Lost Sole #437, found as we were going down the road leading to Manatee Springs, Florida, which is pictured in the photo below it

Sharon and I decided it was time to go down south to visit her sister Rachie. As a bonus, her other sister Aimee was also going to be down there visiting as well. At first we thought about just having Sharon go down and I keep Nora for a weekend, but it was not the time yet for such an endeavor. She has yet to even spend a night without mommy. South Florida is not exactly somewhere she could come home from very quickly if things were going terribly wrong. So I decided I would accompany her and we would drive the Ark down. Plus Rachie and her husband Donny were wanting to give us there 14 foot fishing boat because they thought we would get more use out of it than they would as they have another larger boat now.

I was extremely excited to be given this boat and was eager to go get it. I did harbor some anxiety as I have not towed a boat that far before and the weather was calling for severe thunderstorms and high winds. But I did tow a car behind our 36′ motor home for over 10,000 miles, so I do have towing experience and figured that the little boat would be a piece of cake. However, as you may know, almost never is anything ever a piece of cake when it comes to the Hamiltons and traveling.

The trip down was smooth. No incidences and Nora traveled like a veteran of the road. Well I guess there was a slight incident when we first tried to depart.

As we always do before departing, we packed up and slept out in the Ark in the driveway. I then got up around 3am to pull out, leaving Sharon and Nora to sleep. The Ark started like a champ and while it warmed up I unplugged from the house (which is a VERY important step that people who are sleep deprived can easily forget).

But when I sat in the driver’s seat to drive off, I noticed it seemed very dark in front of me. We had no headlights. They did not come on. I fooled with them for a while, turning them on and off, jiggling the switch, even opening the hood and wiggled the connections thinking there might be something loose. But to no avail. They were not coming on.

So I turned off the Ark. Which recently has not been something that happens easily. It just keeps running unless I pulled the fuel pump fuse. Which for the life of me I cannot get figured out why it won’t shut off. I had tried everything to fix it. New wires on the electrical system, new battery, I even took apart the whole steering column and installed a new ignition switch. Eventually I created a “kill-switch” on the fuel pump that I mounted to the dashboard. It worked like a charm, but still drove me crazy as I like things to all work properly.

So there I was back in bed and irritated about those headlights. I was unable to go back to sleep and it was still a few hours before daylight and I felt as if I were missing prime driving time. I kept thinking about what is going on with the electrical system, was it going to be wise to start a long trip without all systems running optimally? Sharon must have felt my uneasiness as she encouraged me to go take another look, maybe I missed something unplugged.

Then it hit me. When I changed out the ignition switch I had to lower the whole steering column, which houses the light switch, perhaps something did come unplugged! I crawled back to the driver’s area and reached under the dashboard and felt a wire harness plug just dangling. Aha! I reconnected the wires and the lights popped on! We were ready to depart.

And Like I stated earlier, the rest of the journey went smooth as the Ark glided down the road and I listened to an audiobook by my favorite author, Robert B. Parker.

Our time down at Rachie’s was great and flew by. Nora had so much fun with her aunts. She danced and played around the pool in her birthday suit almost everyday. Sharon got to spend some quality time with her sisters and I was able to get a lot of work accomplished as well.

Nora loved her new boat, which we titled “N.O.A.” which actually stands for Nora’s Other Ark :) And if you ask Nora about the boat she will tell you, “that’s my other Ark.” We did our first voyage out as just father and daughter going fishing. We didn’t catch anything, but saw manta rays playing, mullet jumping everywhere, and dolphin hunting for fish. It was a special time I’ll never forget. She is a great first mate.

Departure time had arrived. I had been so busy that week I didn’t get a chance to look over the boat travel until that day. I noticed the bearings were shot so I took each wheel off and repacked the one side, but completely replaced the bearings on the other as they were trashed. I did notice the boat was leaning on the trailer a bit to the right. I figured it was just needing some adjustment on the runners that hold it up.

After saying our goodbyes we had to stop at my friend Scooter’s house to pick up a gift he had for Nora. As soon as we pulled up to Scooter’s house, Nora exclaimed “Are we at Scooter’s house? Does he have a special gift for me?” We assume she had heard us talking about it.

Scooter is a boat builder and restoration guy by trade and like to work in fiberglass. In fact, he had hand-built the very boat we were taking home with with us. He has started building fiberglass benches and tables in different shapes such as stars, fish and butterflies. What he had for Nora was a butterfly tabletop that can be substituted for the table in the back of the Ark as well as used in the house on a stand I able going to build for it. Nora loves her table and will post a pic on Facebook once I have it installed. Thanks goes out to Scooter for such an excellent gift and addition to the Ark. We are honored to own what he calls, “my best work yet.” I just wish I was in a position to pay him what he deserves for it.

