My Adventures – Cruisin’ to New Orleans

ROAD TRIP –  headin’ to the Big Easy – that’s Nawlins for the uninitiated.

I have been here many times and still marvel at the uniqueness that is New Orleans.

(c) Sherry Fundin

(c) Sherry Fundin

 

What a great time of year to visit. Christmas decorations light up the streets, making me twist and turn my head, so I don’t miss anything. My camera finger is flicking away, taking photographs as quickly as the camera can cycle through.

 

 

(c) Sherry Fundin

(c) Sherry Fundin

I located my hotel, then parked the car. Starting my walk at the French Market, I ogle the goodies that are displayed. How about a little window shopping?

(c) Sherry Fundin

(c) Sherry Fundin

 

 

 

 

 

(c) Sherry Fundin

(c) Sherry Fundin

 

I can smell the beignets and hot chocolate at Cafe du Monde calling to me. While enjoying my snack and taking a break from  walking, I watch the street musicans playing some Jazz and the street performers entertaining the crowd. I love to people watch, and this is a perfect place to do so.

 

(c) Sherry Fundin

(c) Sherry Fundin

 

Of course, we have to cross the street and pet the donkeys, all the while taking photographs as we pass Jackson Square. These are two signatures of New Orleans that you don’t want to miss.

 

 

(c) Sherry Fundin

(c) Sherry Fundin

We went to City Park – visited the New Orleans Museum of Art  and stopped to enjoy the Cajun Christmas light display at Christmas in the Oaks. There is a train you can ride, but I chose to walk so I could take my time on the things that  I enjoyed the most, like this magical creature.

I had a great dinner/breakfast at Daisy Dukes, where the food abounds and the Bloody Mary’s are bottomless.

 

(c) Sherry Fundin

(c) Sherry Fundin

 

I stayed at The Ambassador. My room had huge wooden beams, with a glass door and windows that open to the hallways of the hotel. It says The French Quarter to me. I enjoyed their delicious breakfast, before I set out on day two. The Ambassador is in close proximity to many New Orleans features, making it possible to walk the area.

 

(c) Sherry Fundin

(c) Sherry Fundin

 

On the way home, I felt the need to stretch my legs. What better place than Margaritaville for a couple of cocktails and some lunch. Of course, I had to pull a slot lever or two and try my luck. It’s always nice if someone else picks up my trip tab.

 

 

(c) Sherry Fundin

(c) Sherry Fundin

 

 

A beautiful sunset capped off a great couple of days.

 

 

 

I love road trips. I throw some stuff in the car and hit the road. Stay tuned for more of my fun adventures.

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My Adventures – The Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway

I can hear the rumble of their engines

I can feel the vibrations flowing through the air and into my body.

My blood is rushing through my veins.

My heart is pounding with excitement.

Snowball Derby season has arrived.

I live close to Five Flags Speedway, so it is not unusual to hear the roar of the engines as drivers hit the pavement to practice every chance they can.

I always look forward to this premier event, The Snowball Derby.

It falls on December 4 – 8, 2013, but there is plenty of pre-race excitement.

The first week of December, the annual 300 mile super late model stock car race is held at Pensacola’s Five Flags Speedway, and has been since 1968.

It is known for attracting some high profile drivers. A few of the past winners are Kyle Bush, Darryl Waltrip, Dick Trickle, Steve Wallace, Chase Elliot and Pensacola’s very own Joanna Long.

It was a little breezy and chilly, 60 degrees.

Now, just wait a minute. Don’t get your panties in an uproar. I know some of you are wearing down coats and waterproof boots, battling through the wind and snow.

For me, if there is a breeze, if the sun isn’t shining on me and it’s under 75 degrees, I get chilly. I know I am a wuss, that’s why I live in Florida.

I want 80+ every day – shorts, t-shirt and flip-flop weather.

Soooooo, if you are ever in Pensacola during the first week of December, stop in to Five Flags Speedway for The Snowball Derby.

