INSPIRED BY THE ART AT FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL

I didn’t get to go to the Festival, although Vannie’s son, Ashley took a picture of a cousin of mine that was there.  Heard it was awesome.  Ashley’s wife, Diane, is production coordinator for the Festival.  Big Job!  Vannie and Dave love the Festival...lots of music, dancing, food, and art. Yes, it was the art that inspired Vannie to create a painting on the inside of my front and only door.  Dave loves to cut holes in things, so I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if one day Vannie wakes up and finds a back door has been created.  I just ask him to not make it painful.  Let it be quick and clean!

How did I get off on cutting holes in me?  I do that often.  I blame it on my age or my hard head or the price of eggs in China.  Now back to the subject at hand...art!

Ok...Dave had already put a big metal bottle of pepper sauce on the back of my door.  It looked great and said a lot about us on our journeys.  Always a good conversation starter in the campgrounds.  But after the Festival, we decided the door needed more about Louisiana...music, food, people...so Vannie created the project around the pepper sauce bottle. 

Hope you like it! 

"FIRSTS"

Lots and lots of "firsts"...at least with Vannie and Dave...I could tell them a thing or two about "firsts" I had in the olden days, but they are not interested.  They are just all about what's happening NOW!  And frankly me, too!

OK...here goes...About two weeks ago I had my "first" caravan, my "first" time on the Interstate, my "first" to ride in the rain, my "first" time to go across the Atchafalaya Swamp, my "first" time to go across the Mississippi River, my "first" time for Dave to take me away from Vannie for a few days...and it was all GREAT! 

The Louisiana Acadiana Chapter of Airstreams invited us to go on a caravan with them to 2 different campsites... Bogue Chitto and Abita Springs.  It was a Monday through a Saturday.  Vannie decided to let Dave go solo for Monday through Wednesday and she would meet him Thurday afternoon.  She stayed with Ashley, Diane, and Cooper (son, daughter-in-law, grandson).   So Monday, March 12 Dave and I headed out in a horrible thunder storm.  Vannie was a wee bit nervous,but knew God would take care of us.  We met up with some of my other cousins and their owners at the Butte La Rose Exit off of I10.  We were running a little late because of the weather, but they waited for us.  It was a site to behold to see all of us rollin' across the Atchafalaya Basin.  I'm the oldest in the group and Vannie and Dave are among the youngest.

Our first stop was Bogue Chitto State Park near Franklinton, LA.  It was right on the Bogue Chitto River.  Beautiful spot!  The group toured a local castle and an old drygoods store.  We were 2 days there.

Next adventure was on to the Abita Springs RV Resort.  It was a private timeshare location.  We had to be invited to camp there.  We were in high cotton.  Gorgeous location in tall pine trees..beautiful swimming pool, lovely fishing pond, restaurant.  It was great seeing Vannie arrive on Thursday evening.  The weather was just perfect.  Friday several of the group decided to go into Covington to an English Tea Room.  They said they had to hold out their pinkies while drinking the tea and eating the scones and crumpets.  A little to "uptown" for me, but they seemed to really enjoy it!   Vannie and Dave drove around Abita Springs later that evening.  They found the house that their cousin, Kathryn Green Brady, used to live it.  Kathryn lives in Colorado now.  Can't wait til V and D pull up there.  They also toured the Abita Springs Mystery House.  Vannie took a picture of Dave standing by another one of my long lost relatives.  It had a "spaceship" embedded in the side.  Just a little wierd! Oh, almost forgot, they all took a tour of the Abita Springs Brewery...it seems that one cannot go to Abita and not tour the brewery.  Dave took a picture inside and it looked like a bunch of Airstreams to me...all those big silver tanks full of beer.

Everyone started to pull out Saturday morning...St. Patrick's Day.  We had definately been blessed with the "Luck of the Irish" on this trip.  D and V decided to pull me to a KOA in Denham Springs, LA and stay overnight and then back into Lafayette on Sunday. 

What an experience and a BIG confidence builder!  Dave is feeling like a ole pro pulling me down the Interstate...parking me...moving me from place to place...

..And I'm lovin' every minute of it!!!!

Cuzins Visit Gypsy

     Gosh...I didn't know what was going on, but I knew it was something really special.  Vannie and Dave were mopping, shining, and dusting my insides.  I was shinin' like a new penny from top to bottom.  Of course, that didn't take them very long.  I'm no bigger than a knat on a Junebug...as houses go.  They hardly broke a sweat.
     I finally overheard Vannie talking on the phone.  She hung up and said that Cuzins Joe and Emmilee Green were coming for a visit.  They were in town to see their son John's Girls Basketball team play Lafayette High.  They wanted to come by and see Gypsy and then maybe they could all go out to eat afterwards.  Joe and Emmilee are from Harrisonburg, but lived in Lafayette several years ago while Joe was working at UL. 
     I was bustin' at my seams...I was so proud.   They wanted to see little ole me!  I knew I would be a hit.  What's not to love!
    David even pulled out my awning.  It hasn't been out in weeks.  The weather has been so rotten.  When Vannie got home from school, she could see me smilin' all the way down East Broussard Road.  She just loves that awning.  It's like adding another room.
    Well, Joe amd Emmilee arrived and loved me at first sight.  They inspected all of me and I overheard them say as they drove out of sight...."Wow, that Gypsy is something else.  V and D sure did a bang up good job on her." 

    I'm feeling real special right now!  Thanks for makin' my day, Joe and Emmilee.

