Free Bird's Adventures

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

🎄🎄🎄🎄2013~ Wednesday & Thursday, December 18-19, Calloway Gardens Pine Mountain, Georgia

Day 1: Wednesday, December 18, 2013

We left home around 8:00 A.M., traveling on I-65, and stopped for gas at , located at 224 Daniel Payne Drive, Birmingham, at 9:55 A.M.

We paid $3.079 per gallon for a total cost of $47.00. We bought 15.264 gallons.

We also purchased a cup of hot chocolate at Beach Pavilion for $3.50 a cup.

We stopped at , 6000 Bass Pro Shop Blvd, Leeds, AL 36094.

Bass Pro Shop was beautifully decorated with Christmas Trees, reindeer, a Christmas village featuring Santa, Elves, Snow, a fireplace, crafts for children, a race track, and many other attractions for both children and adults to enjoy.

We walked around taking pictures of Santa and his village, where children were lined up waiting their turn to sit on Santa's Lap.

We watched children ride on the indoor carousel.

Bass Pro Shops 6000 Bass Pro Shop Blvd Leeds, AL

We shot a rifle at the rifle range and bought a cookie in the bakery. We left Bass Pro Shop at 12:01 P.M.

We stopped at in Oxford, Alabama, at 12:25 P.M. to eat lunch. For lunch, we ordered one order of fried mushrooms, which cost $6.99.

I ordered one basket of boneless wings with celery for $4.50, and my husband ordered one basket of fried oysters with onion rings for $9.49; we both ordered water with lemon.

Jefferson Restaurant is located at 230 Spring Branch Rd, Oxford, AL 36203. Our server was Tiffany, and the total bill was $28.18. As we left the restaurant, I asked about the one-dollar bills plastered all over the walls, and the cashier explained that people had left them with graffiti about their experience at Jefferson's Restaurant.

Jefferson Restaurant is located at 230 Spring Branch Rd, Oxford, AL.

On our drive down to Pine Mountain, GA, we stopped in the beautiful historic town of . My husband waited in the van as I walked around the Old, newly restored courthouse of Newnan, now a museum.

I walked inside and met a curator who told me the history of the courthouse and greeted me immediately. He said it was a self-guided tour, and I could take as many pictures as I wanted.

Newnan, Georgia Courthouse Museum

Christmas Tree and Sleigh in Newnan, Georgia

We arrived at the at 4:00 P.M. and checked into room 1288. The total cost for the room was $111.87, which included the room, a trolley ride through the Christmas Display that night, and admission to the next day. We walked through the lobby and restaurants at the Inn, and there were Christmas decorations everywhere.

There were special events for Children to meet and greet special characters that visited the Inn. (Reindeer and Penguin)

We rode the trolley over to at 5:30 P.M., got off the trolley, and walked into . This building was filled with Christmas items for sale, including a Café and a visit with Santa. There were so many different types of Christmas trees for sale, including an . There was a , characters in a Reindeer suit, and thousands of nuts. Adults and Children everywhere enjoyed the smell of popcorn, hot chocolate, and sweets as we waited for the trolley. Several trolleys were waiting to be filled with people who were eager to see the incredible displays.

Reindeer

Gingerbread House

Silent Night, Santa Claus is coming to town, where some of the songs are playing as the trolley silently creeps along in the garden.

It was a delightful ride; we saw the Twelve Days of Christmas, Butterflies, Fairyland, Snowflake Valley, a winter wonderland of snowflakes and white lights, a Magical Christmas Garden, March of the Toy Soldiers, Twin Trees, and .

Down along the lake were two scenes, one telling the story of the Night before Christmas and the birth of Christ

Toward the end of the trolley ride, everyone sang Christmas Carols, and it just brought Christmas to life. My spirit was lifted, and each and every one belted out We Wish You a Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year. My husband and I both wore our oversized coats because the temperature was in the upper 30s, but the ride was delightful, except my fingers got very cold trying to make a video of the magical light displays.

We ate supper at KFC 5700 Hwy 354 Pine Mountain, for I had a coupon to buy two two-piece bites combo, which included one side and drink, one get one free, cost $7.01 at 7:54 P.M. It was the end of the day for the men working at KFC and we were next to their last customers.

Day 2: Thursday, December 19, 2013

The next day, we checked out of the hotel and visited Callaway Gardens, starting with the Wild Bird Show, which was held indoors due to the cold weather.

