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 for a few items. Ava and I walked across the street to the Coffee & 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, which features artwork created by 7th through 12th grade students from 15 different schools! Outside, we stopped to take pictures of the statues. 

AVA and the outdoor art

We walked across the street to Wilson Park there 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 big in 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 next 2024 Handy Festival will be Wednesday-Saturday, June 12-15, in Florence, Alabama. 

2020 Jan 27, Enjoying a warm winter's day

It was so nice to finally see 👀the sun today, with a nip of cold air still about. I have not been out much because of the cold winter rain. 

I rode to the Rock Pile at TVA Dam, hoping to see an eagle and maybe some waterfowl.

I saw a few waterfowl but no eagles. 

I met  Steve Lovell, a great photographer who has a website on Facebook where he posts some of his photographs.

TVA Dam & Waterfowl 

I stopped at the TVAM to view the art on display that was donated by Wanda and Bill Isom. 

Every room was filled with art that they had collected over the years. One room was filled with Japanese block art. 

The hall was filled with the art of birds. 

The Main gallery was full of large lithography of birds. 

In the back room was a variety of art, including a Norman Rockwell piece and a Van Gogh piece. 

Loved the displays.

White Muted Swan

Canadian Geese 

Domestic geese

My next stop was Spring Park ( Growing up, I spent many hours playing at this park).

Spring Park has a man-made waterfall that is fed by a spring that flows into the pond below. 

Permanent residents are two Muted White Swans.

Other waterfowl that can be found here are Black Muscovy Ducks, White  Muscovy Ducks, Domestic Ducks, Mallard Ducks, Canadian Geese, and others. 

It's a great place to get pictures of waterfowl. 

We had a lot of rain this year, and Spring Park was flooded. A couple of rides were completely covered in water and are no longer in use.  

My granddaughter-in-law owns a beauty school in Sheffield, so I stopped in to visit with her and my great-grandson. Hayne is just a doll, so cute, lovable, and sweet. 

Big Box of Chicken and fixin' from Bojangles

Hubby would be home from work soon, so I stopped at Bojangles to pick up a box of chicken and the fixings for supper. 🍗

It was a beautiful day, not too hot or not too cold. 

Hope we have more days like today.

2019 Oct 19, Finding Huntsville Walking Tour with Carol Cordori & loosing my keyless remote

I traveled to Huntsville for the Finding Huntsville Walking Tour with Carol Cordori. 

I parked in front of the Constitution Village, stopping at their public restroom after my long ride to Huntsville. 

Meet up with a group of people at Harrison Brothers who were interested in the History of Huntsville. 

We began our tour a little after 11 AM, with guide Carol Cordori, after we were all given a 12-page Finding Huntsville Field Guide.

Harrison Brothers Bank Vault, where records were kept 

Building 1: Commercial Architecture of Harrison Brothers 

Built-in the 19th century with large glass display windows that had a recessed front door, long rows of transom windows above the display windows, and bricks that projected beyond the walls.  

Building 2: First National Bank of Huntsville 

Built about 1837 1840 in the Greek Revival Style

Built with a pitch roof and triangle front supported by Columns made up of a base, a shaft, and a capital. 

Local builder George Steel drew up the plans for the bank.

Greek Revival "First National Bank of Huntsville"

Building 3: Madison County Courthouse was built in the International Style. 

Built with a flat roof, tall columns that support a large porch, and no attached decorations, it is often built with glass, steel, and concrete. Built 1966 by Northington, Smith, Krannert & Associates, “Space Built”

International Style Huntsville Courthouse (backside)

Building 4: Romanesque Revival Schiffman building built in 1845 and remodeled by George Thompson in 1895.

Owned by the Schiffman family for more than 100 years.

It was built of rush stone with carved leaves or flowers, bow windows, and a recessed front under an arch.

Building 5: Gothic Revival Style(used to teach Christianity) Church of Nativity was built in 1859 by Wills and Dudley. 

Trefoil represents the Trinity(God, Christ & Holy Spirit), and quatrefoil represents the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

The Lancet arches, tracery, and engaged buttress point up toward Heaven. 

We were greeted by the Minister and given a tour of the temple.

Stained glass window notice at the top that the three-point clover represents the Trinity, and the bottom 4 points clover the Gospels of the Bible 

Gothic Style Church of Nativity
Notice the steeple and windows, all pointing toward heaven. 

Inside the Church of Nativity

We finished our tour on the sunken sidewalk in front of the old J. C. Penny building on the Square.

