2020 Jan 28, Day Trip to Guntersville, Alabama Parks, & Harbors

Hubby and I rode to Guntersville, stopping at the Guntersville Dam and looking for waterfowl, but we did not see any.

We stopped at Guntersville Harbor & Guntersville Municipal Park, where we saw hundreds of seagulls & double-crested Cormorants.

We stopped at Dollar General for sweets.

It was getting near lunchtime, so we rode to Winzell's Oyster House, where Hubby and I  split a Seafood Broil. $26.69 meal, which consisted of premium white fish, oysters, shrimp, stuffed crab, and scallops.

After a delicious meal, we rode to Guntersville State Park.

Double-breasted Cormorants 

Double-breasted Cormorants 

Seagulls 

Lunch at Winzell's  

Seafood Boil

 (12 shrimp, 4 oysters, 1 fish, 1 crab cake, & 5 scallops) 

A couple of deer come in for a closer look.

Lazy Billy goat

We rode to Lake Guntersville, which is located on the banks of the Tennessee River, where we saw hundreds of American Coots.

We saw a herd of deer grazing on both sides of the road near the campground area. 

We also saw an area with a small enclosed pond, along with friendly petting animals such as donkeys, emus, and goats. 

We had hoped to see an eagle or two, but unfortunately, we saw none. 

The park at Guntersville was desolate, too cold for swimming, but a few were camping.

My sister-in-law had a transmission put in her car, so Hubby and I rode to Decatur, and Hubby drove the car home. 

I stopped at Jack's on my way home in Decatur for a couple of strawberry cheesecake pies. 

Had a pleasant day in Guntersville.

2020 May 25, Parks of Decatur, Alabama

Hubby and I decided to ride to Decatur to stroll through the beautiful parks. We have not been able to make many of our daily trips due to COVID-19.

At Delano Park, we saw Pink Roses, pink, blue, and white hydrangeas, shrubs, hostas, and orange daylilies. 

We saw several Beale's Barbery evergreen shrubs that are native to mainland China; they were full of grape berries. 

Sitting on a limb of the Beale Barbery Shrub was a Mockingbird. 

Does he eat Beale Barbery berries?

We saw several squirrels scurrying about in the park. 

At River Wild Delano Park Garden, we saw several magnolia trees in bloom.

We also saw several informative plaques dotted along the path about the animals, trees, & plants. 

Some of the plaques we saw featured the Prothonotary Warbler, Eastern Hellbender, Biodiversity, limestone, turtles, fish, frogs, Eastern Red Cedar, Rabbits, and the Great Blue Heron, among others. 

We also saw odd-shaped boulders. 

We saw a giant carving of turtles you could sit up in the Turtle Cove Story Circle.

We saw a rabbit nearly my height, a frog on top of a rock, a beaver, and a dragonfly sitting atop a pole. 

We saw flowers and shrubs as we strolled along the concrete sidewalk.

Delano Park 

Delano Park Hydragenas

Magnolia Bloom

Turtle in Children's Riverwild Park 

Pink rose, Delano Park 

Red crossover Bridge Frazier Park

Hydrangea in Frazier Park 

In the Japanese Gardens at Frazier Park, we saw a Red Bridge and, beneath it, a bubbling brook. 

We saw Blue and white Hydrangeas and orange Daylilies. Frazier Park is situated near the historic downtown area and is not as large as Delano Park, but it is just as picturesque. 

Hubby and I stopped at Jack's in Decatur for dinner. I ordered a fried chicken, bacon cheese sandwich, fries, and a drink. (It was more than I could eat)

Hubby ordered a hamburger on Texas toast and a strawberry milkshake. 

(We were the only ones dining inside at Jack's)

We both took a nap upon our arrival home. 

Tomorrow will be the last day of physical therapy for my left knee.

2020 Jul 22, History of Cullman, Alabama & The "Katy-Did" Crash

Hubby and I spent several hours doing business in Cullman. When we finished, we rode through the Historic area in Cullman, where we saw several murals that represented Cullman in the 1880s.

Dinkelberg's The Santa Clause Store

City Fire Station & Kullman's Hall

DT Kinney Horse & Mules 

Cullman County Historical Society

We took a different route home and came across a historic marker.

