Wandering Wednesday 7

My original plans for Wandering Wednesday was to go to the Dismal Canyons with my friends Mona and Nancy. However, Tuesday evening, after watching the weather forecast, we decided that might not be a good plan.  I tossed around some other ideas and we discussed some things we could do, but really made not set plans.

Wednesday, I was moving a little bit slow and had almost decided not to go anywhere, when Nancy called and said she had checked to see if Doc Adams would be at the Jazz Hall of Fame and found that he would be giving a tour at 1:00. So we made plans to meet.

The Jazz Hall of Fame is located in the old Carver Theater in downtown Birmingham. Located on the corner of 4th Ave. N. and 17th St. North, the Carver opened in 1935.  Alabama has a rich history of music and we have had a multitude of musicians from our fine state. The Jazz Hall of Fame recognizes some of the great Jazz artist who have ties to ur state and to Birmingham.

We arrived at the Carver and discovered that there was a movie being shown to the other people in the tour. We got to see about the last 5 minutes of this movie, which was discussing some of the Jazz musicians that are represented in the Hall of Fame and the story of Jazz in Birmingham.

When the movie was over, we were joined by our tour guide, Frank Adams, also known as Doc Adams. What an interesting man!

Doc Adams as he gives us our tour

The Wikipedia entry about Doc Adams states :

"Frank "Doc" Adams was born in Birmingham in 1928. He is a jazz clarinetist, saxophonist and bandleader.
Docs was introduced to music early in life.  His father was  a trombonist  his older brother  played clarinet. He began playing the clarinet in elementary school and once he was  in  high school he was
 recruited into Fess Whatley's big band. He later joined a second big band put together by Sonny Blount (later known as "Sun Ra"). From that point he continued his education and he continued playing music, and played with some greats, such as  Duke Ellington. I believe he said he had 4 degrees and he has taught music as well as playing music.
He treated us, several times during the tour, to his clarinet playing.

Here are some pictures from the Jazz Hall of Fame

Here is a silly picture of Nancy

After leaving the Jazz Hall of Fame, we decided to go to Ranelli's for a late lunch. Of course this meant we got to visit with our Friend Sarah Fendley. Great food and great company.  We sat there till after 4:30, so once leaving Ranelli's, I went to Marty's to have a gin and tonic and to visit with my friend Kay.

By this time, it was nearly 6, so I headed on home.

All in all, it was a great Wandering Wednesday, even though I didn't do a great number of things.
Cost-wise, I stayed under my 25 dollar limit for Wandering Wednesday, with a $5.00 admission to the Jazz Hall of Fame (it is cheaper if your do the self-guided tour--but I recommend getting the tour with Doc Adams!) and lunch was less than $10.00 (I don't remember exactly) and my Gin and Tonic was 3.50, I think.

Wandering Wednesday 6

This Wandering Wednesday  was a little different because I needed to travel to Mobile for a meeting. After consideration of several possible scenarios, I decided to make one stop on the way down and then visit some places in Mobile.

First, I got a late start.  Since I was going to be spending the night in Mobile, I spent a little time with my fur babies, especially the dogs. We played ball, “where’s the mama” and  I worked with Skeeter some on sitting, staying and going through the cat tube. ( I know he's a dog, but he fits through the tube just fine!)

Interestingly, I stopped at the rest stop right before Greeneville and after returning to my car, I decided to check Facebook. Sitting there looking at my phone, I looked up as someone passed by my car and immediately thought, “I know him”.  My next thought was, “no, it couldn’t be”, but about that time his brother walked by and I knew I knew them.  So, I got out of my car and looked in the direction they came from and sure enough, I saw these two young men’s parents, as I knew they wouldn’t be traveling alone!  I walked over and said something and the dad, spun around, grabbed me and hugged me.  I didn’t think he was ever going to let me go!  The first young man who had passed by the van was a former student of mine.  I had taught him from 3^rd grade through 6^th grade.  He is probably 30 or 31 now. Yep, it’s official, I’m getting old!!

After a mini reunion in the parking lot of the rest stop, I headed on my way.  Now, this is a very unique family, and very loud, so anyone within a couple of football fields knew we were having a little reunion right there at the rest stop!!

I continued on my way and got to my first stop, which was Georgiana, Alabama.  I had decided to go to the Hank Williams Boyhood Home and Museum. When I arrived I was greeted by a friendly older lady, who told me the admission was only $3.00 and that I could take all the pictures I wanted.

 The home was small, but there was a nice collection of Hank Williams memorabilia .  Here are some of the pictures.

I asked the nice lady about a place to eat and she told me to go over the railroad tracks and turn right and I would see Friendly G’s. “They have good sandwiches, but they might be closed on Wednesday”, she said.  I couldn’t find Friendly G’s to the right, looked for it using my GPS and it took me the other direction, but I still couldn’t find it. Finally decided to head back to the interstate and start looking for a place to eat. Finally, when I got to Evergreen, I decided to go ahead and eat at a chain, simply because I was very hungry.  I got off the interstate, thinking I was going to end up with fast food, when I saw a sign for the Shrimp Basket. Still a chain, but so much better than a cheeseburger!

