2019 May 15, Day Trip Decatur's Historic & Parks Gardens 💐 🌷

Hubby and I had a great day. I was not sure if we were going anywhere because by 10AM, it looked like rain, but we decided to go anyway. 
We rode to Decatur, stopping at Old Bank Park Garden took pictures of the garden.

Old Bank Street Park Garden 

Next, we rode to Frazier Park. (Never been to this park) I was surprised at how beautiful and serene. It had blooming Hydrangeas, and Magnolia trees were in bloom, as other shrubs, trees, and flowers along a running stream with a cross bridge. 

Frazier Park 

We rode over to Albany to Delano Rose Walk and the Children's Riverwild Playground, splash pad, and Garden. We had taken the grandkids to play in the park when they were small. The River Wild Garden Walkway was new to us. 

DragonFly 

River wild Park 

Toad Frog 

Swamp Rabbit 

Tortoise 

Delano Park Rose Garden

We loved the Frogs, Toads, Beavers, Fireflies, Turtles, butterflies, signs, and statues throughout the Garden. By the time we reached the Rose Garden, it had begun to sprinkle. A landscaper working in the garden, I said a little rain cannot hurt but he said I cannot get my work done in the rain. I kept on taking pictures, but the rain got harder. I looked around, and the gardener had disappeared, he had gone back to his truck to keep from getting wet. I started back to the car, and the rain began to come down hard, but I made it to the car before I got too wet. We rode to Huntsville to get the oil changed in our car by the time they finished, the sun had come out, so we rode back to Decatur so I could finish taking pictures.

Pink Rose 

Entrance Way lined with Snow Queen Hydrangeas

We were getting hungry, and we did not eat lunch because we had stopped at the Shell Gas Station, where they sell hot food, and bought some corn fritters. Hubby had been wanting some. We also stopped at McDonald's for hot apple pie.
We ended up eating at Jack's on hwy 31 because we could not decide where to stop in Decatur. But that was okay because we both liked Jack's

Music History Recording Studios of Muscle Shoals, Florence & Sheffield, Alabama

Welcome to
City of Muscle Shoals
Hit Recording
Capital of the World

The Singing River Sculpture (Sheffield)
Legend of the Singing River 
The Yuchi and other early inhabitants who lived along the banks of the mighty Tennessee River held the legend of the Spirit Woman who lived in the river, protected them, and sang to them. If the river was angry, She sang to them loudly; if the river was peaceful, She sang softly and sweetly, sometimes humming a comforting lullaby. 
Some say that all they heard was the high waters' mighty rush and roar over the mussel shoals or, at other times, the calm, low waters babbling through the river rocks. Others say She is real and can still be seen in the early morning mist, hovering over the waters, just as She did many years ago. In her honor, they called it the Singing River, and in her honor, we named these sculptures the Singing River Sculptures. 

1951 Dexter Johnson's Recording Studio

Bluegrass musician and uncle of Swampers guitarist Jimmy Johnson established the Shoals area’s first professional recording studio in his garage a decade before Rick Hall’s FAME opened its doors.

Recording Studios(Alabama Music Hall of Fame)
Dexter Johnson's Recording Studio c1951
Charles Stanfield's Mobile Recording Studio c.1955
Tune Recording Studios c.1957
Spar Recording Studio c.1958
Fred Bevis Recording Studio c. 1967
Woodrich Recording Studio c.1973
Joe Wilson Recording Studio c.1973
Paradox Recording Studio c.1975
Cactus Recording Studio c.1980
Audio Workshop c1984

1956 Tune Records,123 E Alabama Ave Florence, Al. 

The Shoals’ first record label and publishing company released a single by Bobby Denton called “A Fallen Star,” which laid the foundation for the emergence of the area’s recording industry. (James Joiner, Walter Stovall, Kelso Herston, and Marvin Wilson) (Junior Thompson recorded Who's Knocking/How Come You Do Me 1956)

This Concertone tape recorder was used by James Joiner in this Tune Records Studio, one of the first studios in the Muscle Shoals area to make commercial recordings
(Alabama Music Hall of Fame)

1959 SPAR Music, 123 1/2 E Alabama Ave Florence, Al. 

(Stafford Publishing and Recording) 

above the City Drug Store in downtown Florence, was the brainchild of the “local bohemian type” 

(Tom Stafford), the birthplace of the Muscle Shoals music scene and the precursor to FAME Studios.