 "The "Katy~Did" Crash"

70 years after the 'Katy-Did' fell out of the north Alabama sky, the memorial honors 8 who died

The "Katy-Did" Crash 

Eight U.S. Army Air Corps officers and enlisted men were killed one-fourth mile east of here near the Roundtop Community on Sunday, April 9, 1944, at 2:20 P.M. when their B-26C Martin Marauder bomber, nicknamed the "Katy-Did," crashed nose-down, at full throttle, and exploded. The warplane was on an official flight from Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Georgia, to Memphis, Tennessee, when it encountered a severe thunderstorm. Witnesses reported that the plane reappeared from the heavy storm clouds upside down before crashing.

The victims were: 

Col. Lucius B. Manning, base commander, Hunter Army Airfield, Savannah, Georgia; 

Capt. Howard L. Hardy, pilot, La Harpe, Kansas; 

Capt. Arthur J. Gratis, co-pilot, Seattle, Washington; 

Sgt. John W. Haney, engineer, Buffalo, New York; 

Pvt. Matthew J. Geoghegan, mechanic, Bronx, New York; 

Pvt. John H. Bailey, radioman, Trenton, New Jersey; 

Sgt. James R. Smith, St. Maire, Idaho; 

1st Lt. Hugh Williams, Jr., Megehee, Arkansas.

We saw an Eagle perched on a power pole as we neared Wheeler Dam. 

Along the bank of the Tennessee River below Wheeler Dam, we saw these shorebirds.

2020 Jul 10, Sunflower Fields of Autaugaville, Pratt Park in Prattville and Peach Park Clanton, Alabama

There is nothing hotter than a day in the south in July.

We had been cooped up way too long; hot or not, we were in dire need of a new adventure. 

 I had posted a photo of a field full of sunflowers on Facebook and told my Hubby that I wanted to go. 

 

We rode for several hours to a sunflower field located at 3301 Hwy 14 West, Autaugaville, Alabama. 

There were Sunflower haystacks on either side of the drive as we entered the driveway. 

There were already several cars parked and people walking among the sunflowers, and we were directed where to park. 

We got out of the car with our bucket and pruners to cut the sunflowers. 

Sunflowers are $ 1 each or by the bucket. They were also selling T-shirts and other items. 

We saw a patch of Zinnia and a tractor parked near the sunflower field. There were stacks of hay where you could sit for a picture. 

We began our journey into the field. There were paths that others had tread, or you could make your own path. 

We didn't walk too far because it was hot, and there were a lot of beautiful sunflowers nearby. 

I chose two large sunflowers for seeds and three small ones for a bouquet. 

We stopped to take a few pictures at the haystack and a couple at the entrance.

Sunflower Field 

Sunflower Haystack

Choo-Choo-Cuts 

Beauty shop in Prattville 

Pratt Vegetable Park Prattville, Alabama 

Hubby and I stopped at Pratt Park in Prattville, where we strolled through the community vegetable garden, which was raised to help people in need. 

It features a variety of vegetables, including strawberries, tomatoes, okra, watermelons, and peppers, as well as sunflowers planted in raised beds surrounded by laid brick.

There were wire-arched ways for climbing vegetables and ten-foot-tall wire walls for climbing plants, such as squash.

There was a concrete walkway through the vegetable garden.

It is a garden's paradise.  

Hubby and I always stop in Clanton at Peach Park,

 known to have the best peaches in South Alabama. 

Peach Park is more than a park, it is a Farmer's Market with fresh produce and canned goods, 

RV Park to stay overnight.

 There is an ice cream shop, sweets, bakery, gift shop, and lunch counter all rolled into one. 

There is plenty of seating outside and inside. 

Playground for the kids and walking trails for everyone. 

Lunch consisted of 

 Hot Peach Cobbler covered in Peach Ice Cream, 

Fried Green Tomatoes, 

Pulled Pork and fried Onion rings 

The giant Peach statue, a wooden bridge 

at Peach Park, Clanton 

This was our first long-distance day trip since my knee surgery in March 2020.

2020 Aug 14, Twister in Arkansas

Last night, I was watching Twister with Helen Hunt when I recalled visiting a museum that simulated a tornado, but I could not remember where. So, my husband and I searched the internet for museums that simulate tornadoes. 

