The Outer Banks Adventure Trip continues to Durham, NC. May 2-3, 2025 and Travels home Day 6-7 (The Travel Lady)

 Day 6, Friday, May 2, Breakfast and lunch included

Two blueberry muffins, an omelet, and cranberry juice for breakfast at the hotel at 6 A.M. 

We finished packing and set our bags outside our room at 7:30 A.M., but we took our overnight bags with us. 

At 7:45, we departed for Durham, N.C.

Plymouth Welcome Center

We stopped at the Plymouth Welcome Center at 9:40 A.M. 

Around 12:15-12:30 P.M., Restroom break at Walmart, Durham, NC. 

Dinner at QShack, Durham, NC 

At 12:45 P.M., lunch at The Original Q Shack, where I ordered a BBQ Sandwich with Mac & Cheese, hushpuppies, and banana pudding. I had enough leftovers for dinner. Owners Dan & Amanda Ferguson.

At 1:45 P.M., we boarded the motorcoach and departed to meet our step-on guide, Brad, from Tobacco Roads Tours. 

Our first stop with our guide was the Homestead Factory and Museum of the Duke family. Our guides were Brad Kennedy and Lynn Lamont. 

We rode by Duke University and were given a brief history of the institution. 

Our last stop was the American Tobacco District. Here, we saw the Angus Barn Restaurant, the Lucky Strike water tower, the WUNC radio station, a miniature replica of the Factory, Duke Stadium, the Burt's Bees logo (featuring bees), and the North Carolina Innovation Express. Formed by BGrad Kennedy & Lynn Lamont. 

We stopped for dinner around 6 P.M., and Hubby and I ate our leftovers — a BBQ sandwich — from the Q Shack.

Restroom break at Loves at 7:07, Lambsburg, VA

We will arrive at our hotel, Hampton Inn Abington, VA, around nine. (only carry-on bags)

8589 6:58 Breakfast

8590 7:41 A.M. Traveled to Corolla, NC 9548-9552

8591-8611 9:42 A.M. Plymouth Welcome Center, Plymouth, NC 

8612-8613 12:39 P.M. Walmart Durham, NC 

8614-8615 12:50 P.M. Duke University Durham, NC

8616-8620 1:15 P.M. University Tower Durham, NC 

8621-8655 2:17 P.M. Duke Homestead and Museum, Durham, NC 9557-9568

8656-8692 3:32 P.M. Duke University Durham, NC

8693-8773 3:41–4:32 P.M. Durham's American Tobacco District Durham, NC 9572-9600

8774 4:48 leave Durham, NC

8775 7:08 Loves, Lambsburg, NC

8777 Receipts 

Day 7: Saturday, May 3: Breakfast and lunch included

For breakfast at the Hampton Inn Abington, VA, I had scrambled eggs, gravy, biscuits, and bacon, with cranberry juice. Room 219 

Depart for home at 8:30 A.M. 

Around 9:30, we stopped at Love's for a restroom break

At 10:00 A.M., we shopped at Yoder's Country Market. I bought some pepper jelly, a cheese snack box, and some sharp cheese. 

At 11:00 A.M., we departed for Myers Pumpkin Patch, where we learned about the farm's history. Everyone buys flowers and vegetable plants, and the whole bottom of the bus is filled with them. Owner and guide Vera Ann Myers with son Ethan and Emily Myers (his wife)

At 12:30 P.M., we departed for home. 

We stopped at Buc-ee's in Crossville, TN.

Around 2 P.M., we stopped at Buc-ee's in Crossville, TN, for a restroom break and to shop. 

Arrived at Lawrenceburg First Baptist Church around 4:45. 

Arrived at 5:45 at Walmart, Florence 

Came home, unloaded the car, ate a snack, and went to bed. 

8780-8789 Hampton Abington, VA 7:07–7:26 A.M.

8790-8791 9:26 Loves Bulls Gap, TN 

8792-8795 10:03 A.M. Yoders Country Market, Mosheim, TN

8796-8803 10:55–12:49 P.M. Myers Farm, Bulls Gap, TN

8804-8809 1:43–2:05 P.M. Buc-ee's Crossville, TN

Coach:
Starship Dream, Live, Journey, # AL-BATANI Prevost
Muscle Shoals, AL 

2023 Nov 4, "Walking with the Saints" a Saints Walking Tour of Historic Downtown Florence House of Worship

Today, Hubby and I went on a walking tour with a group led by Lee Freeman at 10:00 A.M. at the Florence Library. 

