2021 Feb 2, Day trip to Guntersville, Alabama & Ground Hog Day

Hubby and I rode to Guntersville via Hartselle. We were in Muscle Shoals, so we took 72 to 157 through Moulton, turning 36 into Hartselle. We saw Oh! Bryans is my hubby's favorite place to eat. We had planned to eat at Libby's in Priceville, but since we had taken a different route and would not go past Libby's, we decided to stop in Hartselle. The food was great at a reasonable price. We like to take the back roads when traveling because you never know what treasures you may find. I loved the way that they had decorated Oh! Bryans. At the front where you check out was the front of an old car(57' Chevy), and not far away was the backend of two other cars used for waiting benches. If you ever are in Hartselle, you need to check out OH! Bryans.

 O'Bryan's Hartselle 

Eating steak, sweet potato, and toast

Salad Bar food

I ordered the sirloin steak with sweet potato and a glass of water with lemon. Hubby ordered a Delmonico steak and baked potato with salad. After lunch, we rode to Guntersville State Park, where we saw several deer. Stopped at the pier in Guntersville, where we saw hundreds of Double-crested Comomorants and Sea Gulls. We stopped at Ollie's in Madison and bought a couple scissors. We stopped at Russell Stovers in Athens, where hubby and I both ordered a small waffle cone with ice cream. (Rockie Road). Then on to Aldi for a few groceries, then home. The sun came out, but the temperature hung around 42 degrees all day. After a long cold outing, I was ready to warm up, so I climbed into my warm bed and fell asleep.

flock of birds

Deer

2020 Jan 31-Feb 2, Woman's Retreat Joe Wheeler Lodge ( 3 days)

 Friday afternoon check-in lodge & received a package for the entire retreat. 

We ate a fried catfish meal with salad for dinner, and after dinner, we walked around the lodge. 

Eating Catfish at Joe Wheeler 

Catfish, baked potato, hush puppies, tarter Sauce, butter, sour cream 

We went back to our room until it was time for our pajama movie "Steel Magnolia."

There were snacks to eat while watching the movie, but I was too full to eat. 

Could not believe that I enjoyed watching an old movie with a bunch of strangers. 

After the movie, everyone retired to their rooms for the night.

Saturday morning, we ate a light breakfast followed by painting class from 8-9:30AM.

Hello Spring Painting 

Next, we created a bath balm from 9:45 to 11:15AM.

From 11:30-12PM, we danced.

Lunch was a Taco Salad from the food bar. 12-1PM

Self-defense form 2-3PM 

Pontoon Cruise 2-3PM

The women who had registered for the 2PM boat ride loaded onto the Pontoon boat for a one-hour ride on the Tennessee River, where our guide pointed out points of interest and waterfowl. 

Boats at Joe Wheeler 

Pontoon Boat ride

Self-Defense 4:15-5:15PM  

Went back to our room to rest until dinner.

Roll, Porkchop, Vegetables

Our guest speaker was Lee Marshall at 7:30PM. Kids to love. 

It was a beautiful Sunday morning the sun was coming up, and the waterfowl astir. 

Waterfowl at Joe Wheeler Lake 

Waterfowl at Joe Wheeler Lake 

I saw a herd of deer on the road as I was leaving. 

A herd of Deer at Joe Wheeler State Park 

2020 Jan 27, Enjoying a warm winter's day

It was so nice to finally see 👀the sun today, with a nip of cold air still about. I have not been out much because of the cold winter rain. 

I rode to the Rock Pile at TVA Dam, hoping to see an eagle and maybe some waterfowl.

I saw a few waterfowl but no eagles. 

I met  Steve Lovell, a great photographer who has a website on Facebook where he posts some of his photographs.

TVA Dam & Waterfowl 

I stopped at the TVAM to view the art on display that was donated by Wanda and Bill Isom. 

Every room was filled with art that they had collected over the years. One room was filled with Japanese block art. 

The hall was filled with the art of birds. 

The Main gallery was full of large lithography of birds. 

In the back room was a variety of art, including a Norman Rockwell piece and a Van Gogh piece. 

Loved the displays.

White Muted Swan

Canadian Geese 

Domestic geese

My next stop was Spring Park ( Growing up, I spent many hours playing at this park).

Spring Park has a man-made waterfall that is fed by a spring that flows into the pond below. 

Permanent residents are two Muted White Swans.

