2016 Sep 9, Friday Arvel Bird Celtic Indian

Last night we sat on the front lawn of the Florence Library to watch a celebration of Native American heritage, culture, and history. 

The performance featured musician Arvel Bird (Paiute) and storyteller Amy Bluemel (Chickasaw). The event was sponsored by the Oka Kapassa Festival, the Alabama State Council on the Arts, and the Florence Public Library.

Arvel Bird (Piaute)

Arvel Bird (Piaute)

A Native Dancer

Amy Bluemel, a Native American storyteller, entertained us with a story about Flint the Giant. 

About how a small Indian boy overcame his fear of the giant. 

She also told a story about fire and how each animal tried to retrieve an ember.

The buzzard attempted to retrieve the fire, but it burnt the feathers off his head. The Crow tried to recover the ember, but he swallowed it, and he lost his voice.

The opossum attempted to retrieve the ember, but it fell off his furry tail. 

Grandmother Spider weaved a basket and returned with the ember of fire, but no one wanted to attend the fire, so it burned out.

Amy is a registered member of the Chickasaw Nation, and she performs at schools, libraries, camps, and museums. 

Amy Bluemel, a Native American Story Teller

If the stories fall silent, who will teach the children? Chief Dan George.

We also saw a tribal dance performed by a young American Indian. 

The performance lasted until 7:00 P.M.  We stopped at Wendy's for a fifty-cent chocolate Frosty.

🦋🦋🦋2016 Sep 8, Friday, Butterflies and Scarecrows in the Garden

Looked out my window this morning, and I saw a chipmunk scurrying around looking for food.
I grabbed my cell phone to take a video, but the chipmunk was as quick as lightning. I did get a few pictures.
I filled the hummingbird feeders with sweet, red, Nectar. 
They watched me from afar and waited until I went inside before starting to feed. 
The hummingbirds are very territorial and will run off any other hummingbird trying to get Nectar from their feeder.
I put sunflowers in my regular bird feeders. 

Hibiscus

Flowers still blooming

Stopped at my son's house to give Ava Grace a Happy Meal toy, apple slices, apple juice, and her bottle of milk she had left a few days earlier in the week. 

Stopped at the Post Office in Rogersville to buy postage stamps (with trucks on them) and mail two birthday cards. 
Stopped at the UPS store to mail a package. 

Stopped at Chick-fil-A in Athens, where I bought a kid a two-piece chicken finger meal with a fruit cup, two fingers, ice cream, honey mustard sauce, and diet Coke for lunch.  

Chick-fil-a

Exited Chick-fil-A onto hwy 72 east toward Huntsville. 

Turning right onto Slaughter Road, turning left onto Old Madison Pike. 

I followed Old Madison Pike over I-565 to Bob Wallace, stopping at 

4747 Bob Wallace at the Huntsville Botanical Gardens. 

Paid the entrance fee and began my walk through the garden

Huntsville Botanical Gardens 

My first stop was the Hobbit House; his door was shut tightly. 

Hobbit House
Our Hobbit House is inspired by J. R. R. Tolkien's book The Hobbit. Hobbits, also referred to as Halflings, are small in size, have slightly pointed ears, are stout in stature, and have large feet. Life in houses that are built into the ground. They usually have round doors, like ours. Hobbits like to garden socialize and eat up to six meals a day if they can. 

Hobbit House 

Bird Nest 

Climb in, settle down, and experience a bird's-eye view in this larger-than-life bird nest. Birds build nests from a variety of found materials, including sticks, grass, mud, feathers, horse hair, and even string. Northern Mockingbirds, Brown Thrashers, Northern Cardinals, Grey Catbirds, Blue Jay, American Crow, Bald Eagles, and Osprey build round nests with sticks, like this one. 

Next, I saw a larger-than-life bird nest. 

I walked into the bird's home and touched the egg. 

My next stop was the train village, and there were scarecrows scattered throughout the town. 

Train Village with scarecrows.

A new building going up at the park 

The Children's Garden.

Rabbit 

Girl 

Boy

Well
Jack and Jill
went up the hill
to fetch a pail
of water.
Jack fell down,  and Jill came
tumbling after.

Sunflowers

Maze Garden
Labyrinths and mazes have been a part of gardens since the time of England's King Arthur. Some of the World's most famous castles even have mazes.
Building a maze is more complicated than it looks, but we've given you everything you need to get started within the walls of our Maze Garden. 

