1 July 2009, Wednesday
Smith Mountain Lake, VA and Morrow Mountain State Park, NC
We were woken up by a Ranger at 8.30am, as he was wondering what Tuah was doing parked up on a tent pitch. Anyway, we were leaving today, so no need to move. Obviously, the Ranger who checked us in did not realize a roof tent meant that the tent was on the roof of the truck. Mum prepared some breakfast and packed some lunch, and after she and Dad showered, we headed for the lake. Mum did not bother to shower me, as I was going for a dip in the lake. It was a beautiful day. Perfect for splashing around. I had a grand time.

Around noon, we headed off in search of another campsite in the direction of which we were headed, and came up with one in Morrow Mountains National Park, in North Carolina. As we drove in, we were greeted by deer. We did not do too much driving today, and arrived in good time for us to find a suitable pitch, Mum to wash some clothes and prepare dinner, and then we built a campfire to sit around, as it grew dark.
With the weather improving, we are finally beginning to enjoy the bush. Last night, we had our first braai, or BBQ, andtonightour first campfire. It was nice, but brought back memories of our good friends we had shared campfires with during our time in Africa. I miss Rene and Andrea, Gerard and Sandra, Kieron and Christine and my good buddy, Axel. later, we went to sleep to the sound of coyotes, owls and raccoons.

2 July 2009, Thursday
Walterboro, SC
We had a good night sleep and woke up for nice showers and breakfast. It was a bright and sunny day, and we were expecting it to get hotter and more humid as we headed south.
I walked aroundthe forest with Mum for a while, taking some photos, using my camera, which was a gift from Abang Reizal and Kakak Salina, before we began our travels in America. Eventually, we packed up and left the forest, seeing more deer on the way out. We stopped at the pier, where we watched some kids fish, then drove towards South Carolina.

Tonight, we are staying in a motel, as Dad and Mum want to have an internet connection.
After dinner, Mum gave me a haircut, much to my horror, and we relaxed in the room for the rest of the evening.

3 July 2009, Friday
St Augustine, Florida
It was a hot, hot day again. We drove through Savannah in Georgia and on to Jacksonville in Florida. We passed many swaps along the way and at every interchange on the Interstate, there were loads of hotels and fast food restaurants. We stopped at a Camping World store at one of these Intersections to buy some levelling blocks for Tuah and some odds and ends.
As we crossed into Florida, we stopped at the Welcome Centre, where we picked up some brochures and had some Florida Orange and Grapefruit Juice. Very nice. I also managed to check out the size of my feet, compared to that of a few local wildlife, including that of a bear.

Tomorrow is a big day in the USA - 4th of July, and there were loads of people on the roads. When we got to St Augustine, we found the campsite at the Anastasia State park was full, and other privately owned campsites were charging around US$60 for a pitch, so we decided to look for a motel. None of the motels were accepting discount coupons this weekend, and many were full. Those that were not, were charging rather high rates. Eventually we found a little budget motel and checked in.

4 July 2009, Saturday
St Augustine and Daytona Beach, FL
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA!
Waking up, we had breakfast and showers, then drove around St Augustine to see the famous lighthouse and then back over the Lion Bridge into the Old Town. We found a parking spot and then walked around. Dad wanted to go to the fort, but Mum wanted to go to the Spanish Quarter. We ended up in the Spanish Quarter, as it was extremely hot (and humid) and there was no shade at the fort.
We walked through the narrow cobbled streets, and saw many nice little shops. There was even an old wooden building there, which was the oldest school in Florida! I had my photo taken with the town's Music Man, who had a bunch of toy monkeys dancing around behind him, and ate huge ice cream. On the way out of town, we sopped for lunch at the Seafood Kitchen, a delightful little cafe with lots of seafood. Dad had some oysters and shrimp and Mum had some fried calamari. I shared Mum's lunch and had most of her chips and corn. Michelle, one of the girls at the cafe was lovely and showed me all the different fish they had decorating the walls on the cafe.

From St Augustine, we drove down the coast to Daytona Beach. There were people everywhere. We checked in at a KOA Campsite. It was quite full as there was a Nescar Race at the nearby Speedway tonight, aside it being the 4thofJuly AND a weekend!
We set up our pitch and I had a good time playing with some of the other kids at the campsite. We played with Hot Wheel cars, caught some frogs and had a dip in the campsite pool to cool off. It was really hot and we were all very sweaty.

We did not drive out to the beach tonight to see the fireworks, as Dad and Mum were so tired, but we could hear and see bit of it from where we were. We had our own little firework display at the campsite, too. It was fun.

