Here's the Facebook link with some pictures: East Alabama Food Bank Ride The picture of the waterway that leads to the gulf is especially beautiful. Is that the Pearl River? We lived in New Orleans for many years, and all those places you mentioned are familiar. Where did you live in NOLA & which high school? When my husband told me we were moving, my very first thought was that my son wouldn't get to go to Ben Franklin H.S. I'm finally over it -- 14 years later ;) Thanks for including us on your adventure. These stories are great. I shed a tear though when you wrote about calling Robert & feeling homesick. He must miss you something fierce. Best regards & blessings to you all, Caroline.

PAM, I've put a hold on Booked to Die at my library - it's always great to find a new mystery writer. My July reading: Christopher and Columbus by Elizabeth von Arnim -light, amusing, but too long. Who Will Cry When You Die? Life Lessons from the Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin S. Sharma -quickly read inspirational book recommended by a fellow book club member The Little World of Don Camillo by Giovanni Guareschi - I smiled all the way through this collection of delightful anecdotes about a village priest and his rival, the communist mayor. Even Christ on the cross above the church altar has a speaking part. Set in post-war Italy the book is charming and I couldn't help liking both these rivals who in many ways are alike in spite of their religious and political differences. A Girl Named Disaster by Nancy Farmer - award-winning young adult book about a resourceful Shona girl who encounters many challenges travelling from Mozambique to Zimbabwe in search of her father's family. La Petite Poule DÂEau by Gabrielle Roy - charming and gentle book about a woman raising a large family on an isolated ranch in northern Manitoba during the thirties. Almost every year she had to make a long rugged trip to town to give birth. I found it quite poignant in later years when she was the one staying home and the children were leaving. Available in translation as Where Nests the Waterhen Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer - tragic account of a young man who left family and friends behind to go live in the wild in Alaska and died of starvation. Krakauer attempts to understand what drove this young man. Interesting, but not gripping like Into Thin Air I've just started The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier. so far it looks very promising.

Kay, this trunk was at least that tall from a tree too close to the house that actually fell during a storm. Before the bed was made, I found husband burning the trunk. Thankfully, for me, it did not burn all the way. Of course for him it is just an eyesore! Debra, I actually did not know the registered height of Thomas Tew. Wow! It is supposed to be a tall one. It is not that tall for me. Maybe 24-28 inches now. Second season here. I actually hope it does not reach that registered height. I like it where it is now-maybe a couple more inches. Maryl, do you go through periods of liking one color or another? I do, and last year was a pink year-probably due to some enabling on this forum! I love this color on Rachelle Agin. Maybe the edge will improve also. Nancy-I hope you do post more clump shots. I know you have some amazing ones! Sherry-another full disclosure before someone on this forum who knows about this rats on me. A friend was moving. They had a lot next to their house with hundreds of daylilies they were not taking. The new owner did not like flowers and was going to bulldoze the lot. In February, did you catch that month? February!, my sister and I went and dug over 300 lilies-in the cold-in the mud-scapes barely showing-I had to-they were good ones! And bulldozing them-be still my heart! Soooo, into pots they went, where many of them remain. Hence the new beds I am making. I have got to stop rescuing plants...... Kate

