2021 Aug 10, Cheekwood Botanical Gardens Nashville, Tennessee

Hubby and I traveled the backroads to Cheekwood Botanical Gardens in Nashville, TN, via Natchez Trace, getting off at the Leipers Fork exit. Hubby parked the car near the entrance and showed the girl at the ticket counter our online tickets.

Pink LEGO Dog 

The first thing we saw as we entered the gardens was a big pink dog made of Lego blocks. We walked down a long, winding sidewalk, down several steps to the Train Exhibit, inspired by the Little Engine That Could.

In front of us was a couple with a very independent little girl, about two or three years old, with a head full of curls. What a magical place, as you enter the land of trains and Fairy mushroom villages. The train exhibit was constructed from rough timbers and featured five train tracks, totaling over 800 feet of track. As we walked through, we saw trains crossing bridges and passing through tunnels. We were in a magical land of trains.

We saw beautiful yellow lilies floating in the lily ponds and pink, orange, white, and red roses bursting with life in the Rose Study Garden.

Roses

We saw art pieces made of musical notes and wire. We also saw many Yellow and Black swallowtails on the butterfly bushes.

Yellow Swallowtail 

We saw a red lion, a zebra, a blue bear, colorful birds, a red turtle, a green lawnmower, and a man working in the garden, all made of Legos. Also, LEGO rabbits were spotted throughout the Bradford Robertson Color Garden. We walked around the Mansion, but not inside. Workers were repairing the pool in front of the Mansion in the Martin Boxwood Gardens.

Cheekwood Mansion 

There were waterfalls, ponds, and creeks running through the gardens. We visited the Art Bark exhibit, which featured crayon sculptures by Nashville artist Herb Williams. Inside the visitor center were restrooms, drink machines, and a beautiful rose LEGO sculpture. We took a break to cool off, drink a soda, and use the restrooms before beginning our journey home; we didn't walk the entire garden, but we had a wonderful time. We traveled home along the backroads, this time taking a different route. We came out in Columbia, TN. We got a late fish lunch at Long John Silver's and brought it home.

2021 Sep 26, Day Trip to Huntsville Botanical Gardens Huntsville, Alabama

Arrived at 11 A.M., just as the gardens were opening. My first stop was the Purdy Butterfly Gardens, where I saw several Gulf Fritillary Butterflies, red-spotted Admiral butterflies, Zebra Long-wing butterflies, monarch butterflies, great southern white butterflies, the white peacock butterflies, and the common buckeye butterflies. I spotted several Blue Jays and heard a woodpecker, but never saw it. I also heard several other species of birds and saw a snake as I was exiting the wooded area. I walked through the vegetable garden, where I saw just a few plants, including one large orange pumpkin and a few vines with fruit dangling from them.

I saw the fruit of Japanese Persimmons hanging on the trees. On the tree next to them was a thorny tree with Trifoliate orange fruit hanging on it. I also saw an Osage orange lying on the ground, so you can see that there was plenty of fruit for the animals. I spotted a praying mantis on a small limb. I saw several turtles swimming and lying along the bank of the pond.

I saw pink and purple blooming asters and mums, all in shades of purple. I even spotted a pink rose. I spotted a gray heron and several turtles lying on the bank near the butterfly house. Uncaged: Birds, Nature & You, along with Night Blooms, still fill the gardens.

Some of the scarecrows that I saw were Santa's Helper, Mr. Antsy Pants, Zooey the ZooKeeper, It's a Girl Scout Vibe, Frida Kahlo, The Scarecrow Dietitian, Terry Lewis "Herb's wife:/Herb the Birdman, Papa's Pumpkins, Mr. Crow the Birdwatcher, Dog Day Bride, Collaborative Carl, We can do the job, Snow Fairy, Betelgeuse Scary Spirit, Sir Night fo make it right, Faith, Service, Diversity, Page Turner, Autumn, Larry If I only had a spaceship, Rooted,

Mr. Morgan, Bill the birdwatcher, Johnny Apple Seed, and Demeter, Find Your Space, South Huntsville Sam, Auntie Smile, Miss Mary, La Ofrenda, Rosie the Refunder, Discovery Daisy, Lady Golfer, Noah, Cedrick Crow pin, Meets the Adams Family, Tiger, and Crow, & Voting Violet. I saw several people in line to go into the park as I was leaving. I spotted a lady with a Nikon camera, so I walked up to her and told her where I had seen the heron and all the butterflies that were not inside the Purdy Butterfly House. She asked me about my camera, and I said I had been taking pictures for many years. She said she had just started with her new camera. It started out a cool morning by afternoon, it was hot. I walked back to the car, ate the bowl of nuts and the diet Sprite that I had brought, and rested for a few minutes before starting the hour-and-a-half drive home. That morning, I had stopped at Wheeler Dam to see the waterfowl. Several people were fishing, and more were arriving to fish. I asked a young man about the waterfowl, and he said there were a few, but a couple of days ago, they were more numerous than he had ever seen before. I miss them. I did get a couple of shots of a heron catching a fish.

