Free Bird's Adventures

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

🚙2009 ~ April 13-19 Traveling with family to Atlanta, & Pelham Ga

Day 1; Monday, April 13, 2009

My husband took me to at 5:20 A.M. We loaded up the van and left about 5:45 A.M. The kids were actually up, ready, and had eaten breakfast.

We arrived at the around 11 A.M. We paid five dollars for parking.

We walked to the Aquarium and stood in line for tickets.

There were buses for school kids, teachers, parents, etc. The Aquarium was full to capacity.

The is located at .

We started at . This gallery was an interactive touch pool full of , , , and shrimp.

Next, we went to the , the chilly unknown, where we saw , , , , and hanging among rocky ledges and kelp for food.

At the , we made a journey with the giant fish. Here we walked through an acrylic tunnel where we saw , , , schools of , squadrons of small and large stingrays, enormous , and .

This tank contains 6 million gallons of saltwater and has over 4,000 square feet of viewing area, with a 100-foot-long window. The tunnel has 185 tons of acrylic windows and is the second-largest viewing window in the world. It is 23 feet by 61 feet and 2 feet thick.

We made our next journey through the , where we found freshwater mysteries from Africa, South America, Asia, and Georgia.

We saw Asian otters, Electric Eels, catfish, and the razor-sharp teeth of voracious predators: the .

Last, we visited the , the . We saw popping out of the sand, , , , and . At the center of this gallery is one of the most extensive living reef exhibits of any aquarium in the world. Living corals and thousands of colorful reef fish are presented in a faithful recreation of a tropical .

We ate lunch at the Aquarium, and I ordered a dessert.

Jelly Fish

We left the Aquarium at about 5 P.M. and traveled to the , located at .

A storm had come through Atlanta, and there were trees, tree limbs, and debris everywhere.

The power was out everywhere, and the red lights were not working, so the intersection became a four-way stop, but some people did not honor that.

Traffic was being rerouted due to the heavy rain and debris, which were causing traffic jams.

We got checked in at the RMH and unloaded the van.

We rode to at .

We had a ticket for , , , and a large pizza with Cokes, complimentary of Malibu Norcross management.

We traveled through the 5 P.M. Atlanta evening traffic, arriving at 7 P.M., and stayed until 9 P.M.

We rode back to the Ronald McDonald House, where we took showers and dressed for bed.

It had been a full day.

Atlanta Zoo

Day 2: Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Meadow and Marcus, Jr., both have an eye appointment.

They were seen fairly soon, but Meadow was referred to a Retina specialist on the second floor.

Meadow finished seeing the doctors at 3:30 P.M.

The doctors said that Meadow will have to come back in May for eye repair.

We rode to the Atlanta Zoo, which will close in about an hour, but off we went.

Several of the zoo animals had been bedded down for the night, but some were still snoring.

We ate dinner at .

Next, we rode to Mountain Marietta Park, where we had unlimited go-kart racing and gaming tickets. We stayed until 9 P.M.

We had another full day of fun.

Wild Animal Safari

Feeding the animals at Wild Animal Safari

The pacing Ostrich

A Day 3: Wednesday, April 15, 2009

We checked out at 10 A.M. and arrived at the Wild Animal Safari in GA, n 12:00 P.M.

Lora rented a and bought several buckets of animal food. We load into the truck and pass through the locked gate, where all the animals roam freely.

The animals know that we have food, and they start coming toward us drooling.

We feed , , cows, giraffes, zebras, kangaroos, rhinos, emus, , Blackbuck antelope, elk, and camels as we wind through the 200 areas of the animals' natural habitat.

We drove past the caged Siberian tigers, the black-maned lion, and the .

Do not roll down your windows if you do not want a long drooling tongue in your face.

The van has bars on the back windows, but the front windows roll down. The kids loved feeding the animals, and we took our time watching them squeal with delight.

After the safari ride, we had a picnic. We sat next to the fence, where an ostrich was pacing back and forth.

The rest of the park was a walk-through where we saw

pigs, monkeys, American Black bears, American alligators, rabbits, capuchins, baboons, donkeys, parrots, peacocks, skunks, swans, turtles, foxes, and wolves

We arrived at Andy's at about 8 P.M., and the kids were excited to see their cousins, eager to get out of the car after the three-hour trip.

Getting licked by Sampson

Day 3: Thursday, April 16, 2009

Sierra and Madison spent the entire day playing in Sierra's room, only coming out to eat.