Great trip and at the best time of the year for that location. Northern Wisconsin and Upper Michigan tend to have a rainy season starting after May 15th and lasting through June 15th. However, this is not predictable; Each year is different. I live west of Milwaukee and have traveled roads in Illinois, I do have advice about potential routes from Missouri to Upper Michigan. I do not know which route you will be taking. The best route for a trip like this one is to explore and let the road take you to points of interest, an unplanned amble. I do have an aversion to certain locations when I'm on a pleasure trip. Listed below are places best avoided. Traveling from west to east through the heart of St. Louis to cross the Mississippi into Illinois. It can be congested, drivers ignoring the rules of the road, with potential for accident. 2. Chicago: Traveling south to north on the toll way. Yep, I94 is a tollway in Illinois from I80 north to the Wisconsin border. Avoid the morning and evening rush hours plus noon time. Sometimes, this route works and sometimes it does not. The best way to handle tolls here is to purchase a transponder at an Oasis or other locations. Go on-line and fill it with $20 to $40. This section of the tollway has high speed gates suspended over the road. The only rule is don't change lanes while passing through the gate. In the Chicago area, toll charges using the transponder is half of that for the manual gates. This is an I-Pass system and works for many other toll roads in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, etc. An e-mail notification is sent when the account runs low on cash. Also, you will be notified by e-mail when it is time to exchange the transponder. Apparently, it is battery powered and needs to be changed out when the battery runs low, or replaced by a revised unit. Typically, the unit we have lasts about 5 years. 3. Milwaukee can't seem to ever finish building an expressway before revising it. Summer is road construction season with lane closures. Almost every morning during rush hour, there is an accident in this system. Its assured if it rains or snows. With the above comments in mind, these are the routes I recommend. For passing trough St. Louis from the SW, bypass the city. If you are arriving via I-44, take the beltline, I-270, to the east and cross the river, then follow this road north to I-55/I-70. Of course, this will shunt you around the St. Louis Arch. If you wish to visit this item, you'll have to deal with the city. Travel northward on I-55 past Springfield and Lincoln to Bloomington. Here, decide if you will continue on I-55 to Chicago, or turn due north. I recommend due north on I-39 to Wisconsin. The main problem you'll have on this stretch is staying awake. There is very little food or fuel stops on this part and radio stations don't have decent music. Bring you own music if that is what you like while traveling. At Rockford, IL, I-39/US-51 blends into I-90. This part to the state line is tollway. A short distance north of the state line, turn NE onto I-43. This road will be uncongested until the outskirts of Milwaukee. Unless you are familiar with the local roads, there is not good way around Milwaukee, therefore, I'll plot a path keeping to the main highways with minimal road changes. When I-43 meets the beltline of the city, go east. It should be labeled i-43. At the east side of town, turn north. It should be labeled I-43. Stay on this to go north out of town and continue the trip. I-43 goes to Green Bay (Home of the Packers!). There, pickup US-41 to take you to Marinette, WI, and Menominee, Mich. Points of Interest: A. If you are interested in geology, this part of Wisconsin has features left over from the last glacier. Geologically speaking, it was not long ago, only about 10,000 to 11,000 years. These features are found in the South and North Kettle Moraine units. The best kettles, eskers, and kames are in the north unit. There good examples of drumlins where I live and I know the location of a crevasse fill. It is more rare than the other features. The western part of Wisconsin was not covered by the last glacier. B. Milwaukee County Zoo. This is a very good zoo. You can spend most of a day viewing the exhibits. C. Milwaukee Baseball Stadium. It has a retractable cover over the entire field with a heating system. D. Port Washington (north of Milwaukee). One hundred years ago, this was a fishing village. Today, its a quaint small town nestled by Lake Michigan with a marina catering to sport fishermen. It has restaurants in full view of the lake. Standard fare is Fish Fry on Friday nights. E. Sheboygan. The best sausage and bratwurst in Wisconsin are made here. F. Elkhart Lake. Road America Race Track. G. Green Bay. Home of the Green Bay Packers Football Team. H. Summer Fest Grounds. These grounds are located in downtown Milwaukee and on the Lake Front. Several weeks of the summer are filled with ethnic festivals. Irish Fest is one of the largest Irish festivals in the world. I. Cedarburg Covered Bridge. This bridge on Cedar Creek is the last remaining covered bridge in Wisconsin. There are a few other small covered bridges, but these are mostly late model props to attract clients. The Cedarburg bridge was open to traffic until 1961 when it was retired. Its unique feature is that no nails or bolts were used to hold the frame together. It is fastened with 2 inch dia. wood pegs. J. Oshkosh. EAA Air Museum with examples of old aircraft. Oshkosh airport is the location of the annual week long EAA Fly In and show. K. Milwaukee: Harley-Davidson Museum Menomonee Falls: Harley-Davidson Factory.