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Where is Tropical Storm Karen?

Karen? Where is Karen? A tropical storm?

So far it has been in the high 80s and mostly sunny. The wind is blowing and the surf is up. I have been to the beach, taking photographs of the beach and surfers that are out catching the waves.

I will be posting more, but gotta watch Michigan finish beating Minnesota for the Brown Jug. Then Boston Red Sox beat Tampa Bay. See you tomorrow.

Here is me with The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore, checking out the situation.

My Adventures – Living Life 110%

Living life 110% is our motto.

I invite you to come along on my adventures and I would love to hear about yours.

The weekend was chockful of wonderful things to do, but it wasn’t hard for us to choose what events we wanted to attend. The beach is one of our favorite places to go. People watching is a fun past-time and there are always some interesting characters wandering around. But this weekend had some added bonuses, like the Corvette Car Show and A Taste of Pensacola with Andrew Zimmer.

I jumped at the chance to see all these speed machines at the Corvette show. I am a lover of muscle cars and it seemed like every Corvette – from vintage to current – was in attendance. The roar of the engines vibrated through the air, making me want to jump in one and go for a joy ride.

Corvette Beach Show (c) Sherry Fundin

Corvette Beach Show (c) Sherry Fundin

 A Taste of Pensacola with Andrew Zimmer took place at the Pensacola Beach pavilion. I waited for him to wade into the Gulf and come out with some kind of freaky food, but he stayed with a traditional Gulf staple – Shrimp.

Taste of Pensacola with Andrew Zimmer (c) Sherry Fundin

Taste of Pensacola with Andrew Zimmer (c) Sherry Fundin

Andrew Zimmer did some stirring and a little sampling along the way. We visited the Hooter girls and had a couple of Bloody Marys to quench our thirst.

Andrew Zimmer (c) Sherry Fundin

Andrew Zimmer (c) Sherry Fundin

Just look at those beautiful shrimps. Makes your mouth water, doesn’t it?

Andrew Zimmer Cooking (c) Sherry Fundin

Andrew Zimmer Cooking (c) Sherry Fundin

The presentation was appetizing and corn bread is a southern mainstay not to be missed. Andrew Zimmer was very entertaining and hospitable, taking time for a meet and greet after the show.

Andrew Zimmer's Dish (c) Sherry Fundin

Andrew Zimmer’s Dish (c) Sherry Fundin

On to Captain Fun’s for the Alabama football game. Captain Fun’s is the place to go on the Boardwalk to get your football fix with some diehard Crimson Tide fans. Alabama did not let us down. The game was a roller coaster ride of emotions, keeping us watching until the final whistle was blown.

Number 1 Alabama still rules and The Tide beat Texas A & M – 49 to 42.

Romantics Concert (c) Sherry Fundin

Romantics Concert (c) Sherry Fundin

We topped off the day with the The Romantics Concert at the Blues Angel Music School, celebrating 130 years of Gretsch guitars.

The Romantics Concert at the Blues Angel Music School (c) Sherry Fundin

The Romantics Concert at the Blues Angel Music School (c) Sherry Fundin

What did you do this weekend?

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My Adventures – Murder In The Children’s Section – Alex Kava and Erica Spindler

Murder In The Children’s Section is an adventure into the minds of two fantastic MURDER novelists, Alex Kava and Erica Spindler.

I received a phone call from my hubby, which is not unusual, but this time he had some really great news. Alex Kava and Erica Spindler are here in Pensacola being interviewed at the WSRE PBS station at Pensacola State College. I jumped in the shower, grabbed a couple books from my shelf and ran right out to buy their latest releases. Thus, the bad hair day. LOL I love both authors, so there was no way I was going to miss this.

Erica Spindler, Alex Kava and Me by Sherry FundinErica Spindler, Alex Kava and Me by Sherry Fundin

Both authors were friendly and in no hurry. They were willing to answer all our questions and sign, not just their new releases, but the additional books we brought in for autographs. Of course, we all wanted photos with them. ^_^  They complimented each other very well.

