2023 April 29, Decatur Historic Homes and Garden Walking Tours

April 29: Garden Tour, led by the Historic Decatur Association 

The public is invited to a peak into some of the residents’ private gardens. The tour begins at Westminster Presbyterian Church, located at 801 Jackson St, SE.

 We had a large crowd for the Garden Walking tour in Decatur. 

Large Crowd from different towns

Everyone met at the Westminster Presbyterian Church, 801 Jackson St SE. Decatur.  

Westminster Presbyterian Church 801 Jackson St SE. Decatur.

We learned the history and architectural structure of several different homes.

We finished our walk at Delano Park, where there were beautiful roses in bloom.

After the guided tour, everyone was disbursed.

Pink roses at Delano Park 

 

This young girl set up a Lemonade Stand.
 It was a hot day, and we purchased a glass. 

From 11-3PM, we tour 9 personal gardens. 3 Gardens were on Sherman St., 2 on Gordon Dr, 1 on Jackson St., and 1 on Cherry Street. 1 on Line St. and 1 on Oak St. There was someone at each location to greet us and tell us about their garden.

On the first garden tour, we saw these beautiful red lilies.

Fish Pond 

Beautiful Yellow Flower

This garden was like having a forest in your backyard.
There was a Bird Feeder, a greenhouse, walkways, and so much more.

There was a story about how this statue came to this garden, but I don't remember. 

After the Garden tour, we enjoyed a nice lunch at Mellow Mushroom in Decatur. We ordered a small Maui Wowie on Stone Ground Crust Pizza. It was delicious.

A small Maui Wowie on Stone Ground Crust Pizza.

2023 April 25-28, AMTRAK Trip to New Orleans, LA. from Tuscaloosa, Al (4 days)

Day 1:Travel  Tuesday, April 25, 

We dropped off our bags at the Amtrak station, parked the car in the public parking, and walked several blocks back to the Amtrak Station. 

At 2:00 p.m., we loaded onto the train and began our trip.

 We took the Amtrak in Tuscaloosa and traveled through several cities, stopping in Laurel, Hattiesburg, and Meridian, Mississippi, picking up or letting off passengers.

I did not buy any food on the trip to New Orleans. I had brought a Sprite Zero and a couple of Granola bars. 

We arrived around 10:00PM and took the local taxi to The Marque Hotel 144 ELK PL., New Orleans. Room 1910. Reservation #380VR.

Our room had two bedrooms, two bathrooms, 2 balconies, and a window in my bedroom to see the City of New Orleans, located on the fourteen floors. 

It was late I took a shower and went to bed. 

Day 2: Wednesday, April 26, 

We walked down Canal Street, stopping at IHOP for breakfast. Our waiter was new, and I ordered a Belgian waffle it was cold and plain. 

We decided to buy a day pass to ride the Trollies. 

We saw the Mortuary Haunted Mansion and walked around in several Cemeteries. (St Patrick Cemetery)

We saw people loading onto the Ferry Boat and the Riverboat.

We shopped at Riverwalk Mall and ate lunch at Pei Wei Asian Restaurant. I ordered two egg rolls, shrimp, chicken, and noodles. 

Could not eat it all I took the rest with me.

We walked through the park at Riverfront, where we saw the Holocaust Memorial. 

We saw Woldenberg Riverfront Park, a dedicated memorial to Malcolm Wolodenberg, who prospered in New Orleans and left a Legacy of caring and confidence to the City of New Orleans. 

Alongside was his statue with a young boy.

On Canal Street, we saw many murals depicting the City. 

We saw the Shops and Canal Place with Mardi Gras statues in front.

Dr. John's statue in front of "The Shops and Canal Place" 

We took the Trolley up St. Charles Street, where we saw historic homes, stores, The Auduban, the Zoo, and the Loyola College.

We saw a lot of homeless people and trash everywhere, at the overpasses and sidewalks. 

We stopped at a chicken restaurant to use the restroom, and sitting outside was a homeless young man asking me to buy him some chicken, I said we'll see. I went inside to use the restroom. I remember that I had a plate full of leftover food with me, so when we went outside, I gave the homeless man the food. It also had a fork inside. 

