We made it! At last!

We made it to SA! The trip from LA to here went pretty well - until about 40 miles outside of SA when our radiator hose slipped off again. I thought the first time was a freak thing, the second time was just weird. Fortunately, we were prepared this time. Got fluid in it and then I replaced the old spring clamp with a screw-type hose clamp. I hope that hose doesn't come off again.

The visit with my sister went well. It was nice to see her since we haven't seen her in at least 4 years - since she has never met Nora. She has 2 kids and our kids had a good time unwinding for a few hours at there home. This sister keeps moving away from us. When we moved to CA, she moved away. When we come to TX, she's moving again. This time to AL. I guess that means we'll be PCS'ing to AL next, but probably not. :-)

As for the girls and Tracy's first impression of the new house...They liked it, aside from some of the wall colors, which can be remedied before our HHG's (House Hold Goods - for you non-military types) arrive here on Thursday.

Another day down - 1 more to go!

I am glad to announce another day of successful travel without any new car troubles to report. Thanks to the time change (going from Eastern to Central time) we were able to wake up early and hit the trail sooner, kind of.
We made great time crossing AL, MS, and into LA. We have seen some incredible country along the way since we have crossed MD, VA, TN, AL, MS, LA and finish in TX. We crossed the Mississippi river today before entering LA. This is the second time we have got to cross that river. It feels cool doing it, like we are a modern day Lewis and Clark expedition.

LA is interesting. I knew there was lots of swamp land here but I never imagined how much. It's truly amazing seeing all the swamps with the tree stumps sticking up all over. Pretty cool! We ate at a local Cajun-style restaurant tonight, which was very tasty! I wanted to eat some crawfish but it was a bit expensive so I had to settle for chicken and shrimp. This trip has been culturally enlightening.

Our move - it's half OVER!

Yesterday we embarked on our 1,600+ mile journey from Maryland to San Antonio, TX. We are covering 400 miles a day and plan on being in SA on Sunday. Our first night we spent in Bristol, VA. Tonight we are in beautiful downtown Tuscaloosa, AL. Tomorrow we will be in Lafayette, LA. Then Sunday, sunny San Antone! Before we get there on Sunday, we plan on making a slight detour to visit one of my little sisters that lives in Houston. Sunday will be the day that Tracy and the girls get to see our little castle for the first time. Sunday will also be the day that I receive a great deal of praise or rebuke, depending on how Tracy likes the house! At any rate, we are stuck with it since we have closed on it. :-)

Yesterday, we had a little hiccup along the trail. As we were climbing a big hill in Virginia - passing cars, trucks, and vans - we noticed a spray of fluids coming out behind us. At first I thought it was like a comet's tail or a vapor trail from a jet's stream but then I realized that it was something more than that as I noticed the temperature gage start to climb. We quickly pulled over, in the middle of nowhere, and assessed the damage. I prayed it wasn't a busted radiator hose - and my prayer was answered. Our radiator hose merely slipped off the radiator. I guess the pressure from the engine and the G's we were pushing in the Ford Expedition (a.k.a. Percy), while towing the pickup (a.k.a. Grandpa Whitey) must have pushed that hose right off.

Unfortunately, I did something stupid and left our antifreeze/coolant at our house in MD. We decided we would call for roadside assistance. What a joke! I asked them to bring me out some radiator fluids - they offered to tow me to the nearest town. Wow! That would be a great big help - I'll be dropping that coverage. Tracy, the super packer, brought a case of bottled water with us so we ripped the tops off those bottles, filled up the radiator, and hit the road. So far, we haven't had any more mishaps.

The girls are traveling well. They get a bit fidgety but who can blame them. This is the second big move they've made in 2 years. Hopefully the next move will be shorter distance, and a few more years from now.

Our Day at Ft McHenry

I don't know how many of you know about Ft McHenry - I didn't know much about it until we moved out here to Maryland. Ft McHenry was made famous during the War of 1812, during the Battle of Baltimore. During this battle a young lawyer named Francis Scott Key, was sent by the United States to a Brittish war ship to negotiate a prisoner exchange. During his time on the ship, he witnessed the attack on Ft McHenry where he was inspired to write a poem that was later put to music. We know this song as "The Star Spangled Banner", which later became our national anthem.

Yesterday, we took my Mom and Rusty to visit the fort. While we were there, the park ranger pressed us into service. We were asked to come help raise the flag over the fort. This was a powerful experience for me since this was the spot that the colors waived during that battle nearly 200 years ago. The coolest part was that McKayela and Halee were that ones that got to raise the flag!
As you can see, the flag that we were raising is huge! It is a replica of the original that Lt Col Armistad ordered for the fort. He wanted the biggest flag ever!
This is a shot of Halee and McKayela with the park ranger. The flag they are holding is actually the night time flag - which is much smaller than the one that they hoisted.
Here's a picture of McKayela, Halee, Rusty and my mom on the side of the fort where the USA was firing it's cannons at the English ships.

We really have had a busy week - from a field trip with McKayela to Annapolis, to my graduation, to Nora being hospitalized, to a tour of the USNS Comfort (a huge Navy hospital ship), and to the tour of Ft McHenry.

McKayela's Spring Concert

McKayela had a violin and choir concert this past week. She really has been working hard on her music and loves playing. It was alot of fun to go and see her perform. We are very proud of her and the progress she's made.

This week, McKayela has decided to try her hand at blogging. She's been pestering me for a while to get her page started. I added a link to her page in my section labeled "Blogging Buddies." If you would like to see how she's doing, take a look at it. I think this will give her an opportunity to express herself and to improve her typing skills.

Benefit performance for Nora

Yesterday, the Design in Motion dance studio in Crofton, where Nora has dance lessons, put on a benefit performance for Nora. We were treated to an evening of entertainment and deserts. The dancers did a terrific job, including a performance by Nora's group. We really enjoyed ourselves.

Ahoy there! Here's Pirate Nora in her dance costume

This is Nora with Jeanne Mattis, owner of Design in Motion dance studio, Crofton, MD

The home search - Our future Brooznoll

Here's the front of what may be our next home. My Dad and I came down to San Antonio for a whirlwind house-finding trip. We have seen ~ 40 homes over the past 2 days and I think we came across the nicest of them all. It is 4bed/3bath, 2625 sq feet. I made an offer on the home - we'll see if the owners accept.



Another shot of the front of the house. There are full grown Oak trees all around the house and neighborhood. I really like the area - the house is on a Cul-de-sac.











Here's a shot of the front room, looking down from the loft.

The back of the house.

Unfortunately, the dog doesn't come with the house. :-(