Chilly weather moves in!

Yesterday we just hung around the house all day.  It started chilly and damp, then a bit of rain and the sun never came out.  Good day for doing nothing!  We read some, played games some and watched some college football.  I made some fried rice for our dinner.



Isn't Boo looking good?  I'm not sure why we wait so long between groomings, we always say we'll keep him trimmed and forget.  And we always seem to cut his hair short right before a cold front!  He's been a 'lap' dog the past couple of days.

 

 

 

I hope these pictures aren't repeats, but I just have to share all this lovely color with my readers.  Today it's still on the chilly side but the sun is out.  Yesterday they came around a blew all the leaves off the sites and sucked them up in this big vacuum looking thing.  Sure was quick work and I'm sure it beats raking them up.

This campground is a busy one!  Every day we've seen rigs come and go.  Some folks just stayed overnight, others a couple nights

Jim is outside taking care of the tires and black tank because tomorrow we head out.  Turning the rig towards the Southeast.  I know Jim will be happy to find warmer temperatures....me too I suppose but I am enjoying this touch of Autumn weather.

Hope the folks in the North East weather Hurricane Sandy with little damage...

Natchez Trace

What a glorious day Thursday was!  I've never been on the Natchez Trace so after breakfast of pancakes with hot peaches we packed a picnic lunch and hit the road.  We stopped at the Visitor Center just down the road from the campground and Jim got to stamp his book.

We then headed north, my reasoning being that there would be more color...
Our first stop was at Dogwood Valley, a trail with interpretive signs, part of the trace and an old logging road

 

 

 

We stopped at an overlook but it wasn't a scenic one like they said...It was just a way to let the viewer know the significance of the area.

We stopped at Pharr Mounds and had our lunch at the tables set up there.  This 90 acre complex has eight burial mounds that date back 1800 - 2000 years ago.  

Our drive continued on passing over the Ten-Tom Waterway all the way to the Alabama State Line.  The day was sunny, we had the windows open and the colors were beautiful..It's been awhile since we've seen Autumn colors.

We stopped at Cave Springs on the way back and had fun looking at this hole in the ground

 

 

From there we just headed towards home.  Made at stop at Walmart for a couple things then home for some much needed coffee.

Jim grilled himself a steak and some zucchini for the two of us and I heated some bbq beans for our dinner.  Along with this we had some previously boiled potatoes

Today the cold front is meandering through, chilly temperatures and some rain so we're staying indoors playing games, computing and watching Netflix

Tupelo, Mississippi

Tuesday was a busy day for us.  After breakfast Jim was outside cleaning bugs off the truck and rig.  I stripped the bed and started doing laundry before I even got dressed. Boo has been needing a grooming for weeks so Jim found a local place and they said bring him in!  So we did.

After dropping him off we headed downtown to see the sights



This old courthouse was lovely and dotted about on the grounds were monuments to various groups.  The main one CSA was a huge thing that defied my camera, it was just to tall.  We strolled up and down the main street but honestly there wasn't much to see.  We did stop in at the hardware store where Mrs Presley bought her son his first guitar.  The store was awesome!  We like old stores like this. One of the guys was just dying to tell us all about Elvis but we didn't stop to hear his story.

Since we were being tourists and killing time before lunch we drove out to see THE house where Elvis was born.  Didn't go in but Jim had to take a picture

Quite small but we can live in small spaces now.  After that drive by we headed out to Elvis Presley Lake and campground.  What a lovely drive!  Of course the Autumn colors are beautiful but the drive to the campground was on a winding road and it's hilly here.  We passed some homes in a rural setting and finally reached our destination.  The campground is small and there were a couple sites we could fit in, but mostly it's an older one suitable for travel trailers and small pop ups.  No sewer hook ups.  As we were tooling around seeing the sights we got the call that Boo was ready.  So we headed back into town to pick him up.  He looks ever so much better!  

After dropping Boo off at home we headed out again...we were already dressed nicely so we headed to Vanelli's, http://www.vanellis.com/ for lunch.  We were told they had good pizza.  And they do!  I also ordered a Greek Salad and we both loved it.  Loaded with cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, onions, green peppers and dressed with olive oil and lemon juice....Yummy!  Of course we had to wash it down with a beer....

Back home after lunch we just relaxed...well one of us did, I still had some laundry to take care of and a bed to make.  We sat outside enjoying this lovely weather

Boo also got a new halter with bling!  Doesn't he look handsome?

