2010 ~ Sunday, May 23, Bridge Street Centre with granddaughters

I took off two of my granddaughters, Sierra,& Madison, to Bridge Street Centre. 

I parked near the Red Robin Restaurant. 

Bridge Street is beautifully laid out and has a fountain, flower gardens, a variety of stores, a theater, restaurants, a bowling alley, and a hotel. The girls posed for several photos. 

Granddaughters posing for a picture

Granddaughters posing at the fountain 

Standing outside of the NASA store was a spacesuit from NASA. Each one of us put our faces inside the mask of the space and made pictures. 

We went inside the NASA store and looked around at the displays and we talked to the people in the NASA Store. 

NASA Suit 

The man inside the store said in August there will be a day where you can visit NASA.
There were many hands-on displays that the girls enjoyed.

Granddaughter with hands-on displays

We walked to the Apple store and we played on the new IPAD.

We stopped to use the restroom and check out the Station No 2 & The Melting Pot Restaurant.

The girls playing on the escalator 

The girls at the Station No 2 & The Melting Pot Restaurant

Standing at the gate of the Westin Hotel 

We walked into the Black and White Store.

We went to Barnes and Noble where I bought a book to take with me on the plane on my trip to California. (The Time Travelers book one of the Gideon Trilogy.) 

The girls at PF Changs

We went to the Chocolate Crocodile, we each bought a soda. 

It was over 100 + degrees so we were all thirsty. 

I gave the girls my last dollar to buy a Truffle. 

Enjoying a soft drink at the Chocolate Crocodile

Walking back to the car

We walked to the car and I drove us to Cracker Barrel in Madison, where we met hubby for dinner.

I ordered pinto beans, grilled chicken, cornbread, onion, and relish

Madison ordered shrimp, macaroni, and Cheese, with ice tea.

Sierra ordered fried Chicken fingers, macaroni, cheese, and a doctor pepper. 

Hubby ate a bacon cheeseburger and fried apples.

Later that day the girls and I swam in our pool until 8:30PM

Both girls spent the night.

2016 April 1, Friday, Mule Day in Columbia, Tennessee

I started the day with a Pedi-Manicure, which I immensely enjoyed. Next to get an adjustment with the Chiropractor. Next, I stopped at Chick-fil-a for 4 pieces grilled chicken nuggets & a small strawberry milkshake. (used my cow card). As if that was not enough sugar for the day, I went to Krispy Kreme for a cup of donut holes.

Still had enough time to ride to Columbia Tennessee for mule day.
I had a great time watching the mules pull the wagons. I took pictures of several pictures of corralled Mules. 

Mule Day in Columbia 

Mule Day in Columbia 

The parking lot was muddy so I parked on the pavement several blocks away. 

The day was overcast but that did not stop people from coming.
Lots of people.
One of the Arenas was covered in mud and could not be used.
I only stayed a couple of hours and I did not check out the vendor's wares.
Three little girls stood beside me at the railing of the arena. On little girl ask me if they were giving pony rides. I said I did not know but I saw several children petting a poney.

One little girl kept calling the mules horses and I said, honey, they are not horses, they are mules. I don't think she knew the difference.
Her sister said sis are you making a friend.
The little girl said my mom and dad are back behind us.
The little girls walked away and all three came back with a plate full of
funnel cakes. This kept the little girl quite for a while.
I walked back through the corralled mules for one last look and left. 

I stopped at Long John Silvers in Lawrenceburg for a Fried Cod meal and a Seafood meal. 

Hubby and I talked about going to First Friday tonight but both were too tired.

We decided to watched Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy on TV instead. 

2010 ~ Feb 19-20, Marine Biologist for a Day at the Aquarium in Nashville, Tennessee

2010 ~ February 19-20 Nashville, Tennessee

We took a group of girl scouts to Nashville to the Aquarium to be a Marine Biologist for a day, we spent the night at one of the mom's time-share.  We stopped in the Dairy Queen in Lawrenceburg to eat dinner.

Dairy Queen in Lawrenceburg 

Dairy Queen in Lawrenceburg 

Day 1: Friday, February 19, 2010 

At the Time-Share the girls swam, ate snacks they danced, and played games.

The next day the girls dissected a squid, went on a scavenger hunt, listened to a lecture about fish that was in the aquarium.

