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Winter 1997-1998 12/23/75 to 1/22/76 Carolyn planned to spend Christmas with her new husband's family so Mary Liz and I decided to visit Williamsburg for Christmas. The 23rd was a typical cool winter day with snowy roads in Bucks County. It was an uneventful trip to Williamsburg over the Chesapeake Bay bridge and we located at the Holiday Inn Trailer Park for our stay. Williamsburg With Williamsburg as a base we visited Jamestown and Carter's Grove which was a very beautiful mansion. It was one of many in that area along the river. We had been to Williamsburg before and had visited all of the homes. This time we enjoyed the singing, lighting of the Christmas tree, a tremendous bonfire, and a delicious Christmas dinner at Christian Campbell Tavern. We spent three days in Williamsburg and then headed for Knoxville to visit the Pyles. Knoxville It was a beautiful trip through the mountains. Had dinner with the Pyles and brunch with them at the Cherokee Country Club. The next day we headed for Dallas via Shellbyville. Mary Liz continued her genealogical research in Shellbyville, found the Card graves, located the homestead and had a successful visit. Our route to Dallas took us through Nashville and we took a side trip into Hot Springs, Arkansas. We noted the Bath an filled a jug with the famous Hot Spring water. Dallas We spent about a week in Dallas visiting the relatives. New Years Eve was spent with Mary Liz's cousin Julie Ann and her husband Ray o'Connell. Ray is a Dixieland fan and took us to a little club where we listened to the Upper Dallas Jazz Band, a great group. Uncle Jimmy took us to the exclusive Dallas Club at the top of a skyscraper in downtown Dallas. He also introduced us the several favorite Mexican restaurants. Aunt Mable lived across the street from the Dallas Country Club where we enjoyed more good food. It's obvious that we spent a lot of time eating. Finally we headed out and stopped in Crockett, Tx. to see a cousin, Richard Donohoo. We had a nice visit and he took us to Huntsville to see his daughter. Our travels took us through Austin and Johnson City, where LBJ's home is located. Mary Liz met a genealogy correspondent, Betty Rathbone, and we visited the LBJ library. San Antonio This was a fun stop. We were entertained by Mary Liz's relatives, visited the sites including the Alamo, the Mexican Market, the River Walk, etc. We especially enjoyed Jim Cullem's Dixieland Happy Jazz Group. They played at the Landing on the River Walk and we couldn't get enough of their music. Houston I met more ancestors, Jim Harter and Elmer Folk. There was much to see. We spent two days visiting Nasa, the battleship Texas, Rice Univ., San Jacinto Monument, the Astradome and the Rohm and Haas plant. New Orleans The trip into New Orleans was not note worthy. We did see some oil fields which were somewhat interesting. We spent two days doing Bourbon Street, the French Quarter, and the other tourist sites but we found it less interesting than it was on our first trip some years earlier. It seem that guitars had taken over for dixieland. We loved Preservation Hall on our first trip. This time it was disappointing. Maybe we expected too much. Gulf Shores We headed for Jekyll Island Ga. via the Gulf Shores and Tallahassee Fla. It was a nice easy ride along the Gulf coast. The beaches were beautiful fine white sand and the camping was great. We visited Jefferson Davis' last home and saw some hurricane damage and the battleship Alabama. Jekyll Island In 1886 East Coast millionaires took over the island and built their elaborate cottages. They say the area represented 1/6 of the world's wealth. This is a nice area. We unhitched the trailer and spent two days riding around. We explored St. Simon and Sea Island and drove over to Savannah. We visited the Fort Pulaski National Monument and enjoyed the colonial homes and the many Squares with their lovely flowers. We strolled around the area that they were improving along the Bay Street on the Savannah River front. We headed North into South Carolina and stopped to explore Hilton Head. It is a vacation paradise with many condominiums, golf courses, and tennis courts, and other vacation attractions. It was getting colder and we were getting into home territory. Mary Liz made an extended stop at the Archives in Columbia, S.C. and the Richmond Va. Library. We arrived home on January 23, 1976. |