2020 Jan 6, Outing to Decatur, Alabama Birds of Prey, Waterfowl

Owl 

Today, Hubby and I rode to Decatur we ate breakfast at IHOP and went to Wheeler Wildlife Refuge, where we saw Whooping and Sandhill Cranes. 

We saw a small group of schoolchildren and several adults with cameras. We watched a 12-minute movie about the Refuge and walked among the Cypress Trees.

Sandhill Cranes

On the Atkeson Cypress Boardwalk, we saw these gorgeous Cypresses submerged deep in the swam. 

 We stopped at Ingalls Harbor, & Rhodes Ferry Park.

Tern Perched on a pole at Ingalls Harbor. 

We ate lunch at Jack's, hamburgers and fried pies
 We stopped at Wheeler Dam, where we saw hundreds of Terns diving for fish. We also saw hundreds of Terns perched along the entrance to the locks and hundreds of Cormorants perched below the dam. It was a beautiful day for an outing.

At Rhodes Ferry Park, we saw the train lift bridge that once bridged Lauderdale to Colbert County, Alabama. 

At Wheeler Dam, we saw Terns diving into the Swift Tennessee River. 

The Tuscumbia, Courtland, and Decatur Railroad was the only railway line in the country used to transport the Cherokee people during forced removal. 

Linking Decatur to the Cherokee Indian Removal during the Trail of Tears. 
On this river in front of you, 2,300 Cherokee people arrived in waves, forced from their Tennessee Valley homeland from 1837 to 1838. The steamer Knoxville towed flatboats loaded with Cherokee families. Heavy rains soaked their clothes. The cold wind whipped off the water. They survived on cornmeal and flour fried in bacon grease. Once docked here at Decatur Landing, the Cherokee boarded cramped train cars. Their journey west continued along the rails.

2019 Oct 8-11, Luminights at Dollywood and Fall Harvest at Sevierville, & Pigeon Forge, Tennessee ( 4days)

To celebrate our birthdays, we decided to take a trip to the Mountains for a few days.

I had booked a room at La Quinta Inn by Wyndham (check-in time is after 3 PM Eastern time) in Sevierville.

We decided to eat a late lunch and early dinner at Texas Road House on Collier Drive in Sevierville.

I ordered the lunch special 6-ounce lunch sirloin steak medium-well, with Ceaser salad and a baked potato.

Hubby ordered 8 ounces of New York Strip medium with a baked potato and a salad.

We filled up with gas at Murphy Express before checking into our hotel.

Later that afternoon, we rode to Krogers for a couple of diet cokes and a package of chocolate eclairs.

Harvest Festival Pigeon Forge 

We bought a small bag of freshly ground yellow cornmeal at the Old Mill General Store. We also stopped at Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede. It was beautifully decorated with pumpkins & gourds of every size, shape, and color.

A great place to snap a photo

Welcome to Pigeon Forge.
Stopping for a rest break. 

I ate a waffle with syrup, sausage, and a glass of cranberry juice at the breakfast bar at the hotel.

After breakfast, we rode to the Tanger Outlets we stopped at the Disney Store, where I bought a long-sleeved Mickey Tee-shirt, a Halloween 2019 Minnie Doll, and a Halloween bag.

We also stopped at Victoria's Secret, where I bought two bras and a pair of panties.

Our next stop was at the Island, Hubby wanted a souvenir shirt from Margaretville.

Hubby let me out at Margaretville, and then he parked the car.

It was a beautiful day, people were enjoying the Smoky Mountain Ferries Wheel, The Spinning Parrot Coaster, Time-shot, the Island Express Train, the Flying Horse Carousel, the Thunder Dome, the Reverse Time Ride, Happy Swings, & Funny Cars. There were lots to see and do on the Island. 

Pumpkins and Autumn Flowers Everywhere.
Lot lots of places for selfies on the Island.

Our fun did not stop with the Island. We rode the trolly to our car, and then we rode to Dollywood, where we stayed until closing.

It was fall break, and the parking lot was full of cars. We had to park in lot D and wait in a long line to ride the trolly to the gate, where we purchased a two-day pass ticket.

