We left Betty's early. Only Jo was up to say goodbye, but before we could put it in gear Fred came out, then Donnalyn and Jim and Merline and Dan and finally Betty. Half an hour later we were on the road.
In the south grass seems to be king. Many of the houses from Louisiana and into Alabama favor huge lawns. It's not uncommon to see a house in the middle of a one or two acre lot surrounded by grass. A riding lawn mower parked beside or in front of the house would seem to be a symbol of an individual's status.

We literally skipped over Mississippi by means of a raised highway traversing endless swampland and bayous.  It seems like the only place we touched dry land in Mississippi was a rest stop.

We stayed in Foley, Alabama at Anchor's Away RV Resort. There are many great birding trails in the area because it is a stopping point for migrants making their way from the Yucatan Peninsula on their way north for the summer, or south in the fall. We hit most of them. They too, are swampy and heavily forested. Very difficult to pick out the birds. So far, this trip, our life bird list has increased by 16. Had dinner tonight at Tin Top Restaurant on a recommendation from friends who told us we must try the Royal Red shrimp. We had planned to go last night, but were too tired from birding so we bought some fresh Ahi from a fish market and grilled it. Too bad we waited, Tin Top was out of Royal Reds. Guess we'll have to look for them in our next stop, Carrabelle, Florida. We'll be there tomorrow.