Turtle Tales: Theodore Who?

We awoke to news of bad weather expected in our area so we quickly packed up, hooked up, and headed east.....our destination today was Theodore, Alabama which is located approximately 15 miles southwest of Mobile, Alabama. We are staying at Payne's RV Park and it too, is a delightful RV park, with a pond full of ducks and weeping willow trees on the banks. It is very quiet here, and Lacy and I have enjoyed walking around the park and playing ball while Jim tried to adjust the satellite dish......that's another story......

Once we were checked in and set up (we will spend two night here) we headed west again to Pascagoula, Mississippi to see the Round Island Lighthouse. This is a lighthouse we have not seen in the past as it was located out in the water on Round Island and was only accessible by boat. On September 27, 1998, Hurricane George swept through the area with ten foot wave surges and the lighthouse fell over. The local Preservation Society received Federal Grant money to restore the tower. They were able to recover the lantern room and as many bricks as possible to rebuild on Round Island, however, in August 2005, Hurricane Katrina came roaring through, and the tower toppled over once again. In April 2007, plans were announced to rebuild/relocate the lighthouse in Pascagoula. The work was completed in 2010 and the lighthouse once again stands proudly!

All day we have been watching the bad weather north of us and headed east. We were fortunate to not encounter any bad weather although the skies were gray and the wind blew steadily in the area. We may get a few thunderstorms tonight........our prayers are with those who have lost so much after the weather and tornado destruction across our county.

Prior to 1900, Theodore, Alabama was originally called Clements, then was changed to Theodore , after a local sawmill operator and postmaster William Theodore Hieronymous. (Theodore who?)
Points of interest include Bellingrath Gardens and Home, Mobile International Raceway and Mobile Greyhound Park. Notable residents include Etric Pruitt (professional football player)........and that's about it.

Our plan tomorrow is to visit Bellingrath Gardens and Home. We both last visited here in 1968, but of course we did not know each other then, and we don't think we visited on the same day :0. They have a pet hotel on site, so Lacy will get to visit as well - and maybe make new friends!