2022 Sep 3, Sugerfest & Historic Buildings Arab, Alabama

 Today, we rode to Arab to stroll through the park filled with over 100 vendors. Tents were lined up as far as the eye could see selling items from A to Z. 

Vendor Tents

The sweet aroma of baked goods filled the air, making my mouth water. You could almost taste the barbeque, hamburgers, and hotdogs that were being cooked. Lines of people at every food truck.

Funnel Cake, Ribbon Fries, and freshly squeezed lemonade were just a few of the food items sold.

Santa Fe Food Truck

There was a petting zoo with two large lazy cows, a goat trying to climb out of his pen, a miniature long-haired goat that kids just loved to pet, and many other animals.

Petting Zoo

Pony Rides

There was a long line for the pony rides. Kids were climbing walls, playing games, swinging, and sliding.

The splash was opened for those who wanted to cool off.

There was music playing in the concert area.

People play cornhole and other games.

But we were more interested in the Historic Village area where we saw. 

1. The Boyd Homestead
Boyd Homestead 1890-2006

Lola Boyd lived her entire 99 years in the Boyd Homestead.
Her dad, Matthew Boyd, built the home in 1890 on 160 acres of land in Arab. Ms. Lola was born in 1906 and was the youngest of 11 siblings. She graduated high school in 1929 from Arab and went to college and received her teaching degree from George C. Peabody College in Nashville, TN. 
This home was not built with indoor bathrooms or closets. An 
outhouse served as the bathroom, and a well was located outside the home that provided water for the family. The home also did not have electricity until the 1940s. 
Ms. Lola taught school and never married nor had children She helped take care of her parents and was given the Homestead after they passed. The home was then willed to the Historical Society after she died in 2006. The society moved and restored the home to mimic the 1940s era.

The Stage Coach INN @Elvin Light Museum 

2. The Elvin Light Museum

Inside were cubicles filled with different items from:

Hyatt's Boarding House

Dr. Ellis Porch and Dr. Braxton Smith's Office

Arab Infirmary Dr. Ellis Porch and Dr. Braxton Smith

The Thompson Family

Russell Rice, General Mdse Est. 1897

Peoples Drug Store

Reed Pring Shop 

Fleming Barber Shop 

The Stage Coach INN

3. The Ruth Homemaker's Clubhouse
Belongs to the Homemakers of Arab who hold demonstrations and enjoy canning, quilting, knitting, and mattress making. 

4. The Phillips Blacksmith

George C. Phillips Blacksmith Shop

Another very important business to the Farmers was the Blacksmith Shop where he could get his tools sharpened and mules shod. Mr. George Phillips had owned his own blacksmith shop in Scottsboro, Al, and was a resident blacksmith for the Georg C.  Phillips Blacksmith shop. Mr. Phillips has since passed away, but his legacy lives on. The Blacksmith Ship is built from vintage wood to mimic a structure from the 1940s era. 

The farmer looked forward to carrying his animals to the Blacksmith shop to be shooed. This was important to the well-being of the animals, but it also gave the farm a break from the farm and an opportunity to socialize with fellow farmers.

Horseshoeing is done today by a farrier who goes out to the farm every 4 to 6 weeks in a truck equipped with a forge.

Tractors have replaced the Mule. Therefore, the need for local blacksmith shops has diminished.

5. The Winslett Barn - used for weddings and events

6. The Rice Church 
The Rice Church 1910-1950s

This Church building, originally known as Liberty Primitive Baptist Church, was once located in the Rice Community near Arab. It was donated to the Historical Society in 1993 and restored to a manner representing rural churches from the early 1900s. Today, it is used for small weddings, memorial services, and spiritual needs. The Church would hold services, baptisms, weddings, and Christenings, sometimes all on the same day. Farmers that traveled far for Church would bring their own lunch and typically stay all day. 
They really took advantage of Sundays since this was the only day they would have time to attend.

Inside sat a woman playing old-time gospel music on the piano. She said the church where I now attend had a piano player but got sick and could not play, so the church asked her if she would fill in that was over 20 years ago. She was a retired teacher and had taught music. Her talent was far beyond the previous piano player, and the other players didn't want to come back. She played beautifully.

7. The Hunt School House
The Hunt School 1935-1952

This two-room school is very typical of the schools in Alabama built during the Great Depression era: high ceilings, a"cloakroom" for each classroom, and architectural details in the true Colonial Revival design. The Hunt School operated in a small community south of Arab from 1835-1952. When school buses became popular in 1952, students were bused into larger schools. The school year revolved around spring planting and fall harvesting since most students lived on a farm. The school went without electricity for the first ten years. There was no water, cafeteria, indoor bathrooms, or library. Children walked to school and washed their hands in a pan filled with water.

