December 30, 2014. Down in the Bayou

CAMPGROUND:  Chicot State Park.  Electricity, water, so-so bathrooms.  3 stars. $21/night

LOCATION:  Near Eunice, Louisiana in south central part of state

WEATHER:  Some sun at last!  Highs in 40s

We hiked around the military campground between Port Gibson and Vicksburg, MS  where major battles were fought on the Mississippi River during the Civil War.  As we were hiking, we almost felt like we were in the war as deer hunters' bullets rang around us.

We drove south, and crossed the Mississippi River at Natchez.  As soon as we crossed the bridge, we spotted a good-looking restaurant, so we stopped for lunch.  Louisiana food is so good!  We split a sinfully-good hamburger with andouille sausage.  Yum!

We took the scenic route, meandering on a highway that parallels the Mississippi through the delta.  Other than hunters in the swamp, we had the highway to ourselves.  The road is built up on the levee.  

We arrived at our campground around 4:00.  We built a campfire since it wasn't raining and had warmed up a bit.  (Sounds strange, but true). 

DINNER:  3rd dinner using the rotisserie chicken we bought a few days ago.  I cooked a recipe called White Wine Chicken. I cooked mushrooms, scallions, garlic and chicken in chicken broth and red wine (all I had).   I served it with couscous and steamed broccoli.  I made 4th dish using the rotisserie chicken....some chicken/bean/broccoli soup to eat another day.   4 meals from a $5 chicken!  Hopefully we can cook over the campfire tomorrow. 

December 29, 2014. Hot tamales and cold weather

CAMPGROUND:  Grand Gulf Military State Park. Decent bathrooms, concrete slab. Electricity and water.  3 stars. $18/night

LOCATION: Near Vicksburg, Mississippi on western side of state. Next to Mississippi River

WEATHER:  More rain. Cold. Highs in 40s

We stopped in Greenville, MS, famous for its blues music and hot tamales.  Our guidebook suggested a tamales place where President Clinton and Elvis Presley ate, but it is only open for dinner, so we found another place.  It features deep-fat fried tamales.  We passed, and just had regular steamed ones in corn husks.  They warmed our tummies. We found a home brew supply shop that had a few beers on tap.  We had one, but it was not good enough to fill up our growler with. 

We drove through the delta.  All the fields are soggy.  Yucky weather.  Famous people are from around here.....Morgan Freeman, Jim Henson, and a lot of blues musicians. 

Our new truck has lots of storage in the back, and we have a cover that we can lock.  We checked it to make sure it hasn't leaked in all this rain.  Everything is thankfully nice and dry.

We found this campground, just when it was getting dark, about 5;00.  Other than one family tent-camping, we have the place to ourselves.  Since we will just stay one night, we didn't unhook from the truck, making it faster to get set up.

Since returning to the road, we haven't built a campfire yet.....just too cold and rainy.  We've been cooking inside and reading/watching TV.  

DINNER:  I wanted to take a break from meals using the rotisserie chicken, so dug into my back-up food box.  I made a stove-top casserole with sautéed onions, garlic, remaining kale chopped, a can of tuna, half can of cannellini beans, and some pasta.  Served with Parmesan and a good Cabernet Sauvignon.  We are Glamping, not camping......:-)

December 28, 2014. Another rainy day

CAMPGROUND:  3rd night at Persimmon Hill Corps of Engineer Campground

Another miserable, cold rainy day.  The weather forecast is the same around Mississippi and Louisiana, so we decided to stay here another night.  We don't want to hook up, etc in the cold rain, and we might as well take advantage of this great, inexpensive campground.

We drove about an hour into Greenwood which was recommended in my guidebook as a prosperous, cool town.  Viking Appliance Company has its headquarters and factories here, so supposedly has spurred the economy.  Perhaps because it is Sunday, but the town did not live up to the guidebook.  It was very poor-looking, and everything was closed.

We found one restaurant open that was featured in the guidebook for its southern, Mississippi Delta cuisine.  We split a Sunday lunch special....blackened catfish with 2 sides, homemade biscuits, buttermilk pie, and coffee, all for $13.  More than enough for 2 people.  It was busy with the after-church crowd.  It was an experience to people-watch, especially the blacks who were dressed to the nines.

Back at the camper, we stayed indoors and watched some travel shows on public TV.  

DINNER:  A delicious Japanese soup with soba noodles, chicken pieces from the rotisserie chicken, shiitake mushrooms, ginger, green onions, all in chicken broth.  It really hit the spot in this yucky weather.  It will be interesting to see how many meals we can get from the $5 rotisserie chicken.

December 27, 2014. Rainy day in Mississippi

CAMPGROUND:  2nd night at Persimmon Hill

WEATHER;  Rain. Highs in 50s

The weather forecast turned out to be true.....it rained all day.  George worked on the leaky shower, and was able to turn it off permanently.  We use the shower area to store our electric cooler and shoes; we don't ever take a shower in it.  Too messy and small, and most campgrounds have nice showers.