I take pictures everywhere we go, and when we finally remember where the museum was, I go into my photo file and find them. 

Hubby and I love to travel and visit museums. It is sad right now because most museums are closed due to COVID-19.

The Museum of Discovery's Tornado Alley Theater offers a riveting 7-minute experience for museum visitors, allowing them to relive the tornado that devastated the Governor's Mansion district area in downtown Little Rock, Arkansas, in January 1999.

Here, we heard stories of people who survived the storm while watching television footage of the event on channel THV 11 that fateful day.

We could feel the rumble and roar as the simulated tornado passed in the Tornado Alley theater, sponsored by All Clean USA Restoration Services. 

You can stand inside this simulation. 

Tornado Information for Little Rock, Arkansas

Little Rock, AR, is a Very High-Risk area for tornadoes. According to records, the largest tornado in the Little Rock area was an F4 in 2014 that caused 193 injuries and 16 deaths.

 *Tornado risk is calculated from the destruction path that has occurred within 30 miles of the location.

2020 Jan 27, Enjoying a warm winter's day

It was nice to finally see the sun today, despite a nip of cold air still in the air. I haven't been out much due to the cold, rainy weather. 

I rode to the Rock Pile at TVA Dam, hoping to see an eagle and maybe some waterfowl.

I saw a few waterfowl but no eagles. 

I met  Steve Lovell, a great photographer who has a website on Facebook where he posts some of his photographs.

TVA Dam & Waterfowl 

I stopped by TVAM to view the art on display, donated by Wanda and Bill Isom. 

Every room was filled with art that they had collected over the years. One room was filled with Japanese block art. 

The hall was filled with the art of birds. 

The Main gallery was full of large lithographs of birds. 

In the back room, a variety of art was displayed, including a Norman Rockwell and a Van Gogh. 

Loved the displays.

White Muted Swan

Canadian Geese 

Domestic geese

My next stop was Spring Park ( Growing up, I spent many hours playing at this park).

Spring Park has a man-made waterfall that is fed by a spring that flows into the pond below. 

Permanent residents are two Muted White Swans.

Other waterfowl that can be found here are Black Muscovy Ducks, White  Muscovy Ducks, Domestic Ducks, Mallard Ducks, Canadian Geese, and others. 

It's a great place to get pictures of waterfowl. 

We had a lot of rain this year, and Spring Park was flooded. A couple of rides were entirely submerged and are no longer in use.  

My granddaughter-in-law owns a beauty school in Sheffield, so I stopped in to visit with her and my great-grandson. Hayne is just a doll, so cute, lovable, and sweet. 

Big Box of Chicken and fixin' from Bojangles

Hubby would be home from work soon, so I stopped at Bojangles to pick up a box of chicken and the fixings for supper. 🍗

It was a beautiful day, neither too hot nor too cold. 

We hope to have more days like today.

Visiting Cemeteries

Antioch Cemetery Killen(Dec 9, 2003) June 9, 1997 

Anderson Cemetery Anderson (June 30, 2015) 

Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA (Nov 8, 2002) 

Ashberry Shiloh Cemetery, Pigeon Forge, TN (Nov 17, 2009

Atlas Cemetery Killen(Aug 27, 2003)

Athens Old town Cemetery Athens(April 17, 2016)

Athens Cemetery Athens(April 17, 2016)

Barbe Cemetery, Lula, MS (Jan 17, 201) 

Barton Cemetery Barton, AL(July 30, 2009) 

Barnett Cemetery Lexington, AL(Mar 13, 2009)

Canerday Cemetery, Florence, AL (Jan 23, 2003)

Cedar Grove (Nov 29, 2016) AUG 8, 1998

Center Hill Cemetery (Feb 12, 2009)

Chattanooga National Cemetery (Mar 22,2015)

Clemmons Cemetery (Aug 28, 2003)

Coffee Cemetery Florence(Sept 8, 2010) (April 10,2015)

Colbert Memorial Cemetery Tuscumbia(Oct 18,1997)

Coon Dog Cemetery Cherokee(July 30, 2009)

Corinth National Cemetery Corinth, MS(Sept 1, 2016) 

Cox Tidwell Killen(Feb 25, 2004 89photo)

Crowell Family Cemetery, Fort Mitchell, AL (July 12, 2011)  