We took a walk around the campground and I took pictures of the decorations and plantings

In the field next door we have a blue eyed horse

 

We had leftover pizza for dinner and since it's Tuesday it was CBS and NCIS for TV<<

I love the cool starts we're having for our days.  Yesterday was beautiful and I did turn on the fireplace to take the chill out of the air.  My phone was dead again...can't figure out why it does that.  When I go to bed I turn it off with a full charge.

Jim slept in but once he was up I got busy making the bed and throwing a load of laundry in the washer.  Breakfast dishes done and I defrosted the freezer.  After lunch we made a trip to Sam's Club.  Dinner was soup and salad...

Our evening was spent watching Son's of Guns and Mythbusters followed by CSI

Football kind of day

Sunday morning started out cool but it was very pleasant.  After breakfast Jim went out and aired up the tires on the rig and truck in preparation for our drive to Tupelo tomorrow.  One of the tires on the rig apparently has a slow leak...

Even pleasure boats can be seen on the Mighty Mississippi!  We saw a few motor their way up river then float down.  I'm sure they were searching for a catfish for dinner.



The New Orleans Saints game wasn't being shown on our TV so we watched Eli Manning take his New York Giants to a win and that game ended in time for us to see the last two minutes of the Saints game!  They were in Tampa playing the Buccaneers  and I'm sure their fans we disappointed but not Sonsearae and Chris!  They drove down on Saturday to see the game, it was a first pro game for them and I know they enjoyed every moment!

I can't remember who played in the next game we watched nor the evening game.  But we watched and enjoyed our football Sunday.

One thing I'd like to mention about Tom Sawyer campground, they have to use a pump to get the waste water to go up over the levee.  Well there seems to be a problem with the pump and almost every evening we were there we could smell sewer gasses.  Every time we ended up closing the windows and turning on the AC.  

As long as I'm complaining I'd like to mention how I hate it when folks leave before the sun rises!  No matter how quiet you are there is noise....for the most part when we hear them, you know what they are and you can drift back to sleep.  But not when you have a dog!  Our dog let's us know about strange noises because he believes them to be a threat to us...For sure, no one will sneak up on us in the middle of the night.  But as I've mentioned before Boo sleeps right next to my heart and when he barks and things that go bump in the night I hear and feel it!

So I was up early yesterday when I needn't have been.  I had time to make a pasta salad for our lunch.  We weren't in a hurry to leave as our drive to Campground at Barnes Crossing was a short one.  I think we left just before 1100 and arrived just before 1300.  The drive was easy but we did hit some construction on Hwy 78.  Nothing bad enough to delay us and the road needs it.  Jim offered to stop for lunch but since we only had about 30 miles to go when he made the offer I told him to drive on.  

As we were approaching Tupelo Jim kept reading signs of restaurants, always a sign that we're hungry when we notice these signs!

From what I've seen of this campground it's pretty, especially with the fall colors!  It's a hilly location so the sites are stepped.  Also, I think the sites are a bit narrow but adequate.  Even as we were setting up I was taking pictures!  All of this Autumn color needs to be shared

 

 

 

All of this beauty is right on our site....

As soon as I could I grabbed some pasta salad and had a bit of lunch then got busy setting up inside.  After all these years it doesn't take long.  Once we set up we sat outside and had our customary beer and Jim asked about dinner...remember it's not even 1530!  Oh and he skipped lunch....I told him I could fix something and his face sort of fell...So I said we could go out and he chose Cracker Barrel.

I have to admit our dinner was good even if we ate it earlier than normal.  Jim had chicken and dumplins' with mac and cheese and smothered green beans.  I chose the veggie platter (new on the menu with more sides to choose from) with a baked sweet potato, cucumber, tomato and onion salad, fried okra and smothered green beans.  Cornbread muffins and biscuits came with it.  Jim had sweet tea and I had lemonade. Just half a corn muffin was leftover....LOL

We arrived back home around 1630 in time to enjoy a cup of coffee.  Now it was time to relax after that long, hard drive and delicious dinner

Not much on TV but I did watch DWTS.  This season isn't that interesting to me.

Neither one of us slept well last night and every time we woke up we could hear road traffic...hopefully tonight will be better.  