The boys played outside, building a playhouse in the woods. They were covered in dirt, but they were having a good time. So, we just let them have fun that day.

For supper, we had two large pizzas from .

We rested on the sofa watching TV.

That night, Meadow, Lora, and I slept in the same bed. Madison and Sierra slept in one bed, and the boys slept on the floor.

There was a time when the boys put up a tent and slept outside.

Have fun at Wild Adventures Theme Park

Day 4: Friday, April 17, 2009

Today, Marcus, Jr., Nevada, Madison, and Sierra walked to the cemetery across the road, and I gave Madison my camera to take pictures of the tombstones.

We went to from 1:00 to 8:00 P.M.

We ate corn dogs, funnel cake, and French fries.

The bigger kids ride all the big rides, while Meadow and Montana enjoy all the smaller ones.

We ate dinner at McDonald's.

While at the park, Madison put her leg between two benches and got it stuck.

Lora had to grease her legs with suntan oil, and Madison slowly worked it out.

Montana and Meadow rode the Ferris wheel, merry-go-round, airplane, bug out, wild safari ride, snake, and swings.

I rode the Smore miniature rides with the kids, and I took many pictures.

We had another full day.

watching the fish at the Flint River Aquarium

Day 5: Saturday, April 18, 2009

Lora, Meadow, and I rode to . The bigger kids want to stay and play, and Andy said he would watch them. He was going to watch the Alabama football game that afternoon.

Lora, Meadow, and I left about noon. Charity said she didn't want to go with us, so she went shopping with her friend Heather instead.

Lora, Meadow, and I went to Flint River Park, where we walked around the park and looked at the .

We went to the to see the animals and fish that live in the Flint River, including various types of catfish.

We ate at Barb Q sandwiches and fries at the Flint River Barb restaurant. A lady came over to our table and told us about a special school for children like Meado. She said the Lord told her to come over and tell us about the school. We told her we were from Alabama.

After we ate, we walked along the overflowing Flint River, where we met this lovely couple from New Jersey. There were misquotes, and they started to bite us, so we headed back to the park. We stopped at , and I went in and got a two-gallon bucket of Napoleon ice cream, two packages of cookies — pecan sandies with chocolate chips — and two packages of ice cream cones. I went to bed with Meadow because she was tired.

Lora washed clothes until 9:30 P.M.

When Charity returned, she and Andy went to for dinner and brought their leftovers home.

Montana is asking if he can go!!

Sierra and Madison

Nevada and Marcus

Montana in his Sunday Best.

Day 6: Sunday, April 19, 2009

On our last day, which was Sunday, Madison, Marcus, Jr., and I dressed and went to Sunday school with Andy.

Lora and I packed and cleaned.

We left about 10:30 A.M. Montana came up to Lora and said," Aunt Lora, if you will take me with you, I will give you all the money that I have in savings."He was earnest about that.

Andy came back to say goodbye; it was between Sunday school and Church.

Inside Desota Caverns

Riding the tubs

Riding the potty seats

Visiting Desota Caverns

Going inside the Caverns

We stopped at Childersburg, A, at .

We stayed until they closed at 5 P.M.

We bought some fudge, Cokes, and snacks.

We toured Desoto Caverns, which took an hour. We saw , rock formations that hang down, and , rock formations that reach up. Other mnemonics to help us remember this are that the two words differ in the sixth and seventh letters — using the sixth letter, stalactites come from the ceiling, and stalagmites come from the ground.

We saw a light show that began on the first day of creation. On the seventh day, God rested. It was awesome.

We exited Desoto Caverns and went to the park area where there were rides, archery, a cave crawl, and a mine for gemstones. We walked through a maze of lost trails.

Lora, Marcus, Jr., and Madison rode the Hamster wheel, and we all rode the bathtubs and potty seat scooters.

A man walked up to Lora and said, "The Lord told me to give this to you." He handed her some more tickets, wrapped in a twenty-dollar bill.

Lora thanked the man, but she did not know about the money until he had walked away.

We stayed until the park closed at 5 P.M.

Lora fed Meadow, and we rode home in the rain. We did not know that there was a tornado warning all around us.

The Lord was looking out for us that day, and we made it home safely.

Saturday, March 28, 2015

2009 ~ Thursday, May 14, "THE GROUP "RAIN"

After spending a whole day with my granddaughter in Montevallo, I went to Huntsville to watch the group RAIN.