5 June 2009, Sunday
Daytona and Kissimmee, FL
We all slept well, maybe because we were tired, but I made Dad and Mum wake up on the wrong side of the bed (tent), when I started whining about wanting to go down and play with my friend Morgan, from the pitch next door, as soon as I opened my eyes.
I was made to have breakfast and a shower first before anything else, and after playing for a while, had to say goodbye to Morgan and his Dad, and Natalie and Jolyn. We too soon packed up and headed down to the beach, where Dad took me down to play in the sea and sand for a while. Daytona Beach is apparently the world's most popular beach. Mum doesn't like too much sun so she stayed in the shade.
After the beach, we visited the Daytona International Speedway. there was a Nescar Race on last night and they one of the cars in the lobby. It looked just like Lightning McQueen, from the movie Cars - it had no real headlights, just stickers! I got a couple of squashed pennies for my album and Dad had a Daytona dog tag engraved for himself. Mum bought Tuah a new decal.
We drove on to Orlando, and headed to Kissimmee, where most of the Theme Parks are located. there were many motels there, and we got a 3 day deal at one of them for the same rate as it would have costed us camping in the State Park or half the price as it was camping in a private campsite.

Mum bought me some McDonald's chicken nuggets for dinner and later on we drove out to an Indonesian Restaurant nearby, for Dad andMumto eat, but when we got there I was not happy at all. I never liked those Balinese Masks. They had them in the Indonesian Restaurant we went to in Rotterdam, with Uncle Capt. Zul Tarmizi, ad they had them here, too. Eventually, Dad andMumdecided to leave without even ordering their meal. They were not impressed with me. They ended up having dinner at Wendy's, and we headed back to our room, where I was given a shower and sent to bed. *sigh*

6 July 2009, Monday
Orlando and Downtown Disney, FL
I woke up a little late today. Dad was the only one who had the free toast, cereal and coffee the motel was offering for breakfast. When i woke up, Mum got me some breakfast from the truck and then we got ready to go out for the day, but not before Dad tested his blood INR level to report to the hospital in London.

Finally, we headed out to Orlando, where we were going for lunch at the World's largest McDonalds! there was also a huge Playland and Entertainment Arcade there. Besides the usual McD meals, they also served some special deli food and Dad and Mum were happy to have something different. to me, McD is chicken nuggets, and nothing else! After lunch, Mum took me up to the arcade, where I played a few games. I had fun!
After that, we headed to Downtown Disney. There was a Lego Store there, which I was keen to visit and there were some other things there, too, involving Mickey Mouse and all. I was more interested in the Lego. Mum got me some Star Wars Lego figures and a new Bionicle.

We went in search of the Squashed Penny Machine and got me two new Disney Squashed Pennies. I did not quite like the Mickey Mouse ear hat Mum wanted to buy me. There were some rides and lots of stalls and shops. I wasn't too sure, at first, about the T Rex, as they had some raptors and a T Rex at the entrance which was mechanical, like the ones in the London Natural History Museum, but then I remembered that dinosaurs are extinct, so they couldn't be real!

On the way back to the Motel, we stopped over at the Lake Bueno Vista Factory Outlet, and we met a lovely couple, Susie and Leo. They live in Miami now, but Susie was from Malaysia, and could not help but notice the flag on Tuah! What a lovely day!

7 July 2009, Tuesday
Sea World, Orlando, FL
I was up at 5am this morning, and woke Mum up to ask her if it was time for us to go to see the orcas at Sea World, yet? Mum told me to go back to sleep, which I did, and the next thing I knew, Dad and Mum were both showered and ready to go out, and waited for me to have my breakfast and get ready.

We arrived at Sea World, parked Tuah and picked up our tickets. We headed straight for the Shamu Stadium, where the orcashow, Believe, would begin in half an hour. It was the most amazing thing I have seen. My friend Cliff, in Cape Town had introduced me to orcas, or killer whales, as they are sometimes called. Mum had thought my plastic toy was a dolphin, but all the while, it had been an orca. They were beautiful, graceful and smart. And big.

After that, I rode on the carousel, played in the huge sandpit, played some tin drums, watched the Call of the Ocean acrobatic show, went for the Shark Encounter, saw the Clyde and Seamore Sea Lion and Otter Show, saw the penguins, puffins, mantas, manatees, dolphins, turtles and stingrays.
There was also supposed to be a dolphin and whale show, but as we were waiting for the show to begin, it started to rain. They delayed it for a while, and eventually, after a half hour wait, they decided to cancel the show, due to the weather. What's the matter with rain? The dolphins were wet in the water anyway! They said something though about the metal structure around the stadium and the thunder and lightning being too near.

It was a remarkable day. By late afternoon, Dad and I were rather tired, and we were ready to head back. Before we went back to the motel, Dad wanted to go to McDonalds again. He liked the Buffalo Wings Sandwich he had yesterday, which was only served at a few outlets that served a Bistro Menu.