He was thankful for the food. I was glad that I had helped one of the homeless. I had heard a man on the trolley say the government had sent money to help the homeless, but the money was not used for that.

We rode two different trollies, and most of the trolley workers were jolly and friendly.    

We headed back to the hotel. 

We had spent the day hopping off and hopping on the trolley, and we walked several miles.

Day 3: Thursday, April 27, 

We walked down to Canal Street and bought a day pass to ride the trolley. We rode to the French Quarters.

We walked to Cafe Biegnite, where we both ordered Beignets. (A square of fried dough eaten hot and sprinkled with powdered Sugar). They come with 3 Beignets, and mine was drizzled with Chocolate.

Beignets with Chocolate 

It came up a thunderstorm while we were eating, and people flooded inside. They had a large roll-up door opened, and when the rain started to blow inside, they closed it. It was blowing hard, and several of the employees got wet.

After the rain subsided but was still sprinkling, we left and walked toward the Riverfront Mall. 

We heard several Laughing Gulls, and we rode the ferry across the Mississippi.

We walked to the Riverwalk Mall and shopped. I bought a shirt and a pair of shorts at Gap. 

I returned a top I had bought the day before. It was too small and swapped for a larger size. 

The cashier/manager said all their clothes were coming in smaller. 

We walked back to Canal Street and took the trolley up St Charles Street.

Meet a family from Vermont, a journalist from Denmark, and a couple of women looking for the Military Museum. We also met a couple looking for the French Quarters, and I told them they would have to take the red trolley # 49 to get to the French Quarters.

There were a lot of people taking the trolleys today. 

We got off the trolley and walked along St. Charles Street, looking at old homes.

Historic Home on St Charles St

We ate lunch at New Orleans Hamburger and Seafood LLC.

New Orleans Hamburger and Seafood Restaurant 

I ordered Shrimp Tacos with Onion Rings. My friend ordered a shrimp Poor-Boy with fries.

We also ate a complimentary Vanilla Ice Cream in a cone.

 We rode the trolley back to Canal Street and stopped at CVS for a couple of Sprite Zeros and a bag of candy.

There were no Diet Cokes or Sprite Zeros in the cooler, so I asked the manager if they had any.

We walked to the back of the store, and the manager loaded several Sprite Zero and Diet Coke into the cooler. 

I paid for my merchandise and walked back to the hotel.

We packed our bags for tomorrow, and we will be leaving.

Day 4: Friday, April 28,  Travel Home

Finished packing and ate my last Beignet, called the Taxi, and said he would be there around 8AM.

We walked downstairs, and my friend got a cup of hot coffee, and we waited for our taxi.

Selfie Station at The Marque Hotel 

We arrived at the train terminal and waited to load the train at 9:00 AM.

It was going to be a full train, so we were told if we were traveling with someone to sit with them.

When they announced the dining car was open, we walked down. 

I ordered a bagel and drank my Sprite Zero. My friend ate her leftover Poor-boy.

We arrive at the train depot around 5PM.

Walked inside the depot to use the restroom and put everything inside our luggage.

We began our walk to the parking deck.

It was a lot harder walking uphill, pulling our luggage. We finally arrived at the parking deck.

Loaded our luggage inside and began our trip home. 

We stopped at Jack for supper, and after we finished, I bumped my right hand, and it tore the skin. 

It would not stop bleeding, so one of the workers placed a couple of bandages on my hand.

We stopped again at CVS to use the restrooms and get more bandages.

We arrived at my friend's home, and my husband picked me up.

2023 April 15, Cullman Walking Tour, Killen Adventure Park and Wheeler Wildlife Refuge

Our tour guide was Ben Johnson South(a descendant of Creek Indians). We began our tour inside the Cullman Museum. The museum is a replica of the home of John Cullmann, who founded a colony of German immigrants. It has a narrow front porch with gingerbread trim and twin towers.

Cullman Museum 

Statue of John Cullmann

Inside the museum are Native American Artifacts, Indian statues, and arrowheads spanning thousands of years. 

