Starting the year off right...

We decided to start the year taking a day off to relax...we traveled a couple hours to the place where my dad was born and raised... hillbilly land... don't tell my dad I said that ;)
No, really....
The place is g.o.r.g.e.o.u.s....

I find it a little nerve wrecking that the river is right by the house we stayed in...the picture above is from the house's front porch..and I have a very curious toddler, soooo you understand my apprehension. Everything worked out fine though...we watched him constantly and explained to him he was not allowed near the river by himself...shivers... there were alligators on the banks all over...no kidding! Don't you think it's a perfect vacation spot?!?!
In reality we did have fun...expect for the lousy mosquitoes that chewed us up... it IS rainy season, so that was to be expected.

The trip there was quite an adventure itself... the roads are really wide as you will see...

We had to stop several times as the men tried to squeeze the cars past other cars and trucks... ugh...I am glad I wasn't the one driving! I was nervous just watching ...down below to your right is a swamp filled with nice critters...so I wasn't really excited about the possibility of falling in it. On the other side of the road is a jungle so I mustered some courage to hop out of the car to get this picture...aren't you proud of me!?!?
My husband told me I am not a hillbilly girl....thanks a lot, honey!!!


We had quite a time... trying to buy watermelon for cheap... they threw the price way up when they saw my uncle's brand new car.... seriously! Hubby is good at bargaining so he still got some for cheap, cheap...

On the way back home, we got to see the beautiful sunset... it was well worth it all the stickiness, the heat, the mosquito bites...

And I discovered there is a difference between country life and hillbilly country life... I'll definitely take the country life ;)