Day Two - Frank and the Princess (and Orange Soda too!)

In re-reading my posts, I have noticed a certain tone to them. Although I have been accused of being sarcastic from time to time, this constant cynicism must be coming from somewhere else; I believe that I am spontaneously "channeling" Frank (for the UHY crowd). So now, when I find myself in a quandary, I simply ask, "WWFD"?

Remember Day 1 at 3 pm? What I did not tell you was that as we were about to leave, Princess du Mall climbed up in the overhead bunk; and, by royal decree, claimed it as her realm. I said, "Good idea! Store your gear up there and let's get on the road. Your brother can have the couch; but you cannot ride up there, it is not safe!" As I pulled away from the house moments later, I again announced that it is really not a good idea to ride up there. After legs one and two of this trip, I also made the same, only more stern, announcement and it worked out great! When we got to Lafayette, she was sound asleep in her "special" place and is still in it now as we sit in the Walmart parking lot in Pensacola, Florida. Six-foot tall Brian, aka "Suburban Sprawl", also had a great night's sleep on the five-foot sofa (which folds out into a full-sized bed) but, do you think he would take the time/energy to pull it out? Of course NOT!

I know you are all anxious about how the generator is holding up, you know, since Wade bet his reputation on it and all. Well, I was the first one up on day two and had to fire up the generator to make coffee (side note from Cherri - because you know Brad can't LIVE without his coffee! It's the ONLY thing keeping him going!). "To prime or not to prime, that is the question. Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of lean carburetors or by opposing, flood them." So, I half-primed it; and to my joy, it started right up!

A couple of hours later, I am sitting at the table enjoying my coffee, cleaning up last night's blog, smelling the aroma of freshly baked cinnamon rolls that Cherri had baking in the oven; when, Onan breathed his last. I tried a CPR of sorts, "prime, two three, four - CLEAR! - START"; "prime, two, three, four - CLEAR! - START". After a few minutes of this (and a "consult" from my Son) Onan was declared dead. Brian wisely suggested we let it cool and try again - to no avail.

Then I had a thought, put two and two together, and came up with 3.75. You see, I noticed that we were at a quarter tank of gas when we pulled into Walmart last night, thought about buying gas, but we decided to wait. I thought maybe, just maybe, the system is set up to NOT let the generator run when the gas tank gets below 1/4 tank so you can drive to the next gas station. "Surely Wade would have told me about this feature!" So I did not have much hope when I pulled over to fill up the RV. After filling the tank and pulling away from the flammable area, I again tried, tried, tried and then BAM!, Onan was back to life. Neat feature - I'll have to tell Wade about it when we get back. Then again, visions of a folding machete and a smeared prison tat meant that that probably won't happen.

Visiting the French Quarter in an RV is a breeze. Don't let the narrow streets and "No Oversized Vehicles" signs on ALL the parking lots bother you. I have a reserved spot that only costs $20 per day, just two blocks from Cafe du Monde! It is great because the New Orleans Police Department comes by with a payment reminder in a self-addressed envelope, and it even has instructions for paying on the web - what a country!

Cafe du Monde was great, of course. Four orders of beignets and a couple of Cafe au Laits and we were ready to roam the streets. The kids loved the French Quarter. They said it was a lot like Old Town Spring except with AIDS and "Mom, hurry up! Do we have to stop in EVERY store?!" - odiferous was the word of the day. Left, here is a picture of the woman who has been photographed more than Marilyn Monroe and seems to instinctively know when to smile as a camera comes out. At right, here is the lady who was going around asking random strangers if they would like their picture taken with their camera and the reluctant couple who obliged her fantasy that everyone just loves to talk to those friendly strangers from Texas. In fact, the way Carl reacted, I am sure they were married, just maybe not to each other.

I will break here for a personal "shout out" to Vera. This one is for you. I'm being a "good" boy on vacation. Coffee is NO where to be found down here. Honest, there is not a Starbucks to be found!

The signs that New Orleans is still recovering from Katrina are everywhere. Blue roofs, abandoned buildings, blown down trees, and low supplies at KFC. Really, you can have anything on their menu as long as it does not involve a bread item. No "snackers", wraps, or sandwiches. "Then I'll have the snack box with hot wings" I said. "We don't have any wings either" Kashandra said. See, since Cherri is leading this expedition, we know everyone by name. By the time we got our food, we knew Kashandra's life history and she knew our's. She not only knew where we were from; but, that "I" had never taken Spring Break with the kids before, that the rest of Cherri's family goes to school in Clear Lake and Alvin, their Spring Break is next week, we don't know where we are going, and that "life is short and so is Cherri".

What is it about Orange Soda?! While standing in the express lane at our home back in Lafayette, I was there for a while because apparently "20 Items" means "or a multiple thereof" instead of the traditional "or less"; I noticed that 9 out of 10 people who grabbed a soda in the checkout line got Orange Soda rather than the choices more traditional at my local Walmart in Spring. Maybe it is because they are closer to Florida.

It's late now, and we just arrived in Pensacola, Florida because Cherri was NOT in the front seat telling Brad how to drive! Needless to say, he missed the turn off to Orange Beach, Alabama (he admitted to "daydreaming" - imagine that!) and we ended up at the impromptu "RV convention" at the local Wal-Mart in Pensacola. We pulled up along side four other RV's in the "back" lot where all the conventions are held. Cherri was jealous of the "homemade" RV she saw: ton and a half chasis with a bolted on camper and a white picket porch built on the back - it was a beauty!

We'd like to give another "shout out" to our newest great-niece, "Baby Pookie", who was born this day in Lexington, Kentucky, weighing in at 7 lbs. 3 oz., 19-1/2" long! Everyone is doing well, and Anneishka (who turns "4" on Thursday) is so excited about her new little sister! Will let you know, when the poor baby has an official name.

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