BILOXI MISSISSIPPI & DEFUNIAK SPRINGS, FLORIDA

WE ARRIVED AT MARTIN LAKE RV RESORT, JUST OUTSIDE OF BILOXI,  ANOTHER PASSPORT AMERICA PARK.

WE HAD A LARGE PULL THRU SITE, WITH A BEAUTIFUL VIEW OF THIS LITTLE LAKE.

AFTER WE GOT SET UP, DARRELL CALLED THE DODGE DEALER AND MADE AN APPOINTMENT TO GET THE TRUCK SERVICED  THE NEXT DAY. DARRELL WAS  IN DIRE NEED OF A HAIRCUT, SO WE TOOK OFF THE NEXT MORNING TO FIND A BARBER. WE FOUND A LADY BARBER....SHE DID A GREAT JOB!

ALSO DID SOME SHOPPING AT WALMART AND WINN DIXIE, I WAS ABLE TO FIND SOME NICE LOOKING, REASONABLY PRICED  MEAT AT WINN DIXIE.
THE NEXT MORNING WE TOOK OFF FOR DEFUNIAK SPRINGS, FLORIDA, WHERE I WAS BORN, I WAS EXCITED!

I WAS FINALLY  BACK IN FLORIDA AFTER 54 YEARS!

WE MADE THE TURN OFF INTERSTATE  10 FOR DEFUNIAK, 54 YEARS AGO, THERE WAS NO INTERSTATE 10.

WE WERE STAYING AT SUNSET KING LAKE RV RESORT, JUST OUTSIDE OF DEFUNIAK.

THIS WAS ALSO A PASSPORT AMERICA PARK. WE HAD A VERY NICE LARGE LOT.

AFTER WE GOT SET UP, WE HEADED FOR DEFUNIAK, I COULDN'T WAIT ANOTHER MINUTE.  I PUT 104 TOLEDO AVENUE IN MRS. GARMIN. DRIVING IN TO DEFUNIAK I HARDLY  RECOGNIZED  ANYTHING. WE FOUND THE COKE PLANT........IT WAS STILL THERE!! THAT WOULD BE MY STARTING POINT IN FINDING ANYTHING.

AND THE BALL FIELD............

WE DROVE BY MY HOUSE, EXCEPT THE ADDRESS  WAS NOT 104, IT WAS 41, SO I WASN'T SURE IT WAS MY HOUSE.

MY MEMORY WAS AS FUZZY AS THIS PICTURE!

THEN WE DROVE TO BALDWIN AVENUE, WHICH IS THE MAIN STREET OF DEFUNIAK.  MY DAD'S TAXI BUSINESS WAS ON THIS STREET, I FOUND IT,  AND THE MOVIE THEATRE, JUST A FEW DOORS DOWN.

THIS WAS THE MOVIE THEATRE, WHERE AS A KID I SPENT A LOT OF MY TIME. THEY HAVE RESTORED IT AND STILL USE IT. I LOOKED IN THE WINDOWS, AND I REMEMBERED.  I WALKED AROUND THE BLOCK,  EVERYTHING  WAS SMALLER THAN I REMEMBERED.  I USED TO WALK TO TOWN PRACTICALLY EVERY DAY AS A KID, AND THOUGHT IT WAS SUCH A LONG WAYS FROM HOME TO TOWN.  IT'S NOT, IT'S VERY CLOSE.  I STARTED REALIZING THAT  54 YEARS IS A LONG TIME!!

I REMEMBERED  THIS CLOCK.

THE CREATIVE SALON BUILDING IN THIS PICTURE  WAS THE DRUG STORE AND THE BRICK BUILDING WAS THE BANK. DEFUNIAK HAD DEFINITELY CHANGED.......FOR THE BETTER IT SEEMED.  DEFUNIAK WAS NOW  "HISTORIC DEFUNIAK."

 IT WAS VERY EMOTIONAL FOR ME.......

THERE WAS A LITTLE JOG IN THE STREET HERE....AND I REMEMBERED THIS LITTLE GATHERING PLACE.

WE DROVE BY LAKE DEFUNIAK AND OUT TO MY SCHOOL....TO MY HORROR ...THERE WAS JUST A BIG HOLE IN THE GROUND. I REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT I THOUGHT COMING HERE.....BUT I WAS ON AN EMOTIONAL ROLLER COASTER....AND I HAD  SEEN ALL I COULD HANDLE FOR ONE DAY.

MORE OF GULF STATE PARK, BOILED PEANUTS

WE HAD PLANNED TO STAY ONLY A WEEK AT GULF STATE PARK, BUT AFTER WE WERE HERE  A COUPLE OF DAYS, WE REALIZED THAT A WEEK WAS NOT GOING TO BE LONG ENOUGH, SO WE SIGNED UP FOR ANOTHER WEEK.

THESE SIGNS WERE THROUGHOUT THE PARK.

ANOTHER ONE OF THE ACTIVITIES THAT WEEK WAS A GUIDED NATURE WALK, DARRELL AND I WENT ON THAT ONE TOGETHER. THERE WAS ONLY ONE OTHER  PERSON, SO WE ALL RODE IN THE RANGER'S VAN AND WOULD MAKE STOPS ALONG THE WAY. OUR FIRST STOP WAS AN EAGLE'S NEST WHERE THE BABY EAGLES WERE STARTING TO PLEDGE.

 WITH BINOCULARS WE SAW  TWO BABIES STILL IN THE NEST. WE SAW A BIG  TURTLE IN THIS LITTLE POND.

WE STOPPED AT THE LAKE WHERE THEY HAD RELEASED THE BABY ALLIGATORS.

 AND SNACKED ON WILD BERRIES!