We hiked a bit between rain showers in the campground, then drove to Oxford, about 35 miles from here.

It is really a cute town.  It is the home of the University of Mississippi, fondly called " Ole Miss".  The town square is vibrant, with shops and restaurants.  We found a craft beer bar that features southern breweries.  We used their wifi to do some business.

We walked around the square stopping for a bowl of gumbo for lunch.  Then, we browsed in a famous bookstore, one of the biggest non-chain stores in the country.  This is the birthplace of Faulkner, and more recently, John Grisham.  We drove around the university campus.  You can tell football is really big here.

I had planned to buy a chicken to grill, but since it is still raining, I bought a rotisserie chicken for dinner tonight and for some future meals.

We happily listened to public radio, highlighted by Prairie Home Companion in the evening.

DINNER:  Rotisserie chicken with sautéed onions, potatoes and bell peppers.

December 26, 2014. Life on the road

CAMPGROUND:  Persimmon Hill Core of Engineers.  What a find!  5 stars. Great bathrooms, beautiful grounds on a lake, nice paved camper pads, electricity, water, public TV and radio.  All for $6/night!

LOCATION:  in north central Arkansas, near Oxford.

WEATHER:  Cool. Highs in 50s.

We have had 3 issues now that we are back in the USA...

1.  When we landed in O'Hare, we found out that AT&T had shut off our service.  Shall I rant?

2.  We checked our credit card statements, and discovered that someone had stolen our number in Chicago in November and went on a spending spree.

3.  Our camper shower suddenly decided to turn itself on, flooding the bathroom twice.

It was #3 that George worked on this morning.  Our temporary fix is to just not turn on the water.  It took a while to clean up the flood, then we took off from Birmingham, heading southwest.  He will try to figure out the problem later.

The weather forecast is for rain the next few days, so our goal was to find a nice campground where we could hunker down for a few days, making day trips to some of the places recommended in my guidebook.  

Due to our late start, we arrived here just when it was getting dark.....4:30.  We set up and relaxed inside during the evening.

DINNER:  I haven't made it to the grocery store yet, so improvised....I made a frittata with kale, potatoes, onion, garlic and diced Spam.  Pretty good, but must go shopping tomorrow.

December 25, 2014. Merry Christmas from the road!

CAMPGROUND:  Tannenhill Historic State Park.  4 stars.  Nice sites, water and electricity.  Wonderfully toasty bathhouse with great showers.  $18. 

LOCATION:  Outside of Birmingham, Alabama. In the north central part of state.

WEATHER:  Sunny. Highs about 55.  30s at night.  

Since we still have a bit of jetlag, we woke up early in Winston-Salem.  We decided we might as well hit the road.  We left in the dark, about 7:00 AM.  Of course, nothing was open except a few gas stations and Waffle  House.  

Our mission today was to get south, where campgrounds would be open.  We drove through North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama.  We had to drive through Atlanta, but it wasn't bad, as everyone must have been eating Christmas dinner.

We are so happy with our truck.  It pulls the trailer nicely; we almost forget it is there.  (And....everything matches in Airstream silver!!). It is great to be back on the road.  

We drove about 8 hours.  We filled the tank once, at a pleasant $1.99/gallon!

We are in a nice state park.  I was surprised at the number of campers.  Some really decorate, even while camping.

The registration office was closed, but the park policeman signed us up.  

DINNER:  Turkey Spam, in the spirit of Christmas, sautéed with garlic and onions.  Sides of baked potatoes and sautéed kale.  I need to shop and fill up my larder!   

December 24, 2014. Christmas Eve with family

We finished packing up the camper, and hooked it up to the car.  Then, we enjoyed a delicious Christmas Eve lunch with George's brother Fred and his family.  Wife Charlene had decorated a beautiful tree.

After buying groceries for the next leg of our trip, we returned to George's sister's house for dinner and another early bedtime. We are still recovering from jet lag.

Tomorrow, we return to our "home"..... life on the road in our Airstream.

December 22 and 23, 2014. Back to the USA

We left Hyderabad at 9:00 PM, and flew to Delhi.  Left Delhi at 2:00 AM.  Arrived in Chicago at 6:00 AM.  12 hours of time zone difference.  About a 20-hour flight.  Then, on to Charlotte, North Carolina. 

Alexis flew with us yo O'Hare, then went to Minnesota.  

We are staying with George's sister in Winston-Salem, NC.  We crashed after we arrived....jet lag and "Delhi Belly".  

Catching up on business things, and loading up the camper and new truck.  Will head south on Christmas Day.

December 21, 2014. Heading home

We are heading out to the airport.  We fly from Hyderabad to Delhi,  Delhi to O'Hare.  O'Hare to Charlotte for us, and O'Hare to Minneapolis for Alexis. 

This has been a marvelous experience!  We arrived on November 16, in Hyderabad.  (#1on map).  

 We stayed with Bala and Nagu, Meredith's in-laws.  They have been such gracious hosts.  Here are the bride and groom, with both sets of parents.