Original Site of FAME Recording Studio early 1960s

This marks the site of the pioneering music company of Florence Al Music Enterprises FAME, a name that became renowned worldwide as the home of "the Muscle Shoals Sound."

FAME was founded in the early 1960s by three young local entrepreneurs (Rick Hall, Billy Sherrill, and Tom Stafford)  who improvised make-shift studios in a vacant room above the City Drug Store that once stood there. FAME's earliest recording sessions launched the careers of such music business legends as Arthur Alexander, Rick Hall, Billy Sherrell, Norbert Putnam, David Briggs, Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham, and many others. 

Original Site of FAME Recording Studio early 1960s
Following the limited success, the partnership dissolved. Rick Hall took the publishing company and FAME name in return for the studio equipment. He relocated the studio to an empty tobacco warehouse in Muscle Shoals. His next recording, "You Better Move On" by Arthur Alexander, was acclaimed as the Shoal's first worldwide bestseller.
Over the next several decades, FAME recording studios became one of the most successful producers of rhythm and blues, pop, and country music in the world. Rick Hall became known as the "Father of the Muscle Shoals Sound."

1961 FAME (Rick Hall) 603 Avalon Ave., Muscle Shoals, AL, was the first successful professional recording studio in the state of Alabama, producing hits by Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Etta James, Clarence Carter,  the Osmonds, and countless others.

2015 Fame Recording Studios, where it all Started 

Fame Recording Studios, where it all Started in 2011

FAME Recording Studios Home of the Muscle Shoals Sound (2009)
(Muscle Shoals Municipal Building)

Rich Hall on his own in Muscle Shoals
Fame Studio at Old Candy and Tobacco Warehouse
(Singing River Statue Muscle Shoals)

1963 Quin Ivy Recording Studios  

1965 Norala Sound Studio,104 E 2n St Sheffield, Al 

Founded by FAME songwriter and WLAY disc jockey (Quin Ivy), gave the world Percy Sledge’s “When a Man Loves a Woman” and brought Jerry Wexler and Atlantic Records to the Shoals

Percy Sledge's "When a Man loves a woman"
Hospital orderly Percy Sledge recorded 'When a Man Loves a Woman' at Quin Ivy's studio in 1966. Mr. Sledge's breakup with a girlfriend inspired the lyrics credited to songwriters Calvin Lewis and Andrew Wright.

The release featured Marlin Greene (guitar), Spooner Oldham (Farfisa organ), Albert 'Junior' Lowe (bass), Roger Hawkins (drums), Jack Peck (trumpet), Bill Coifed (tenor sax), and Don Pollard (alto sax). Greene and Ivy produced the cut. At the request of Roger Hawkins, Ivy played the recording for Rick Hall, owner of FAME Studios. Hall felt it had hit potential and contacted Atlantic Records executive Jerry Wexler, who released it. The song hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was Atlantic's first certified gold record. Rolling Stone magazine ranks it number 54 among the best songs of all time.

Percy Sledge was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005. Spooner Oldham followed in 2009. Donna Jean Thatcher Godchaux, who sang backup on the hit, was inducted in 1994 with her husband Keith Godchaux and other members of the Grateful Dead

Producer Quin Ivy Norala and Quinvy Studios
 Record store owner and WLAY dis jockey Quin Ivy established North Alabama Recording. 

Studio (NORALA) at 104 E. Second Street in Sheffield in 1965. He purchased used equipment, including Ampex 351 and Berlant mono tape recorders and a radio station console. Ivy-mounted egg cartons on the studio walls to deaden stray frequencies.