2021 April 17, Mooresville Walking Tour and Huntsville Botanical Gardens

It was a great turnout at Mooresville, for I had to park along the side of the road and walk several blocks.

 We began at the Post Office, which closed at 10:00 A.M., so if you wanted to go inside, you had to arrive by 9:45 A.M.

 We saw a couple of churches, a tavern, and several homes, and our guide shared the history of the small town with us. 

We saw a beautiful little cottage that is now Lyla's Little House of Mooresville. "All the sweet that's fit to eat!"

Stage Coach Stop 

Lyla's Little House of Mooresville

Brick Church

The brick church had been owned by several different denominations but was now owned by the town and used for weddings and town hall meetings. We walked inside the Brick Church, the Post Office, and the Tavern. Our guide distributed several booklets on Historic Mooresville's Bicentennial, Est. 1818, but ran out. It was a lovely day for the tour. It was a little cool but warmed up quickly. I left before it ended because I couldn't hold it in any longer. I stopped at Cracker Barrel in Madison to use the restroom. 

 My next stop was the Botanical Gardens. I first visited the Butterfly House and saw one butterfly, a few turtles, and several children. I was so thirsty that I bought an Orange Crush drink and finished it before I left the gardens. 

 Walked through the Children's Garden to the newly built Birdwatching building. Meet a man there who was building a new home and was getting ideas for his lawn. (shrubs, flowers, and such). Had a pleasant, relaxing visit to the Huntsville Botanical Gardens?

Field of Wildflowers

Squirrel

I strolled through the wooded area along the less-traveled paths. I saw several Robin Redbreast, rabbits, and squirrels. As I walked near the pond, I saw many turtles basking in the sun. Yellow and White Wildflowers were blooming everywhere. They were so pretty. I also walked through the herb garden.

 I had a great day, but was tired from all that walking, and I still had to drive an hour or more home.

2019 May 8, 💐 🌷Visiting the Memphis Botanical Gardens Memphis, Tennessee

Hubby and I had a great time at the Memphis Botanical Gardens.
We didn't see many blooming plants, but we did see a variety of interesting plants and animals.
In the Japanese Garden, we walked across the half-moon bridge, where we saw turtles and goldfish swimming in Lake Biwa and  Canadian Geese strolling along the banks.

Half Moon Bridge in Japanese Gardens 

One of my favorite places was the Prehistoric Plant trail, where we saw a couple of stone dinosaurs in a sandpit that children could climb atop.
Dotted along the path were signs about Primitive plants, Prehistoric Memphis, Stories in Stone, Flying giants, and the idea that some things change, and some things stay the same.

Dinosaur in Sandpit 

In the Urban Garden, we saw the chicken coop that housed the Blue Buff Columbian Brahmas hens and a rooster.
Also in the Urban Garden were vegetables, blackberries on a trellis, grapevines, and Espalier Fruit Trees (a technique that controls the growth of trees and shrubs).

Urban Garden

There were booths set up for school children to create items from the countries of India, China, and Africa.
We saw a mother bird feeding her babies.

Mother birds and babies 

There were many fragrant plants to attract butterflies in the Butterfly Garden, but there was not a butterfly in sight.

Butterfly Garden 

There were orange and red azaleas, blooming camellias, and purple hydrangeas.
The daffodils were sleeping, waiting for next spring.

Dogwood trees in full bloom, huge giant trees reaching for the sky, and small trees where birds could nest.

Bird hiding among leaves.

There were water fountains and air-conditioned restrooms throughout the Garden.
We stopped several times just to cool off, but Hubby was still dripping wet when we arrived at the car.

Alabama Coastal Connection, Wetland Birds, Dunes, Barrier Islands & Butterflies

Wetland Birds

The tidal marshes of Alabama feed a rich bird community. The newly created salt marsh is a prime feeding habitat for herons, egrets, pelicans, terns, sandpipers, and blackbirds. As the arch matures, the diversity and abundance of birds will increase. 

At least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) 

At low tide, the marsh brings sandpipers moving in unison across the wet sand. 

Snowy Egret (Egretta thula), American Egret (Casmerodius albus), Great Blue Heron (Ardea Herodias)

The Snowy Egret, American Egret, and Great Blue Heron feed on fish and invertebrates from the marsh. 

Least Tern (Sterna antillarum) 

The open sand dune area provides primary nesting habitat for the Least Tern, which is threatened by habitat loss.  

Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)

Old pilings in the water provide a resting site for Southern Brown Pelicans, which were once on the brink of extinction in this area. 

Ruddy Turnstone(Arenaria interpres)

Cruising along the rock is the Ruddy Turnstone. This bird turns over oysters and clam shells in search of food. 

Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger)

Gifted with a graceful wing beat and beautiful coloration, the Black Skimmer grazes along the surface of the water in search of fish.

The large (Phragmites) to the East of the marsh are utilized for nesting by Red-Winged Blackbirds and Boat-tailed Grackles. 

Boat-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus major) Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)

Barrier Islands

Shaped by Wind and Water

Sea levels began rising 18-20,000 years ago, moving sandbars toward the mainland. The rate of rise slowed 6,000 years ago, allowing the sandbar to emerge as the present barrier islands. 

Dune plants stabilize wind-blown sands, building ridges and mounds called dunes in the highest areas of the beach. Dunes are critical because, as a storm attacks a beach, water and gravity roll the sand downhill away from the dunes. 

This builds an offshore sandbar, absorbing energy from the storm's waves and protecting what remains of the beaches and dune lands. 

After the storm, the offshore bar provides sand for beach rebuilding. 

Barrier islands perform two functions:

1. Barrier islands protect the mainland from erosion by absorbing much of a storm's energy. 
2. Barrier islands trap a mixture of fresh and saltwater from the Gulf, contributing to the formation of estuaries. Coastal seafood species depend on the abundant food and brackish-water habitat that estuarine environments provide.

Alabama Coastal Connection

Dune Plants survive in a harsh environment.

Adaptation allows plants to survive salt and freshwater flooding, extreme high and low temperatures, and hurricane-force winds. 

These plants reproduce from cuttings created by storms and wave action. They all rebuild the beach and dune system by trapping wind-blown sand. 

Sea Rocket (Cakile constricts)

A common succulent found just above the high tide line, Sea Rocket has thick fleshy leaves to help conserve water.

Large leaf Pennywort (Hydrocotyle bonariensis)

A creeping perennial that spreads by far-reaching underground stems, Pennywort grows to about 6 inches tall and has clusters of tiny white or pale-green flowers on a 3-inch stem. 

Coastal Panicgrass (Panicum amarulum)

A dense, upright perennial bunchgrass, Panicgrass helps anchor the shifting sands with deeply buried root systems.

Sea Oats (Uniola paniculata)

As the most critical and widespread grass on southern coastal dunes, the Sea Oats' recovery following storm impact is the first step in dune rebuilding. 

Morning Glory (Ipomoea stolonifera)

This vine, with trumpet-shaped, white flowers, grows low to the ground, escaping the killing effects of salt spray. The stems may extend over the sand surface for 30 to 50 feet. 

Butterflies of Dauphin Island 

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.
(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 187,3, a Lodge was built on the NW corner of Bank and Pond Streets, across from the Old State Bank., W.W. Littlejohnanda and 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 be 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's in Decatur, rode home, and took a long nap. 

Visiting Lighthouse Point Park New Haven, Connecticut

New Haven Harbor Lighthouse

The New Haven Harbor lighthouse is also known as the Five Mile Point Light because it sits on a point of land five miles from the New Haven Green.

The history of the lighthouse began in 1804 when Amos Morris sold one acre to the U.S. Government for $100. On this site, the first lighthouse and keeper's house were built of wood. In 140, work began to construct the 70-foot lighthouse, with sandstone quarried from East Haven and a solid brick interior. Its spiral granite staircase leads up to the lantern loft where the lighthouse lens was mounted. It was the keeper's duty to make sure the light was burning all night. By day, he was to clean the lens, polish all brass, and fill the lamp with fuel. This lighthouse guided many ships into the harbor until 1877, when the Southwest Ledge light was built nearby on a Long Island Sound breakwater.

In 1990, the lighthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Beach at Point Lighthouse Park 

The Carousel & Ballroom at Lighthouse Point Park 

New Haven Harbor Lighthouse 

New Haven Harbor Lighthouse 

Beach and Lighthouse

Boat 

Butterfly Garden 

Butterfly Garden

Annual Migration Festival -
In September, the Ranger staff hosts the Annual Migration Festival at Lighthouse Point Park in conjunction with Audubon Connecticut and several New Haven area birding, butterfly, and environmental organizations.

The park is located on the Atlantic Flyway, a major route for butterflies, hawks, and many other bird species in their annual migration south for the winter months. Events include bird-watching walks, hawk displays, butterfly observations, and the yearly hawk count, among others.

Beach at New Haven's Lighthouse Park

In 1924, the City of New Haven purchased Lighthouse Point Park from the East Shore Amusement Company. City residents came to the park to enjoy swimming, ferry boat rides to Savin Rock, track meets, football games, field days, and baseball leagues in the old grandstand/ballpark. The park, in the roaring '20s, attracted legends Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb to Sunday afternoon games.

The hurricane of 1938 ripped through the park, destroying many buildings and trees. In 1950, the City was able to make significant improvements at the park, including a new bathhouse, a first aid station, and concession stands. A small amusement park was added, and the beach was greatly improved.