Amy's Rear View Mirror

The Drive West - Thanksgiving - The Drive East - Christmas - New Year's

November - December 2001

 

11/6 - 11/9 Birmingham, AL errands ...

It's been a busy week here in Birmingham. I got all my annual doctor's appointments taken care of as well as a haircut.
I went to the closing attorney's office and signed all the paperwork for the house closing on 11/16, so that's all done.

Lady & I drove up to Trussville to spend an evening with Bob & Marty Morgan. They had been at Big Bridge for the Halloween weekend, but we wanted to get in one more visit before I head west.

I spent an evening with Jerry & Dorothy Veil (for those of you that attended the Lebanon TN GTG, they were in the Kingsley 5th wheel). We went out to Johnny Rays for some of the best local BBQ around these parts. They're in a campground down the road from the house ... Cherokee Beach. It used to be a real dump, but now that the owner is in a nursing home his kids are taking care of the place and they're cleaning it up. It's half the price of the KOA where I am!! So after this visit, it's Cherokee Beach for me at $10/night.

Dorothy & I went to the Christmas Village Craft Show at the BJCC. It's a huge Christmas craft show held in the civic center downtown each year on the first Thur - Sun in Nov. It's so well known around here that people come from all over the state to attend ... many take Friday off work to avoid the Sat crowds.

The road warrior has emerged ... westward ho.

11/10 - 11/16 The Drive West

I left Birmingham earlier than expected on Saturday morning - 8:30 AM - taking I-20 west. I had planned on stopping for the night in Vicksburg MS as I usually do, but it was only 1 PM when I got there. I didn't feel like sitting around the campground/motorhome all afternoon. I've already done the sightseeing around Vicksburg a few years ago. So I decided to continue down the road to Shreveport LA. The KOA there is down the street from several restaurants with great fried catfish and that sounded like a really good idea for supper. I got a wonderful surprise when I registered at the Shreveport KOA ... they've got phone lines at the site!! Ready to use!! Now this is an even better treat than the catfish. I got caught up on my email and even talked to a few people on ICQ.

I arrived in Dallas around noon. I usually stop at Cowtown when just passing through town, but I decided to stay at Treetops in Arlington since I want to get the motorhome and car inspected as well as visit with a few friends.  Late afternoon I went over to David & Marilynn Cole's house for supper. He smoked some ribs which were great. We sat around talking all evening and had a wonderful visit.

Lady and I spent an afternoon and evening visiting with Carol & Bill Patterson at their home up in Denton. We had a great visit and lots of catching up to do since we hadn't seen each other in almost 2 years!! The last time we were together was at Quartzsite in Jan 2000.

I got the motorhome and car inspected in Mansfield on my way out of town, heading west. I'm glad today's driving is over. This was the worst stretch in the trip - flat, dusty and boring. The wind was horrible and made for an exhausting, grueling drive. I stopped for the night in Pecos TX staying at Escapee's TraPark RV Park.

I left Pecos TX around 9:30 AM ... a little later than I had planned. I stopped for the day around 2 PM in Deming NM to spend the night at Escapee's DreamCatcher RV Park.  I thought about continuing on to Benson AZ since it was still early (there's another Escapee's park there) but that wouldn't have really accomplished anything in my itinerary. I really like these $8.50/night with hookups including cable stays. This campground has great pull-thrus for an overnight stay, all the people are really friendly, and although it's mostly rocks and dirt they've got a grass area just for the dogs.

I left Deming NM continuing west. It was an uneventful drive through the desert. I got to Escapee's Rovers Roost RV Park in Casa Grande AZ around 1 PM. They have finally finished paving the road to campground so you can access it from I-8 (it's only about 1 mile off I-8) instead of going north on I-10 and having to drive through town. This campground is the first Rainbow Park that Escapees built after Rainbow's End in Livingston and it shows ... if the motorhome was any longer I wouldn't have been able to make the turns around the park or been able to back in the site. Tonight I met with my cousin who lives in Scottsdale. We spent the evening visiting while having a leisurely supper. I hadn't seen him since the spring of 2000 when I was working a contract in Phoenix.