The first song recorded at NORALA was Florence native Donna Jean Thatcher's "I'm Out of Touch." Several months later, Percy Sledge cut the classic "When A Man Loves A Woman." With proceeds from the Sledge session, Ivy completed a better-equipped studio across town in 1968 and named it Quinvy.

Ivy also produced Tony Borders, Buddy Causey, Jeanie Green, and Z.Z. Hill, Ben E. King, Mickey Buckings and The New Breed, Don Varner, the U.S. Male, and the Wee Jun.

1969 Muscle Shoals Sound Studio was the home of the Swampers(Jimmy Johnson, David Hood, Barry Beckett, Roger Hawkins) and the consummate 1970s hit factory, recording the Stones, the Staple Singers, Paul Simon, Willie Nelson, Rod Stewart, Bob Seger, and more. 

1969 Muscle Shoals Sound Studio
Muscle Municipal Building)

Muscle Shoals Sound 3613 Jackson Highway (2019)

1969 Widget Sound Studio in Sheffield, 3804 Jackson Hwy., Sheffield, AL 

A very near neighbor to Muscle Shoals Sound gave Woodford and Ivey’s Wishbone a workspace pre-1976 and gave the world Sailcat’s “Motorcycle Mama.”(by Ron Ballew) 

Widget Studio is the first step in the music field for Ronnie Ballew (left) owner; the first major production for "Peanut" Montgomery(center) and the studio's first waxing puts the voice of Al McLendon (right on record for the first time.
TIMES DAILY 

1972 Broadway Sound Studio, 1307 Broadway St., Sheffield, AL 

The successor to Norala carried the R&B tradition of its predecessor into the 1970s and gave birth to the “Southern rock” genre by recording Lynyrd Skynyrd's first demo. (Quin Ivy)

Broadway Sound Studio Est. 1972 (2008)
(Alabama Music Hall of Fame)

Broadway Sound studio with owner and producer David Johnson, second right
(Sheffield Singing River Statue)

1973 Wishbone Recording Studio 
1920 Webster Avenue, Muscle Shoals, AL 

was a proving ground for songwriters like Mac McAnally and Robert Byrne and recorded albums by such legends as Roy Orbison and Hank Williams, Jr. (by Terry Woodford)

Wishbone Recording Studio Est 1973

Wishbone Studios (Photo furnished by Terry Woodford)
 (Singing River Statue Muscle Shoals) 

1974 Music Mill Recording Studio, 1108 E. Avalon Ave., Muscle Shoals, AL 

Founded (by Al Cartee), it was the first of the big local studios to specialize in country music, working with everyone from Narvel Felts and Roy Clark to Bobby Bare and Arthur Alexander.

1974 Music Mill Recording Studio (2008)
(Alabama Music Hall of Fame)

1978-85 Cypress Moon Studios

was the second home of the Swampers (Jimmy Johnson, David Hood, Barry Beckett, Roger Hawkins), where they reconnected with their R&B roots and got reacquainted with old friends like Bob Dylan, Bob Seger, and B.B. King.

Cypress Moon Studio (2019)

The world-changing Muscle Shoals Music
Legendary producer Jerry Wexler at Muscle Shoals Recording Studios' riverfront location
(Singing River Statue Sheffield)

1977 East Avalon Recording  2815 1/2 East Avalon Avenue Muscle Shoals, Alabama 35661 

Wishbone engineer Steve Moore purchased the studio from its builder and designer Joe Wilson, and East Avalon Recorders was born in the "Hit Recording Capital of the World," Muscle Shoals, Alabama. 
The successful studio operated until around 1988.

1987 Avalon Recorders

1977 East Avalon Recording

East Avalon Studio
 (Singing River Statue Muscle Shoals)

1985-2005 Malaco Recording (at Cypress Moon)

used the Sheffield studios for its own artists, including Johnnie Taylor, Bobby Bland, and Little Milton, while continuing to operate its own facility in Jackson. The Rhythm Section, minus Beckett, worked with other studio musicians at Malaco Records and at other studios.

