Camping Trip, part one

Friday, March 27

We got up around 7 a.m., so we could get ready to leave for a trip south to another state by 9 a.m.

The first thing Hubbie discovered when he took an armload of things to the camper was that the cats had left a gift on the front porch…a dead rabbit. Yuk! Of course, it fell to Hubbie to dispose of the poor animal.

It was 9:30 before we finally got on the road. Mother's cat, Snoops, wasn’t happy for the first hour or so in the pet carrier, but finally settled down and slept. Fortunately, she has a soft meow that wasn’t terribly aggravating. Also, listening to an audiobook helped drown out her whining. We chose a series of murder short stories to listen to..."I, Richard," by Elizabeth George.

We stopped about 30 minutes from our destination to have a lunch of pimento cheese sandwiches and cookies. It was sunny and warm when we arrived at the camping area (a paved parking lot near the casinos). There were no grassy areas for a dog walk, which wasn't to Shih Tzu's liking, but she finally relented and did her business on the pavement.

After Hubbie set the camper up, he moved Snoops to a large cage indoors. When we brought Shih Tzu in, Snoops arched her back and hissed as though she'd never seen the dog before. I guess she didn't recognize Shih Tzu out of her own home element, where she sniffs, rubs up against, and generally annoys Shih Tzu.

During the afternoon, we toured the historic southern town across the Mississippi River. First, we went to the Visitor’s Center, where the pink and yellow tulips are gorgeous. Here, we picked up a written tour guide, and then proceeded to a cultural heritage museum, which covers the history of the river, the people that settled the area, slavery, and the part that the town played in the Civil War. A large bale of cotton is one of the first exhibits upon entering the museum.

From there, we visited a music museum that featured many blues legends. We were particularly interested in a very old upright piano, with keys that, when pressed, activated narration on how blues is played, and what the chords mean (the sounds of the music mimic human speech, we learned, which became clear when it was demonstrated).

Then we toured the historic downtown area, which includes several stately Victorian houses that can be toured upon request (we didn't have time today), and several churches, one of which features Tiffany stained glass windows. Another church sits on the site of a Civil War fort.

We returned to camp about 5 p.m. and had a supper of a choice of 11-bean or veggie soup, more pimento cheese, and cupcakes or cookies for dessert. Son and a member of the band stopped by around 6:30 for supper.

When Son and friend left the camper, the friend asked us to step outside for an unusual sight. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of chattering blackbirds were settled on the green roofs of the casino...just a mass of black speckles.

Clouds had begun gathering, and the air was getting chillier after a very warm afternoon. Predictions were for moderately severe thunderstorms, which I didn't look forward to riding out in the camper. If the storms turned to tornadoes, we were at a loss as to where we could shelter with two animals.

We went to the casino around 7 p.m. Son pointed out that the two casinos that anchor the facility are actually floating, though it is hard to tell that they are anything but stationary. We played the penny slot machines for a couple of hours. I played with $2 and ended up with $2.01 tonight. Mother lost two dollars, and Hubbie lost $3.

Son and band arrived at 9 p.m., and we listened to them until about 10:30, and then went back to the camper, where we had snacks. Mother hit the sack after that, and Hubbie and I went back to the casino and listened to Son’s band until 1 a.m. Then Hubbie played the slots for a while and won back his $3. I didn’t play this time.

We got back to the camper around 1:45 and went to bed. It was raining when we left the casino. Several times during the day, we tried to tune in a radio station that would give a weather report, but didn't succeed, so we didn't know what would happen before daylight.

During the night, Snoops the cat spent quite a bit of time scratching around in her litter pan, which made it difficult for me to go to sleep. But once I did, I really zonked, so whatever happened weather-wise, I didn't hear it.