8 July 2009, Wednesday
Kennedy Space Centre, Merritt Island, Orlando, FL
We decided to spend another night at the Travelodge, but we were undecided on what to do today. We needed to drive Tuah a reasonable distance, as the battery that powered the fridge and inverter showed a low charge, so it seemed that we would head out to the Kennedy Space Centre, about an hour and a bit away from where we were (avoiding the toll roads)

It was a large place and the tickets actually covered 2 days entry, as they seem to assume you can't do it all in a day! We headed straight for the bus that took us to the observations decks and control centres. There was a long queue and it took us about 30 minutes before we finally boarded a bus. the sky was getting dark - so much for Florida being the sunshine state! At the Observation Deck, we headed to the top, where we had a 360 degree view of the area and could see all the different launch pads for the space shuttles and rocket ships. There was one that was being prepared for launch this weekend, too! We saw the crawlers, some big looking platform on tractor wheels that would carry the space shuttles or rockets from where they are made in the Vehicle Assembly Centre to the launch pads, at the speed 1 mile an hour!
From there, we went to the Apollo/Saturn V Centre, where we saw the actual Mission Control Room and the Whole Rocket Ship. It was HUGE! There were signs on the floor saying 'This way to the moon', which was strange. I didn't know you could walk there! I touched a piece of moon rock and had pizza for tea underneath the rocket ship.

We met an astronaut and watched a 3D documentary on man walking on the moon. I thought that the moon walk was something that Micheal Jackson guy everyone is talking about these days did. Anyway, after that, we went to the Robot scout centre, where I saw the Mars Exploration Rover, which looked a lot like WALL-e and another Space probe that looked suspiciously like Eva. There was also one robot that looked like the poor relative of Star Wars R2D2.
It was a long day, and eventually we headed back to the hotel, stopping for dinner at Arby's on the way. Wednesday is a good day for Arby's- you always get something for free...today, it was an orange swirl shake, with any sandwich!

9 July 2009, Thursday
Orlando and Kisssimmee, FL
Today was supposed to be a rest day. We woke up at 9.30am and decided to see what was going on at one of the larger Factory Outlets in town. Dad had decided he wanted a pair of Teva Dozers, like Mum and I have. We were amazed at how many people were there before us, and the number of Brits shopping, carrying bags and bags of stuff.
Mum found Dad a pair of carpri from Columbia and bought me a new pair of Disney Crocs, black with a red strap, this time. She was amazed that it costed only US$15, when she had been paying US$33 for them in Kuala Lumpur! We didn't find any Teva Dozers there, though, but Mum had seen some in one of the shoe shops at the other Factory Outlet on Lake Buena Vista, where we had met Susie andLeoa few days ago. We are going to Miami tomorrow and are honoured to have been invited to stay with them. I am excited to be seeing them again. I seldom get to be reunited with anyone we have said goodbye to, on our travels.
We did find Dad a pair of Teva Dozers and he seems happy with them. On the way back to the motel, Dad stopped off at an electronics shop and bought a few new lenses for his camera. Back at the motel, we relaxed the rest of the evening.

10 July 2009, Friday
Miami, FL
Dad wasn't a very happy man. He had looked up the prices of the new lenses he bought yesterday, on the Internet and realised that he had been diddled. The shop had even put 'special order' stamp on the receipt, and the teeny tiny print said that any special orders could not be refunded or exchanged. After breakfast, it was decided that we head back there and tell them we knew they cheated us.
From there we headed south towards Miami, stopping along the way for some Cajun boiled peanuts and lunch, which was a cheese sandwich for me and butternut squash soup and crackers for Dad and Mum.

We arrived at Susie andLeo's around 5.30pm, and settled in. Friends of theirs, Amelia, from Sepang, Malaysia, and Greg were joining us. We had beef rendang, ox tail, mixed vegetables and even mangoes and durian for desert.
It was a great evening - warm hospitality, good food, great company!

11 July 2009, Saturday
The Everglades, Miami, FL
Susie prepared a wonderful breakfast for us - roti canai...what a treat! Mum then packed some cheese sandwiches for my lunch and we headed out in Susie's car for the Everglades. The area is a National Park, in what is known here as Grass River...Mum calls is a swamp.

