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

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

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

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 Ollies in Madison to pick up a few items.

Then we rode to Decature, 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 redtail hawks on power lines on the way home. 

Our last stop was at Wheeler Dam, where we saw several White Pelicans, lots of 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, then Birding in McFarland Park. We could see 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 Best Buy, so we decided to ride to Best Buy Brentwood, Tennessee. 

Hubby was going to take a shortcut but ended up taking a long way. We rode to Maradinville and stopped at 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. (Mellow red sauce with Mozzarella, ham, bacon, caramelized onions, pineapple, and Jalapeños.)

Pacific Rim Pizza 

Mellow Mushroom Franklin, TN

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

I took hubby's phone and called mine. The manager at Mellow Mushroom answered. I told him who I was, and we were on our way back to get my phone. 

When we arrived, hubby could not find a parking place, so he let me out and circled around. I went inside and told the hostess who I was and 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, and it stormed all the way home. 

I am so glad I noticed my phone 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 a peak into some of the residents’ private gardens. The tour begins at Westminster Presbyterian Church, located at 801 Jackson St, SE.

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

Large Crowd from different towns

Everyone met at the Westminster Presbyterian Church, 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 there were beautiful roses in bloom.

After the guided tour, everyone was disbursed.

Pink roses at Delano Park 

 

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

From 11-3PM, we tour 9 personal gardens. 3 Gardens were on Sherman St., 2 on Gordon Dr, 1 on Jackson St., and 1 on Cherry Street. 1 on Line St. and 1 on Oak St. There was someone at each location to greet us and tell us about their garden.

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 so much more.

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

After the Garden tour, we enjoyed a nice 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 fillip with gas and at Walmart in Lawrenceburg to get Ava a new car seat. Hubby had to put it together, which took a while. 

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

The trace was desolate, the trees 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 little Christmas decorations. I think Ave took a nap while we were on the trace. 

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, and we 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 Clause riding a Harley on the roundabout in Franklin through the large windows. 

Santa Clause on Harley (looking through the window)

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

Ava standing next to a cannon

 

Ava and I walked over to the window she waved at Santa Clause, and He waved back and pointed 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 Clause on his Harley

Ava had to hug Santa, and he hugged her back. She said he was the real Santa Clause, 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 had spent the weekend in the Westin Hotel for The Magic Foundation Convention in Wheeling, IL. 
We checked out of our room at around 12PM 

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 go to the Wheeling Aquatic Park Center for a free day of fun. 

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 there are lap lanes in the swimming pool.

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 with a water basketball and a 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 was the tallest skyscraper in the World until 1996. It was finished on May 3, 1973.

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

We walked to Giordano’s Pizzeria, which was just across the street from the Sear 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 the pizza was as thick as the size of 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. 

I guess 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 next morning, we had no clue where we were because somewhere during the night, I had taken a wrong turn about seven miles off course.

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

We had to do a lot of backtracking.

Leaving late, getting sleepy, and traveling with kids, anyone could get lost. 

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 works at the planetarium in the famous Whaling Museum of The 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, while Daisy is not because her mother feels she is wilder and is not as goal-oriented as 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 focus and setting of her story of 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 piece of stone or wood. A narrow single roller was necessary to expel the seeds from the cotton without crushing their seeds. 

Having fun at the Water Table.

EarlyWorks Children Museum was designed for children where they can 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, besides being 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 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 chickens will feed and spend the majority of the day. Inside the chicken coop are dropping boards or litter (such as straw) to collect chicken feces. A chicken coop should be cleaned every two to three weeks and the litter shifted every day, like a cat's litter box. A coop should be locked at night with all the chickens inside of it so that the chickens are protected from predators.

A coop may have an outdoor run. Both the inside and outdoor floors of a chicken coop are often strewn with loose material such as straw or wood chips to deal with chicken droppings and to allow for 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% - 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 so that the sugar and water molecules bond together before the water gets a chance to freeze. In this way, a soft, wet slurry mixture is formed.

🎄🎄🎄🎄Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2015🎄🎅🏻

Another year has come and gone and I am still here, Thank God.

It has been a very busy year.

My husband and I started the year off right in January. We took an overnight trip to Gulf Shores.

The beach is a great place to go in the winter months, not a lot of people on the beach except the ones there to watch the sunset, which was awesome. 

We stayed at Staybridge Suites for half price (a full kitchen) just like living in an apartment. We enjoyed a delicious seafood meal at Lula’s (my husband had never eaten there).

Gulf Shores sunset 

We celebrated Valentine's in February by ordering a pizza from a new place called The Rising Crust, the pizza was delicious.

The Rising Crust Pizza 

My granddaughter had her first child and our first great-grandchild, Ava Grace.

Ava Grace

In March I rode to Huntsville to attend the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade. (I had never been to a Saint Patrick’s Day Parade) It was fun and I took lots of pictures.