With Scooter being the person to go to about boats and such I wanted him to check out the trailer and see if he thought everything looked alright. He too noticed the boat looked to be much lower on that right side. I could tell right away it was even worse than before. It was so low now that the right tire was rubbing against the hull of the boat. So much so, that a hole had been worn in the hull by the tire. Great I thought, just got the boat and it already needs repaired. Thankfully it would be an easy fix since it was made of fiberglass, so I didn’t get too upset. We unstrapped the boat from the trailer and shifted it to the left. It looked pretty even now and we retied it down and I headed on my way thinking all was good now.

Instead of just trekking straight home on the usual route, we opted to go the back highways and stop off for the night at Manatee Springs State Park. We left in plenty of time to get there by the 8 o’clock checkin cutoff. In fact our GPS estimated us arriving around 5:00.

The sky was very dark off the the west and it was headed our way and we hit a wall of water it seemed, but then as quick as it hit, it was over. Typical Florida rainstorm.

It was about an hour up the road, just after climbing over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge on I-275, that I had someone pull up next to me honking and waving at me. Shit. I knew right away what that meant. There was a problem with the trailer. I waved thanks and looked back in my rear view mirror to see nothing but white smoke coming out from behind the Ark.

I pulled off and stopped as quick as I could. I rushed back to find that the smoke was coming from the left tire of the trailer. After inspection and troubleshooting with Scooter over the phone we diagnosed that a leaf spring had broken. Causing the frame of the trailer to drop down and come in contact with the tire where allowing a bolt to wear a half inch deep groove into the tire like it was clay on a pottery wheel. The air was thick with the smell of burning rubber. Amazingly, the tire did not catch on fire, nor was it flat. So there was hope I could get us rolling to the next exit.

I had brought my tools, but did not have a jack with me, the one with the Ark no longer worked and had been thrown out some time back and never replaced. We also did not have our bikes with us this trip, so the only choice was to walk on foot to the next exit and pray I could find a jack. I was also thinking I could unhook the boat and drive the Ark. And while I was deciding what to do a Road Ranger, a free roadside help service provided by the Florida DOT, pulled up behind me.

He offered his jack to lift up the trailer off the tire, I just needed something like a 4″ block of wood to put in there to keep the frame up until I could get to the next exit. We were on a shoreline so I hunted the waters edge for a piece of wood that may have floated up, but all I found was a rock. It was about the size I needed and flat so it would have to do. I bungee corded it to the frame. We set back down the trailer and it did indeed work. The Road Ranger led me to the next exit with his lights on so we could drive slow. I was very nervous. I kept having the image of hitting a bump and jarring loose the chunk of rock, placing the frame down again and blowing the tire. Even worse, I thought of where that rock would bounce if it did come loose. Could it go into another car behind me, possibly going through the windshield? I was sick to my stomach.

I knew there was a West Marine store, a Walmart and Home Depot coming up thanks to Scooter looking it up for me while I worked to get back on the road earlier. I could get everything I needed there, if only we could make it.

The exit was only a mile down the road but it felt like one hundred. I crept very slowly with my knuckles clenching the steering wheel. The road on this section seemed so rough, I kept hitting what seemed bigger and bigger bumps making my hold breath every time. I watch the trailer bounce up and down on each one, but the rock held in there. I watch the Road Ranger wave bye and off the exit I went. The stores were right there.

I parked and went in to that West Marine Store, but to my dismay they did not have the size leaf springs I needed but they did find some at a store that she said was just a little bit away. I did not want to drive any further but what could I do. I got in the Ark and plugged in the address to my phone and it said 8.3 miles! Her definition of a little bit away is much different than mine, but then again everything is relative. Had I been pulling a working trailer, yeah, 8 miles is nothing. But I didn’t know if I could make it out of the parking lot!

Off we went. Agin, miles seemed 10 times as long as normal. The stress was making my chest hurt. And as the road only got rougher so did the neighborhoods. We were not in the best part of town, not all out ghetto, but not exactly Beverly Hills either. My mind wondered to the scene from the movie Vacation where the Griswalds drove through the seedy town of East St. Louis and it made me laugh briefly. Until we hit another large pothole! “Dammit,” I yelled in my head on every bump we hit.

Finally we arrived. I got the parts we needed except a jack, which they have at all Walmarts, and there was a store just down the road a 1/4 mile. That parking lot would also be a great place to perform the repairs as well.

It was now 6 o’clock and there was no way we were making it to Manatee Springs by 8. So reserved ourselves to quickly fixing this and just drive through the night home.

As I started to take off the leaf springs, it became apparent this job might be harder than I thought. All the bolts on the trailer were rusted and not coming off without being cut off.

“Can we just not catch a break!” I yelled out.