On my way out of town I met with Paul & Sharon Cox and Bill & Harriet Agee for breakfast (they're fulltimers and in the RVClub but stay in the western US). We had a nice visit. I hadn't seen them since Feb 2000 when we met in Lake Havasu City AZ. I left Casa Grande at 10:15 AM and had a pleasant drive west ... no wind, not too warm, not much traffic (until I got on the 805 in San Diego). I got to my parents' house around 4 PM. The motorhome is plugged into the garage. Lady checked out the backyard which is smaller than last year since Dad took up more grass to enlarge his cactus garden.

The road warrior has been put in hibernation to rest until it's time to leave San Diego ...

11/17 - 11/26 Thanksgiving Week in Carlsbad, CA

Mom & I spent part of the week shopping ... we got all of our Christmas shopping completed and most of it wrapped. I bought a little 2 ft tree with decorations so the motorhome will have the holiday feeling next month. Jim wouldn't let me do that before so I'm taking advantage of doing what I want. I like having the motorhome decorated a little for holidays otherwise it seems that the holiday passes unnoticed.

Sunday we started our Turkey ... Dad decided he wanted to try brining a turkey. So he made the brine this morning and put the turkey in to soak. We went to a street festival and walked around for a few hours. It was very disappointing. It was plenty big, but there was more junk than actual crafts. We noticed there was lots of soap vendors and we were joking about whether or not they were expecting lots of dirty people. Afterward we went and looked at diesel motorhomes ... I'm still sold on a Rexhall.

Monday morning Dad & I made the cornbread and sausage stuffing. Mom & I went to Old Town (part of the Christmas shopping) for the day. I got myself a few more Native American items to decorate the motorhome. While Mom & I were shopping, Dad was home cooking our Thanksgiving Turkey ... yeah it's early, but we decided to cook it early so all we have to do on Thursday is heat it up. When Mom & I got back from shopping the turkey was done ... Dad informed us he didn't like it. It was so salty!!! Forget the brine idea!! The stuffing, since it was cooked in the bird, was even saltier than the meat. It was so bad that we threw it all away ... turkey and stuffing ... ran out to the store after supper to buy another bird and more stuffin' fixin's. Good thing that first bird only cost $7!!

Wednesday we stayed around the house while Dad smoked some meat (pork roast, ribs, and trout) on the big smoker out back. Late afternoon Mom & I took a ride to Aguanga CA so I could check out Escapee's Jojoba Hills RV Resort. It looks really nice but is in the middle of nowhere ... all shopping would be done in Temecula which is 17 miles away. But it would be a great place for a secluded stay. Around 9:30 PM Mom decided she wanted some cookies ... so we made 2 batches of cookies - snickerdoodles and molasses - which kept us up until midnight.

Thursday we cooked our second Thanksgiving supper. This time we roasted the bird, stuffed, in the oven ... no more experimenting for this year! We decided to cook only the things we wanted to eat ... turkey, stuffing, and sweet potato casserole ... that's it! Mom & I made a white cake with mixed berry preserves between the layers (Dad's favorite) for dessert. We ate around 2:30 PM, had plenty of time to rest before having dessert, but still went to bed stuffed.

Friday we got up early and made 2 quiche - one bacon and another mushroom/onion. Dad had made some fresh gravlox yesterday. So we had a small feast for brunch when Dad's cousins, Lou & Wendy, came over to visit. We also served the last smoked trout Dad had made the other night for supper, not to mention all the left over desserts. Lou & Wendy brought some wonderful crusty bread to serve the gravlox on. We had a great visit, but it seems it's never long enough.

Saturday we drove across the mountains to the desert in Indio to go to the Pow Wow hosted by the Cabazon Indians on their reservation. It was extremely windy in the mountains. Dad stopped at a scenic overlook so I could take a picture and it was so windy I could barely stand still to take the shot. The Pow Wow was really good ... some great costumes! The kids were really cute to watch when it was their turn to dance. The vendors had some wonderful art and crafts ... I probably should have bought a few things, but didn't. On our way home we drove through Palm Springs and stopped at a Mexican restaurant for supper.

Tribal members of the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians are direct descendants of Chief Cabazon, the leader of the Desert Cahuilla Indians from the 1830s until the 1870s.