At 12:45, we watched the tail end of the Smoky Mountain String Band at the Gazebo.

At 1 PM, we watched Candy & Jeremy perform at the Valley Theater.

It was after lunch, so we stopped at the Front Porch Cafe, where we ordered the Cheddar Bacon hamburger with yellow corn, coleslaw, and fried green tomatoes.

Dollywood
Welcome Pumpkins

Scarry Pumpkins
We saw pumpkins eating, reading, playing music (on rubboards and wash pans), painting, butterfly catching,
waking their dog, quilting, pumpkins made into a guitar, a large spide pumpkin with web, and so much more.

We saw this steel Eagle statue standing tall as it watched the Wild Eagle Coaster soar through the air. 

Near the Eagle Ride, we saw the Eagle Sculpture built by A Canadian sculptor, Kevin Stone, owner of Metal Animation Studio in Chilliwack,  British Columbia, at $250,000 US dollars.

Great Pumpkin Luminights Roaming Character was Patches the Scarrow
Harvey the Pumpkin, PUMPKIN Master, Pumpkin Polly,  Jack-O-Juggler, and Pumpkin Penny.

Throughout the park, we saw the roaming Characters of Applejack, Frances, Clive Abernathy, & Miss Lillian.

In Wildwood Grove, we saw Flutter, Flit, Ned, and Benjamin the Bear. 

We also saw The Wildwood Tree with a collection of butterflies dancing colorfully in the breeze.

When the sun went down, the music brought the pumpkins to life with dancing, & singing.

There were small pumpkins, large pumpkins, scary pumpkins, funny pumpkins, and pumpkins everywhere.

Dancing Pumpkins

We stayed at the park from 12 p.m. to close, we were worn out from all the walking. We walked to the trolley stop, waited in line to ride the trolley, and then we rode to the hotel.

We had purchased a two-day pass, so we needed some rest for another day at Dollywood. 

For breakfast at the hotel, I ate sausage, & a cranberry bagel with cream cheese and cranberry juice. 

We stopped at The Christmas Place it was packed, and there were long lines at the checkout.

We did visit the bakery shop, where we purchased a chocolate pretzel, a box of saltwater taffy, and some fudge. 

We stopped at the Lodge outlet, where we bought a seven-stick corn stick pan.

We ate lunch at Long John Silvers, and we both ordered Shrimp meals. 

Harvest at The Christmas Store 

Day two at Dollywood, but at a slower pace. 

At 3:30 PM, we watched the Hysongs at Show Street Palace Theater.

At 5:30 PM, we watched the Erwins at DP's Celebrity Theater

At 6:30 PM, we watched Live @ the Back Porch at the Back Porch Theater (there was a young man from Muscle Shoals performing  there)

At 7 PM, we watched the Cords Men at the Valley Theater.

When the last show ended, we walked through the Luminiights. 

We had a great three days, and I had never seen so many pumpkins in one place. I loved the Harvest Festival throughout Sevierville, & Pigeon Forge.

Now for the long ride home.

I saw this beautiful pink Rose of Sharon when we stopped at the Nick Jack Rest Area in Chattanooga on our way home.

2019 Dec 8-Dec 13, Trip to Sevierville, Tennessee (6days) and Journal of my three Root Canals (Dec 4, Dec 13-17)

Dec 4, 

All night, my lower left bottom tooth hurt, so on our way to see my eye doctor in Huntsville, we stopped at the dentist, and he said I had two obsesses.

The dentist did a root canal on the tooth that was hurting, which hurt several days after the root canal. I was given pain pills and antibiotics for an infection.

I went back the next day, but the dentist could not get to the canals, so he closed back up the canal and made me an appointment to see the endodontist.

I went on my trip with abscessed teeth.

Day 1: Dec 8, 

Traveled from Huntsville to Sevierville, TN, with my cousin Sherry and Aunt Bobbie. 

We were too early to check into Wyndham condos, so we went to eat a late lunch at Applewood Farmhouse Grill.

We ordered a hot bowl of vegetable soup, grilled cheese sandwiches, apple fritters, apple sauce, and their delicious apple, orange, & pineapple juice. We had enough food left over for dinner.

