Day 1, Saturday, July 2

We left early this morning by making a beeline for L.A. - according to my daughter in law Celia, that means Lower Alabama. We stopped along the route civil rights leaders took in 1965 from Selma to Montgomery. They walked 54 miles over 4 days to try to earn what should have already been their's - the right to vote. We stopped in an Interpretive Center that did a great job telling the story of those freedom fighting heroes. 

There aren't a lot of exciting things to do in L.A., but we did pull off in a couple tiny towns like Pine Hill and walked around a little. At a gas station near there we heard the cashier tell a customer, "I'll put it on your tab." I hadn't heard that in 30 years.

We made our way to a tiny town in lower Mississippi by the name of Lucedale. While there we found the Scratch Your Back Post that was erected in 1945 and has helped relieve back itches of some famous people - like President Reagan. And now us too. In fact Pee Wee carried out the first good deed of the trip by offering free human back scratches to passersby, while holding a sign saying, "HUMAN BACK SCRATCHER." Not much of a good deed but we're counting it.

Later we stopped at the Dizzy Dean  Rest Area in Wiggins, Mississippi. Dizzy Dean was a great pitcher for my team - the Cardinals, and was also a colorful baseball announcer, using phrases like, "He slud into third." He lived in Wiggins for much of his life - that along with his baseball skills and grammar skills means, in Mississippi you get a rest area named after you.

We did our second good deed of the day at the rest area. A lady working as a security guard was working her shift by sitting in a tiny outdoor shack all by herself. She was the only employee on site. She looked lonely, sad, and hungry. But after Pee Wee gave her a bag of mixed nuts and a Good Deed Doers card, all three of those feelings were replaced by a contented smile.

We've checked into a LaQuinta Inn in  Slidell, Louisiana just north of New Orleans. We're pretty sure our first stop tomorrow will be the National WWII Museum in New Orleans. We try to honor that greatest generation whenever we can by visiting their memorials.

Not bad for the first day - four states and two good deeds. And our backs feel great.