When Anglo-Americans arrived in the 1840s, they referred to most of the native people in Southern California as Mission Indians. The name stuck, but the Cabazons were never really under the control of the Spanish mission system. The Cabazons have a rich history that predates both the Spanish and Anglo arrivals in the region by thousands of years.

Their ancestors were primarily Cahuilla Indians. Cahuilla (pronounced Kah-we-ah) means "masters" or "powerful one," and 2,500 years ago these fiercely resourceful people learned to survive the blistering temperatures of the dry, unyielding land by digging wells. They devised creative methods for using local plant life such as acorns, mesquite and pinyon. And they built their homes (known as a kish) from reeds, branches and brush.

The Cahuilla were divided into two moieties or groups of clans: the Wildcat and Coyote. They were further divided into approximately a dozen patrilineal clans, each having its own name, territory and common ancestry.

In addition to the Cabazon Band, other Cahuilla tribes in Southern California are the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians in Palm Springs, the Augustine Band of Mission Indians near Coachella, the Cahuilla Band of Mission Indians and Ramona Band of Mission Indians near Anza, the Morongo Band of Mission Indians near Banning, the Santa Rosa Band of Mission Indians near Hemet, the Los Coyotes Indians near Warner Springs and the Torres-Martinez Band of Desert Cahuilla near Thermal.

Cahuilla baskets evidence the artistry and love of beauty by these peace-loving people. Designs taken from nature, such as animals, birds, clouds and lightning were produced from varying shades of the rush. But perhaps the most common means of aesthetic expression was music. Tribal history was recorded in songs.

In the 1850s, the Cahuilla population began to dwindle. The Southern Pacific Railroad laid claim to local water rights, resulting in poor crops and forcing Cahuilla to move many times. Chief Cabazon's people were living near Indio, California, when President Ulysses S. Grant issued an executive order on May 15, 1876, creating the Cabazon Reservation.

After two years of research that included trips to the National Archives in Washington, D.C., and oral interviews with tribal members, historian Robert Perez wrote "The History of the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians 1776-1876." The book is available for purchase by calling the tribal administration office at (760) 342-2593.

There were 600 tribal members when the Cabazon Reservation was defined as three parcels of raw desert totaling 2,400 acres. Southern Pacific Railroad later claimed 700 acres to create a railroad and interstate right-of-way.

Today, there are fewer than 50 members of the Cabazon tribe. The reservation covers 1,450 acres in parcels spread over 16 miles. The largest parcel contains the tribal administration office, Public Safety Department and several business enterprises, including entertainment venues: Fantasy Springs Casino and Fantasy Lanes Family Bowling Center. Another parcel is dedicated to the Cabazon Resource Recovery Park, which includes the tribe's First Nation Recovery Incorporated tire-recycling operation.

Each March and November, the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians hosts the Indio Powwow to honor, help preserve and introduce others to Native American culture. And every day they protect their sovereign status as a federally recognized tribe. Tribes from throughout the United States and Canada come in elaborate regalia to show their skill in dance and singing competitions. But these celebrations are for everyone, not just Native Americans.

A highlight of the powwow is the Grand Entry, when all the dancers form a procession, winding around the arena in a clockwise direction. Preceding the dancers are the Eagle Staff and the Color Guard. Visitors to the Indio Powwow also have an opportunity to taste Native American foods such as Indian fry bread and shop among vendors for jewelry, weavings, dream catchers and other types of Native American art. And there are opportunities to join dancers in the arena during noncompetitive intertribal dancing.

Sunday I got the motorhome ready for the trip back east tomorrow. I've been parked in the street infront of Mom & Dad's house all week so Mom went with me to a campground in Oceanside to dump the tanks, and we stopped to get gas. Dad had made fajitas and warmed up some tamales. The rest of the evening was spent relaxing and doing laundry ... getting in our last visiting for a while.

11/26 - 12/3 The Drive East
Part 1 - Casa Grande, AZ to Houston, TX

I left Carlsbad CA around 9:15 AM and headed east. I got into Casa Grande around 4 PM. I went to Palm Creek RV Resort so I could spend more time with Bill & Harriet Agee and Paul & Sharon Cox. But they wouldn't let me in the campground because of Lady. They said their dog area wouldn't be completed until some time in January. So much for a $5/night stay. So I came down to Campground Buena Tierra (I-10 exit 198) which is across the street from the Tanger Outlets. This campground is huge ... 1200 acres with horse stables and an underground tunnel to the other side of I-8 which leads to walking trails. Everyone here is really friendly ... it's a great campground if you don't mind dirt. After I got settled I left a voice mail and email for the Agees and Coxs to let them know what happened. In the meantime I got in touch with one of Mom & Dad's friends, Hugh & Donna Richbourg, who live here. Donna helped me get my first job out of college!