We arrived at the Visitor Centre, where they had some interactive information about the local wildlife. Mum finally learnt the difference between the alligator and crocodile, too. Susie bought me a manatee toy. They are such strange looking creatures, yet very gentle. In Malaysia, they are known as Dugongs.
We headed out for the first trail the Anhinga Trail, along which we saw some alligators, lots of insects and even a turtle! There was also a Gumbo Limbo tree, with roots that were quite amazing. The second trail we walked along was a short drive away, but as soon as we started walking it, we were swamped by mosquitoes...hundreds of them! We rushed back to the car as fast as we could.
On the way home, we stopped at a fruit stall, called Robert Was Here. There were lots of people buying their homegrown fruit, which included tropical fruit like the Jack Fruit, Mangoes, Longans, Papaya and Dragon Fruit. They also made wonderful milkshakes, and we all enjoyed them.

Back at Susie and Leo's we rested for a while, and after our showers, headed out for dinner at a local Cuban restaurant. Leo helped order the dishes, and thought I already had mu=y dinner earlier, could see that the gown ups were enjoying theirs!

12 July 2009, Sunday
The Florida Keys, FL
We woke up to breakfast prepared by Susie again. Soon after, we headed out in Tuah, to the Florida Keys. It was a long drive - 162km each way, but being the southernmost tip of Continental USA, was not a place we were going to miss.

We stopped at Key Largo, the first of the Florida Keys, a string of islands, connected to mainland by several bridges, the longest being 7 miles! There was a little signboard outside the Visitor Centre pointing out directions of places - Key Largo, Montego, Bahamas, Bermuda, KoKomo, andMum wanted to get a photo of me with it...no idea why.
We stopped along the way for me to dip my feet into the water. If course just my feet was not enough, and I dipped a lot more than that, so had to be given a new set of clothes to wear. At Key West, the last and largest of the islands, we stopped on the beach for a rest. The grown ups sat on the mat, while I ran around, playing in the sand. Susie helped me build an aeroplane, too. Eventually we moved on to the tip of the island, where we joined the queue to get our photos taken with the marker, saying we were at the southernmost tip of continental USA, and just 90 miles away from Cuba.

We walked over to South Beach and had some dinner at the cafe there. Macaroni and Cheese for me and the others had some tapas styled dishes. We then headed back to Susie and Leo's in Miami, arriving very late at night. I had fallen asleep on the way, of course.

13 July 2009, Monday
Miami Beach, FL
We all woke up late, aside Leo, who was up early to go to work. We had a slow start to the day, and Mum spent a bit of time with me sorting through some of my stuff. Some of it will be left with Susie, who will take them down to a charity collection centre.

In the late afternoon, Susie drove us down to Miami Beach. It was divided into two areas - South Beach andNorth Beach. We wandered around the South Beach area, which is the hip side of town, where there were plenty little boutique hotels, bars and cafes. We also passed the house where some famous designer, Versace was shot. We then went to the quieter North Beach, where I was allowed to play in the sea for a while.

We headed back to Susie and Leo's, where Mum made me some noodles for dinner, then we headed out again for the grown ups to have their dinner.
It was a very nice laid back day. I'm going to miss Susie and Leo when we head off tomorrow for East Florida. Hopefully, when we are back in Kuala Lumpur at the end of next year, we will be able to reciprocate their kindness and warm hospitality.

14 July 2009, Tuesday
Lake Manatee State Park, near Tampa Bay, FL
It’s a sad day for me. I don’t want to say goodbye to SusieandLeo. I wish they could continue travelling with us. That’s not how things work, though. On top of that, we heard that there had been a fire earlier in the day at our apartment block in Kuala Lumpur. Aunty Ami had been there this morning, but obviously before the fire broke out. We saw a video clip of it on YouTube and Mum was told by Aunty Amee that it was apparently confined to the 31st and 32ndfloors. We were sad to find out later that one person died in the fire, and we knew him - the family cars were in the parking lot next to ours.
Susie cooked us some fried rice for lunch and made me a penguin and whale out of paper. She called it origami. Once Dad and Mum have sorted out their packing, we said our goodbyes and headed off, stopping at the florist aroundthe corner to pick up some flowers for Susie, which we turned back to send to her. Then it really was goodbye. Hopefully, we will catch up soon either in the USA or back in Kuala Lumpur.

We drove along the Tamiami Trail, seeing alligators and turtles in the waterways alongside the road. There were a few Indian Reservations, but they didn’t live in Wigwams anymore. They had proper houses, with thatched roofs and a gate and fence around them.
We decided to stop for the night at the Lake Manatee State park, where we could camp for the night. It was nice to arrive early and I had fun running around our pitch. There were lots of trees and squirrels. Dad even set up his hammock, which we bought in Cape Town.
After our shower, around 8pm, we suddenly got swarmed by mosquitoes. Mum and I rushed up to the tent while Dad struggled with the rest of his dinner before coming up, too.

