We had a really good time today. We woke up in Foley, AL and took a beautiful drive down the coast to Fort Morgan, AL. They had a ferry from there over to Dauphin Island. We drove the entire length of the island and enjoyed the beautiful beaches. We then visited the Estuarium. We left Dauphin Island across the bridge back to mainland Alabama and drove to Birmingham. We’re in the same hotel and even the same room. Not sure what tomorrow brings but we’ll be back in Tennessee.

Pictures — Day Three

What a day! We drove from Birmingham, AL to Florida panhandle for 8-9 hours just looking at old places I used to live (Crestview, Niceville, Eglin AFB, Fort Walton Beach) and then some neat time at Navarre Beach. We crossed over from Florida back to Alabama and are spending the night north of Gulf Shores.

Pictures — Day Two

It was a great leisurely drive down I-65. We enjoyed the ride, had fried chicken at Jack’s, and stopped in Cullman, Alabama where my Dad was born. We went to Mt. Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery and saw the gravesite for my Great Grandfather Singleton Hendrix and my Great Grandmother Mary. Also buried there was their unnamed son who died in childbirth.

We stopped and enjoyed the Clarkson Covered Bridge in Cullman County. We then called it an evening on the south side of Birmingham which is about half way to Florida from Nashville.

Here is the link to the pictures I took on flickr.com:

Pictures — Day One

Well, it’s that time again. Jo Ann and I are taking a short 4-5 day cheapo vacation. We’re just getting in the van and driving south. We might make it to Florida or not. We’re gonna stop where ever we want, see whatever we find, and play it completely by ear. We need a nice break together and recharge the “marriage” battery. Timothy will be enjoying a trip with the church youth group to World Changers in Grifton, NC. There will be over 30 people in that group. Timothy has been looking forward to this for awhile. I’ll take pictures as much as I can and upload them here. Maybe I can surprise Timothy and show him his dad still has some of his camera skills left!

The drive was long as always and it took roughly 1600 miles. Jo Ann is happy as can be. She’s always glad to see her Mom and Dad. Also, her sister Suzie is here as well. She’s just as nuts as always (all them Rollins are nuts!). The temperature is perfect at about 74 degrees. We’re absolutely loving it. I’m using the wireless at the Topsham Public Library. Anyway, I hope I can get some photography in while here. I’ll upload the pictures to my flickr account.

Well, I guess it’s about time I put an update on my blog. So much is going on, I haven’t made time to update the blog. The boys are out of school, working is busier than ever, and all kinds of new things are going on at church. Ben is doing okay in Iraq. He had a bad month where he was REALLY bummed and tired of being there. He’s a lot better now. Vacation is coming up very soon. I am looking forward to a nice week and a half break. We will be enjoying Maine again.

Vacations can be exhausting! Well, we’re back and I’m pooped. I didn’t realize how much you have to walk around on that big ship. Obviously, I’m not in shape. Anyway, we had a great time. I won two 24K gold plastic trophies as they call them — one for a trivia game and another for “Miss Celebration.” You’ll probably be hearing more about that in the future but not from me!

Yes, that is a tattoo dedicated to my sweetie! You won’t believe what happened. A bunch of Navy guys ambushed me, hit me in the head, and when I woke up, I had this tattoo. Such is how it is on the open seas. It’s a rough life. However, Jo Ann did find it extremely handsome and appealing. I have uploaded a bunch of pictures of the the ship leaving JAXPORT, going by several ships, under a bridge, and finally entering the Atlantic after first going by a Navy base. Just click on the flickr image set on the right side of the screen.