2020 Jan 31-Feb 2, Woman's Retreat Joe Wheeler Lodge ( 3 days)

 Friday afternoon, check in at the lodge & receive a package for the entire retreat.  

Eating Catfish at Joe Wheeler 

We ate Catfish, baked potato, hush puppies, tarter Sauce, butter, and sour cream. 

We went back to our room until it was time for our pajama movie, "Steel Magnolias."

There were snacks to eat while watching the movie, but I was too full to eat. 

Could not believe that I enjoyed watching an old movie with a bunch of strangers. 

After the movie, everyone retired to their rooms for the night.

Saturday morning, we had a light breakfast, followed by a painting class from 8:00 to 9:30 A.M.

Hello Spring Painting 

Next, we created a bath balm from 9:45 to 11:15 A.M.

From 11:30 to 12 P.M., we danced.

Lunch was a Taco Salad from the food bar. 12–1 P.M.

Self-defense from 2–3 P.M. 

Pontoon Cruise 2–3 P.M.

The women who had registered for the 2 P.M. boat ride boarded the Pontoon boat for a one-hour ride on the Tennessee River, during which our guide pointed out points of interest and waterfowl. 

Boats at Joe Wheeler 

Pontoon Boat ride

Self-Defense 4:15–5:15 P.M.  

Went back to our room to rest until dinner.

Roll, Pork Chop, Vegetables

Our guest speaker was Lee Marshall.

It was a beautiful Sunday morning; the sun was rising, and the waterfowl were stirring. 

Waterfowl at Joe Wheeler Lake 

Waterfowl at Joe Wheeler Lake 

I saw a herd of deer on the road as I was leaving. 

A herd of Deer at Joe Wheeler State Park 

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 desperately needed 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. 

Sunflower haystacks lined either side of the drive as we entered the driveway. 

Several cars were already parked, and people were walking among the sunflowers, and someone directed us where to park. 

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

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

We saw a patch of zinnias and a tractor parked near the sunflower field. Stacks of hay were set up where you could sit for a picture. 

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

We didn't walk too far because it was hot, and there were many 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.

A concrete walkway ran through the vegetable garden.

It is a garden 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, in 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 remembered visiting a museum that simulated a tornado, but I couldn't 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, letting them relive the tornado that devastated the Governor's Mansion district 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, causing 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 hanging around. 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 with a Facebook page 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 featured Japanese block prints. 

The hall was filled with bird art. 

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 Mute Swans.

Other waterfowl found here include 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.