Pioneer life, early settlers before John Cullmann. Dutch doll, a couple of rockers, butter churn, and kitchen articles. 

Civil War: A house divided,  Music and Pictures, Our home town: growing up in Cullman, and History of Johann Gottfried Cullmann.

We walked outside to see the statue of Johann Gottfried Cullmann and learn about his history.

We walked up the street, and our guide talked about several different buildings. 

Inside the  Sacred Heart Church of Jesus Roman Catholic Church.

Our treat was going through and learning the history of the Sacred Heart Church of Jesus Roman Catholic Church.

https://uploads.weconnect.com/mce/a5b1d7e217aa227d5b2b8a84920780cf637960e2/HomePageItems/SacredHeartHistory/New%20SHC%20History.pdf 

Above is the link to read the history of this great church.

We ended the walk at the Cullman's Farmer's Market
to buy some fresh strawberries, but they had sold out.

It was getting near lunchtime, so we rode to OH! Bryan's for lunch.

Sirloin steak, sweet potato, and toast 

After lunch, we rode to Wheeler Wildlife Refuge. I walked to both view areas and along the swamp boardwalk. 

I saw lots of small birds.

I saw several turtles, three chipmunks, a squirrel, Canada geese, White Egret, and a snake swimming in the water.

Saw lots of wildflowers blooming.

No Whooping or Sandhill Cranes to be found. Saw only 4 other people there. The backyard birds were chirping loudly. I heard 27 different bird sounds on my Merlin App. It was a nice, quiet walk at the Refuge.

ChimpmunksWheeler Wildlife Refuge

We stopped at Killen Adventure Park, where hubby and I both ordered a waffle cone.

I ordered Rocky Road ice cream, and he ordered Cheesecake ice cream.

We fed the animals (ducks, turtles, fish, and peacocks) while eating our ice cream.

There were lots of people playing Miniature Golf, having birthday parties, and feeding the animals.

It was a beautiful day to be outside.

Killen Adventure Park 

2023 April 1, Mule Day Parada Columbia and Mount Pleasant, TN. Grill & Museum

 Hubby and I had an excellent April 1st (April Fools' Day) We stopped at Jack in Lawrenceburg for breakfast. I ordered their single gravy, sausage, and biscuits. Hubby ordered their big breakfast with pancakes.

We rode to Columbia to watch the Mule Day Parade. Arrived a little early and found a place to sit. There were thousands of people there for the parade and other events. The parade began at 11:00 AM and was over a little after 12.  The Grand Marshall was Mike Wolfe from America Pickers.

At the end of the parade were a couple of big sweeper trucks to clean up all the horse and Mule poop.

Grand Marshall Mike Wolfe 

An unusual float, the Solo Cup 

Mules and Horses 

We left Columbia and drove through Mt Pleasant, stopping at Mt Pleasant Grill. It didn't appear much, but we thought we would try it. It was a lot bigger on the inside and very nice. The food was great. A little spicy and cooked differently. It was tender, fresh, and delicious. We definitely will eat there again. 

Fried Catfish, Fried Okra, Cole Slaw 

We asked about the museum next door, and one of the waitresses said it was worth seeing. So we toured the museum. It was filled with lots of memorabilia about the town. The things you would see in a doctor's office, war artifacts, gowns, dresses, furniture, and so much more.

doctor office

I bought several note cards: The Hamilton Place, The St Johns Episcopal Church, Walnut Grove, Rippavilla, and Fountain Creek Mills. (historic homes, church, and mill). The curator tried to sell us a 2023 Farmers Almanac she was telling us about some of the things she had read in it. 

Walked outside to the nearby park, where I saw those beautiful tin flowers and 2 blooming dogwood trees. The perfect time of the year to be blooming. We had a great time except for the 30 MPH winds. We saw hats, trash, and cotton candy flying everywhere. One bag blew off the vendor's rack and spooked several horses. All in all, it was a great day.

Dogwood Trees

2023 Feb 22-24, Amelia Island, Kingsley Plantation, Fernandian Beach, St Augustine, FL. and Fountain of Youth (Diamond Travel Huey Town, AL) 5 Days

Day 3: Wednesday, February 22

Breakfast in the hotel was a cinnamon roll, sausage, milk, and cranberry juice.

