Winterpaloozafestathon, January 9th to January 16th.

 "I think that if we are going to find Sasquatch's in Florida, I think it will be here". A quote from Tango Allejandro said on 1/16/2024 at 8:55 pm eastern time. But wait. Where is here? That is something I will divulge later, after we have moved on to keep the paparazzi confused. Wherever, here is at the moment, it is 21 degrees when we woke up this particular morning. In the news they are closing schools, setting up warming shelters and warning the populace of the impending temperature drop below 32. As born and raised Minnesotans, we just laugh and shake our heads.

In fact I was listening to one news report and they were discussing options on how to insulate your outdoor water faucet on your house just in case you were not able to get those insulated cups built for that. One option was to just use a styro-foam cup and place it over it. That might work if it fits. LOL. The next option was to place a diaper over it. A new one I hope. LOL again. Like everyone has a diaper in their house. I should stand on the corner with a box of Pampers and sell faucet covers for $20 bucks. I would be rich.

(Gladys said I could sell Pampers and depends. I'm not selling my depends to anyone. That's just crazy talk.)

Back to the blog topic. We left Waveland a day later than we were supposed to because of a terrible cold front that had moved through. Bringing inches of rain, cooler temps and high winds. Our next stop was not far away. It was in Mobile Alabama at Meaher State Park. Nice park on the Alabama Bay.

Sunset at Maeher State Park. That string of lights is I-10. Photo by Gladys.

Off in the distance you can see I-10 crossing the bay. Did you know that sound travels over water. It does.  So that is all you hear for 24 hours a day. We have been here before so we knew that. We sight see'd while we were there.

We went to "The Original Oyster House" for dinner one night. Not to be confused with "The Carbon Copy Oyster House" down the road. I was wondering if that cold front had produced a "Sharknado" because there were sharks on the roof. One of my biggest fears about being on the coast is being in the middle of a Sharknado. I've seen all 6 Sharknado movies (something I'm not proud of) and I am well aware of how dangerous it can be with flying sharks falling from the skies.

Did you know that Mardi Gras actually started in Mobile, Alabama? It did in 1703 when at the time Mobile was the capital of Louisiana (think about that for a minute). I looked it up on "The Google". So we went and found a King cake. 

They look good and we have never in our wildest dreams ever had one before. Jim told us that at first you have to play a ring toss game with it. Jim is so weird. Our cake came with a little baby in it.

Not knowing the significance of that, we had to go back to "The Google" and find out. "The Google" says that the baby is hidden inside of the cake and whoever gets it is "King" or "Queen" for the day. This is turning into a real educational trip. The cake was okay. If you were to ask us for our opinion, (which no one ever does), we would tell you it was just a fancy cinnamon roll with sprinkles. That's just us, you should find out for yourselves.

Our next stop on this whirlwind tour of "Dorks on Parade" was going to be Gulf Shores State Park in Alabama. We are still trying to find those warm temps that will put a smile on my baby's face. The key word is "still". Here at Gulf Shores we found some people we know of who are more secretive than us. Can you believe it? They are so secretive that they actually move their Super Secret Location every 2-3 years just so that no one can sneak up on them. But we found them. 

I agreed to change their names for the blog to keep their identities secret. They are Ford Ditchmower and Svetlana Roadkillpickerupper. We went out to lunch with them one day. The picture I have is a fake but this is a perfect example of how they eat.

I was like really? Do you need to eat each others foods out of your mouths. I was hoping a roll would come flying out of the darkness and bounce off their foreheads and knock them out. We visited a couple more times while we were in the area. 

We were talking to Ford and Svetlana about where we were going next. Ford's eyes lit up like a child's at Christmas. Rumblings could be heard from his stomach. All of a sudden he started to convulse and Lisa and I started to get worried. Svetlana said "Don't worry, this happens all of the time." All of a sudden he blurts out a single word. "BUC-EE'S!!!!!!"

Buc-ee's is a travel stop on the interstate in some parts of the country. If you get the chance you have to stop. Ford began to describe the sandwiches found inside. The way he described the food was as if he was talking about a long lost lover. Now we have to stop. We stopped at one a long time ago and we don't quite remember it the way he described it. So we put it on the "to do list".

We were in Gulf Shores for a few days. So you know what that means. Beach time! Gladys shell hunted. I treasure hunted with no success. So with my casino winnings and my treasures from Waveland, I am at 11 cents. Well worth the trip if you ask me.(Which I know, no one will ever ask me).

Still off the market ladies.

One day the waves were very angry.