We saw hawks, different species of owls, and other birds of prey in the Callaway Discovery Center Auditorium. The bird handlers wore gloves as the birds flew through the audience to be passed on to the next handler.

Next, we visited the , which houses over fifty species of butterflies, as well as tropical plants and a butterfly hatchery, which is terrific. It is hard to capture a picture of butterflies because they are not still for very long. At the Butterfly Center, I bought a butterfly flag for my flower garden and three postcards.

Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center

The is situated deep in the woods. In front of the chapel is a lake, and alongside it is a waterfall. The building is quaint with stained glass windows, a stone altar, a pipe organ, and just enough benches to seat twenty-five people. We took several pictures, met a couple of ladies, talked for a few minutes, and left.

Our next stop was , which houses Mediterranean and tropical gardens. We saw a topiary train, bears, a jack-in-the-box, a boy, and a girl.

There were hundreds of poinsettias throughout the garden. We talked to the women in the gift shop. One of the women was from Kansas, and she said her family traveled home at least once a year, taking over eighteen hours to get there.

I bought three postcards at the Horticulture Center.

Sibley's Horticulture Center

We left the gardens and headed home, stopping in , to eat lunch at Wendy's. We ordered three kids Frost's, one junior cheeseburger, and one mushroom burger with fries, which cost $9.60; this was at 2:07 P.M. After eating, we stopped in the town square, where I got out of the car and walked around the town square, taking pictures of old buildings, the , Venncci Italian Ristorante, etc.

In the town square, there is the , markers, a fountain, a carriage decorated for the Christmas holidays, and a Christmas tree.

I walked across the street to take a picture of a mural that depicted the life of Old LaGrange, and a mural of the second Courthouse depicted the years 1904-1936.

The mural depicted the Truitt Opera House in 1890, the Callaway Mammoth Department Store in 1900, the Newell's Hat Shop in 1935, and the Blue Goose Café in 1960.

After taking pictures, I rejoined my husband, and we resumed our trip home. However, I spotted a historic marker in front of LaGrange College, so we drove through the college, stopping for me to take some pictures.

Traveling home, we took Hwy 109 out of Lagrange, GA, to Hwy 431 North. We drove through Roanoke, AL, Wedowee, and Five Points, and then onto I-20. We stopped at Target in Oxford, AL, where I bought the .

We decided not to take I-20 to I-65; instead, we took 431N through Oxford, Anniston, Saks, and Glencoe.

We stopped at the Exxon Tiger Mart, located at 602 Chastain in Glencoe, Alabama, where we filled up at 4:38 P.M. at pump forty-six, costing $3.089 per gallon, for a total of $46.00.

There was a beautiful burnt orange sunset as we drove through Glencoe, where I took several nice pictures.

We stopped at to ride the train through their Christmas Light Show, which cost ten dollars. After the ride, we walked through the park, buying a cookie and hot chocolate, and then explored their animal display. On our walk out, we walked along the railroad tracks where I twisted my leg, and we left after that.

Noccalula Falls in Gadsden

We ate supper at Taco Bell in Attalla, Alabama. We ordered one burrito, two Nacho Supremes, and tea. The total cost was $6.62 at 6:50 P.M.

We were home around 11P.M.

We had a great time spending the night at Callaway Gardens, riding a trolley through the Christmas display, and concluding our trip at Noccalula Falls Park in Gadsden, Alabama.

Monday, July 6, 2015

2008 ~ October 23-27, To Watch Grandkids in Pelham, Georgia

Day 1: Thursday, October 23, 2008

For breakfast I ate a waffle, my husband ate cereals, we both dressed and left the house about 9 A.M.

We did a double take to make sure everything was turned off or closed.

We slid both slide outs in and we loaded the car, we were on our way.

We traveled down I-65 through Birmingham; we took exit 261 a north toward Gadsden, Atlanta onto I-20 for 1.2 miles.

We took exit 126A toward Sylacauga and Zoo Gardens onto 280 east for 109 miles. This took us over the mountains, it was a four-lane but not an interstate.

We stopped at Logan’s in Opelika, Al 2400 Gateway Dr. Opelika, Al 36801-5401.

My husband ordered a hamburger, I ordered chicken fingers, with fries, fried mushrooms, and tea.

I ate two rolls, one chicken finger, I took two chicken fingers; fries and one roll with me, I gave them to the grandkids.

