2018 Christmas Letter Activies

 Well, another year has come and gone. Hope you and your family had a good year!

We had a lot going on this year. 

Enclosed are some of the activities our family did this year. 

(We had lots of cold weather in Jan & February)

Jan 9, Day Trip: Hubby and I rode to Decatur Wildlife Refuge

Jan 15, Day Trip, Hubby & I rode to Dodge City

Jan 25, Attended Wade Hall Post Cards @ Florence Library 

Jan 31, Trip to Saraland & Dolphin Island with my friend Wanda

FEBRUARY 

Feb 1- 4 Cruise to Cozumel, Mexico with my friend Wanda 

Feb 1, Boarded Ship 

Feb 2, Fun Day @ Sea

Feb 3, Spent a day at Cozumel, Mexico 

Feb 4, Fun Day @ Sea
Feb 5, traveled home 

Feb 9, Worked @ Killen Book Store 9–1 P.M.

Feb 19-21 Trip Hubby & I stayed @ Christmas Inn, Pigeon Forge, TN

Feb 14, Valentine Brunch @ CBS

Feb 21, Grandson Jake Hughes's BIRTHDAY DINNER

Feb 24/25 Trip Hubby & I stayed @ Joe Wheeler Lodge for Wildlife Photo Weekend.

MARCH

Mar 2, Children's Museum of Shoals with Great Granddaughter Ava Grace 

Mar 1, Attended Get Dirty @ Library Petals & Pollinators

Mar 6, Hubby & Rode to Waynesboro  

Mar 8, Attended Get Dirty @ Library Vegetable Garden & Seed Swap

Mar 9,  Worked @ Killen Book Store 9–1 P.M.

On Mar 10, I attended Laura Murray's "Coloring Alabama" class at the Florence Library.

Mar 11, Attended Wedding Shower for Granddaughter Hannah
Mar 12, Attended Bi-Centennial Party, Florence @ Wilson Park 

Mar 19, Bought Nissan Murano @ Landers McCary Nissan Huntsville

Mar 22, Attended Get Dirty @ Library Garden Landscapes & Pest Management

Mar 25, Attended @ Help with my dad's 91st Birthday party @ Cloverdale Senior Center

Mar 27, Attended Appreciation dinner @ Killen Senior Center 

Mar 28, Day Trip to Huntsville with Hubby to Landers McCary Nissan, ate lunch @ Mama's Taco Community of Providence & Red Stone Arsenal  

Mar 29, Attended Get Dirty @ Library Urban Forestry & Tree Maintenance 

Mar 30, Served @ Passover Sadar @ Killen Baptist Church 

Mar 31, Attended Ava Grace's 3rd Birthday Party 

APRIL

Apr 1, Easter Sunday Service

Apr 3, Day Trip, Hubby & I rode to Lawrenceburg, Davey Crocket Park 

April 4, Hubby & I played Bingo at Chick-fil-a

Apr 7, Walking Tour Florence Federal Courthouse, Library & Kennedy Douglas Museum

Apr 10: Had tint put on the new car and attended the Hansel & Gretel play at the Florence Library.                                                   

On Apr 11, Hubby and I attended the Social Security Retirement Dinner at Red Lobster.

On Apr 12, I worked at Killen Bookstore from 9:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M.

Apr 13, Stormed all day.

Apr 17, Day Trip: My Hubby and I rode to Huntsville, UAH, Ditto Landing, and Red Lobster.

On Apr 20, Hubby and I attended the Hansel & Gretel Play at UNA 

Apr 21, Attended Blue Star Dedication, Train Depot Museum, Decatur 

Apr 28, Attended Walking tour, Athens State University Library, Delmore Museum & Founders Hall

MAY 

May 2, Music in Wilson Park with Justin Holder

May 7, Dolores Hydock @Muscle Shoals Library It's The Little Things

May 9, Music in Wilson Park with Mike Curtis & Garrett Miles 

May 11, Worked at Killen Book Store 9–1 P.M. 

May 13, Mother's Day: I enjoyed a steak meal at Ron's Wind Chimes, flowers, a gift card, and a potted plant. 