Please No Wading 

Gold Fish 

Children's Garden 

I went inside the butterfly house, where I saw three turtles sunning on a boulder. 

There was a Space Garden and a Dinosaur Garden.

Dinosaur Garden with a cool mist to walk through.

Throughout the garden were scarecrows and other sights.

Charlie Brown, Lucy in  Snoopy's Red Dog House

Frog

See Rock City Playhouse

Boathouse

Fort 

Walking through the garden would have been fun if it had not been so hot. 
Most of the time, I was walking through the paths in the woods. 
I drove home from I-565 to I-65 to 72 West, stopping at Arby's to pick up dinner. 

Arby's Roast Beef Sandwich 

Diet Coke 

2016 Sep 5, Saturday, Sweet Tater Festival @Smith Lake & Labor Day Actives

Started the morning with a call out to work with Hubby. It only took about fifteen minutes to reset the alarm. 
While at Red Stone Arsenal, we stopped at a couple of new buildings so I could take pictures. 
The first building was glass, and the entrance had a metal winding staircase that led upstairs to the top level, with high ceilings. 
On display in the lobby were rockets, the Space Shuttle, the mini Apollo Lunar Module, a globe of the Sea of Tranquility from July 1969, and a table made from a rocket exhaust nozzle.

Tabletop
Base made from Rocket Exhaust Nozzle

Table made from Rocket Exhaust Nozzle 

Space Shuttle

The next building held the Space Launch Systems.
It had a life-size space suit, an Orion Spacecraft, and a mini NASA building with a launch area.
There was a half-circle orange bench where people could sit, not very comfortably. 

There was a life-size model of the Space Launch System (SLS) at a 1.25 scale.
The Space Launch System is going to Mars. 

Lifesize Space suit with an arm around a woman 

Space Launch System will be the next rocket to go to MARS.

Smith Lake at the Sweet Tater Festival was our next destination, about an hour away.
As we got closer to the park, we saw signs that said, "This way to tater festival. Have money ready." The entrance fee was $3 per person, and children under 5 were free.

There was plenty of parking, with no one directing traffic. We found a nice, close spot and parked. 
I took my camera with me and started taking pictures. 
We picked the hottest time of the day to visit the festival, the sun was blazing hot,
and sweat was already pouring down the back of my shirt.
The aroma of barbecue, hamburgers, & french fries filled the air.
There was a lemonade stand for the thirsty. 
I could see Smith Lake in the distance. I wanted to take off my shoes and wade into the lake. 
The sound of music filled the air coming from a staging area.
There were people with their children and many with their dogs. 

They had carriage rides for five dollars. I wanted to ride, but it was too hot.

Smith Lake 

Carriage Rides

Inflatables for kids

Band

Mechanical Bull riding

Food Vendors 

Several people brought their dogs.

In the wooded area was the Hot Rod Car Show.

We saw Corvettes, Fords, Chevys, Mustangs, Camaros, Trans-Ams, Firebirds, and Cadillacs.

Thunderbird

Ralph Lane st 1927 Rat Farm 

Most of the car show was in the shade.

Cadillac

Corvette

Oldsmobile 

Orange Ford truck Hemi Powered

the red car 

Two hours was more than enough fun in the hot sun.
We exited the park and took I-65N to Cullman.
We stopped at Logan's Roadhouse for a late lunch.
I was still wearing an orange wristband when I went to the restroom at Logan's. There, I meet a family also still wearing their orange wristbands. I asked them if they had been to the festival. They said yes.
As we were leaving, we met a man carrying a large camera case and wearing an orange wristband. I asked if he had been to the festival. He replied yes. I laughed and said that Logan's must be the stopping-off place for many people who had been to the festival.

We ordered 1/2 rack of ribs, fried apples, broccoli, salmon, and rolls.
For dessert, we ordered three slices of sweet pie.
One peanut butter and two strawberry cheesecakes.

A bucket full of strawberry cheesecake

Arrived home around 4:00 P.M.
At 5:30 P.M., we rode to Tennessee to buy lottery tickets.
Stopping at Roger High in Greenhill to watch our grandson play football.

The first team lost to Rogers 0 and to Lauderdale County 28.
When the first team played, the sun was still blazing down, and I could nearly see the boys play. By the time the next team played, the sun had set, and it had cooled enough to enjoy the football games.
The boys took several cool-down breaks, which they needed; several looked very hot.
The next team won 27 Rogers, Lauderdale County 17.

There was plenty of activity going on in the bleachers with our great-granddaughter.
Had a full, fun day.