But when in fact we had caught large breaks. We thankfully opted to leave in the daytime which we rarely ever do. The tire held up and did not go flat, a Road Ranger came by just at the right moment, we were able to get the exact part we needed on a saturday evening, there were storms all around us and we never got hit, and now we were in the parking lot of Walmart, a store that has everything!

I ran in and bought a Dremel. But by no means was it easy to get he bolts off with it. I worked for 30 minutes on one because the angle to get to it was absurd. Eventually I got the leaf spring off what I thought was the good side, the spring was so rusted that it pretty much disintegrated when I tried to pull it off. Another break that it did not fail as well on us.

After about 3 hours I finally finished the job. The trailer was ready to go! I was in a good mood. I had overcome this adversity and all was well. I even talked Sharon into still going to Manatee Springs and just sleep in a Walmart parking lot nearby it. It was nice because the Walmart was not a 24 hour store so the parking lot was dark and quiet.

We got up the next day and visited Manatee Springs for a very enjoyable time. The rest of the drive home was smooth sailing. Long, but smooth. I just didn’t want to push the trailer’s capabilities too much and stayed around 60mph. It felt really good to be home, and now we need to tackle the rest of the mortgage process to really be able to call it home!

View from out back of Dean's South of the Border. Photo by me :)

Hurricane Charlie in 2004 destroyed the old building where they were and have since relocated to a much better location. They added an outstanding outdoor bar and dining area where they frequently host live music. Be sure to get there early as it is a Punta Gorda locals favorite.

We are a little biased as Sharon’s sister Rachie is a bartender there. She is beloved by the community for her energetic and welcoming personality. She strives to make everyone feel at home and enjoy their visit. Rachie also makes some of the best tasting and creative drinks you’ll ever find, but in my opinion, nothing beats her margaritas!

Be sure and also visit visit Dean’s NORTH of the Border in Port Charlotte, where they have huge sandwiches, fantastic gourmet pizzas and great calzones!

Merlin Chauvin, Co-Owner/Exective Chef.

Nora's first Lost Sole discovery on Feb. 16, 2012

It didn’t take long before she spotted yet another in the park, but I had noticed that one before her ;) And the most recent to date, I also spotted first, but she did discover it by herself. I just waited to see if she would. I wouldn’t say she has become obsessed about it, or that they really even occupy her mind much. But I’m sure it will not take long before the fever sets in fully and she is spotting them left and right on the road as we travel down the highways and byways of America.

Many times I regret not stopping for something I find interesting, but this is one of my top regrets. I wish I had my own photo of the World Guy with Lost Sole #432 (pictured above) and personally met him.

But the most interesting site that caught my eye that day was a man walking his dog while rolling a 6 foot inflatable globe down this mostly uninhabited stretch of road.

As soon as I saw him my first instinct was to turn around and meet him and ask if he was on a mission of some sort. People just dont walk highways rolling a globe for no reason :)

However I was already running a little behind for a photo shoot in Ocean Springs, therefore I opted not to stop. A decision I regretted shortly there after and still to this day. Sometimes you just gotta break free of time constraints. I would love to have had a photo of him and that lost sole for my collection.

I was hungry though and had 15 minutes factored into my trip for a lunch break. It was there that I googled “rolling globe man” and that guy popped up first. He is known as the “World Guy” He was walking across the U.S. with his dog and globe to raise awareness for Diabetes. You can visit his site and read all about him. I noticed also on that site was a phone number. I thought, “what the Hell?” and dialed it to see if he would answer. He did.

I introduced myself and what my project is. I went on to ask him if he could do me a favor and photograph that shoe he was getting ready to come upon and send it to me. I figured if I could get a shot of him with the shoe, the next best thing was to have a photo from him of the shoe. He accepted my request and within a few hours I got an email from him with an image of that shoe. And then I got another from him of a different shoe, and another, and another. He began sending me all that he saw for a few days but has since stopped.

It could be I took too long to get this blog up about him, maybe he hasn’t seen anymore, or maybe since it is my thing he didn’t want to steal it from me so to speak. I am just grateful he participated in my project.

I still wish I had stopped and took the time to walk with him to that Lost Sole just down the road. I HATE REGRETS!

As far as his walk for Diabetes relating to me, I lost my father to complications of late on-set diabetes and my sister-in-law, as well as mother-in-law both are afflicted by the disease. Not sure what he will accomplish but I wish him luck on his endeavor.