After a lunch of fried shrimp and stuffed crabs, I felt like a nap might be in order, but  instead began driving again! My lunch came to 14 dollars with tip, so it was a little more expensive than I prefer, but it was very good.

I got to Mobile and it was about 3:15 and I knew several of the places I had hoped to go closed at 4:00, so I made my first stop at the Carnival Museum. Admission was $4.50 with my AAA membership.  This museum is in the downtown district of Mobile and chronicles the history of Mardi Gras in Mobile. It was actually very interesting and made me want to go down for Mardi Gras sometime. If you didn’t know it, Mobile’s Mardi Gras is the oldest Mardi Gras Celebration in the United States, starting in 1703, which was 15 years before New Orleans was founded. The celebration was suspended during the Civil War and didn’t resume until 1866.

Here are some of the pictures from this museum.

When I left this museum, I realized my hotel was right around the corner, so I went ahead and got checked in. At this point it was after 4:00, so I knew I would not be able to go to any more museums, so I headed to Bienville Square. However, I was a little uncomfortable here, as there was a gathering of what I believe were probably homeless men. That in itself wasn’t what made me uncomfortable, but a policewoman had just been there talking to one and  when she left, the conversation was quite loud and agitated.  I took a quick picture of the fountain and left.

Next,  I headed to Magnolia Cemetery, which was founded in 1836. The cemetery has many old graves, some of notable people in the history of Mobile. The graves are adorned in very elaborate stones, and urns, and crosses and there are many tombs throughout it. For more information on this cemetery, you can check out the website http://www.magnoliacemetery.com/default.htm

Here are some of the pictures that I took here.

I called my old college buddy, Redd and made plans for dinner.  I went back to the hotel and changed clothes and then headed out to meet him for dinner. Dinner was at the Olive Garden( I know, a chain, but I let Redd choose).

After dinner, I decided to stop at the Mellow Mushroom and have a drink and listen to some music on the patio.  My friend Thera had told me to go hear her friend Phil play if I got the chance, so that is exactly what I did.  I only got to listen to about 30 minutes of music, but I enjoyed it and I made a new friend!

So, Wandering Wednesday came to a total of:

Hank Museum: $3.00

Lunch : $14.00

Carnival Museum $4.50

Dinner: 0.00 (Redd picked up the tab)

Margarita: $6.00 (including tip)

Total: 27.50 –just $2.50 over my $25.00 Wandering Wednesday Budget, but I ussualy don’t continue Wandering Wednesday into the night!

But wait…That’s not all!! After making a phone call, I realized that I had Thursday morning free, so…

I took my time getting moving on Thursday morning, but once I did, I checked out of my hotel, got permission to leave my car in their lot, then,I walked just a few blocks down from my hotel to the Visitors Center and Fort Conde Museum.  This museum is actually a replica of  about 1/3 of the original fort, which protected Mobile for nearly 100 years. Some of the rooms were closed for renovations, but I walked through what was open and took a few pictures.  This attraction is free. http://www.museumofmobile.com/other_locs.php

I then walked around the corner to the Code-Charlotte House Museum, but it was no open yet. It was 10:30 and they did not open till 11:00.

I then walked back to directly across from Fort Conde and went to the Hisotry Museum of Mobile. This museum cost $7.00 to go in, but I was so hot from walking, I gladly paid that $7.00 in order to enjoy the air conditioning!  http://www.museumofmobile.com/perm_exhibits.php

Here are some pictures from this museum. 

 This is a sign and building I passed by walking back to my car.

The La Clede is the building with the balcony.

Statue of Raphael Semmes

I left Mobile on Thursday at 4:30. My trip home was uneventful. I did snap a picture of this cloud, which I thought was interesting.

 All in all,this was a fun and informative Wandering Wednesday, which kinda turned into a partial Traipsing Thursday!

Wandering Wednesday #5

I have so many friends suggesting places for me to wander, there is no way I will be able to fit them all in this summer! I love it!  My friend Bill Yarbrough told me last Sunday that he had been working on an itinerary for me, so I messaged him and asked him to send me his suggestions.  One of them was already on my list, so I figured I would follow his suggestions.  This was a trip to the Cullman area, so I began looking to see if I could find some other things to add to the trip if time permitted.

I got up this morning feeling a little tired, as I did not sleep well last night, but it was Wandering Wednesday, so tired or not, I was going wandering!

Of course, my GPS tried to be funny...

My first stop was The Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament at the Our Lady of the Angels Monastery. The monastery was established by Mother Angelica in 1962.  You cannot take pictures  inside the church, but I did take some outside.

After leaving the Shrine, I made some friends...