Meet our guide loaded onto the bus for an hour ride to Kingsley Plantation, which is located on Fort George Island along the St John's River. Two roads lead to the site, Palmetto Avenue, which is a dirt road that is often in rough condition. Fort George Road is paved but subject to flooding during weather events and extreme tides.

 Kingsley Plantation  and our guide

The birds we heard were House Finch,  Yellow-rump Warbler, White-eyed Vireo, Yellow-throat Warble, Carolina Chickadee, Northern Cardinal, Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, Boat-tailed Grackle, and a couple of Peacocks.

We had about 45 minutes to tour the house, barn, gift shop, and gardens, there, we saw a gopher tortoise.

Loaded back onto the bus and headed to Amelia Island, where we walked along the sandy beach.

Amelia Island Beach and sand

Loaded back onto the bus and headed to Fernandina Beach, where we walked through the town and stopped to eat lunch at "The Happy Tomato," where hubby and I split a club sandwich, potato chips, and a couple bottles of water.

Club Sandwich with Lay's Chips

We walked along the pier, where we saw a great-gray heron and heard several grackles.

We saw several House sparrows and a yellow-tailed warbler.

Wall of Gray Butterflies 

Town of Fernandina Beach 

Loaded back onto the bus and headed back to the hotel to freshen up.

Our last stop of the day was Apple Bees for dinner, where I ordered grilled Chicken, a Caesar salad, and a brownie.

FIESTA LIME CHICKEN

Grilled chicken glazed with zesty lime sauce and drizzled with tangy Mexi-ranch is smothered with a rich blend of Cheddar cheeses on a bed of crispy tortilla strips. Served with Spanish rice and house-made pico de gallo.

Day 4: Thursday, February 23, 

Breakfast at the hotel of a cinnamon roll, biscuit, and gravy with juice.

Loaded onto the bus and headed to St Augustine.

We stopped at the Visitor Center to pick up our guide. We also shopped and toured the museum inside the visitor center.

Our tour Guide

We loaded back onto the bus, and our guide told us about the many historic sites in St. Augustine.

We stopped at Flager College (the former Ponce de Leon Hotel) and several churches.

Flager College

Rode back to the Visitor Center and were on our own for a couple of hours. 

We walked to St George Street, which is a pedestrian-only filled with unique shops and restaurants.

We ate lunch at  St. Augustine Seafood Company. We ordered a shrimp plate with fries, cole slaw, and water. I also bought 2 bottles of their hot sauce to take home to my son. 

Shrimp, Fries, and Cole Slaw at St Augustine Seafood Company

We walked several blocks on St George Street, stopping to take pictures of historic markers and sites.

We walked through the Cathedral Basilica of St Augustine and Saint Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine.

Saint Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine

Cathedral Basilica of St Augustine

We walked inside a mall area where we saw several people dressed up like pirates.

Got my picture made with them a few minutes later.

Me with the pirates

We walked back to the visitor center and did a little shopping. Hubby bought a hat, and I bought a kitchen towel. 

We loaded back onto the bus and headed to the Fountain of Youth.

At the Fountain of Youth, we walked around and stopped to taste the spring, suffer water, watch a show, watch a blacksmith at work, and the firing of a cannon.

Couple taking a sip from the Fountain of Youth 

Loaded back onto the bus and rode to Cucina Giovanni for dinner.

It took forever for them to take our orders, and the food was overcooked.

Salad 

Chicken Parmigiana topped with marinara sauce& mozzarella served with Spaghetti. 

Pasta Alfredo with creamy Alfredo sauce 

Cannoli

The salad and dessert were good. We were there too long to enjoy our meal.

Day 5: Friday, February 24, Travel Home 

Packed our bags and took them downstairs to be loaded onto the bus.

Ate breakfast and watched a couple of Scottish men play Amazing Grace on bagpipes.

Loaded onto the bus and headed for Hueytown, Al.

We stopped in Perry, Ga ate lunch at Fire House Sub.

