Our travel year is already off to a busy start. To quickly recap, we spent Christmas 2023 in New Orleans. We zipped around and enjoyed a whirlwind visit to Preservation Hall for some jazz and a night on the town.

Habitat for Humanity
In January, we returned to Dade City, Florida, to volunteer again as Care-A-Vanners for Habitat for Humanity. We’ve worked on this building project several times, so the territory is familiar.

And so are the volunteers. It was fun to catch up with returning volunteers and also meet new friends.

One of the highlights of this visit was participating in Dade City’s MLK, Jr. Day parade. It was heartwarming to see so much of the town – and so many young people – honoring Dr. King. The crowd cheered as the Habitat parade float, and we marchers, passed by. With volunteer help and community support, Habitat has built more than 150 homes and become a key player in this county. Quite an impact for Dade City.

Another inspirational, and very gratifying, day was the dedication of one of the Habitat homes. At the ceremony, Marissa received the keys to her new home. We had worked on this home in the early stages of its rehab last year. So, it was especially thrilling to see an excited young family move into their sparkling clean, freshly painted, and fully refurbished home.

Japanese Gardens, Boat Rides, and Seafood Fests
After Dade City, we visited friends on the east coast and west coast of Florida. With John and Barbee, we cruised the waterways near their home. How great to be out on the water!

On the next day, we vivisted Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, near West Palm. Strolling through the gardens was interesting and so peaceful. What a gift Mr. Morikami made to the county and the world. This is one of the best Japanese gardens we’ve seen. Beautiful plants, rushing streams, quiet lakes, well-placed sculpture, and curious creatures enjoying their world.

Homosassa
On the western side of the state, we stayed with Joann and Bob. I can’t believe that we didn’t take any pictures! You’ll just have to take my word for it, we significantly diminshed the supply of fresh seafood in the area for a few days! The best clams come from Cedar Key. We cooked and dined al fresco on their patio. It’s always wonderful when we can touch base with dear friends as we travel along.

Navarre, Florida
We took a break from the road for the month of February. We rented a little condo in Navarre Beach. Navarre Beach is on Santa Rosa Island just across a short bridge from the town of Navarre. This worked out really well for us. The views from our little balcony were lovely. Super sunsets. We walked every day and enjoyed being half a block from both the sound and the Gulf.

During these breaks, we have the van serviced, do some maintenance, and regroup for the months ahead.
Navarre is halfway between Pensacola and Destin, about half an hour’s drive to either. We made day trips to Fort Pickens and Panama City. It is oyster season after all…

At Hunt’s Oyster Bar in Panama City, if you sit at the bar, you can watch as the shuckers prepare your oysters. It doesn’t get fresher than this.

Shucking oysters is an art form here. The shuckers have awards from contests and championships displayed around the bar. Just ask, and they’ll tell you stories. The shuckers also sing, if they’re in the mood, and they clang a giant bell when a good tip hits the tip jar. We had so much fun that we ordered a second dozen oysters. And we made the bell ring.

Beach Walks
Fort Pickens has been a favorite destination since we started traveling.

It’s hard to beat the sugar white sands and pale blue waters – especially when it’s snowing back home.

It’s Mardi Gras Season
We also saw Navarre Beach’s early Mardi Gras parade. Oodles of beads, pirates, and loot.

Louisiana

Back on the road, we headed toward the Gulf Coast of Louisiana. Away from New Orleans, the touristy glitz fades, but the culture deepens. Southern Louisiana is all about water. Whether it’s the Gulf, the Mississippi, a bayou, a creek, or a field that’s been flooded to grow rice, water is all around you. Articles about rising tides and sea levels are in the news daily. Change has been on the horizon for a long time, but folks here just deal with it the same way they deal with hurricanes and floods. One foot in front of the other.

We stayed at Palmetto Island State Park – one of those places Louisiana calls an island, but it isn’t really. It’s just surrounded by inlets, streams, and the bayou. Might as well be an island though, just not in the traditional sense. This time of year is all about crawfish.

Crawfish look like miniature lobsters. They’re considered a local delicacy. You have to eat a big pile of them, along with corn and potatoes to fill up, but they’re spicy and delicious. And when a waitress tells you “It comes with a side salad,” she means potato salad, not a green salad. It’s a Louisiana thing.

Double duty
Crawfish are often cultivated in the same fields where rice is being grown. Fisherman cruise the rice fields in shallow paddle boats, checking their traps as they go. In this photo, the small red floaters are the tops of crawfish traps.

Hot Stuff
Our main reason for stopping in this area was to visit Avery Island, the Tabasco Factory, and Jungle Gardens. We were very fortunate to be treated to a private tour. Lisa Grant, who’s been with the company for more than 25 years, guided us through the Tabasco aging, blending, and bottling processes.
The mash – made from proprietary Tabasco peppers and a bit of salt – is crushed and aged in oak barrels for three years. It’s then blended with white vinegar and stirred continuously for a number of weeks. The seeds and skins are then strained off, and the sauce is bottled. It’s an exact science, which I’m greatly over simplifying here.

We tasted the mash – so rich in flavors, not just heat.

At the end of our tour, we sampled quite a few products and purchased some favorites. We even tried Raspbery Chipotle Tabasco ice cream. Quite good! We really liked the Garlic Tabasco sauce and the Family Reserve (which is aged for eight years and made with white wine vinegar rather than white vinegar).

The museum tells the Tabasco story and the fascinating history of the McIlhenny family, the company’s founders and leaders. Quite a story. Our thanks to Lisa, who provided such a wonderful tour. And a special thank you to our dear friends who made this connection for us. Much appreciated!

We also took a leisurely drive through the Jungle Gardens. This is still Camellia season in Louisiana, and these members of the tea family are lovely.

The Garden has other notable features, including a large rookery, called Bird City, for nesting snowy egrets. So much to see and learn about in one long day.

So, it’s mid-March, and we’re leaving the slow moving bayous of Louisiana in the rear view mirror as we head toward Texas and beyond. We will be back next year!