Erica Spindler and Me by Sherry Fundin

Erica Spindler and Me by Sherry Fundin

Erica Spindler talked about her writing regimen. She gets up early and goes to her local coffee shop to write for a couple of hours. She finds it less distracting, even with all the activity going on around her. Could it be because of the bats that have moved into her home? She waits til the pressure is on and a deadline looms, then takes off, just her and her dog. She spends the time writing and walking. She prefers writing over research. Erica used to write romance, then felt a need to add suspense. Now she can’t imagine writing a book without a murder in it. She feels she has found what she was meant to do in life – writing suspense novels. She talked about how green Pensacola is compared to the New Orleans area, due to the loss of the trees since Hurricane Katrina. She wasn’t sure if she had written thirty or thirty one books and has one in the works.

 Alex Kava and Me by Sherry FundinAlex Kava and Me by Sherry Fundin

Alex Kava’s favorite part of writing is the research. She does marathon writing sessions with her dogs at her side. In Stranded, she made Creed like herself, surrounded by the dogs that they love. She divides her time between Nebraska and Pensacola. She loves to write about places and settings she is familiar with. Alex talked at length about the FBI’s Highway Serial Killings Initiative and Cadaver dogs. She also talked about the research she did into the trucker culture and how her and Erica would be stopping at rest areas while on tour, looking for a Lot Lizard, a truck stop prostitute. She talked about how the Black River State Forest is an excellent dumping ground for bodies a murderer wouldn’t want found. The critters and weather would eat up the body quick, not like the refrigeration of the cold north. I couldn’t help but laugh. She has written thirteen books and has one in the works.

Neither author can imagine writing a book without a murder in it. By the time they tour and promote a new release, they are already writing another novel. Both like to stand when they talk, pacers, making it easy for all of us to see them.

Be sure and check out their websites to see if they will be touring in your area!

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I know Alex’s books are always quick and easy reads. The words flow smoothly off the pages making them perfect summer reads. No question in my mind about picking up my copy of her new release – Stranded. I am familiar with a lot of the settings and that makes it even more readable. I’ve stopped at many rest areas and truck stops and never really thought much about it – day or night. Now I will be keeping my eyes open. I want to see a Lot Lizard too.

The big question now is which book do I read first!

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Stranded (Maggie O’Dell, #11)Stranded by Alex Kava

4.01  rating details

168 ratings  ·  41 reviews

Add Shudder to Goodreads

Pick up your Amazon copy HERE.

New York Times bestselling author Alex Kava returns with another action-packed thriller featuring special agent Maggie O’Dell, who is on the hunt for a “truck stop” serial killer.

Tired travelers and weary truckers have stopped at rest areas on the nation’s highways for decades to refuel, grab a bite, and maybe get some shut-eye, but one man’s rest stop is another’s hunting ground. For decades the defenseless, the weary, and the stranded have disappeared along the highways and byways, vanishing without a trace, but these seemingly unconnected incidents are no coincidence, and a madman stalks the freeways.

When FBI special agent Maggie O’Dell and her partner, Tully, discover the remains of a young woman in a highway ditch, the one clue left behind is a map that will send Maggie and Tully on a frantic hunt crisscrossing the country to stop a madman before he kills again.

As the body count rises and Maggie races against the clock to unmask the monster who’s terrorizing the nation’s highways, she turns to a former foe for help since he seems to know just what the killer’s next move will be. As she gets closer to finding the killer, it becomes eerily clear that Maggie is the ultimate target.

Turn the tables on Alex Kava and stalk her by following the links below:

Website  /  Goodreads  /  Facebook Twitter

Grab your copy from Amazon by clicking on the cover.

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Erica’s books seem to be more about feelings and emotion, delving into the psychological aspect of the story, making them a little heavier. Her new book, Justice for Sara is a perfect example. The writing also flows smoothly and I would not have to think twice about picking up a book with her name on it.

