my travels in pixels

Nashville Nashville City Skyline We met Don and Carolyn while visiting Bill & Michele in Arizona a couple of times, so when they heard that we would be coming to Nashville this year, the offer to stay was extended. They are a lovely couple and very easy to talk to. We had told Don some of our plans, so he incorporated those into some ideas that he had when they took us sightseeing. We had great time with both of them. They moved to Nashville to be closer to their son and his family and you can tell they have a great relationship. Carolyn, Lindsay, Don & Jane We went to downtown where the action is happening. The area used to be a no go zone but about 15 years ago, the area was transformed by country music. You wouldn’t believe how many bars are here, often there are 2-3 stories with a different band on each level. They play for tips. Each band would play for a few hours. Tootsie's was the place that started it all. While we were there a professional si...

T.O. Fuller State Park 1500 W Mitchell Rd, Memphis, TN 38109, USA Site 15 is in the middle section near the playground Why we chose here? The closest State Park to Memphis Location: 10 miles south of Memphis Sites: 45, some back in and some pull through, set in a woodland setting. Quite a number of sites fit large RV’s. All sites have 30 or 50amp and water and there is a dump on the way in/out. Facilities: Restrooms with showers, laundry $1/wash, $1/dry, playground. In another area of the park is an Olympic sized swimming pool. You also get free tickets to the Chucalissa Indian (prehistoric) Village that was found when they were digging a swimming pool in the 1940’s Groceries: Shops are about 5 miles away Reservations: Yes Cell Coverage / WiFi: Verizon 3G 1 bar, 4G with aerial Price Paid: $21.85 Date of visit: April 2016 Would we come here again? Yes, it’s a lovely park. Even if you don't want to visit Memphis, it's very peaceful to rest for ...

Memphis TN Hernando De Soto Bridge The I-40 took us across the Hernando De Soto Bridge and into Memphis. We prefer to have space and vegetation around us when we camp and we found a gem just south of the city. You enter the park through a tunnel of green trees which are gorgeous and makes you think of coolness, but when we got out we are hit with a blanket of humidity. Totally understandable since it’s supposed to rain the whole time we are here. Looking online there were lots of sites available so we didn’t book. The birds chatter constantly all day long and the setting is very peaceful. Lots of greenery - the road to the campground The park’s name comes from Thomas O Fuller who dedicated his life to empowering and educating African Americans. This was the first park that opened to African Americans east of the Mississippi river and was originally called the Shelby County Negro State Park. It reminds you that we are in the South now and memories of the bigotry portrayed...

We arrived back in the USA in mid April and I’ve spent the last couple of months working on our itinerary for our next trip - we are going to the East Coast. I never usually do so much preparation for a camping trip but we need to book ahead in a number of places such as New Jersey for New York. I’ve been reading other people’s blogs to get ideas of where to go, not many people have blogged about the East Coast so it's difficult finding out information. We spent a couple of days with our friends Dale and Shelly in Yucca Valley CA. We aren't usually here in spring to see Shelly’s cacti when they are in bloom, so it's really nice to see some of them this year. The flowers are absolutely gorgeous and amazingly fragile looking for such an ominous plant. Lindsay always has a couple of jobs to perform on our camper before we ever go anywhere, this time it was installing a new electronic grey water tank valve. He did the black water tank valve before we left for Mexico and...

Click on the picture above if you want captions with the photos. When you are in the album, you will need to click on the slideshow button which is on the top left hand side of the menu. Or, you can view them here, but the feed can't read the captions Other Mexico Posts: 1.  A very different place for us 2.  Life's a beach 3.  Living in Old Town 4.  A seaside village only accessible by boat 5.  Wrapping up Puerto Vallarta 6.  Puerto Vallarta Essentials

Puerto Vallarta has just been rated number 10 in the list of the most desirable places in the world to retire. So what do you need to know if you are coming here for the first time? There are many of these boards around in case you get a bit lost What to bring The weather is around 28°C (82F) during the day, sometimes a few degrees hotter but no more than 30°, so you will need light clothes. Nights are 10°C (15F) cooler but you will be fine in whatever you have been wearing during the day when you go out for dinner. Shorts, skirts, t-shirts, maybe one pair of light long pants and one long sleeve shirt and a light jumper (sweater). The streets are cobbled, so depending where you are staying you might need runners, rubber sandals like Teva's for walking on the beach as sand will ruin leather ones. You don't need to dress up here. Hat, sunscreen, water bottle, backpack. If you are only taking carry-on, you won't be able to bring any bottles larger than 100ml or...

Our 15 weeks here in Puerto Vallarta is coming to a close, so what has it been like to live with the Mexicans? As I sit here writing this, there is Mexican music blaring from somewhere in the street, I can hear the lady talking in the condo across the road because they have their windows open and we have our bi-fold doors open. I learn some local costs, how much she pays her cleaner, the quote to paint her room. A dog occasionally barks. The pastry man calls out trying to sell his goods. Some builders are using a grinder. A few roosters crow as if they're communicating. Car alarms go off in our neighbourhood most nights. It's the local boys playing soccer below just below our window. If the cars are new, it's not long before they have a few dents in their shiny exterior, and they don't look new anymore :( Most nights they play until 11pm, or someone is playing music or has their TV on, so we never plan on getting an early night's sleep. a typical house in ...