Florissant Fossil Beds

Last week I visited the Florissant Fossil Beds, near Florissant, Colorado. In this picture I am looking at an old Redwood tree stump, The National Monument does a great job of documenting the 34 million years of geologic history of the area. It wasn't until 1969 that the government stepped in to preserve the area after about 100 years' loss of artifacts and fossils.

Warmest regards, Gus

Gus and Betty in the Corn Field

Betty and I found a different Field of Dreams. Instead of the baseball diamond in Dyersville, IA, we had fun in a corn field in Kellogg, Iowa this morning. After leaving Northeast Ohio on Monday, we are in Council Bluffs, IA and heading to Colorado Springs.
So far we have had some rain, but avoided the bad weather in some areas.
Warmest regards, Gus

Eastman Museum, Rochester, NY

Today I visited the George Eastman Home and Museum in Rochester, NY. George's mother lived with him in the house until she died in 1907. George Eastman died in 1932 of a self-inflicted gunshot to the heart. The musem has many photos and currrently has an exhibit featuring the 100th anniversary of the National Park System. 

Warmest regards, Gus

Hudson Cruise

Here is the boat I "drove" on the Hudson River today.

Gus

Hudson cruises

Today I was on a cruise boat on the Hudson River. We left from Hudson, New York, and had a great trip on the river for several hours. I think I did a good job while "driving" the boat.
If you are in the area, check out

Many of the passengers on the boat are attending the Tri-Chapter Rally at Brook n Wood Resort in Elizabille, NY.

Best wishes,
Gus

Andersonville National Historic Site , SC

Several weeks ago I was able to visit the Andersonville National Historic Site in South Carolina. This was the site of the Confederate Prison during the Civil War and became a National Cemetery on July 26, 1865. The first interments were soldiers who died in the prison. In addition to the National Cemetery, there is a National Prisoner of War Museum to tell the stories of priisoners of war from all wars.
Warmest regards, Gus

Biloxi, MSs

Betty and I have been in the Biloxi, MS, area for the past 10+ days. The weather has been nice, but a little cool some days. Aftter attending several Mardi Gras parades, we also checked out the drive along the coast on highway 90. The last time we were here was just a few months after Hurrican Katrina (2005) had hit the area. There has been a great deal of construction since then, especially the casinos and the repairs to the highways. However, there are still many empty lots along the coast waiting for someone to build a home or for another hotel to be sited.
Many of the locals seem to be pleased with the way the tourist economy has rebounded, but overall there are still problems.
Hope all is well with you.
Warmest regards, Gus

To the left is the Biloxi lighthouse which has been repaired since Katrina.

Pintail Wildlife Drive

On the Pintail Wildlife Drive of the Cameron Wildlife Refuge, I saw many alligators along with many birds. This "gator" seemed a little curious, but I did not get out of the car to see how friendly he really was!! The air temperature was aabout 70 degrees, so some of the "gators" were on the banks sunning themselves.

Today we left the Lake Charles area and drove to Hammond, LA. In a few days we will be in Biloxi, MS.

Warmest regards, Gus

Louisiana's Outback

Yesterday I took a day-trip to see Louisiana's Outback. I traveled from the Visitors' Center in Sulpher (where I am pictiured ready to go fishing), down to Holly Beach on the Gulf of Mexico, across the shipping canal at Cameron and then on to the National Wildlife Refuge. This area along the Gulf is still trying to recover from the damage of Hurricane Rita -- it was not hit as hard by Katrina in 2005. A few people are starting to re-build at Holly Beach, but there are many more empty cement slabs in the area than there are homes. All of the new construction is about 20 feet above ground. Only sheds and rvs are located at ground level.

Warmest regards, Gus

Happy New Year

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season and you are looking forward to a great 2016!

I spent about two months in Colorado Springs and had a great time with family and friends. On December 8th, I left Colorado and headed through New Mexico. The picture above was taken on the plaza in Mesilla, just outside of Las Cruces. I got to see some friends in Las Cruces before leaving for Texas.

After a couple of stops, I made it to Lake Medina Thousand Trails Preserve --just west of San Antonio. I got to spend some time with Pat's sister and brother-in-law who live in San Antonio. The weather has not been great, but much better than many places. We have had no snow, tornadoes, flooding, etc. The rain is always welcome in this area, and Lake Medina has water for the first time in years. The storms last summer filled the lake.

From here I am going to Columbus, TX, on the Colorado River--no, not the Colorado River that starts in Colorado and flows through the Grand Canyon. Cousins Jim and Pat tell me that when we leave Columbus, we will head East along the Gulf Coast where I hope to get some Cajun food. The plan is to be in Hoboken, GA by early March for a rally and then to Perry, GA for the FMCA Family Reunion. I guess the weather will dictate the itinerary.

Warmest regards, Gus

P.S. I heard from my friend Kaori in Yokohama, Japan; she was worried about me because I had not posted anything lately. I am healthy and doing just fine!