I'm doing laundry and Jim is outside cleaning the truck and rig.  Seems we found some bugs that committed suicide on the windshield and front of the rig



You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair.  ~Douglas MacArthur

tree house

Thursday started out cooler.  The rain and wind have passed and the morning was just lovely.  Jim took advantage of the soft water here and got the rig all cleaned up from the storm.

There's a tree house here at Tom Sawyer, not sure what they use it for but it could be a meeting place for a few friends to escape the mosquitoes and have a few drinks

 

The furniture is interesting!

 

Inside there is a sink behind the bar and a toilet behind Jim

It's actually built in the tree and someone took a buoy and made a big fishing lure

Friday we had a foggy start with a weak sun.  The fog on the river was interesting as the currents are different temperatures and I could see swirls of fog lifting.  The temperature was much cooler and I'm glad we slept under the comforter!  

I made some fried rice for lunch.  It's real easy, especially if you have leftover rice to use up.  Comfort food for us.  I use onion, garlic and celery with a wee bit of carrot for color and green peas.

For dinner I made Not Chick'n noodle soup.  Jim did the dinner dishes

Yesterday was another cool, sunny day.  I could get used to this kind of weather!  Jim cleaned up the truck and I did a couple loads of laundry. We decided to go out to lunch and stopped at Fusion Asian Buffet.  The food was pretty good and I sure ate my fill as did Jim.  We had soup and hit the buffet and hibachi grill.  Of course Jim had some ice cream and sweet treats for dessert and I had some fruit along with a macaroon and some kind of peanut covered with sesame sweet.  

After stuffing ourselves we headed to Walmart to pick up a couple things and fuel up for our trip tomorrow.  Diesel fuel was $3.83, it seems to be dropping in price.  I wonder how long that will last?

Back home Jim napped while I put away our purchases.  The rest of the afternoon was quite lazy.  Couldn't find much to watch on TV so it was off most of the evening.

Beale Street

Wednesday I was up early enough to see the sunrise....I took a gazillion pictures but I won't bore you with all of them.  The sky was just lovely with purples and mauve's, then the sun popped over the trees and started to warm the earth.  Then it slipped behind the cloud layer and I was treated to another sunrise a few minutes later



We had made plans to cross the river and re-visit Memphis, Tennessee.  So after breakfast and morning chores we headed to Beale Street.  After driving around downtown and seeing St Jude  we attempted to find a parking spot for our big black beastie.  Meters were twenty five cents for fifteen minutes...limit of two hours...so we paid five bucks for a secure lot.  Plenty of room there!

Once we got to Beale Street we just walked up one side and down the other.  Checking out shops here and there.  I told Jim to choose a restaurant and after reading a few menus we decided on Rum Boogie's

The place was decorated with guitars!  Plastered with names of the donors

 

Quite interesting!

 

Jim had a barbecue plate while I had catfish, we both had cole slaw.  I had fries and Jim had potato salad.  We both washed our lunch down with a cold beer!

After lunch we headed towards the parking lot and made a stop at Gibson and got to see some lovely, expensive and reasonably priced instruments.  As we exited the building there was a line of beautiful trees sporting some Autumn color

Afterwards we headed east to hit a couple stores.  We needed a soda cartridge so we found a Bed, Bath and Beyond.  I thought the store was a little small...As we drove down Poplar Street we passed the Whole Foods Market so our return trip included a stop there!  It too was a small store.  I guess I'm spoiled....The stores in Louisiana and Texas are much bigger!

Back home the weather took a turn for the worse.  The wind got worse, clouds moved in and then the rain started.  Jim's phone kept warning us with tornado warnings and watches....made for interesting evening.  During CSI we even lost our TV signal.  We decided to bring in the two big slides because the wind was making a horrendous racket lifting the slide toppers up.

Needless to say we didn't rest well....every time I heard a 'train' sound I listened for the horns.  Shortly after going to bed the winds died down and the rain lessened.

We weathered the night and all is right with the world!

Walking the Trail

Jim decided he needed to go for a walk Tuesday morning so I happily joined him!  There is a trail through the woods and around the campground so with map in hand we tackled the trail.  Of course I took a camera

 

 

I did manage to find some Autumn color and Jim found a snail!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The trail goes up to the levee and then back down again.  Some of it was a bit damp with the recent rains and we couldn't avoid all the mud

 

 

Back home we took off our shoes and Jim hosed them off.  Then I just washed them with the sheets.  I continued with laundry...can't remember what Jim did.  But it was a day of chores

Wednesday we plan a trip to Memphis, Tennessee...