I'm on my waaay...I'm on my waaaay...home sweet home

As anyone who knows us would predict, we had to make another swing through O-town before heading home. Any excuse to keep our vacation going as well another opportunity to see the cousins, G-dad, Bill and Kathleen. 

[EDIT:Mason -  we did not visit this O-Town ]

Since we were in no hurry to get home (and had two screaming kids demanding food in the back), we went to Cracker Barrel during the final stretch. This little visit made everything all right.  Is there a Cracker Barrel food truck in Miami?

[EDIT:Mason - that same method of "demanding" is not as effective when you're 40.  We never did make it to Waffle House.]

We arrived home mid-day on Sunday. It was bitter sweet as it's always nice to come home, yet it's sad to see such a wonderful vacation come to an end.  Actually, Penny wasn't so happy to get home. We pulled in the drive and she immediately burst into tears and said, "I wan go Joja (Georgia)." Smart girl.

A chocolate chip cookie was a fair trade off in her mind.

If we have any advice to share: don't be afraid of a long road trip. What seemed crazy when we first started talking about it, turned into an adventure full of countless hours spanning 2500 miles that we will never forget!

Our last order of the day, return the mini-van. We thought it lacked a little personality, so made some minor improvements.

[EDIT:Mason - it's not a Pea green metallic Wagon Queen Family Truckster with "Honky Lips" spray-painted on the side.  But it did the trick.]

We had fun sharing our adventures (and misadventures) with you all.  You'll hear from us again...

 

Well, I do declare...we’re in Georgia…y’all

Our morning in Savannah provided us enough time to see a few key sites: the Riverwalk, which includes the iconic Waving Girl; historic downtown; and, most importantly, the square where Forrest Gump told his story and shared his chocolates.









In Chippewa Square, where the Forrest Gump bench scenes were filmed.

[EDIT:Mason - That's all I have to say about that]

Regretfully, we were unable to find the inscription from 1921 that I mentioned earlier (boo hoo), but we were able to find the old elementary school on the corner of Bull Street and 34^th.  Fortunately, it has been refurbished to serve as one of the halls for the Savannah College of Art and Design. The last time we saw the school, it was boarded up.  It’s come a long way.

We arrived in St. Simons Island later in the day where we checked into the King & Prince, a resort property on the south side of the island right near the village and pier.

Chillax'n at the K&P.

You guys want to get up at 6:30?  Ok...put on your suits!

We spent a great part of our time in the St. Simons with my aunt and uncle, Elizabeth and Fred.  They hosted us for a couple of terrific dinners as well as a day at the Sea Island Beach Club.  We also got to spend time with Becky, my cousin, and her husband, Casey – this was a highlight for me.

In da club with GREAT Aunt Eliz.

 

Our GREAT Uncle Frisky



St. Simons and Sea Island will always hold a special place with me because this is where I spent our summer vacations every year for most of the time I was growing up. The Golden Isles…there’s nothing like them…





I hope Mom and Dad don't see the photos from the rest of our night!

[EDIT:Mason - I didn't grow up here. My summers were spent mowing 14 acres of grass on a farm in Northern Minnesota. But hey that was special to me also.]

4000 Cadets, 1800 miles and 1 "I love you" later

We woke up in Annapolis to temperatures in the low 70s.  It felt like air conditioning when we walked outside. This worked out great because we wanted to spend part of the day strolling the city’s historic Main Street. Every few storefronts there is an Irish bar with boutiques and gift shops sprinkled in between [EDIT:Mason - its as if the Gods designed this street for Denie and me].



Denie & Bob along the main street of Annapolis



Reese & Penny being taught a history lesson at the Kunta Kinte / Alex haley memorial at the docks.

[EDIT:Mason – one of the great things we enjoy about Annapolis is the proximity of the house to this area. Now they’ve add free shuttle service to and from all the bars!!  What was a 15 minute walk is now a 2 minute golf cart ride]

Did I mention this shuttle is FREE?!

A major highlight of our vacation thus far has been our visit to the U.S. Naval Academy.  We’ve done this before but it never fails to impress each time!  The campus exceeds expectations with its majestic buildings and halls, a fantastic cathedral and beautiful grounds – but, what makes it so incredible is the caliber of students who are accepted, attend, and who will all one day be either in the Navy or Marines. The walking tour really opens your eyes to what it takes to make it!