Cypress Moon/Malaco Recording 

2006 The Nuthouse (Jimmy Nutt)

In March of 2006, Jimmy launched The NuttHouse Recording Studio in downtown Sheffield, Alabama. What was once a 1950s bank is now the home of The NuttHouse Recording Studio.  
108 W 4th St, Sheffield, AL 35660

The Singing River Sculpture (Muscle Shoals)
The city served as the birthplace for early breakthroughs in the local music industry and later provided a home base for some of the area’s top studios. The first commercial recording to emerge from Muscle Shoals — the Bobby Denton single, A Fallen Star — was produced by James Joiner in the Second Street studios of WLAY Radio in 1957. Four years later, in an old candy-and-tobacco warehouse on Wilson Dam Road, aspiring producer Rick Hall joined forces with bellhop-turned-singer Arthur Alexander to cut Muscle Shoals’ first national hit, the Southern Soul anthem, You Better Move On. In the wake of that success, Hall built FAME Recording Studios on Avalon Avenue in 1962. Artists ranging from Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, and Etta James to Duane Allman, the Osmonds, and Bobby Gentry later recorded there. From 1970 to 1985, Muscle Shoals became known as “The Hit Recording Capital of the World” as FAME and Al Cartee’s Music Mill, Steve Moore’s East Avalon, and Terry Woodford and Clayton Ivey’s Wishbone Studios generated hits by Clarence Carter, Hank Williams Jr., the group Hot, George Jones, the Forester Sisters, Mac McAnally, Shenandoah, and many others. In 2011, Hall received the American Music Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2014, he was awarded the Grammy Trustees Award for his significant contribution to the recording industry.

In 1964, Mrs. Jewell Britton Wear began a career in the local music industry she founded Florence, Al. 

JJ Records with Junior Thompson, Monty Olive, and the Hacker Brothers for that label.

She also established the Music Scene Column in Florence Times Tri-Cities Daily. It was the first column detailing the music in the industry. 

Label owned by Junior Thompson and Jewel Wear.

In 1964, Mrs. Wear began a career in the local music industry. She founded JJ Records with Junior Thompson. She also established the Music Scene column in the Florence Times-Tri-Cities Daily. It was the first column detailing the local music industry.

Thomas Reeder “Monty” Olive 

Taken From: 

April 2010 Newsletter Birmingham Record Collectors

From Killen, Alabama, comes a piano player by the name of Monty Olive. Monty's style of playing and singing was compared to that of Fats Domino. Although he never got national airplay, his recordings were very popular locally. 

He was another of those who made a musical instrument his "friend." Monty tells it this way. "I've never had a piano lesson. When I first started playing, I would get the melody of a tune set in my mind and try to find the proper keys for it. It was fun, and I practiced it every day." Sounds easy, doesn't it? SURE!! 

Monty entertained in many cities across the country, including D.C., Detroit, Dallas, and Panama City's Old Dutch Inn. From an interview in the Time Tri-Cities Daily, August 13th, 1957, Monty put it this way. "Everywhere I go, I respond to the crowds. I feel the touch of my music. It's something you can't explain. I enjoy performing."

Rain Inside My Heart/Foggy River

Bell of Bar Room/Molly Darling

Mary Lee/Follow Me 

US Rockabilly singer, born Clen Houston Thompson Jr., Florence, Alabama

Junior Thompson began in 1956 at Meteor Records from Memphis (Tennessee). He also made a demonstration in Sun Records in 1956 without success. In 1957, it passed to Tune (56), JJ' S, and Badd Records before disappearing from Show Business. He was a regular singer in Dixie Hayride (Florence, Alabama) in 1956. 

