Now What?

We're so thankful to have had the opportunity to travel across this great country of ours. It's amazing just how big it is. Every place we visited had something unique and special about it.

It's hard to believe that we've lived on the road for an entire year. When we first planned this we hoped to do it for 6 months - and then the Peace Corps timeline changed and we extended it to a year. A few times we asked ourselves, "Can we really do this for a whole year?" I guess the answer is yes! Don't tell anybody, but we've toyed with the idea of doing this again! We didn't even get to hit the "Mountain West." You know, the big states like Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado. But next time we might get a Westfalia van to do it in. We'll see.



Many times we've been asked what was our favorite place. Of course we could never give just one answer. I guess you could say these were our top 5 (in no particular order):

• Crater Lake
• The entire California coast (minus Los Angeles)
• Biking the Katy Trail in Missouri
• The Dakotas
• New York City

Our long awaited service in the Peace Corps is just around the corner. We leave on March 14th for Albania. Can you believe it? Our first 3 months there will be spent in an intensive training program, after which we'll be placed in our permanent location for 2 years. I'll be doing community development and Richie will be teaching English.

I'll leave you with one of my new favorite quotes from the Pennsylvania Civil War Trails Road pamphlet. I think it sums up our feelings well:

There's a difference between a trip and journey.
A trip has a beginning and an end, a point A to point B.
A trip is remembered in a few pictures and a handful of laughs.
A journey is different.
It has a start point and a final destination, but a journey lives outside the lines.
A journey connects you to something bigger than a photo album or a fleeting memory.
It becomes a part of you.

Let our journey begin!

Mirupafshim! (That mean "Goodbye!" in Albanian.)

Mardi Gras 2010

The Peace Corps did a great job by moving our departure date to March 2010 instead of September 2009. It gave us the opportunity to spend an entire year traveling across the country - and put us landing in Louisiana just in time for Carnival season (aka Mardi Gras)!

Alexis, sitting in a gutter spout, entertaining herself until parade time.

I loved going to Houma parades as a kid, and when I was in junior high and high school I marched in them. I honestly had no desire to go to another parade, but going to a parade with my 2-year old niece and 6-year old godchild couldn't have been better.

Austin screaming "Throw me something, Mister!"

His enthusiasm was contagious!

Some quick facts on Mardi Gras:

• Mardi Gras arrived in North America as a French Catholic tradition
• "Fat Tuesday" occurs the day before Ash Wednesday, and it is in preparation for the 40 days of prayer and fasting observed by Catholics.
• "Throws" (beads, trinkets, stuffed animals, etc.) were first seen in New Orleans in 1871.
• Mardi Gras colors were introduced in 1872 by the New Orleans Krewe of Rex. The colors are purple (for justice), green (for faith), and gold (for power).
• Mardi Gras became a legal holiday in Louisiana in 1875. Thank you Governor Warmoth for signing the "Mardi Gras Act."

I thought Austin was going to wet himself when he
saw the Clydesdale horses leading the parade.

Many of the floats are home-made, but others are colorful and elaborate. Lots of time and money go into the design and completion of the floats. If you are ever in New Orleans, take a tour of Mardi Gras World to see a float pro at work.

But Mardi Gras parades aren't just about floats. There are local school bands, show cars, charity groups like the Shriners, and dance teams.

Ah - the white jacketed men of Selucrey
Parade goers are fond of these gentlemen who
swoon bystanders with a dance and rose.

Captain Tim Bergeron served as a motorcycle officer with the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's Department. He was killed while escorting floats to for the Krewe of Titans parade.
Every float in every Houma parade had a note of condolences and thanks
to the late Tim Bergeron.

Yes, this says "Krewe of Krazy Kajuns"

"Who Dat" was everywhere in celebration of Super Bowl XLIV

It is hard to imagine thousands and thousands of people waiting for hours on the side of the road to catch beads and trinkets, but you soon realize it is all about the celebration. (Although, I used to make a lot of money selling my caught beads back to krewe members.)

My sister and her daughter, Alexis - enjoying the moment.

A sampling of the Mardi Gras crowd
(And this is just in the little 'ol town of Houma!)

A krewe member enticing the crowd.

I believe that everyone should attend at least one parade in New Orleans just to experience the chaos, then attend a parade or two in other towns across Louisiana. Either way - I can guarantee you'll "pass a good time."

