2010 April 7, Wednesday, A day trip to Tulepo MS

Hubby and I traveled south along the Natchez Trace, stopping along the way to take pictures of markers. Bear Creek Mound, Pharr Mounds, Donivan Slough, Old Trace & Twenty Mile Bottom.

We arrived in Tupelo, MS, the birthplace of Elvis Presley. We walked around the house and looked inside, we walked along the Walk of Life printed on the granite marker laid around the birth home. We saw the statue of Elvis at age 13. We saw the Elvis Presley marker and the Blues marker, telling about his influence on Blues music. We walked into the church where Elvis and his family attended. We visited Elvis's chapel, "a place of meditation". We walked along the eight-foot "Story Wall", about Elvis's life told by friends of the family. We stopped to watch the fountain with thirteen upper spouts representing his life in Tupelo. We visited the gift shop. 
Our last stop was Memphis Bound, where we saw a replica of the 1939 green Plymouth that Elvis drove to Memphis, TN.

We rode downtown in Lee County, Tupelo, stopping to take pictures. We stopped at the Convention Center and saw the Shake Rag Blues Marker, which tells about Elvis's influence on Blues Music. Inside on display were pictures of Elvis and Elvis's White jumpsuit. 
We saw the Lyric Theater, where the family may have gone to see a movie. Our last stop in Tupelo was the Tupelo National Battlefield. 

Bear Creek Mound

Pharr Mounds

Pharr Mounds

Donivan Slough 

Old Trace 

Twenty Mile Bottom

Elvis Presley's birth home was built in 1934

Elvis Presley's birth home 

Statue of Elvis Presley as a boy

Elvis Presley's boyhood church 

Elvis Presley Museum 

1939 Plymouth

Shake Rag Blues Marker 

Shake Rag Blues Marker 

Colorful guitar with Elvis' face

Convention Center display of Elvis Presley and Marty Stewart

Fair Park and City Hall

Lyric Theater "All Shook Up" 

Tupelo National Battlefield

Battle of Tupelo and The Western Campaign 1864

We ate lunch at Cracker Barrel.

Tupelo National Battlefield 

We took a different route home. We stopped in Red Bay, Alabama, where I took a few pictures of a mural on the side of a store building and some war memorials. 

Mural in Red Bay

Music Hall of Fame in Tuscumbia 

We ended our trip by stopping at the Music Hall of Fame to take a picture of the Blues Marker.

The Blues Trail from Mississippi to Alabama 

The Blues Trail from Mississippi to Alabama 

It had been a full day of driving south on the Natchez Trace, stopping to see several sights. A stop at Elvis Presley's birth home site. We made a stop at the Lee County-Tupelo Convention Center.

We visited the Tupelo National Battlefield. We ate lunch at Cracker Barrel. We stopped in Red Bay. Our last stop was at the Music Hall of Fame, where the Alabama to Mississippi Blues Marker was located.

2010 & 2015 Coffee Cemetery then and now

September 8, 2010 

I saw a tree full of these.

Road to the Cemetery 

Coffee Cemetery could not be seen from the road. There was a historical marker providing information about the Cemetery.
We pulled into someone's driveway and parked in the area where one could park to enter the road leading to the Cemetery. There was a gate that I had to go through. Then down this long dirt road to the Cemetery.
The Cemetery was well kept, but there was no way to get inside the wall, so I leaned over it to take pictures of the graves. 
Many of Coffee's family members are buried in this Cemetery.
Just a few feet away are several unmarked slave graves. 

Information about the Coffee family:
General John R. Coffee, son of Captain Joshua and Elizabeth (Graves) Coffee, married Mary Donelson on October 3, 1809, in Davidson County, TN. There were ten known children born of this union: Mary (Hutchings), John Donelson, Elizabeth, Andrew Jackson, Rachel Jackson (Dyas), Alexander Donelson, Catherine Harriet, Emily, William Donelson, and Joshua Coffee.

General John R. Coffee fought in the War of 1812 under the command of Andrew Jackson. He raised the 2nd Regiment of Volunteer Mounted Riflemen, which was made up of primarily Tennessee militiamen and a few Alabamians. On September 4, 1814, he was involved in the Andrew Jackson-Benton Brothers duel. He married Mary Donelson, daughter of John and Mary (Purnell) Donelson, and a relative of Andrew Jackson's wife, Rachel Donelson Robards Jackson. His father, Captain Joshua Coff, is believed to have served in the Revolutionary War.

He was a merchant, a partner in land speculation with Andrew Jackson, and worked as a surveyor in Florence, Lauderdale Co., AL. Surveying the boundary line between Alabama and Mississippi. www.findagrave.com

Coffee Cemetery 

Coffee Cemetery 

I went back to the Cemetery Site on April 10, 2015.

I no longer had to walk through the woods to the Cemetery. 

There was a sidewall Cemetery. The Cemetery could be seen from the road, which was once hidden in the woods. 

I could not get to the Cemetery due to construction. 

Walmart bought the land, and before they would let Walmart build a store, the area had to be surveyed for slave graves, and many grave sites were found. That area was set aside, and Wal-Mart built its store, but not on any grave sites.

Coffee Cemetery 2015

Every orange flag represents a slave grave.