We visited the former Popular Street Christian Church, now the Wood Avenue Church of Christ (established in 1970), located across the street from the Florence Library. 

Wood Avenue Church of Christ 

Cavalry Fellowship Church

424 E Tombigbee St Florence, AL 

From the library, we walked to Tombigbee Street and Poplar Street. 

We stopped at the Cavalry Fellowship (former Popular Street Christian Church)

Our Redeemer Lutheran Church 630 N Poplar St
Florence, AL

From the Cavalry Fellowship, we walked several blocks up Poplar Street to Our Redeemer Lutheran Church (1938), located at 630 N. Poplar Street.

First Baptist Church 209 North Walnut St.

We walked back up several streets to Walnut St., the Baptist church, across from the Florence Library. 

We stopped at the Gothic-style First Baptist Church (1888), located at 209 North Walnut St.

First Presbyterian Church 224 E Mobile St

Next, we walked to East Mobile Street, where the First Presbyterian Church is across the street from the Florence US Post Office. 

We stopped at First Presbyterian Church (1818), 224 E Mobile St. The Oldest Christian Church is the "Mother Church," Florence's oldest church. 

Tennessee Valley Community Church AME
119 N Pine St, Florence, AL 

 

We walked down Mobile Street, a one-way street, to Tennessee Valley Community Church AME on Pine Street. As you can see in the picture, construction is happening near this church. 

Trinity Episcopal Church 410 N Pine St Florence, AL 

We walked up Pine St to Trinity Episcopal Church (1824), Florence's third-oldest Christian congregation. This church is located a few blocks from Tennessee Valley Community Church, which faces Pine Street and North Seminary Street. We walked up a few blocks to the United Methodist Church.

First United Methodist Church 415 N Seminary Florence, AL 

Our last stop was First United Methodist Church (1822), located at 415 N. Seminary, the second-oldest church in Florence. 

Wilson Park Fountain 

Wilson Park is near the United Methodist Church and across the street from the Florence Library. 

We stopped to take a few pictures of the fountain at Wilson. The wind blew the fountain water, wetting us as we walked by.

A couple of children were enjoying the sprinklers from the fountain.  

Also took pictures of the Florence Library and the Kennedy Douglas Art Center. 

We ate lunch at St Florian Pharmacy Soda Shop. We sat at the bar and watched as they took orders for dipped ice cream and made sandwiches. 

My Hubby ordered a ham and cheese sandwich with chocolate and a strawberry milkshake. 

Reuben Sandwich with chips

I ordered a Reuben with Sun Chips, whole-grain Harvest Cheddar, and a Diet Coke. 

After lunch, we headed home, but we encountered a traffic jam on Highway 72 due to extensive construction. 

We took Middle Road to the Old Jackson Highway, then to US 43. 

 

I grew up on a little creek in Alabama

 I grew up on a little creek in Alabama.

Way out in the country, far from the town

Nothing but family & farmland around

Crickets & mourning doves make their sound

The best people I knew were called Maw & Paw

They owned this land & farmed it all

Paw had a pet goose & rooster named Clyde

Maw taught me not to cuss or ever tell a lie

When I think back, only happiness inside

We called them Maw and Paw.

Come inside and sit a spell, y'all 

Make yourself a plate & some sweet iced tea

Turnip greens, pinto beans, Maw smiles at me 

If I could go back there just one last time 

I would eat from the paws of the Muscadine vine 

Paw was a veteran who served in World War II

He was by far the most intelligent man I ever knew 

Now, Maw loved to needle crochet & sew 

I believe she could do it with her eyes closed 

A horse named Cricket and a catfish pond

Apple trees, watermelons, and far beyond 

How they did it all, I will never comprehend 

They fed family, animals, and friends 

We called them Maw and Paw.

The best people I ever knew.

Cold Banana banana pudding & warm chicken stew

If I could go back there just one last time

I would eat from the paws of the red grapevine 

Blueberries, strawberries, beans & potatoes 

Cherry trees, peach trees, plums & tomatoes

Oh, if I could go back there just one more time

Written by my daughter about her grandparents

2019 Mar 16, 🚎Miracle Ride: Helen Keller in Living History Tuscumbia, Alabama

It was in the 40s this morning, cloudy and windy, so I grabbed my oversized coat and winter boots and joined a group of locals and out-of-towners. 