We were taken to the back room of the aquarium to see how the fish are care for, to see how their food is prepared.

We were shown where the divers go into the aquarium tank, afterward, everyone was given a quiz when we finished the quiz we were served a meal. When we finished eating, we divided into groups and took the girls shopping.

Marine Biologist for a day

February 20-21, 2010 we took eight girls scouts to the Nashville Aquarium in Nashville, Tennessee to be a marine biologist for a day.

Day 2: Saturday, February 20, 2010

The girls met at the Aquarium Restaurant at Opry Mills Mall at 8:30 A.M.

The girls were Marine Biologist for a day at the Stingray Reef, each girl was given a Tee Shirt & a name tag with The Nashville Aquarium inscribed on the front of it.

Each was given an all-day pass to the Stingray Reef, where they could pet & feed the Stingray, visit the exhibits, ride the carousel, and they were given a discount card of 15% off at the gift shop.

The Marine Biologist asks if anyone was afraid of the snake before we enter the backup room.

If so, to let her know, because she was going to take out a Scarlet Kingsnake to show the girls. Everyone was okay with going into the room.  

The biologist brought out a Scarlet Kingsnake, which is very similar to the Coral Snake. 

We were told that it is found in the southeastern area of the USA. We were then told how it’s a tri-color pattern of black, red, and yellow mimic the venomous coral snake. 

She said just remember that red on yellow can kill a fellow; red on black is a friend of Jack.

Scarlet Kingsnake

The girls petted the Scarlet snake, they could see, they could feel how smooth and shiny the snake was for it had just shed its old skin. 

Their next project was to dissect a squid, on each table, for each girl, was a dead squid, a tray, and scissors.

dissect a squid

dissect a squid

Squid are marine cephalopods

The girls were told that Squid are marine cephalopods, there are over 300 species

The Girls were told about the anatomy of the squid, how the main body mass is enclosed in the mantle, how the skin is covered in chromatophores, which enables the squid to change color so it can camouflage itself from its prey. 

They went through the anatomy of the squid from the nervous system to the Reproductive system (they were told to cut the ink sack into) were shown the ovary of the female and the testis of the male. In the digestive system are the stomach, bolus, caecum (for digestion), liver, and rectum. In the Cardiovascular system, the squid has three hearts.

The head end bears eight arms and two tentacles that contain suckers along the edge. 

The girls were divided into groups of two and given a paper with questions to be answered by doing a scavenger hunt. They had to read the information on each of the displays to find the answers. 

Some of the animals were the: tarantula spider, crocodile lizard, Piranha, Coral reef, Rococo Toad Bufo Paracnemis, stingray, Knight Anole, Emerald tree boa, Potbelly seahorse, clownfish and sea anemones.

They spend a few minutes petting and feeding the stingrays and we proceeded to the Aquarium Restaurant where there was a 200,000-gallon aquarium full of tropical fish. 

Their project was to learn about the fish that lived in the 200,000 aquariums, their environment and then to go behind the scenes of the aquarium. 

After the lecture on the aquarium and the behind scenes tour, we were all given an aquarium super fun puzzle and the questions were:

The stingray’s last means of defense was is. Barbs

A group of fish is? School

The natural filter of the ocean? Shellfish

How a fish breathes? Gills

What divers use to breath underwater? Scuba

The back support of squid? Pen

A cartilaginous fish that people are afraid of? Shark

Fish spend 30 days here before going on exhibit? Quarantine

Saving resources for future generations? Preservation

An endangered animal with plantlike qualities? Coral

Opening located on the underside of rays head? Fill-slits

A fish skid? Scales

The top fin of a fish? Dorsal

The real skin coral of the green moray eel? Blue

One category of fish? Bony

An increase in the earth’s temperature caused by pollution? Global warming

Using a limited amount of resources? Conservation

A venomous snail from Indonesia? Cone-snail

Cousin to sharks and rays? Guitarfish

A snakelike fish? Eel

Question time

Answering the questions 

group picture

Behind the scenes, we saw the holding tank for the aquarium, quarantine system, where the fishes water was prepared, main pumps, main sand filters, bio towers, and main chillers, carbon water filter.    

We walked upstairs to where the fish were in a quarantine tank. We entered another area where we walked along with a narrow walkway overhead of the aquarium where the lighting, air condition ventilations were to see the working of the aquarium. This area is where the divers go into the aquarium, where the chemical is despised into the aquarium.