We merged onto I-85 north toward Atlanta, Columbus, Phoenix for 3.2 miles we then took exit 62 toward Phoenix then we turned slight right onto Columbus Parkway US 280 for 61 miles, crossing over into Georgia when 280 becomes GA-520 east, south for 44 miles.

We merge onto US 82 Jefferson Davis memorial parkway heading toward Tifton Camilla, which was another 8 miles.

US 82 become US-19 for 33 miles, at the caution light, we turn at right onto 93 and follow the signs 93 through the city of Pelham.

We turn right behind the Pelham Elementary School, we went about three miles came to the stop sign at County Line Road, we turn left onto Mill Pond Road for two miles.

We went to the end of Mill Pond Road where we saw a large old cemetery, both on the left and right side of the road.

The church and the house were on the right side of the road.

The boy’s soccer games were canceled because of rain.

We stopped at a fruit stand where we bought a five-pound bag of peanuts and some boiled peanuts.

When we arrived everyone was glad to see us

I went to the car to get the leftovers, and the peanuts, I took them inside.

The food soon vanished and we parched some of the peanuts.

We played word games on TV with Charity, Dakota, and Sierra.

I went to Wal-mart while Andy, my husband, Montana, and Nevada watched a football game.

The first night my husband and I slept in Dakota’s bed, it did not sleep very well.

Day 2: Friday, October 24, 2008

My son and his wife left about 10 A.M. they are going to Atlanta, GA, to a ministry conference.

Today we are taking the kids to The Flint Riverqurium.

It poured rain all day, it was a great day for indoor activity.

I decided to buy a family year pass at the Riverqurium so, my son and his wife can bring the kids back, the cost was $79.00 for the entire family for one year.

Our picture was taken and put on the two cards.

This is what we saw:

Explore Amazing Exhibits at the Flint Riverqurium.

We saw more than 100 kinds of fish, turtles, alligators, snapping turtles, and other creatures that make the Riverqurium Blue Hole their home.

The Flint River Gallery we saw both freshwater and saltwater tanks, plus a live fish hatchery.

Discovery Caverns were fun games and eye-opening exhibits.

Control the weather is an interactive area that tests your knowledge of local weather and it has three buttons for three people to play.

Change the way a river flow in this area the kids played in a sandbox while water flowed to make their own water route.

The kids climbed into an underground cave to uncover mysterious subterranean creatures.

At first, Montana was afraid to go into the cave so, I told him that Sierra would go in front of him and I would follow behind.

Discovery Caverns

Changing the way the River Flows

We had to crawl up and down slide tunnels, we enter small caves where we could see small fish tanks and there were windows where we could look out as we travel through the tunnel.

It was very hard crawling on my knees so when it was time to get out, I slid out. It was a lot of fun but not for more than one trip.

The boys enjoyed the cave so much that they went through it several more times.

Riverqurium

We stopped at the gift shop where each grandkid picked out souvenirs.

We went to the Adventure Center where we walked through the world of catfish.

There was a walk through catfish where you could see the heart, liver, gills, and other parts of the fish life size.

Catfish

Inside of a Catfish

We stopped at Burger King in Camilla, GA, where we ate lunch.

For supper, we cooked two pizzas and I parched some peanuts.

After supper Dakota wanted to go to a football game in Cairo, so we all loaded into the van and took him.

I gave Dakota $10.00 for the game and my husband gave him another $5.00.

That night we watched movies, Harry Potter and the Scorer Stone and the Haunted Mansion.

We watch movies until 11:30 P.M. we went to bed.

Montana slept with my husband and I slept in Andy’s bed.

Sierra slept on the floor, Nevada & Dakota slept on the sofa.

Day 3: Saturday, October 25, 2008

My husband took Dakota to soccer practice at 9:30 A.M. but the practice must have been canceled, a few people showed up but no coach.

It was a beautiful day so we took the kids to the Turtle Park in Albany.

There were turtle statues all around and one of the neatest statures was the large turtle made of cork.

The turtle was huge it was like climbing a mountain, it had a large head were the kids climbed onto for me to take pictures.

There were several different types of slides, swings, climbing equipment, and lots of other stuff.

Standing on a cork turtle

Turtle Park was located next to the Roaring Flint River that was overflowing because of all the rain we had lately.

We walked across the street to the Ray Charles Plaza, where we saw a life-size statue of Ray Charles playing piano on a rotating pestle.

It was amazing, around him were piano keys and music notes.