Other waterfowl that can be found here are Black Muscovy Ducks, White  Muscovy Ducks, Domestic Ducks, Mallard Ducks, Canadian Geese, and others. 

It's a great place to get pictures of waterfowl. 

We had a lot of rain this year, and Spring Park was flooded. A couple of rides were completely covered in water and are no longer in use.  

My granddaughter-in-law owns a beauty school in Sheffield, so I stopped in to visit with her and my great-grandson. Hayne is just a doll, so cute, lovable, and sweet. 

Big Box of Chicken and fixin' from Bojangles

Hubby would be home from work soon, so I stopped at Bojangles to pick up a box of chicken and the fixings for supper. 🍗

It was a beautiful day, not too hot or not too cold. 

Hope we have more days like today.

2020 Jan 6, Outing to Decatur, Alabama Birds of Prey, Waterfowl

Owl 

Today, Hubby and I rode to Decatur we ate breakfast at IHOP and went to Wheeler Wildlife Refuge, where we saw Whooping and Sandhill Cranes. 

We saw a small group of schoolchildren and several adults with cameras. We watched a 12-minute movie about the Refuge and walked among the Cypress Trees.

Sandhill Cranes

On the Atkeson Cypress Boardwalk, we saw these gorgeous Cypresses submerged deep in the swam. 

 We stopped at Ingalls Harbor, & Rhodes Ferry Park.

Tern Perched on a pole at Ingalls Harbor. 

We ate lunch at Jack's, hamburgers and fried pies
 We stopped at Wheeler Dam, where we saw hundreds of Terns diving for fish. We also saw hundreds of Terns perched along the entrance to the locks and hundreds of Cormorants perched below the dam. It was a beautiful day for an outing.

At Rhodes Ferry Park, we saw the train lift bridge that once bridged Lauderdale to Colbert County, Alabama. 

At Wheeler Dam, we saw Terns diving into the Swift Tennessee River. 

The Tuscumbia, Courtland, and Decatur Railroad was the only railway line in the country used to transport the Cherokee people during forced removal. 

Linking Decatur to the Cherokee Indian Removal during the Trail of Tears. 
On this river in front of you, 2,300 Cherokee people arrived in waves, forced from their Tennessee Valley homeland from 1837 to 1838. The steamer Knoxville towed flatboats loaded with Cherokee families. Heavy rains soaked their clothes. The cold wind whipped off the water. They survived on cornmeal and flour fried in bacon grease. Once docked here at Decatur Landing, the Cherokee boarded cramped train cars. Their journey west continued along the rails.

✈️✈️✈️2019 Mar 24-30, Trip to Naples, Florida

Sunday, May 24, 2019

Southwest Airlines Flight 1066 

Leaves BNA at 10:15 at Gate C19, boarding group B. Position 3 arriving at FLL at 1:25 AM 

Hubby took me to Nashville airport. We ate dinner at Red Robin Spring Hill we split a hamburger and fries at 6:55 PM.

Monday, March 25, 2019

It was a one-and-a-half-hour drive to Naples, so it was early morning when we arrived at Lora’s apartment. We both slept late.

For breakfast, I ate a slice of raisin bread and a banana. 

Lora had an infusion in Fort Myers that day, so I rode with her. We stopped at Bass Pro Shop just off I-75, address 10040 Gulf Center, Fort Myers.

At Bass Pro Shop, we saw river fish, ocean fish, raccoons, black bears, waterfowl, alligators, and Everglades.

The bartender said I could come inside and take pictures of the tropical fish and coral reefs in the aquarium. Hanging on the walls, we saw Southern Stingrays, Great Hammer Head Shark, Sailfish, yellow tuna, and black-tip sharks.

Outside, we saw an old blue Red Head Pickup and a Great Gray Heron Bench where people could sit.

Red Head Pickup 

coral reef in the aquarium

I bought a pair of sunglasses to block out the sun for my eyes were giving me a fit. 

Lora gave one of her Zyrtecs for allegories and some saline to wash out my eyes. 

She also gave me one of her steroid tablets for infection. 

At lunch, we stopped at Chick-fil-A. Lora and I split a salad, and each ordered a chicken sandwich with water to drink at location 5825 Airport Pulling Rd Naples, FL. 

I was so tired from the day's adventures and not getting enough sleep that I fell asleep on the sofa while Lora and Jackie went shopping.