 I then headed to the Ave Maria Grotto.  This is a place I've wanted to go for several years, but no one ever wanted to go with me, but Wandering Wednesday has been partly about me getting out of my comfort zone and doing things by myself, so it was finally my chance to go!
Once again, my GPS decided to be funny and told me I had arrived at "Avenue Maria Grotto".
If you are not familiar with the Ave Maria Grotto, it is a 4 acre park on the grounds of  the St. Bernard Abbey, with more than 125 miniature replicas of biblical structures and wold famous buildings. It also contains some Bavarian folklore scenes, such as Hansel and Gretel's castle. The St. Bernard Abbey is the only Benedictine monastery of men in the state of Alabama.  MOst of these miniatures are the handiwork of Brother Joseph Zoetl, O.S.B., who was a monk in the Abbey for almost 70 years. However, there are a some miniatures that were created by Mr. Leo Schwaiger, who at the age of 87 is still there working in the park daily.  He was pulling weeds put of a section he had built when I was there.  I spent several minutes talking with Mr. Leo and he was a fascinating gentleman, whom I felt quite honored to have met. He told me that a lot of people never realize that he is there and still working.  He also made it a point to tell me that he built the Lizard Condo and the Chipmunk Crossing.

The Cemetery. (Except the Chipmunk Crossing, which was not in the cemetery.  I've included a larger picture further down.)

Mr. Leo and his creations!

Once I had walked through the Ave Maria Grotto and the cemetery where Brother Joseph is buried, it was time for lunch.  I called my cousin, James, who works in Cullman and my friend, Bill and let them know I was headed to the restaurant. I loved having company for lunch, but they distracted me and I didn't take a picture of the restaurant or my meal!! We ate at Rumors Deli and I had the Mouth of the South Sandwich, (I only got a half a sandwich) with a side of potato salad and a delicious glass of sweet tea!  http://rumorsdeli.com/  The Mouth of the South is Ham, turkey, roast beef, combo of onions, peppers,olives, mushrooms, lettuce &; tomato, 3 cheeses, mayo,spicy brown mustard & special sauce on a white hoagie. It was delicious!

My very pleasant and attractive lunch buddies!

After a very pleasant lunch with two extremely handsome men, it was time for them to go back to work and for me to continue wandering.  Just around the corner from the restaurant is the  Cullman County Museum, which has a nice selection of artifacts relating to the history of Cullman County, including a nice exhibit on the 1863 "Mule Brigade" Raid by Abel Streight through North Alabama.

The gentleman working at the Cullman County Museum was very friendly and informative.

I still had two more stops I wanted to make, so I went back to my car and got on the road.  I did stop to take this picture though.

About the time I arrived at the Clarkson Covered Bridge Park, it began to rain.  I sat it out in my car, charging my phone a bit, so I could take some pictures. I won't copy and paste from the website, but her is a link to the website telling about the history of the bridge and park.  http://www.cullmancountyparks.com/clarkson.htm  You will see Abel Streight mentioned again on this website.

I almost decided to head back home, but programed my last stop into my GPS and realized it was only about 6 miles away, so I figured I was already that close, I may as well go!

So, my last stop for the day was the Crooked Creek Civil War Museum.  I took a few pictures, but my battery was almost dead on my phone and once it gets so low, the camera quits working! http://www.co.cullman.al.us/Press/crooked_creek_museum_opening.html

Mr. Wise, the owner of the museum, came out and greeted me and was eager to show me around.  He took me through the museum and insisted I pose for some pictures, so he took a couple of me. He was a quite interesting guy, who obviously loved Civil War history and loves that he owns property where a battle took place!  He had some artifacts that had been found on his property.

In addition to the museum, he has camping available for 10 dollars a person (no hook-ups) Mostly tent camping, although he told me that my pop-up camper would be okay.  He is working on a store and he has a cabin that he moved to his property by numbering the logs, taking it apart, moving it and putting it back together. It's a nice little cabin, with the dogtrot closed in the make the kitchen area and he put a bedroom upstairs, so it is two bedrooms.  He calls it a Bed and Breakfast, but said he doesn't cook you breakfast, he just stocks the fridge with food for the breakfast.  He said it rents for 100 dollars a night in the summer, 120 in the winter, with the increase to cover firewood. That is the rate for a couple.  He said the price is a little higher for a family.  I actually would love to go stay there!

I didn't go down the trail to look at the area where the battle took place, simply because it was getting late and I needed to head home.  I think this place will go on my list of places to go back to!

I had budgeted $25 dollars (excluding gas)  I spent $30.00.  However, it worked like this:

Ave Maria Grotto -$5.00 admission with AAA membership
Cullman County Museum--$5.00 admission
Civil War Museum--$5.00 admission
Lunch--14 and some change.  This was only because I treated my cousin to lunch and it was worth every penny!  I enjoy seeing him and loved spending some time with him.

Everything else was free, so I feel like it was a relatively inexpensive day!

Some humorous pictures from the women's bathroom at Rumors Deli.

I know, I forgot to take a picture of my food, but took a picture of the toilet. What can I say!!

The ride home was uneventful, but I did pass a tow truck that made me chuckle.

I love the writing behind the cab: "If you can read this I'm going broke"

As I got into Hueytown, it began to rain very heavily, but I was only about 4 miles from home, so it wasn't too big of a deal.

All in all, it was a wonderful Wandering Wednesday!