Diver in aquarium

We visited the kitchen was a fresh fool is prepared daily for the fish and then to the laboratory.

We all got to look into a microscope to see some of the bacteria that might get on the fish. 

We were allowed to hold a sand dollar, sea urchin, and starfish. After the question and answer time in the lab, we all went to the restroom to wash our hands.

Washing our hands

Posing for a group picture

We all pre-ordered our lunch, so it was ready when we finished our being a marine biologist for a day. 

Our table was prepared, so we all sat down, we were given a quiz before we were served lunch. 

Lora and I shared a Lettuce Wrap, that was filled with a Grilled shrimp basted with the lime marinade and served with seasonal vegetables. 

After lunch, we divide into three groups and went into Opry Mall, I had Emilee, Brianna, and Ashley. Lora had Madison, Santana, Megan, and Sarah and the other woman had her daughter Kaitlyn.

We stopped at Build-a-Bear Work Shop, the  Rainforest Gift shop (where the girls put snakes around their necks and I took their pictures) Emilee bought a mood necklace, I bought the girls chocolate candy, Brianna bought chocolate-covered cherries, Emilee and Ashley bought chocolate covered Marshmallows, and I bought a chocolate-covered pretzel. We stopped at one store where Brianna put on an Irish Green hat and a scarf, I took Brianna’s picture, she took my picture. I was wearing a crown that said, Kiss me I am Irish.  We tried on a couple more hats, took a few more pictures then we walked back to the aquarium.  We went back to the stingray aquarium rode the carousel, and the girls feed the stingray.

Group picture at the Aquarium

Getting a back rub

Trying on hats 

Trying on hats 

Stopping at the Rainforest Cafe Gift Shop 

Ready to go home 

We waited for Lora, she was still shopping, the other woman said she had to go home, I took Megan, Ashley, Brianna, and Kaitlyn with me along with Sarah and Emilee. 

We all went looking for Lora, Madison, and Santana. We walked around the entire Opry Mall, we met up with Lora, Madison, and Santana at the Apple Barn. 

After a few more stops, we walked to the car and started home. It took forever getting out of the parking lot. We went through the drive-thru at McDonald's in Columbia, TN bought some hamburger’s for supper and rode home. We arrived home at about 6:30 P.M.

Two little girls Adventures after school 2

The two little girls both were in the first grade and walked every day to Elementary School located on West Montgomery. 

The girls stayed with their grandmother, who never owned a vehicle in her entire life, during the school year. 

The two little girls were constantly getting into trouble both were like the monkey in the stories of Curious George and the man with the yellow hat.

One day on their way from home from school, they stopped at the local church where they walked down into the basement to take a peek inside.

There they found a refrigerator full of food, they were very hungry so they poured themselves a glass of buttermilk and filled it with a slice of bread. 

The little girls thought to themselves that the Lord would have said, “I have bread to spare.”

For Christmas, their grandmother had given all her granddaughters caps with a tassel attached at the end. 

The older little girl lost her red and white cap, with a tassel attached on the back, one day on the way to school. 

The little girl searched high and low for the cap but could not find it anywhere. 

The little girl was determined to find that special cap her grandmother gave her, for she felt it would make her grandmother very sad. 

The little girl continued searching for that special cap and one day while she walking home from school, the little girl spied a cap just like the one she had lost, it was hanging on the front porch of a white framed wooden house not far from the school.

The little girl began to step upon the porch, of the white framed house, when a grouchy old woman came outside and said, “what do want?’ 

My cap replied the little girl, but the grouchy old woman said, that is not your cap, it belongs to my granddaughter.

The grouchy old woman snatched up the cap and took the cap inside, never to be seen again by the little girl.

Sadly the two little girls walked home and told the grandmother that she had lost her cap but to her surprise, the grandmother was not angry.

She replied, sometimes things have a way of working out, and she surprised the little girl with a new red and white cap that the little girl treasured.

Two littles girls adventure across town

One summer morning two little girls were playing outside on the lush green grass that was covered with clover while bees buzzed all around and they said to one another let us go to town.

Downtown Sheffield was within walking distance for the two girls for they had walked to town many times with their parents, but on this special day, they felt they could do it without them.