Tuesday, March 26, 2019 

Lora had an early morning infusion, so I watched TV until she returned. I ate a banana and a slice of raisin bread for breakfast. 

Lora made a ham, cheese, avocado, and spinach sandwich on toasted bread and fruit salad for lunch. 

We rode to Clam Bay Beach 410 Seagate Drive Naples, Fl 34103, where we took the trolley down the walkway to the beach.

Clam Bay Beach 

Pelican at Clam Bay Beach 

The Park consists of 35 acres of mangrove forest, coastal dunes, and 3200 linear feet of beach on the Gulf of Mexico. There is a boardwalk, which provides access to the beach through a mangrove forest. The boardwalk is about three-quarters of a mile long and can be walked, or you can catch a ride on a free tram that runs continuously throughout the day.

We saw several people on the beach, boaters, and people fishing. We saw waterfowl flying overhead and in the water. A dolphin and manatee were spotted.  We saw children playing in the sand. We saw a couple of children fishing and catching fish.

We saw a sign that said Welcome to Clam Pass Park. A sign that read Shells of Paradise Coast, which included worm shells, Calico Scallops, Mon Snail, Olive shells, fighting conch, Sandollar, Lighting Welk, Starfish, and Horse Conch. There was a sign about Palmetto and Fakahatchee grass.http://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/ornamentals/fakahatchee.html

All-day parking was $8.

We rode back to the apartment and walked around the lake, where we saw a few birds. 

At 7:30, we rode to Vanderbilt Beach on Pelican Bay to watch an amazing sunset. 

Sunset on Vanderbilt Beach 

Located at 280 Vanderbilt Beach Road, Naples, FL 34102, at the end of Vanderbilt Beach Road, Vanderbilt Beach County Park borders the Gulf of Mexico, near plenty of hotels, shopping, and restaurants. 

We met Jackie and Geo on the beach, along with hundreds of people watching the sun melt into the bay.

What a way to end the day! We ate pizza for supper. Jackie’s boyfriend spent the night.

Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Lora and I spent the day at Naples Botanical Gardens, 4820 Bayshore Dr, Naples, FL 34112, 1-4:40PM Cost $19.99 each.💐 🌷

We browsed in the Chabraja Visitor Center.

Irma’s Garden was full of charismatic plants such as the screw pines.

Katharine’s Garden was a lush tropical landscape.

LaGrippe Orchid Garden was full of colorful, fragrant orchid species from around the world. 

Botanical Garden 

Orchid Garden

Lea Asian Garden had a Southeast Asia Javanese temple, an ancient blaze landscape filled with Bayan trees, a bamboo grove of established fruits, a lotus pool, and a stepping stone path through the garden that led to the Balinese Shrine.

Kapnick Brazilian Garden was a garden of people of great diversity and color with a very colorful wall.

Kapnick Caribbean garden was full of towering palms, tropical fruit, and vegetables.

Smith Children's Garden was full of vibrant flowers, vegetables, and butterflies, a landscape for children. We saw a bicycle, a hand pump, and a toilet decorated with flowers. We saw Flo and Joe flower people working in the vegetable garden. A large turtle made of seashells. 

Scotts Florida Garden was full of trees, palms, a cascading stream, Lake Topkie, and Deep Lake. Florida was once an ancient seafloor.

There was a 90-acre Nature sanctuary boardwalk, which we did not take.

Water Garden with a lily pool full of lily pads and a boardwalk. 

On exhibit, in the gardens, you will find Reflections on Glass: Frabel in the Garden features diverse and complex sculptures that, at times, mimic the plants within the garden. If you look, you may find parallels between Frabel’s pieces and the natural shapes of plants in forms and towering cube structures, each piece inspires viewers to discover the wonders of our living collection.

For supper, Lora and I split a chicken and shrimp Carbonara, breadsticks, and salad at Olive Garden, 1565 5th Ave S, Naples, FL 34102 we had leftovers. I used my Christmas gift card to pay. $23,37.

That night, Lora and I met several of her friends at the Comedy Club, a two-drink minimum.

I ordered two bottles of glasses of water for @2.50 each. I was too full from supper to drink, so I brought my water home. 

The show was bashing ex-spouses, which I did not think was too funny.

I enjoyed spending time with Lora’s friends.

Thursday, March 28, 2019

I ate leftovers from Olive Garden for breakfast and lunch.