Everyone met at Coldwater Books and began boarding the trolley at 9:30 A.M. 

The trolley was taking a group on a "Miracle Ride: Helen Keller in Living History. 

Our guide shared a fascinating story about Helen Keller and her great-niece, Keller Johnson Thompson.

On the steps of Ivy Green, Mrs. Thompson told amazing stories of her great-aunt as we waited for a large group to finish their tour.

We toured the home and its many collections, including Helen's statues and the key that locked Annie Sullivan inside a closet. 

Helen Keller, a girl who learned to communicate (WATER)

Older Helen Keller 

Outside the Keller Museum, we could see Cherry Trees were in full bloom and the gardens aglow with spring colors.

Cherry Trees @ Ivy Green in full bloom 

Tuscumbia's Bicentennial Commission, Trolley Tour, and "Miracle Ride: Helen Keller in Living History" were awesome.

After the tour, I enjoyed soup, a lunch sandwich, and a slice of mile-high cheesecake. 

Mile high cheesecake 
Cream cheese, pure vanilla, butter baked on a pecan & graham cracker crust! to die for!

An eating bowl full of Crawfish bisque 
1/2 turkey with smoked cheddar, melted chees, and a tall glass of iced tea

I had a wonderful day, although it was a bit cold. However, I finished the day off with a hot bowl of Crawfish bisque.

🏛2017 Aug 1, James K. Polk 's Ancestral Home Columbia, Tennessee

Hubby and I enjoyed the free Chick-fil-A minis for breakfast, then had our swimming pool water checked and stopped in for our weekly B-12 Shots.

We rode to Columbia, Tennessee, to tour James K. Polk's Home & Museum. As many times as we had visited Colombia, we had never stopped to go inside the home, so we made a memorable trip just to tour the home.

The Living Room 

The dining room

Master Bedroom

The Stairs 

The Kitchen 

The Gardens

The Presidency 1845-1849 

James Knox Polk, our 11th president 

James K Polk for the Union
This house, constructed in 1816, is the only surviving Tennessee residence associated with the nation's eleventh president. James Knox Polk (1795-1849) lived here from 1818 to 1824. When Polk's mother died in 1852, the house passed to his younger brother, William H. Polk.

As Tennesseans considered secession during the 1860 presidential election, William Polk supported Stephen H. Douglas, the Northern Democrat, over John Breckinridge, the Southern Democratic candidate. In 1861, Polk became a staunch Unionist. He chaired the Tennessee Unionist Convention, which selected him as its gubernatorial nominee to oppose secessionist Isham G. Harris for Tennessee governor. The Confederate press lambasted Polk's candidacy, and a Nashville paper proclaimed that he could "no more fill the place of Governor than Falstaff could play Hamlet." Harris handily defeated Polk, 74,973 to 43,342 votes.

After Federal troops occupied Columbia in March 1862, they established the Provost Marshal headquarters at St. Peter's Episcopal Church next door to the Polk house. In September, Polk joined Union Gen. Thomas L. Crittenden's staff in Nashville. The Nashville Daily Union proclaimed on September 9, "Blessed with all the comforts and luxuries of a delightful home, he has voluntarily left them all to fight for that flag which he loved, 

2. James K. Polk House, which James K. Polk delighted to honor."

Polk became ill in Nashville and died there on December 16, 1862. His older brother's widow, Sarah K. Polk, arranged with Union General William S. Rosecrans to have his body transported to Columbia to be buried in Greenwood Cemetery.

It was a small group, a couple from up north with two children, a couple headed to Atlanta for a wedding, and us.
Our guide was very well-informed about the Polk family as he guided us through the home, including the climb of the stairs to the three bedrooms.
The kitchen was outside in another building, and the gardens were self-guided.
We walked back inside the museum and gift shop before they left.
We continued talking to the couple that was headed to Atlanta.

It was getting close to lunchtime, so we stopped at Long John Silver's (Hubby's favorite). I love their cod.
We stopped at Tractor Supply in Lawrenceburg, then headed for home.