Laissez Le Bon Temps Roulet

3, 2, 1... Blast Off! in Cape Canaveral

While everyone was out buying bags of chips, beer and BBQ in preparation for the 44th Super Bowl game, the people of NASA were quietly preparing the space shuttle Endeavour for its last night launch. Its mission: To deliver the final node (Node 3, to be exact) to the International Space Station.


A childhood flashback...
The weekend after Thanksgiving, my family would hop into the Ford Aerostar van (with a loaf of bread, a pound of lunchmeat, and some coke) and drive to Mississippi to a tree farm for our annual Christmas tree cutting trip. It was a big deal.

The tree farms changed throughout the years - a sign that while owning a tree farm is a romantic idea, it isn't the most viable business. I recall Picayune and McCombe and Carriere, Mississippi. My sister keeps the tree-cutting tradition alive by driving all the way to Alabama! The stories we have are endless - it could be another blog!

Anyhow... on the drive home, we would always picnic at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. As most impressionable kids, I was fascinated with space flight - and dreamed of becoming an astronaut. The more I researched it, the more I realized my body probably couldn't handle all the necessary G-forces, and it would also require practice using a funnel-vacuum potty, so my dream of becoming an astronaut was flushed.

Stennis Space Center was the test site for solid rocket boosters and engines - and Mom and Dad often talked about bringing us back to watch the tests. Unfortunately, we never witnessed one, but when I learned that a shuttle launch was scheduled towards the end of our road trip, I couldn't resist.

We made it a 4-day trip, most of that was driving. The Florida panhandle is a doozy! To share in the excitement of the launch, we brought my godchild (Austin, a 6-year old) and my dad. It was an opportunity of a lifetime.

We spent weeks in excitement! Meanwhile, the rest of the state of Louisiana was in pure bliss with the New Orleans Saints being in the Super Bowl. Can you believe the launch was scheduled for February 7th at Cape Canaveral, Florida - and Super Bowl 44 was scheduled for February 7th in Miami, Florida?

The Saints mania was unbelievable. And when I say mania - I mean MANIA! There is a spirit in Louisiana like none other I've seen. "Who Dat" was plastered on everything, along with fleur de lis. Those folks who normally bleed purple and gold for LSU had special-occasions blood transfusions to bleed black and gold. The Louisiana air was thick with love and pride for the New Orleans Saints.

I received hundreds of emails regarding the Saints, but here is my favorite:

BEWARE......
Hurricane WHO DAT warning has been issued! TAKE COVER! Have sufficient liquid beverages to prevent dehydration and food to satisfy all food cravings. Do not plan to weather the storm alone. This storm has been building in the gulf for an extremely long time and will unleash its furor with a direct hit on Miami on Sunday evening. Winds and after effects will be felt along the Gulf Coast as far west as the Beaumont, TX area. Hurricane WHO DAT will strike with a mighty force and all persons in the affected area need to be prepared to celebrate.

My cousin, James Robichaux, is a brilliant photographer with a dry sense of humor. To see the Saints mania (before and after the Super Bowl), check out his website NOLAPost.com

But enough about the Saints, and back to our road trip to Cape Canaveral...

We spent the first day driving to Pensacola, but arrived in the evening so the view from our cabin wasn't enjoyed until the early morning - a very early morning. Austin was so excited about this trip that he was up at 5am! I appreciated his enthusiasm because it allowed us to see the sunrise. Before getting back on the road, we enjoyed some instant coffee while watching Austin dig in the sand with a stick, trying to dig out what he thought was a mole-hole.

Austin thought he saw a mole under the wharf.

He loves his Paw Paw, too.

We shared the road with black and gold painted cars heading to Miami for the Super Bowl. And after a 10-hour drive, we landed in Mims, Florida. We took a short "nap," packed the car, and at 2am we headed to Titusville to witness the wonder of Endeavour.

While Titusville is 12 miles from the shuttle, the launch pad was a spotlight that could be seen forever. There were thousands of people waiting in excitement. It felt like a Mardi Gras parade - all that was missing were marching bands, floats, beads, and alcohol.

We found a spot, set up the tripod, and waited patiently. Considering it was 3am, our fellow onlookers were kind and shared their enthusiasm and admitted this was their childhood dream. Dad explained to Austin the details on "lighting the candle" and we spent most of the time reassuring Austin that, despite a few bushes in front of us, he would be able to see the shuttle launch. I can still hear him at 3:30am (an hour before the launch time) saying "Nanny, I think I can see them lighting the candle!"

