2018 Shoals Front Porch Storytelling Festival

I spent the last three days attending different functions of the Storytelling Festival.
May 17,18,19, 2018

Thursday, I attended the free concert at the Alabama Music Hall of Fame by Kate Campbell. 

Kate played guitar, sang, and told stories. (3:00-4:30PM)

One of the stories/songs was about Tomatoes and Jesus Coming Soon. 

The special guest was Spooner Oldham. Kate has made many recordings with Spooner. 

Later that day at Florence Library,  I enjoyed listening to Josh Goforth tell stories about his tobacco-chewing PawPaw. 

Josh played a banjo, fiddle, and guitar. He can play as many as ten instruments. Very talented young man. (5-6PM)

Josh Goforth playing the banjo 

Friday, I was joined by three friends at the storytelling festival held at the Shoals Theater from 9-5PM. 

Movie Projector at Shoals Theater displayed in the lobby

We enjoyed lunch at Legends, which is located across the street from the theater.
We listened to Bil Lepp tell funny stories. 

Josh Goforth sings, tells stories, and plays the banjo, guitar, and Fiddle. 

Tim Lowry's long program, he was dressed as a southern gentleman of South Carolina. 

After lunch, we listened to Donald Davis, Dolores Hydock, Bill Lepp, and Josh Goforth. 

There was a dinner break, and we all went home. 

Saturday, I was joined by one friend, and we listened to Tim Lowry tell a story about attending an AME church in a Confederate Soldier Uniform. 

We listened to Donald Davis, Kate Campbell, & Josh Goforth.

Delores Hydock's long program was about a woman who worked for Loveman's Department Store "In her own fashion." 

Bobby Horton played guitar while Dolores told the story of Ninette Griffith & Loveman's Department store. 

My friend and I enjoyed a meal at City Hardware. I ordered a red, white, and blue salad with chicken. 

Red, White, and Blue Chicken Salad 

At 5PM, the storytelling telling stopped for a dinner break.
My friend and I both went home. I would love to have stayed until 9PM for the rest of the show, but I was just too tired.

I was in between Dolores Hydock and Tim Lowery at intermission. 

2018 May 23, An enjoyable day out Florence & Athens, Alabama

Hubby set off several bug bombs as we were leaving for the day. 

We stopped at the Credit Union for some cash. 

We ate lunch at Trowbridge’s, where we both ordered a BLT, chips, Coke in a glass bottle, and Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream. 

BLT

COKE 

STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE ICE CREAM

TROWBRIDGE'S ICE CREAM MENU

A COUPLE OF SCHOOL KIDS GETTING ICE CREAM 

WAITING FOR MY BLT

We enjoyed listening to Joseph Baldwin in Wilson Park.

We rode to Elgin to get B12 shots. 

We rode to Athens, stopping at Save-A-Lots and Big Lots. 

Both hubby and I had eye appointments in Athens. 

We stopped at UG White Mercantile, where I bought some saltwater taffy and a pair of Kuhl shorts. 

KUHL was born in the Mountains. KUHL is a product-driven company with a passion for the outdoor experience. The Kuhl icon represents this mountain culture.

Salt  Water Taffy 

I asked if this was the only mercantile store, and the cashier said we have another store in Huntsville near Clinton St. 

There was a large selection of Lodge skillets displayed in the mercantile.  

I remarked that hubby and I had toured the Lodge Factory in South Pittsburg during their Cornbread Festival.

I said cornbread is not good unless it is cooked in an Iron Skillet. We stopped at Murphy's for gas, and Aldies was our last stop. 

Hubby and I ate leftover grilled hamburgers for supper.

After supper, hubby fell asleep on the sofa.

People Raised from the Dead mentioned in the Bible

The widow of Zarephath’s son (1 King 17:17–24). Elijah, the prophet, raised the widow of Zarephath from the dead. Elijah was staying in an upper room of the widow’s house during a severe drought in the land. While he was there, the widow’s son became ill and died. In her grief, the woman brought the body of her son to Elijah with the assumption that his presence in her household had brought about the death of her boy as a judgment of her past sin. Elijah took the dead boy from her arms, went to the upper room, and prayed, “Lord my God, let this boy’s life return to him!” (verse 21). Elijah stretched himself out on the boy three times as he prayed, and “the Lord heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived” (verse 22). The prophet brought the boy to his mother, who was filled with faith in the power of God through Elijah: “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth” (verse 24).