9. The Smith Country Store 

 Inside, it was filled with items of a different era. In the very back behind the coal heater sat a group singing and playing Bluegrass music. We listened to a couple of songs that I had never heard before.

10. The Smalley Grist Mill 

When a farmer and his family would move to a new area, there were two businesses he would immediately look for.

One was a grist mill where he could get this corn ground into cornmeal. Since cornbread was such an important food staple at the Great Depression supper table, the Historic Village needed to have a Grist Mill. Mr. Jerrell Smally bought the Grist Mill from Arab's old Farmers Ex change and donated it to the Arab Historical Society. The building was built from vintage lumber to mimic a structure from the 1940s era. 

During the Great Depression, everyone grew corn. A large family would consume as much as 300 pounds of corn a year. 
The farmers would gather a portion of their dried corn during harvest and take it to the local Grist Mill to get shucked, shelled, and ground for cornbread. They would pay for this service by leaving a portion of their corn with the miller.

Bird Sounds (Alabama) using Cornell Merlin App Backyard Song Birds

Acadian Flycatcher	Empidonax virescent
American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos
American Flycatch	Tyrannus savana
American Gold Finch	Spinus tristis
American Robin	Turdus migatorius
Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica-
Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon-
Black Kite	Milvus migraines
Black-White Warbler	Mniotilta varia
Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher	Polioptila cerulea
Blue Grosbeak	Passerine caeulea
Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristate
Brown-Headed Cowbird	Molothrus ater-
Brown Thrasher	Toxostoma rufum
Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis
Caroline Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus
Chimney Swift	Chaetura pelagica
Chipping Sparrow	spizella passerina
Common Crackle	Quiscaus quiscula
Common Nighthawk	Chordeiles minor
Common Yellow Throat	Geothlypis trichas
Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens
Eastern Blue Bird	Sialia sails
Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe
Eastern Towhee	Pupil erythrophthalmus
Eastern Wood-Pewee	Scalia sialis-
Eurasian Penduline-Tit	Remix pendulinus-
Field Sparrow	Spizella puslla
Grasshopper Sparrow	Ammodramus savannarum-
Great Crested Flycatcher	Myiarchus crintius-
Hairy Woodpecker
House Sparrow	Passer  domesticus
House Finch	Haemorhous Mexicans
House Wren	Troglodytes aedon
Indigo Bunting	Passerine cyenea
Killdeer	Charadrius Vociferus-
Least Sandpipper	Calidris Minutilla-
Mouring Dove	Zenaida macroua-
Northern Bobwhite
Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinals
Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus
Northern Mocking Bird	Minus polyglottos
Northern Rough-Winged Swallow	Steigidopteryx Serripennis-
Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus
Northern Parula	Setophaga Americana
Purple Finch	Haemmorhous purpureus
Purple Martin	Proven subis
Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus
Red-Eyed Vireoo	Vireo olivaceous
Red Shoulder Hawk	Buteo lineatus
Red Tail Hawk	Buteo Jamaicensis -
Red-winged Backbird	Agelaius phoeniceus
Song Sparrow	Melospiza Melodia
Scarlet Tanager	Pirange Olivace-
Summer Tanager	Pirange rubra
Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor
Western Wood-Pewee	Contopus Sordidulus-
White-Eyed Vireo	Vireo griseus
Yellow-billed Cuckoo	Coccyzus americanus
Yellow-Breasted Chat	Icteria Virens
White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis-

This are bird sounds that I have heard and recorded on my Iphone.

I grew up on a little creek in Alabama

 I grew up on a little creek in Alabama.

Way out in the country, far from the town

Nothing but family & farmland around

Crickets & mourning doves make their sound

The best people I knew were called Maw & Paw

They owned this land & farmed it all

Paw had a pet goose & rooster named Clyde

Maw taught me not to cuss or ever tell a lie

When I think back, only happiness inside

We called them Maw and Paw.

Come inside and sit a spell y’all 

Make yourself a plate & some sweet iced tea

Turnip greens, pinto beans, Maw smiles at me 

If I could go back there just one last time 

I would eat from paws Muscadine vine 

Paw was a veteran who served in World War II

He was by far the smartest man I ever knew 

Now, Maw loved to needle crochet & sew 

I believe she could do it with her eyes closed 

A horse named Cricket and a catfish pond

Apple trees, watermelons, and far beyond 

How they did it all, I will never comprehend 

They fed family, animals, and friends 

We called them Maw and Paw

The best people I ever knew

Cold Banana banana pudding & warm chicken stew

If I could go back there just one last time

I would eat from paws red grapevine 

Blueberries, strawberries, beans & potatoes 

Cherry trees, peach trees, plums & tomatoes

Oh, if I could go back there just one more time

Written by my daughter about her grandparents

2022 April 9, Walking Tour Moulton, AL

 Today, I rode to Moulton, Alabama, to join a group of people where we enjoyed several different people talking about sites in Moulton. 

