2021 April 24, Touring the Antebellum Home of Presbyterian Minister Robert Donnell Athens, Alabama with Tour guide Alice Tiller

Pleasant Hill 

Home of Rev. Robert Donnell (1784-1855) 

Built abt. 1849 by Rev. Robert Donnell, a native of North Carolina, and his second wife, Clara Lindley Donnell. 

He was greatly inspired by the Great Spiritual Revival of 1800 and became a Presbyterian circuit rider, one of the "flaming fires," so-called because of their spiritual intensity. Donnell held the first camp meeting in the settlement that became Huntsville, started new churches in North Alabama and Tennessee, and retired as minister of the Athens Cumberland Presbyterian Church. 

For his service and dedication, the North Alabama Presbytery was named in his honor. After the death of Rev. Donnell in 1855, this house and surrounding acreage passed to his son, James Webb Smith Donnell. J.W.S. Donnell and his family lived here during the Civil War, even though he was wanted by the Union Army for aiding the Confederacy. 

In 1862, during the sacking of Athens, Federal troops camped on the house grounds, looted, and damaged the house through bankruptcy after the war. 

It served as a boarding school for boys for a time and later as the home of Athens School Superintendent Julian Newman and his family. 

 In the 1970s, a campaign to save and restore the house was initiated by local historians and authors Christine W. Edwards and Faye A. Axford. Local citizens, businesses, and Donnell's descendants contributed to the restoration of this historical landmark.

Pleasant Hill Historical Marker

Pleasant Hill Historic Marker

Donnell House

The Donnell House is located at 601 South Clinton Street. 

It hosts events throughout the year, such as a Christmas tree presentation during the holiday season. Because it is located on the campus of the Athens Middle School, students have conducted school projects, including interpretive videos that are centered around the history of the house. 

April is the month to showcase the local history in counties in Alabama by featuring walking tours every Saturday in April. I chose the *Robert Donnell House & Museum to tour it was the only walking tour that I had not attended. 

 *Tour options were: *Beaty Historic District *Downtown Athens Historic District *Athens City Cemetery *Athens State University *Houston Historic District All the above are excellent tours, and many tour guides dress in the period of the tour. 

 Unfortunately, the Governor George S. Houston Library and Museum were not offered this year. 

 The Donnell House and Museum were hoasting a wedding later that day, and food was being prepared and finger foods placed on the table.

Wedding Buffett

What caught my eye was the Armadillo pink cake. Hanging in the parlor were pictures of Rev Donnell and his two wives. 

Two staircases were leading to the upper level, which showcased the history of the home and its occupants. 

 Outside was an 1830s log cabin donated by Don and Ed Horton, sons of Judge James Horton, and nearby was an herb garden. 

 I had driven past the Donnell House Museum many times but never noticed it until the tour because it was located in the Athens School system.

2021 April 3, Florence Cemetery Walking Tour, UNA, McFarland Park, Wilson Dam, & Ava Florence, Alabama

The tour will begin at 705 East College Street, led by Harry Wallace. The tour of the Florence Cemetery, established in 18181, features many unique headstones and famous gravesites among the rolling hills and towering trees. 

The cemetery contains the graves of many early settlers, two governors, prominent leaders and families, and many unknown CSA soldiers.

Harry Wallace, our guide

Blooming Cherry Trees 

McFarland Par 

After the walking tour, I stopped at Wilson Park to see the blooming cherry trees. 

Next, I went to UNA to see the newly remodeled fountain. There were people there taking pictures for Graduation. Leo the lion was basking in the sun, and he roared several times. Normally, he just lays quietly, but today, he must have been hungry.

LEO the Lion at UNA

Fountain at UNA 

Ava riding her car 

I rode to McFarland Park and stopped for a few pictures. The River was down compared to what it had been but still was peeking at the banks. One side of the park was closed because of flooding. There were a lot of people at the park, people were parked everywhere, even on the banks of the road. 

I stopped at River Heritage Park and walked to see the floodgates at Wilson Dam. The Tennessee River was raging through. 

On my way home, I stopped to check on my son Mike he had surgery on his back. He was outside with his brother Andy. Ava came outside and was riding her car. Saw a Yellow Monarch Butterfly landing on the yellow dandelions. 

I had a very interesting day.

2021 April 17, Mooresville Walking Tour and Huntsville Botanical Gardens

It was a great turnout at Mooresville, for I had to park along the side of the road and walk several blocks.

