2024 April 6, Huntsville Twickenham Walking Tour

Walking tour of Twickenham in Huntsville

We had over 60 people on the tour.

The group taking the tour 

Clarke Dorning's 1935 home 

White Dogwood Blooms 

What a beautiful day for a walking tour of Twickenham. With every step we took, we learned about the early settlers of Huntsville. 

It was steeped in history from the early 1800s.

It felt like we were walking in a botanical garden with all the colorful azaleas and pink and white dogwood trees in full bloom. The aroma of lilac filled the air from the Lilac bushes and tulips with shiny white faces. Music filled the air with chirping Robins, Blue Jays, Finches, and Woodpeckers.

After the tour, we rode to the Bridge Street Center, stopping at The Cheesecake Factory for lunch. 

SkinnyLicious® Avocado Tacos

Roadside Sliders

Original cheesecake 

Hubby ordered Roadside Sliders*

I ordered bite-sized burgers at Mini-Buns, served with grilled onions, pickles, ketchup, and SkinnyLicious® avocado tacos.

Fresh Jicama "Tortilla" Shells Filled with Crispy Avocado, Tomatillo Slaw, and Cilantro

We also ordered a slice of the Original cheesecake. 

Original

The One that Started It All! Our Famous Creamy Cheesecake with a Graham Cracker Crust and Sour Cream Topping

We were too full to eat the cheesecake, so we brought it home.

2024 May 2, Day trip to Pulaski, TN

Today, we rode to Pulaski, TN, stopping at Flatrock Cheese, 2825 Minor Hill Hwy. 

We bought several spices there: Red crushed pepper for $2.11, Hot cajon seasoning for $3.16, and ground cinnamon for $3.06.

We bought a package of chocolate-covered pretzels and some Natural Black Raspberry dip mix for $3.47.

We also bought two packages of unique cheeses.

Several people were there buying their freshly served sliced meats and cheese sandwiches.

salad

Chipotle Chicken sandwich with chips. 

Sandwich with chips

Carrot cake

We rode into Pulaski and ate lunch at the Yellow Deli.

I ordered a Chipotle Chicken sandwich with chips.  

Hubby ordered a salad and a sandwich, and we split a slice of Carrot cake.

The Yellow Deli has a beautiful garden in front and on either side of its building. 

Yellow Deli 

Flower Garden 

Flower Garden 

Flower Garden at the 1900 Heritage House 

We rode around downtown Pulaski, through the University of Southern Tennessee, looking at old houses and buildings. 

Civil War Soldier 

Historic Marker 

We stopped at USCT Park, where the UNITED STATES Colored Troops were honored in Giles County during the Civil War. 

We stopped at Walmart, a discount store, and Dollar Tree.

We came home via Loretto, Leoma, and St Joe on Hwy 43.

There is a lot of history in Pulaski, but today, we just stopped to shop and eat lunch.

2023 April 29, Decatur Historic Homes and Garden Walking Tours

April 29: Garden Tour, led by the Historic Decatur Association 

The public is invited to tour some of the residents' private gardens. The tour begins at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 801 Jackson St, SE.

 We had a large crowd for the Garden Walking tour in Decatur. 

Large Crowd from different towns

Everyone met at Westminster Presbyterian Church, located at 801 Jackson St SE. Decatur.  

Westminster Presbyterian Church 801 Jackson St SE. Decatur.

We learned the history and architectural structure of several different homes.

We finished our walk at Delano Park, where beautiful roses were in bloom.

After the guided tour, everyone was dispersed.

Pink roses at Delano Park 

 

This young girl set up a Lemonade Stand.
 It was a hot day, and we purchased a glass. 

From 11:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M., we tour nine personal gardens. 3 Gardens were on Sherman St., 2 on Gordon Dr, 1 on Jackson St., and 1 on Cherry Street. One on Line St. and one on Oak St. There was someone at each location to greet us and tell us about their gardens.

On the first garden tour, we saw these beautiful red lilies.

Fish Pond 

Beautiful Yellow Flower

This garden was like having a forest in your backyard.
There was a Bird Feeder, a greenhouse, walkways, and more.

There was a story about how this statue came to be in this garden, but I don't remember it. 

After the Garden tour, we enjoyed a lovely lunch at Mellow Mushroom in Decatur. We ordered a small Maui Wowie on Stone Ground Crust Pizza. It was delicious.

A small Maui Wowie on Stone Ground Crust Pizza.

2023 April 1, Mule Day Parada Columbia and Mount Pleasant, TN. Grill & Museum

 Hubby and I had an excellent April 1st (April Fools' Day). We stopped at Jack's in Lawrenceburg for breakfast. I ordered their single gravy, sausage, and biscuits, and Hubby ordered their big breakfast with pancakes.

We rode to Columbia to watch the Mule Day Parade. We arrived a little early and found a place to sit. Thousands of people attended the parade and other events. The parade began at 11:00 A.M. and concluded a little after 12:00. The Grand Marshal was Mike Wolfe from America's Pickers.