THEN WE GOT TO MEET LEFTY, THE MAMA ALLIGATOR, WHO STARTED OUT WITH THIRTEEN BABIES AND WE COULD ONLY  FIND  THREE, WHEN SHE GETS HUNGRY SHE EATS HER BABIES!!

 THIS SIGN WAS  RIGHT BY THE ALLIGATORS.

WHILE DRIVING HERE, I NOTICED DEAD ANIMALS BESIDE THE ROAD THAT LOOKED LIKE ARMADILLOS. I ASKED THE RANGER ABOUT THAT, SHE SAYS, YES, THERE ARE  ARMADILLOS HERE. WHEN I LIVED IN FLORIDA, AS A GIRL,  THERE WEREN'T ANY ARMADILLOS. I HAD NEVER SEEN AN ARMADILLO UNTIL LAST SUMMER AT BENTSEN PALM.

WHEN WE ATE AT DOC'S SEAFOOD SHACK, I ASKED OUR WAITRESS WHERE WE  COULD BUY BOILED PEANUTS....SHE TOLD ME ALL THE GAS STATIONS SELL THEM!! SO, I HAVE BEEN EATING BOILED PEANUTS ALMOST EVERY DAY.

THE MAGNOLIA TREES WERE BLOOMING EVERYWHERE....SO BEAUTIFUL AND SO SWEET SMELLING.

I HAD BEEN WALKING IN THE PARK, BUT ONE DAY I  DECIDED TO WALK TO THE BEACH......ONLY FOLKS OUT WERE THE FISHERMEN!

WE WENT TO THE BEACH PRETTY OFTEN, SOMETIMES ONLY FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS.

ONE DAY WE WENT, I HAD PLANNED ON GOING IN THE WATER, BUT IT WAS TOO COLD FOR ME.

WE LEFT GULF STATE PARK  MONDAY, MAY 4, WE WERE GOING TO BACKTRACK A LITTLE AND GO TO BILOXI, MISSISSIPPI FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS.

GULF STATE PARK, ALABAMA, MY 68TH BIRTHDAY

WHEN WE PULLED OUT OF OUR RV SPACE AT PONCHARTRAIN,  I TRIED TO   PUT IN THE ADDRESS OF GULF STATE PARK. THE STATE OF ALABAMA WOULD NOT COME UP..... THE ONLY TWO STATES  THAT WOULD COME UP WAS ARIZONA AND ARKANSAS. I TRIED AND TRIED, NO LUCK, SO WE HAD TO TRAVEL WITHOUT MRS. GARMIN! WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE OK....IT WASN'T!!! A THREE HOUR TRIP TOOK SIX HOURS.WE LOVE OUR RV SPOT ! LARGE AND PRIVATE!! PULL-THRU TOO!

NO WIFI HERE, SO WE TOOK MRS. GARMIN AND WENT TO MACDONALD'S THE NEXT DAY  AND REALIZED THAT  NONE OF THE SOUTHERN STATES WERE LOADED INTO THE GARMIN. SO, WE GOT THAT DONE, NOW WE COULD TRAVEL AGAIN!! WHEN WE CHECKED IN HERE THEY GAVE US  A LISTING  OF THE WEEK'S  ACTIVITIES. I SAW THERE WAS A SNAKE ENCOUNTER PROGRAM THE NEXT DAY AT THE NATURE CENTER. DARRELL DIDN'T WANT TO GO.....HE HATES SNAKES!!  I GOT TO MEET POLLY, THE O'POSSOM. SHE WAS SO CUTE! SOME FOLKS THAT WERE VISITING THE PARK FOUND FOUR BABIES  IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET AND BROUGHT THEM TO THE NATURE CENTER. THEY ONLY HANDLED POLLY, THE OTHER THREE THEY DIDN'T TOUCH, AND WERE ABLE TO TURN THEM BACK TO THE WILD AFTER THEY GOT BIG ENOUGH.

POLLY'S HOME NOW IS THE NATURE CENTER AND EVERYONE  LOVES HER!!

I GOT TO TOUCH HER AND FEEL HER TAIL, OF COURSE SHE SLEPT THROUGH THE WHOLE THING. THE BOX TURTLE IS ANOTHER ONE  OF THE NATURE'S CENTER'S AMBASSADORS.

THEY LET HIM OUT OF HIS CAGE AND HE JUST ROAMS  AROUND THE CENTER......SHE SHOWED US HOW MUCH HE LOVES WORMS....SHE SET THEM OUT ON THE FLOOR AND HE CAME A'RUNNING...WELL, AS MUCH AS A TURTLE CAN!!

WE GOT TO TOUCH AN  ALLIGATOR BABY, WHO WAS GOING TO BE RELEASED THE NEXT DAY.

WHEN SHE TOOK OUT THIS BEAUTIFUL SNAKE, SHE ASKED ME IF I WANTED TO HOLD IT, "I SAID NO!", BUT THEN I CHANGED MY MIND. WHEN I WAS A GIRL I WASN'T AFRAID OF SNAKES, BUT  AS I GOT OLDER, I GOT MORE AFRAID.  I OVERCAME MY FEAR OF SNAKES THAT DAY, A LITTLE .

THE NEXT DAY WAS MY BIRTHDAY!! DARRELL TOOK ME OUT FOR LUNCH  TO DOC'S SEAFOOD SHACK IN GULF SHORES.

I HAD FRIED OYSTERS AND SHRIMP.....SIMPLY DELICIOUS!!

THEN WE WENT TO THE BEACH!!

THIS IS STILL PART OF GULF STATE PARK...THAT'S WHY THERE ARE NO HOTELS HERE.

 I PUT MY BARE  FEET IN THAT BEAUTIFUL  WHITE SAND..........

AND WADED IN THE OCEAN!

WATCHED A BEAUTIFUL SUNSET!!

BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!!