Then, after a few days, we (George, Meredith, and I) left Hyderabad and went to the north, to spend 3 weeks in Rajastan, the desert (#2-9 on the map).  We returned to Hyderabad where we dropped off daughter Meredith, and picked up daughter Alexis.  The three of us (Alexis, George and I) visited the rain forest in south India (#10 on map) for 5 days. Then, we returned to Hyderabad for the 3-day wedding celebrations.

It has been a marvelous trip.  An experience of a lifetime!

Today, on our way to the airport, we stopped for a glass of wine with Meredith and Gautham, who are spending 2 nights in a nice hotel in Hyderabad for a honeymoon.

Now, we are thinking about Christmas.  It is not celebrated much here, as most people are Hindu or Muslim.  Some people buy these decorations to hang near their front door.

We are flying back to North Carolina where we will pick up our camper and new truck.  Then, we will head south in search of warm weather.  

Ciao from India!  

December 20, 2014. Relaxing after wedding

Various houseguests left, and things are winding down.  

We (George, Alexis, Meredith and I) went back to the Belgian beer bar for good beers and lunch.  

The food was artistically presented.  

As with last time, there wasn't a taxi available, so we took 2 tuk-tuks  home.  

December 19, 2014. Final day of wedding.

Day 3 started at 8:00 AM.  We had a nice Indian breakfast, with several out-of-town houseguests.  The priest came  around 10:00.  We gather that there are auspicious  times for ceremonies, so it was a little tense when the priest was a bit late.  He got a chewing out.

He put out rice, fruit and flowers for the chanting ritual.  Most of it involved Bala and Nagu (Meredith's in-laws),

The chanting went on ( in Sanscrit) for 3 hours.  Guests came and went.  Some watched a cricket tournament in the computer room.

Bala was in charge

Family members  kept coming, until the apartment filled with about 50 people. 

One of the rituals was breaking a coconut by Gautham....

And Meredith had to break one...

We threw flower petals on each other, ate some sweets and lentils, and listened to more chants.

It ended about 2:00 PM, then we had a delicious lunch.  All vegetarian...a cauliflower dish, okra, crunchy tidbits made from rice powder, rice, sambar soup and curds (yogurt).  

This ends the wedding celebrations.  Everyone is ready for a rest!

December 18, 2014. Day 2 of wedding ends

Wedding recap....

The first day was the lunch and henna tattoo party.  Today, day 2, was the official ceremony.  We started at about 7:30 AM, with the musicians clearing out the cobwebs from our heads!  

The lunch ended at about 3:00.  There were about 200 people in attendance.....family, friends, neighbors, and service people.  Most guests left, and some of the immediate family came back to the apartment to rest.

Then, the party contined.  Starting at about 6:00, there was a cocktail party in the apartment meeting room, then fireworks.  Lots of neighbors joined, especially little kids.  The evening culminated with a light dinner and the wedding cake.

Meredith and Gautham added an American custom...

The wedding celebration will continue tomorrow.  Several ladies have told me that weddings used to last 5 days, rather than 3.

December 18, 2014. Wedding feast

After the ceremony, about 2:00, guests ate from a delicious special Indian wedding buffet.

Parents of the groom, Nagu and Bala, enjoy the food.

This is one of the cooks before the wedding..

December 18, 2014. And, now we present the new couple

The finale occurs when the couple sit on royal-looking chairs.

December 18, 2014. Guests bless the bride and groom.

Then, guests come up to the stage, sprinkle rice on the couples' heads, bless them, and give them a gift.

Lots of beautiful saris, all very different

December 18, 2014. Rice and more rice

The bride and groom sprinkle, then pour, rice over each other's heads

December 18, 2014. Hindu priests

There are 2 priests chanting and performing religious rituals, while Meredith is in her basket, and others stand around

They do ritual things with rice, fruits and flowers.

Candles are brought, and we blow the flames toward the couple..

The bride and groom walk in the rice

Then, they walk around a fire 

December 18, 2014. More wedding ceremony prep

Another custom is for the  bride and groom yo have their feet painted.  Here is sister Swathi painting their feet...

Here goes Gautham....

Next is Meredith....

This is taking place as the priest gets prepared.  Women help either platters of rice, fruit and flowers that the priest will use..

December 18, 2014. Bride Meredith in a wedding basket

One of the traditions is for the bride to sit in a basket while the Hindu priest performs the rituals....

The chanting went on a long time and her legs fell asleep!

After the ceremony, 4 guys picked her up in the basket, circled around, and placed her back.

December 18, 2014. Family photos at wedding

Parents of the bride...

Parents and sister of the groom...

The beautiful Reid girls

Siblings....Gautham and his sister Swathi.  Meredith with sister Alexis...

December 18, 2014. The handsome groom

It is custom that I welcome the groom.  I swiped some yellow coloring on his forehead.  His mother Bala greeted him with a red dot on the forehead.

He even has cute shoes!

With Meredith, the lovely bride