2023 Dec 20, Christmas Tree Trails, and Christmas Card Lane Madison & Decatur, AL

Today was another busy day. We rode to the RSA to take 7 hot Domino's pizzas to Hubby's old co-worker for Christmas lunch.

After lunch, we rode to Madison. I walked among and took pictures of the Polar Express Christmas Trees there.

Polar Express Christmas Tree in Madison
A Christmas Story  

Next, we rode up one side and down the other to take pictures of Madison's Christmas Card Trail. 

Merry Christmas, Welcome to Alabama 

We stopped at Ollie's in Madison to pick up a few items.

Then we rode to Decatur, stopping at their Enchanted Forest Trail. (It looked as if a hurricane had blown through.) 

The Enchanted Forest Christmas Tree 

We stopped at ALDI USA in Decatur to pick up a few more items for our Christmas Meal.

We saw 3 red-tailed hawks on power lines on the way home. 

Our last stop was at Wheeler Dam, where we saw several White Pelicans, many cormorants, and a few gulls.

2023 July 8, Day Trip Franklin, Brentwood, TN. and Huntsville, AL.

We started the day by eating Gravy and Biscuits at Jack's, then birding in McFarland Park. We saw the rain coming down the river, so we loaded into the car.

Then, we rode to Best Buy in Huntsville to buy a Canon EOS R6 Camera and stopped at Sam's Club for fuel. 

We had no luck at the Best Buy in Brentwood, Tennessee, so we rode to the One in Brentwood, Tennessee. 

Hubby was going to take a shortcut but ended up taking a long way. We rode to Maradinville and stopped at the Ardmore Welcome Center on I-65. 

Ardmore Welcome Center 

We stopped at Best Buy, where we purchased the Canon EOS R6 camera. 

It was way after lunch, so we stopped at Mellow Mushroom in Franklin. We ordered a small Pacific Rim Pizza. (It has a mild red sauce with Mozzarella, ham, bacon, caramelized onions, pineapple, and Jalapeños.)

Pacific Rim Pizza 

Mellow Mushroom Franklin, TN

We headed back home. On the way home, I reached into my purse to play video games, but my phone was not there. 

I took Hubby's phone and called mine. The manager at Mellow Mushroom answered. I told him who I was, and we returned to retrieve my phone. 

When we arrived, Hubby could not find a parking spot, so he let me out and circled around. I went inside and told the hostess who I was and that I was there to pick up my cell phone. 

I thanked them for finding it and putting it in a safe place. 

It had begun to rain when Hubby picked me up, storming home. 

I am so glad I noticed my phone was missing before we got home. It is about 2 hours to Franklin. 

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.

2020 Dec 21, Day trip to Franklin, Tennessee with Ava Grace

 Hubby and I took Ava Grace on a day trip. We stopped in Loretto to get lottery tickets and Ava a doctor's pepper and some gummy candy. 

We stopped at Murphy's to fill up with gas and at Walmart in Lawrenceburg to purchase a new car seat for Ava. Hubby had to put it together, which took a while. 

We traveled north up the Natchez Trace, stopping a couple of times for restroom breaks. Several of the restrooms were closed due to the Coronavirus.

The trace was desolate, the trees were necked, and we saw one bird, a buck deer, and a dog. We saw several motorcycle riders and several people hiking. 

We rode through Leipers Fork but didn't see any or very few Christmas decorations. Ave took a nap while we were on the trail. 

Mellow Mushroom Pizza Restaurant

Cheese Pizza 

House Special Pizza 

We stopped at Mellow Mushroom for dinner. Ava ordered a small cheese pizza, and Hubby and I split a House Special pizza; we also ordered three drinks. 

Ava only ate one piece of her pizza. We had the rest put into a to-go box, took it home, and gave it to her granddad.

While we were eating at Mellow Mushroom, we saw Santa Claus riding a Harley on the roundabout in Franklin through the large windows. 

