Hair, lotion, & Bio-freeze

I went on vacation with two of my siblings to visit another sibling in Charleston, South Carolina.

We stayed in a fully furnished apartment.

Every morning, we would get ready and spend the day sightseeing or shopping.

One morning, while showering, my youngest sister washed her hair with shampoo.

On the sink were bottles of lotion, shampoo, and conditioner.
 My sibling grabbed a bottle of lotion and climbed into the shower. 

Pretty sure she was not wearing glasses when she picked up the lotion.

She poured the lotion onto her head and started lathering her hair in lotion, not noticing that the lotion made her hair stiff. 

When she got out of the shower and dried off, she said to herself My hair sure feels stiff.

She put on her eyeglasses and went back into the bathroom to see

what she had washed her hair with.

She came back into the living room, laughing, and said, "I washed my hair with lotion."

She did not have time to rewash her hair, and it was plastered to her head all day.

I thought this was funny until I tried to gel my hair up with Bio-Freeze.

I put the Gel into my hands, added a little water, and applied it to my hair.

My head started to tingle, and when I looked at the tube, nd it said Bio-Freeze.

Both of us are natural Redheads.

But we both could be classified as legal blonds.

🍔🍔🍔2014~ Nov 19, Wednesday Staggs Hamburgers

We are always stopping at places like McDonald's, Burger King, or Wendy's for a hamburger.

Most of their hamburgers are precooked; they are okay if you are hungry and in a hurry. 

Sometimes, it is nice to sit down to a real home-cooked hamburger.

My husband said, "If you want a real home-cooked hamburger, then let's go to Stagg — they have the best". 

So, for lunch today, we went to Staggs in East Florence. 

Staggs is located in an area of Florence that was once home to Sweet Water Mill and many other industries, but now has many empty buildings; the sector is gone. 

The train depot, which sat empty for many years, has been remodeled and is used for parties, wedding dinners, birthday parties, and other events. 

Staggs is a small diner that cooks your food on a grill right in front of you. 

We watched as the girls patted out the hamburger meat, put them on the grill, and the smell filled the air.  

It was lunchtime, and the store was filled with workers; many would place their orders to go. 

The dinner was small and filled up fast with customers. 

The workers formed a line, and a short-order clerk took their orders, very organized.

One person cooked the hamburgers, another dressed them, and another bagged them. 

When their order was complete, they would walk back to the cash register to pay. 

There were only three or four long tables in the cafe. Most of their customers were workers who came in groups. 

The table where we were sitting filled up fast. 

We savored every bite of our hamburgers as we watched the lines of workers getting their food to go. 

When everyone finished, the waitress would clear the tables.

We paid at the register when we finished eating. 

On the counter, just above where the food was cooked, was a tip jar.. Probably everyone shared the tips. 

The food was delicious, the people were friendly, you got your food fast, and they were very organized. 

An excellent restaurant for its size. 

Give it a thumbs up for a great place to eat good fast food!!!!

Staggs Restaurant East Florence 

👣👣👣👣 2014 ~ Nov 15, Saturday, Footsteps of the Blue and Gray

Today, I took a walking tour and followed the footsteps of men and women who walked these streets over 150 years ago.

Our first stop was Wilson Park, where soldiers from the battle of Shiloh planted sycamore trees that had stopped growing there.

Our second stop was the site of the Synodical College, a school for young women.

Dr. William H. Mitchell, who served as Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Florence, also served as the college's president until 1871.

He was taken prisoner of war for praying for the Confederate soldiers during his sermon.

The building was torn down and replaced by the US Post Office and Federal Courthouse.

Dr. William H. Mitchell

We walked down the street to the former Masonic Lodge, which burned down during the Civil War.

We walked about a block to the rebuilt Masonic Lodge, where we were greeted by members.

We were seated, told the history of the lodge, and served hot chocolate and cookies.

We thank the members and walk up the street to the home of Edward OO'Neal, a member of the Confederate Army who later served as governor of Alabama.

Confederate soldiers were guarding Coby Hall.

Our next stop was Courtview/Rogers Hall, the home of Sallie Foster, who read from her journal about her life during the Civil War.

In addition, we were shown how to load and unload a g in front of her home.

We were shown how to shoot and carry a gun.

Confederate Soldiers & their guns 

We walked to Wesleyan Hall, which was used by both Union and Confederate Soldiers during the Civil War. 

General Sherman said, “War is hell!"

We listened to many different bugle calls.

