2017 May 16, Tuesday, Day Trip to Huntsville, Alabama

Hubby and I rode to Tennessee to buy our bi-monthly lottery tickets. Hubby went inside, scanned his tickets, and came back to the van. 
He said I forgot my wallet. Do you have any cash? I had enough money to buy the tickets for $28
We had an appointment at Champion Chrysler Dodge to get the oil changed in our Town & Country in Athens at 11:00 A.M.
We had to ride back home to get his wallet.
We stopped in Elgin for B12 shots and just made our 11:00 A.M. appointment at Champion.

They finished our van, but the oil light was still on. 
Hubby went back inside and told them they had forgotten to reset the oil. 
The woman came out and tried; she said the floor mat was too close to the gas pedal and was not letting it reset. 

Had to sit in the Slingshot sitting in the Showroom 

We rode to Huntsville, and our first stop was the Huntsville Train Depot and Museum.  The park area was open, but the museum was closed. 
A school group was visiting the park, and earlier that morning, a Civil War re-enactment Had Taken Place; the tents were still standing in the open field. 
We walked into the Museum store, the Caboose, and the Train Engine.
Huntsville Depot Museum Hours
Wednesday -Saturday 10–3 P.M. 
Gates Open 
Monday to Sunday, year-round, 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
As we were leaving, a train came rattling down the tracks.

The Huntsville, Alabama Depot Museum 

Standing in the Engine Room 

Civil War Camps

Passenger Depot
Huntsville Alabama
Built 1860
Memphis and Charleston Railroad Company
Eastern Division headquarters are in this passenger Depot,
Adjoining yards and shops were captured by the Union Army on April 11, 1861.
Vital east-west Confederate rail link served, CSA soldiers imprisoned here.
The depot was later used by the Federals as a base for gathering supplies for the Western Theater
military operations. After the Civil War, the company returned to M & CRR Co
acquired by Southern Railway System in 1898, since 1971
preserved by the City of Huntsville. 

The main reason for coming to Huntsville was to see the newly renovated Big Spring Park.
There is a concrete walkway around the reshaped lagoon, where the water flows, allowing it to clean itself. 
There are park benches along the walkway, but no trees (so it will be hot during the summer).
You can walk right up to the water's edge. We saw children leaning into the pond, feeding the goldfish and ducks. 
We walked along the water's edge, and the fish and ducks followed us. 
I saw a young man feeding the fish.
I mentioned that I was going to buy some food, but my husband didn't have any change. 
The young man gave me a quarter. I thanked him, and I bought a quarter's worth of seeds. 
The fish and ducks gobbled up the food.

Goldfish and ducks are feeding. 

Big Spring Park Oriental Bridge 

Newly reshaped lagoon

Fountain 

Kids feeding fish and ducks

Huntsville Art Center 

We rode south on Whitesburg Drive to Airport Road, then onto Parkway, stopping at 
Rosie's Mexican Cantina for a late lunch.
We ordered a white chip dip and shared a Chicken Fajita. 
Rosie's Mexican Cantina on South Parkway features a beautiful garden filled with blooming flowers.

Rosie's Mexican Cantina Garden 

Rosie's Mexican Cantina Garden 

Rosie's Mexican Cantina Garden 

Rosie's Mexican Cantina Garden (Singing and playing Minstrels 

Parkway South is under construction (turning it into six lanes).

Road Construction on South Parkway 

Road Construction on South Parkway 

Road Construction on South Parkway 

We rode to Ditto Landing and saw a few geese, boats, and bridges.

Gaggle of Geese

Bridge Closed at Ditto Landing 

We rode down Drake Avenue to the RSA, where we filled up with gas and saw a few geese. 
We were home a little after 5 P.M.
My granddaughter had been texting me all day, wanting to know when we were going to come home.
My granddaughter, her daughter, and a friend came over around 5:30 P.M. to swim.
I did not get into the pool because I was too tired.