The Great Outdoors

Little Benny Boo was not feeling so great yesterday. He had a little fever and slept most of the day. I think he was awake a total of 5 hours. He and Sam watched a little movie together one of the times he was awake. It seemed to be mostly teething and maybe even a little growth spurt considering he was constantly eating when he was awake. Or maybe we've been pushing him a little too hard and he just needed some rest. Hopefully he feels better today.

Hanging out around the house was very exciting for Sam. He' gotten to see lots of different wildlife around the yard including this turtle who was hanging out in the rose bushes.

Sam was not afraid to pick up the turtle, but the turtle felt safer inside its shell.

Going with Papou to check the mail.

Texas Star - I love the contrast of the buds and the flower at full bloom

Gladiolus

The golden silk orb-weaver, aka banana spider, aka giant wood spider is sometimes referred to as a writing spider due to occasional zigzag patterns built into its webs.

Sitting on the porch waiting for it to rain. Afternoon showers are common on the coast.

Drip ... drip ...

Pretty plants, pots and glass

Flower pots on the porch.

Hydrangea - as southern as magnolias and pecan pie

This Sector is Secure

Today was a hang-around-the-house day. With the temperature in the 90s by mid-day, Sam was ready to cool off in his pool.

Two guns are much better than one.

Get the martians!

Sam got us all wet which he thought was hilarious. He would have really preferred to not be tied down by the hose.

Seeing just how far the spray reaches.

Q: Whatcha doin' Sam?

A: Makin' mud!

Hangin' out with Yiayia on the porch.

Picking Blueberries

Yiayia and Papou have several large blueberry bushes on their property. They had a big bowl of blueberries waiting for Sam when he got here. His eyes went wide when we asked him if he wanted to go pick some more.

It was about to rain and there were several ripe berries on the bushes, so they needed to be picked before they were lost.

Of course Papou is a pro at picking blueberries, but Sam had lots of tips for him. "Only pick the dark ones, Papou!"

Sam loved picking the blueberries and then eating them right away.

Aren't they beautiful? Don't you wish you had one of these in your backyard? I know I do!

Yiayia and Papou's little helper.

They picked lots of blueberries. I think there are lots of blueberry jelly, tarts, and cakes in our future!

Battleship USS Alabama

We're on the MS coast now with Yiayia and Papou. We went to Mobile, AL today to see the USS Alabama at Battleship Memorial Park.

The USS ALABAMA saw 37 months of active duty during World War II, earning nine Battle Stars. The “Mighty A” as she came to be known, safely carried her crew throughout the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean campaigns, and never suffered any casualties or significant damage due to enemy fire.

Displacing more than 44,500 tons, the USS ALABAMA measures 680 feet from stem to stern, half as long as the Empire State Building is tall. Armed with nine, 16-inch guns in three turrets and 20, 5-inch, .38-caliber guns in 10 twin mounts, her main batteries could fire shells as heavy as a small car accurately for a distance of more than 20 miles. Her four propellers, each weighing more than 18 tons, could drive her through the seas at up to 28 knots, more than 32 miles per hour.

Trying out the sleeping quarters.

Ship barber shop.

Old photography gear.

It was so, so hot today and humid is an understatement. The ship didn't have much air conditioning, but we found this one spot where it was blowing straight down. Ben loved it. Ben also learned to drink from a water fountain today. It was necessary, so I was glad he figured it out. Very cute.

A view of the USS Drum and the Atlantic Marine shipyard. The USS DRUM (SS-228) is the oldest American submarine on display in the world.

Battleship Memorial Park also has an aircraft collection from Pre-W.W.II to the Cold War era.

Vietnam War era CIA A-12 - precursor to SR-71 Blackbird

Sam was super excited and didn't sleep a wink on the way there, but he did manage to catch a few winks on the way home.

We timed it (and got lucky) so that Ben would nap on the way there and on the way home. He did awesome and had a great time exploring.

Visiting Lulu and Mister

Our next stop in Mississippi was to see Lulu and Mister.

The iPad has been a big hit with Sam since I got it, but now Ben wants to share.

I gave him a book to pat on, but that didn't last long.

There are so many beautiful birds in Mississippi and Lulu has a great spot to watch them through the sliding glass door.

Sam loved helping to fill the bird feeder and bird bath.

Lulu's apartment has a great swimming pool.

Ben had so much fun playing in the pool. He fell asleep for his nap before his head hit the bed.

Sam was a little scared when we first got to the pool, but soon he was jumping off the side and couldn't get enough.

We got to do lots of other fun stuff like shopping at book, candy, and toy stores, art gallery browsing, and eating at several yummy restaurants. Sam has already said he doesn't want to go back to Texas. He'd like to stay in Mississippi with his family.