2023 Oct 28, Pumpkinfest Franklin, TN, and Trick Treat Killen Park with Ava & River

 It's been a hectic day. 

This morning, we stopped at Jack's for breakfast. They were shorthanded, so we had to wait longer than usual. 

Then we rode to Franklin, TN, to their Pumpkinfest. There was no parking, so we had to pay $10 to park.

Very Large Pumpkin 

It was extremely hot and crowded, so we only stayed for a short time. We walked down Main Street and a couple of side streets. Several bands were playing music. Mums and Pumpkins decorated the street. Food filled the air. There were rides and fun for the Children. 

Hubby collected a bag of treats, which we gave to the grandkids.

Williamson County's First Taxi

Our big treat was finding the Williamson County Archives Museum. It featured several rows of quilts made by locals, a Military Room, a Display of Williamson County's history, Civil War Artifacts, an Old Schoolroom, a Doctor's Office, a Dress Shop, a Barber Shop, a Country Store, and more. We also saw a horse-drawn carriage by Harry March in Franklin's First Taxi.

We saw where the body of a headless Col Shy once lay in a busted open casket. An article, The Curious Case of Col Shy's Casket. The headless body was unidentified. 

Outside was a Civil War cannon. 

The Curious Case of  Col. Shy's Casket 

Canon 

We stopped at Publix in Spring Hill to get some chicken wings from their deli and pick up a few other items.  

We stopped in Lawrenceburg at Long Silvers for a plate of fish and chicken. 

Came home and ate a late lunch. 

Fun Began in Halloween Manor 

Criminals 

Ava, the killer Jason Voorhees, and the Evil Clown Pennywise

Picked up Ava and River around 4:30 and took them to Killen Park for their Trunk n Treat. 

Ava dressed up like Wednesday from the Adams Family, and River was a Ninja Turtle. 

We arrived early, so we let them play in the playground area. When people started lining up, we got in line. 

There was a long line behind us. We walked through the gate of Halloween Manor, and that is when the fun began. 

The kids received lots of candy, a fireman's hat, coloring books, and safety books. They got their pictures taken with Inflatable pumpkins, at the Shriners Hillbilly Jeep, with Hocus Pocus, with the Department of Eye Care, Jason Voorhees, and Pennywise the Dancing Clown.

Making Slime 

Their Treats end with making Slime. Put in a bag and taken home. 

They did a great job by allowing only a few kids at a time to enter the park. 

The kids had a great time.

2023 July 8, Day Trip Franklin, Brentwood, TN. and Huntsville, AL.

We started the day by eating Gravy and Biscuits at Jack's, then birding in McFarland Park. We saw the rain coming down the river, so we loaded into the car.

Then, we rode to Best Buy in Huntsville to buy a Canon EOS R6 Camera and stopped at Sam's Club for fuel. 

We had no luck at the Best Buy in Brentwood, Tennessee, so we rode to the One in Brentwood, Tennessee. 

Hubby was going to take a shortcut but ended up taking a long way. We rode to Maradinville and stopped at the Ardmore Welcome Center on I-65. 

Ardmore Welcome Center 

We stopped at Best Buy, where we purchased the Canon EOS R6 camera. 

It was way after lunch, so we stopped at Mellow Mushroom in Franklin. We ordered a small Pacific Rim Pizza. (It has a mild red sauce with Mozzarella, ham, bacon, caramelized onions, pineapple, and Jalapeños.)

Pacific Rim Pizza 

Mellow Mushroom Franklin, TN

We headed back home. On the way home, I reached into my purse to play video games, but my phone was not there. 

I took Hubby's phone and called mine. The manager at Mellow Mushroom answered. I told him who I was, and we returned to retrieve my phone. 

When we arrived, Hubby could not find a parking spot, so he let me out and circled around. I went inside and told the hostess who I was and that I was there to pick up my cell phone. 

I thanked them for finding it and putting it in a safe place. 

It had begun to rain when Hubby picked me up, storming home. 

I am so glad I noticed my phone was missing before we got home. It is about 2 hours to Franklin. 

2017 Nov 14, Charlie Brown's ICE Opryland Hotel Nashville, Tennessee

Yesterday, we stopped at Olive Garden in Spring Hill for lunch. 

I ordered soup and salad.

After lunch, we stopped at Dollar Tree looking for iPad pens, but they were out.

We left Spring Hill and traveled to Nashville.

We parked in front of Bass Pro Shops. We walked inside, stopping to look at the Christmas Displays. (Santa was not there).

You can be frightened by a Big Brown Bear at Bass Pro Shop. 

Some stores we saw inside Opry Mills Mall were the Rainforest Cafe, Aquarium Restaurant, Build-A-Bear, Lego Store, Game Stop, Regal Theater, Zoofari Animal Rides, Kids Play Area, a Locomotive, and Santa waving as we walked by. 

You can enjoy a Zoofari animal ride.

You can ride the Kiddie Train. 

You can enjoy Whiskey Samples.

 Virtual Reality  

We stopped at the Disney Outlet Store.

I bought myself a pair of Mickey Mouse PJs (25 percent off) and a Mickey sweatshirt. 