I stopped by Hugh & Donna's office (they run the local Century 21 office) to visit real quick. Catching up on things was fun! Conrad Greise, a co-worker from when I did a contract at Dial Corp in Scottsdale, came down for supper. We had a great visit, lots to catch up on, but too short.

I spent an afternoon wandering around the Casa Grande Ruins in Coolidge, AZ.

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument contains a 4-story building dating from the late Hohokam period, around the 14th century and similar to other preserved ruins in Arizona. It is situated in the flat plain of central Arizona in between the Gila and Santa Cruz rivers, close to Coolidge and about 15 miles from the town of Casa Grande. The structure was once part of a collection of settlements scattered along the Gila River and linked by a network of irrigation canals. The area has a low elevation and is very hot - often over 110 °F. During the spring, the Monument is sometimes the hottest place in the whole US, and even in winter, daytime temperatures can reach 80 °F.

For over a thousand years, prehistoric farmers inhabited much of the present-day state of Arizona. When the first Europeans arrived, all that remained of this ancient culture were the ruins of villages, irrigation canals and various artifacts. Among these ruins is the Casa Grande, or 'Big House', one of the largest and most mysterious prehistoric structures ever built in North America. Casa Grande Ruins, the nation's first archeological preserve, protects the Casa Grande and other archeological sites within its 1 mile of boundaries.

The Casa Grande can be seen from some distance away due to the flatness of the terrain. It has an odd appearance from the main road since the structure is protected from the harsh desert sun by a large metal roof supported by 4 great pillars. This is necessary to help preserve the building but it looks out of place. The present cover replaced an earlier wooden one in 1932.

There is a good visitor center with lots of information about the Hohokam people - Hohokam means 'those who are gone'. Outside there is a large number of desert plants, including the saguaro, and also a picnic area with an entertaining ground squirrel population. A door at the back of the center leads to the Casa Grande itself, at the middle of a rectangular area that used to be a walled compound containing several other smaller buildings.

The size of the ruin is best appreciated from close up - it is 60 feet by 40 feet wide at the base and has walls over 4 feet thick constructed out of layers of caliche mud. It is the largest structure known to exist in Hohokam times. Visitors are not allowed into the building but you can be see a lot from outside - details of the construction with wooden beams supporting the clay walls, and various internal features such as stairways and windows.

It is believed that the Casa Grande was a kind of astronomical observatory as the four walls face the points of the compass. A circular hole in the upper west wall aligns with the setting sun during the summer solstice. Other openings also align with the positions of the sun and moon at specific times. Knowing the changing positions of celestial objects meant knowing times for planting, harvest, and celebration.

The size of the Casa Grande shows it that this village was more important than most. The village was built out of caliche - a concrete-like mixture of sand, clay and limestone. It took 3,000 tons to construct the Casa Grande. Caliche mud was piled in successive courses to form walls which tapered toward the top. Hundreds of juniper, pine and fir trees were carried or floated 60 miles down the Gila River to the village where they were used as anchor supports in the walls, ceilings and floors. Saguaro ribs were laid perpendicular across the beams, covered with reeds, and topped with a final layer of caliche mud. There are several other ruins in the complex, some of which has not yet been excavated.

Nowadays, the roof and building provide shelter for several species of small birds but the Hohokam themselves seem to have abandoned the complex around the 16th century, as part of a general decline in their civilization. Apart from other Indian peoples, the area was not revisited until the 1880's, when American settlers arrived and began to threaten the ruins by removing artifacts as souvenirs. In 1892, the Casa Grande became the first archaeological site in the USA to be protected as a National Monument.

I left Casa Grande headed east and stopped at Escapee's DreamCatcher RV Park for the night. I was hoping to drive out of the cold, but no luck ... the high here today was only 57 and last night it got down to 15!!! This is really unseasonably cold for southern NM.

