Houston

HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM

We spent seven hours at the Johnson Space Center. It was awesome. There were all kinds of space exhibits, both interactive and to observe. We were able to take a tram ride out to Mission Control. I loved this, but Lilly thought it was boring. I told her, "think of it this way-how many kids can say they've been to Mission Control, to the *real* deal, and see where they are building *real* rockets?" That helped her a little bit. Jackson thought it was so cool. They all wrote down facts in their journals. Here are a few of their favorites:

1) by the year 2020, NASA plans on having a permanent base on the moon, and by the year 2030, they plan on having a base on Mars.

2) Space travel flies at speeds of 17,500mph, which means, the shuttle can orbit the earth every 90 minutes and can fly five miles per second.

3) The flight Director is the top boss at Mission Control, and he/she even has more power than the president over the crew and the mission.

4) Astronauts live on the space station for months at a time. It is an international space station and has 15 countries working together on it.

5) When the space station is completed in 2010, it will have living quarters about equal to a 5-bedroom home.

The kids' favorite part was playing in this "Kids Matrix" which was a glorified ball pit. It was 4 stories high and had all kinds of space themed toys etc. I had to beg them to leave the Space Center at 6pm. It was dark and I knew we had an hour drive to our campground.

Make that two hours to our campground--traffic was like driving through LA. It was after 8pm when we arrived. I pulled in and went to the "night registration" table (for late arrivals, after the office is closed). I looked on the map and it said that there were no sights available. I had forgotten that it was a Saturday night! This was the first time we've encountered that problem. I logged onto the laptop to find another place to stay. No luck, this was the only one. It took us an hour to drive *to* the Space Center, we spent seven hours there, and then we drove two hours to the campground. I didn't much feel like driving some more. We snooped around in the dark for a bathroom, and then I continued snooping around the park. I found 3 open spots. It was a little like breaking and entering. Goldilocks and the Three Bears working together. "This spot looks just right." We snuck in, (how does an RV sneak in??) and parked. I backed us into the spot in case we had to leave in a hurry. We read by flashlight so not to draw any attention to ourselves. It was the perfect excuse to get to bed early.

At first light, I pulled us right of there and headed to Austin. The kids stayed in their beds. Once we got to Austin, I found another campsite--the first one was soooo scary, I wouldn't have park my broken down car there. Now we're doing school and then we'll head into town and see some sites. Tonight we'll have real Texas BBQ (sorry Krissy!!) and ice cream from "Amy's." (Thank you Steffi!)

SIGNS FROM HOME
Leaving Houston we knew we were getting closer to home. In the Space Center parking lot, we saw our first CA license plate since we left Wyoming. We also saw Macy's and Costco! Three weeks, and we'll be home. I can't believe it.

TGIS
Thank goodness it's Sunday. Navigating through downtown Austin is sooo much easier! Hardly any traffic to speak of, so it's much less stressful.

There are a LOT of pick-up trucks in Texas!!!

$1.95

The price of gas in Texas is $1.95! How great is that??!!
We left the scanky Inn this morning at 8 and drove to Houston, 3ish hours away. We're at a KOA, not the crowd favorite, but it will suffice for tonight. Kids are playing in the park, we'll do school this afternoon. Tomorrow we'll head to the Space Center. That's about it for today.

The Lonely Star

What an interesting night we had. At 2am, HUGE raindrops came pounding down on the RV. The wind was howling, and at one point I thought there was hail. I was "upstairs" (what we all call the top bunk), and I was lying there thinking, "I hope the caulk is still good..." It was, and we remained dry. The wind kept whipping around, and I thought we might be like Dorthy and Anutie Em with the RV floating up into the sky. I peaked out of our window and saw all the other RVs still on the ground, so I figured we weren't space bound. The rain finely ceased so sleep could resume.

When we left the campground and headed to Dallas, Sam saw the Texas state flag and said, "Look! There's the Lonely Star!" I thought it was classic. Jackson did correct her and said, "No Sam, it's the LONE Star." Who knows, maybe the Lonely Star will stick.

NEVER have I seen such a maze of freeways than what I witnessed in Dallas. I prepped the kids early on in the day saying, "I will be *very* focused when we drive to the museum, so please no yelling." They complied and we made it to the 6th Floor Museum just fine.