Welcome back, Sunken Sidewalk
In the mid-1800s, masons sculpted local clay into these bricks and created the sidewalks. What once served as a humble walkway for farmers, merchants, and pedestrians now links you to Huntsville's past and to all those who trod where you are standing.

I walked around Huntsville Square, taking pictures of the art.

Red Ball Art on Square

Small Bull  Art 

Space Art

I shopped at Harrison Brothers Mercantile.

I stopped once again at the Constitution Village Public restroom.

I took a few pictures of the beautiful blooming mums in Constitution Park.

Mums at Constitution Village

I walked to my car and tried to open the door, but it would not open. (Keyless Remote)

I had put my remote in my back pocket, but it was not there. 

I walked back to the restroom, thinking I may have dropped them on the floor or even in the toilet.

The keys were not there! Before I retrace my steps, I walked to the Constitution Village Museum Store.

I ask if anyone has found a keyless remote

I was dreading telling  hubby I had lost my keyless remote 

Someone had turned it in, God was looking out for me.

The young woman behind the counter began by telling me about her episode of lost keys.

Said she cranked her car (Keyless remote) but had to go back inside.  She forgot her key, got in her car, and left. She stopped for gas, filled her car, and went to crank it, but it would not crank, for she had no key. She had to call her husband and had to tell him to bring her the keyless remote. 

Sometimes Technology is not so great!

In today's world, we get lost in the daily hustle and Bussell.

Did some shopping at Kohles in Madison, I was looking for an Ugly doll for Ava Grace. 

Stopped at Wendy’s in Athens for a hot bowl of chili, a chocolate frosty, and Coke. 

Arrived at about 3:45 PM at the East Lauderdale Quilt Show at Rogersville United Methodist Church.

They were giving out awards and getting ready to close. 

What a day! Walked in the drizzling rain, with the wind whipping around the buildings, while listening to our guide describe the art of five historic buildings in Huntsville.

The minister of the Church of Nativity took the group on a guided tour.

Had my picture taken with the group?

Lost my keyless remote in the Constitution Village Public Restroom. 

Did a little shopping in Madison, ate a late lunch in Athens, and saw a quilt display in Rogersville. I was home around 4:30 PM, a little before hubby arrived home from work. 

2019 Shoals Front Porch Pop-up & Storytelling Festival

Shoals Front Porch Storytelling Festival 2019 

March 5, 2019, 11:30-1PM, 2019  Dolores Hydock Through the Back Door ~ The Music that Bridged the Bayou. Mardi Gras luncheon, Sheffield Public Library, Sheffield, AL

May 6, 2019, 2-3PM, 2019  Dolores Hydock Helen Keller Library 511 N Main St. Tuscumbia, Al 

Literary Treason: the Writings of Bess Streeter Aldrich 

This program looks at the life and work of Bess Streeter Aldridge, a Nebraska Writer of the 1930s who accomplished what a few others did:

While she raised her family as a single mother, she had a successful, self-supporting career as a female writer during the first half of the 20th century.

The program describes her early life and later career success and includes a telling of “Jundo Swans,” Aldrich’s funny, touching short story that’s a reminder that there.

It's no disaster like an elementary school play and no friend as important as your best friend when you’re ten years old.

May 16, 2019, 10-11AM Dishing the dirt Cypress Lake Golf & Tennis Club 1311 E Sixth St. Muscle Shoals, Al Sponsored by Muscle Shoals Public Library Tickets are $5, including a light brunch before the program call 256-386-9212 

Whether you’ve got the greenest thumb since Johnny Appleseed or you managed to kill a rock garden, you’ll enjoy these stories about Mother Nature, Frederic the French Yard-Man, and people who grow philosophy as well as phlox on their little piece of earth. 

May 16, 2019, 4-5PM Pop-UP Concert with Josh Goforth Florence-Lauderdale Public Library

350 N Wood Ave, Florence, AL  

 Storyteller, ballad singer, and multi-instrumentalist Josh Goforth is a native of Madison County in western North Carolina. Situated deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains, this area is known for its keeping of unbroken ballad and storytelling traditions brought by early Scots-Irish and English settlers in the mid-17th century. It was also fertile ground for the rise of American string band music played on fiddle, banjo, and guitar. Proud to share his Appalachian heritage with audiences near and far, Josh Goforth draws from each of these wellsprings. Join us for a FREE pop-up concert with Josh at 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 16, to kick off the Shoals Storytelling Festival!  