I drove from around 9 AM to 3 PM and stopped in Fort Stockton TX for the night. I picked the I-10 RV Park out of Woodall's. It's on the frontage road of I-10 ... traffic noise isn't bad, but the campground is old, small, and mostly dirt (or in tonight's case - mud) ... it looks like sites in a field. The people are very friendly, but that doesn't make up for it ... I won't be staying here again unless money really, really matters ... it's only $10/night.

I drove to Hondo TX stopping at Escapee's Lone Star Corral RV park for the weekend. I attended the social hour and met a few folks. This park is really nice except they don't have a central modem connection for email. I've been borrowing a neighbor's phone line once a day to do email. On the drive here, actually only about 10 miles after leaving Fort Stockton, I got another rock chip in the front windshield - that's #3.

I stayed in watching movies most of the day. The weather is horrible ... rain, rain, rain. But at least it's warm!!! It was nice to be lazy for a day. I watched Swordfish, Thirteen Days, Arlington Road and Unbreakable.

I left Hondo TX and the rain continuing my drive east. I didn't drive out of the rain until I started to get into Houston. I stopped at the Houston Leisure RV Park for the night around 3 PM. It's nice and warm here ... 75 this afternoon. After getting the motorhome situated and taking Lady for a walk, I got my email. I got a message from Mr Ed ... he and Maria are in Kinder LA and invited me to visit. I'm going to drive over there in the morning so we can catch up on things. I haven't seen them since the last big SEGT (Sep '99).

12/3 - 12/9 The Drive East
Part 2 - Kinder, LA

The drive to Kinder was an easy one, even the construction through town wasn't bad. I got here around noon. We're staying at the Luxury RV Resort on the grounds of the Grand Casino Coushatta at Red Shoes Park. The campground is really nice ... not much around except the casino, but a great place to just relax. My cell phone doesn't work very well here. I called AT&T and talked to them about it ...they said they do have an affiliate here, but I am in the middle of nowhere afterall. I sat around with Ed & Maria talking all afternoon and evening. Maria & I took a walk with Lady just before supper.

Late in the eighteenth century, a Coushatta leader known as Red Shoes, "King of the Alabamas and Coosades", led a vanguard of his people to Louisiana. With 80 to 100 tribespeople in that first band, Red Shoes settled the lower reaches of the Red River in Louisiana. Hundreds more Coushattas followed Red Shoes and soon the tribe established a new political and social system that preserved its traditional way of life.

From their earliest days as a proud, hard-working people struggling to maintain long-standing traditions in the face of forced governmental relocation, the Coushatta Indians endured every hardship by which they were confronted.

Even after serious setbacks and tribal dispersions at the hands of regional government expansion, the character and ideals of the tribe held fast. Indeed, they were actually strengthened, and remain important elements of its culture today. The Coushatta language, in particular, is now considered unique among Native Americans because it has survived in its purest form.

The Coushatta Tribe Of Louisiana was officially recognized by the Federal government in 1973, established its present home north of Elton in 1975, and marked a major turning point in tribal history in 1985 with the election by popular vote of the first Coushatta tribal government.

Like many other traditions and practices, the Coushatta family unit continues to flourish and in itself remains the cornerstone of Coushatta life. Today, the tribe is composed of seven large families known as “clans.”

Past and present, the Coushatta Tribe may proudly boast of a culture rich in courage, ingenuity and perseverance.

As owners of Grand Casino Coushatta, the people of the Coushatta Tribe Of Louisiana invite you to experience the many influences of tribal history and heritage that have culminated in a truly family-friendly resort.

For supper Ed & Maria took me to a cajun restaurant with a live cajun band. We had great food and a good time. I got a platter that was half crawfish etouffee and half fried crawfish. Yum! Yum! I love cajun food as long as it's not too hot. I took one of their business cards so I can find the place again on my own. Then we came back and went to the casino. Ed played blackjack while Maria and I played the slots. Maria and I even bought a Lucky VooDoo doll ... we think something's wrong with them ... we lost!

I taught Ed how to make several new dishes for supper. First we made Cedar Plank Salmon with some of the salmon mom & dad gave me. We had a great time playing around the grill. He was very pleased with the meal. We spent the evening talking over an aperitif.

