🎄🎄🎄🎄2016 November 26, Saturday, Tinsel Trail, Bridge Street and Christmas Card Lane.

I had a fun day, my sister-in-law rode to Huntsville with me? 

We stopped in Athens at Duck Pond to see their Christmas tree trail but, only one Christmas Tree was decorated, so we did not stop.

We stopped at Chick-fil-a in Athens where I bought a large Ice tea. 

We rode to Huntsville to see the Tinsel Trail at Big Spring Park.

This year all the Christmas Trees were located near the YMCA because the Big Spring park area near the Art Museum was still under construction.

I am not sure how many trees were decorated but I took lots of pictures. 
The sun was bright, as we walked through the Big Spring Park looking at the Christmas Trees but it was cold in the shade. 
Several times we would come out of the shade into the sun just to warm up. 
We walked through Tinsel Trail twice. 
We wanted to make sure we did not miss any Christmas Trees. We heard several Christmas Carols coming from the loudspeakers overhead. 

Some of my favorite Christmas Trees!!!

Santa in a Helicopter Christmas Tree

Minnie Mouse Christmas Tree 

Troll Christmas Tree 

Owl Christmas Tree

We watched the ducks and fish swimming in the canal, near the Christmas Tree Trail. 

When we were leaving we rode passed Huntsville Hospital looking at all the nearby shops. 

From Governor's Drive, I took 565, exiting onto Old Madison Pike.
We were going to the Bridge Street Centre.

I parked the van near Book-a-million, and we walked inside to use the restrooms. While standing in line in the restroom I met a woman from Madison and we began to talk. I was telling her about going to Tinsel Trail. She said I am glad you told me about the Tinsel Trail, I think we will go today. 
We came out of the restroom and ended up talking for at least 15 minutes.
As we were leaving I said have a Merry Christmas and New Year. She said hope you have the same. 

My sister-in-law had never visited Bridge Street, she said I wished we had something like this back home.

We saw the man-made pond with a large white Reindeer and Christmas ornaments, the carousel, several larger white reindeer, and lots of decorations strung down the center of Bridge Street. 

As we crossed over the bridge we saw Piper & Leaf Artisan Tea.
They had four different samples Cherry Christmas, Caramel Apple Pie, Mistle Grove, and Pumpkin Moonshine Tea. I tried them all, my favorite was the Caramel Apple Pie. 

Piper & Leaf Artisan Tea booth

I ask the owner of the Pumpkin Moonshine Tea had real moonshine in it. 
The young man said you can add your own.  

The Christmas at the end of Bridge Street was decorated in largely white, silver, and gold balls, with a star on top but the twinkling lights were not on. 

Standing in front of the Christmas tree that was near Monaco Theater was a young girl singing Christmas Carols.
Several children were running along the water's edge. 

Christmas Tree, children playing, and young girl singing @ Bridge Street Town Centre

My sister-in-law and I stood listening to the young girl sing when she finished the second song we left and walked back to the van, that was parked near Books-a-million.

In Madison, we rode past several homes that had large handmade Christmas Cards sitting on their front lawns. (Christmas Card Lane)

It was after 2 PM when we stopped at Chick-fil-a in Athens for lunch.
We both ordered kids' two-piece chicken meal, with waffle fries and ice cream in a cup. 

Chick-fil-a Christmas Tree in Athens 

We rode west on 72 with the sun shining brightly in our faces.
It seemed quite warm but the thermometer in my car read 56 degrees.

I guess everyone was out yesterday for Black Friday or was at home for the Alabama Football Game because the traffic was light. 

It had been a great day for going outside and I needed the long walk, after all the food I ate at the  Thanksgiving dinners.  
Earlier that morning it had been ice on my windshield, as the day progressed it warmed up.

We were home by 3:30 PM.  

2016 October 1, Saturday Banana Puddin' Festival, Car Show and Quilt Show Centerville, TN

I could not sleep and was up at 3AM watching TV and writing in my journal.
Ate a banana and two pieces of sausage for breakfast.
We were on the road by 7:30AM taking our time as we rode to Centerville.
The sun was just coming over the horizon and there was a cloud of mist that covered the ground.