Another day we just walked and walked. It really amazes me that people aren't out here enjoying the beach when the temps are in the mid fifties. Like us "Dorks on Parade".

Nearly empty beaches.

Gladys with a sack full of shells.

Gladys had her bag of shells in hand. She was staking out territories and battling other women when they got too close to her shells. Have you ever seen documentaries about Penguins and their nests. If so, it was kind of like that.

She found this one day and we weren't even sure of what it was. So we left it. Later on she found a Seashell collecting guide hand book and discovered that it is actually a shell called a Stiff Pen Shell. More education. Now we wish we would have taken it.

That is it for Gulf Shores Alabama. Thanks to Ford and Svetlana for taking time out of their busy schedules to visit with us. Until our paths cross again.

We did stop at Buc-ees on our way to our next destination. It was amazing. The sandwiches were just like the way Ford and Svetlana said they were. I ended up getting two. One for lunch that day and one for lunch the next day. The first one I got was a chopped Brisket sandwich.

Chopped brisket with Beaver tots.

I love brisket as my physique is living proof of that. Pilled high right in front of you. It was like OMG! The other sandwich was even bigger than that one. It was a three meat sandwich. It was piled high with smoked turkey, brisket and smoked sausage. If you don't get the meat sweats from that you are probably already dead. Another side you could eat if you wanted to was called Beaver chips. (Insert your own beaver joke here. Then PM me with it.)

"Gladys, just roll me to our next destination!"

As far as my sasquatch comment, that will have to wait for the next blog because we are currently still here.

Did you notice the new name change for the title of the blog. It's more inclusive now and sustainable. 

Winterpalooza, December 28th-January 8th 2023

SSSSSSHHHHHHHHH..............We left the SSUVFL and quietly made our way south to warmer weather. (We left in the fog so no one would see us leave.)

Although this may have been the winter to stay north because when we left December 28th, it was 32 degrees and no snow. I did a quick check on The Weather Channel and it looks mild temps up there until January 10th. Usually it would be 30 below zero now and it would stay that way until July fourth. That's an embellishment but it sure feels like that some winters.

Like I said, we hit the road south. It took 3 days of travel and over 800 miles to finally reach a temperature that was out of the 30's. Our first stop was in Clear Lake, Iowa at a state park. We stop there out of necessity because for a camp ground so far north it is open year round. All you get is electric, because they are no dummies, they shut the water off. For $12.00 a night , it works.

Next stop was in Perrysville, Missouri. Lisa found an open RV resort there that used to be a KOA. Again. open year round. Full hook-ups for $22.00 a night. Temps were still in the thirties here so it is nice having electric to run electric heaters. Day temps now were going to warm up to the 50's so it was safe to de-winterize the camper now.

Our stop on day three was an Army Corp. of Engineer park called the North Abutment on Lake Granada in Mississippi. $24.00 for full hook-ups. It has been awhile since we stayed at one of these parks and I have to say that they rank near the top for "Niceness". 

Our site, #9. Picnic tables, grills and all paved. I don't like paying taxes but if our tax dollars go to these parks, I'm for it. 

Our view. Army Corp. parks are always built near dams or reservoirs. Way in the distance you can see the water. It would normally be closer but what I read about this lake is they drain it down so that the spring run off has a place to go. Otherwise the water would be at the edge of those trees.

At the end of the road turn left. If you go straight you will be in the Gulf of Mexico.

Finally on day four we arrived at our first destination. Waveland, MS. We have been here many times. We just really like it here. The beaches are huge and empty. Our camp ground is Buccaneer State Park. 

For a state park it is getting expensive from when we first stopped here. Something we will have to take into consideration for the future. I know Jim will choke on his beer when I tell you the price so don't be standing in front of him when he reads this. $65 a night for the holiday weekends $55 regular weekends and for a regular week day it is $45. If you want beach sites, shell out $85 a night. Like I said, this is a state park. It is getting too expensive for us now. We are here a week though and will make the best of it. 

Our first full day here, Jan. 1st, we went to the beach naturally. Lisa walked on the beach for hours while I did some treasure hunting.

Sorry ladies. I am taken.

I ended up with a rusty nail, a tent spike and $.06 in cold hard cash. The clouds moved in later so we drove down the coast to Biloxi. Later on we ate dinner at our favorite beach bar, Shaggy's. We both had shrimp platters that were amazing.

The water was so calm.

The next couple of days weren't very nice. So we decided to make the short drive to New Orleans. One day we drove to the Chalmette Battlefield.