1967-1968 JJ’S RECORDS Jewell Wear 

Sit by my side/Jungle Girl 1967

House of Lost Lovers/Ooby Dooby 1967

Cry on My Shoulder/Jimmy Boy 1969

Fairyland Girl/Child Days 1969

I’ll Never Let You Go Little Darling/Sally Ann From Paris, France 1969

The Hackers 

1967 Ange Love/Keep on Running Girl 

I am not sure of the location of JJ's Studio, which may have been located in her home.

✈️✈️✈️2019 Mar 24-30, Trip to Naples, Florida

Sunday, May 24, 2019

Southwest Airlines Flight 1066 

Leaves BNA at 10:15 at Gate C19, boarding group B. Position 3 arriving at FLL at 1:25 AM 

Hubby took me to Nashville airport. We ate dinner at Red Robin Spring Hill we split a hamburger and fries at 6:55 PM.

Monday, March 25, 2019

It was a one-and-a-half-hour drive to Naples, so it was early morning when we arrived at Lora’s apartment. We both slept late.

For breakfast, I ate a slice of raisin bread and a banana. 

Lora had an infusion in Fort Myers that day, so I rode with her. We stopped at Bass Pro Shop just off I-75, address 10040 Gulf Center, Fort Myers.

At Bass Pro Shop, we saw river fish, ocean fish, raccoons, black bears, waterfowl, alligators, and Everglades.

The bartender said I could come inside and take pictures of the tropical fish and coral reefs in the aquarium. Hanging on the walls, we saw Southern Stingrays, Great Hammer Head Shark, Sailfish, yellow tuna, and black-tip sharks.

Outside, we saw an old blue Red Head Pickup and a Great Gray Heron Bench where people could sit.

Red Head Pickup 

coral reef in the aquarium

I bought a pair of sunglasses to block out the sun for my eyes were giving me a fit. 

Lora gave one of her Zyrtecs for allegories and some saline to wash out my eyes. 

She also gave me one of her steroid tablets for infection. 

At lunch, we stopped at Chick-fil-A. Lora and I split a salad, and each ordered a chicken sandwich with water to drink at location 5825 Airport Pulling Rd Naples, FL. 

I was so tired from the day's adventures and not getting enough sleep that I fell asleep on the sofa while Lora and Jackie went shopping.

Tuesday, March 26, 2019 

Lora had an early morning infusion, so I watched TV until she returned. I ate a banana and a slice of raisin bread for breakfast. 

Lora made a ham, cheese, avocado, and spinach sandwich on toasted bread and fruit salad for lunch. 

We rode to Clam Bay Beach 410 Seagate Drive Naples, Fl 34103, where we took the trolley down the walkway to the beach.

Clam Bay Beach 

Pelican at Clam Bay Beach 

The Park consists of 35 acres of mangrove forest, coastal dunes, and 3200 linear feet of beach on the Gulf of Mexico. There is a boardwalk, which provides access to the beach through a mangrove forest. The boardwalk is about three-quarters of a mile long and can be walked, or you can catch a ride on a free tram that runs continuously throughout the day.

We saw several people on the beach, boaters, and people fishing. We saw waterfowl flying overhead and in the water. A dolphin and manatee were spotted.  We saw children playing in the sand. We saw a couple of children fishing and catching fish.

We saw a sign that said Welcome to Clam Pass Park. A sign that read Shells of Paradise Coast, which included worm shells, Calico Scallops, Mon Snail, Olive shells, fighting conch, Sandollar, Lighting Welk, Starfish, and Horse Conch. There was a sign about Palmetto and Fakahatchee grass.http://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/ornamentals/fakahatchee.html

All-day parking was $8.

We rode back to the apartment and walked around the lake, where we saw a few birds. 

At 7:30, we rode to Vanderbilt Beach on Pelican Bay to watch an amazing sunset. 

Sunset on Vanderbilt Beach 

Located at 280 Vanderbilt Beach Road, Naples, FL 34102, at the end of Vanderbilt Beach Road, Vanderbilt Beach County Park borders the Gulf of Mexico, near plenty of hotels, shopping, and restaurants. 

