Hits Winter Classic in Ocala

Today we attended the horse show--this happens every Feb and March and lasts 6 weeks. We always drive by it and decided to stay a couple of nights in the area. Talked to lots of horse people and learned about some of the events.


We enjoyed the jumpers more than the hunters. A little more exciting and fast paced. $25,000 prize today for the winner.

The jumpers went around a course with 15 high jumps. The hunters are judged more on form---they dress up in suits and the horses are decorated more. Their jumps are lower and they are not concerned with how fast they go.

The jumpers are judged on how fast they can go through the course. They get penalties for knocking down the rails or hesitating before the jumps.

The winner.

St Michael's Catholic Church

St Michael's Church next to Poche Plantation. Convent next to it. We could walk over and walk through the cemetery.



Beautiful interior with stain glass windows.

Cemeteries are very elaborate in Louisiana. Concrete on top to weight them down.



Some of the older gravesites.

Happy Birthday Tex!!!

We have been in Biloxi the last few days, enjoying some gambling. Fred is ahead by $200. He has been so lucky. Today we celebrated Tex's 7th birthday. The very first thing that we fed him when we were bringing him home was some Whataburger and he has been hooked every since.


Today we gave him his very own Whataburger. (his head is buried in the sack)


Yummy!!! Afterward he had soft-serve ice cream--also one of his favorites. He is so neat and eats out of a spoon.


He is so pooped after all that eating and playing.


We saw this house decorated for Mardi Gras today. So sad we will miss all the parades here. Leaving for Florida tomorrow.

What A Day Part III

Next was Blain Kern's Mardi Gras World where we toured the largest and oldest float builder. This company builds 80% of the floats and rents out the statues and decorative items on the float. This was a special treat because Mardi Gras is during the next two weeks and many of the floats are ready or almost finished. As soon as it is over, they begin designing for the next year and work all year to get the floats ready for each krewe's parade. Each parade has a different theme so this looked like chaos as we walked through. We were also served some King cake and got to try on costumes for pictures.

One parade has a flower theme. On the board is the designs that the builders are following.


Can Can girls. The worker is under the girls to the back doing touch up painting.



Can you see me among the flowers??? Each float has multiple standing places--ladders lead from one place to another and each also has a bathroom. You may be on the float for 8 hours and everybody drinks so this little room is necessary.

Touring some of the finished floats!!!

What A Day Part II

Next we drove through the Lower Ninth Ward----where the worst damage occurred during Katrina six years ago. Most of the damage has been cleared---a few boarded up houses and stores had the X on them and were still standing. We drove through the areas where Habitat, Brad Pitt, Oprah, and others have contributed to building new homes.





The new houses are brightly colored, modern designs. They are energy efficient---lots of solar panels. Built up off the ground, many parked their cars underneath.

What A Day Part I

Beautiful weather for exploring today. We started out at City Park where we toured the Sculpture Garden. Lots of modern sculptures. Lots of traffic in the park as they were filming a movie. Beautiful trees with lots of waterways.


This window is not supported by anything other than the ladder.


Monkeys with human hands.

Sights along the river

We got a laugh out of this sign. Right after we passed it, we heard a loud one drive by!!!





Shopping in Cajun Village--best pralines we have ever eaten!!! The Beignets were good, too.


Enjoying the live oaks at Nottoway.

River Road Plantations

Today we drove up the river to view plantations. This was our first tour----Nottoway built by John Randolph and completed in 1859. It is the largest antebellum mansion left in the South with 64 rooms. Beautiful gardens and large live oak trees surround the home which fronts the Mississippi.


The inside was filled with much of the original furniture and paintings.


Next was Houmas House which was built in 1828. Both were sugar plantations which made their owners very wealthy.


Houmas House had elaborate gardens with sculpture and 2 restaurants.

Staying on a plantation

We left all the cold behind and as Fred always says, we are off on another adventure. After a night in Shreveport, we drove on to Convent LA which is NW of New Orleans out in the Plantation Country along the Mississippi River. We are at Poche Plantation B&B and RV Park. Beautiful place!!! We can drive up on the levee across the road to see the sun set over the river or just sit under the live oaks in the afternoon.





This old store is a museum out on the road.


The plantation house


Sunset over the Mississippe