General William T Sherman

Our next stop was Pope's Tavern, where brother against brother and friend against friend fought one another during the Civil War.

Many wounded were brought here. We waved to the two soldiers standing on the front porch of Pope's Tavern, one was dressed as a Confederate Soldier and the other as a Union Soldier.

If they died, they were buried in the Florence Cemetery at Soldiers' Rest.

We did not visit this site.

Pope's Tavern

Our final stop was the home of Richard Picket, who served as a Captain in the 35th Cavalry under General Philip Roddey. We met Captain Richard Pickett and his wife, who were standing on the front porch of their home. 

Home of Captain Richard Pickett and his wife.

The tour lasted over two hours, was very informative, and we met many characters along the way.

General Sherman, Governor Edward O'Neal, Sallie Foster, General Pickett, bugler, and many Confederate Soldiers

Route of the walk

Freedom Trail 👣👣👣👣 👣👣👣👣 👣👣👣👣 👣👣👣👣 👣👣👣👣

Today we are going to Boston, Massachusetts, to walk the Freedom Trail. On the way, we will stop at Dunkin' Donuts at 7:30 A.M. so my daughter can buy a tea and a pumpkin spice bagel, which she has cut in half.

I ate a banana and a slice of angel food cake for breakfast.

It took my daughter about two hours to drive to Boston, MA.

We parked at 50 New Sudbury Street, Boston, MA 02114 (617) 227 -0385 at 10:10 A.M.

We had a good view of downtown Boston from the parking garage.

I took several pictures before we left the parking garage.

We were not sure where we were going, so we made several wrong turns. 

My daughter had to use the restroom, and we were not sure where to go. 

We asked several different people where the restrooms were, and finally, someone said to go to City Hall.

Faneuil Hall Visitor Center and Retail Shop is where we purchased tickets for the Freedom Trail Tours. (Here is where the trail began once cattle grazed here.)

Freedom Trail tours are led by a ranger who takes a group of up to 30 people on a 60-minute walking tour, explaining people, places, and events in Boston that helped shape the American Revolution.

We walked past the Old State House, built in 1713, and implanted in the concrete is a marker of the Boston Massacre. We were told the Water Street story; we walked past the Old Corner Book Store and the Old South Meeting House, and our last stop was Park Street Church, where the hymn "American" was first sung. 

This is where the tour ended.

My daughter and I began our tour walking along the red brick walking trail.

Right across the street was Boston Irish Memorials, and from there, we followed the red bricks to Old City Hall. 

At the site of the first public school, we saw a statue of Benjamin Franklin, the democrat donkey, and the Republican Elephant standing in opposition footprints, a statue of Josiah Quincy, 1772-1864 (who served in the senate, congress, as a judge, as mayor, and as president of Harvard University).

We followed the red brick to King's Chapel Church and the cemetery where John Winthrop, the colony's first governor, is buried. 

This cemetery inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel The Scarlet Letter.

We visit the Granary Burying Ground, where Paul Revere and his family are buried. 

Mother Goose, John Hancock, James Otis, Samuel Adams, Robert Paine, and the victims of the Boston Massacre are also buried here.

We walked past the Capitol building through the park to 84 Beacon Street to Cheers' Club, "Where Everyone Knows Your Name."

We split Rebecca's Fish and Chips, a plate of Crispy, flaky Cod, lightly battered and deep-fried, served with fries and slaw.

Dipping tartar sauce for the fish and iced tea with lemon to drink, the total cost $16.45 plus tip.

After lunch, we walked upstairs and took pictures with the famous actors from the Cheers TV show.

We took a few pictures outside the restaurant, and then we walked back to the park.

We stopped at the Visitor Center on Tremont St to use the restroom and look around.

At the visitor center, I took a picture of my daughter with one of the volunteers.

We also stop to take a picture of a living statue.

We walked past Central Burial Ground and to the Government Center, where a Lebanon Day Festival was underway.

They were dancing, playing music, having exhibits, and celebrating folkloric traditions, and they were just having a good time.

We walked back to Faneuil Hall, where we first used the restrooms.

We walked upstairs to Faneuil Hall, a 1742 public meeting hall and site of a 1770 public debate in Boston. 

We saw the statues of John Adams, John Quincy Adams, and Daniel Webster in this hall, alongside pictures of George Washington and James Faneuil.

We walked back downstairs and over to Market Square, where we split a chocolate fudge candy. 

We exited out the side door, were turned around, and we were going in the wrong direction. 