Club sub 

Small Philly Sub 

Stopped at the Rest Area at Lake Park Suwanee River Valley, Ga 

Rest Area at Lake Park Suwanee River Valley, Ga 

Arrived in Birmingham around 4:49PM.

Loaded our luggage into the car and headed home, a 2 1/2 hour drive.

Stopped at KFC in Athens at 7:01 PM and home around 8 PM.

Had a great trip but woke up Monday morning with COVID.

 

2023 Feb 20-21, Bus Trip to Jacksonville, and touring Jacksonville, Fl (Diamond Travel Hueytown, AL) (5day trip)

Day 1: Monday, February 20

Hubby and I traveled 2 1/2 hours to Hueytown, Al stopped at Jack's in Hueytown for gravy and biscuits.

Everyone was checked in and given a name tag that was our ticket for our meals, events, and lodging.

Around 7:30, the bus arrived, loaded our luggage along with 40 other people's luggage onto the bus, and 

By 8 AM, we were on our way.

Our first restroom stop was I-20 at the Georgia Welcome Center in Waco, Georgia.

Georgia Welcome Center Waco, Georgia.

Our next stop was for lunch at the Arbor Mall in Douglasville, Georgia, where there were several different places to eat. We picked Chick-fil-A I ordered a kid's chicken nugget meal, and hubby ordered a chicken sandwich with waffle fries.

Arbor Mall in Douglasville, Georgia 

Our third stop was at I-75 Rest Area Southbound Forsyth, Georgia.

 I-75 Rest Area Southbound Forsyth, Georgia.

Our fourth stop was the Florida Welcome Center I-75 in Jennings, Florida. (They always have fresh orange juice here, but they closed at 5PM, and it was just a few minutes after 5).

Florida Welcome Center I-75 in Jennings, Florida

We stopped for dinner at Ole Times CountyBuffet in Lake City. Here, I ate collard greens, green lima beans, carrots, a piece of fish, cornbread, and a slice of chess pie.

Ole Times CountyBuffet in Lake City

We finally arrived at the hotel, were given our room keys, and took our luggage to our room.

Everyone was exhausted from the long ride, so they took a shower and went to bed. 

Holiday Inn Express room 310.

Day 2: Tuesday, February 21,

Breakfast at the hotel: omelet, sausage, biscuit with grape jelly, and milk.

At 8:00, we were on the bus headed to St John's Town Center to pick up our guide.

Our first stop was Memorial Park along the St John's River. 

St John's Memorial Park along the St John's River

Our next stop was Sweet Pete's Candies, where they have 100s of candies & chocolates.

Sweet Pete's Candies 

We walked to the nearby Weldon Johnson Park, which was located in the center of town near the Art Museum and City Hall.

James Weldon Johnson Park

Our next stop was Jessie Ball Dupont Park to see Jacksonville's Favorite 70-foot tall, 25-foot trunk Oak Tree.

The so-called Treaty Oak is at least two centuries old.

Treat Oak 70 Feet 25-foot trunk. 

We loaded back onto the bus and headed back to St John's Town Center to drop off our guide and get lunch.

We chose the M-Shack's gourmet burger that is made with all-natural, hormone-free ground beef. 

Hubby and I split the M-Shack's hamburger. 

Our next stop was the Miss Headley River Boat Cruise along St John's River.

Miss Headley River Boat Cruise 

We loaded back onto the bus and headed to the hotel to freshen up, for we were going to the Double Tree by Hilton for a buffet dinner and show.

By the time we filled our plates, there was no place to sit with our group. We ended up setting up front near the band with a fun group from Louisiana.

One of the women was a librarian. The one sitting next to me had red hair, and she said her husband didn't care for traveling. She said when I was growing up, my dad would take me to the pub with him. He would give her money to play Pack Man games, and he would go and drink. Her dad was much older than her mom. Her dad had passed several years back, and her mom remarried, and she didn't care much for her new husband.

She said if anything happened to her husband, she would never remarry. Their group had already visited the Fountain of Youth, and she said the water tasted like sulfur. This group was a lot of fun, and we all danced around the room waving our napkins to the Saints Go Marching In.