Catching Up Pt 2/FL,ALA,TN Spr 2012

John Travolta's Ocala, FL. home

It's the end of February 2012, and we're beginning our climb north from Central Florida, except we both got really busy with our businesses and the weather reports just a few miles up the road sounded as if Old Man Winter were still in charge. So we decided to head back over to the Bushnell area. It's located basically at the top of a triangle made up of Orlando at the second point and Tampa at the third, and it's a really neat place to hang out. It's about a thirty five minute drive down to Orlando and forty five or so to Tampa. It's very close to some of the most beautiful parts of Florida in our opinion, horse country. The town of Ocala, where John Travolta lives inside his famous airport home compound (read this, then come back) http://www.jumbolair.com/Architectual%20Digest.htm is also very close by, as well as the city of The Villages, about a twenty minute drive. The Villages was a total surprise to us. We thought it was another version of the Sun City style retirement areas...you know, rows of houses, dance lessons at 2, shuffleboard at 4, the typical place for those of a certain age. What we saw instead was a very well planned mixed use city (fastest growing metro area in the U.S.!) that evidently appeals to people of all ages. Of course there are lots of seniors there (it is Florida, after all. They're everywhere!), but we also noticed lots of younger folks and kids too. You may know it because of the Golf Cars.

Smarty (he's the big one) & Golf Cars in The Villages, FL.

Yep, almost everyone there has one...not a Golf Cart, a Golf Car. They look like little BMW's, Mustangs, Jeeps, some have their local football team paint jobs, all different styles to keep them unique to the owner. There have been lots of national news stories on this, and we're told by our friends (and resident RV experts) Linda and Craig in Michigan that The Villages runs ads everywhere on local tv to attract new buyers, mostly from the Midwest and Eastern parts of the U.S. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qrpq5A-KAoA  The place is built around two major town centers (soon to be three). There are shops and restaurants, theaters, walking spaces, water features, and golf courses and tennis courts all around. Everyday at 5pm there's a happy hour with live music, food and drinks, dancing, and visiting with neighbors in each of the centers. It reminded us of Italy. Of course if you run out of things to keep you busy there, you can always drive in to Tampa or Orlando in no time.
As the weather finally started to warm a little, we began moving slowly back along the Gulf Coast. We stopped again in Destin at a great state run RV park..right on the beach. The town of Fairhope was beckoning us back, so we hugged the coastline and headed west, back to the Eastern Shore of Alabama. This time we decided that we'd just live there for a month so we hooked up at another great little RV park where the Southern charm oozes. We started revisiting some eateries we'd already discovered like Pinzone's Italian in downtown, where they serve very authentic dishes in a lovely bistro like indoor/outdoor setting. Another favorite, actually the place that became our hangout when we needed breaks from working, is Jessie's in the tiny town of Magnolia Springs. Jessie's makes you feel like you're back 75 years ago in the Deep South. It's a charming white frame building where there's an everything made from scratch bakery/deli on one side of the building. Townsfolk gather there for morning coffee and breakfast. On the other side is a full service restaurant and bar. The food and service are 4 star! Lots of people from all over have retired in Fairhope, and one of the other attractions to the area is the high quality of very available health care. We took advantage and got dental and medical checkups, and the service was top notch. Living for a month in March was very easy there, and the time flew by, but the open road beckoned. During the winter we had pretty much planned to head north to New England, but the allure of The West and all the places there we had not yet been was too strong, so we redirected through the Deep South, and, as we left Alabama, headed into Mississippi to Tupelo, birthplace of The King........Elvis!! (click on this for extra mood while reading this

