  Uncle Glen even let them help with some of the yard work -- dragging trees and moving dirt with the tractor.

And, of course, there was a pond that had catfish!  Every day was spent trying to catch a few (which they did).  However, the best catch we had was for supper!  We went to a Fish House and had delicious catfish for dinner. 

We took a trip into New Orleans, Louisiana.  We spent the day walking along the Mississippi River and the streets in the French Quarter.  It was a bustling city on a Saturday.  Jazz musicians performed on many streets and we could hear music everywhere we went.  Max and Simon were enthralled by the human statues.

At Jackson Square Max found an artist that he really liked and so he purchased a piece of original art with his own money.  This was a large purchase but one that he will remember and can decorate his room around.  (The abstract fish is his.)

Our other excursion was to a local farm and corn maze.  We spent an afternoon learning how to lasso a cow and shoot an arrow from a compound bow.

We also spent some time in the corn maze and let Orion be our guide.  He loves mazes and we made it out safely!  Whew!

Day 36 & 37 Three Men and a Little Dog

Bill Clinton was the 42nd President of the United States.  In Little Rock, Arkansas we visited the William J. Clinton Presidential Library.  At the end of his tenure, each U.S. President creates a Library to archive the correspondence and memorabilia of his term in office.  These libraries are a method of recording the history of the American nation and the leaders who shaped the country. This is the first such Library we have visited.

The Clinton Library has an exact replica of the Cabinet room and the Oval Office.  It also has interactive displays for kids to practice giving a speech and create a campaign platform.  Very fun! The main displays describe events that unfolded during Clinton's presidency (1993 - 2001) including his near impeachment and bad personal choices.  But the man also did a great deal of good for the children and poor of the U.S. through his commitment to improving education.

"All Americans have not just a right but a solemn responsibility, to rise as far as their God-given talents and determination can take them."  --Bill Clinton, State of The Union address, 1995

 

Elvis Presley was the King of Rock 'n' Roll.  We visited Graceland in Memphis Tennessee.  Max and Simon were familiar with Elvis' music but really knew very little about his life.  Now they know lots!  We enjoyed touring the Graceland mansion with our audio guide and learning about the accomplishments of this humble man.  Simon was especially impressed by the generosity of  Elvis -- there were several plaques from hospitals, charities, and individuals who had received gifts of kindness and money from Elvis.  Max was impressed by his cars -- many colours and varieties!  He also gave away cars!

The Graceland property contains the main house and several other buildings housing memorabilia from Elvis' life and musical triumphs.  We saw many costumes that Elvis used in his stage performances and several posters from the 31 movies that he starred in.  We also learned that Elvis had recorded over 600 songs and won two Grammy Awards for "How Great Thou Art" and "He Touched Me". The Trophy House contains many gold records and other awards.

When he would come down the stairs wearing all his rings, jangling, and ready to meet his guests, I would be as awestruck as any of them.  It's Elvis!  --Lisa Marie Presley, paraphrase from Graceland Audio Listening Guide.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          One thing we did not know is that Elvis' body is also buried on the site of Graceland, along with his mom and dad, and his grandmother.

Martin Luther King Jr was a black Baptist pastor and civil rights activist.  We visited the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee.  The Lorraine Motel is the location of King's assassination and it has been turned into a museum that describes the events of civil disobedience and non-violent protests that marked the civil rights movement in the South.  We learned about Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott.  We listened to tape recordings of President JFK talking about James Meredith and his fight to attend the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss).   We watched a movie about the last days of Martin Luther King Jr and his efforts to help the Memphis City garbage collectors in 1968.  It was this event that brought King to Memphis and made him a target on April 4, 1968.

"Like anybody, I would like to live a long life.  Longevity has its place.  But I'm not concerned about that now.  I just want to do God's will.  And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain.  And I've looked over.  And I've seen the Promised Land.  I may not get there with you.  But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land!"   --Martin Luther King Jr, Mountaintop Speech, April 3, 1968    After hearing this speech, Max believed that King had had a vision from God:  he had seen the future and knew he would be killed.  Perhaps he saw 40 years into the future when a black man would be elected President of the United States.

Pete is a little dog.  We visited Pete and his family in Memphis, Tennessee.  Wendy Porter and her wonderful family looked after us for two nights and we had a blast!!

"Bark!  Bark!  Bark!"  --Pete, translation: who is going to play dress up with me when the boys are gone?