The Shunammite woman’s son (2 Kings 4:18–37). The prophet Elisha raised the Shunammite woman’s son from the dead. Elisha regularly stayed in Shunem in an upper room prepared for him by this woman and her husband. One day, while Elisha was at Mount Carmel, the couple’s young son died. The woman carried the body of her son to Elisha’s room and laid it on the bed (verse 21). Then, without even telling her husband the news, she departed for Carmel to find Elisha (verses 22–25). When she found Elisha, she pleaded with him to come to Shunem. Elisha sent his servant, Gehazi, ahead of them with instructions to lay Elisha’s staff on the boy’s face (verse 31). As soon as Elisha and the Shunammite woman arrived back home, Elisha went to the upper room, shut the door, and prayed. Then he stretched out on top of the boy’s body, and the body began to warm (verse 34). Elisha arose, walked about the room, and stretched himself out on the body again. The boy then sneezed seven times and awoke from death (verse 35). Elisha then delivered the boy, alive again, to his grateful mother (verses 36–37).

The man was raised out of Elisha’s grave (2 Kings 13:20–21). Elisha is connected with another resurrection that occurred after his death. Sometime after Elisha had died and was buried, some men were burying another body in the same area. The grave diggers saw a band of Moabite raiders approaching, and rather than risk an encounter with the Moabites, they threw the man’s body into Elisha’s grave. Scripture records that “when the body touched Elisha’s bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet” (verse 21).

The widow of Nain’s son (Luke 7:11–17). This is the first of the resurrections that Jesus performed. As the Lord approached the town of Nain, He met a funeral procession leaving the city. In the coffin was a young man, the only son of a widow. When Jesus saw the procession, “his heart went out to [the woman], and he said, ‘Don’t cry’” (verse 13). Jesus came close, touched the coffin, and spoke to the dead man: “Young man, I say to you, get up!” (verse 14). Obeying the divine order, “the dead man sat up and began to talk” (verse 15). Thus, Jesus turned the funeral into a praise and worship service: “God has come to help his people,” the people said (verse 16).

Jairus’ daughter (Luke 8:52–56), Raised by Jesus 

Jesus also showed His power over death by raising the young daughter of Jairus, a synagogue leader. 

The Lord was surrounded by crowds when Jairus came to Him, begging Him to visit his house and heal his dying twelve-year-old daughter (verses 41–42). 

Jesus began to follow Jarius home, but on the way, a member of Jarius’ household approached them with the sad news that Jairus’ daughter had died. 

Jesus turned to Jarius with words of hope: “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed” (verse 50). Upon arriving at Jarius’ house, Jesus took the girl’s parents, Peter, James, and John, and entered the room where the body lay. 

There, “he took her by the hand and said, ‘My child, get up!’ Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up” (verses 54–55). Jesus and His disciples then left the resurrected girl with her astonished parents.

Lazarus of Bethany (John 11), Raised by Jesus

The third person that Jesus raised from the dead was His friend Lazarus. 

Word had come to Jesus that Lazarus was ill, but Jesus did not go to Bethany to heal him. Instead, He told His disciples, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it” (verse 4). 

A couple days later, Jesus told His disciples that Lazarus had died, but He promised a resurrection: “I am going there to wake him up” (verse 11). When Jesus reached Bethany, four days after Lazarus’ death, Lazarus’ grieving sisters both greeted Jesus with the same words: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (verses 21 and 32). 

Jesus, speaking to Martha, promised to raise Lazarus from the dead (verse 23) and proclaimed Himself to be “the resurrection and the life” (verse 25). Jesus asked to see the grave. When He got to the place, He commanded the stone to be rolled away from the tomb (verse 39), and He prayed (verses 41–42) and “called in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’” (verse 43). 

Just as Jesus had promised, “the dead man came out” (verse 44). 

The result of this miracle was that God was glorified, and “many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary and had seen what Jesus did believed in him” (verse 45). Others, however, refused to believe in Jesus and plotted to destroy both Jesus and Lazarus (John 11:53; 12:10).

Various saints in Jerusalem (Matthew 27:50–53) were Raised by God

The Bible mentions some resurrections that occurred en masse at the resurrection of Christ. 

When Jesus died, “the earth shook, the rocks split, and the tombs broke open” (verses 51–52). 

Those open tombs remained open until the third day. At that time, “the bodies of many holy people . . . were raised to life. 

They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people” (verses 52–53). 

