Mississippi to Shreveport

Enjoying his play time in the park



On the road again, I just can't wait to get on the road again...


Fortunately, we were only 4 hours from our first destination, Shreveport, to visit The Wardens. Thank you Wardens for your hospitality. While we were in Shreveport we took Gavin to Bass Pro to get his picture taken with Santa. I didn't think to take a picture and I haven't had time to scan the photo. He did very well, no crying.

After Bass Pro we went to The Real Pickle, a local Poboy delicatessen. In addition to the terrific poboys, TRP had quite the beer menu. I haven't had an Abita Purple Haze in years. I'd like to find a local bar around here that offers Abita beer. Yum! Whoever wrote the menu was creative with the language. Check out the titles of the menu items.


Gavin tasted his first pickle. Selfishly, we were hoping to get a shot of him making a funny face as he tasted the sour treat. He was unfazed. It was like he's been eating a steady diet of pickles all along. Turns out he's a pickle lover, just like his mama. He cried when we took it away.


Ben is a crafty fellow, he likes to build things, like tools, or weapons, depending on your philosophy. Before we moved away from San Antonio I remember getting a phone call from Casey. He was at Ben's house, they were about to fire a homemade cannon. Needless to say it was not surprising that we spent an afternoon going to the park to play with Ben's nifty giant sling shot, made with a cedar branch, rope and leather. It won't be long before Casey makes one of his own so they can have two between them both and, well, sling stuff.

Ben and his sling shot. Kari and Hank, the swamp dog. Ben and Kari will make excellent parents where their time comes. They were great with Gavin.


Ben's sling shot is THE ultimate "Chuck It" for Hank. He can fetch for hours.


Gavin was close to nap time so he chilled in his stroller while we played.


After a long day of visiting Santa, doing a little shopping, playing with the sling shot and Hank the Swamp Dog, we all settled in for the night. The boys played horseshoes and I kept Kari company while she made us some chicken gumbo. It was awesome.



The time change from Eastern to Central was an adjustment for Mr. Gavin. We tried hard to convince him it is OK to sleep in during vacation. This is Gavin, awake and ready to play, at 4:30 AM.