Another day we spent an afternoon hanging around the campground so I could show Ed how to make pizza on the grill. He and Maria really liked it, but agreed that it's more work than they want to do for supper.

We took a day trip down to Lake Charles to do some shopping. That's the closest place to go to do any real shopping ... Kinder doesn't have much except the casino. Now I've got a good stash of local foods ... andouille sausage, boudin sausage, tasso ham, and mayhaw jelly.

12/10 - 12/14 The Drive East
Part 3 - Summerdale, AL

Ed, Maria & I left the campground around 8 AM and caravanned together across I-10. We got to our respective campgrounds around 3 PM. I got checked in at Escapee's Rainbow Plantation RV Park in Summerdale AL and setup.

I spent a few days visiting with Mr Mike. He's getting his new living space put together and we shopped all day from Foley AL to Pensacola FL for area rugs, silk trees, and an additional end table for his new digs. We went out for a great seafood supper at the Wolf Bay Lodge and then rented a movie to watch back at his place. It was a long day/evening but lots of fun. I'm really gonna miss Big Bridge Campground.

12/15 - 12/16 The Drive East
Part 4 - Westville, FL

I gave Mary, Jim's mother, a call. When she found out how close I was to her house she wanted to know how soon I'd be there. Around 10 AM I checked out of the campground and took the 2 hour drive to Westville FL. I parked next to her house in the yard as usual. We spent the day visiting and she showed me how she makes the fried cornbread. I was making it correctly but the cornmeal does make a difference. Sybil and her husband Marvin, Mary's sister & brother-in-law, came over for a visit for the afternoon.

Sunday morning we went to church. Jim's youngest brother, Greg and his daughter, Miranda, were there. They came back to the house after the service to have dinner with us so I got to visit with them. Miranda had a good time playing with Lady. Mary took me to the store to get some of the special cornmeal she uses, so now I've got my own supply. We went back to church this evening to see the Panama City chapter of the Sweet Adelines sing their Christmas program for the congregation. Greg, Linda & Miranda were there as well as Sabie, another one of Mary's sisters.

12/17 - 12/31 Christmas & New Year's

I drove to Bushnell FL and am staying at the new Escapees' ERPU park - Sumter Oaks. It's really nice with lots of Live Oak Trees with Spanish Moss.

Ed & Maria Jones arrived at the campground the day after I did and we visited some more.

I made an Apple Danish Braid to take to the potluck ... the same one I made at the Stone Mountain GTG for potluck. Everyone really liked it and ate it all up ... which is what I wanted ... no leftovers.

I spent a day visiting with John and Helen Fickett in Zephyrhills FL. We had a really great visit ... we're going to try to visit again before I leave the area. I got back in time to attend the Ice Cream Social at the campground.

The campground held a Christmas Eve Party. We all brought finger foods to share and a gift. I made Broccoli Cheese Bread. We sang Christmas Carols, ate, visited with each other, had a gift exchange and a visit from Santa. Several people did get upset (lonely for family) and left the room to compose themselves, but all in all it was a fun evening. It rained overnight which caused the temperatures to drop. We had a chilly 50 degrees for Christmas Day which was kinda nice ... it seemed appropriate for the day.

We signed up for a specific table for Christmas dinner (10 - 12 per table) and one of us had to volunteer to be the host/hostess of the table. For $1.50 per person the campground provided the turkey, ham and gravy. The host/hostess had to coordinate the rest of us to bring the remainder of the meal for our table and the table decorations. Christmas morning I had mashed potato duty - my contribution to our meal. We ate around 2PM ... more food than we needed ... green bean casserole, dressing, broccoli salad, green salad, candied sweet potatoes with marshmallows, sweet potato pie, minced meat pie, dinner rolls, mashed potatoes, relish trays, cranberry sauce, and a room full of desserts. The desserts went on a long table at the back of the room for all the dinner tables to share. When we were done eating ... more like stuffing ourselves ... and done cleaning up, I came back to the motorhome and watched The Grinch with Jim Carrey.

The day after Chrsitmas Day we had a left-overs potluck, so we'll get some of what the other tables made.

I visited with Jim & June Moody who are from Huntsville AL. I didn't know them before I got here, but we had a good time talking about places we've been and want to go, places around AL, different motorhomes, etc. It was a fun afternoon. Then I went to the daily social hour before having supper.