May 16, Music in Wilson Park with Shannon Knight

May 17: Enjoyed listening to Kate Campbell at the Music Hall of Fame from 3–4 P.M. and Josh Goforth at the Florence Library from 5–6 P.M.

May 18, Attended Storytelling Festival at Shoals Theater at Legends

May 19, Attended Storytelling Festival at Shoals Theater at City Hardware

May 23, Music in Wilson Park with Joseph Baldwin 

JUNE

May 29-June 2 Trip to Gulf Shores

Jun 2 Birth: Anthony River Hughes, Great Grandson

Jun 8, Worked at Killen Book Store 9–1 P.M.

Jun 8, Wedding Rehearsal, Hannah Hughes & Chad Menard

Jun 9, the Wedding of Hannah and Chad Menard

Jun 9, Lecture of Winston's @ Helen Keller Library 1:30–11:30 A.M. 

Jun 10, Day Trip Nashville Airport 

Jun 16, Day Trip NASA @ Big Spring Park & RSA 

Jun 29, Crows, Chirp, & Bray Wildlife @Helen Keller Library 11–12 P.M.

JULY

Jul 6, Echoes and Howls Wildlife Program, Sheffield Library, 10 A.M.

Jul 10, Day Trip Veterans Museum & Rollo's Cafe, Huntsville 

Jul 13, Killen Book Store 9–1 P.M.

Jul 18, Day Trip: Franklin Toured Carter, Lotz House & Carton Plantation Museums

Jul 23, Summer Solos with Tosha Hill 11- 30-12:30

Jul 24, BEHIND THE MUSIC – SONGS & STORIES OF THE KGB SERIES 1 2–3 P.M.

Jul 25, BEHIND THE MUSIC – SONGS & STORIES OF THE KGB SERIES 2 2–3 P.M.

Jul 26, BEHIND THE MUSIC – SONGS & STORIES OF THE KGB SERIES 3 2–3 P.M.

Jul 27 Songwriters Showcase Series #4 2–3 P.M. MARK NARMORE & 

Aug

Aug 6-8 Trip Little Rock, Arkansas 

Aug 12, A Brief History of Education in Florence 2–3 P.M.

Aug 16, Day Trip South Haven, MS 

Aug 22, Day Trip to Tupelo, MS 

Aug 23, Get Dirty at the Library: Fall Vegetable

Aug 30: Get Dirty at the Library Cut Flowers

Sept

Sept 2, Kept great-grandson River Anthony Hughes

Sept 6, Get Dirty at the Library: Backyard fruits

Sept 14, Worked at Book Store 9–1 P.M.

Sept 15, New Bethel Reunion 9–3 P.M.

Sept 16, Lecture on Native Americans at Indian Mound 

Sept 20, Kept great-granddaughter Ava Grace

Sept 22, Day Trip Toured Weeden House & Huntsville Depot  

Oct

Oct 5, Day Trip to Oktoberfest and Museum Cullman with sister-in-law

Oct 6, Oktoberfest St Florian

Oct 7, Lecture: Life in the Highlands with George Makowski 

Oct 9, Day Trip to Dickson, TN 

Oct 12, Worked at Book Store 9-1

Oct 14, Tuscumbia Art Museum lecture: Truths and Legends TVA

Oct 15, Day Trip: GPS System checked & Oil change at Nissan of Huntsville, ate at Red Robin at Bridge St 

Oct 19, took Ron and Ava Grace (great-granddaughter) to Home Depot, Lowe's, & Halloween Store to see Halloween Displays 

Oct 21, Lecture at Florence Library about James VI & I 

Oct 24, Lecture at Florence Library, Doctors of Death, 6–7 P.M.

Oct 25, Class Diabetes & Healthy Cooking 11:30-12:30, Florence Library 

On Oct 28, I watched the River and went to the Renaissance Faire

On the 29th, Hubby and I took Ava Grace to treat Elgin

On the 30th, Hubby and I took Ava Grace to the Town of Killen

Nov 

Nov 1, Healthy Cooking, Florence Library, 11:30 A.M.–12:30 P.M.

Nov 3: Forks of Cypress Tour, Shoals Business Expo, and Cruising Wheeler Lake 

Nov 4, Athens Cemetery Stroll 

Nov 6, Day Trip Natchez Trace, Leipers Fork, and Cool Springs Mall, Franklin, TN

Nov 8: Cooking for High Blood Pressure, Florence Library, 11:30 A.M.–12:30 P.M.