We travel north on hwy 43 turning left on hwy 50 near Columbia.
Vendors were still sitting up at their booths when we arrived.
We walked around the square downtown, stopping and looking inside the old courthouse which housed several vendors.
Outside we stopped in front of the chicken wire MINI Pearl to take a couple of pictures.

Minnie Pearl 

We followed the signs to the open field where the Banana Pudding  Festival was being held.
Inside the gate, we were asked if we were first-timers and were given a banana sticker with first-timers written across the banana. There were several people placing pins on a large map to show where people were from.

Monkey Head

Smokey the Bear

Entering the Pudding Festival 

The woman said we have thousands of people from all over the world that come to our festival. We have a couple that come from Australia every year.

The Cook-off
The cook-off consisted of ten contests, we watched the first five.
Each contest made two of the same puddings, one for the judges to sample, along with samples passed out to the audience to judge.
The first pudding was to be auctioned off.

The first 5 contestants in the Cook-off

One of the contestant's Banana Puddin dishes

At 10AM we were at the Puddin' Path for 10 samples of different banana puddings.

The Puddin' Path Samples 

#1 Moon Pie Banana 

Baked by the Puddin'

Baked By: Bon Aqua United Methodist Church 

#2 The Chisel (Chocolate)

Baked by: Fairfield Church of Christ Youth

#3 White Chocolate & Caramel Banana Pudding

Baked by the Relay for Life: Friends of Hope Team

#4Bell’s Best Banana Pudding

Baked by: Shady Grove United Methodist Church 

 #5Pickadeli at the Hicadeli

Baked by Thomas Hickman Hospital

#6 Pudding & Pearls Banana Pudding

Baked by: Centerville Woman’s Club

7#Caramel Cheese Cake Banana Pudding

Baked by: East Hickman Baptist Youth

8#Party-lIne Banana Pudding

Baked by: Nunnelly United Methodist Church 

9#Classic Southern Banana Pudding

Baked by: Mt Zion AME Church 

#10Cinnamon Roll Banana Pudding

Baked by CrossRoads Cowboy Church

The puddings consist of bananas inside a variety of puddings, from various organizations.
Each organization had baked the pudding to raise money for their cause.
The Pudding path cost was $5 per person.
Once you tasted each pudding you could vote for your favorite with a donation.

We could not eat all the samples, some were very good, some not so good.
My favorite was the cheesecake banana pudding.

We stayed to listen to a couple songs sung and played by a group of three young people from the same family.

We strolled through the park, stopping to examine what each vendor had to offer.
We stopped at the car show and took several pictures.
We saw a replica of Mini Peal riding in a jeep.
From the car show, we walked a few blocks to The First Baptist Church on 123 Church Street to look at the Hickman County Quilt Guild.
The show featured, "Something old, Something new"!
Their mission is to promote an interest in the art of quilting.

Something Old, something new 

Two of the sweet ladies that we met at the Quilt show

My quilt pick!

We rode to Grinders Switch Grinder's Switch
Grinders Switch was the fictional hometown of the comic character Minnie Pearl, created and portrayed at the Grand Ole Opry by comedian Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon, who grew up in the nearby Colleyville neighborhood of Centerville.

Watertower at Grinders Switch 

Grinders Switch 1940

Minnie Pearl said, People always ask me, "Where is Grinder's Switch?"

As I grow older, the place is no longer a little, abandoned landing switch on a railroad in Hickman County. Grinder's Switch is a state of mind -- a place where there is no illness, no war, no unhappiness, no political unrest, and no tears. It's a place where there's only happiness --where all you worry about is what you are going to wear to the church social, and if your feller is going to kiss you in the moonlight on the way home. 

I wish all of you a Grinder's Switch

On our way home we stopped at Ponderosa in Lawrence to eat an early dinner and late lunch.
We both ordered a steak and salad.

We still had a couple of hours to visit the Oktoberfest in St Florine.
The tractor was loaded with passengers as we approached.
We loaded into the wagon and rode around the festival.

Riding in the Wagon 

Oktoberfest

The Senior Center building was full of history about the German families that had settled in St Florine.
We walked inside but I stopped at the first display and began talking to one of the family members that lived in the area.
By the time I stopped talking the festival was about over.

Maybe I can return tomorrow