Demorest Cemetery Michigan(Aug 7,1998)

East Dayton Cemetery Dayton, MI(Aug 8, 1998)

Florence Cemetery (May 16, 2013)(May 14,2013)(May 3,2010)(2009 June 19) (Mar 11, 2009)(Oct 20, 2009) (June 19, 2009) (July 18, 2009) (May 3, 2014)

Fort Mitchel, AL (July 12, 2011

Forks Cypress Jackson Cemetery Florence, AL(June 7, 2009)

Glencoe Cemetery, Tuscumbia, AL (June 24, 2016)

Glendale Cemetery, Leighton, April 3, 2008, Oct 18, 1997

Greenhill Cemetery Greenhill, A. L., Oct 4, 2003)

Greenview Florence, AL 

Grounds Cemetery at Hermitage, TN (Sep 25, 2010)

Hale Cemetery, Killen, AL (Dec 12, 2003)

Harden Cemetery, Killen, AL (Dec 6, 2006)

Harrison Cemetery, Killen, AL (July 31, 2010)

Harrison Little Berry Cemetery, Killen, AL 

Henry Stutts Cemetery Killen(Feb 20, 2009)

Hickory Flats Cemetery Lexington(Feb 2, 2004)

Hill Cemetery Killen(Jan 25, 2004)

Hugh McVay Moore Cemetery Florence(Sept 8, 2010)

Hunts Hill Cemetery, MS 17, 2012 

Jackson Tennessee Cemetery Wayne Co TN(Mar 12, 2003)

Jacksonburg Cemetery Florence(Oct 5, 2005)

JOE Wheeler Cemetery Pond Springs, AL(April 17, 2013)

Killen Baptist Church Cemetery, Killen, April 11, 1999 

Killen Cemetery Killen(Jan 30, 2009)

LaGrange Cemetery LaGrange, AL (Nov 21, 2009)

Lone Cedar Cemetery Florence(Jan 12, 2009)

Loretta Cemetery Loretta, TN(Aug 21, 2003 7photo)

Maple Hill Cemetery Huntsville, AL (Oct 17, 2010) (May 4, 2010)(Oct 18, 2009) (2009 Aug 25) (Oct 13, 2013)

Maple Hill Cemetery, Helena, AR (Jan 17,2012) 

Mimosa Cemetery, Lawrenceburg, TN (Oct 22,2016)

Mt Hermo,n Savannah, TN (June 22, 1997)

Mt Pleasant Tn 

Mt Zion Cemetery Florence, AL(Aug 13, 2003,) (Sept 6, 1997)

North Carolina Cemetery Killen Sept 21, 2003, May 31, 1997, July 11, 1998

Oak Grove Paducah, KY (Sept 14, 2011)

Oakwood Cemetery, Montgomery, AL (Oct 11, 2013) 

Oakwood Annex Montgomery, AL (Oct 11, 2013)

Oakwood Sheffield Cemetery, AL (Sept 6, 2010)(July 27, 2009)(Mar 12,2003)

Oakwood Tuscumbia Cemetery(May 14, 2013)(Oct 21, 2009)(July 27, 2009),(April 25, 2015)(Oct 18, 1997)

Peck Cemetery Killen(Dec 12, 2003)

Pettus Cemetery, Lexington, AL 

Piney Grove Cemetery, Hardin County, TN, June 22, 1997

Rogers Chapel Zip City, AL 

Rogers Williams Cemetery, Providence, RI (July 20, 2014) 

Sadler Cemetery, Russellville, AL (Oct 1, 2013)

Saint Margaret's Cemetery, Montgomery, AL (Oct 11, 2013)

Shaw Cemetery Leighton, AL(Oct 18, 1997)

Shiloh National Cemetery, Shiloh, TN (Sept 1, 2009)

Tabernacle Cemetery Greenhill, Al(Aug 24, 2003) (Aug 2003)

Union Springs, Ga Cemetery (April 22, 2007)

Wade Cemetery (Mar 21, 2003) (Sept 24, 2009), (June 22, 1997)

Wesley Cemetery Central, Al(Feb 26, 2004) (June 9, 1997)

Winston Cemetery Tuscumbia, AL(July 27, 2009) 

Wilson Cemetery, St Florian, AL (Oct 21, 2009)