15 July 2009, Wednesday
St Petersburg and Manatee Springs State Park, FL
We woke up early. As soon as the sun started to rise, it was like an oven in the tent. It was only 28 degrees, but the sun was burning hot and we were sweating.  We had been spoilt, spending the last few days in a motel room in Orlando, then in Susie and Leo’s air conditioned home, in Miami. We managed to have our breakfast and packed up, heading towards the resort town of St Petersburg, near Tampa. We crossed the Florida SkywayBridge to get there, which was quite impressive. There were large homes on the water, with cars in the garage facing the front and boats on the water facing the back.

From there we drove through some smaller towns till we came to a large Wal-Mart. It was at a small town called, Chiefland, near the Manatee Springs State Park. Mum bought some groceries and Dad got a funny looking tent. Well, it looked like a tent, but it was just a see through net, which we could sit in to keep the bugs and insects out.
We drove down the road to the park, where we set up camp for the night. There were nowhere near as many mosquitoes as we had last night, but there were plenty of deer grazing near us.

16 July 2009, Thursday
Chipley, near Panama City, FL
We didn't sleep all that well last night. Our mosquito bites from the night before were itching and it was a very warm night, with no breeze. Anyway, we woke up to find some deer had decided to come around and wish us good morning.
Soon, the sky began to darken, and Dad and Mum started to pack up our stuff. It took a bit longer today, with the extra insect tent. I played with some kids camping nearby until it was time to go. As we drove along, we saw a truck transporting a house, on the road. I thought this was what was called a mobile home, but Dad said that it was actually a completely built house that was going to be put on someones land for them to live in. Now, if we travelled in something like that, we could have all the comforts of home...literally.

After lunch, which Mum had packed this morning, we stopped to stretch our legs at a Rest Area. It began to rain heavily again, andwedecided that today was not a camping day. We found a motel in Chipley that had offers using discount coupons from a booklet and checked in. Nice and cool in here...and no mosquitoes tonight!

17 July 2009, Friday
Mobile, Alabama and Diamondhead, Mississippi
In the morning, Dad took Tuah to the Wal Mart nearby to see if they could get the auxiliary batter changed, but they did not have the right size, so he just had his wheels balanced, instead. We drove off towards New Orleans, crossing the border of Alabama and then into Mississippi. 
We had a rather late start this morning, and ate the sandwiches Mum prepared for lunch on the way. At the Visitor Centre in Mississippi, we spent some time looking around, chatting to the nice people at the desk. They even gave me a book with details and pictures of the local birds. In the lobby, there was a quilt, with pictures drawn by elementary school kids, about the few things they had remaining, after the Hurricane Katrina hit them in 2005, destroying almost everything in the area. Dad was more interested in having his photo taken with a life sized poster old some guy called Elvis.

There was a hurricane alert in New Orleans today, andwe were driving through some really bad thunderstorms. It was decided that instead of camping, we'll find a motel for the night and managed to get a reasonable rate at one in Diamondhead. The area near the Gulf Coast seems to be rather touristy and expensive, as even the campsites costed a fair bit! 

18 July 2009, Saturday
Long, Beach and Biloxi, MS and New Orleans, LA
We had waffles for breakfast this morning. It's like pancakes, but it has holes in it. Funny things, but they taste ok and fill you up. We soon packed up and headed back eastward to the Gulf Coast. Now, when Mum said we were going to the Gulf Coast, I thought she meant Golf Course, and was quite happy to think that my golf clubs will finally be used for a game of golf, and not to ward off the baboons. I was wrong.

Anyway, this area was almost totally destroyed in 2005, by the hurricane Kartina. Some areas were under 40 feet of water and hit by winds of up to 175 mph. We saw many new homes, many damaged ones andeven more plots of   homes used to once stand, now only the cement foundations left, and a few pillars here and there. In Biloxi, we passed many new casinos, and a huge guitar in front of the Hard Rock Cafe.
After a light lunch, we drove on towards New Orleans, crossing the Louisiana border. Dad had booked a motel room for us on the internet last night, and we were pleased to see it was a rather nice room. We also had free parking for Tuah included, which would otherwise cost an additional US$17 a day. We're just relaxing this evening, and tomorrow will do some sight seeing.

19 July 2009, Sunday
New Orleans, LA
We had a real nice Continental Breakfast at the hotel. This time, we even had cereal in those little boxes, not from a big plastic dispenser. After breakfast, we took one of those famous New Orleans Streetcars, and headed downtown to the French Quarter. The whole area had narrow streets, lots of bars, pubs, cafes and shops selling souvenirs, and other stuff. Most of the buildings had iron balconies, with people sitting down having drinks. We walked to the Louis Armstrong Park, but it was nothing much - just a statue of Louis Armstrong, some trees and ducks in the canal.