We rode to the Naples Preserve Boardwalk corner of U.S. 41 North and Fleischmann Boulevard, where we walked along the boardwalk looking for box and gopher turtles. We talked with one of the park rangers walking on the bare ground, looking for turtles to make sure they were okay.

Inside the center, we saw signs telling about Naples Botanical Gardens,  Delnor-Wiggins Pass,  Rookery Bay, Collier-Seminole, Shy Wolf (Cardinal, Mocking Birds nests), boat Tailed Crackle nest) Natural Communities of Naples Preserve, Turtle Shells, What's in bloom, butterflies, bugs, Collier County, and Myrtle Oaks.

Tucan Statue

Penguin 

Seal

Our next stop was Naples Zoo, 1590 Goodlette Rd Naples, Florida 34102.

Displayed throughout the zoo was Art to Save the Sea, artwork made completely from garbage collected from beaches. 

The art we saw was Natasha the turtle, Priscilla the Faust Fish, Lidia the Seal, Rufus the Tiger Fish, American Sea Star, Daisy the Polar Bear, Grace the Humpback Whale, Gertrude the Penguin, and Chompers the Shark.

We stood in a long line to ride a slow-moving, tour-guided ferry around Monkey Island.

Very cool, enjoyable, and informative ride about Madagascar Animals

There were signs located under a thatched roof telling about Monkey Island: they were trees like nowhere else, the island of Lemurs, Bigger than any dinosaur egg, the Madagascar Ferna group helps preserve the wonders of a fragile island nation.

We saw signs about Invisible Geckos, Abundant Chameleons, Madagascar burning, and living wonders. 

We saw American Alligators, Giant Anteater, Cotton-top Tamarin, Aldabra Tortoise,  Slender Horned Gazelle, Mt Bongo, Sulcate Tortoise, Gopher Tortoise, Clouded Leopard, and others.

We watched the feeding of the giraffes and alligators. Dr. Henry Nehrling, the founder of the Botanical Garden, Henry Badger, Plains Zebra, Feeding the Alligators, Cheetah, Why the Railroad Trestle? The famous toucan sign, Dead Trees Help the Living, and Marvelous Marsh make for fabulous filters A swamp mystery, planting helps with trees for the future, Shade-grown coffee helps farmers, birds, and the land, and can you find all these birds.

Friday, March 29, 2019 

We stopped at Dollar Tree for sunscreen and snacks to take to Delnor-Wiggins State Park beach.

Located 11135 Gulf Shore Drive Naples, Fl 34108

One of the most popular seaside destinations in Naples, the mile-long stretch of white sugar sand at Delnor-Wiggins has been rated as one of the best beaches in the nation. 

We saw Gray Pelicans perched, swimming, and flying overhead. 

We saw a Fish Hawk Osprey perched in a tree holding a fish.

We saw seagulls and white egrets waiting for a free fish from a fisherman.

This beach was more secluded than the other beaches that we had visited. 

We rode to Naples Municipal Beach and walked out on the long pier to watch the sunset, with lots of people waiting for the sunset.

 Naples Municipal Beach Sunset

Address 25 12th Av S Naples Florida 34102 

Built in 1888 as a freight and passenger dock, The Naples Pier stands as a community landmark.

We rode to historic downtown Naples, Lora and Michelle waited in a long line of people to order our ice cream at Kilwins 743 5th Ave S, Naples, FL 34102.

Saturday, March 30, 2019

Lora had an infusion that morning, so I spent the morning with Jackie and Geo. We went to North Collier Regional Children’s Park, 15000 Livingston Rd Naples, FL.

North Collier Regional Children’s Park

Geo enjoyed playing at the Can U Dig It state-of-the-art playground that looks like something from the future with a colorful, modern design.  

The sleek look packs a lot of play value. The playground includes slides, swings, and climbing apparatus, but it takes play a step further.  Kids can spin themselves dizzy on squiggly poles, climb on boulders that look like they came from the Monument Valley, or become junior archeologists in the covered fossil dig area.

When we got ready to go, Jackie realized she had locked her keys in her car. She called her boyfriend, and he brought her a spare set.

We rode back to the apartment by this time, Lora had returned. 

Lora, Michelle, and I rode to Fort Lauderdale to spend the rest of the day before my flight. 