Our view of the launch pad.

I exchanged emails with a fellow tripoder (cameraman), and I'm glad I did. The shuttle was scheduled to lift-off at 4:39am, and at 4:35am, our neighbor with a hand-held radio received the news that the launch was postponed. Urgh... For safety reasons, the shuttle is not allowed to launch in clouds lower than 4500 feet. We had been watching the clouds all morning, and the ceiling stayed too low. Bummer.

We thought about staying an extra day to try and see the second launch attempt, but Austin had already missed a day of school, so we headed back to Louisiana. We shared our disappointment in not being able to see the launch - and Austin understood that the astronauts would rather be safe than risking their lives just to put on a light show. Whew!

On our way out of Titusville we decided on an early morning breakfast at an IHOP. While we sipped our coffee Austin busied himself coloring his placemat. There was a fill-in-the-blank story that Austin did that was so cute we had to share:

One morning, Jimmy was feeling super (emotion) sleepy. So he rode on his rocket (vehicle) space shuttle all the way to (place) outer space. There he met (your name) Austin, ruler of all the (sports team) Saints who showed him the way to the secret lab of evil Professor von (teacher's last name) Guidroz. The door was locked. But Jimmy used his (toy) electro-robot to blast it down. Inside they found all sorts of micro- (verb) swimming gizmos, and a cage full of subatomic (animals) zebras. (Your name) Austin pushed a glowing (color) purple button. "Gadzooks!" Jimmy exclaimed. "You've created a mega- (food) pancake!"

What a creative kid, heh?

The day before, on our way to Cape Canaveral, we spotted a 10-foot purple rooster standing amongst a sea of statues, and we vowed to stop at the roadside shop on the way back home. There was an endless amount of stuff, all "Made in Mexico." And the shop owners were exactly what you'd expect - bearded hippies in flannel shirts!

Austin and the Big Purple Rooster
Florida Highway 40

We thought about buying a few of these flying pig mailboxes and painting them black and gold. We could have made a small fortune selling them after the Saints' win. It snowed in Louisiana, meaning hell froze over - and pigs did fly!

We made it to Big Lagoon State Park (Florida) in the early afternoon, and despite the shuttle launch news, our adventure didn't stop. We spent the afternoon collecting firewood, setting up the tents, and walking the beach.

This was a trip of firsts for Austin. It was the first time he had been camping - and I mean REAL camping in a tent! The first time he ate hot dogs roasted on a stick on the campfire, the first time he had REAL s'mores with roasted marshmallows, the first time he saw a family of raccoons so close, and the first time he saw animals in the wild.

Austin found a "floating" fish. Boys will be boys.

The next morning we packed up the tents and spent a good bit of the morning exploring the beach on Perdido Key State Park. We gave Austin a Ziplock bag which he proceeded to fill to the brim with every manner of seashell. About every foot or so he'd pick something up and say, "Oooh Nanny! Look at this one!" We hated to leave - but otherwise we would have had to hire a dump truck to cart back all the shells he was picking up!


We arrived back in Raceland later that afternoon, bringing the total mileage for the round trip to Cape Canaveral to 1,533 miles.

A few days after our road trip to Flordia, I received an email from Rudy Costillo (the fellow tripoder). He shared his video of the launch and this spectacular photo. All I can say is "Wow!"

Photo courtesy of Rudy Costillo
Miami, Florida

THANK YOU FOR SHARING THIS RUDY!

Georgia on My Mind

One of my favorite statues in my brother's yard.
My number one favorite is the one of E.T.

I love my brother. He is a hard working man with 3 rambunctious kids: Sebastian, AJ, and they finally got their baby girl Isabelle, who just reached 8 months old.

Sebastian is a very handsome, well-behaved 6-year old who stumbles on pronouncing his Ls and Rs. Richie took Sebastian to the bathroom, and as Richie was assisting with Sebastian's belt, Sebastian looked at his Uncle Richie and said "You bedder huwwy." I couldn't help it - I laughed out loud! It's a wonder how he makes it in the bowl because he doesn't look or aim - and the pressure is like a firehose!


We spent the morning near the stream behind the house teaching Sebastian how to put a leaf in the water and watch it float downriver. Later, we discovered a frog lounging in the pool. We think the frog died of shock, but we haven't been able to find the frog to prove it. You see, Sebastian took the frog and placed it in the rushing stream, just like the leaf before. He also put the frog down the pool's slide. Not once, but twice.