Bancroft Hall at the US Naval Academy.  This dorm, yes dorm, houses 1200 Cadets.



The Chapel.  The tomb of John Paul Jones is underneath and pretty spectacular.  (He is to the Naval Academy as what George Washington is to West Point.)



[EDIT:Mason – Denie’s great uncle William Cooper attended the Naval Academy and graduated in 1925.  He went on to earn the Navy Cross (their highest honor). He ended his career as a Vice Admiral (three stars).  Penny is already planning to follow in his footsteps…we can’t get her to take off her new Navy hat.]

That night, after debating for a least an hour about where to go to dinner, we decided on a place called Boatyard --and it was awesome. Food was superb (steamed shrimp with bay seasoning, crab legs, salads and a kids’ pizza) and the atmosphere was casual yet sophisticated.  Something occurred during the dinner that was particularly noteworthy.  After several glasses of chardonnay, Bob dropped the “L” word on Mason.  It was in an “I love you, man” sort of way, but it was sweet nonetheless.  Mason beamed and I thought to myself how happy that made me. <3

Bob getting some quality time in with his biggest little fans.

After saying good-bye to Bob, who flew home to Orlando,  [EDIT:Mason – Bob and I did not embrace in an emotional fare-thee-well hug], we left Annapolis in the early am (Wednesday) destined for Savannah, a 10+ hour drive. It was a long, hard day on the road, but nothing we couldn’t handle since we are now hard-core seasoned road trippers. We realized that anticipating kids falling asleep around a certain time was like watching water boil.  It doesn’t happen until you look away. We got distracted by the re-emergence of South of The Border billboards and soon both were OUT.  So we busted out the ear buds and knocked out another gripping handful of chapters of our audiobook!

Arrived in Savannah...in awe that we made it with time to spare and enjoy some BBQ. Unfortunately, someone turned off the air…its hot again.  

Looking forward to seeing the historic district today and are determined to find the bench where Forest Gump sat. Oh yea, one other thing we will look for -- one day my grandfather was walking home from grade school and wrote in wet cement on the sidewalk “FRF 1921.” It was there when I looked for it about 20 years ago. All other sidewalk squares had been replaced, but that one had been preserved.

Planes, trains, and Crabcakes!

(Sunday)

There's something to be said for hitting DC before lunch.  We found a hip and lively brunch spot / pub in Georgetown called Clyde's -- exactly along the lines of what we were looking for. There was terrific atmosphere, and seemingly a lot happening, so much so that we were expecting to see some high profile politicos walk-in. Alas, that didn't happen, but lunch was great nonetheless. (by the way, all the girls here wear cute/casual dresses -- didn't see one girl in pants or jeans. Found that interesting and makes me want to wear dresses more].

[EDIT:Mason] Just to clarify...Denie wants to wear more dresses.  Not me.

 

While visiting our nations capital we had to see some sites, the Washington Monument, the White House, the Jefferson Memorial, ... and the METRO.  We did three stops and circled back, just enough to let the girls ride their first train.  For some reason they found that more interesting than a house behind an iron fence.

 

So...what happens if I climb this fence Dad?

After taking in the atomsophere, the kids decided to get serious and do what they came here to do --- PROTEST!!!! (not sure what, but they were not to be stopped!).

 

WE WILL BE HEARD !!!!! 
DOWN WITH THE ESTABLISHMENT !!

After Reese and Penny made their political statement, we made our way to visit our wonderful family members Esther and Jim (and their daughter, Amy).  They invited us to spend the night in their lovely home in McLean, VA. It was awesome to spend time and catch up on the several years that had passed since we last saw them. 

One of the aspects that made the visit unique was the opportunity to see the largest model railroad in DC and the surrounding areas. 

[EDIT: Mason] Today I learned: There are hobbyists...and then there are SERIOUS hobbyists.  Jim is the latter.  A serious model train hobbyist has a 3000 sf basement with an EXACT replica of an existing rail system.  Which also requires 25 people to operate it at full capacity.  I could go on and on but words don't do this masterpiece justice.  A simple internet search for JD Smith's model railroad will fill you in.  I guess this is what war college grads and men that commanded battalions do after they've secured our freedom.  Hats of to you JD!