 We began at the Post Office, which closed at 10 AM, so if you wanted to go inside, you had to be there by 9:45 AM.

 We saw a couple of churches, a tavern, and several homes, and our guide talked about the history of the small town. 

We saw a beautiful little cottage that is now Lyla’s Little House of Mooresville. “All the sweet that’s fit to eat!”

Stage Coach Stop 

Lyla’s Little House of Mooresville

Brick Church

The brick church had been owned by several different denominations but was now owned by the town and used for weddings and town hall meetings. We walked inside the Brick Church, the Post Office, and the Tavern. Our guide passed out several booklets on Historic Mooresville's Bicentennial Est 1818 but ran out. It was a nice day for the tour. It was a little cool but warmed up quickly. I left before it ended because I couldn't hold it in any longer. I stopped at Cracker Barrel in Madison to use the restroom. 

 My next stop was the Botanical Gardens. I first went to the Butterfly house and saw one butterfly, a few turtles, and several children. I was so thirsty that I bought an orange crush drink and finished it off before I left the gardens. 

 Walked through the Children's Garden to the newly built Birdwatching building. Meet a man there who was building a new home and was getting ideas for his lawn. (shrubs, flowers, and such). Had a nice relaxing visit to the Huntsville Botanical Gardens?

Field of Wildflowers

Squirrel

I strolled through the wooded area along the paths less taken. I saw several Robin Redbreast, rabbits, and squirrels. As I was walking near the pond, I saw lots of turtles sunbathing. Yellow and White Wildflowers were blooming everywhere they were so pretty. I also walked through the herb garden.

 I had a great day but was tired from all that walking, and I still had to drive an hour or more home.

2002 Jun 28, Children's Museum of the Shoals Florence, Alabama

Took Hannah to the Children's Museum, where she sat in the dentist's chair holding a blue toothbrush as long as her arm would not fit in her mouth. Of course, the teeth she is standing next to would be used by the large blue toothbrush.

Naturally, if you are in the Shoals area, you have to visit the birth home of Helen Keller. Of course, hanging next to Helen Keller on the wall are Jessie Price and Stanley Goldstein. Now for a little sitting time in a nook for storytime. Back to the first floor, it is time for a little music, as Hannah enjoys dancing on the musical keyboard with keys that are bigger than her feet. There were also drums, xylophones, and many other musical instruments.

Onto the kitchen where a raccoon was watching as she prepared a meal. After she finished cooking, it was time for a quick slide with Miss Piggy. Time for a little construction work with a hammer & nails, Hannah. Don't forget to put on your construction hard hat. Now, it was time to check out the water pump and the flowing creek that was filled with boats floating down the stream.

It was such a beautiful day, so we headed outside. Hannah crossed the rocks that were over the babbling brook, making sure she did not get her feet wet. Lying on the ground were construction materials to build a house, she started but did not finish. There was a Green wagon, so she climbed aboard for a picture. We walked back inside, did a little grocery shopping, and once again did a little cooking. I went back upstairs for a little karaoke. Hannah dressed up in a white robe with purple trim and sash. Of course, I joined in the karaoke, and we had fun acting silly.

Next, we visited the X-ray machine to see what she looked like inside. Next, she did a little crafting and tracing the USA map. We had a fun day at the Children's Museum of the Shoals.

2018 March 17, & 2016, 2015 My thoughts

March 17, 2018 Today, I went to the Florence Lauderdale Visitor Center, where I saw this little Bird (Killdeer) and the little Killdeer's feathers flared out as I started walking past her, I took my cell phone and took a couple of pictures I noticed 4 eggs were laying on the ground near her. She had made a nest in the grass near the sidewalk at the visitors center That was why there was an orange cone sitting there I hope she guards them well.

Killdeer 

March 17, 2016: Today was a beautiful day the sunset was awesome. I did a little work outside this afternoon. I sat looking out my window, watching all the varieties of birds eat from the four feeders. My husband said to look, and we saw a long-eared rabbit sitting in front of the tractor, eating grass. I looked out the window on the other side of our RV and saw a groundhog come waddling down the field, looking for his dinner of fresh clover. Well, I lay on the sofa watching Wheel of Fortune (we watch it every night), and when it ended, I went to work on my computer. Every evening, I check to see what color the sunset is, and tonight it was awesome. I will post some pictures later. While taking pictures of the sunset, I turned around, looked behind me, and saw a herd of deer (doe) I counted at least eight. They just stood there while I snapped their picture. I was careful not to make any sudden moves. I have not seen any deer for some time. I think this warm weather has brought out all the animals, and climate change has caused us to have such an awesome sunset.