Santa Claus on Harley (looking through the window)

Ava & Granny are sitting in front of a very tall Christmas tree.

Ava is standing next to a cannon.

 

Ava and I walked over to the window. She waved at Santa Claus, and he waved back, pointing at her. We finished eating, and I took pictures of Ava and the statues at Mellow Mushroom. 

We went outside, and Santa Claus was leaving. We walked across the street to the center of the roundabout, where Ava had spotted a very tall Christmas tree. We took several pictures of the Tree, Ava, and the cannons that were there. 

We walked back to our car, and by that time, Santa Claus was coming back down the road. He stopped, and I got a few pictures with Ava and Santa.

Ava and Santa Claus on his Harley

Ava had to hug Santa, and he hugged her back. She said he was the honest Santa Claus, and she sang Christmas Songs most of the way home. 

We stopped at a convenience store for a restroom break, and we finished our trip home. We made a detour in St Joseph to see a house decorated for Christmas, you could see it from the highway, but only from the backside. Her granddaddy was waiting for her. She gave us both a hug, collected her belongings, and they went home. I gave her granddad the leftover cheese pizza. 

🚙Getting lost leaving Chicago

We spent the weekend at the Westin Hotel for The Magic Foundation Convention in Wheeling, IL. 
We checked out of our room at around 12 P.M. 

We called for a bellhop to help us with the luggage. 

We checked out, loaded the truck with all our belongings, and rode to Burger King for lunch.

The Magic Foundation had arranged for everyone who had attended the conference to have a free day of fun at the Wheeling Aquatic Park Center. 

Lora and the kids went down the tube, and Meadow and I played in the swimming pool.

Wheeling Aquatic Park Center is an outdoor aquatic center with amenities:

Volcano Valley has tube and body slides, and Paradise Falls has two drop falls.

Willie the Whale has a toddler slide, and the swimming pool has lap lanes.

Kana Courts have sand volleyball, a Grassy area for tanning, 

Willies Coconut Café for food, a picnic area for eating, and a diving board, and Aloha Beach has zero depth in the entry of the main pool.

Karki Island has a sand play area, locker rooms, and lockers for storing valuables.

Tsunami Splash has a water playground with tipping buckets.

Lilypad Lagoon has a splash pool, water basketball, and monkey bar activity pad. 

We stayed at the aquatic center until 4:30 P.M.

Lora then drove us to downtown Chicago to tour the Sears Tower "sky deck."

The Sears Tower, completed on May 3, 1973, was the tallest skyscraper in the World until 1996.

It is still the tallest skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere. What a view!

We walked to Giordano's Pizzeria, across the street from the Sears Tower. 

We had to wait 40 minutes for a table and another 40 minutes for our food. 

We ordered a deep-dish stuffed medium pizza with sausage, pepperoni, and mozzarella cheese. It was covered with Marinara sauce and as thick as a medium cake. 

Madison enjoyed the stinging mozzarella cheese.

Lora drove us out of downtown Chicago, leaving at about 9:00 P.M. 

I took over driving for several hours. 

Everyone fell asleep except me, and when I got sleepy, we stopped at a Motel 8 somewhere in Louisville, Indiana, off I-70E. 

We were so sleepy that we did not even inspect the room, which we should have because the beds were falling apart. 

That does not matter when you are too sleepy to drive.

It was late, I was very sleepy, and I drove seven miles in the wrong direction.

The first clue was our location because the following day, I had taken a wrong turn about seven miles off during the night.

I remember going through a lot of construction, with orange cones everywhere. I am sure that is where I got lost.

We had to do a lot of backtracking.

Anyone could get lost by leaving late, getting sleepy, and traveling with kids. 

It is strange how a sermon can trigger your thoughts about something that happened in the past.

Have you ever been lost or gotten lost driving? Ask yourself and tell your story.