2010 Mar 27, Saturday, Grandkid discovering the Natural Resources of Florence

I took three of my grandchildren to the Hall Memorial Native Plant Garden at TVA.
Where we saw the Iris Crostata, Jacob's Ladder, Bloodroot, Solidago caesia, Sessile Leaf Bellwort, Oakleaf Hydrangea, Ohio Spiderwort, Wild Columbine, Purple Phacelia & others. 
The grandchildren listened patiently as Mr. Rose told them about all the wildflowers. 
We left the garden and went deeper into the woods to see more wildflowers. 
The grandkids love walking in the woods. I am sure some of the information stayed in their heads.

A group picture at the end of the hike. 

Walking deeper into the woods, looking for wildflowers

The grandkids wanted to explore the TVA Waterfall. As we were walking along the banks of the Tennessee River, we saw many birds. We could see the TVA Dam,  the Marriott Hotel, River Heritage Park, and the Tower 380 Degrees Restaurant. 

Standing on the banks of the river

the backdrop of the Waterfall 

We stopped at Domino's for a pizza and took it to Deibert Park. 

After we finished eating, we walked the trail to learn more about our environment. We stopped at the pond to watch the turtles pop their heads up out of the water. 

Watching the turtles

Watching for the Turtles

We walked deeper into the woods, where we saw signs listing the different creatures, plants, and trees we might see.

Some of the signs that we saw were: muskrat, loblolly pine, Rufous-sided Towhee, Caroline Wren, ticks, Great Blue Heron, black cherry tree, dogwood tree, bluebirds, sweet pepper bush, cardinal, gray squirrel, and many others. 

The grandkids discovered some of the metal art displayed in the park, bringing a bit of culture to the park. 

Discovering Art 

The grandkids enjoyed playing on the train, monkey bars, swings, horses, tire swing, and seesaw.

We stopped at my dad's to wish him a Happy Birthday. It had been a full day for all of us. 

Riding the train 

Swinging 

  

2010 Mar 20, Saturday, Big Read & Exploring

I took two grandsons to the Florence Library to kick off the big read.
The boys enjoyed fence painting (Tom Sawyer Fence painting) using yellow, green, red & blue paints. A couple was playing and singing music. 

Tom Sawyer 

Fence Painting

There was a wooden statue with the face hollowed out, where the kids could put their faces and pretend to be Tom Sawyer. 

The kids also received a peppermint stick.

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The boys with the dog display

The boys and the elephant display

We walked across the street to Wilson Park and then to Kennedy Douglas Art Center, where the boys could explore the outdoor art displays. We saw a dog, a dinosaur, an elephant, and a spider.

We stopped at Pickett Place, a Historic site.

Pope's Tavern 

We stopped at Pope's Tavern and walked around the grounds, taking a few pictures. 

Teaching the Boys about early cooking 

teaching the boys about the early watering troughs for horses

We continued walking to UNA. We went to see the lions, UNA, and LEO. 
We visited Romeo & Juliet Statues, the building that looks like a castle, the UNA bell tower, the area where UNA soldiers are honored, and many other sites. 

Finishing our walkthrough UNA 

Sculptures displayed downtown 

We walked downtown,n stopping for a picture of the Hulk poster.

our last stop with the Presbyterian Church 

I took the boys to Wendy's for Frosty and chicken fingers. 

The grandkids learned a lot of history and had fun doing it. 

2010 Feb 27, Saturday, Hiking on TVA Trails

I parked the car near the TVA Power Station at Birding Site Number 8. 
Where my granddaughter and I began our hike. Before 9/11, there was a Visitor Center at TVA where visitors could see how our power system works. Most of the information is now located at Muscle Shoals Town Hall.

Birding Site 6

The first thing we saw was the TVA Dam and the cascading waterfall. The path was still covered with fallen leaves, and most of the trees were bare. The best time to hike is in the fall or winter, since snakes are more active in the summer.

Walking to the Rock Pile

Walking on the trail 

Rock Pile Trail
Old First Quarters 1.8 miles
Follow White Blazes
A National Recreation Trail 

You are at the Rockpile Recreation
To the east is a scenic waterfall near Wilson Dam
To go to Wilson Dam via the train, follow the road up the hill a short way and turn left onto the stairs. To travel toward the Patton Island Bridge, follow the old rail bed until you reach a hill with some cross-tie steps on the left. Follow the trail up those stairs.

We passed the rock pile, and we walked along the rail bed up the steps to Patton Island Bridge. 

Following the rail bed

We walked past the Patton Island Bridge and continued up the hill. 
We walked until we reached a gravel road.

Walking on a gravel road

Walking on the sidewalk

We crossed the highway over to the sidewalk and walked back to the car. 
We stopped to read the signs posted at a shelter near the TVA Dam Power Station.

Gulls Glorious Gulls

Birds of North Alabama 

Exploring the River 

After the long walk, we were hot, tired, and hungry. I drove us across the TVA dam, and we hadlunchCracker BarrBarrel. It wasIt was a lovely day for hiking, not too hot. We did not see any critters along our path. We crossed several bridges and walked up and down several hills. We had to watch our steps for fallen branches. 
I had a great time hiking on the TVA Trail with my granddaughter.