November Aboard The Mattison Cruiser   November - Oh my, this month has really gotten away from me for keeping you up-to-date! We've been "on the move" a lot this month. Our travels took us thru Louisiana, Mississippi,  Texas, New Mexico and Arizona! Stops we made were in Abita Springs, Louisiana,  Gulfport/Biloxi, Mississippi,  Austin,  Fredricksburg, and El Paso, Texas & Camp Verde, Arizona.   The end of November brought us to this beautiful, but chilly area of the Verde Valley. The weather certainly wasn't what we expected for Arizona, but I guess being up in the Mountains of this area brings chilly temps this time of year. Nonetheless, we had a wonderful time here...so much to see and do! We enjoyed catching up with former neighbors from Batavia, the Bessers', who have built a beautiful home in Prescott, Arizona. We enjoyed a delicious Turkey Dinner with them the day after Thanksgiving and a great time was had by all! For Thanksgiving Day, we had dinner at the campground with about 80 other campers. What a spread!! The campground provided the turkey, mashed potatoes, vegetable, cranberry sauce, & drinks and guests provided a dish to pass. I don't think I've ever seen that much food at a gathering! We figured that Daryl had to walk from Camp Verde to Phoenix and back to work off what he put away for dinner!!! Despite the chilly temperatures, we visited the quaint mining town, Jerome, and Tuzigoot, National Monument dedicated to the Sinagua Indians, and the beautiful city of Sedona. Talk about breathtaking scenery!! Sedona is absolutely beautiful!!!  We will be heading out of this area to travel to the Phoenix area, where we will be catching up with more friends from Batavia, Barb & Gary, who also just began their journey as full-timers! We are looking forward to seeing them again and catch up on their travels. November 25 - Finally arrived in Camp Verde, Arizona (North of Phoenix) and it's the first time we have "stayed put" for more than a day or two! We're really looking forward to that even though we've seen some beautiful scenery on the road. There is definitely much to do and see in the areas we have already visited and a few of them are already on the "return visit list"!!   In El Paso, Texas, we really lucked out and had a beautiful day on the "Mission Tour". You'll see and hear more info about that on the "Picture Section".   We weren't able to take in much of Fredricksburg, Texas because of a minor problem...no hot water in the MH! After almost 2 days of trial and error, we finally had hot water again! I guess problems happen whether your home is "stationery" or "on wheels"! Fredricksburg will definitely be a return visit for us!   Austin, Texas gave us the opportunity to visit with my cousin, Paul, and his 2 girls, Gabriela & Michela. It was good to see Paul and spend some time with the girls. They were in awe with our "new home"! I think the girls might be saving for one of their own! We were fortunate to have them spend the night with us...they were so excited! The next time, we will do some "real camping" with them instead of "drive-way camping"! We are already looking forward to a return visit to Austin!   Abita Springs, Louisiana brought us to almost a week of "staying put". We had a great time here and enjoyed a couple we met from Florida. They too are full-timers and have been on the road for almost 3 years! They had story after story to share! We learned some new games and enjoyed playing "Farkle" with them.   Let's see, some hi-lites of Mississippi included visiting a Casino in Gulfport. Despite no "winnings", we enjoyed the night! I was done within a half an hour and spent the rest of the evening "people watching"! Just amazing how much money passes thru a Casino in an evening!  We also took in the last estate of the President of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis. A beautiful southern home and a beautiful tribute to him in the Library/Museum.