Mystic Pizza a Slice of Heaven 🍕🍕🍕🍕

Kat and Daisy are sisters and rivals: Kat studies astronomy and works at the planetarium in the famous Whaling Museum of Mystic Seaport, as well as the restaurant, and has been accepted to attend Yale University on a partial scholarship. Daisy just wants to find love through lust while trying to get out of Mystic. Kat is the apple of her Portuguese mother's eye, whereas Daisy is not, as her mother feels she is wilder and less goal-oriented than her younger sister.

Mystic Pizza History

THE DAY HOLLYWOOD CAME TO TOWN……

Incredibly, Mystic Pizza caught the eye of screenwriter Amy Jones, who was summering in the area. Ms. Jones chose Mystic Pizza as the setting and focus of her story about the lives and loves of three waitresses. The movie was filmed on location in Mystic and the neighboring towns. "Mystic Pizza was released in 1988 and was a hit, even Siskel and Ebert gave it two thumbs up.

Enjoying a slice of Heaven @ Mystic Pizza 🍕🍕🍕

2005 March 29, An Early Works Adventure with grandkids

🍕🍕🍕The family enjoyed a Meatlovers Pizza topped with classic marinara sauce, authentic old-world pepperoni, all-natural Italian sausage, slow-roasted ham, applewood smoked bacon, & smoked pork and beef  from Pizza Hut 

Shopping at the Grocery Store

Learning the art of Ginning cotton.
The earliest versions of the cotton gin consisted of a single roller, made of iron or wood, and a flat stone or wooden plate. A narrow single roller waneededry to expel the cotton seed without crushing it. 

Having fun at the Water Table.

EarlyWorks Children's Museum was designed for children to touch, climb, pull, and explore.

Listening to the Talking Tree
Talking trees form sapient trees in mythological stories. According to Greek mythology in Avatar, the tree of souls is also a connection to Eywa.

Exploring 

Trying on Clothing inside the Federal House

Taking a wagon ride, formerly called a wain, and one who builds or repairs wagons is a Wainwright.   A wagon usually has four wheels and is used for agricultural purposes and to transport people.

Playing the Giant-Size Banjo at the Alabama Band Stand
The banjo is often associated with country, folk, Irish, and bluegrass music.

Trade Day at the General Store, where you can buy items such as milk, bread, and various household goods, such as hardware and electrical supplies. 

Sitting in the Chicken Coop 

A chicken coop or hen house is a building where female chickens are kept. Inside hen houses are often nest boxes for egg-laying and perches on which the birds can sleep, although coops for meat birds seldom have either of these features.

A chicken coop usually has an indoor area where the chickens sleep and nest, as well as an outdoor area where the chickens will feed and spend the majority of the day. Inside the chicken coop, dropping boards or litter (such as straw) are used to collect chicken feces. A chicken coop should be cleaned every 2 to 3 weeks, and the litter should be changed daily, as in a cat's litter box. A coop should be locked at night, with all the chickens inside, to protect them from predators.

A coop may have an outdoor run. Both the inside and outside floors of a chicken coop are often covered with loose materials, such as straw or wood chips, to manage chicken droppings and facilitate easier cleanup.

Karaoke Time singing into the microphone 

Exploring the 46-foot Keeled riverboat that may be rowed, poled, or towed full of freight.
Fur trading included fox, mink, ermine, otters, sable, seals, coyotes, chinchillas, raccoons, and possums.

Ready to blow up something

Stopping at Sonic-Drive-in for an icy treat, a Blue Raspberry Nerd Slushy  

A Sonic Slushy 
Slush is made with a mixture of sugar and water. To prevent the mixture from freezing solid, there must be between 12% and 22% of sugar present in the solution. The sugar acts as an antifreeze in the solution. The slush machine stirs or rotates the mixture at a constant speed, allowing the sugar and water molecules to bond together before the water has a chance to freeze. In this way, a soft, wet slurry mixture is formed.