A recently opened Madame Tussauds is located near the theater. 

You can enjoy music by George Strait

Had my picture taken standing next to the Elvis Presley billboard?

You can tour Madame Tussauds.

  The Mall was not crowded like it would be next week and the days following until Christmas. 

We saw teens riding the Zoofari Animals (that you can rent). My Hubby commented, 'I need one of those.' 

You can ride the Carousel. 

We stopped at the Grand Ole Opry to take pictures of the guitars displayed.

We stopped to purchase tickets for Charlie Brown's Christmas ICE!! 

While waiting to go to see the ICE, I met a teenage girl from Miami. She said, I am with my parents, and we are staying at Opryland Hotel, and we are leaving tomorrow. She had never been through the ICE. I told her it was very cold and she would love it very much. We said goodbye and wished each other a Merry Christmas before stopping to get our pictures taken before entering the ICE. 

Once inside, we saw people taking pictures near the sculptures and sliding down the Ice Slides. 

You can enjoy sliding down the ICE!!

YOU can get Psychiatric help for five cents from Lucy!!!LOL

Find the True Meaning of Christmas (with Snoopy)
win money,
money, money!
Spectacular Supercolossal,
Neighborhood Christmas Lights
and Display Contest

Write a Letter to Santa
Dear Santa Claus,
How've you been?
Did you have a lovely summer?
How is your wife?
I have been extra good this year
So I have a long list
of presents that I
want.
Please note the
size and color of each
item and send as many as possible.
If it seems too complicated
make it easy for yourself,
Just send money.
How about tens and
twenties...

Sing Christmas Carols with Charlie Brown and Friends 

It was after 4 P.M. when we started for home, and we encountered the evening rush-hour traffic. The sun was setting, and before we exited onto the Saturn Parkway, it was almost dark. We stopped at Burger King in Columbia to eat dinner. 

It had been a long day, and both were ready for a long winter's nap when we arrived home. 

🎄🎄🎄🎄2016 December 10, Saturday Christmas Adventures🎄🎅🏻

I grabbed my purse, camera bag, a blanket, a box of Tissues, and gloves before walking outside into the brisk cold. 
Our windshield was covered with star-shaped ice, and the leather seats were freezing cold. 
I spread a fuzzy, warm blanket over my seat while I waited for it to warm up, which didn't take too long due to the heated seats. 
I had dressed in layers with thermals, jeans, two thermal shirts, a coat, and boots. I was one big bundle of warmth.
I coughed and hacked all the way to Walgreens in Lawrenceburg, where we purchased a bottle of Mucinex Fast-Max Clear and Cool to help alleviate a cold, flu, and sore throat. 
I felt like that Mucinex man had been following me for the last two days. 
I took my first dose, which burned my raw throat. We also bought two bags of Ricola Cough suppressants a bag of Swiss Cherry and a bag of Cherry Honey from Switzerland.
We stopped in Spring Hill to fill up at Murphy Gas and Burger King, where we purchased three French sticks, a piece of sausage, and a cinnamon roll. 

We saw a group of young fiddlers playing Christmas Carols. They were dressed in full-length, white, blue, brown, pink, & red dresses.
Bonnets, caps, or hats covered their heads, and scarves were wrapped around their necks. 
We walked back in time to a Victorian Christmas, and as we strolled the streets, we met many different characters. We meet Santa Claus, A Victorian Father and Mother Christmas, Ebenezer Scrooge, the Grim Reaper, the Nut Cracker, Bob Emily & Tiny Tim Cratchit, and Jacob Marley.

Victorian Father and Mother Christmas

Santa Clause

Old Hum Bum himself, "Ebenezer Scrooge"
He said I don't like people and I don't like pictures as he posed for his portrait. 

Dickens of Christmas Characters

The Nut Cracker and the Frisky Little Mouse 

Group of Dickens Characters

Bob Emily & Tiny Tim Cratchit

Father Christmas Approximately

 seventy-five vendors, each in a white tent, lined Main Street.

Their booths were filled with heritage crafts, holiday items, and specialty gifts. 

Vendors were encouraged to dress in period attire to enhance the ambiance.

We saw a horse-drawn carriage, carolers, Charles Dickens characters strolling the streets, and the smell of Victorian food.

One booth was giving free cups of hot apple cider, which felt good for my sore throat. 

We saw Booties, Whimsy Wonderland, Country Wood, Boudreaux's Bro Kitchen & Catering, the Heritage Foundation Booth, and bell ringers for the Salvation Army. This sign said "Franklin Rotary Breakfast will match your donation", Mix 97, Ace's Kettle Corn, Cinnamon Roasted Nuts, Almonds, Cashews, Pecans, locally owned. It made Walker Creek Confections, Tennessee Glass Stains, Mix 92.9, Gracy's Farm Fresh Honey, Kaleidoscope Frames, Chocolate Moonshine of Tennessee, Franklin Fudge Factory, Unique Funnel Cake House, Artist drawing a reindeer, Stoney Creek Farm, a blacksmith, a bookbinder, a sock netter, Imagine-box Emporium  Peach-skin Sheets, Colorado Wassail Company, a man playing glasses full of water, Puckett's Trolley, White Mercantile,  The statue guy, & large black furry poodle.