The Tooth Fairy Found Gypsy

Excitement...Excitement...Excitement...that's how I felt when it REALLY happened.
Yep...The Tooth Fairy came right in during the middle of the night...left five bucks for Vannie and
David's grandson, Cooper...and then left without anyone seeing her.  I have to admit that
I was trying to stay awake until the snatching of the tooth and the placing of the money under
the pillow happened...I didn't make it.
I think I saw a little twinkle or sparkle out of the corner
of my window...just for a split second around 2:00 am.  Who knows, I might have been
dreaming.  I sure wanted to shake her wee little hand and meet the fairy that makes so
many little kids smile from ear to ear when they wake up in the morning.
Vannie and David seemed to be surprised at the amount that she left for Cooper's tooth.
They said that they only got 25 cents for each of their teeth...well, Vannie did admit to getting
a little more sometimes.
In the pictures you can see Cooper and T-Pop waiting for the Fairy to arrive.  Of course, even I
know that she doesn't come while everyone is still wide awake.  They were watching the movie,
Ratatouille.  Vannie thought that was a little "deja vu", because when she was a little girl, 
"The Rat" was the one that sneaked in and took the tooth and left the cash. 
Well, it was quite an interesting event...one that I will enjoy remembering for a while.

ps...just thinking...maybe the Fairy and the Rat are somehow related...maybe the next time
I'll stay awake and talk to her and ask her why she has taken over the whole operation and the Rat
has been left out in the cold.  There is also a lot of commercialism connected to the Fairy..The
tiny little plastic box to place the tooth in...a tooth fairy pillow...tooth fairy books...t-shirts,
and on and on and on.  Just too much, if you asked me.  Oops...sorry...I think I have starting going
down the wrong track...way too much information...blah..blah...blah!  Maybe I should delete the
PS...Nah..

Merry Christmas

Ho...Ho...Ho...Merry Christmas!
Just had to share with you the Boudreaux and Thibodeaux joke Vannie and Dave made up to put
in their Christmas cards.  It's kind of corny, but, hey, so are they. 

Enjoy...
Boudreaux and Thibodeaux were sittin' on their porch discussing the whereabouts of their good friends, David and Vanette Harris.
Boudreaux:  Mais, Thibodeaux, where's our good friends the Harris' done pass to?
Thibodeaux:  The Harris'...why, Boudreaux, dey done went and bought demselfs a rollin' tin can...
                       and dey livin' in it.
Boudreaux:  Mais, Non...now why dey done dat?
Thibodeaux:  Dave's done retard from work and Vannie bout to be.  Dey din goin' to do some
                      international travelin'...dey may even make it to Shreveport.
Boudreaux:  Hay-e-e-e-e-e...Laissez les bon temps roulez!

I don't know who they are calling a tin can....Me?....you're kidding! 

Oh well...Just gotta luv 'em...they mean well!

Don't drink too much egg nog and keep smilin' throught the holidays.
Remember the reason for the season...Jesus' Birthday!

Just Pull and I Will Follow

Rolling down Broussard Road...Wind in my hair...Shining like a new penny...Vannie and Dave looking out their backwindow making sure I am still there...life is good!  We were going to our first Acadiana Airstream Rally.  We passed  by Johnston Street and rice fields and corner boudin stores and black cows and oak trees.  The sky was blue and the clouds were white...beautiful.  Then we turned onto a road that would take us to a campsite.  When we turned down that road and I saw all those other campers that looked like me...Tears came to my windows.   Row after row of large silver bullets..I couldn't believe it...I was in heaven.  Vannie and Dave had brought me to a family reunion. They pulled me up right by another 1977 Airstream.  She looked familiar...might be a cousin twice removed on my dad's side of the family.
Lots of very nice people...some from Mississippi, but most from Louisiana.  They all came by to see inside me.  Everyone admired all my new parts.  I was definitely feeling the love.
Bocce Ball...have you ever heard of that game?...me either.  The president of the Rally brought the game and I really enjoyed watching a bunch of old people throw big blue and red balls toward a small white ball. Who would get the big balls closer to the small ball?  I didn't have anywhere to go, so I enjoyed watching.
Good times have to come to an end...New Friends came by to say good-bye...Everyone went their merry way...except us.  Dave and Van decided to stay a little longer and practice pulling me up and down the road and backing me up in a space.  It was fun.  I was getting all the attention.  I can tell that D and V were getting more and more confidence in pulling me.  I just wanted to shout out..."Just pull and I will follow". 
I think they finally heard me..."Just pull and I will follow"...Sweet words!

I Passed!

Oh, my, Oh, my...How good is this!  Vannie and David's daughter, Emilie, and their youngest grandson, Vincent, came for their first visit to see me...all the way from Austin, Tx.  I was feeling a little nervous before they arrived.  Was I going to pass the test?  Were they going to like me?  Well, I shouldn't have been nervous at all.  They loved me!  Of course, Vannie and Dave had me all spiffed up ready and waiting for their arrival. 

When Emilie walked in my door and said, "I love it"...that was all I needed to hear...I knew I had passed the inspection and I was in the family for sure.

As you can see by the pictures, we had a blast!  Dinner under the big blue canopy...Vincent bathing in my cute little tub...Vincent watching a Thomas the Train DVD with T-Pop (Dave)...T-Pop and Vincent checking on something in my belly...Vannie, Emilie, Vincent, Me....such a nice visit...I just loved it.