This is where the last battle took place during the war of 1812. Also known as the Battle of New Orleans. The American forces were outnumbered by the British but they were dug in and fortified. The British marched over an open field and were slaughtered by the Americans. 2000 British casualties versus 20 American. It was a major defeat for the British, thus ending the war. The battle lasted a brief couple of hours.

So we learned some history and we got some great cannon shots.

Monument

Navel Battery. You can tell by the cannon.

Lisa playing "I bet you can't shoot me!"

There was a military cemetery next door so we went to check it out.

Another day we drove back into New Orleans to go to the World War II National Museum . Now the literature says that that takes all day to do. They were right. It is enormous. There are 5 different buildings to check out and it can get crowded sometimes. Well worth the stop. There is also a 4D movie that is extra but it is a must also.

Howitzers!

Guns!

Tanks!

Planes!

What more could you ask for. There was also a section about the liberation of the concentration camps. It was very moving. They had interviewed survivors and also GI's who were the first to go into those camps. It was a very moving experience to see. I was telling Lisa that the sad part is that there are very few WW II soldiers left along with the Holocoust survivors and if it wasn't for places like this, the history will be forgotten. I only think of that because of my father passing away at 97 last year. He was a WW II vet and now he is gone.

One afternoon we went to the local casino. I had 17 dollars burning a hole in my pocket and I wanted to strike it rich. So we go in and pick out 2 penny machines side by side. Me being the big gambler, immediately put in a fiver. Lisa asks for money so out of the kindness of my heart I give her a dollar. These machines are confusing to us. You don't just bet one penny at a time. No. My bets were $.40 cents a pop. Blew through five bucks very quickly. I look over at Lisa and she is just punching buttons not knowing what she is doing and her machine starts to go crazy. Making all kinds of noises and lights flashing. Somehow she won just over $40 on one bet. She quickly cashed out and ran. I found the quarter slots and they just as quickly ate my last eleven dollars.

Lisa showing off her winnings with my money.

My winnings. You can't even get cash for that.

More beach days followed along with more shrimp feasts. But sadly our time in Waveland is at an end. On to our next wintery destination.

I can post this blog now because Lisa let it slip that she was enjoying the beach. I mean it was all over the Facebook so now everyone, (I mean the 5 readers that read this blog) will know that we are outside of the SSUVL. We will have to hide from the Paparazzi.

Christmas 2023

Merry Christmas from Tango and Gladys!

 Christmas is upon us and I can't help but think about Christmas' past.

As a child, Christmas was such an important time in our lives. The anticipation of opening presents. I was telling Lisa the other day. Back in "the good ole days" we didn't get toys but twice a year. Birthdays and Christmas. So it was a big deal to get toys back then.

My parents must have been gluttons for punishment because they adopted 3 kids at the same time. We were all 16 months in age apart. I tell people that the orphanage had a sale that week. Buy 2 get one free. I was the free one. When Christmas came around and we were on our Christmas break from school, we would literally drive my mother up the wall.

"Can we open a present! Can we open a present!' the three of us would hound her nonstop.

My mother, getting sick and tired of it, and only being eight in the morning, too early to start drinking, finally gave in and let us open a present. The plan was genius. We would play all day with that toy. Staying out of her hair. At night she would then re-wrap those gifts and put them back under the tree. The next day we would pester her again. So she would let us pick another gift to open. If we would pick something we had already opened, we would be so happy exclaiming that we had gotten two trucks or whatever it was. We weren't very bright. I can just picture my mother laughing and laughing about that.

Another fond memory I recalled was this. If we weren't in snowy Minnesota for Christmas we would travel to Long Beach, California to be with my mothers sister and her family. We would pile into the family truckster and my father would drive and drive. Usually making the trip in two days. One year we stayed in a motel right across the street from Disneyland. It was truly magical. Now LA was a totally different place back in the 70's versus the way it is today. I remember my parents giving us our tickets for the park and then letting us walk across the street and spend the day in the park alone. 

My mother was a wild and crazy person. Around Christmas time she and her friends would get together and go caroling. Only it was called Yulebaching. Not sure of the spelling but knowing her she made it up. It was like caroling but for drinks. As a kid I could tell that it must have been fun by the way she came home.

When we did go to my aunts house I remember never being able to play on the swing set they had in the back yard. Why is that you ask? The reason being is that they had a monkey that lived on that thing. It was not a cute monkey but rather a monkey from hell. Mean monkey. But that is what memories are made of.