For more information and to follow the World Guy’s blog go here>>
Gallery of World Guy’s Found Shoes:

The best gumbo I found so far in the French Quarter was at 441 Royal Street. If you have any suggestions for next time I visit please let me know in the comments section below

So when I recently visited New Orleans I figured I would find out who had the best seafood gumbo in the French Quarter. I posted on Facebook to hear others favorites and then mapped them out and off I went. Here is a breakdown of what I discovered in order from good to the best from my taste test. And I only room for 5 bowls in me :)

• Stanley: Dark Roux kinda watery good mix of seafood. B
• Mr. B’s Bistro: Classic dark, thick roux, could use more seafood in it, the flavor was bold, but not as complex as I like it. B+
• Coop’s Place: (as a note, be ready to wait in line outside, even for bar seats.) The atmosphere was fun, and the gumbo looked perfect. Dark roux, but a tad thin, but good chunks of various seafood Needed just a little more umph to get an A. A-
• Lebayou Oyster Bar: Dark mustard color Roux. Lots of crab meat. Kinda thick. Big strong flavors! A
• Royal House Oyster Bar: Dark Roux, thick, big complex flavor. Perfection. This was also a top pick by Southern Living Magazine A+

Sharon and Nora sharing a Christmas moment at Aunt Glenda's house and also Lost Sole #431 found outside Dugan's Irish Pub in Brevard, NC

The drive to Baltimore up the eastern shore went pretty well. Nora slept the whole way just about. The wind was the only thing that did not go our way. It was 20-30mph with higher gusts coming at us straight on. That killed our gas mileage and I had to hold both hands on the wheel to prevent being blown off the road. But if that is the worst that ever happens when traveling, that is just fine with me.

The next day we went to the Baltimore… (check out our review) for the day and that was pretty good. Nora was overwhelmed a bit by the volume of kids in the museum. And I mean volume as both the number of kids and the loudness of them. Due to that she did not want to climb up in the massive playground system they have there which I was dying to participate with her on it. I looked like something I would have spent hours on as a kid. But that time will come for her, I have to remember she is barely over 2 years old. But as far as the museums are concerned, she was not turning 2 until January. That way we could still sneak her in for free :) She eventually found things she was interested in and had a lot of fun, as did we.

The rest of out stay at Glenda’s was quite nice, and for the most part, relaxing. We got to just hangout with family and let them get some quality Nora time in as she was beginning to feel better and was becoming her sweet self again. While there we got to indulge in some Koco’s crab cakes (check out our review) which always makes a trip to Baltimore that much better.

The time came to bid farewell. We left Baltimore at 7:30pm and drove until about 1:30am when I needed to crash for a bit. I got up around 4:00am to drive to Brevard, North Carolina for a daytime stop-over (check out our review). After some shopping, some lunch and sightseeing in the Land of the Waterfalls it was again time to hit the road.

When it became Nora’s bedtime I told her that daddy was going to drive through the night and that when she woke up, she would be home. Upon arriving at 12:30pm at our home in Pensacola, we decided to just park the van and sleep in it so as not to disturb Nora.

The next morning Nora awoke around sunrise. We told her to look outside. At first she just stared, like she was not sure of what she was seeing. Then she yelled out, “we’re home!” And was all smiles, happy to be back home.

Looking Glass Falls just outside Brevard, N.C. in the Pisgah State Forest

I loved the area. I have been here several years ago to mountain bike a trail called Eastern Slick Rock and it was a top ten ride for sure. This whole area is legendary for mountain biking, but even more so for the waterfalls.

We first hit the small and quaint downtown Brevard that seemed straight from a Rockwell painting. It had an amazing Toy Store, O.P. Taylor’s, that we had to check out. The toy story alone is worth the side track, they dont call it the “Coolest Toy Store on the Planet” for nothing. We then ate lunch at a really cool Irish pub and restaurant, Dugan’s Pub. They served locally brewed beer and fish and chips. Perfect! While in there we mapped out a few waterfalls to go photograph and show Nora. Nora loves waterfalls.

But Nora was pretty tired and it was approaching nap time, so we headed towards the first waterfall and located a great picnic area in the forest on the way there and we put Nora down for a nap There was a fast flowing stream that was running next to us and the sound was intoxicating.and took small ones ourselves after letting the dogs explore a bit.

After waking up the waterfall was just a few miles down the road. The drive itself was great. The road was winding but well paved. The stream was tumbling along side the whole way. We were rather amazed at the size of the waterfall we got to. There was a lot of water roaring over it and it was quite high. VEry impressive for being right next to a road.

We didnt have much time to hang around as it was time to be on our way. We were all ready to get home.

We plan on making this stop over be a few days next time and really check out all the area has to offer. It was gorgeous up there.

As you can see, the playground area of the museum is incredible!

Located in walkable downtown Chattanooga it is close to some great restaurants.

This is another Children’s Museum that we got to visit. Now remember these reviews are from being with a shy 2-year-old and are not so much to be used as a review, but just to point out its existence. And just whether or not it is worth visiting.

This museum has the usual playground activities, water-based activities, and crafts all based around learning. While not quite as large as some of the ones located in big cities, this is still a good-sized and nice museum. We recommend this place, and if we had time we would have explored the aquarium near by, which can be added as a package deal.

Here is a link to their website http://www.cdmfun.org/