M A & Little Elvis in Tupelo

section ( http://www.shoutcast.com/radio/Elvis ) Just writing about this makes me crave a peanut butter and banana sandwich, with a side of Bologna and ketchup!!! You may now get up from your computer to take a break and go make one for yourself...and bring back a Pepsi and some burnt bacon with grape jelly to eat later. Anyway, Tupelo is a really nice little town. It's a little larger than we expected. Lots of big box stores, nice homes, parks, and even a little traffic on the main drags. But then...there is the birthplace of The King. The town leaders have put some thought into the area and made it very accessible and the small museum and grounds are very well kept and even classy. It was definitely worth a stop. While in Tupelo, we took a side trip over to Oxford, Mississippi, home of Old Miss, another very pretty Southern town. With it's tree lined streets, big old Southern style homes, large town square with shops and upscale eateries, it looks like something from the minds of one of the many novelists who call it home (including John Grisham). From Tupelo, we kept heading north to revisit one of our favorite RV parks that sits right on the bank of the Mississippi River in Memphis. We can see the barge and boat traffic constantly moving up and down the river from our dining room window in Harvey. One of the highlights of this Memphis visit were an afternoon at the Stax Records Museum ( http://www.staxmuseum.com/video-images/videos/view/rufus-thomas-tribute-video). Anyone interested in music from the golden era of the Sixties and Seventies would love this place. They have recreated the feel of the Memphis Sound, which in my mind, is right up there with Motown. Sam and Dave, Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Booker T and the MG's, Rufus Thomas, and on and on. A must see for music fans, and as important as a visit to Sun Records. The other highlight was our trip to Gibson's Donuts! Memphis is filled with iconic places...Graceland, BB Kings and Dyers on Beale Street, The Peabody Hotel and their famous ducks, all of the other BBQ joints, and Gibson's is one more. Google it and you'll see the pages of stories and accolades that have been written about it before we got there. We walked in a little after the morning rush and looked into the cases of fresh donuts. The selection alone would make you think right off this is no Dunkin' Donuts!

As you know, we are picky eaters, so we pick our splurges carefully. This place is not to be missed if a trip to Memphis is in your future. A cheerful fellow behind the counter noticed us oogling and asked (he already knew we were newbies), "First time here?" Mary Ann replied to the affirmative, and he began to explain all the little nuances about their donuts. I pointed to a cream filled beauty and before I could finish my sentence, he was off to the kitchen area...said he'd be right back. In a minute or two he came out with a double stuffed, fresh from the back, honkin' huge custard cream over-filled donut that looked like it would tip the scales over. He said, with a big grin, "wanted you to have the best, since it's your first time in!" Then he helped M A pick out of a couple of gorgeous choice winners too. Turns out, even though all the staff behind the counter looked to be very helpful, the owner is on premises and knows just about everyone who walks through the door and engages them in conversation regularly. For a donut shop, it's a rather large place, with tables where the locals take a seat and Don greets most of them by name with a joke or a quip. We visit so many little places in our travels, where you walk in and sometimes feel like you're interrupting the employees. This place is the opposite. Not only are the donuts about as perfect as they can be, the owner takes pride in the back and front of his operation. He came over to see how they were and sat down at our booth next to Mary Ann. We chatted small talk for awhile and when he was satisfied that we were happy, started moving around the place to visit with the regulars. There is something to the stereotype of Southern Hospitality, and Don typifies it. We have mentioned more than a few times, "Wonder what's going on at Gibson's in Memphis this morning..." Guess we'll just have to wait for our next trip back South to find out. Don will probably act like he remembers us (especially when I ask him to repeat his double stuffed custard routine!) even if he doesn't. That's just the way he is...and it ain't bad! By the way our stop there was on the way to stock up provisions at the local Whole Foods. The rest of the day we lived on organic carrots and celery...something's gotta give somewhere.

We pulled out of Memphis and headed for fast stops, first in Branson and then on to Kansas City. Kansas City was a major food stopping point for two reasons. First, there are Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. Second, we were heading up to parts unknown from there, and our refrigerator needed to be overflowing with good stuff. Besides a short stop in Omaha to get Smarty re-tired (new shoes!!), Kansas City was the last larger place we planned to be for awhile. We visited The Plaza, met up with Ed and Pat's friends, Gary and Lana and son, Scott, took in a movie or two, got Harvey serviced at a gigantic Ford truck service center in North Kansas City, and headed up I-29 towards Omaha. Oh, almost forgot. We showed the Kansas City Doll Hospital to our travelling Teddy Bears, Bobby and his bear, Mr. Baby. The hospital's motto is.."We've NEVER lost a patient!" Scared the hell out of both of them when we told them that this is where they'd be sent if their arm, leg, or eyes or other parts fell out! They've been very quiet since....Next up, The Dakota Badlands, awesome Wyoming, and beautiful Idaho! Stay tuned.