The Thirty-second Annual Dickens of a Christmas Heritage Foundation was a bandstand where groups performed.

The last character we saw was the tormented ghost, damned to wander the earth forevermore as a punishment for his greed, Jacob Marley.

Jacob Marley

As we exited downtown Franklin, we felt as though we were leaving behind a quintessential Victorian Christmas.
Even the Old Hum Bum himself, Ebenezer Scrooge, could not ruin our Christmas. 

🎄🎄🎄🎄2010 December 28,Tuesday, Christmas decorations at Opryland Hotel in Nashville

Trip to Opryland Hotel, Nashville, TN

Tuesday, December 28, 2010 

Hubby, Sierra, and I rode to Nashville, Tennessee.

We stopped at Store Number 134, Cracker Barrel, in Franklin, Tennessee, for lunch. Hubby ordered a ribeye steak, a baked potato, a salad, and the total cost was $12.99, plus an iced tea for $1.89.

Sierra ordered a kid's fried chicken tender meal with Mac and cheese, and a doctor pepper to drink, which cost $4.49.

I ordered a Kids Grilled Chicken Tender meal, with green beans, onion, cornbread, and iced tea with lemon to drink. The cost was $4.49.

For dessert, we all shared, and the Apple Dumpling cost was $3.79.

I bought two 22-oz Wood Wick Candles, one was Candied Berry and the other was Pumpkin Butter.

To park for one day at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel costs $18. 

Hubbyparked as close as he could get to the walkway.

We went inside the hotel, where we saw many Christmas lights and displays in the gardens. Some of the displays had already been removed. The Christmas trees and the Nativity Scene were no longer there.

There was a cheerleading competition going on. There were girls there with their parents signing in at the Tennessee Ballroom.

Sierra and I rode the Delta Queen Riverboats, which cost $9 plus tax. Our Ticket numbers were 5228935 and 5228936.

Hubby did not want to ride, so he waited for us. 

Fruit Tree

 A Christmas tree made with poinsettia.s

Jack Daniels

Standing on the grand staircase

Sitting in the gardens

Along the waterway were several plaques telling about the blending of the waters. On July 28, 1996, water from more than 1,700 sites around the world was blended into the Delta River, marking the opening of Phase IV at the Delta at Opryland Hotel Convention Center. 

There were also several plaques describing the fish that were in the Delta River. 

They were a Blue Catfish, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish, Common Carp, and American Eel.

There was another sign that said, "Delta River Fish." You cannot get any closer to country music than inside the walls of the nearby Ole Opry. If you traveled all fifty US states, you couldn't step inside one that had a greater diversity of freshwater fish, over 300 species, than Tennessee. ee

We walked aro, andund I took pictures of everything. Poinsettias are everywhere, displayed in several different sizes, shapes, and colors. There was a musical fountain and several waterfalls. 

We saw decorations hanging from the ceiling, hot air balloons, characters, and lights. We saw a sign that read," Jack Daniel's Tapping the Barrel in February 2011." 

There were several fruit trees in the gardens.  

We saw a Coconut Tree, a Bosnia Tree, and others. 

The hotel featured several restaurants, as well as numerous stores and display windows.

One window display was the Tennessee Titans and the North Carolina Football teams.

Some of the stores we saw were Opry Shop, Sunny G, a Children's Boutique, Stax, Delta Island Mezzanine, Solario, Ravello, The Falls, Conservatory Bar, Cocoa Bean, and Findley's Irish Pub.

There was a forty-foot Christmas tree (Delta Atrium) and two Christmas trees made with poinsettias. (One in the Magnolia Lobby) 

Outside was a giant Christmas tree made of stringed poinsettias all around it. 

Outside was a Nativity Scene and the reading of the birth of Christ.

The Manger Scene

Reading of the Birth of Christ

Christmas Tree outside

We enjoyed several hours at the Opryland Hotel.

We went to the Bass Pro Shop, which was not as big as the one in Kodak, TN. 

We stopped in Columbia, Tennessee, and we ate supper at Taco Bell. 

ï Magnolia – The original lobby and retail area of the hotel. Currently features “The District" and Grand Staircase, modeled after the Tara from Gone With the Wind.

ï Garden Conservatory – The first atrium constructed, considered by many to be the heart of the hotel. Several weddings take place in the Garden Conservatory's romantic setting each year, near the Lion Head Fountain and Crystal Gazebo.

ï Cascades – The second atrium was constructed. Features the rotating Cascades Terrace Lounge as well as Wasabi (a Japanese sushi restaurant) and the hotel's largest waterfalls. Connects to the main lobby, where the main and only registration desk is located.

ï Delta – The third and largest atrium was constructed. Currently, the center of activity at Gaylord Opryland is Home to the Delta River, several retail stores, a few eateries, and Gaylord Opryland's finest restaurant, the Old Hickory Steakhouse. This area of the hotel also features a connection to Opry Mills Shopping Mall. The Delta Project was the main inspiration for the company's expansion into other markets.

ï Convention Center – The most significant convention area in Tennessee, with three main exhibit areas and five ballrooms