Juice and Apple Fritters

Checked into Wyndham Condos after 4 PM 

We were staying in room 1427 and had brought several items, and we needed a cart to load everything onto.

Sherry spied a couple of luggage carriers in the entranceway and was going to get one, but a couple had taken both of them.

Sherry was upset and said that they should give us one, but they would not

We finally found one and loaded it with everything that we had brought 

Another couple was waiting for our baggage cart and asked if they could have it when we were finished with it

Sherry and Bobbie were pushing and pulling the cart around the twisting walkway, and things kept falling off the cart finally, the man said let me help you, ladies

He gave his luggage to Aunt Bobbie and proceeded to push the cart to our room

His wife asked me if I was with them

I laughed and said yes

I said it was like The movie Christmas Vacation 

We both laughed 

Her husband helped unload the cart 

We thanked him, and he took the cart, and they left 

Another couple waiting for the cart when they had finished. 

What a way to start our vacation 

Later that night, Sherry and I rode to Walmart to pick up a few items. (Apple juice & chips) And where I saw Dolly Parton’s Imaginary Library book.

Dolly Parton’s Imaginary Library book

Day 2: Dec 9, 

We met Wanda & Buck at Huck Finn for lunch.

We all ordered catfish, fries, white beans, onion, pickle, coleslaw, and hushpuppies from the lunch menu.

We said goodbye to Wanda and Buck and rode to Dolly Parton’s Stampede, decorated for Christmas.

We all took several pictures.

Dolly Parton's Stampede

Huck Finn's 

We shopped at Burlington Coat Factory and Old Time Pottery.

We rode back to the condo for the remainder of the day and watched TV.

Dec 10, 2019 

Sherry and Bobbie went to a meeting at Wyndham. We all ate breakfast at the Time-share, and I was taken back to the condo by one of the bus drivers. 

While they were at the Time-share, I called my dentists to get a refill of my antibiotics at Walgreens and to cancel my colonoscopy until the first of the year. 

We ate lunch at Firehouse Subs. I ordered a Philly Steak 4-inch sandwich, salsa chips, and Sprite.

Philly Steak 

It was a cold, wet night, but we ventured out because we had free tickets to see Pirates Voyage Dinner and Show.

We had to go through security after we got our tickets. We were early, so we walked around in the gift shop and then found a bench to sit on.

Our tickets said Row 6A, which was on the left side of the building, and we could not see all the characters in the show.

We saw a Seal lion show, a Scrooge pirates show, Birth of Jesus with Mary riding out on a donkey with Joseph, an angel descending from the ceiling, Wise men coming from afar, and shepherds. 

Mary and Joseph 

Our server was Jenna, and she first served us drinks, I ordered tea.

Next, she brought everyone a cup, and she filled each cup with a Cream of Vegetable soup. Next, she brought us biscuits to go with our soup.

Next, she brought everyone a piece of fried chicken, along with Mac & Cheese, & sweet potatoes. When everyone finished eating, she gathered up all the dishes and returned with a plate and a peach pie.

She also brought doggie bags for our leftovers. 

I was not super hungry, but I ate all my pie.

While at the show, I got a text saying my great-grandson Hayne Cohen Hughes was born weighing 7lbs 10 oz. 

The show was over around 8 or 9, so we rode back to the condo, watched some TV, and went to bed. By this time, it was snowing.

It snowed all night, and the next morning, the ground was covered. 

By noon the next day, the roads were clear. 

It Snowed all night, and this is the next morning 

Day 3: Dec 11,

Picked up my medicine at Walgreens.

We rode to Dandridge, TN, to eat Lunch at Bush Family Cafe. 

We all ordered the lunch special chicken and dumplings with okra, roll, and creamed potatoes 🥔 

But I ordered green beans instead of potatoes.

After we finished lunch, we walked to the museum, and the curator asked if we had toured the Bush Family Home we said no, we did not know that it was open to the public.

She said you had better hurry for they were closing at 2 PM and it was about fifteen till 2.

The Bush Bean home was opened for the Christmas Holidays

We were told that they usually open Thursday-Saturday but had added Tuesday and Wednesday this year 

The house is used for business purposes, and the family no longer resides there.