Rabbit 

March 17, 2015, was such a beautiful day; the sun was shining, and there was no rain, snow, or sleet. I enjoyed it very much, we did not go anywhere, just worked a little in the yard. The older that I get, the less I want to do any manual labor, for it makes me hurt all over, I guess that is old Arthritis working in my bones.

2021 Mar 9, Day trip Oak Mountain State Park Pelham, Alabama

Today, we rode to Pelham via hwy 43 through Russellville, ending on I-22 going into Birmingham. We filled up with gas at Loves Gas in Jasper and took a restroom break. We traveled through Birmingham I-65 to Pelham. We stopped at the Interpretive Center and Treetop Nature Trail, where we saw a Eurasian Eagle-Owl and Shelby the Bald Eagle. Most of the Interpretative Center was closed for renovations. We also saw several hawks and owls in another area.

Bald Eagle 

owl 

As we were coming back inside the center, we met a Park Ranger with a Red Tail Hawk that was blind in one eye. We talked to her for several minutes and watched while she fed the hawk. She said that its food comes to them frozen, so they just thaw it out for them. She was returning the hawk back to its cage. We thanked her for taking the time to show us and tell us about the habits of the red-tail hawk.

Red-tail Hawk 

We began our journey back home we had not eaten any dinner, and both agreed that we would like to stop at O'Bryan's in Hartselle. I ordered a petite Sirloin steak with a sweet potato. Hubby ordered a Delmonico Steak, baked potato, and salad bar. After we ate, we took pictures of the Blues Brothers statue and other memorabilia at the steak house.

O'Brien's Hartselle

We stopped at Krogers in Hartselle and headed for home. We traveled from Hartselle to Decatur, taking Hwy 20 alt 72 to Wheeler Dam. The sun was going down as we were near home.

Sunset

We had a great day both wore out from all the traveling.

2021 Feb 8, Day Trip to Huntsville, Alabama

Hubby and I rode to Huntsville today for my Opthomologist appointment. You know the drill by now. Stay in your car, and call the office to let them know you are there; they will call you back when you can come inside. Once inside the building, they take your temperature; you are given a sticker to place on your shirt or blouse that says you are okay to enter the building. Once inside, I checked in; after a short wait, I was called back to the waiting room. The pressure in both my eyes was checked, and both registered 15, The optic nerve in both eyes was checked, and nothing changed. I had taken my big camera with me; I wanted to get a few pictures of the waterfowl and colorful fish that swam at Big Spring Park, so that was our next stop. On our way to Huntsville, the thermometer on the car read 35 and showed snow, but it turned out to be a beautiful day. The sun was shining; not much wind, with a little chill in the air. I took my coat but never had to put it on.

Canadian Geese 

We then rode to Braham Spring Park, where we saw Canadian Geese, Mallard Ducks, and a few starlings eating and swimming at the park. I said it's such a beautiful day let's go to the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge in Decatur, so we entered I-565, and not far past the airport, the traffic was bumper to bumper because they were working on the road and were merging into one lane. We then turned onto I-65 only to find out they were working on the interstate and were also merging into one lane. We finally made it to our turn-off, and hubby said what do you think about getting lunch at Libby's in Priceville. I said that sounds good, for I love me some good old fried catfish. I was not disappointed; I ordered one piece of fillet with coleslaw, hush puppies, onion, baked potato, and iced tea. I could not eat it. I also got a to-go box.

Catfish plate @Libby's in Priceville, Alabama

We then rode to Wheeler Wildlife Refuge to see what was left of the Sandhill Cranes to my disappointment, they were just a few. The visitor center was closed, and so was the observation building. There was a wooden wall with holes cut out to view the fields, but no birds. We stopped at Jack's in Decatur for a diet Coke and two strawberry Cheesecake pies. Our last stop was a Wheeler Dam to see the waterfowl. Saw a few White Pelicans, so we didn't stop. When we got home, I went outside and filled both bird feeders and saw more birds at home than I did at all the places where we had stopped. We have Cardinals, Wrens, Finch, Tuff Titmouse, Mourning Doves, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, and Downy Woodpeckers, just to name a few of our backyard birds.