Free Bird's Adventures

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

1982 Summer ~Family trip to Memphis, Tennessee

My husband drove our to , where we visited the , , and the .

Description of what our children were wearing that day.

My oldest son was wearing a white pullover shirt, Levi jeans, and a Braves cap. My daughter was wearing brown jeans, a white T-shirt, and brown sandals. My middle son was wearing Levi's jeans, a yellow T-shirt, and blue tennis shoes. My youngest son was wearing a , Levi jeans, and white tennis shoes.

We visited the 76-acre Memphis Zoo, home to more than 3,500 animals and over 500 species.

In the , we saw and .

In the , we saw , , , , , and .

At , we saw , , and .

In the , we saw , , , , , cougars, and .

In the , we saw , toucans, and fresh and saltwater fish.

In the farm area, we saw ducks, a donkey, a mini pig, a Jersey cow, goats, a prairie dog, a rabbit, and a Caspian horse.

In the herpetarium, we saw alligators, lizards, and frogs.

Memphis Zoo

We visited Graceland, Elvis Presley's home.

Graceland is a large white-columned mansion that opened to the public in 1982.

In 1982, you could walk around the grounds without paying a fee.

We walked through the front music gates that were open to the public. The gates were designed by Abe Saucer for Elvis and custom-built by John Dillars, Jr.

We walked around the Meditation Garden, constructed in 1964-1965 and built for Elvis as a place for contemplation.

The garden's centerpiece is a circular twelve-foot fountain pool with five single jets of water and a larger one in the middle, all lit by colored floodlights.

Graceland

Graceland Pond

The Memphis Airport

The kids standing outside at the Memphis Airport

Memphis Airport Postcard

Our next stop was the Memphis Airport located at 2491 Winchester Road, Suite 113, Memphis, Tennessee 38116.

We walked through the airport terminal to watch the different jets take off and land.

We saw jets from Delta, Northwest, United, Continental, and American Airlines. We even got to walk inside and tour one of the planes.

On our trip home, my head started to ache. I told my husband it would be nice to get a hotel room for the night, but he said he'd drive home and sleep in his own bed.

I climbed into the backseat to lie down to relax my head, and the boys moved up front.

The next thing I knew I heard sirens and a State Trooper pulled us over.

He said my husband was speeding, and he gave him a ticket.

How ironic that he did not save a penny by speeding to get home. We could have spent the night in a lovely hotel for the cost of the speeding ticket.

It would have been a great trip, and staying the night in a hotel room would have been relaxing.

We had fun at the Memphis Zoo, the Memphis Airport, and Graceland.

Getting a headache and my husband getting a speeding ticket was not the way I would have liked this adventure to end.

Some adventures are fun, some are not, but what is life without some sort of adventure?

What will my next adventure be?

🚗2015 ~Tuesday, June 30, Day Trip to Loretta Lynn's Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee

We traveled up Highway 43 to St.. We turned left onto 227/326, turned right onto to Highway 13, and traveled a couple of miles North on . We got off the Trace in and took Highway 13 to .
In Waynesboro, we stayed on Highway 13/Waynesboro. We traveled through , (), , Lobelville Highway, and , crossing into . We stopped to use the restrooms and fill up with gas at . The price was $2.49 per gallon. We had just crossed , the interstate between and .

Pilot in Buffalo, TN

Arby's, Cinnabon at Pilot in Buffalo

We saw a sign for and a massive statue of a Buffalo outside the restaurant, along with some old farm equipment, so we stopped to take pictures.

Buffalo at Loretta Lynn's Kitchen in Buffalo

Antique farm equipment at Loretta Lynn's Kitchen in Buffalo

Loretta Lynn's Kitchen in Buffalo

From Buffalo, we were just six miles from .
We arrived at the ranch, toured the free , the , and some gift shops, and purchased tickets to tour the home, , The #5 Coal Mine, and .

Old farm truck at Loretta Ranch Park

Bank at Loretta Ranch Park

Land Office at Loretta Ranch Park

Wanted Dead or Alive

The tickets for the whole tour were $25.00 each.

Loretta Lynn Park Information

Tickets and Colton's coaster

Loretta Lynn Park Information

Our tour guide, Brooke, took the group up the hill, up several stairs to the replica of Butcher Holler, Loretta Lynn's childhood home in .
The house had two bedrooms, with two small beds for the eight kids; a kitchen with a wooden table, four wooden chairs, and a bench; a coal stove for cooking; an outhouse; and, on the back porch, a small washtub where the children took baths.
When Loretta's mother washed clothes, she hung them inside to dry, keeping them from getting coal dust.

