A Pretty Fall Day



old wooden bridge at Sipsey picnic grounds




Sandy preaching at Pine Torch Church




Chuck and Sandy on the dock



The second day that Sandy was here, we headed to the forest.  We went to the Sipsey Picnic Area and hiked the short hike into the canyons.  There was hardly any water in the Sipsey River and none of the waterfalls were flowing.  Other than seeing the beautiful colors of the trees, Fall is not the best time to hike in the forest.  Well, I shouldn't say that.  The weather was perfect.  Next we went to Brushy Lake and had our picnic lunch at a table right there by the lake.  Afterwards, we walked out onto the dock and then down to the dam.  There was no water going over the dam either.  We ohhhhed and ahhhhhed over the beautiful trees of Fall though.  At least Sandy got a small taste of the forest that we love.

Here comes Sandy!

She's here!



Miss Lillie May at our Tea Party




Picking lettuce and collards in our winter garden

Two days after Fred and Elaine left, Sandy came!  Sandy and I worked together at Allstate Insurance and remained friends through out the years.  Before we moved up here, I would go to Sandy's house and she taught me how to paint.  We'd spend our Wednesdays painting pretty things on anything we could get our hands on.  Sandy had never been to Alabama before so I couldn't wait to show her Brambly Pines and the area around here.  As always, we were invited to Lady Melanie's house for a Tea Party after we picked Sandy up from the airport.  Miss Lillie and Miss Lulu joined us since Lady Melanie keeps them during the day.  Miss Lillie has been having tea parties ever since she could sit up and hold a cup.  I'm talking about "real china tea cups" too.  Of course her tea is really apple juice but no one would ever know.  The two girls are always dressed in beautiful dresses and bows or hats.  Lady Melanie and I think a like...if you have a little girl, make her a little girl! 
  Sandy loved being able to meet Lady Melanie and seeing her beautiful home.  Thank you again for a lovely time, Lady Melanie...until next time.  

We'll Be Back!



Bye!...We'll be back!

Fred and Elaine were suppose to stay until Tues, but due to a tropical storm that was suppose to cover most of Florida, they decided it best that they leave a day early.  They promised to come back soon and they are.  They have airline tickets to come back in January.  

Indian Museum

Elaine and the Sequoyah Statue



Loom used by the Indians



We were able to fit a trip to the Indian Museum that isn't far from our house, before Fred and Elaine had to return home.  There are Alabama wildlife displays and thousands of artifacts. Also, there is a 12 ft. hand carved statue of Sequoyah by a friend of Gene and George's.  Plus, a nice gift shop where Elaine bought several "dream catchers" for her grand children.

A Day in the Forest



Elaine finds the Geocashe





resting on a tree on the way back



We took Fred and Elaine to Parker Branch, Shell's favorite place in the forest.  The water falls weren't flowing like they were last Spring but the one big one still had some flow to it.  It's still a pretty place with the canyons all around you.  It's a little hard to get down to the bottom of the canyon but it's worth the hike.  We enjoyed our picnic lunch while taking lots of pictures and Elaine found the Geocache. 

Modern Day Cotton Picking

We were on our way to the forest with Fred and Elaine and heading down the road was a " cotton picker".  There in the field where it was headed, was the rest of the equipment that they use to pick, and bale the cotton.  Very different from the olden days where it was picked by hand.  I have no idea how it was baled back then. 

Ava Maria Grotto



Noah's Ark




Fred's new friend





Please let me in!



Since we were already in Cullman, we decided to go to someplace where Chuck and I hadn't been before...to see "Ava Maria Grotto".  It's called Jerusalem in miniature which provides settings for miniature reproductions of historic buildings and shrines in an area of 4 acres.  Brother Joseph Zoettl, a monk constructed 125 miniatures over 50 years, from 1912 to 1958.  It was a very interesting walk through the area, seeing what all Brother Joseph had used to make the miniatures.

At the end of our walk, a friendly, grey kitty was wanting to be petted.  He took to Fred and didn't want us to leave him.