We had lunch at some famous place called the Court of two Sisters, trying some local dishes called Jambalaya and Po-Boy. After that, we headed down the road to the Music Legends Park, where we sipped cold milk (me) and coffee (Dad and Mum) and listened to some live Jazz music, by Steamboat Willie. I even got an autographed CD of their songs.
We also saw the (in)famous St Louis Cemetery Number 1 and the Mississippi River and Bridge. The tombs in the cemeterywere like the ones we saw in Spain. They were above the ground, because there was too much water in the ground.

By the time we got back to our room, we were quite tired and happy to have a nice place for the night.

20 July 2009, Monday
Lafayette, LA
We had a nice breakfast again at the Maison St Charles, andafter packing up, it was time to go. I was sad to leave the hotel. It was certainly one of the nicer ones we have been in, on our travels. I still remember the Grand Holiday Villa in Khartoum, Sudan, as the best though, for the warm hospitality of Mr Hossam, the GM and Irwan, the IT Manager.
Anyway, we decided not to drive much today. We were to stop at the KOA (Kampgrounds of America)  site in Lafayette, which was about 130 miles from New Orleans, in the middle of what is called Cajun Country. Most of the journey was through swap areas, and the road we drove on was built over the swampy land. We crossed the Mississippi River a couple of times, too.
We arrived at the campsite in the early afternoon, and relaxed for a while andhad some lunch. As a treat, I was bought a pint of Vanilla Ice Cream to for desert, which I shared with Dad and Mum. Later in the afternoon, we drove out to a Wal Mart not too far off, as Mum wanted to buy something called a Shrimp, Crawfish and Crab Boil, which is what is used to make Cajun Boiled Peanuts, which she and Dad love to eat. We also got some more snacks and some toiletries.
Back at the campsite, Mum started the fire going on the braai (BBQ), while Dad took me to the pool for a swim. After that, and a shower, I had the Macaroni and Cheese Mum made for my dinner and fell asleep in my chair.

21 July 2009, Tuesday
Avery Island, LA and Montgomery, TX
We slept quite well last night. There was a slight cool breeze, which made it quite comfortable. We had some breakfast andMum packed some lunch for us, too. We decided that we will drive to Avery Island, some 30 miles in the opposite direction, to visit the Tabasco Sauce Factory. I think the fact that the tour was free may have had something to do with it.Anyway, we made our way there and actually had a brilliant time. We were met by one of the staff who explained the history of how the  family started the business some 140 years ago. It is still a family run business today – amazing! After that we had our lunch – roast beef sandwiches for Dad and Mum, and  Macaroni andCheese for me, spiced up with a little bit of Tabasco Sauce.

We then hit the road, heading for Uncle Jack and Aunty Adrianne’s home near Houston, Texas. It was about a 5 hour drive from Avery Island. Just before we reached the Texas border, we came to a bridge near the Westpoint area. It was really steep, like an open drawbridge, but we made it to the top.

Uncle Jack is going to be away for a few days, but Aunty Adrianne made us at home and introduced us to the cats, Peanuts, Yoda, Gabby and  Jill, the horses, Pistol and Hondo and after a lovely dinner of steak from their own cattle ranch in New Mexico, we met the resident raccoons.

22 July 2009, Wednesday
Montgomery, near Houston, TX
We all had a good sleep last night, but when I woke up this morning, AuntyAdrianne was already out. She had gone to fetch Caitlin, who will be spending tonight withus. They were back in a couple of hours, with some sugar glazed doughnuts for morning tea.

We had quite a lazy day, playing with the cats and horses, watching some TV and looking at photographs of the cattle ranch in New Mexico, which we will be visiting later on. Dad went out in the afternoon and found a garage that could order a battery for Tuah, to replace the auxiliary battery, which charges our fridge and other things like my DVD player and the inverter.

It was a really good day. Caitlin enjoyed listening to me and i enjoyed having an audience. After dinner, it was time for a bath and I was so tired that I fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow!

23 July 2009, Thursday
Montgomery, near Houston, TX
I was up earlier than Dad and Mum, seeing that I went to bed fairly early last night. They did not appreciate me waking them up before they wanted to be up. Eventually, Dad took me out and gave me some Cheerios for breakfast, while Mum had a bit of a lie in.
I watched a bit of TV with Caitlin, then helped Aunty Adrianne prepare some lunch, while Dad went out to get Tuah's new battery put in. It was a restful day and later in the afternoon, just before AuntyPattie, Caitlin's mum, came to fetch her, we fed some carrots to the horses, then went out with Aunty Adrianne for a typical Mexican dinner and a drive around the area.
Again, I was so worn out that I fell asleep in the truck on the way back.

