On our driving trip to Port St. Lucie to see John's mother, we stopped first in Gulf Breeze (near Pensacola Beach) to visit Ben and Peggy Gray, friends from John's Cape Canaveral days. We spent the night at their home and had a good time catching up. The next day took us along the coast of the Florida Panhandle. We didn't make good time and weren't able to stop as much as we would have liked. We did see several places to visit on our next trip.

We ended the second day at John's cousins, Nomi and Perk, who have a beautiful condo in Tierra Verde, FL just outside St. Petersburg. We spent the night and got to see the beautiful beaches and some of the nightlife in the area. Then it was on to see John's mother in Port St. Lucie.

On the way home, we stopped in New Orleans and spent the night in the French Quarter at the Le Richelieu Hotel. We could see a lot of unrepaired Katrina damage just off of I-10 as we entered the city. We walked all around the French Quarter and ate oysters at Felix's off Bourbon Street. For dinner we decided to try one of Emeril Lagasse's restaurants, NOLA. We weren't disappointed - the food and service were first-rate and we had a very enjoyable meal. After cruising Bourbon St. (see the movie of the impromptu parade that we came across) we headed back to the hotel. It wouldn't be New Orleans for us if we didn't have breakfast at the Cafe Du Monde. The smell of the strong coffee and beignets are irresistable! We look forward to a return visit soon.

P.S. The parade movie is linked to the last thumbnail. It might play better if downloaded or started from here rather that started in your browser. It is 640x480 and might not show that well if played by Quicktime or another browser plug-in.

Click a picture to see a larger view.