On the day that Jesus was raised to life, these saints were also raised and became witnesses in Jerusalem of the life that only Jesus could give.

Tabitha (Acts 9:36–43) Raised by Peter

Tabitha, whose Greek name was Dorcas, was a believer who lived in the coastal city of Joppa. 

Her resurrection was performed by the apostle Peter. Dorcas was known for “always doing good and helping the poor” (verse 36). 

When she died, the believers in Joppa were filled with sadness. 

They laid the body in an upper room and sent for Peter, who was in the nearby town of Lydda (verses 37–38). Peter came at once and met with the disciples in Joppa, who showed him the clothing that Dorcas had made for the widows there (verse 39). 

Peter sent them all out of the room and prayed. Then, “turning toward the dead woman, he said, ‘Tabitha, get up.’ She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet” (verses 40–41). 

The overjoyed believers received their resurrected friend, and the news spread quickly throughout the city. “Many people believed in the Lord” as a result (verse 42).

Eutychus (Acts 20:7–12) Raised by Paul 

Eutychus was a young man who lived (and died and lived again) in Troas. 

He was raised from the dead by the apostle Paul. 

The believers in Troas were gathered in an upper room to hear the apostle speak. 

Since Paul was leaving town the next day, he spoke late into the night. 

One of his audience members was Eutychus, who sat in a window and, unfortunately, fell asleep. 

Eutychus slipped out of the window and fell three stories to his death (verse 9). 

Paul went down and “threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him” (verse 10). 

Eutychus came back to life, went upstairs, and ate a meal with the others. When the meeting finally broke up at daylight, “the people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted” (verse 12).

Jesus (Mark 16:1–8). Of course, any list of resurrections in the Bible must include the resurrection of Jesus Christ. His death and resurrection are the focal point of Scripture and the most important events in the history of the world. The resurrection of Jesus is different from the Bible’s other resurrections in a very notable way: Jesus’ resurrection is the first “permanent” resurrection; all the other resurrections in the Bible were “temporary” in that those raised to life died again. Lazarus died twice; Jesus rose, nevermore to die. In this way, He is “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20). Jesus’ resurrection justifies us (Romans 4:25) and ensures our eternal life: “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19).

2018 Jan 31-Feb 5,🚙 Trip to Mobile, Saraland, Alabama and Carnival Fantasy Western Caribbean Cruise Cozumel, Mexico ( 6 days)

Day 1 January 31,

We traveled along Highway 43 passing through Russellville, Spruce Pine, Phil Campbell, Bear Creek, Brilliant, Winfield, Fayette, Tuscaloosa, Fosters, Ralph, Knoxville, Eutaw, Forkland, Demopolis, Providence, Linden, Dixons Mills, Thomasville, Fulton, Grover Hill, Jackson, Macintosh, Movico, Axis onto I-65 s to I-10 W to hwy 90, hwy 59, 188, 193 to Dauphin Island.

We stopped in Forkland to take pictures of Jim Bird's Hay Bale Art and Tin Man.  

Tin Man 

At Dolphin Island, we walked along the boardwalk taking pictures:

Living Marsh & Boardwalk 

Marine Debris, a Silent Killer 

Marine Debris Timeline

Butterflies of Dauphin Island

Mr. Sand Part I, II, III  

A Real Partnership 

Energy from the Sands of Time 

Where am I? 

Alabama Coastal Connection 

Dune plants survive in a harsh environment

Wetland birds 

The tidal Marshes of Alabama

Barrier Islands shaped by wind & Waters

Invertebrate Trail

Research on Marsh Restoration at Dauphin Island’s Sea Lab

Whether the Weather

The Living Marsh

Dauphin Island 

Rays at Dauphin Island 

We went to the Fort at Dauphin Island, but it was closed, and so was Sea Lab.

We drove to the Audubon Sanctuary Nature Interpretive trail, looking for the bird. We could hear them but did not see any. 

We did see several turtles. 

It was getting late, and we wanted to reach Saraland before dark. 

We arrived at Comfort Inn 1200 SHELTON BEACH RD SARALAND, AL, checked into our room and walked next door to eat dinner at Winzell’s. I ordered a fried shrimp basket with Coleslaw and water with lemon to drink.

My friend ordered the Shrimp Poboy served with lettuce, tomatoes, purple onion, and pickles, served out their signature bread served with French fries. 

It had been a long day, so we retired to our room for the night.