24 July 2009, Friday
Montgomery, near Houston, TX
It was Mum's turn to wake up with me today, andshe sorted out my breakfast for me. After that i played with the water pistol out in the garden, but got quite wet, so when AuntyAdrianne watered the plants with the garden hose, I managed to get in on the act as well. It was such fun - she's a terrific Aunt!

After I was dried up and changes, I had some lunch, while Dad was trying to figure out what was draining the new auxiliary battery he had fitted into Tuah yesterday. Mum andI went out with Aunty Adrianne to run a few errands andpick up some groceries. I managed to persuade Mum to buy me some of that yogurt I saw advertised on TV, which you put into the freezer with a special stick and the after 3-4 hours, out comes some special frozen treat, a bit like ice cream.
I had my frozen yogurt treat after dinner of nasi lemak, prepared by Mum. The cats were trying hard to get at the food before we did!

25 July 2009, Saturday
Montgomery, near Houston, TX
Today, we went for a drive to Lake Conroe, not far from where we were in Montgomery. Mum wasn't feeling too great, as she had a bad sinus. From Lake Conroe, we headed to Downtown Houston, which was like many other cities - skyscrapers, traffic andlots of people. We passed the Aquarium with it's big wheel outside, and the Toyota Centre, where some event was going on and also a Music Festival at the Sam Houston Park.

In the late afternoon, we headed back towards Woodlands, where we stopped at a Pharmacy for Mum to get some medication and then at the Wal Mart, where we got a little rice cooker like ours for Aunty Adrianne. I like the toy section in the Wal Mart stores. They are well stocked. Dad promised to buy me a new Bionicle tomorrow. I don't know why he didn't just buy it today, but never mind. I can wait.
When we got back, the two horses, Pistol and Hondo were there to greet us. Aunty Adrianne had been out to the shops and came back with a little light up sword for me. It's delightful! The grown ups had what Dad and Mum say was a wonderful Tacos dinner, prepared by Aunty Adrianne, and after a frozen yogurt, I had some Macaroni and Cheese.
After dinner, we had rides on the ATV around the house and the area where the horses roam behind it. It was fun. Tomorrow, we will be driving off for a few days to explore the rest of Texas, and will be back here later in the week, when Uncle Jack is back in town. I am going to miss Aunty Adrianne and the comforts of home very much!

26 July 2009, Sunday
San Antonio, TX
We were up at a reasonable hour this morning. I was excited, but sad. Excited because Dad had promised to buy me a new Lego Bionicle which we saw in the Wal Mart store yesterday, and sad because we were leaving Uncle Jack and Aunty Adrianne's home today. We will be back in a few days, I know, but Aunty Adrianne has become so much a part of my life in the last few days, that I am going to miss her so much!
Anyway, back to that Bionicle, Dad didn't realise that when he said he'll get it for me tomorrow (he said that yesterday), that I literally meant the next day. He kept his word though and I now have a new Bionicle called Kiina.
We drove to San Antonio today. It was an extremely hot day, with the temprature hitting as high as 42 degrees. We were planning on camping tonight, but as we arrived in San Antonio, it was decided that we would be better off in a motel for the night. I think Dad and Mum were both glad we got the room instead of camping. I know I am!

27 July 2009, Monday
San Antonio and Lockhart State Park, near San Marcos, TX
We were glad to have been in the motel last night. Dad had nipped outside to see how warm it was at 2am, and it was still warm! On top of that, we had a really good breakfast this morning – toast, waffles in the shape of the State of Texas, cereals and even Hot Chocolate as a choice of drink!
We eventually took off, after Dad checked his blood INR and reported the reading. We drove into San Antonio and parked Tuah just by the Alamo. All that’s left of it is a few barrack walls and the façade. It represents a shrine to those who died in the siege of 1813, including some famous guy, Davy Crockett

In front of the Alamo, Dad decided to have a snow cone – some shaved ice and coloured flavoured liquid poured over it, for US$4. I was smarted. I opted for a cup of Haagan Daaz Ice Cream inside the air cond café, also for US4.
From there we walked to the Rivercentre Mall, from where we took a ride on one of the Rio San Antonio Riverboats. Instead of walking along the river walk, we managed to see it all and have the guide explain everything along the way. It was extremely hot though, and I was really pleased to get off the boat and back into the air conditioned Rivercentre Mall. It was a shame that there was something not right at the IMAX theatre, as Dad wanted to see the Alamo documentary, and I wanted to see the one about dinosaurs. I did leave San Antonio with four new Squashed Pennies for my album, though.

We drove towards San Marcos, but headed a little east to the Lockhart State Park, where we camped tonight. It was still really hot, but there was some breeze blowing to make it more bearable. Motels every night would be nice, but a luxury we can’t afford. 