Ray Charles Plaza

The view from the park was amazing you could see the roaring Flint River and an old train trestle; you could see the Flint Riverqurium and the Civic Center.

We ate lunch at Riverfront Bar-B-Q 105 Broad Avenue, just across the street from the park.

We each ordered a barbecue sandwich, we spent $38.50.

We left the park and rode to Chewhaw Wild Animal Park Zoo.

Charity had given me $50.00 so, I bought a family pass to the zoo.

I also bought tickets for Boo at the zoo for that night the cost for six tickets was $19.25.

Chewhaw Wild Animal Park Zoo

As we enter the park we were told to go to see the Cheetah exhibit.

We went to see the Cheetah’s they were amazing their speed and need to run.

We saw the red wolf, black rhinoceros, cheetah, black-and-white Colobus monkeys, four species of lemurs, and beautiful giant antelopes known as bongos.

We also saw a tiny duiker antelopes, Grants’ zebras, black bears, American bison, bobcat, and serval.

Zoo visitors can also enjoy the sight of birds such as the ibis, flamingoes, crowned cranes, ostriches, bald eagles, and the colorful trace.

The kids enjoyed watching the black bears run, play and one climbed a tree.

At the alligator outpost, we saw over two-dozen American alligators.

One especially large alligator caught our interest, at first sight, he looked liked fake, but he was not.

It looked like he had just eaten for his jaws were bulging.

Our last stop was at the reptile house were we saw Burmese python, bright blue and black poison dark frogs, such slithery wonders as the king snake, rattlesnake, and rat snake, as well as lizards.

There were several snakes in the same cage and were entwined with one another.

The rattlesnake looked like was waiting for his food for he was very active.

The zoo closed at 4:30 P.M. because they are getting ready for Boo at the Zoo.

So we went to the playground area until 6:30 P.M. at which time we are going back to the Zoo for Boo at the Zoo.

Boo at the Zoo

Montana dressed as Spiderman, Nevada dressed as a Ninja, Sierra wore a long black dress and cape and Dakota wore a green hat.

Boo, at the Zoo, is the zooiest trick-or-treat in town!

We had a spooktacularly good time as the Zoo transformed into a traffic-free trick-or-treating merry-not-too-scary event.

It featured monster-ous thrills and chills Boo-Choo-Choo train rides, Goblin Games, Ghoulish Goodies, and the Trick or Treat Trail!

The kids played the goblin game, walked the trail with anticipation of finding ghoulish gobbling and treats along the way.

There was a cemetery with buried ghosts and there were goblins around every corner.

We stopped at Winn Dixie to get hotdogs for supper.

The kids spent the rest of the evening playing games and watching TV.

I downloaded the pictures that Sierra had taken that day.

Day 4: Sunday, October 26, 2008

Sunday morning, was church day for the kids, I had Dakota put Montana and Nevada into the bathtub, he helped them get ready for church.

While the kids were getting ready for church I cleaned the house.

At 10:00 A.M., I took the kids to church, made sure that there was someone from the church that was going to watch the kids until Andy & Charity arrived that afternoon.

Going to Church

We had to get back home, we stopped at Burger King in Albany for lunch.

We bought gas at Flash Foods in Pelham, Alabama.

In Athens we stopped at Wal-mart for gas $31.05, we ate supper at Cracker Barrel, we were home by 6:00 P.M.

Lora called, she said her dryer was broke, she wanted me to go with her to Ronald’s to dry her clothes.

This was the end of another nice vacation.

🎄🎄🎄🎄2008 December 21, Sunday, Ivy Green, & Tusucmbia Art Museum in Tuscumbia, Alabama,

Ivy Green

My husband and I toured Ivy Green, the birthplace of .

, the grandparents of Helen Keller, built the house in 1820.

The main house is constructed in the style of a , featuring four large rooms on the first floor, all with a vast hall; each room has its own fireplace.

The house was decorated for the holidays with Ivy, Holly, Pines, and other greenery from the grounds. It is incredible what you can use to decorate without a lot of cost.

Holly and cedar were lying on the table in the parlor. A cedar tree was beautifully decorated in the corner of the parlor, with magnolia leaves mixed with cedar in the fireplace and on the mantle.

Ivy Green

Helen's picture was hanging on the wall, and another of her pictures, of Helen at age seven, was sitting on the table.

There were a couple of Victorian chairs sitting in front of the fireplace on an oriental rug covering the hardwood floor.