I've been spending a good bit of time at the club house working on the latest puzzle. We finally finished the one that was started several days ago. There's about 4 - 8 of us that stop by the puzzle room for an hour here and there to work on it. When one gets completed someone takes out another one to be started. So there's always one ready for you to stop by and put in a few pieces.

The weekend after Christmas was the Dade Battlefield Re-enactment. Several of us from the campground went over there to watch it. It was an all day affair with craft demonstrations, an Indian Camp, an Army Camp, artifacts and crafts to buy, food vendors, and the re-enactment of a battle between the Seminole and US Army. I was able to find some of the Indian items I've been looking for ... Lynx hide, wolf hide, and Moose antler. I also got to eat some of my favorite foods ... corn dogs, cuban sandwiches, kettle corn, sarsaparilla, and birch beer. It was a fun day and one of the best, most realistic, re-enactments I've ever seen!!

Minor clashes between whites and Seminoles over cattle, slaves, and land had taken place for decades in Florida. By 1830, these problems strengthened the US government's rigid Indian removal policy. The policy eventually required that all Seminoles be removed to Oklahoma reservations starting January 1, 1836.

Aware of the probable resistence by the Seminoles, military authorities decided to reinforce the small garrison at Ft King, now Ocala, where the Indian agency was located. Major Francis L. Dade would command the artillery and infantry relief units marching the 100 miles to Ft King from Ft Brooke, now Tampa. Unknown to Dade, Seminole Chief Osceola planned to kill Wiley Thompson, the Indian agent at Ft King, then join Micanopy and Alligator on an assault on Dade's relief units.

For five days, the Seminoles observed the army's progress along the Ft King Military Road. At 8 AM on December 28, 1835, with two-thirds of the march completed, Dade's command had already safely passed the most dangerous ambush points along the road. Now in open terrain, Dade failed to post his flanking scouts. A cold rain fell, and the men trudged along with great coats over thier muskets and ammunition boxes.

Hidden by pines and palmettos, 180 Seminoles waited. Their rifle volley at close range killed or wounded half the command. Dade and Captain Upton S Fraser were the first to be killed. Three of the six surviving officers were wounded. Captain George W. Gardiner rallied the men and returned fire with the six-pound cannon. As the Seminoles withdrew a short distance, the soldiers hastily built a low log bunker, cared for the wounded and collected ammunition from the fallen.

The Indians' second attack lasted until 2 PM, when all the firing from the bunker ceased. Most of the command was dead. The Seminoles, followed by their black allies, closed in. Three wounded soldiers, Edwin DeCourey, Joseph Sprague, and Ransom Clarke were overlooked and later escaped. Sprague and Clarke made it to Ft Brooke alive. Dade's black interpreter, Louis Pacheco, was taken captive. The Seminoles, with only three warriors killed and five wounded, retired to Wahoo Swamp to celebrate.

The scene of the ambush remained deserted for seven weeks. On February 20, 1836 an expedition under General Edmund P. Gaines identified the bodies and gave them proper military burials. The officers' bodies were placed on the east side of the trail, the 98 enlisted men in two graves on the within the log bunker. The cannon was retrieved from a nearby pond where the Seminoles had thrown it. They mounted it, muzzle down, at the head of the officers' grave as a monument to the dead. Six years later on August 14, 1842 Dade's silent command was laid to rest at the National Cemetary in St. Augustine.

New Year's Eve I spent the afternoon volunteering with several others to help Doug & his wife Karen, the campground cooks, with preparing the food for our party tonight. The food was really great ... smothered chicken, rice, peas, rolls, salad, and bread pudding with lemon sauce. After everyone ate we cleaned up and then the music and dancing started for our New Years Eve Party. I came back to the motorhome around 10 PM and spent the next 2 hours making New Years phone calls. At midnight you could hear the locals shooting off their guns. When that was finished I took Lady out for a walk and then went to bed.

New Year's Day at noon we all met at the club house for black-eyed peas and cornbread. Doug made the peas and everyone brought their favorite cornbread to share so I spent the morning making fried cornbread. After social hour I ended up over at Fred & Gail's rig and we visited most of the evening.

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