Another fond memory is the first Christmas I spent with Lisa and her family. The Christmas that never ended. Rather, it was the gift opening that never ended. We would take turns opening 1 gift. Everyone would watch that person open it and then "oohhss and aahhss" would ensue. Comments and stories would follow. Then the gift would be passed around the circle so everyone could see it. Then the cycle would be repeated for the next person. I swear that gift opening took forever but in reality it was more like 3-4 hours. Now my side of the family was more of a free for all. Someone would hand out the gifts. Once your pile was in front of you it would begin. It was like a feeding frenzy. Lasting maybe 5 minutes.

When Lisa and I got married, Christmas cards were our thing from the beginning. I will include them so you can see us dorks on parade.

Our cats before we had kids.

Our son and my vintage SnoJet.

This year we sent out a letter with this picture. Dorks.

Our kids throughout the year.

The ATV's and kids.

We had a character drawing of the kids done one year.

As the kids got older we started camping and traveling more.

Another fun dress up card we sent out. 

Silver Lake sand dunes.

One year everyone didn't want a picture taken so I had to improvise. Yes, we had five cats at one time.

Moab Utah.

This is the year we were hiding our identities.

On a glacier in Canada.

That's it for family photos. Kids are adults now. Time moves on. 

Merry Christmas to all. Have a Happy New Year also. We will be going into hibernation soon and hope to wake up in the spring.

Hockey

Hockey-a game played on ice between two teams of players who each have a curved stick with which they try to put a puck (a small, hard disk) into the other teams goal. -Cambridge Dictionary

 One of the joys of being near the grandkids is to be able to watch them grow. From little balls of babies that do nothing but eat, cry and poop, to toddlers who are into everything, and to where they are now. 4 and 5 years old. At this age they are definitely developing their own personalities. 

We had the four year old stay with us for a couple of days last week he was so excited seeing our Christmas tree and all of the presents under it. He really wanted to start opening all of the gifts we told him he had to wait until Christmas. Now it is funny how their  minds work. So he says, "Can I touch them?" We said that was fine. So he touched them all and then he was done with them. The top half of our tree has candy canes on it. The bottom half that he could reach are all gone. Every time I turned around I would see him munching on a candy cane. 

"Stop eating my candy canes!" I would tell him. Only to get a sheepish little giggle out of him.

Now the five year old is playing hockey. In Minnesota if your child isn't skating by kindergarten, they will never make the pro circuit. A friend of mine had asked me what we had planned for the day. I told him we were going to Fargo to watch the five year old play hockey. I said that that should be interesting. It did not disappoint.

Imagine 8-10 kids who can barely stand on skates chasing a puck around for an hour. They were laying on the ice more than they were standing. Actually I give them a lot of credit. They are better skaters at this age than I ever was. But it was fun watching them develop those skills. I loved it when the puck would get out to open ice and the kids would skate after it with wild abandon. The first one to reach it would wind up for the shot, only to whiff, fall on his butt and slide into the boards. Then he would scramble to his feet just so that he could get into the mix again. They sure were burning the calories that night.

The four year old fell asleep that night on the way to the game. So Lisa stayed in our daughter-in-laws vehicle while he slept. Then half way through the game, I changed places with her, so that she could enjoy the game. When it was done they came out to the parking lot and our five year old was in a very happy mood. He had a huge smile on his face and as proud as he could be he declared that he had lost a tooth. I said to him "Now you look like a real hockey player!" 

Now flash back to my childhood. We lived a block and a half from our neighborhood ice rink. Like I said earlier, Minnesota is a huge hockey state. Well my father, being the hairdresser that he was gave us kids figure skates. Figure skates. Back in those days kids could walk around without adult supervision. So my bother, sister and I would ask our mom if we could go skating. She would usually tell us we could, under one condition. We had to put our skates on at home instead of at the warming house by the rink, the reason being my mother didn't want our shoes to get stolen. So we walked to the rink in our ice skates without guards on them. I don't think skates on concrete is very good for them.

To this day my now brother-in-law who lived down the block would always comment about that. "Here come the Oliver kids walking to the rink in their skates." And then laugh and laugh.

As chance would have it. I never did become the next Brian Boitano.

Was it because my skates were dull? Or was it because of my notoriously weak ankles? I'm betting on the latter. I would stand on my skates, the blades would be pointing out and I would be standing on the inside of the boot. It made it very hard to do a triple sow cow like that, not to mention just standing up. 

Christmas is fast approaching. Then after the holidays the real deep freeze will hit us here and then we will go into hibernation. Until then. 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.