We Stopped at Quarterdeck Restaurant, 300 N Beach Rd Dania Beach, FL, where we ate dinner.

Quarterdeck Restaurant

Quarterdeck Restaurant

We ordered three tacos, smoked shrimp, and smoked fish with French fries, and we all drank water with lemon.

We saw British Airways, & Southwest jets fly over, so we knew the airport was close by.

You could see several towering buildings in the downtown area from Dania Pier.

We saw several cruise ships leave, so Fort Lauderdale must be a hub port for cruise ships.

There were a lot of people sitting on the beach, a few in the water. The beaches were full of seagrass, more turbulent, and not as clear as the Naples Beaches.

We watched and waited for a lift bridge to let a sailboat through. The traffic was heavy in the downtown area, so I told Lora to take me to the airport, and they could do some sightseeing.

I boarded the flight at 9:30, traveling Flight 4145, Boarding group B 23, an hour and a half flight.

Arrived in Nashville around 11:30PM. Hubby picked me up, and we rode home.

We stopped at the gas station, picked up some snacks, and rode home we arrived home around 1:30AM. 

Had a great visiting my daughter and all the places we went to,

2019 Jan 7, Day Trip to Guntersville, Alabama State Park

Hubby and I rode to Guntersville, but before we started our trip, we stopped to purchase our lottery tickets for the week and to get our weekly B12 Shots. We stopped at Foodland and purchased two canned drinks and again at McDonald's in Rogersville for two apple pies. 

What a way to start the day!

We traveled US 72 E to I65 S to I565 E to US 431 SE to Guntersville. 

We arrived in Guntersville around 11:30 AM, stopping at Lake Guntersville to take pictures of 100s of Cormorants and seagulls that were perched on the piers. 

Gulls

Cormorants

At 12:40PM, we stopped at KFC and ate from the buffet. 

I chose a chicken leg and wing, fried okra, and collard greens

After a hardy lunch, we began our adventure to Guntersville State Park.

We stopped at Guntersville State Park Birding Site #34 to take a few pictures.

Signs there said that we might see Signature Species, waterfowl, wading birds, shorebirds, and Birds of Prey sadly, we did not see a single bird at site #34.

We rode up the hill past the State Park Cabins and Lodge and down the hill to the Campgrounds, beach, and pavilion.

On our way down, we saw a doe hiding in the brush.

At the State Park Lagoon, we saw two goats and 3 Emus.

Five Donkeys 

The beach was desolate, but there were hundreds of American Coots and gulls. 

As we were leaving the beach, we saw these two do.
They came right up to the car and stopped for a picture
They were still there as we drove away.

We left Guntersville State Park around 2:30PM and headed to Bucks Pocket.
We missed our turn and rode 8 miles too far. 
Turned on our GPS, and it took us down several winding roads.

Waterfall @ Bucks Pocket State Park

We walked down to the overlook at Bucks Pocket State Park, where we saw a waterfall in the distance. 
We walked back to the car, and hubby plugged our home address into the GPS, which led us down this winding road that crossed the bridgeless South Sauty Creek. The creek water came from the waterfall we had seen earlier. Like so many backcountry roads in Tennessee, there was no bridge. There was only a poured concrete foundation where the creek flowed over the concrete. The road to the Ranger station was closed because of all the rain. Hubby said he saw tire tracks, so he felt the bridge was safe to cross. 

We stopped at Weathington Park Overlook Sections, Alabama
It overlooks the Tennessee River

The sun was setting as we entered Scottsboro, and a few clouds had drifted in, giving us a spot of rain.

It was getting dark when we stopped on the East side of Huntsville at McDonald's for dinner. 

We stopped at Dicks and Cabela's in Huntsville to look at Scopes.

We talked to a couple of employees at Dicks about scopes and camera lenses.

We watched an employee feed the fish at Cabela's.

We arrived home around 8:30PM. 

I was exhausted from all the traveling, took a shower, put on my PJs, climbed into bed, and was asleep in no time. 

On Feb 22, three young people drove across this South Sauty Creek, and their jeep was swept into the floodwaters two of the young people were rescued, and as of March 1, the third Koy Spears has not been found. 

Tennessee and Alabama have been flooded with rain. The ranger's station at this location was closed when we crossed South Sauty Creek in my opinion, the creek should have been closed. Thank God the creek was not roaring that day, but the creek was up, and you could not see the concrete.