Replica Butcher Holler Home

Walking down long wooden stairs, Indian on the hill

We walked down a long line of wooden steps onto the street, crossed the street, and walked up to the simulated #5 Coal Mine, where Loretta's father () worked until his death. As we walked through the simulated coal mine tunnel, we saw the tools used by the coal miners, the coal & the rail carts they filled with tons of coal that had to be pulled to the top by a donkey; he never saw daylight.

Coal Mine # 5

Coal Car at Coal Mine # 5

Coal at Coal Mine # 5

Coal Mine # 5

We boarded the tour bus and were taken to the former home of Loretta Lynn ().
As we were getting off the bus, we saw several carriages and a massive barn with two beautiful horses. In the background, we could hear a peacock. We all walked into the kitchen, which had a large fireplace and chandeliers in every downstairs room. We saw the green bathroom, Loretta's collections inside a cabinet built by her husband, and her many albums hanging in the hallway and along the stairway.
We saw her bedroom, and the room with her family pictures; we were not taken upstairs.
The house is said to be haunted by the former owners, the .
They were plantation owners with slaves, the mother lost a child at birth, and she walks the rooms looking for her baby. Many ghosts have been spotted throughout the house.
We exited through the front door and walked back to the paved drive.

Standing on Loretta Lynn's Ranch Porch

Loretta Lynn's Ranch

I walked over to the horses and took many pictures of them with my cell phone.
I did not bring my big camera because we were not allowed to take pictures inside the house or any of the museums.

Loretta Lynn's Ranch Horses

We loaded back onto the bus and were taken to the Museum, where Loretta has all kinds of memorabilia.

Loretta Lynn's Ranch Museum

After touring the Museum, we stopped to take pictures of the tour bus outside.
We stopped at the gift shop to buy a couple of postcards and left.

Loretta Lynn's Ranch Postcards I purchased

It was very hot and humid, so we had had enough of walking outside.
We stopped in front of Loretta's Ranch Home to take pictures of Hurricane Creek.
We rode behind Loretta's Ranch house, where we saw a couple of donkeys, Loretta's present home, and the .

Standing on the steps of Loretta & Mooney Lynn, Hurricane Mills Home

Hurricane Mill Falls

Loretta's Home

Anderson Family Cemetery

Mules

We left the park, taking I-40, stopping at Colton's Steak House & Grill in Dickson, Tennessee, where we ordered a whole order of , one , two , Tea, Water, Rolls, and butter.

Colton's Steak House & Grill

We got off I-40, drove through and , stopped at in , then headed home.

Monday, June 29, 2015

🚗1981 ~July 1-4, Family trip to Homosassa Springs, Florida

We traveled ten hours to , to visit relatives.

We traveled to Florida in our new in , which could seat six people comfortably.

My fifteen-year-old son rode up front with my father-in-law(who smoked a pipe)and my husband (who smoked cigarettes).

Most of the time, the front windows were rolled down, and some smoke went outside while the rest encircled our heads.

My mother-in-law, two younger sons, daughter, and I sat in the back.

My four-year-old daughter spent most of her time on someone's lap or sleeping in the back window.

What I remember about the trip was how the car rode, mostly through . It felt like we were in a boat being tossed about by the waves.

Up and down, up and down we went!

We were greeted with a warm welcome & teddy bear hugs from the Henson Family.

Mildred had prepared a large meal, and we all ate.

After dinner, we sat around talking while the kids played outside.

When bedtime came, my in-laws were given the extra bedroom, and we

Slept on quilts, blankets, and pillows to spread out on the living room floor.

Day 2: Thursday, July 2, 1981

The next day, we walked through the 14-acre archaeological site in , dating back to 500 BC.

We returned to the , the pre-Civil War sugar plantation.

The once-thriving sugar mill owned by is now a State Park.

The park contains a forty-foot limestone masonry chimney, iron gears, and a cane press.

Indian Camp in the Magic Kingdom

It's a Small World in the Magic Kingdom

Micky Jamming Parade Magic Kingdom

Ferry Boat at the Magic Kingdom

Group Picture at the Magic Kingdom

Day 3: Friday, July 3, 1981

We spent all day Friday at the Magic Kingdom.

We rode on Hwy 44 over to I-75 to I-4 to Disney World.

At the Magic Kingdom, we stood alongside rails to watch the , which made my youngest son seasick.

We visited in .

We watched the colorful in the singing in "."

We climbed the giant treehouse of the in .

We walked into the , watched a show, and took a ride-through tour in Omni-moving vehicles called "."

We walked down a long corridor to take the boat ride, which told the story of a band of pirates.

We took a boat in Adventure Land, which sailed along rivers in Asia, Africa, and South America.

