signs of fall

Autumn is my favorite season!

hanging on!




The last cold snap did not make some of the plants too happy.
Getting ready for their winter nap.

The roses are still doing ok though.
The girls made nut cups today for our Thanksgiving dinner.
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays!
Sophia took the next 2 photos! I held the camera but she took the photo.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Thanking Him for all His blessings.

More of Birmingham

Continuation of our tour of Birmingham:
Mindy took us on a drive over the mountain on Shades drive.

There was a sign that read that this was the location of Lover's Leap. We didn't look for it but I found this picture elsewhere. The folklore is that an Indian brave, supposedly grown weary of the attentions of an Indian princess, took her to the high crest where he stabbed her with a bone knife. Suddenly stricken with remorse, he gathered her in his arms and leaped off the bluff.

The houses on Shades drive were often held up by metal posts. I couldn't get a good picture. I would NEVER buy a home that didn't have some kind of solid foundation! The views were spectacular, but...

Definitely in the south.

We drove to an area called Ross Bridge. It was voted the best community in America.

Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa

Next stop was to -


Mindy's friend, Micheal met us there


I think this is so funny! A johnny temple to go along with the Sibyl temple.
Time for supper. We went to the Flat Top Grill at Summit Shopping Mall. Soooo good!

And had to stop at some of the shops. Micheal making some wise crack.

Back home to play games and eat popcorn.

What a wonderful time with both Mindy and Josh's family! Sad to have to go back home but it was a beautiful autumn view at least!

Birmingham

This is the apartment complex where our daughter lives. So pretty!

Mindy acted as our tour guide and drove us all over Birmingham.
A man named John Perryman operated this old mill from 1867 until 1887. It ground the corn grown by local farmers.
The present structure, while not a working mill, was built in 1927. The Old Mill, under the management of Miss Frances Bomer, served breakfast, afternoon tea and dinner. Meals ranged from 50¢ to $1.75. Local residents found it to be a delightful rest stop while on horseback rides.

Perryman’s old original millstone was unearthed and used in the current building’s stone fireplace. It is now a private dwelling. Wouldn't it be fun to live there?!

So, Min drove us to this area called Five Points. She couldn't find a parking place so pulled into the parking lot of a certain wonderful chicken restaurant (my daughter-in-law's favorite one). It said that cars would be towed away if they weren't restaurant customers. We were just a few feet away from this fountain and Al and Mindy weren't at all concerned that we were not parking where we should be, but I was! I just was sure that a tow truck would appear! Of course if Staci had been with us, there would be no question that we would have had to stop for a quick bite of chicken!
Next stop - The Vulcan. The Vulcan statue is the largest cast iron statue in the world, and is the city symbol of Birmingham, Alabama, reflecting its roots in the iron and steel industry.

It began to rain and was just a bit blustery.
View from the top. Lortab is a bit blurry. Maybe he was shaking from fear of heights.
Taken from the top railing. Al is in front of the door to the steps. They were locked. We had to take an elevator up. (I didn't mind that! Climbing 6 flights doesn't sound like fun.)



( You can hardly see Lortab sitting on the stone.)

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Alabama foliage -




More to come....

Drive to Birmingham

Before leaving Fayetteville, we had coffee at Mama Carmen's. You have to read her story!
This coffee shop is located across the street from the church office (located in a warehouse) where Josh works. The church owns the coffee shop. They purchase the coffee from Mama Carmen's farm and 10% of the profits go to Mama Carmen and the children of her orphanage in Guatemala City. The remainder of the profits go to similar community development projects around the world. They also sell fun products from other countries to help the people there. Reminds me a little of 10,000 Villages in our town. I purchased a nice Christmas present for a certain someone!

After our good-byes to our son, we took off for Birmingham. Josh gave us the idea to take a scenic route called Pig Trail.

Pig Trail Scenic Byway runs through the Ozark National Forest for a length of 19 miles. You have to allow 1-2 hours to fully enjoy this byway.

"Why is this spectacular scenic route called the Pig Trail Scenic Byway? Well, for one thing, the meandering nature of the route reminds visitors of a trail carved in the woods from wild pigs. Another factor that influenced the name was that this route has been a major travel way for students, sports fans and other University of Arkansas supporters going to and from Fayetteville, Arkansas, home of the Arkansas Razorbacks."

As we were driving along, I saw a cemetary and had Al pull in to it.
I have never seen a cemetary so decorated! Very unusual.
What a beautiful time of year we chose to drive through Arkansas and on to Alabama!



This is supposed to be a waterfall. We had seen pictures of it with the water running over the top. Unfortunately, they have had somewhat of the drought we have experienced in Kansas too.
When we were travelling on Interstate 40 to Dauphin Island this September, we drove by a sign that read "Toad Suck Park". We were so curious as to what that was! So we took the time to drive out off the interstate to find out.
Lortab was curious how Toad Suck got its name.
One theory is that the name came from the tavern that sat on the south bank of the river. Possibly the ferry operated out of the Toad Suck Saloon, giving rise to the name of Toad Suck Ferry. But how did the Toad Suck Saloon (or Tavern or Inn) get its name?

The story you'll hear from the locals and read in the Arkansas Historical Quarterly is that this place was a popular spot for the bargemen to pull over and drink rum and moonshine. They are said to have "sucked on bottles until they swelled up like toads." There you go. Toad Suck.

The lock and dam.

This was a pretty site as we continued our journey.

Of course if you know us, we cannot journey anywhere without a stop at our favorite beverage coffee shop! On to Birmingham, refreshed with our java!