Nov 9, Worked at Killen Book Store 9–1 P.M.

Nov 11-16, Trip to the Smoky Mountains with cousin Sherry & Aunt Bobby

Nov 16, Tidwell's Thanksgiving dinner

Nov 19, Took Mike for a Colonoscopy at ECM Hospital 812, Lunch at Five Guys 

Nov 22, Thanksgiving Dinner @ Mike's (my son)

Nov 24, Worked at Killen Book Store 

Nov 25, Trees of Christmas, TVA Museum, and Addressed Christmas Cards & Wrapped presents

Nov 27, Tinsel Trail, Big Spring Park with Hubby

Nov 28, Legend of Toyland, Roxy Theater, Russellville, with Hubby

Nov 29, Kennedy Douglas Art Museum Quilt Display

Dec 2, Trees of Christmas TVAA

Dec 2, Took Ava Grace to Santa Land in Elgin with Hubby

Dec 4, went to Nashville to see Grinch Ice, Opryland Hotel, 3 Gardens decorated for Christmas, and Opry Mills Mall

On Dec 7, I took Ava Grace to Killen Town Hall for the Christmas Program and to see Santa

Dec 13, Christmas Dinner, and listen to storyteller Dolores Hydock at Club Florence

Dec 15, Hubby and I attended the Leipers Fork Christmas Parade

Dec 17, Hubby and I visited the North Pole Christmas Tree Stroll, Madison's Magical Christmas Tree Stroll, Madison's Christmas Card Lane, Wheeler Wildlife Refuge, and the Enchanted Forest Christmas Tree Stroll in Decatur, and enjoyed a Grinch Pancake at IHOP. 

Dec 21, Christmas Dinner at Tidwell's

Dec 22, Christmas Dinner at Mike's 

Dec 25, Breakfast at Mike's 

I journal all my activities and take several pictures, which helps keep my memories alive. 

I hope each and every one enjoys the holidays.

May the new year bring good fortune, good health, and love.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from our house to yours 

PS: MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR FOR 2019

Me & Santa @Incredible Christmas Store in Pigeon Forge, TN 

2013~ October 1, Tuesday, Trip to Red Bay, Alabama “The Way we worked”

On October 1, 2013, my husband and I drove to Red Bay, Alabama, to see the traveling Smithsonian exhibit" The Way We Worked."

My husband drove west on Highway 72; at Pride, he turned left onto Highway 247.

We saw rugged mountains with towering forests along Highway 247. The trees were green with a hint of yellow and orange, not quite ready for autumn.

We had to wait several minutes because a large road machine was digging, doing some kind of road construction. We also passed several log trucks and several horse trailers; there must have been a horse show nearby.

Road Construction

Log Truck

"The Way We Worked" is a collection of black-and-white images from the National Archives.

The display will be at the Weatherford Center on Main Street from September 14 to October 25, 2013.

"The Way We Worked"

"Another collection being displayed is Music Works" from the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. 

"Theater Works" is Storytelling & Local Movies at the Weatherford Center. 

"Quilt Works" is displayed at Red Bay Library next to the Weatherford Centers. 

Many first-, second and third-class ribbons were given away in many categories for the quilts. 

In the Machine Child Category, Fiona Oliver won first Place (Christmas Scene), and Christianly Carter took third Place (Stork Scene).

The Auburn (eagle) and Alabama (the elephant) quilts were side by side; they were rival teams.

There was a cross-stitched quilt by Lucille Horton given as a wedding gift in July 1983, 

A quilt made by Granny Burcham for Hazel Hall in 1947, it was a friendship quilt (each block was made by different individuals, with the names of family members on the blocks. These quilts were often raffled off as fundraisers.)

An Alabama National Champion quilt displaying dates of: 1979, 1992, 2009, 2011, 2012

A Cathedral window tie-hanging quilt made by Dianne Bentley (the governor's wife) from ties belonging to Governor Robert Bentley.

Josiah Oliver (second Place) and Cindy Carter (first Place) made a couple of Alabama quilts in the children's contest.