Sebastian is just like his daddy in looks and his love for peanut butter. I'm certain he would swim in it if you let him.

We played tic-tac-toe for almost an hour with Sebastian. He learned how to "block" and he is a good sport when it comes to losing a game once in a while.

AJ is 4-years old and the kid is just cute. I could stare at his button nose all day. And he has those mischievous eyes to match the sly grin. He looks like Jaime - and gets away with everything. Oh yeah... he loves to instigate. We didn't spend much time with him separately... we didn't think it was a good idea to keep him out of school.



AJ admires his older brother and mimics him often. Sebastian's homework was to write the letter "Y" - and AJ was right alongside him at the kitchen table practicing his writing. Both boys can hum the tunes to Indiana Jones and Star Wars. I'm sure Isabelle isn't too far behind in the learning the tunes.

The Robichaux household is always in motion. The kids are great and the center of the world. I know my brother and Jaime wouldn't have it any other way. We'll miss them tremendously.

Huntsville, Alabama

It was off to Huntsville, Alabama to visit Richie's Uncle Les and Aunt Elaine, and Grandad and Doris.

Uncle Les is the youngest of three - and loves to tinker with stuff. Ever since childbirth, he has always wanted to take stuff apart and put it back together to learn how stuff works. He's a retired engineer, but continues to take stuff apart and put it back together. And, naturally, he is busier now than he was when he was working.


He loves motorcycles, and has 4 awaiting some TLC. He fabricates parts in his machine shop, which he added a room to, and is like a kid in a candy store. We could watch and listen to him all day as he describes how things work and the problems he thrives in solving. You can see the joy and excitement in his face.



He sliced the tip of his finger off a few months ago on a tire mounting machine. "Uncle engineer" decided to photograph the sliced tip, AND measure and weigh it. He even did a photo shoot with it next to a quarter and dime to show the size of the tip... as if it was needed to show on Ebay. We laughed and laughed and said "Eeew" a few times. Our knees wiggled from the story... Then Uncle Les brought us out to the machine that did the detaching and showed us the PVC pipe he rigged to protect against the slicing again.

He is a joy to be around - and you can't help but smile when you see him. And Aunt Elaine is his perfect match. She is calm and sweet. She even baked cookies - and those were some awesome cookies!

We had hoped to get a day of hiking in, but the weather had been finicky since our arrival. A tornado had blown through Huntsville our second day in. Eeek! Still, we ran outside like little kids and watched the slowly rotating funnel cloud zip over the mountain. It didn't touch the mountain and moved over us within 10-minutes, but it wasn't so nice to the other side of the mountain. Uncle Les reported on squashed cars and uprooted trees.

We left the next day for Grandad and Doris' house. Grandad is turning 90 this July, and Doris will be 81. They are dancing love birds - always on the go traveling the world in cruise ships. Did I mention yet that they LOVE to dance? I remember the DJ at our wedding commenting on how beautiful it was to watch Grandad and Doris float across the floor. They beam with love and affection for each other. It is a beautiful thing.

Grandad & Doris at our wedding
June 2002

Grandad is very soft-spoken with a classic English accent. He wears a cardigan and though he is a gentleman, he can tell some funny naughty jokes. I remember the first time he shared one with us... I adore him even more for it. The joke:

3 nuns died in a car accident and were on their way to meet St. Peter at the Pearly Gates.

St. Peter welcomed the nuns and stated that each nun must correctly answer a question before being allowed into heaven, so he said to the first nun "Complete this sentence... Adam and ________." The nun answered "Eve," and St. Peter let her through the Pearly Gates.

He asked the next nun to fill in the blank... "Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of ___________." And the nun said "Eden." "Very good." said St. Peter, and let her through the Pearly Gates.

He then asked the third nun "What's the first thing Eve said to Adam?" And the nun replied "Oh, that's a hard one." St. Peter looked down for a second and said "You're right! Welcome to heaven."

Heehee. I've never looked at him the same since!

Grandad & Doris
Grandad's 85th Birthday, July 2005

When you ask Grandad his secret to longevity, he replies "Good love, good food, and good dancing - and not necessarily in that order." While we agree with his response, we also think it has to do with his active brain. The man has a Rubik's Cube with the day of the week, month, and year, which he changes every morning. He also works Sudoku puzzles, crosswords, reads and reads and reads, and has a great sense of humor.