I registered to win tickets to see the Group Rain with one of the television stations, and I won.

My husband and I rode to Huntsville, stopping in at for a rib plate and

, where we bought five cases of and some domes pills.

We drove to the , parked in the , walked to the concert hall, and waited for the Rain to begin performing.

At first, I wasn't too impressed with the first half of the show, but the second half was great.

RAIN A tribute to the VBC concert Hall Thu May 14, 2009, 7:30 P.M.

Rain dressed just like the Beatles did when they were performing.

They changed their clothes and hairstyles as the group aged while performing.

They did 30 years of Beatles-style performances, as well as the different instruments the Beatles used.

It was an older crowd, but they really got into the music by waving their phones, dancing in their seats, and just singing along.

The performance ended by 9:30 P.M. I enjoyed the show very much and did not want it to end.

The four women sitting in front of us were drinking beer and wine, and by the end of the show, they were feeling excellent.

One of the women had called a friend on her cell phone and was holding her phone up so friends could hear the band play.

At one point, she misplaced her phone, but she soon found it.

Here is some history that I copied from the Internet about the group.

, was a Sunday night that would change the course of popular music, popular culture, and history forever! Millions of Americans tuned into to watch a group of four mop-topped Englishmen in dark suits who called themselves . What they witnessed was a new and exciting brand of melodic, guitar-and-harmonies-driven that was as infectious as it was original and unique. Little did the members of RAIN know that they would themselves come together in a band, forging a career that would keep them together longer than The Beatles! All this while raising the bar for professionalism and preserving the legacy of the immortal band's recorded music, performed on stage for wildly enthusiastic audiences. Spanning generations, their audience includes the vast majority of older fans who never got to see The Beatles perform live, as well as fans who were not yet born when The Beatles hit America.

The story of RAIN actually begins in the mid-1970s, when keyboardist joined forces with four other local musicians who, together, formed the band originally called "" and played throughout the area. With their mutual love for The Beatles' music, Reign was in demand to play Beatles songs and rode an enormous wave of nostalgia for the band that had broken up in 1970. Before long, they had built a strong, devoted following in and around Los Angeles. Following numerous misspellings in the media and advertising, "Reign" became RAIN (also the title of a 1966 Beatles single). A big break came for RAIN when Dick Clark hired them to record the music for the 1979 made-for-TV movie .

Rain's intention was not just to cover Beatles songs, but also to elevate them. To do songs that The Beatles had never performed live, and do them note-for-note, just like the records. At this time, '' did not exist.

2009, Tuesday, June 2, Caught in an electrical storm on the Singing River Bridge

I had a dentist appointment at 9:00 A.M.

After the dentist, we rode, so I went to where I bought a pair of shorts and a top.

Next, we went to where we bought two lawn chairs to use at music in on Wednesdays.

We stopped at , where each of us ordered a rib plate. We had a buy-one-get-one-free coupon.

We went to , where we bought a thermal for our swimming pool and two screwdrivers.

I had loaded my bicycle into our Vue and was planning to ride it across the later that day.

Hubby's iPhone issued a weather alert, warning of a storm brewing in Mississippi.

I felt like the storm would not reach until after I had finished riding my bicycle across the bridge and back.

My Hubby unloaded my bike while I went to the park's restroom to change into the shorts and top I had bought.

It was very hot and clear when I started across the bridge, but by the time I reached the end, it had started to sprinkle.

I don't know what I was thinking —I didn't have my cell phone with me, or I would have called my Hubby to come pick me up. I had forgotten it.

So I turned my bicycle around and started back across the bridge.

I was almost all the way back when the rain started to pour down, and lightning was dancing all around me.
I remember looking towards the ldam's locks and thinking to myself, I sure could use some windshield wipers to clear the rainwater from my sunglasses.

"All I could remember was trying to get safely across the bridge away from the storm, but it was too late. I was caught inside the cage on the bridge during an electrical storm and had lost my .

I was lucky that was the only thing that happened to me with lightning dancing all around me.

It took me about 20 minutes to ride my bike four miles, two miles out and two miles back.
The storm hit at 12:53. I must have started about 12:33 P.M., and I was at the hospital by 2:30 P.M.

Later that day, it was reported that a terrible storm had hit the .

I was dripping wet when I arrived back at the park.