Coincidently, the weather today was as beautiful as it was on the assassination, nearly 25 years ago this month. The museum is in a 20th-century warehouse known in 1963 as the Texas School Book Depository. We stood on the 6th floor, looked out the window where Lee Harvey Oswald aim his fatally imposing shot, and imagined the motorcade passing below on Houston and Elm. The original footage that we watched was awesome and very moving. One thing that Sam liked about the museum today was the movies. Jack liked it because it just focused on one event.

From Dallas I navigated our way through the beginnings of rush-hour traffic and headed south towards Houston. I couldn't find a safe place to camp, so we're in some dumpy little Inn for the night. It's nice to at least be an hour closer to Houston for our drive tomorrow, but I can't wait to be out of here, and the sooner the better!

I'm much less clausterphobic today than I was last night with the kids. The RV seems to be getting smaller and smaller... I'm wondering if by the time we get home it will feel like four people riding in a motorcycle side car.

No pictures tonight as photos were not allowed in the museum. Lilly took some shots of Dallas as we drove in, but I didn't download them. You can look at a picture of Dallas on the web....maybe find JR too.

The stars at night, are big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas

It's true, the starts are bright in Texas! It's funny to think that this morning we were in the south (Mississippi), and tonight we are in the west. We left Mississippi, drove straight across northern Louisiana and continued into Texas. We were making such good time, we just kept going. It's great for our mental health to be in Texas as home seems to be on the horizon now.

Our campground is great-fishing, tennis court, basketball and nice weather. Dallas is about 45 minutes to an hour away which is perfect for tomorrow. Our plan is to tour the 6th floor museum which is all about JFK. It should be fascinating. I'm a little nervous to drive into the city. People have been clear in their suggestions regarding my timing and directions.

Thanksgiving is three weeks from tomorrow which is hard to believe! We really are getting down to the end of things. Tonight the kids talked about all that they have learned and how (in their mind) this trip has changed them. Sammy said she feels stronger, "like I have stronger muscles." Lilly said she felt "more giving" because of the Heifer program. Jackson thinks he has a greater appreciation for the ourdoors. I think he already had that.

We've got some great places to look forward to, but I think we're all starting to look forward to just being home.

An Historic Day

The irony of touring Vicksburg Military Nat'l Park on the day of an historic election is quite remarkable. Vicksburg was amazing, as this election has been. I hired a guide to drive the park with us for two hours, and what a great idea that was. Gary told us so many stories, and we just listened, enraptured with every detail. The deal was I had to let Gary drive the RV. One might think I was happy to relinquish this duty, but as it turns out, I am more protective of the Turd than I had thought. At one point, I had to potlitely ask Gary to *slow* down, especially on the turns, as I was losing my load! Things were falling all over the place, and Jack and I silently made "Oh my goodness" faces at each other. Gary didn't hear things banging around in the back...had to do a little pick-up after the drive.

Vicksburg was (along with Gettysburg) one of the great wins for the Union. From the start of the Civil War, control of the Mississippi River,south of Cairo, was vitally important to the federal government. Set atop a high bluff overlooking the river, Vicksburg was protected by riverfront artillery, a maze of swamps and a ring of forts. President Lincoln called Vicksburg "the key." He believed "the war can never be brought to a close until that key is in our pocket." Gen. Grant lay siege on Vicksburg for 47 days. It was July 4, 1863 when the Confederates officially surrendered. Over 10,000 men died here and more than 600,000 men in total died in the Civil War, more than any other US war. There is a cemetary where 17,000 men lay in rest. Unknown soldiers make up 13,000 of that total, leaving only 4,000 named soldiers.

The kids very enthusiastically filled out their Jr. Ranger programs and earned another badge to add to their Nat'l Park collection. All in all, we spent four hours touring the park and loved it.

After lunch in the parking lot, we drove through historic downtown and stopped at the Coca-Cola museum where the first coke was bottled in 1894. The kids order "coke floats" and we walked down to the river. We also stopped at an antique doll museum which completely creeped me out. It seemed like the perfect setting for a horror movie where all the dolls come to life. We lasted 10 minutes. Jack was on my side about that one.