Across the hall was the master bedroom where slept.

There was a bed with a high, carved headboard covered with a quilt made by Eveline Keller, which was over one hundred years old.

There was clothing hanging in the wardrobe of Helen and Mrs. Keller's.

On the floor was a Chinese rug given to Helen in 1949 by .

There was holly, Magnolia, and cedar lying on the fireplace mantle, and a picture of Helen at age thirteen.

Ivy Green

There was a netting basket sitting next to a rocker, a small table with a lamp, an umbrella standing next to the fireplace, another table with a picture sitting inside a bowl.

The stairs leading to the two bedrooms upstairs were lined with ivy.

Pictures of Helen and her parents were on the walls in the hall.

Ivy Green

The boy's room was to your right, a trunk room in the middle, and Helen's room to the left. All the floors were hardwood covered by large rugs.

In the dining room, a centerpiece of pine, cedar, holly, and apples sat on the table, accompanied by a set of China. Above the fireplace, magnolia leaves surrounded candelabras. A silver teapot set sat on the sugar chest, and the Jackson Press held the silver, linens, and beverages.

Ivy Green

Across from the dining room was where Helen's aunt, Eveline Keller, slept, but it is now used as Helen's Museum.

Helen's museum room features some of Helen's , a with Helen and , a bust of Helen, several pictures of Helen at different ages, and numerous artifacts.

There is a bronze plate of Helen with the saying, "," attributed to Helen Keller.

Helen Keller

Outside was the kitchen and house cleaner's quarters; there was the pump where Helen said her first word, "Water."

WATER

There was a carriage house and the cottage, where Helen's toys were displayed.

It had a doll carriage, a child rocker, a larger rocker, a chest, a small doll bed, a picture inside a bowl, and a kerosene lamp. In the bedroom, it features a four-poster bed, a baby bed, a fireplace, another rocker, and a fireplace.

Ivy Green

My husband had never seen Helen's home; I had seen it several times.

My dad had gotten an old trunk from the when I was just a small girl. Inside the trunk was a fairytale book, which I read from cover to cover, and I lost it when we moved to Florence.

We walked across the street to the , where we viewed nine twelve-foot Christmas trees decorated by different groups to capture the season.

Delta goes green by the Delta Sigma Theta; their theme was 'White Angels.'

The Christmas tree is celebrating 100 years of 4-H: decorated by the 4-H of Colbert and Franklin Counties.

Their tree was decorated with several 4-H emblems, and their theme color was green, complemented by a green skirt and a white button-up shirt from the 1950s.

Just Beachy by Pam Wright:

Pam's theme featured cool colors, accompanied by sunglasses, flip-flops, and other beach-inspired items.

For unto you are born this day by Leta Mathews and Van Brown:

Their theme colors were gold & silver, with twinkling lights, featuring the manger scene, the wise men, and the worship of baby Jesus.

There goes Santa Claus by Janet Cochran:

The theme colors were red and white, with Santa's boots sticking out of the chimney, and Santas of all shapes and sizes covering the tree, Santa's sack, and presents under the tree.

Unsung Heroes by DAR:

Their tree was decorated with a fire truck, and the tree was wrapped with notes for our heroes.

Uniquely Yours by the American Cancer Society and the Bosom Buddies support group;

Their theme was pink, with pink and silver balls hanging on the tree.

White bears and presents wrapped in pink and white.

The arts of home by:

UNA's Department of Human and Environmental Sciences features a multicolored design with a woman and her umbrella at the top. The tree was decorated with things that you would find in a home.

Last, I love to read at WA Threadgill Primary School.

Their theme color was multicolored, with educational toys and books scattered throughout the tree and under it.

There was Clifford the Big Red Dog, Pooh, and many other characters.

My husband talked to the curator while I took pictures of all the trees.

They will be on display until December 24, 2008.

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

🎄🎄🎄🎄2013~ Wednesday & Thursday, December 18-19, Calloway Gardens Pine Mountain, Georgia

Monday, July 6, 2015

2008 ~ October 23-27, To Watch Grandkids in Pelham, Georgia

🎄🎄🎄🎄2008 December 21, Sunday, Ivy Green, & Tusucmbia Art Museum in Tuscumbia, Alabama,

Day 6-12 Diamond Bus trip to Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Las Vegas (Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona & Nevada) with Bean/Smith Travel Presents Part 2