Justice for Sara

Justice For Sara

by Erica Spindler

4.41  ·   rating details

27 ratings  ·  11 reviews

Add Shudder to Goodreads

Pick up your Amazon copy HERE.

When seventeen-year-old Katherine McCall awakened one morning to find her beloved sister, Sara, brutally murdered, her whole life changed in the blink of an eye. Kat was named the prime suspect and, on a string of circumstantial evidence, charged and tried. While the jury found her innocent, not everyone else agreed, and her only choice was to go into hiding. But she carried a dark secret with her, one that made her worry she might actually have had something to do with Sara’s death . . .

Now, years later, Kat is still haunted by her sister’s unsolved murder and continues to receive chilling anonymous letters, but she has tried to move on with her life. Until, on the tenth anniversary of Sara’s death, she receives a letter that makes the past impossible to ignore: “What about justice for Sara?” What about justice for Sara? And for herself? Kat realizes that going back to Liberty, Louisiana, might be the only way to move forward and find some peace. And there’s a killer out there who was never caught.

But the town she’s come back to is hardly different from the one she left. The secrets and suspicions still run deep. Kat has an ally in Detective Luke Tanner, son of the former Liberty police chief, but he may be her only one. With plenty of enemies, no one to trust and a killer determined to keep a dark secret buried, Kat must decide if justice is worth fighting—and dying—for.

To keep up on Erica Spindler’s latest, follow the links below:

Website  /  Goodreads  /  Facebook  Twitter

Grab your copy from Amazon by clicking on the cover.


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My Adventures – Impatient Fisherman – Blue Heron

Impatient Fisherman is an ongoing story of the fishing adventures of The Fundins.

Hubby and I were out fishing one day and this Blue Heron kept trying to steal our bait from the bucket. He was pretty persistent. Mums the word when it comes to revealing where one of our honey holes is located.

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My Adventures – I saw the Odyssey, a Wahoo, and a Kazoo

I would like to take a moment to say “Thank You” to all our service men and women.

My Adventures – I saw the Odyssey, a Wahoo, and a Kazoo.

Let tell you about our weather. It has been raining buckets for days here in the panhandle of Florida, but like my hubby says, it never rains on the Funman. So, we began our adventure in the morning by going to the marina in downtown Pensacola.

The Funman and I started Fourth of July by shooting the Odyssey, a member of the Sea Shepherd fleet and Ocean Alliance, which was in town saving the whales! Yes there are whales in the Gulf of Mexico.

 Ocean Alliance collects a broad spectrum of data on whales and ocean life relating particularly to toxicology, behavior, bio-acoustics, and genetics. From that data we work with our scientific partners to advise educators and policy makers on wise stewardship of the oceans to: reduce pollution, prevent the collapse of marine mammal populations, maintain human access to fish and other sea life, and promote ocean and human health.

Ocean Alliance is concerned with the conservation of whales and all sea life, as well as human impacts on the marine environment. Through the Ocean Alliance program the Voyage of the Odyssey, we were able to focus on measuring the concentrations of synthetic contaminants that adversely affect the world’s oceans and its marine species.

Then, on to the Blue Wahoo’s baseball game. The Blue Wahoos are the farm team for  the Cincinnati Reds. They are new to the circuit, just being born in 2012. They were Organization of the Year, Ballpark of the Year and Executive of the Year for 2012.

They have a brand new stadium built on the shores of Pensacola Bay. They are currently ranked third in the Southern League Standings.

A lot of the workers were dressed and showing their patriotism for all the baseball fans.

I was the first one to get a ball, but Funman manged to get one too. We happily add them to our bucket of balls that we collect. What do we do with them? We look at them and say, “Oh, look at our pretty bucket of balls.”

Good times, good beer and good food. WE WON!!!!

For some chuckles, take a look at these Supernatural videos:

Eye of the Tiger and Bloopers

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