The home had four bedrooms and four bathrooms upstairs. 

Bushes Home that we toured

After touring the Bush home, we rode back to the Bush Museum, where we got our pictures taken together and separately. We talked to the man taking the pictures for several minutes. 

On our way back, we saw a car in the ditch, I guess he was driving too fast to make the curve.

It had snowed the night before, so he could have encountered some black ice.

We stopped at Ollie’s to do some shopping before returning to the condo. I bought a Drop N’ Charge wireless charging mouse pad. 

Group picture at Bush's Bean Museum

Day 4: Dec 12,

Around 12:30 AM, I heard a banging on the door

I was asleep and thought Aunt Bobbie was checking to see if I was asleep. 

I kept hearing the banging and got up and opened the bedroom door I did not see anyone.

I heard the banging again and looked out my bedroom window 

I was sleeping in the front bedroom next to the front door

A man standing at the door said he was with security and asked if we heard the water running, so I let him inside 

We checked all the sinks and toilets in front of the condo first

Then we went into the back bathroom, and we heard the water running 

The sink stopper was shut, and the faucet was running 

Water had overflowed into the floor and flooded the condo below us

The people in the condo below us had to be moved to another condo in the middle of the night

After all the water was dried up

Everyone went back to bed 

I could not go back to sleep, so I watched TV and uploaded pictures from our day’s adventures.

Later that morning, a man from engineering came to our condo to check out the sink.

It was stopped and had to be replaced. 

We rode to Vanity Fair to do some shopping. I bought two cute sweatshirts, one a coke cola, the other pink and gray. I also bought Hubby a gray button-up shirt.

We were all getting hungry, and Texas Roadhouse was close by, so we stopped there for lunch. 

We all ordered from the lunch menu. I ordered a Sirloin Steak Medium well, sweet potato, and Ceaser Salad.

We had enough leftovers for dinner later that night.

Sirloin Steak Medium well, sweet potato and Ceaser Salad

At 8:00 PM, we took a shuttle bus from the Elkmont Activity Center, along with a family of 8, to see Christmas lights from the condo where we were staying. 

Elkmont Activity Center

Several got off the bus to take pictures at the Smoky Mountain Opry. We rode past the Titanic and the Hatfield & McCoy’s.

Several got out at the Dixie Stampede & The Island, where we took several pictures.

Smoky Mountain Opry.

The Ferries Wheel at the Island

We rode past the Inn at Christmas, & Veterans Park. We rode along the boulevard where we saw the 12 days of Christmas and Teaster Lane, where we saw Christmas lights of the old mill, Hey Diddle, Diddle, Humpty Dumpty, Mother Goose, and Pigeon Forge Trolley all decorated in Christmas Light.

Day 5:Dec 13, 

Checked out and traveled home

We stopped at McDonald's in Huntsville to use the restrooms. Sherry and Bobby ordered a hamburger.

I did not order anything because I was meeting my hubby at Cracker Barrel in Huntsville.

After they dropped me off, hubby and I stopped at Wendy’s in Athens for a bowl of hot chili and chocolate Frosty.

Dec 14,

I had not seen my grandgrandson, so I went for a visit and to hold him.

His grandparents came by while I was there. I had to do some more Christmas shopping, so I said goodbye. 

Dec 15

I had a great time tonight with my son, hubby, Ava Grace, and River. The great Grandkids enjoyed seeing The Grinch, Frosty, The Gingerbread Man, Frosty, and Santa Claus. They decorated and ate some gingerbread cookies. It was a perfect night to view the Christmas lights, not too hot or not too cold.

Dec 16, 2019 

I went to an endodontist this morning for a root canal with an abscessed tooth, and I ended up getting two root canals. Both teeth were behind my bridge and abscessed.  Now, I will have to have a new bridge. Two weeks ago, I had a root canal done on my lower left tooth because it was abscessed. I am taking pain meds and going to bed. Tomorrow I will have to go to the dentist for a temporary bridge. 

Dec 17, 

Today, I went to the dentist for my temporary bridge and post 

When I got home, I took a pain pill & an antibiotic pill and laid down.