We watched the , where sang country music.

In , we visited the .

We rode a boat on "It's a Small World," where dolls from around the world sang and danced in different languages.

We rode .

We rode the Ferryboat to the Magic Kingdom.

We purchased passport tickets with holes punched and a long string attached.

The tickets were collected at the gate and retained by Disney's Magic Kingdom.

Disney was working on building ; it opened in 1982.

Day 4: Saturday, July 4, 1981

We rode to ), took the , and visited the museum.

During the KSC bus tour, we got an up-close view of the space shuttle launch pad and the 363-foot-long . I took pictures of the kids in front of the Space vehicle.

We walked through the , where we saw the and Early Space Exploration. We walked through the Robot Scouts exhibit of unmanned planetary probes. Each kid climbed up and put their face inside one of the many spacesuits for a picture.

We also saw the rocket garden with early spaceflight rockets, including .

What a visit with the Henson Family! They showed us how to have fun at the Magic Kingdom, and we learned the history of space travel at Cape Canaveral.

Cape Kennedy Space Center

Lora at Cape Kennedy Space Center

Cape Kennedy Space Center

Mike, Ronald, Andy, Lora, and Little Bill at Cape Kennedy Space Center

Day 5: Sunday, July 5, 1981

The trip home was long but uneventful, given that eight people were riding in a six-passenger car.

My four-year-old daughter rode most of the way home, lying in the back window of our 1981 Malibu.

Life is an adventure, and we definitely had an adventure.

🎄🎄🎄🎄1965~ Christmas Holiday trip to Chicago, Illinois

In the winter of 1965, my Dad, Uncle Harry, Vicki, and I traveled to , in a .

I can still see my dad driving through .

It was the Christmas holidays, everywhere we looked, we saw twinkling lights, manger scenes, and homes beautifully decorated.

A warm, glowing feeling came over me as we passed through other smaller towns that were also beautifully decorated for the holidays.

The drive took about ten to twelve hours; there were not many direct highways or interstates from , to Chicago, Illinois.

I don't remember the route we took, but I do remember going around a lot of curves and squealing the tires.

It was late at night, and everyone had fallen asleep except Dad, who was doing the driving.

We had come to , an area known for its many curves.

Dad came upon the curves too fast, and the tires squealed as we started around the first curve.

The sound of the squealing tires woke everyone up We stayed awake for the rest of the trip.

Early the next morning, we crossed the into . I can still remember that awful smell of sewage as we crossed the bridge.

Kingery Highway Cal-Sag Bridge (Copy from the Internet)

There was a song playing on the radio as we crossed the bridge into Chicago,

"" by in 1965 was a single that reached #4 on the charts.

It is funny the things you remember from your childhood.

Aunt Betty lived in an apartment on the fourth floor, there were no elevators, we had to walk up and down four flights of stairs.

We had a great time visiting our cousins and their friends and playing cards on the stairs.

I can still hear the laughter of my cousin's friends, Iggy and Freddy, as we played tag.

I had a crush on Iggy.

Our stay was a short one, and Harry had to get back to work.

My dad is an adventurous person; he never plans anything.

My dad can fix anything; he is a great mechanic, and he never worries about his car breaking down when traveling.

I am adventurous like my dad, usually after a long winter, and when spring is near, I get the urge to travel.

It doesn't have to be a long trip, but it must be a trip!

I am waiting for my next adventure.

Song by the Vogues

"Five o'clock World" by the Vogues in 1965 was a single that reached #4 on the charts.

Up every mornin' just to keep a job

I must fight my way through the hustling mob

Sounds of the day poundin' in my brain

While another day goes down the drain (yeah, yeah, yeah)

But it's a five o'clock world when the whistle blows

No one owns a piece of my time

And there's a five o'clock me inside my clothes

Thinkin' that the world looks fine, yeah

(Scat:oh-de-lay-ee-ee, yeah, yeah)

Hey!

Tradin' my time for the pay I get

Livin' on money that I ain't made yet

I've been goin', tryin' to make my way

While I live for the end of the day (yeah, yeah, yeah)

'Cause it's a five o'clock world when the whistle blows

No one owns a piece of my time

There's a long-haired girl who waits, I know

To ease my troubled mind, yeah

(Scat:oh-de-lay-ee-ee, yeah)

Hey!

In the shelter of her arms, everything's ok

When she talks, the world slips away

And I know the reason I can still go on

When every other reason is gone, (yeah, yeah, yeah)

In my five o'clock world, she waits for me

Nothing else matters at all

Cuz every time my baby smiles at me

I know that it's all worthwhile, yeah