We met Jackie and Geo on the beach, along with hundreds of people watching the sun melt into the bay.

What a way to end the day! We ate pizza for supper. Jackie’s boyfriend spent the night.

Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Lora and I spent the day at Naples Botanical Gardens, 4820 Bayshore Dr, Naples, FL 34112, 1-4:40PM Cost $19.99 each.💐 🌷

We browsed in the Chabraja Visitor Center.

Irma’s Garden was full of charismatic plants such as the screw pines.

Katharine’s Garden was a lush tropical landscape.

LaGrippe Orchid Garden was full of colorful, fragrant orchid species from around the world. 

Botanical Garden 

Orchid Garden

Lea Asian Garden had a Southeast Asia Javanese temple, an ancient blaze landscape filled with Bayan trees, a bamboo grove of established fruits, a lotus pool, and a stepping stone path through the garden that led to the Balinese Shrine.

Kapnick Brazilian Garden was a garden of people of great diversity and color with a very colorful wall.

Kapnick Caribbean garden was full of towering palms, tropical fruit, and vegetables.

Smith Children's Garden was full of vibrant flowers, vegetables, and butterflies, a landscape for children. We saw a bicycle, a hand pump, and a toilet decorated with flowers. We saw Flo and Joe flower people working in the vegetable garden. A large turtle made of seashells. 

Scotts Florida Garden was full of trees, palms, a cascading stream, Lake Topkie, and Deep Lake. Florida was once an ancient seafloor.

There was a 90-acre Nature sanctuary boardwalk, which we did not take.

Water Garden with a lily pool full of lily pads and a boardwalk. 

On exhibit, in the gardens, you will find Reflections on Glass: Frabel in the Garden features diverse and complex sculptures that, at times, mimic the plants within the garden. If you look, you may find parallels between Frabel’s pieces and the natural shapes of plants in forms and towering cube structures, each piece inspires viewers to discover the wonders of our living collection.

For supper, Lora and I split a chicken and shrimp Carbonara, breadsticks, and salad at Olive Garden, 1565 5th Ave S, Naples, FL 34102 we had leftovers. I used my Christmas gift card to pay. $23,37.

That night, Lora and I met several of her friends at the Comedy Club, a two-drink minimum.

I ordered two bottles of glasses of water for @2.50 each. I was too full from supper to drink, so I brought my water home. 

The show was bashing ex-spouses, which I did not think was too funny.

I enjoyed spending time with Lora’s friends.

Thursday, March 28, 2019

I ate leftovers from Olive Garden for breakfast and lunch.

We rode to the Naples Preserve Boardwalk corner of U.S. 41 North and Fleischmann Boulevard, where we walked along the boardwalk looking for box and gopher turtles. We talked with one of the park rangers walking on the bare ground, looking for turtles to make sure they were okay.

Inside the center, we saw signs telling about Naples Botanical Gardens,  Delnor-Wiggins Pass,  Rookery Bay, Collier-Seminole, Shy Wolf (Cardinal, Mocking Birds nests), boat Tailed Crackle nest) Natural Communities of Naples Preserve, Turtle Shells, What's in bloom, butterflies, bugs, Collier County, and Myrtle Oaks.

Tucan Statue

Penguin 

Seal

Our next stop was Naples Zoo, 1590 Goodlette Rd Naples, Florida 34102.

Displayed throughout the zoo was Art to Save the Sea, artwork made completely from garbage collected from beaches. 

The art we saw was Natasha the turtle, Priscilla the Faust Fish, Lidia the Seal, Rufus the Tiger Fish, American Sea Star, Daisy the Polar Bear, Grace the Humpback Whale, Gertrude the Penguin, and Chompers the Shark.

We stood in a long line to ride a slow-moving, tour-guided ferry around Monkey Island.

Very cool, enjoyable, and informative ride about Madagascar Animals

There were signs located under a thatched roof telling about Monkey Island: they were trees like nowhere else, the island of Lemurs, Bigger than any dinosaur egg, the Madagascar Ferna group helps preserve the wonders of a fragile island nation.