Saint Patrick’s Day Parade

Toward the end of March, I was invited to spend the weekend with my friend and her husband in Pigeon Forge, TN. My sister went with me. We had a great time. We went to a quilt show, rode the Ferris wheel, ate at Margaritaville, ate at  Mel’s Diner, and at The Apple House Restaurant.

Riding the Ferries Wheel

My husband and I took two of the grandsons to the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge, to the Wheeler Dam Birding Trail, and that same day Hubby bought a 2007 Silver Honda. 

Two of my amazing grandsons 

In April I spent the day at the Birmingham Zoo with my daughter and grandchildren.

Early that morning we watched the setting of the third Blood Moon, which was amazing.

My daughter and her three amazing children 

In April, I did several walking tours, The Civil War, Tuscumbia, and the Oakwood Cemetery. I took a Civil War trolley tour in Florence.

In May, Hubby and I went to Rock City in Lookout Mountains. 

Rock City in Lookout Mountains me in my neon suit

I went to the hot air balloon show in Decatur and to a Dennis Family Reunion. (to meet relatives I never knew)

Sierra, my granddaughter graduated from high school and her brother graduated from sixth grade.

Sierra 

Montana

In June, my husband and I toured the Rosenbaum home/museum.

Rosenbaum home/museum

Every Thursday in June, July, and the first two Thursdays in August I took several of my grandchildren to the movies. 

Carmike Theater has a summer special for four dollars where you can get a small Coke, a small popcorn, and a movie. We have been doing this for several years.

In June my husband and I took a day trip to Hurricane Mills, Loretta Lynn’s Ranch, Museum, RV Park, and Grist Mill. 

Loretta Lynn’s Ranch/Museum

In July we took several day trips.

We rode to Jackson Tennessee stopping at the Train Depot, Rock-A-Billy Museum, Casey Jones Museum, and Train Depot.

Train Depot in Jackson Tennessee

We also rode to Tullahoma Tennessee to tour the George Dickel Distillery, the Science Museum, and Beechcraft Air Museum

Beechcraft Air Museum.

In August Hubby and I rode to Birmingham, Alabama to visit the Iron Works Historical State Park. 

Iron Works Historical State Park

We rode to Pulaski, Tennessee where we toured the Milky Way Farms. (The farm built by the candy giant of Milky Way Candy 

Milky Way Farms 

We also rode to Murfreesboro, Tennessee where we toured the Stones River National Battlefield, Oaklands Historic House/Museum, and Cannonsburg Village.

Cannonsburg Village Murfreesboro, TN

My daughter decided to leave Rhode Island and move to Fort Myers to work, so at the end of September, I flew to Rhode Island so I could help her move to Fort Myers.

We spent the first day on the road stopping in Columbia, South Carolina to spend the night with one of my daughter's friends.

The next day, back on the road stopping in Frampton Visitor Center in South Carolina. The Frampton was an old plantation home. We stopped at Savannah National Refuge and Museum in Hardeeville, Ga.

Our next stop was the waterfront in Savannah, GA, and ended the day at my cousin, Marjorie Goodrich. We spent the evening catching up on family and we spent the night.

The next day we continued our travel to Fort Myers, arriving at the fully furnished apartment that my daughter had rented.

Some of the places that we visited while I was in Florida were Sanibel Island, Fort Myers River Walk, Big Cypress National Preserve, Ochopee Smallest Post Office, Everglade Museum and boat ride, Mound House at Estero Island, Edison/Ford’s winter homes, Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium, Manatee Park, Shell factory, Lakes Park, Slough Preserve. We attended a Pirates Festival, Zombie Festival, and Oktoberfest. 

Mother and Daughter in Fort Myers Florida

In November my husband and I rode to Meridian, MS, and toured the Jimmy Rodgers Museum, grave, and Blues Trail.

Jimmy Rodger Statue

I attended the wedding & shower of Chase Wanner.

My husband and I enjoyed watching the Christmas fireworks show at Bridge Street Town Centre.

I spent three days beside my middle son who was in the hospital for three days with mini strokes. 

We rode to Nashville, Tennessee where we toured A Country Christmas at the Opryland Hotel which was beautifully decorated for the holidays.

We walked through the Nutcracker’s magical & colorful carved Ice Sculptures.

Manger Scene in Carved Ice Sculptures

Pier on Beach in Biloxi, MS

My husband and I traveled to Gulf Shores where we spent two nights and three days. 

We traveled to Biloxi, MS, where we took a trolley tour of the historic downtown area.

We traveled to Pensacola, FL where we toured the Historic Village of Pensacola. 

We had an eventful ride home watching people dart in and out of traffic. We saw several wrecks, and traffic backed up for miles.

style="font-family: "courier new", "courier", monospace; font-size: xx-small;">

We watch my niece and other members of our church entertain us with their salute to our Lord Jesus Christ.