May 17, 8:45 AM – 5 PM (with lunch break): The Shoals Storytelling Festival featuring Donald Davis, Dolores Hydock, Bil Lepp, and Josh Goforth

8:50-9:00 Welcome

9:00-9:30 Bil Lep

9:30-10:30 Josh Goforth

10:30-10:45 Break

10:45-11:30 Dolores Hydock

11:30-12:00 Donald Davis 

12:00—2:00 Lunch

2:00-2:30 Josh Goforth

2:30-3:30 Bil Lep

3:30-3:50 Break

3:50-5:00 Donald Davis (Went home at 5pm)

5:00-7:00 Dinner 

7-9 PM–Storyteller Showcase with Donald Davis, Dolores Hydock, Bil Lepp, and Josh Goforth

May 18, 9AM – 5:15 PM (with lunch break): The Shoals Storytelling Festival featuring Donald Davis, Dolores Hydock, Bil Lepp, Eric Kirkman, and Josh Goforth

9:00-9:30 Donald Davis 

9:30-10:30 Eric Kirkman

10:30-10:45 Break

10:45-12:00 Dolores Hydock

12:00—2:00 Lunch

2:00-2:30 Bil Lep

2:30-3:00 Josh Goforth

3:00-3:50 Eric Kirkman 

3:50-4:15 Break

4:15-4:45 Dolores Hydock

4:45-5:15 5:00 Donald Davis (Went home at 5pm)

5:15-7:00 Dinner

7-9PM – Performance with Firekid, Dillon Hodges, and Heidi Feek

For the past two days, I have enjoyed spending time with my friends at the Shoals Theater Storytelling Festival.

Friday, we ate lunch at Legends(I think everyone ate lunch there) I enjoyed a plate of fried okra, fried shrimp, and Jack Danial's apples. 

Saturday, my friend and I shared a bowl of white cheese dip and chicken and steak feta for lunch. We topped it off with a cup of their complimentary ice cream.

On Friday and Saturday, we enjoyed listening to the following entertainers
Josh Goforth, Bill Lepp, Donald Davis, Dolores Hydock, and Dr. Eric Kirkman.
Josh Goforth is a multi-talented storyteller who uses a variety of stringed instruments for his ballads and stories.
His stories included friends and relatives, many about his tobacco chewing, never taking the shortcut to hard work grand-paw.
Bill Lepp's, believe it or not, Paul Bunyon tall tales!
Donald Davis's school days growing up and his jokester father.
Dolores's stories included a white cat (Huck), a black cat, a speckled cat, and a one-eyed cat and the lessons she learned from them.
Audry Williams her side of the story of fame.
Dr. Eric Kirkman sings and uses musical instruments to tell the African American influence on American music.

Thursday Pop-up Shows 

Cypress Lake Golf & Tennis Club Dolores Hydock told stories about Dishing the Dirt from the Garden, and we were served ham, sausage biscuits, fruit, pastries, muffins, orange juice, coffee, and water. There were door prizes.

Florence Library Josh Goforth played the guitar, a banjo, and fiddle sang ballads, & told stories about life in Madison Couty, North Carolina.

The storytelling festival has come to a bittersweet end, and cannot wait until next year.

2017 April 15, Church History Walking Tour Decatur, Alabama ⛪⛪⛪⛪ with guide Phil Wirey

Today I strolled along with several others to listen to Phil Wirey tell the Church history of Decatur.
We meet in the Flower and Butterfly Garden at the Old State Building.

🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋

Rosalynn  Carter Butterfly Trail
This garden provides host plants, nectar sources, and shelter for butterflies. The mission of the trail is to promote the full life cycle of butterflies common in this area with a special emphasis on the monarch. The trail begins at the home of President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter in Plains, Ga.
Join us on the trail!
www.jimmycarter.info

Butterfly Garden

We were introduced to people like Jesse Winston Garth, one of Decatur's founding fathers Decatur.
(2)We saw the Dancy Polk House, the site of (3)Colonel Lawrence Banks's Home that was torn down during the Civil War.
We saw the site of the (4)First Methodist Church and the First City Cemetery also torn down during the Civil War.
(5)The site of the First Presbyterian Church, Owl Drug Store, Tennessee Valley State Bank, and many Jewish storefronts.
(6) We stopped at the Lafayette Street Cemetery to take a few pictures.