So, the two little girls, (ages six and seven)washed their faces, combed their long curly red and yellow hair, pulling their hair back into a ponytail, dressing in their new red and white short sets and putting their shoes on their feet because the streets would be too hot for bare feet.

It was a beautiful bright sunny day when the two little girls began walking up SW 13th street, they crossed west Montgomery onto Shop Pike, where they could walk along the sidewalks that lined the streets.

The two girls played a game” step on a crack, break your mothers back” as they tried to avoid the lines, cracks and the humps on the sidewalk.

When the sidewalks were laid, many years before, the trees were small as they grew so did their roots causing the sidewalks to bulge and crack. 

Shop Pike ran into north Montgomery Avenue, which leads into downtown Sheffield. Before the girls could enter downtown, they had to cross the Southern railroad tracks that ran east and west of West Montgomery Avenue.

The girls looked both ways before they crossed the train tracks because the train tracks became very busy when trains carrying freight cars came barreling down the tracks.

Sometimes there would be trains coming from both east and west at the same time.

When a train came across the tracks that led into town it took at least twenty to thirty minutes.

When our family would drive into town we would wait patiently in the car for the train to pass, and when we saw the red caboose we knew it was the end of the train and we would begin to sing:

“Little Red Caboose, Little Red Caboose, behind the train, the train.

Smokestack on it’s back, going down the track. 

Little Red Caboose behind the train. 

Woo-woo-woo!”

The two little girls were excited as they walked down north Montgomery Street without their parents tagging along.

They felt all grown up as they walked into their first store, which was a furniture store.

The two girls started to look around, they even walked upstairs to the second level as they looked at the furniture, pretending they were shopping. 

A salesman came up to the two little girls and said, where are your parents and the two little girls said ever so boldly they are shopping. The salesman gave both the little girls a bright yellow pencil as they were leaving the store. 

Down the street, the little girls skipped, ever so exciting to be shopping, without their parents saying you cannot have that.

They went from store to store, and they stopped at Western Auto to look at the baby dolls wrapped in pink and blue blankets.

At Abrom’s they saw dresses hanging on racks, in shades of brown, with pleats, covered in tan lace and large sashes attached to the backs of the dresses, they saw red checked dresses that buttoned down the front, blue and white striped sailor dresses that would be ever so cute to wear to school to show off to the other students.

Oh, how they wished they had the money to buy one of those dresses, but they were penniless.

Abrom’s was THE store shop, everyone with money came here to shop.

Abrom’s had two levels with a staircase that led to the upper level, it had tub carriers, a machine much like the banks use today at their drive-through windows, where they would send their tickets up to and downstairs, which was fun to watch. 

At the five and dime, the girls spent a long time looking, because they were many bends filled full of trinkets of all shapes and sizes that you could purchase for just ten cents.

The stomachs of the two little girls began to growl so they stopped at the Liberty Super Market for an ice cream sandwich and a box of cookies.

The girls had now completely walked through every store in Sheffield, but the day was still young and they were not ready to return home. 

The two little girls continued walking up north Montgomery Avenue, they turned left onto Alabama Avenue and continued walking until they reached the Tennessee River. 

The older little girl’s family owned a boat that they had docked many times at Riverfront Park. 

The Tennessee River holds many dangerous drop-offs from the water's edge, which these two little girls knew, so they stayed close to the edge, as they waded into the water just to cool off their feet making sure that they did not get their clothes wet.

The streetlight guided the girls as they began their journey home.

On their trip into town, the girls were given yellow pencils by the salesman at the furniture.

The girls thought the yellow pencil was ugly so they swapped the yellow pencils for bright purple, pink and white pencils. 

The girls also, put small girls slip into a shoebox at the five and dime.

The sun was shining brightly that day, so they each put on a pair of sunglasses.

Before the girls reached home they buried the sunglasses, and little girls slip at the end of the street where their grandparents lived. 

They began walking to their grandparent's house, only to be greeted by two very unhappy parents.

The two little girls told a lie, they said they had spent the day at a friends house, but their parents knew different because they had made a mistake, they had stopped at an aunts house to visit before they walked to the Tennessee River. 

Both girls received a whipping and were taken home.

Weeks, later the girls claimed to discover the items they had taken at the end of the street. 

Their parents never knew the difference until years later when the older girl told her mother the story about their trip to town, their visits to the many stores, and them taking all the items that they had found at the end of the street.