NEW ORLEANS, LOUISANNA

NEW ORLEANS, LA

Destin, Florida was very nice. We especially enjoyed the white, sandy beaches that stretched for miles. There were more Condos in Destin than you could shake a stick at! Why you would want to shake a stick at them is unclear!

We drove down to the waterfront yesterday to take a Dolphin watching cruise. It was the evening cruise on the Southern Star. We saw many Dolphins, both inside the Bay and in the Gulf; more than 25, I suppose. Our Captain told us that a Dolphin's Dorsal Fin is unique, as our fingerprints are to us. Actually, they all look alike, to me.

We left Destin this morning and drove the Coastal route, sightseeing along the way. We stopped in Boloxie, Mississippi and had lunch on a park bench on the beach by a Lighthouse. It was near Keesler Air Force Base; brought back old memories of my Tech School days in the military. I used to come to this beach as often as I could. I loved the Gulf Coast beach back then . It has changed a lot since 1965. Many houses that used to be there are now gone; cleansed by Katrina, I suppose. Gambling is now legal in Biloxie so the Casinos have multiplied like Rabbits!

This evening we ended up in a Worldmark condo on the second floor, downtown New Orleans. I had a Cajun spicy Shrimp platter for dinner; Debby had Linguine and chicken. Mmmmmmmmmmm.

Now to relax for the evening. We will restrain ourselves from going out on the town tonight and partying. We need to cut back!

DESTIN, FLORIDA

Destin, Florida

We have parked ourselves in a spacious two bedroom condo overlooking the white sandy beach of Destin, Florida. We will be here for four days just relaxing and enjoying he 54degree November weather! (At least we don't waste suntan lotion or sunscreen!)

We ate lunch at the Whalestail Restaurant as soon as we parked. It was sunny and the red flag was flying. That meant to be cautious at the water because there are no lifeguards on duty (as if they expected us to go swimming).

Our Condo is in the Wyndham; it's beautiful. We went to Walmart and bought groceries. Debby is cooking a roast in her new mini crock pot! Yum!

The beach has awesome sand! It's as white as snow, making sunglasses a must! We watched the sun set. I was at the water's edge watching he surf and noticed a woman tossing bread crumbs into the air, feeding the Gulls; then abruptly step back with each toss. As she finished and walked towards me, I said, "I see that you are wise enough to NOT toss the food above your head, as I witnessed a man doing that one time"! She just looked at me and in a French accent said, "I do not understand." I said, "Uh oh, sorry", as she walked away. Ha Ha! The French....you gotta love 'em!

ATLANTA, GEORGIA

ATLANTA, GA

We have enjoyed visiting in the Atlanta area. We spent a week with Debby's cousin Kim. It was a very relaxing time of rest. We also spent our final Atlanta night with her cousin, Shelley. We enjoyed being in her home very much.

I was also blessed to have had brief visits with two people I had not seen in many years. My high school chum, Eddie, lives in Big Canoe, GA. We were able to spend some time with him over lunch at the Black Bear Pub on the Golf Course. He took the pictures of our wedding about 41 years ago!

My cousin, Janet, lives in Atlanta and has her own business. I drove to her work on Friday and let her buy lunch! I had not seen her since we were kids. She still has the same eyes.

We went to church at North Atlanta Church of Christ this morning and sat with Mark Doberenz, our friend and co-worker in the Faith from Oregon. We got to have lunch together and visit a while before we dropped him off at his hotel. He is attending a job related training session.

Afterwards, we headed south and ended up in Macon, GA tonight. Tomorrow we will continue south towards Florida, where we plan to have some more down time in a condo on the beach, Lord willing and the hurricanes don't rise!

STONE MOUNTAIN

Stone Mountain, Georgia
Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012

Today we visited Stone Mountain, a large granite monolith standing 825 feet above the park's floor. This one piece solid rock is more than 5 miles in circumference at over 1685' elevation. On its north face is a carving of three Confederate Leaders of the Civil War; Jefferson Davis, Confederate President, General Robert E Lee and General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.

We took a cable car ride to the top of the mountain, not only to see what it looked like but also to get a closer look at the Confederate statues! It was still hard to get a visual perspective of the sheer size do the carving but we were told that a person could actually stand inside Lee's ear or nostril! Apparently the carved area surface measures 3 Acres! It is recessed 42 feet and stands 90' high and 190' in length! It was hard to get a handle on that because one would need to get much closer to it.

The view at the top was good but the surrounding area was cloudy and hazy. We could barely see the City of Atlanta skyscrapers! But it was fun up there! That was the largest rock I've ever stood upon!

One very "cool" thing was the park management has brought in a snow making machine to create a huge snow pile; also, to create sled runs for the kids!

COWPENS Photographs

Cowpens Battlefield Monument

The Scruggs home was built about 50 years after the Battle at Cowpens, but would be very similar to the homes of this era.  The only thing missing would probably be the tree stumps around the log house.

This house was add on to as the Scruggs family grew....he had 11 kids!

This battle was between Daniel Morgan's Army of Regulars and Militia Volunteers (among the NC volunteers was my GGGGGrandfather, Aaron Thomas) and the British commander Lieutanant-Colonel Banastre Tarleton, a bloodthirsty man feared by both sides!

The battlefield today.

If this tree could talk.....

The old wagon road through here still exists much like it did in January, 1781.

Morgan was not only well liked by his men, but he was a brilliant strategist.  His strategy was instrumental in conquering his opponents in less than one hour of battle.  Unfortunately, Tarleton managed to escape, but lost all of his men to the Patriots.

Tarleton and his soldiers came from the far side of the clearing toward Morgan's Sharp Shooters who had been "discovered" by Tarleton's Scouts.

"Make every shot count, men!"  "Target the Officers first!"

Cornwallace beginning in Charleston and ending in Yorktown.

After firing two volleys each, the Sharp Shooters turned and ran behind the second line of defense, reloading their squirrel guns along the way.

Standing where they stood but not seeing what they saw.  

Tarleton's two 3-pound Cannons were captured by the American Patriots, along with all of the weapons carried by the Officers, Soldiers, Dragoons.  Also, the Highlander's Bagpipes, horses and Ammo.  

Daniel Morgan was a smart man and an excellent leader.

The notorious butcher, Banastre Tarleton lost with 110 soldiers killed, 200 wounded and 712 captured and held as Prisoners of War. My Grandfather was among those commissioned to guard the prisoners.

Visiting any battlefield, to me, is an honor.  As a Patriot and a descendant of Patriots, I hold these men up as our heroes.  Every Fourth of July, I cannot help but remember those who gave their lives to fight for the freedom they so much desired.