Hubby had to get a temporary crown he had a tooth break off 

He is also resting

The Golden Years

In your golden years 

You see a variety of physicians
hoping they can repair it,
your bodily parts

Your body becomes like an aged car
without constant care, it begins to fall apart. 

What did you say become 

your daily answer?

Hearing aids become a necessity. 

Snap, Crackle, and Pop are the sounds
you make as you walk across the floor. 

You take the elevator instead of the stairs.

That beautiful, vibrant golden hair has turned shades of gray.

The obituary is your daily reading 

You look daily

for friends, relatives, or neighbor 

names that have gone to the great beyond!

Those once bright white teeth have aged
you now have

root canals, bridges, crowns, implants 

Heaven forbid if you have to 

wear dentures.

Your sight grows dim
and glasses are required.

Arthritis rules your body
your signature becomes a scribble
as you try to sign your name

You take more pills than you can hold in one hand
just to survive.

You leave the room but forget why?
Do you forget your name?
You forget the day, month, or year!

You watched your parents and grandparents
as they reached their golden years.

Life seems to have passed you by as
You watched your children grow and leave
the nest
then you watch your grandchildren
leave the nest
Now you are all alone.

My grandmother told me  Heaven is my home
There, I will be able to  run, & jump 

just as I did when I was a kid.

She said I don't seek 

fortune, & fame, for they will soon
fade away.

God is my refuge
Heaven is my home
No more pain and suffering.
This is my hope and my salvation!

2019 June 12, Day Trip Cooks Museum of Natural Science, Decatur Depot, Huntsville, Athens, Alabama

Hubby and I rode to Decatur, where we visited the newly opened Cooks Museum of Natural History. 

There, we walked through a cave, the forest, the Arctic, and the desert exhibits. 

Cooks Museum of Natural History 

We saw live turtles, saltwater fish, live coral, moon jellyfish, river fish, gopher snakes, American bullfrog, American Alligator, and a variety of insects.

We saw a live beehive with thousands of bees that were connected to the outside, where the bees could collect pollen for the hive. 

A meteorite from outer space, a digital seashell generator, a kinetic sand table, and a tree with a rope bridge to climb were just a few of the inter-actives at the museum. 

Cooks Museum is a place where you can touch, feel, see, and hear different species of animals, reptiles, birds, insects, and fish. 

It is a great place for school groups to visit. 

We had a great time. 

Bee Hive 

We were greeted by a well-informed curator at the Decatur Train Museum. 

He told us some of the histories of the museum.

We saw an engineer running a miniature train around the tracks along its path was a replica of notable buildings of Decatur.

We saw The Princes Theater,  the Old Bank building, the Turner-Surles Community Resources Center, The Train Depot, and the Dance-Polk House.

We saw a Coca-Cola engine, Army Supply Train, Orange caboose, CSX Engine, C& X, K Line, Seaco, ADM Box Car, etc. 

Signs along the walls that read SouthernRailway “The Southern Serves the South,” Rail-Road Crossing, & Will not clear man or side of the car.

Decatur Train Depot Museum 

We saw the early Memphis & Charleston Railroad 1869, steam engines, and carriages cars.  We saw an early telephone hanging on the wall, the early Western Union Telegram, maps of early Alabama, and an old Underwood Typewriter. 

On display inside was a Red 1941 Chevrolet 1 2ton pickup truck

On display inside was a Green and Yellow John Deere model “LA” general-purpose tractor 

We shopped at the new Duluth Company Trading Post( located near Intergraph in Huntsville), which had men's and women's clothing.

We ate a late lunch/dinner at Golden Corral. I always overeat at buffets. 

We bought an HP Office Jet 9015 Printer and ink at Office Depot in Huntsville. My old HP had died.

The car was loaded with two cases of water we had bought at Sam's the day before. 

We bought vegetables (cucumbers, tomatoes, squash) from a local grower on our way to Decatur.

We bought a few groceries from Oldies in Athens.
We bought some baking soda at CE Pool, where we got our pool water checked. 

So, the car was loaded with items to be put away.

I had taken several pictures but was too tired to upload them to the computer. I will do that another day.

Ready for some couch time!