At the end of the parade were a couple of big sweeper trucks to clean up all the horse and Mule poop.

Grand Marshall Mike Wolfe 

An unusual float, the Solo Cup 

Mules and Horses 

We left Columbia and drove through Mt Pleasant, stopping at Mt Pleasant Grill. It didn't appear much, but we decided to try it. It was a lot bigger on the inside and very friendly. The food was excellent. It was a bit spicy and cooked differently, but tender, fresh, and delicious. We definitely will eat there again. 

Fried Catfish, Fried Okra, Cole Slaw 

We asked about the museum next door, and one of the waitresses said it was worth seeing. So we toured the museum. It was filled with lots of memorabilia about the town. You would see things such as medical equipment, war artifacts, gowns, dresses, furniture, and much more.

doctor office

I bought several note cards featuring Hamilton Place, St. John's Episcopal Church, Walnut Grove, Rippavilla, and Fountain Creek Mills (historic homes, churches, and mills). The curator tried to sell us a 2023 Farmers' Almanac; she told us about some of the things she had read in it. 

Walked outside to the nearby park, where I saw those beautiful tin flowers and 2 blooming dogwood trees. The perfect time of the year to be blooming. We had a great time except for the 30 MPH winds. We saw hats, trash, and cotton candy flying everywhere. One bag blew off the vendor's rack and spooked several horses. All in all, it was a great day.

Dogwood Trees

2022 Feb 1, Day Trip to Guntersville, Alabama

Today, the Hubby and I are going on an adventure to Guntersville. 

I had been told that there was an eagle nest located along Sunset Drive in Lake Guntersville Park. 

We stopped at McDonald's for some apple pies and a Diet Coke.

We saw several people at the park with cameras and large lenses sitting on tripods, watching and waiting for the eagle to leave the nest. 

I had to use the restroom, so I went in search of one, but I did not find one, so we left.

We rode further down into the park, where we found restrooms. Along the way, I spotted several ducks, geese, and seagulls on the waterfront, so we stopped. 

Ducks

People were walking, jogging, and feeding the waterfowl. 

I started taking pictures of the seagulls, geese, and ducks. I spotted several sparrows scratching in the dirt, looking for food. 

One of my favorite birds is the Downy Woodpecker. 

Downy Woodpecker

I  heard a pecking, and this downy woodpecker was going to town on the side of a rotten tree. It was challenging to capture a good picture because he spent most of his time in the shade, but I managed to get a couple of decent shots when he stopped pecking just before flying away.

Hubby spotted a red-headed woodpecker. I was excited to see one, for I had only seen one in the wild. 

Red-headed Woodpecker 

I took pictures of the colorful Bluebirds.

You will not see a bluebird at your backyard feeders. 

Bluebird 

I took many pictures today, but didn't get one of the bald eagles. 

That was okay because I got one of the red-headed woodpeckers. 

We rode to O'Bryan's in Hartselle for a late lunch. I ordered steak and sweet potato. 

We also stopped at Kroger's, where we purchased a few groceries, a bouquet of flowers, and a potted plant.

The flowers that we bought at Krogers

We looked for hawks and bald eagles along the power line near the old Papermill. We spotted a couple of red-tailed hawks but didn't see any bald eagles. 

We stopped at Wheeler Dam, where we saw several Pelicans, cormorants, and a gray heron landing at the substation. 

Gray Heron 

2021 April 3, Florence Cemetery Walking Tour, UNA, McFarland Park, Wilson Dam, & Ava Florence, Alabama

Harry Wallace will lead the tour at 705 East College Street. The tour of the Florence Cemetery, established in 18181, features many unique headstones and famous gravesites among the rolling hills and towering trees. 

The cemetery contains the graves of many early settlers, two governors, prominent leaders and their families, and numerous unknown Confederate soldiers.

Harry Wallace, our guide

Blooming Cherry Trees 

McFarland Par 

After the walking tour, I stopped at Wilson Park to see the blooming cherry trees. 

Next, I went to UNA to see the newly remodeled fountain. People were taking pictures for Graduation. Leo the lion was basking in the sun and roared several times. Usually, he just lies quietly, but today, he must have been hungry.

LEO the Lion at UNA

Fountain at UNA 

Ava riding her car 

I rode to McFarland Park and stopped for a few pictures. The River was down compared to what it had been, but it still peaked at the banks. One side of the park was closed because of flooding. There were a lot of people at the park; people were parked everywhere, even on the banks of the road. 

I stopped at River Heritage Park and walked to see the floodgates at Wilson Dam. The Tennessee River was raging through. 

On my way home, I stopped to check on my son Mike. He had surgery on his back. He was outside with his brother Andy. Ava came outside and was riding her car. I saw a Yellow Monarch Butterfly landing on the yellow dandelions. 

I had an exciting day.

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.