The storm had frightened Hubby, so he drove the VUE across the bridge to look for me, and he saw me coming off the bridge.

I didn't remember riding across the bridge or changing out of my wet clothes at the restroom in the park.

Hubby said I kept repeating myself all the way home. Where did all those wet clothes come from?

When we got home, I ate a snack bar and drank a can of soda, and I remembered nothing.

Hubby thought I had a stroke, and he said that I needed to go to the hospital, but I kept saying nothing was wrong with me.

Hubby called my daughter; he handed me the telephone. My daughter asked me some questions, and all I could say was, "Give me a minute to think."
My daughter asked me if I remembered riding my bicycle on the bridge, and I said, 'What bridge?' I could not remember anything.

I had been inside an caused by the lightning.
The lighting hit the cage attached to the bridge where I was riding my bicycle.

Somehow, my daughter and Hubby persuaded me to go to the hospital, and I was seen by .

They drew blood, took a , and checked my urine. The doctor was puzzled by the results.

He said that the enzymes in my heart were going crazy, and I would have to stay until they stabilized.

My family stayed while I recovered.
It took several hours, but my short-term memory began to return, and I was released at 7:30 P.M.

All I wanted to do was go home and go to sleep.

The next day, I felt a little better, but the right side of my head remained numb.

Information on Lighting:

are usually the result of five different mechanisms:

Direct strike — direct strike injuries occur when lightning strikes a person directly

Contact injury occurs when a person touches an object that is part of the lightning current pathway

Side flash (splash), Side flash or splash injuries occur when lightning arcs from the object struck to a nearby object.

Ground current (step voltage), Ground current, or step voltage injuries occur when the lightning current spreads peripherally through the ground from the site of the strike.

, or blunt injuries, occur in two ways.

In the first instance, the victim's musculature contracts diffusely, throwing the victim a considerable distance from the lightning strike.

The second mechanism is a consequence of large temperature fluctuations associated with a lightning strike.

Lightning causes the instantaneous superheating and expansion of the air, which is followed immediately by an implosion as the air rapidly cools.

The duration of heat is so brief that thermal injuries seldom occur. However, the explosion and implosion of air can lead to blunt trauma of major organ systems such as the brain, liver, and spleen.

Because the duration of a lightning strike is extremely short, little of the massive energy is transferred internally to the victim. Instead, most of the energy flows externally across the victim's body (a "flashover").

However, enough energy passes through the body to disrupt and short-circuit its electrical systems, especially the heart, vasculature, the respiratory center of the brain, the reticular activating system, and the autonomic nervous system.

The primary cause of death in lightning injuries is cardiopulmonary arrest due to asystole.

However, asystole can be readily converted to a coordinated cardiac rhythm with timely and aggressive cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Why were the enzymes in my heart elevated after being caught in ground current lightning?

Weather observations for June 2, 2009,

SCT055 means scatter clouds at 5,500 AGL, scattered means 3 to 4 eighths cloud coverage.

BKN090 were broken clouds at 9000' covering 5 to 7 octas of the sky.

2008 ~ Friday, April 18, Grassmere Zoo with grandkids Nashville, Tennessee

Kids at Petting Zoo

Friday afternoon at 12:00 P.M., my daughter called, said she and the kids were going to the in , and asked if I wanted to go with them.

She came to pick me up, and we rode to Nashville. Santana was with them.

At the zoo, I had my camera with me, so I was taking pictures while my grandson was pushing his little sister in her wheelchair.

We went to the Grassmere Zoo at , 615-833-1534.

In the Savannah loop, we saw three , bending down to eat grass, and . We walked inside the birdhouse at to pet the and the farm animals.

Giraffe eating grass

African Elephants

At the Central Zoo, we saw the beautiful ; at , we saw ; at the , we saw the ; at the , we saw , many other , and fish.

The kids climbed inside the glass that leads into the middle of the meerkat's dens to get an up-close view of the meerkats.

The kids stopped to play on the jungle gym, and we watched a bird show at the amphitheater.

Kids with Meerkats

In the Jungle loop along the bamboo trail we saw a , a , a , a , cougars, a , a , a , and , we stopped at to watch the , was filled with where the kids could touch the animals at and .

White Tiger

We left Grassmere Zoo and rode down to , about 8 miles away and a 12-minute drive.

We were all very hungry, and my daughter parked near the entrance of the at Opry Mills.

We were seated in the with the amusing, curious , which my granddaughter loved; she was mimicking it.

