Alabama Gourd Show



Find Fred and Elaine




Fred buying his boiled peanuts



After lunch on Saturday, we jumped into the explorer and headed to Cullman to the Alabama Gourd Show, with a stop at the Dutch Bakery on the way.  Chuck and I had attended the gourd show four years ago and I am still fascinated on how people cut, glue and paint the things they make out of gourds.  I sure wish I could turn all the gourds I grew and are stored in the barn, into some of the things we saw at the show.  We did buy some more gourd seeds so I can try and grow the ones with the long tails.  So far I haven't had a problem with growing gourds.  We'll see what I end up with by next Fall.

Elaine and Fred are here again.



what can I say?....this pic just makes me laugh...Brother -in-laws





my climbing roses




the last of my 6 ft zinnias



Elaine and Fred came to visit Brambly Pines for the second time, the Saturday after Shell went home.  The first time, we were still living in the TT and they couldn't stay with us.  So, this time it was a lot more fun since we were in the house.  It was also the first time they got to see " the girl's and their mansion".  We took advantage of the wonderful Fall weather and ate on the porches as much as we could.  Elaine enjoyed the winter garden, the pretty flowers and gathering the eggs, while Chuck and Fred caught up on things, sitting on the porch.

The Fun of Fall!

With stopping at the real pumpkin patch in Tn. with Shell, sure gave me lots of pumpkins to decorate with.  I had been having fun, buying one here and there, plus I found some corn stocks.  We bought the bales of hay a long the side of the road where a man had his tuck and a trailer full, for sale.  I think it's more fun to decorate for Fall than it is Christmas.  I have some really neat pumpkins and I'm going to cut them open and save the seeds to plant, come early summer.  Hopefully, I'll have my own pumpkin patch to pick from next Fall. 

And She's Off!

Shell and I met up with everyone from the Wedding, Sunday morning for a great breakfast at the hotel, before leaving for home.  We ohhhed and ahhhed over all the pretty trees of Fall and peaks and valleys of Tn. and northern Alabama on the two hour trip. Chuck did get to spend a little time with Shell before she packed up her Mini and headed to Atlanta to have lunch with Becca before the eight hour drive to Tampa.  It wasn't a sad "good bye" as it usually is because I knew she would be back in a month for Thanksgiving.   

The Smith's Wedding

Shell reading a special part of the wedding



Shell and Kerri




The girls dancing the line dance they learned at the bridal shower





Getting ready to leave




Mr and Mrs Adam Smith





The police car from Mayberry

The Wedding was held at a small private college in Franklin, Tn and the reception was at a really cute restaurant that used to be a neighborhood grocery store, way back.  Right after the wedding, Shell and I took all the flowers and everything that we needed to decorate for the reception to the restaurant.  We had lots of help from everyone that worked there.  The owner and workers were all sooooooo nice.  The band was really good and sang songs that I actually knew. (ya never know with what they call " music" these days) They had two great photographers that had set up a big white screen and Kerri's Mom had bought tons of fun props for everyone to use to have their silly pictures taken.  That was half the fun at the reception.  The food was all great too.  Everyone, ate, drank and danced the night away. When it was time for Kerri and Adam to leave, they climbed into the orginal police car from the TV show, "Mayberry RFD". How fun was that!!! It was a great wedding and I'm really glad that I got invited.  Not only did I get to attend the wedding but I got to spend the time with Shell.   

Setting up for the Wedding

After Shell got her make up done at the mall and grabbing something to eat,  we went to the Wedding site and set everything up before getting dressed for the Wedding.  There were programs to hang on each chair, flowers to tie onto every other row, bikes to use for decorations, the bar area for cocktail time to set up and signs to hammer into the ground.  We got it all done, with time to spare.

A Real Pumpkin Patch



All pumpkins were either $2 or $4 depending on their size.




Wheel Barrow full!




Now to fit them in the mini

Shell (with her hair pinned up) and I were on our way to have her make-up done at the mall and then go set up for the wedding when we passed this HUGE pumpkin patch.  I'm not talking about were you go to a church or parking lot and buy a pumpkin.  I'm talking....at least 3 acres of pumpkins growing in a patch and you go out and pick the ones you want!  Shell says...."man! I've never seen a real pumpkin patch, I wish we could stop".  Right after she said that, she makes a " safe and legal U turn" and before we know it, we're pulling into the pumpkin patch.  Shell says, "we'll only pick one pumpkin each and be on our way".  Ha! When the man asked us if we wanted to use the wheel barrow, Shell told him "no thank you".  Five minutes later, she was going back to get the wheel barrow because we couldn't carry all the pumpkins we wanted to keep.  We had the best time trappsing  through all the vines and finding the different kinds of pumpkins.  We decided it was one of the highlights of the trip and will laugh about it forever.  

Scare Crows



Add caption




Four and twenty blackbirds




Edgar Allen Crow



                                



Smurf



I forgot to tell ya about all of the fun scare crows all around the grounds at the Botanical Gardens.  There were lots and lots of them and each one was more fun than the next.  The Edgar Allen Crow was Carol's and my favorite.   I just love this time of year!                                                   

Man Oh Man!!!

On the way home from Cheekwood, Carol took me through a multi- million dollar homes, neighborhood.  My oh my!  Carol's son is friends with the man that takes care of the "grounds" of this mansion, so we stopped to talk to him.  Not only did we get to see the outside of this beautiful house but we also got to go inside.  I know!!!! The people who own it, have a beach house in N.C. and they were gone to the beach for a month.  I can't even begin to describe the inside of this house.  Yes, I did take pictures but I thought it best not to put them on the blog.  I wouldn't want pictures of my house out there for the world to see.  All I can say is, I can't imagine living in such a house.  I'm not sure I would even want too.  It sure was fun seeing it though. 

Cheekwood

Trained Magnolia



Picture this!




Giant hanging angel wing begonia



Strawberry flower




Double Heliotrope




My wonderful lunch!



Beautiful view



Wisteria



The Mansion



Back of the Mansion

I had a great time spending the day with Carol while Shell attended the Bridal Shower and the Rehearsal Dinner.  Carol took me to " Cheekwood Botanical Gardens".
   In 1890, Leslie Cheek moved with his family from Kentucky to Nashville to join his father's grocery business in Cummins Station. Soon after joining his father's firm, Leslie and Mabel Wood were married in 1896.  While Leslie worked with his father, his cousin Joel developed a superior blend of coffee.  Members of the Cheek family invested in Cheek-Neal Coffee.  Eventually, Joel convinced the best hotel in Nashville, the Maxwell House, to carry his coffee exclusively and the Maxwell House brand was born.  Joel Cheek sold his brand to Postum ( now General Foods) for over $40 million in 1928.  Leslie traded his Postum shares for IBM stock.  He and Mabel purchased 100 acres in West Nashville and built their dream house, which later became known as Cheekwood.  It was a 30,000 square foot Georgian-style mansion with formal gardens. Leslie lived only two years at Cheekwood before his death in 1935 and nine years later Mabel deeded the house to their daughter Huldah and her husband Walter Sharp.  In 1957, the Sharps offered the mansion and 55 acres of land for the establishment of a botanical garden and art museum.  In one of the many ponds on the grounds was a Double Heliotrope, made of wood, steel, mylar, wire, laser discs, CDs, solar lights, and Styrofoam.  It's a sculpture floating on water.  Paths meander through out the acres with beautiful plants and waterfalls.  After our walk through everything on the grounds, we had a wonderful lunch in the restaurant and shopped in the gift shop. It was a great time seeing Cheekwood and spending the day with Carol.