The Inn where we stayed was being remodeled. 

Shrimp Poboy

Fried shrimp basket with Coleslaw

Day 2: Thursday, February 1

We ate a continental breakfast at the Inn, packed our bags, and drove to the Port of Mobile.

We were a bit early to board Carnival Fantasy Cruise Line, so we had to wait in line with several other cars. 

We finally arrived at the parking deck, each had a bag checked and parked on deck two.

We unloaded our carry-on bags, walked to the elevators, and had to pay for parking.

We went through security, and because of my total knee replacement, the alarm went off, and I had to be worn down.

We took our bags to our room on level four.

We went up the elevator to the patio pool area behind it are the Buffet Area, Pizza Area, and Guy's Burgers.

We both ordered Guy's burger and Fries.

When we finished eating, we walked around checking out the ship. That night, we attended a Hasbro Game Show and were in bed by 9 PM.

Carnival Fantasy 

Guys, Burger, and Fries

Day 3: Friday 2, Fun Day at Sea

We were up early to see the Sunrise. 

We both ordered a made-to-order omelet and got a couple of pastries and French toast.

For lunch, we both ordered a taco salad with Key Lime pie.

That afternoon, we went to a show about what we may see on the Island Adventures.

They gave away several prizes, but we did not win.

We are going to a formal dinner so we dressed up. 

I ordered baked fish with rice, & broccoli. 

We both bought tickets for tomorrow's adventures. 

That night, we watched a show about Soul Train with impersonators of Temptations and Supremes.

Fresh Rolls for dinner

Grilled fish with rice and broccoli 

Chocolate cake with ice cream 

Day 4: Saturday, Feb 3, 

Watched the sunrise and ate breakfast from the buffet.

Spent the day at Chankanaab National Park in Cozumel.

Landed Cozumel and went ashore around 9 AM. 

I stopped at the World Coral Exhibit to take a few pictures.

Cozumel’s Coral Reef

Reef Systems

Coral & Sponges of Cozumel

Ecosystems Importance

Carnival Corp & Commitment to our Environment

Commercial Threat to Coral Reefs

Coral Reefs

Life of Coral Reefs

We met up with our tour guide (Adolf) and were divided into three groups. 

Loaded into three different vans and was shuttled to Chankanaab National Park.

Several people in the group were going snorkeling.

We watched people swimming with the dolphins at Dolphin Discovery

We walked through the Maya replica ruins.

We walked through the Botanical Gardens at Chankanaab Park, where we saw flowers, birds, lizards, and a coral reef. 

We joined the group for lunch and to watch the Sea Lion Show.

 Tequila tasting at 12:50 PM

We were shuttled back to the beach at 1:30 PM and loaded back onto the ship.

Once again, we had to go through security, and once again, my knee set the alarm off, and I had to be worn down again.

That night, we saw our host dress up like Richard Simmons and do an 89’s trivia show.

For dinner, we both ordered a hot chocolate cake with French sauce. 

My friend ordered a taco, and I ordered grilled salmon with carrots and broccoli served with potatoes.

Sea Lion Show.

Coral Reef

Swimming with Dolphins

Day 5: Sunday, Feb 4, 

Fun day at Sea 

We watched the sunrise &  on the Deck, we met a woman from Florida.

We ate brunch in the dining room.

We both ordered the huevos Rancho, delicious chicken quesadillas topped with fried eggs,

& Manchebo cheese and orange juice.

huevos Rancho

Sunrise on the Gulf of Mexico 

I wrote in my journal while my friend finished reading her book. 

For dinner, we both ordered green beans, potatoes, and steak. For dessert, we ordered Cheesecake with strawberries, and I wanted to try the caramel popcorn cream custard. 

Day 6: Monday, Feb 5, 

We both enjoyed breakfast before embarking on the ship at 9 AM.

We traveled through Mobile, stopping at Dollar General for Diet Coke and peanut butter crackers.

I had heartburn, and this helped settle my tummy.

We filled up with gas and stopped at Guthries in Haleyville for dinner.

We both ordered chicken fingers with Coleslaw.

Chicken Fingers and Coleslaw 

We arrived at my friend's house around 4 PM.

Hubby came to pick me up.

We stopped at Lawler’s to pick up a barbecue plate for dinner.

Carnival Fantasy Stateroom R18 DECK R MUSTER STATION A

Hotel Comfort Inn and Suite 1200 SHELTON BEACH RD SARALAND, AL