🦋🦋🦋2016 September 8, Friday, Butterflies and Scarecrows in the Garden

Looked out my window this morning, and I saw a chipmunk scurrying around looking for food.
I grabbed my cell phone to take a video, but the chipmunk was as quick as lightning. I did get a few pictures.
I filled the hummingbird feeders with sweet, red, Nectar. 
They watched me from afar and waited until I went inside to start feeding. 
The hummingbirds are very territorial and will run off any other hummingbird trying to get Nectar from their feeder.
I put sunflowers in my regular bird feeders. 

Hibiscus

Flowers still blooming

Stopped at my son's house to give Ava Grace a Happy Meal toy, apple slices, apple juice, and her bottle full of milk she had left a few days earlier in the week. 

Stopped at the Post Office in Rogersville to buy postage stamps (with trucks on them) and mail two birthday cards. 
Stopped at the UPS store to mail a package. 

Stopped at Chick-fil-A in Athens, where I bought a kid a two-piece chicken finger meal with a fruit cup, two fingers, ice cream, honey mustard sauce, and diet Coke for lunch.  

Chick-fil-a

Exited Chick-fil-A onto hwy 72 east toward Huntsville. 

Turning right onto Slaughter Road, turning left onto Old Madison Pike. 

I followed Old Madison Pike over I-565 to Bob Wallace, stopping at 

4747 Bob Wallace at the Huntsville Botanical Gardens. 

Paid the entrance fee and began my walk through the garden

Huntsville Botanical Gardens 

My first stop was the Hobbit House, his door was shut tightly. 

Hobbit House
Our Hobbit House is inspired by J. R. R. Tolkien's book The Hobbit. Hobbits, also referred to as Hal-flings are small in size, have slightly pointed ears, are stout in stature, and have large feet. The life in houses that are built into the ground. They usually have round doors, like ours. Hobbits like to garden socialize and eat up to six meals a day if they can. 

Hobbit House 

Bird Nest 

Climb in settle down, and experience a birds-eye view in this larger-than-life bird nest. Birds, build nests from a variety of found materials, including sticks, grass, mud, feathers, horse hair, and even string. Northern Mockingbirds, Brown Thrashers, Northern Cardinals, Grey Catbirds, Blue Jay, American Crow, Bald Eagles, and Osprey build round nests with sticks, like this one. 

Next, I saw a larger-than-life bird nest. 

I walked into the bird's home and touched the egg. 

My next stop was the train village and there were scarecrows scattered throughout the town. 

Train Village with scarecrows

A new building going up at the park 

The Children's Garden.

Rabbit 

Girl 

Boy

Well
Jack and Jill
went up the hill
to fetch a pail
of water.
Jack fell down,
and Jill came
tumbling after.

Sunflowers

Maze Garden
Labyrinths and mazes have been a part of gardens since the time of England's King Arthur. Some of the World's most famous castles even have mazes.
Building a maze is harder than it looks, but we've given you everything you need to get started within the walls of our Maze Garden. 

Please No Wading 

Gold Fish 

Children's Garden 

I went inside the butterfly house where I saw three turtles sunning on a bolder. 

There was a Space Garden and a Dinosaur Garden.

Dinosaur Garden with a cool mist to walk through.

Throughout the garden were scarecrows and other sites.

Charlie Brown, Lucy in  Snoopy's Red Dog House

Frog

See Rock City Playhouse

Boathouse

Fort 

Walking through the garden would have been fun if it had not been so hot. 
Most of the time I was walking through the paths in the woods. 
I drove home from I-565 to I-65 to 72 West stopping at Arby's to pick up dinner. 

Arby's Roast Beef Sandwich 

Diet Coke 

🎃🎃🎃2014 ~ Oct 25, Saturday, Pumpkinfest Franklin, Tennessee

Saturday, October 25, Franklin, Tennessee, was having a Pumpkinfest, 

Hubby and I decided to go.

We had never been to a Pumpkinfest, and we did not know what to expect.

I put on my long, burgundy dress trimmed in black lace, with long puffed sleeves, and my black pointed hat.

I wanted to look like a wizard, and I was prepared to play the part.

When we arrived in Franklin, I did not see anyone dressed as a character, so I decided to change.

I climbed into the back of our VUE and changed into 

pink Capri jeans and a short-sleeved pink top.

It was heating up fast outside, and I would have gotten hot wearing my Wizard outfit.  

I would have made a perfect wizard.

The first thing we saw was a stage as we entered the roped-off area where the festival was underway. 

There was a stage set up where young and old alike were performing clogging.

People were sitting and standing watching the clogging. 

We stood and watched until some chairs became available. 

I was spellbound by their performances.

The clogging finished near lunchtime, so we started looking for a place to eat.

We stood in a long line just to get an all-meat hot dog; it was worth the wait!

The wiener was first boiled, then put on a very hot grill,  and served on a hot dog bun.

There was a table full of condiments for the hot dog.  

I put sauerkraut and mustard on my hot dog.

We saw a bench in front of one of the stores, so we sat there to eat our hot dogs. 

We enjoyed watching the crowds of people walking through the festival as we sat, eating our hotdogs.

It took a truck pulling this large pumpkin (sitting on bales of Hay) to get it into the festival in Franklin Square.

 People were stopping in front of the pumpkin to have their pictures taken. 

There was a weight-guessing contest for the pumpkin.

The winner would receive a $50 gift certificate to Stroud's Barbecue.

The Scarecrow and Me (he looked like he was from OZ's).

Not sure who was hugging whom!!!

Hubby also took a picture of Pokey Pig and me.

Keep calm and eat chili was the sign behind us.

There were many vendors with pots of homemade chili.

It was a chili cook-off contest to see who could make the best chili.

After eating the hot dog, we passed on the chili-eating contest. 

It was ten dollars for a two-ounce cup of chili, and you could sample from all fourteen vendors.

Even the pumpkin and skeleton were wearing smiles.

Was it from all that chili, or maybe the cold beer they were serving behind us?

Beetle Juice 

We stopped by to see Beetlejuice, before and after he lost his head.

Beetlejuice should have known swapping numbers was the same as stealing!

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, and Beetlejuice - never say Beetlejuice three times or he may come out to haunt you!!!!

Third Avenue South was the kids' section.

There were long lines of children waiting to ride the ponies and the train.

There were several different inflatables for the kids to enjoy.

. 

There was bull riding, bungee jumping, and a spider Web Mountain for the youthful. These were paid attractions.

There was a pumpkin carving contest, and it was hard to choose the best pumpkin.

The carving was done by Leiper's Fork Carving Club.

Clown with his hand on my head

A special appearance of the terrifying clown, not sure what he is doing atop my head.

Looks like he is using his horn to blow out my brains!!!! LOL

We had lots of fun, and we will return to Pumpkinfest next year if the Lord is willing!