The back wall of the Placehe Library was made of quilts of many shapes, sizes, and designs.

Alabama Quilt

Our walk in Red Bay was on a bright, sunny October day. We followed the tracks for tourists on "The Way We Worked Smithsonian Tour."

We saw many of Red Bay's old buildings with murals depicting the lives of its people. Starting with A.M. Nix Barbecue, Bay Theater, Morrow, Red Bay Café, Red Bay Grocery, Red Bay Ice and Gin Company, Red Bay School, Rob Orrick's Hamburger's, T. D. Jackson's Meat Market, The Calaboose, The depot and hotel, the old Medical clinic, the style shop, the well, Thompson's seed and feed, Wilson Read to Wear and ending with Yarber's Grist Mill. 

Murals Red Bay 

Murals Red Bay 

Down the street from the Red Bay Museum is History Works, where you can find local treasures from years past.

 Red Bay Museum 

 Red Bay Museum 

"The Way We Lived" inside Red Bay's Museum was the original sign and staircase of The Red Bay Hotel, which is now being restored.

We saw a Cary Safe from Buffalo, NY, a sign from Faust Rexall Drugs, a counter from a hardware store, a soda fountain from a drug store, a sign from Naber's & Co., a Cash Store, an antiquated Coca-Cola drink machine, dippers that were used at the old well, the ceiling, light fixtures, and seats from the old Red Bay theater.

There were medical instruments used by a local physician, a computing scale for Sagle Co from Dayton, Ohio, and items donated by several different churches. There were also military uniforms on display, worn by local veterans of Red Bay.

There was a sign that said "Condimental Ginning System," items from the old train depot, and farm tools of every kind. 

There were several rooms, each with a different theme, depicting life in Red Bay, Alabama.

The top floor was full of Tammy Wynette's items.

 Tammy Wynette Dresses

 Tammy Wynette Dresses

 Tammy Wynette Dresses

It was getting past lunchtime, and we asked where a good local restaurant was, but all they had to offer were chain Restaurants. 

So we stopped at Jack's, where I ordered chicken fingers with green beans and water. 

After lunch, we headed north on Highway 24. 

There was a lot of construction along this highway, and it is far from being finished.

We drove through downtown Russellville.

We stopped on Jackson Avenue, where I took pictures of the town and some historic markers. Next, we stopped at the Historic Roxy Theater, where I took photos of the theater and historical markers.

Historic Roxy Theater 

Historic Roxy Theater 

We drove further down the street, and I spied an old cemetery called Sadler. 

We stopped in Littleville, Alabama, to take a picture of the historical marker about Captain Benjamin Little, who lived in historic Littleville. 

Littleville 

History of Littleville, Alabama 
Capt. Benjamin F. Little, a former Confederate soldier, opened a store here after the 1887 construction of the Tuscumbia to Russellville railroad. A train station and several houses were soon erected. A rail spur provided access to nearby iron ore mines. Capt. A.H. Keller owned a sandstone quarry and summer Resort called Fern Quarry near Keller Springs just north of the town in the 1880s and 1890s. The stone was used to construct a blast furnace and commercial buildings in Sheffield. In 1917, Jackson Highway (U.S. Hwy 43) was built along the general route of the old Jackson Military Road. (continued on the other side) (continued from the other side) According to local lore, early settler Hezekiah Tharp's wife, Nancy, was the daughter of Chickasaw Chief George Colbert (the county is named for him and his brother, Levi). Ligon Springs, 1~1/2 miles west, was a popular summer Resort in the 1870s. The water was advertised as a cure for dropsy, dyspepsia, sore eyes, kidney diseases, and more. By 1910, Littleville had a population of 30. Its merchants were J.D. Bullington, general merchandise; G.W. Hargett, lumber; M.C. Murray, general merchandise; L.O. Breitling, bakery; and C.J. Brockway, lawyer. The town was incorporated in 1956, and Frank Bullington became the first mayor.

All the way home, I snapped pictures of the winding roads, the towering trees, old and new houses, and signs, and I did not stop until it was dark.

My husband grilled pork chops when we came home, while I made creamed potatoes and mixed vegetables. 

A good home-cooked hot meal is a great way to end the day.