 Lafayette Street Cemetery
there are brochures placed outside the cemetery for the taking
1. Cyrus Aiken Banks
2. George Baylor Banks
3. Col Lawrence Slaughter Banks
4. Margaret Jarret Noble Banks
5. Mildred Ann Banks
6. Elizabeth Boyce
7. Elizabethan Brown
8. Sarah Evaline Rhodes Dancy'
9. Thomas G. Marphy
10. Mary Mason Nelson
11. Mary Ann Banks Nichols
12. Eliza Rhodes
13. Francis Alexander Rhodes
14. Lavinia Mason Rhodes
15. Patience Rhodes
16. Sarah Louisa Turner Dancy Sykes Rhodes
17. Alexander Ross
18. Daughter Rutledge
19. Phineas Thomas Scruggs
20. Eliza Lavinia Sykes
21. Sarah Winfield Dancy Sykes

(7) We stopped to visit the Notorious Simp McGee saloons and Dead Man's Alley

Simp McHGee
Simp, a Master Pilot, was as skillful and competent as the best. But in the Spring of 1917, Federal Agents lifted his license for "the reckless shooting of the rapids" near Chattanooga. No longer allowed to pilot his riverboats, he returned to Decatur and died at Miss Kate's house, on June 16, 1917, at the age of 58...

William Simpson McGhee was buried on the bank of the Tennessee River near Guntersville.

(8)We visited the Nungester Drug Store and (9) The United Methodist Church.
(10) We stopped outside the First Baptist Church its third location.
(11) We visited the Carnegie Library and ended our tour at the Decatur Daikin Amphitheater.

Carnegie Library 

Decatur Daikin Amphitheater.

I walked back to the parking lot near the Old State Bank and took pictures of several historic markers.

The Rising Sun Lodge No 29 Ancient Free & Accepted Masons

Dr. Henry Rhodes, for whom Rhodes Ferry Landing was Named, was Decatur's first Postmaster and one of the organizers of the Lodge (Nov. 22, 1826). Chartered in 1827, its first Worshipful Master was Colonel Francis Danny, builder of the Fancy-Polk House. It is the oldest Lodge in Morgan County and the first fraternal organization in Decatur. Early members were the pioneer settlers of Morgan County. Two of Decatur's founders, Isaac Lane and General Jesse Winston Garth., were Masons and Directors of the Decatur Land Company which laid out the city streets. A lodge was built in 1834 with the lower floor used for school and church purposes. Rising Sun Lodge was destroyed by the enemy during the War Between the States (Nov. 25, 1864). In 1873 a Lodge was built on the NW corner of Bank and Pond Streets, across from the Old State Bank, W.W. Littlejohn a Colonel C.C. Harris were Masons and founders of the Decatur Land Improvement & Furnace Company which planned the city of New Decatur (1887). Three members, all doctors in the faithful discharge of their Hippocratic Oath, were lost to the 1888 Yellow Fever epidemic, James McGinnis Brundidge, PM, is the only Mason in the history of the Alabama Grand Lodge to bestowed the title of

'Honorable Past Grand Master'(1899). In 1934, the Lodge moved into the Masonic Temple on Johnston Street, formerly the Cotaco Opera House.

Decatur has pieces of art dotted throughout the historic area.  

Children holding hands in the Decatur Daikin Amphitheater Park 

A pair of Hands 

A rooster in the Gardens at the Carnegie Library 

Blooming Azaleas  

I ate lunch at Jack in Decatur, rode home, and took a long nap. 

Visiting Yale University Newhaven, Connecticut

Yale Univerisity Battles Chapel 

Yale University in memory of Noah Porter

Branford and Saybrook Colleges (Memorial Quadrangle), 1921

James Gamble Rogers (1867-1947, B.A. 1889, M.A., Honorary, 1921) Gate by Samuel Yellin (1885-1940)

The list of buildings James Gamble Rogers designed for Yale between World War I and World War II is almost endless; it is certainly too long to include here. But none is finer than the Memorial Quadrangle, today housing students in Branford and Saybrook Colleges in a Gothic residential complex with six variously proportioned courts that provide a sense of intimacy and grandeur in the shadows of the 216-foot-tall Harkness Tower and behind Samuel Yellin’s masterful iron gate.

Yale University in memory of Leonard Daniels Class of 1907 born  1884 died 1908

Yale University Battles Chapel 

Lovett Room

Yale University Calhoun College 

Yale University

Lawrance Hall, 1885-86

Russell Sturgis, Jr. (1836-1909, M.A., Honorary, 1872)

Between 1869 and 1876, Russell Sturgis completed the troika of Durfee Hall, Battell Chapel, and Farnam Hall at the corner of College and Elm Streets. It was fitting, then, that Sturgis was again tapped for Lawrance Hall, completed in 1886 and adjacent to Farnam on College Street. The layout of Lawrance is almost indistinguishable from those of Durfee and Farnam, with their brick façades evoking the red-hued Old Brick Row buildings that they replaced. It is, however, the towers and turrets of Lawrance’sCollege Street front that are most memorable.