Our First Stop was the Moulton Negro High School, also called Moulton Rosenwald School. 

Moulton Negro High School, also called Moulton Rosenwald School. 

Near this site in the 1920s, a school was constructed with funds and labor from the African-American community along with funds from the Public Whites and the Rosenwald Foundation. In the 1950s, new buildings replaced wooden structures. Most of the block-laying, plastering, and mortar mixing was done by African-American volunteers. Much of the funding came from faculty, students, and their families. The school closed in 1970 due to desegregation. The school exemplified the educational pride of the African-American community. School Principals were Mrs. Maggie Truss, Mrs. Addie Irwin, Ms. Pearl F. Crenshaw, Mr. A.G. Petty, Mrs. Hazel A. Shelley, Mr. Samuel A. Shelley, Ms. Ora Smith, Mr. Noble Jones, Mr. James Poe, Mr. C.C. Chunn.

We listened to a woman speak about the school that once was a Negro High School but now is an elementary and junior high for remote learning. 

Next, we rode down the street to the Byler Road Church of Christ AME, where we listened to another woman talk about the history of the church. 

We then rode to the Freeman Tabernacle Church on Byler Road, where we listened to another woman talk about that church and its history. 

In 2019, the Freeman Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church celebrated its 150th Anniversary. 

Isaac Owens donated the land for the church, and for a short time, the Baptists and Methodists worshiped together. 

Reverend Freeman was the minister of the church for over 35 years. 

Freeman Tabernacle church celebrated its 150 years of service in 2019. 

We stopped at the Old Moulton Cemetery and listened to several different women talk about important people buried in the cemetery. They were in period dresses.  

Alicia Carpenter played the character of Miss Lucy Downing, the daughter of James and Mary Downing. 

Her father died when she was about four years old, and her mother went to work for the Post Office. She was appointed postmistress of Moulton and served for 17 years. 

Mother Mollie Downing 1955-1933
wife of 
James Downing 
"Well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter thou"

                    Lucy Downing, daughter of James & Mollie Downing 1886-1968

    
Lucy never married, and she followed in her mother's footsteps as postmistress of Moulton. 

We stopped in front of the Smith Chapel CME Church and listened to a woman talk about the history of the church there. 

Smith Chapel C.M.E. Church 

On this site, in 1871, former slaves constructed one of the first churches and schools for African Americans in Moulton. The Colored Methodist purchased most of the materials used for the building. Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Nabors Owen gave land for the Color Baptist and Colored Methodist Church and School Moulton. The congregations worshipped together until 1874. The course is named in honor of Rev. Andrew Smith, a former pastor

Mural of Moulton 

Stopped to take a picture of the mural, not quite finished, about the history of Moulton. 

My last stop was at The Hot Spot, where we listened to the history of the Hot Spot and the history of Byer Road. 

Byler Road 

Pioneer Alabama's settled path to new lands, agriculture, transport, and commerce began in Northwest Alabama. The 140-mile corridor was designed on Dec 19, 1819, by the state legislators. This was Alabama's first state legislative action. It started at the junction of Shoals Creek and Jackson Military Road, 10 miles northeast of Florence, AL. It ended at Warrior River Falls at the state capital crossing in Tuscaloosa, Al.

2022 Feb 1, Day Trip to Guntersville, Alabama

Today, the hubby and I are going on an adventure to Guntersville. 

I had been told that there was an eagle nest along Lake Guntersville Park on Sunset Drive. 

We stopped at McDonald's along the way for a couple of apple pies and Diet Coke.

We saw several people at the park with their cameras with large lenses sitting on tripods, watching and waiting for the eagle to leave the nest. 

I had to use the restroom and went in search of one, but I did not find one, so we left.

We rode further down into the park, and there we found restrooms. Along the way, I spotted several ducks, geese, and seagulls along the waterfront, so we stopped. 

Ducks

People were walking, jogging, and feeding the waterfowl. 

I started taking pictures of the seagulls, geese, and ducks.  I spotted several sparrows scratching in the dirt, looking for food. 

One of my favorite birds is the Downy Woodpecker. 

Downy Woodpecker

I  heard a pecking, and this downy woodpecker was going to town on the side of a rotten tree. It was hard to get a good picture because he was in the shade most of the time, but I did get a couple of good pictures when he stopped pecking right before he flew away.

Hubby spotted a red-headed woodpecker. I was super excited to see a Redheaded Woodpecker, for I had only seen one in the wild. 

