A lot of new sights, sounds, and even smells can fit into just a handful of days. The end of July saw our family on a trip through several states in the South. We even visited a state the kids had never been to - Florida. In Mobile, Alabama, we toured a WW II warship the U.S.S. Alabama and the U.S.S. Drum, a submarine from the same era. In Fort Rocker, Alabama, we looked at all the exhibits at the US Army Aviation Museum.
This family trip was a perfect way to end our summer, get rested, and ready ourselves for a new school year. A box full of sea shells from the Florida coast will always remind us of the new experiences and the fun we had this summer.
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| At Lake Charles, LA |
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| Louisiana swamps. |
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| Going over the Mississippi. |
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| It is hard to get a decent picture on a highway. The Mississippi. |
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| Passing through Baton Rouge |
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| Our first stop in Mississippi was rather celestial. |
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| The U.S.S. Alabama in Mobile, Alabama |
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| All the places the ship sailed. |
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| Inside, the ship resembled a small town. |
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| It had a kitchen (the galley), |
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| ... a prison (the brig), ... |
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| ... the laundry rooms, .... |
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| ... a dark room for developing photos for the ship's newspaper (there was another room for printing the paper). |
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| U.S.S. Alabama was part of a fleet of ships. |
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| The officers' room. |
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| The tailor's room |
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| The Plotting Room that contains radars and other equipment needed to calculate the range of a target. |
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| Down in the engine room. |
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| Next to the missiles that were taller than the kids. |
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| The chapel. |
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| The room where captain ate and entertained. |
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| Captain's bedroom. |
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| In the Aircraft Pavilion, we noticed an exhibition about the WW I. |
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| U.S.S. Drum or first submarine we've ever been in. |
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| The place where torpedoes were fired out. |
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| The officers' humble dining room (or mess). |
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| Every wall in the submarine was covered with all kinds of gadgets. |
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| The submarine's galley. |
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| This is where the submarine was steered. |
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| Fort Rucker, Alabama. The US Army Aviation Museum. Army One helicopter that has transported presidents and dignitaries. |
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| One of the first flyers around. |
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| Of course, the kids had to try 'flying' a plane themselves. |
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| From Icarus and Da Vinci to modern-day marvels at the aviation museum. |
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| Some amazing murals in Dothan, Alabama (the peanut capital of the world). |
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| Panama City beach in Florida. |
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| A shell we found in St Andrews. It had a crab in it! |
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| Some extra fun in the evening. |
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| Snorkeling in the Gulf. The kids saw a lot of tiny marine life and big pelicans. Shell Island, Florida. |
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| The wonder of the Florida forest - tall pine trees and dwarfing palm trees. |
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| The peanut fields in Alabama. |
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| Back in Texas. Taking a look around the Blue Elbow Swamp. Here with a statue of turtle. |
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| On our short walk we actually spotted some wild life both fauna and flora type. |