From downtown we drove to Wal-Mart. Why don't they sponsor me??? I had to pick up a new battery for the RV and some paper goods. Tomorrow morning my drive-by service guy will come and install it. I love that.

Since it's a big, big night, I'm hoping to see the election with the kids-we'll have to stay up late here to learn about the results. No matter what happens, it will be one for the books, and one that the kids will be sure to remember.

Tomorrow we'll head to Shreveport, LA for the night before hitting Dallas on Thurs.
Happy Election Day!

Roadside service, Mississippi style

You know, better than the ATM (which rates HI in my book) is roadside RV service. My generator and my propane weren't working which really can limit a gal on the road.

On our drive to Vicksburg today, I decided to try and find some service once we got into town. We checked into a campground right by the Vicksburg Nat'l Cemetary. Driving through the campground, I got pretty creeped out and turned right around and left. My gut said this was not the place for us. We went back to one other campground that I scoped out earlier and parked us there for the night. It is soo much nicer, brighter etc. It is, however, a varitable parking lot. Not bad-flat, which is fun for scooters, and I can do some laps around the park for some exercise.

I called the RV service-on-wheels, and Willie came to my rescue. I have a dead battery (for the generator, not the engine) and he also got my gas going again. I wanted to hug the two guys. Tomorrow I have to go to Wal-Mart and get a new battery. The kids were happy about that bit of news! We'll go after we tour the battle grounds.

Homework and reading for tonight. The other good news is the office here has a TV in the lounge, so tomorrow we can watch some of the election! It's also 80 degrees. Just like home.

Little Rock with Mike

We had an amazing weekend at the Lake. There was a lot of fishing (we threw them all back, for which I was grateful, since I am lousy at cooking up fish), some napping and school, and your general hanging out time. I was, and I can't believe I am not only admitting it but also putting it in writing, very happy to be in a regular kitchen and cook. The irony is that tonight I discovered that my RV oven/stove is not working. Something must have happened to my gas. Another project.

We left the lake and drove 2 hours back down to Little Rock, stopping at the Old Mill for a picnic lunch. It was just as beautiful as it was the day the kids and I went. From there we drove by Central High, the scene of the Little Rock Nine. Nine black students were trying to attend the school in 1959. Eisenhower had to call in the National Guard to safely escort these kids to class due to all the protests and riots. We stood on the steps, trying to imagine how scared those kids would have been during that time. Jackson, Lilly and Sam asked some great questions. Sammy said her favorite thing was learing about the soldiers walking up the stairs wtih the black kids. Jack said, "I liked how much history the school had behind it, and how it looked--like it was a building that was really important." Lilly said, "I like learning about the nine black kids, and I liked learning how the soldiers were with guns, ready to shoot to protect the kids. I also liked the building because it was so big and pretty."

Our last stop before the airport was the Clinton Library. People say it looks like a trailer (a 5th wheel to be exact, because now I clearly know what a 5th wheel is). It is a beautiful building, and we were able to take a self guided tour. The library had an Oval Office, the Cabinet Room and a small dining room exibit. The Oval Office was an exact replica of what the office looked like when Clinton was there. We also got to watch a short film, full of information. Jack and Mike liked the Secret Service exhibit, Sam liked the area where it showed Mrs. Clinton's party dresses, and Lilly liked the movie and the "pretty party dresses."

We got to the airport and the girls' tears came quickly. We all had a such a nice time being together. The next time Mike will be able to join us is at Thanksgiving in Arizona. I had to kind of pull away quickly so the girls and Jack wouldn't try to fly home with Mike. It was sad to seem him go. We all miss him.

Moods improved with our evening stop at Wal-Mart. I bought a bag of Bordeaux cookies to cheer me up. Kids ran around. Too bad, my walkie-talkies were not charged, so I spent an unexpected 15 minutes of "alone time" waiting to find the kids. Jack was finally paged, so that helped.

Now, we're back at a KOA, we've had our microwaved dinner (since the oven isn't working), and they are doing math and journals. Tomorrow we head south to Vicksburg, MS to see one of the greatest Civil War battle fields. I am really looking forward to that.

We'll sign off saying Happy Birthday to my Dad, Poppy, Tres Pittman and Jack-y-D. Hope you all had a great day, and we hope eveyone else had a great Halloween!