We were headed to visit the Paul Revere Home.

We met a US Coast Guard who was on his way to catch the bus home, and he asked if we were lost and if he could help.

My daughter said we were going to Paul Revere's home, and we needed directions.

He walked with us to get us going in the right direction, said goodbye, and then went to catch his ride home.

We walked along Cross St to Hanover St, passing Ristorante Villa Francesca, 150 Richmond St, Boston, MA (617) 367-2948, and Limoncello's Lebanese Ristorante, 190 N Street, Boston, MA (617) 523 -4480.

We arrived at Paul Revere's house at 19 N Street, Boston, MA. The cost to enter was $3.00 each.

On the night of April 18, 1775, a silversmith, Paul Revere, left his small wooden home in Boston's north end and set out on a journey that would make him into a legend.

We walked through a park where a statue of Paul Revere stood on horseback. 

Inside the park were plaques on both walls.

We stopped at the printing office of Edes and Gills, where he was showing the process of printing a legal document.

On to the Old North Church, "the midnight of Paul Revere" on April 18, 1775, where Robert Newman hung two lanterns in the steeple to warn Charlestown of the advance of the British.

Next, we stopped at Copp's Burying Ground, where British soldiers placed cannons to bombard Breed's Hill.

We are headed to Charlestown, but first, we must cross the Charles River Bridge. 

We strolled through Charlestown City Square Park, where we saw a fountain, a marker (Charlestown established 1828), a fish (marker), a Great House, three cranes, Tavern City Square continuity Change, and four large markers listing the American Soldiers killed on June 17, 1775.

We walked past the Vietnam Memorial, firehouse ladder number 24, St Mary's Roman Catholic Church, and the Deacon Larking House.

We are on our way to Bunker Hill, where the famous quote, "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes," is said.

There were 294 steps to the top of the monument; by the time we arrived, the memorial was closed.

Thank God! 

By this time, we had walked from Beacon Street in Boston across the bridge to Charlestown.

Our last stop was the USS Constitution at Charlestown Naval Yard.

To enter the gate and board the ship, a photo ID was required.

I took pictures of markers, "A State of Perfect Chaos", Charlestown Navy Yard, Dry Dock #1 How it Works, Dry Dock 1, Serving the Fleet, "Old Ironsides "in Dry Dock 1", The Changing Yard, Boston, the Navy Yard, and the War of 1812, the Yard as Home, Working in the Yard, Life, and Work in the Navy Yard in 1812, of anchors, dry dock ships, Old Ironsides and many more.

It was now getting late and my daughter and I were both exhausted from all the walking. 

We tried to board the trolley, but they were done for the day, no more trips.

We met a couple and started talking to them; they said they were going to take the ferry back across the Charles River to Boston, so we followed them. 

We also met a man from Chicago, and we told him about the ferry, so we all rode it back to Boston.

A ferry ride costs three dollars each.

The man from Chicago took a picture of my daughter and me while we were riding the boat back to Boston.

I also took some great shots of Boston as the sun was setting.

As we arrived in Boston Harbor, we saw a Godzilla Boat and Legal Sea Foods.

We started our walk back to the visitor center, stopping at Dunkin Donuts to use the restroom. 

We were going to get a sandwich, but they had stopped making them for the day.

We saw a small red brick building (Crosio) nestled among giants (skyscrapers).

We pass the Old State House, and we are on our way to the parking deck.

You pay before you go back to your car, which costs thirty-five dollars; we got our ticket and headed to the car.

We took the elevator this time and not the six flights of stairs.

It had been a long day, and still, my daughter had to drive us back home.

Love Birds

The couple walked to the barn to feed and water the brown and black stallions.

They cleaned the stalls and decided to take the stallions for a ride.

They truly loved their horses as much as they loved each other.

They saddled up the stallions and slowly rode them out of the barn into the Meadow.

The couple rode through the Meadow, emerging onto an old, little-traveled country road.

They were not in a hurry as they held hands, looking into each other's eyes with true love.

We started down this old country road, and I snapped a picture of the couple.

They saw us and guided their horses onto the side of the road.

However, they did not see the big red truck speeding down the road, but we did.

My husband pulled off the road as the truck came flying by.

This could have been a disaster for everybody that day. My husband's quick thinking probably saved that couple's lives.

After the truck sped by, we got back onto the road and drove away.

I looked back, and once again the couple clapped their hands together and looked into each other's eyes.

They probably said, I love you, and I am so glad you are by my side.