(Monday)

Our merry little clan, with Bob in tow, then made our way to Annapolis to Mason's mom's beautiful home right next to historic downtown.  For anyone who hasn't been here, come!  It's charming, historic (I said that) and fun with great pubs, the US Naval Academy, adorable shops, and tons of outside dining on the Chesapeake Bay.  It really makes you feel like there really is history in our country.  No matter what some of those Euros like to say!

Made it just in time for lunch and a 40 minute boat tour.  Tomorrow more seafood and and tour of the Naval Academy!

Bob (G-dad) making tracks to the next stop to quench our thirst. 
Beers and lemonade all around!

Good-bye Orlando... Helloooooooo South of the Border

Bob, always the consummate host

So, you're  my infamous Uncle Bill?

 Getting to know baby Davis.  You got any cute friends?

After a couple of terrific dinners, quality time with G-dad and some fabulous cousin fun, we hit the road this (Saturday) morning.  We'll see G-dad again Sunday when he meets us in DC and Annapolis.

Our 'fare thee well' breakfast at the Mickey Mouse table G-dad bought us

First order of the day: stop in Jacksonville to see my dear friend Sacha for breakfast. We hit a true classic of a diner and had a great, albeit too quick, visit with him. He's like the mayor of Jax, knew half the people there. Big bummer...forgot to take a photo with Sacha.  ...so this one will have to do.

Sacha....soon to be Mayor of Jax.

Next destination is a piece of Americana that everyone has seen as they drive North on I-95 through South Carolina called South of the Border. It's basically an exit off I-95 that exploded from a fuel and food stop to a Mexican themed extravaganza of rides, arcades, restaurants and wacky gift shops. It's a trip for kids and hard to not get sucked in on a road trip. There are signs for this place every few miles for about 200 miles before you get there.

[EDIT:Mason] Today I Learned: The state flower of SC is the billboard.  Who knew a billboard could reach Earth's upper atmosphere, be mounted on the roof top of a dog-house, and painted on the side of a cow.

World's Fastest Ferris Wheel!!!  Are these supposed to be thrill rides?

After a two-hour "work-out" that had Reese and Penny terrorize the gift shops and enjoy some kiddie rides, we hit the road again.  This time we knocked out a good chunk of highway while the girls slept and we listened to our audiobook (Lincoln Lawyer).  Around 10:30 we found a cozy little hotel just south of Richmond and recharged for what will be a busy day in DC!  

We love hotels!

Lion Country Safari...it's not Africa

click to see more

Lion Country Safari was our first stop on our family road trip and, let’s just say, we can’t cross "go on a safari" off the bucket list. On a scale of 1 – 10 (10 being met/exceeds expectations), we would give it a 4. While there, we took a ride on the carousel, the kids rode the train, we had some ice cream, sweated our patookies off, rode around and saw some sleeping lions and then we got the ‘you-know-what’ out of there.

{EDIT:Mason}  Bless her heart and her enthusiasm to suggest a side trip to LCS. Little did I know what I was getting into when we started driving through this place. In case you’re unfamiliar you drive your car through the "preserve" and are extremely close to the animals…when they’re not hiding in the shade or flat out sleep’n.  In any case, there are 82 signs that say DRIVE SLOWLY..or something along those lines. Denie McQueen was behind the wheel and mid-way through this adventure I imagined a headline the next day saying "Florida Mom in Minivan mowes down Wildebeast in Wildlife Preserve".

Some magical moments at the Lion Country Safari...

It was then north on the Turnpike to O-town to see Bob (aka dad, G-dad) and my brother, Bill, super-sister-in-law Kathleen and nephews Jackson (age 4) and Davis (age 7 mos). Getting the cousins together…this was where the real fun began.

We will be in Orlando until Saturday morning at which time we will head on up to Jax to see Sacha for a little breakfast. 

Getting our ducks in a row...

We are heading out today on our family vacation and are extremely excited...

many stops, lots of fun ahead.

Have hats, will travel.

First things first.  Load the mini-van. (thanks mom for the loan)

Our first destination is Lion Country Safari.  We are going to see lions and tigers and bears, oh my.

I would like to give blog props to Krissy for her encouragement to blog our trip!  KP, any suggestions?  I'm a blogophyte.