Summer Vacation 2013: Day 15-New Orleans, LA to Valdosta, GA

We were on the road to Valdosta, Georgia relatively early. We lost an hour in Georgia, so we wanted to get a jump on that. Leaving New Orleans, we passed several neighborhoods where houses seemed empty, with some that you could see right through the windows to the other side. In another area, two houses within about 5 houses of each other were burned. Were these damaged and abandoned houses left over from Katrina? Or were they due to more recent, economic conditions, or just bad luck? It was difficult to tell.
Once on the road, we traveled over Lake Pontchartrain to the left and Lake Borgne to the right. Combined, it is a huge body of water. We got our daily dose of pouring rain in Mississippi, Mobile, Alabama, and again outside of Pensacola, Florida, so our little black cloud apparently isn’t going anywhere any time soon. We saw pelicans on Mobile Bay, which was a real treat.
Florida was green and swampy, with a lot more trees along the way. In Tallahassee, we started to see Spanish moss hanging from the trees, which we always find beautiful. The lush swamps and forests are beautiful to see. Heading into Georgia, we started to see pecan and peach orchards, and peanut and cotton farms. We drove through small towns once we got off I-10 and headed north to Valdosta. Thomasville had a quaint downtown and some beautiful homes. We have really enjoyed seeing the different landscapes that this country has to offer.
We arrived in Valdosta to stay with my brother Joe’s family. We were able to see our nieces, Patty, Sarah, and Amanda, our nephew Matthew, and great nephew, Cooper. Plus, we got to meet our new grandniece, Ella Grey, who is so incredibly sweet! James immediately became the center of attention for Matthew and Cooper who wanted to play video games with him, have him give them piggyback rides, and wrestle with him, and they fought over who would sit next to him at meals. It was so cute! James was very patient and kind to them. A nice cookout and a night of relaxation, family stories, and laughs was exactly what we needed. We are beginning to tire of travel. Although we have loved all that we have seen and done, we are also looking forward to getting home now.