Red-headed Woodpecker 

I took pictures of the colorful Bluebirds.

You will not see a bluebird at your backyard feeders. 

Bluebird 

I took many pictures today, but I didn't get one of the bald eagles. 

That was okay because I got one of the red-headed woodpeckers. 

We rode to O'Bryan's in Hartselle for a late lunch. I ordered steak and sweet potato. 

We also stopped at Krogers, where we purchased a few groceries, a bouquet of flowers, and a potting plant.

The flowers that we bought at Krogers

We looked for hawks and bald eagles along the powerline near the old Papermill. We spotted a couple of red-tailed hawks. Didn't see any bald eagles. 

We stopped at Wheeler Dam, where we saw several Pelicans, cormorants, and a gray heron landing at the substation. 

Gray Heron 

2022 Jan 28-30, Focus on Nature Photo Weekend JWSP (3 days)

 Jan 28, Friday

Today, I am going on an adventure. 

My adventure began at River Heritage Park, a park that overlooks Wilson Dam, which is usually flooded with birds, but not today. 

I was not to be discouraged, I adventured across Wilson Dam to the overlook and Rockpile.

It was a bitterly cold day below freezing, and I could see literally 1,000s of pelicans, seagulls, and cormorants (snake birds) sitting on the rocks below the dam.  

There were a few that challenged the north wind foraging for food and a few white pelicans floating down the river. 

Nothing keeps the pelicans from floating down the river, even the turbulent water at Wheeler Dam.

Buttercups 

Rogersville Park is usually flooded with birds today, I saw buttercups reaching up with closed eyes. 

What adventure was waiting for me at Joe Wheeler Lodge? I am joining a group of fellow lovers of photography and nature. 

Tonight, there will be a Horsd’oeuvers of Cheese, crackers, and fruit as we mingle with others. 

There will be a signup sheet for the activities on Saturday.

Alabama weather this time of year is so unpredictable, from 19 in the mornings and 50s to 60s, sometimes 70s during the day. I am going to wait until tomorrow to decide what my next adventure will be. 

Jan 29, Saturday, 

With a good night's sleep and a light breakfast, I was ready for the day. 

We spent the morning listening to Rocky talk about the many facets of the camera and how to use them. 

Many, like myself, were still in a maze of confusion about the camera. We love the auto modes. 

Lunch consisted of a BLT with onion rings.

White Pelicans at Wheeler Dam

& with making new friends. 

At 1pm, everyone met upstairs to disperse into different groups.

One group was going to the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge in Decatur. 

Another group was going to Wheeler & Wilson Dams and other local sites nearby. 

The last group was going to watch a falconer release three Harris Hawks into the woods to hunt for food (small animals). 

It was cold but not bitter cold like yesterday, but we were bundled up. 

The groups dispersed in different directions. Ours was inside the Joe Wheeler State Park. 

Before the falconer released the Harris Hawks, he had anyone wearing fur or a colorful hat remove them. The birds may think they are small animals and attack, nor do they like bright colors. 

The birds were released for the hunt, and away we went, following them into the wooded area. 

They didn’t go too far into the woods, but they did stop to watch or even pose for us.

The hawks treed a squirrel, but the squirrel outfoxed them. No catch today for the Hawks. 

Our group walked down to the edge of the Lake near the cabins. We saw shells, fossils, wild mushrooms, and driftwood. 

We saw Spoonbill Ducks swimming in a nearby sewage area, they love the minnows that grow there. 

There was a Bald Eagle in the Day Use, and that was our next stop.

With the camera in hand, we slowly advanced up the hill, stopping for that next great shot.

Bald Eagle with his eyes on us. 

The eagle got wind of us and flew away.

At the lake, we saw a kingfisher, Canadian Geese, and a gray heron.

We sat down at the edge of the lake and watched the sunset. 

What a way to end our hike. 

Lake Wheeler, as the sun goes down
the ripples and different colors upon the lake. 

We enjoyed a seafood buffet as we sat around socializing. 

The falconer returned with one of his Harris Hawks with Q & A time.

Rocky finished the day with a slide show and several stories.

Harris Hawks 

What a wonderful way to make new friends with a keen interest in photos and nature.  

A shadow of friends 

2021 Sep 4, National Wildlife Hike at Joe Wheeler 10-11:30

 2021 Sep 4, National Wildlife Hike at Joe Wheeler 10-11:30

There were only three of us on the hike, including park ranger Sam Woodroof.

This was my first time hiking the Champion Trail.

Wheeler Lake 

We took the Champion trail, which begins at the West end of the Lodge parking lot. (1 mile; Elevation: 566.76 ft./628.17 ft.) We talked about vegetation, trees, & park reconstruction.

Purple Wildflowers

Purple berries