28 July 2009, Tuesday
San Marcos, Austin and Mother Neff State Park, near Waco, TX
We had an extremely pleasant night, actually. The breeze was blowing and it was cool and comfortable in the tent. Dad fried some eggs for sandwiches for our packed lunch and while Dad and Mum got us organized, I did some painting with the new watercolours Mum got me.
We drove the short distance to the town of San Marcos, where Dad had heard about a very little advertised attraction, where you could take a ride on a glass bottomed boat. We managed to find the Texas Aquarea, where the boat rides take off from. We sat in the electric powered  boat and were taken around the lake, watching the seaweed, plants, fish, turtles and whatever else there was in that lake. We didn’t see the Texas Blind Salamander that live in the lake tough, as they live deep, deep below, where it is really dark. I did get to see them in the aquarium. They looked a little like lizards, with very skinny legs, and no eyes.

From  there, we drove through Austin, the big city of Texas, which was just that…a big city. Just outside, we saw a Premium Outlet Centre, one of those Factory Outlet Store places that Dad and Mum love. We turned back  to have a look, as Dad really liked the pair of shorts he had bought at the stores in Orlando, but unfortunately, there wasn’t a Columbia Store in this particular centre.

The only State Park in the area was the Mother Neff State Park, which we found with no problems, thanks to the GPS.  We found though that the campsite had recently been under water in the floods, and was slowly being restored.  There were no showers or proper toilets, but chemical toilets were available, and there were a few taps where we could get water from. We were the only ones in the campsite…or the whole park, for that matter. The Ranger was nowhere to be seen either, so Mum used a self pay envelope to pay our fees and we set up camp. No breeze like yesterday, but hopefully, it’ll be a comfortable night, anyway. 

29 July 2009, Wednesday
Dallas and Athens, TX
Did I say something about hoping last night would be comfortable? Well, it certainly wasn't! It was hot, sticky and stuffy. There was a bit of a breeze blowing, but there were too many big trees around us.
We had breakfast and washed under the tap to freshen up, as there were no showers at this State Park. We were infact the only ones in the park overnight, and it felt somewhat like camping in the African bush again. After breakfast, we headed out to a town called McGregor, as there seemed to be a slow leak in one of tuah's tires. As soon as the foreman removed it, we saw a huge nail sticking out the inside wall of the tire! It was soon patched and we were on our way again.

We arrived in the city of Dallas after a lunch of Texas styled BBQ ribs. We headed to the Historical area, where we saw the JFK Memorial, The Old Red Museum and the building from where some guy shot the then President of the USA, John F Kennedy.

From Dallas, we headed eastwards through Cedar Creek Reservoir to a town called Athens, where we checked into a motel for the night.  

30 July 2009, Thursday
Nacogdoches, Silsbee and Lumberton,TX
We woke up to find that it had pured down with rain all night. We had breakfast and then headed off towards Silsbee, where we were visiting Uncle Ian Mathews, who went to school at HMS Conway with Dad in North Wales. The last time dad and Mum had seen him was in London, before I came along. He had attended a reunion of ex Conways and spent the night at the flat. That was about 6 or 7 years ago.

We drove through some nice countryside and small towns, stopping along the way to visit the oldest town in Texas, Nacogdoches. It was a pretty little town, but didn't look all that old to me.
We found our way to Uncle Ian's home, which was on the Village Creek. It was a great place and I loved the way the creek was just outside the window! Dad and Mum were chatting to Uncle Ian and he spent some time entertaining me, too. He even had vanilla ice cream in his freezer!

By late evening, it was time for us to move on. Hopefully, it won't be several years before we catch up with him again!

31 July 2009, Friday
Montgomery, near Houston, TX
Mum was up early and got breakfast for Dad and I. It had been raining all night and was wet everywhere! We didn't have far to go today, as Uncle Jack and Aunty Adrianne's home was about 100 miles from where we were. We took a slow drive and headed straight to the Walgreens Pharmacy in The Woodlands to collect the INR test strips Mum had ordered for Dad.
As ususal, nothing is ever simple. The strips arrived, in a box that was rather battered. The 48 strips in a box, would last Dad for at least 3.5 years, but the expiry date on the box in August 2010. On top of it, the seal on the box was opened, so even they pharmacist wasn't sure of the tubes containing the strips had been exposed before. Back to square one, now, and we need to try to reorder the strips from somewhere else.
Back at the house, Uncle Jack and Aunty Adrianne were out running errands, so we let ourselves in with our key. It was good to see Hondo and Pistol, the horses, again, and even better to see Uncle Jack and Aunty Adrianne, when they got home!
I was excited and happy, and a little loud, too. I guess. later in the evening, we watched the racoons come for their treats. There were 4 little baby racoons, too! By the end of the night I was so tired, that right after being washed up, I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow!