Sunday, April 28, 2024

2024 April 19, Visitor Center, Kennedy Douglas Art Museum, Coffee Cemetery with AVA

 Today, we rode into town to pick up Hubby's medicine at Walgreens. 

We rode to the Blue The Blue Door Thrift Store/SCOPE 310 and bought AVA a game. 

Ate lunch at Culverts. 

Hubby and I split a plate of shrimp, fries, cole Slaw, and Chocolate moose yogurt.  

We bought an AVA hamburger, fries, and chocolate yogurt.

We stopped at the nearby Walmart to pick up a few items. Then, Ava and I walked across the street to the Coffee and Slave Cemeteries. 

A  large old tree at Coffee Cemetery

Ava wanted to visit a museum, so we rode to the Kennedy-Douglass Art Center. There, we saw AROY Artistic Rendering of Youth, featuring artwork created by students from 7th through 12th grade at 15 schools. Outside, we stopped to take pictures of the statues. 

AVA and the outdoor art

We walked across the street to Wilson Park, and the mist from the fountain seemed to reach the clouds.

Overflowing Fountain at Wilson Park 

Color is the music of light. 
Frank Lloyd Wright 
(This marker is on the sidewalk at Wilson Park.)

We watched a barge go up the Tennessee River 
men fishing 

Ava enjoyed the playground area at McFarland Park. Our last stop was the Visitor Center, where they saw several displays. 

Large and small-mouth bass
Bass fishing & tournaments are significant on the Tennessee River in Florence
Ava enjoyed the one with the big and small-mouth fish. 
WC Handy Statue in Wilson Park 
WC Handy 
Father of the Blues 
1873- 1958 
Born in Florence, Alabama 
Display of WC Handy's music at Florence-Lauderdale Visitor Center.
Handy played the Cornet (pictured here) 
Handy's first hit was "The Memphis Blues".


The W. C. Handy Music Festival is held annually in Florence, Alabama, sponsored by the Music Preservation Society, Inc., in honor of Florence native W. C. Handy, the "Father of the Blues." The non-profit Music Preservation Society was formed in 1982 with the mission to preserve, present, and promote the musical heritage of Northwest Alabama.

The 2024 Handy Festival will take place from Wednesday to Saturday, June 12-15, in Florence, Alabama. 








Sunday, February 11, 2024

2024 Feb 4-10, Five-Day Carnival Valor Cruise to Cozumel and Progresso, Mexico (5 Day Crusie)

 Sunday, Feb. 4: Travel to Slidell, LA.

We stopped at Jack's for breakfast, gravy, sausage, and biscuits, and then at Murphy's in Petal, MS, to fill up with gas.

We stopped at McDonald's for some pies and used the restroom.

We checked in at Hampton Inn by Hilton Slidell, LA, room 213, and then went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner. I ordered grilled chicken and a baked sweet potato with rolls, while My Hubby ordered a Caesar salad, steak, and a baked potato.

Grilled chicken and baked sweet potato

We returned to the hotel, where we met a man unloading his car. He asked us if we were cruising with Carnival. I think he saw the Carnival luggage tag on my carry-on baggage. He and his wife were from Birmingham, AL. He said they had been cruising since the 90s. They had been on about 30 different cruises on different ships. We saw them leave the following day.  

Monday, Feb 5, Travel to New Orleans 

Ate breakfast at the hotel with 2 waffle rounds with whipped cream, sausage, and cranberry juice. 

Checked out of the hotel and headed to New Orleans around 10 A.M. 

Paid for parking at Erato St Cruise Terminal $125

We parked the car and walked to the elevator for the boarding process. For lunch, we ate at Guy's Burgers. 

And ordered a cheeseburger and fries. Our room, 6434, was ready by 1:30 P.M. 

The ship left port around 3:30 P M. Let the party begin. 

It was too cold on the Lido Deck, so everyone met in the American Lobby. 

The Crimson Trio 

We listened to the Crimson Trio in the American Lobby. 

We ate dinner in the Lincoln Room. I ordered a shrimp cocktail, a crawfish strudel (savory baked phyllo, sweet corn remoulade), Szechuan Shrimp (scallions, garlic, angel hair noodles, peppers, and bok choy), and a cheesecake with strawberry sauce. 

We sat next to a couple from Washington state. Said they lived on an island and watched cruise ships come up the Pacific Ocean. 

We also sat next to a mother and daughter from Columbus, Mississippi. 

Tuesday, Feb 6, Sea Day 

Watched the sun come up from my balcony. 

sunrise

At the Omelette Station, I ordered a made-to-order loaded omelet with bacon and chocolate milk for breakfast.

9:00 A.M. made two necklaces at Creativity at Sea in the American Lobby. 

We attended the Fun Ashore Giveaway at 10:30 in the Ivanhoe Theatre, but unfortunately, we won nothing. 

Lunch was at the Mongolian Wok, where I ordered shrimp stir-fried veggies.

Mongolian Wok Asian flavor, your stir-fried rice noodles,  veggies, sauce, and shrimp (double) cooked in unique culinary creations. 

I met a woman from Louisiana who was passionate about Mongolian food. She had several food bowls available for crew members because they didn't have time to wait in line.

Took a long nap.

Dinner at the Lincoln Diner, where I ordered Herb-crusted salmon with asparagus, sweet potatoes, and a shrimp cocktail, as well as Carnival's Chocolate Melt Cake with Ice cream. 

We sat next to the mother and daughter from Columbus, Mississippi, again. 

We visited the VIP Show at 7:00 P.M. in the Ivanhoe Theater. 

Wednesday, Feb 7, Cozumel 

Breakfast in Lincoln. Dinner ordered waffle, omelet, sausage, and water. 

Went ashore in Cozumel around 9:00 AM.

We walked around to several shops and bought Ron a pair of Crocs. 

Took several pictures. Walked up the street to Margaritaville, where we ate lunch. 

We ordered three tacos, one Pepsi, and a Sunrise Margarita. We walked back to our port area, stopping to take several pictures of the Coral Reef display. 

Stopped to take pictures in front of a couple of donkeys at the 3 Amigos. 

I had dinner in the Washington Dining Room, where I ordered a Shrimp cocktail, Chicken, Veggies, and a chocolate melt cake with ice cream. 

We listened to the Crimson Trio in the American Lobby. 

Chac Mool ("Red Claw") 

Thursday, Feb 8, Progresso 

Breakfast: Omelet, bacon, pastry, and Chocolate milk. 

All-inclusive Shore Excursions are at 9 A.M. and will take you to Mi Casa Es Su Casa Private Beach, your way. 

Back on the ship by 3:30 P.M. 

Lunch consisted of avocado dip, chips, a pina colada, and Coke. We watched our host make the dip using Mangoes and tomatoes. Cilantro, salt, pepper and avocados.

Dinner: Stuffed mushrooms, Fried Mississippi Catfish(cornmeal-crusted), spinach, mac & cheese, tartar sauce, and a banana split. 

Excursions to a private beach with around 40 people took place on a bus with 2 children. A nine-year-old named Sabrina. Our host cooked us lunch, which included Mexican Avocado dip, chicken tacos, and more. We had a bartender who mixed drinks. I ordered a Pina Colada and my Hubby a margarita, both virgin. 

I walked along the beach, and the water was cold. Monday, a storm had come through with 50 MPH winds, so the water was a little choppy and dirty. Not many people went into the water. Most everyone sat in beach chairs, and some under umbrellas. Lunch was served around 10:30 A.M. 

Around 10:30-11 we heard a mother call out  Sabrina, where are you?

She was nowhere to be found. Everyone joined in the search for Sabrina up and down the beach, inside the house. Going from one neighbor's house to another. A neighbor called the police. Five showed up at the beach. A detective went along the coast, circling Sabrina's footprints. Neighbors called their friends, and several reported seeing a small girl walking up the beach, crying. 

She had walked about 1 1/2 to 2 miles up the beach to the nearby hotel. When they found her, she said, "I thought my family had left me, so I walked back to the ship. You could see the boat from the beach. 

They took her to the hospital to be checked out for dehydration. 

The family was returned to the beach house, where everyone enjoyed eating and drinking the rest of the day. 

Everyone was so proud to see the little girl, Sabrina.

I overheard the mother ask Sabrina about her adventure, but she said, "I don't want to discuss it." 

The mother's feet were covered in scratches from running through the thickets while searching for Sabrina. 

Everyone loaded onto the bus and began our journey back to the ship. Thank God we were able to return with everyone. 

We were back on the ship by 3:30 P.M. The ship's departure time was 3:30–4:00 P.M., but we didn't leave until almost 5:00 P.M. because a bus full of people was running late returning from an excursion. 

The bus drove straight to the ship, letting people off at the boarding area. This was a very eventful day. 



Welcome to Yucatan

Friday, Feb 9, Sea Day 

Breakfast with Doctor Seuss' Cat in the Hat, thing one, thing two in the Lincoln Dining room.

Hubby ordered Green eggs with ham and funny Belgian Waffles. I just ordered Funny Belgian Waffles with Moose Juice.

At the Ivanhoe Theater, we created a bulldog and an elephant out of towels and purchased the Towel Art Book. 

Lunch was #6 Cuban Mixto: a roasted pork, ham, yellow mustard, Swiss cheese sandwich, accompanied by 3 cookies and vanilla ice cream. 

Bought Build-A-Bear for St Jude on the Lido Deck. 

Hubby took a long nap while I watched TV.

Ate a salad for dinner. 

We watched 90s music and We Are the World in the Ivanhoe Theater. 

We did the Debark process in the Carnival App.

funny Belgian Waffles


Saturday, Feb 10, Travel Home

Breakfast Lido Deck 9 Omelets, chocolate milk, pastry. 

Waited for our app to tell us when to embark. 

We went through the immigration process, loaded our car, and started heading home. 

We stopped in Petal, MS, to fill up with fuel. 

Stopped at the Welcome Center  for a break

Ate lunch at Cracker Barrel in Meridian, MS

I ordered Fried Shrimp, Pinto Beans, cornbread, chow, and tartar sauce. 

I bought some chocolate candy and a shirt for Hubby. 

It began to rain in Russellville and continued to rain all the way home. 




 

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

2024 Jan 13-21 Seven-Day Cruise on NCL Breakaway to Caribbean Islands

 On Jan 13, we traveled to Slidell, LA, and stayed at the Hampton Inn by Hilton, room 214, for one night. 

The next day, we traveled to New Orleans and boarded the Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Ship from January 14 to 21. So we missed all the bad weather.

We stopped at Shady Acres Village Seminary, MS, for lunch, where we ordered ribs, black-eyed peas, and creamed potatoes.

Ribs, black-eyed peas, creamed potatoes

Shady Acres Village Seminary, MS

The first day was a sea day, during which we enjoyed exploring the ship, watching shows, and dining.

In Cozumel, we visited the Chankanaab National Park. 

Cozumel 
In the Rotan Bay Islands, Honduras, we went on an excursion to the Gumbalimba Preserve Animal Sanctuary, where we interacted with white-faced monkeys and Macaw birds. 

Red McCaws 

White Face Monkeys Rotan 

 The Monkey River Eco Boat Tour was in Harvest Caye, Belize. We rode a boat through the jungle. 
We walked through the jungle, where we saw spiders, termite mounds, boa snakes in the trees, and several white-faced monkeys in the trees. We also saw a couple of iguanas. Harvest Caye had some beautiful beaches. 
Wooden Iguana 
Behind the Iguana is the Wildlife Experience, where we saw a butterfly house, a boa, and the Macaws. 

Wildlife Experience 

Our last stop was Costa Maya, my favorite stop. We took the Mayan Reality Tour, which included a visit to some Maya ruins. We continued our journey on the bus to a Maya family home, where they cooked chicken in a pot over the ground. We were served chicken tacos with sauce and had a tequila tasting. After the tour, we rode the bus back to Costa Maya, where we watched the dolphins swim. 
Flamingos 

Dolphins playing basketball 

I did the Amorino Gelato Al Naturale bird tour. I climbed up several steps to the birdcages spaced out along several swing bridges. You can watch the dolphins swim and see the beaches and swimming pools there. A perfect view of the island. Our last day was a sea day. We watched people play Pictionary, Deal or No Deal, and several trivia games. The closer we got to New Orleans, the stronger the wind and the cooler it was. We docked and disembarked the ship on Sunday, beginning our trip home. 

Roads in Russellville, Al

The further north we went, the colder it got. We began to see snow and ice along the roadways, beginning in and around Russellville. The roads were clear enough for us to call home. We were glad we missed all the bad weather, but we were even happier to be home.

Sunday, January 7, 2024

2024 Jan 7, Wheeler Wildlife Refuge Decatur, Alabama

 What a beautiful day for traveling. We rode to the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge in Decatur, where we saw many Sandhill Cranes and various ducks at the Visitor's overlook buildings.

The newly remodeled Museum was opened. We saw Sandhills and whooping Cranes, Belted kingfishers, Snakes, Alligators, Geese, ducks, hawks, butterflies, otters, northern flickers, and many other animals.

Several empty display cases are waiting to be filled. We saw several friendly people. They were happy to be outside after this last cold spell. 

Sandhill & Whooping Cranes at the Museum 

Belted Kingfisher at the Museum

We stopped at Logan's Roadhouse for lunch. Hubby ordered a salad, steak, and baked potato. I ordered a chicken salad with Roadhouse dressing.

Steak and baked potato at Logans Roadhouse 

On our way home, we saw a Bald Eagle on a Paul Bunyan Power Line near the demolished Paper Mill in Town Creek. 

The eagle made a squawking sound when it saw me. It was letting me know to leave. 

We saw several terns perched on the light poles as we crossed Wheeler Dam. 

Our last stop was Wheeler Dam, where we saw a few White Pelicans, terns, and many cormorants.

Museum that we have visited

  Dates & Places of Museums   1988 Dec 3-4, The Jack Daniels Distillery 133 Lynchburg Hwy, Lynchburg, TN 1989 Dec 22, Kennedy Space Ce...