Rainforest Cafe

My daughter and I split a layered with , rolled with spinach, red onions, roasted red peppers, and , tossed in .

We all shared an excellent appetizer adventure: two or more featuring , Spinach & artichoke dip, with , , and , served with , , and . For dessert, we ordered an out-of-this-world .

Elephant in the Rainforest

We walked around the mall, looking inside many of the shops. After a stimulating day, we set out on the two-hour ride home. All the kids fell asleep, and we were home by 12 P.M.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

2015, Mar 23,24,25 , Spending time with grandchildren

March 23, 24, 25, 2015 Spending time with Grandsons
I cooked pancakes and fried eggs for breakfast and served them with all-natural blackberry syrup from Carver's Orchard, which I had bought at the Apple House in Cosby, Tennessee.

After breakfast (around 8:00 A.M.), we traveled to Athens, stopping at the car wash to wash and vacuum the van.

We had an appointment at Champion Chrysler Dealership to repair the driver's window control panel and replace the key battery.

While we waited, the boys ate chips, soda, and coffee from the waiting area.

We rode to Decatur to look at a 2007 Honda Van at Honda of Decatur.

My husband made a down payment of $500 on the Honda, then we rode to Rogersville to get a cashier's check at LECU.
We rode back to Honda of Decatur to finalize the sale.
We called our insurance company to add the 2007 Silver Honda.
It was after lunch, and everyone was getting hungry, so we took the boys to eat fish at
McCallum's is one of our favorite places to eat seafood. The boys had never eaten at McCallum's, so it was a treat for them.

http://mccollumscatfish.com/contact.html

Montana ordered fried frog legs, fries, slaw, hush puppies, and sweet tea.
He said he had never eaten frog legs and wanted to try them. I said if you order frog legs, you will have to eat them.
He ate all but two of the frog legs.

Nevada and my husband ordered a plate of shrimp and catfish with slaw, baked potato, hush puppies, and sweet tea.

I ordered grilled chicken, slaw, baked sweet potato, hushpuppies, and Unsweet tea.

We brought home two frog legs and all the hushpuppies.

The food is always good, but it's more than enough for one person; we always have leftovers.

Catfish and hushpuppies

We took the boys to the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge Museum and the walking trail.

The boys and I walked to the viewing area where we saw a large crane, turtles, several ducks, and either a hawk or an eagle.

Atkeson Cypress Trail

We walked the 1/2-mile Atkeson Cypress trail, where we crossed bridges over a swamp full of cypress trees, turtles, snakes, fish, and birds. The bridge is wooden, part of the trail is concrete, and the remainder is a gravel or grass path.

Walking the Atkeson Cypress trail

Cypress Trees

Grandsons

Birds flying above the marsh

At the viewing area, we saw an eagle, but it could have been a hawk. The hawk or eagle frightened the smaller birds into the air; he was hunting for food.

We watched the large bird fly, which looked like it was up into the clouds.

In the gift shop, I bought six huge postcards.
The boy picked out some rocks and Indian arrowheads.

We stopped at the birding trail at Wheeler Dam. The boys and I walked along the edge of the Tennessee River, and we saw many different birds swimming, flying, and catching fish for their dinner.

Looking for birds

Looking for birds

Looking for birds

The boys and I enjoyed the day with my husband while he took care of business.

The boys were with us from Monday through Wednesday.

On Monday, the boys worked in the yard picking up tree limbs and debris. I gave them money for working in the yard.

Tuesday, we had business in Athens and Decatur. On Wednesday, we had business in town, and we took the boys to the Blue Door, where Nevada picked out a pair of shoes and a necklace.

Montana picked out a necklace, wristband, and hat.

We went to Rosie's Mexican Cantina Restaurant for lunch, and the boys said they had never eaten at Rosie's

We started with a large bowl of white cheese dip, salsa, and chips. My husband ordered a large taco dinner, which consisted of chicken on soft and crispy tacos.

The boys and I shared a lunch of chicken fajitas, served with three homemade flour tortillas, sautéed peppers, onions, Pico de Gallo, sour cream, cheese, Mexican garlic butter, Mexican rice, charro beans, and guacamole.

The boys and my husband ordered sweet tea, and I drank water with lemon.

We finished the meal with a commentary bowl of vanilla ice cream.

We came back home. I took a nap, the boys played outside, and my husband watched TV.