We saw signs about Invisible Geckos, Abundant Chameleons, Madagascar burning, and living wonders. 

We saw American Alligators, Giant Anteater, Cotton-top Tamarin, Aldabra Tortoise,  Slender Horned Gazelle, Mt Bongo, Sulcate Tortoise, Gopher Tortoise, Clouded Leopard, and others.

We watched the feeding of the giraffes and alligators. Dr. Henry Nehrling, the founder of the Botanical Garden, Henry Badger, Plains Zebra, Feeding the Alligators, Cheetah, Why the Railroad Trestle? The famous toucan sign, Dead Trees Help the Living, and Marvelous Marsh make for fabulous filters A swamp mystery, planting helps with trees for the future, Shade-grown coffee helps farmers, birds, and the land, and can you find all these birds.

Friday, March 29, 2019 

We stopped at Dollar Tree for sunscreen and snacks to take to Delnor-Wiggins State Park beach.

Located 11135 Gulf Shore Drive Naples, Fl 34108

One of the most popular seaside destinations in Naples, the mile-long stretch of white sugar sand at Delnor-Wiggins has been rated as one of the best beaches in the nation. 

We saw Gray Pelicans perched, swimming, and flying overhead. 

We saw a Fish Hawk Osprey perched in a tree holding a fish.

We saw seagulls and white egrets waiting for a free fish from a fisherman.

This beach was more secluded than the other beaches that we had visited. 

We rode to Naples Municipal Beach and walked out on the long pier to watch the sunset, with lots of people waiting for the sunset.

 Naples Municipal Beach Sunset

Address 25 12th Av S Naples Florida 34102 

Built in 1888 as a freight and passenger dock, The Naples Pier stands as a community landmark.

We rode to historic downtown Naples, Lora and Michelle waited in a long line of people to order our ice cream at Kilwins 743 5th Ave S, Naples, FL 34102.

Saturday, March 30, 2019

Lora had an infusion that morning, so I spent the morning with Jackie and Geo. We went to North Collier Regional Children’s Park, 15000 Livingston Rd Naples, FL.

North Collier Regional Children’s Park

Geo enjoyed playing at the Can U Dig It state-of-the-art playground that looks like something from the future with a colorful, modern design.  

The sleek look packs a lot of play value. The playground includes slides, swings, and climbing apparatus, but it takes play a step further.  Kids can spin themselves dizzy on squiggly poles, climb on boulders that look like they came from the Monument Valley, or become junior archeologists in the covered fossil dig area.

When we got ready to go, Jackie realized she had locked her keys in her car. She called her boyfriend, and he brought her a spare set.

We rode back to the apartment by this time, Lora had returned. 

Lora, Michelle, and I rode to Fort Lauderdale to spend the rest of the day before my flight. 

We Stopped at Quarterdeck Restaurant, 300 N Beach Rd Dania Beach, FL, where we ate dinner.

Quarterdeck Restaurant

Quarterdeck Restaurant

We ordered three tacos, smoked shrimp, and smoked fish with French fries, and we all drank water with lemon.

We saw British Airways, & Southwest jets fly over, so we knew the airport was close by.

You could see several towering buildings in the downtown area from Dania Pier.

We saw several cruise ships leave, so Fort Lauderdale must be a hub port for cruise ships.

There were a lot of people sitting on the beach, a few in the water. The beaches were full of seagrass, more turbulent, and not as clear as the Naples Beaches.

We watched and waited for a lift bridge to let a sailboat through. The traffic was heavy in the downtown area, so I told Lora to take me to the airport, and they could do some sightseeing.

I boarded the flight at 9:30, traveling Flight 4145, Boarding group B 23, an hour and a half flight.

Arrived in Nashville around 11:30PM. Hubby picked me up, and we rode home.

We stopped at the gas station, picked up some snacks, and rode home we arrived home around 1:30AM. 

Had a great visiting my daughter and all the places we went to,