October 31, 2009: Halloween 2009

 

 

My friend, Julie Henley, always has a neat Halloween party at her house.  She makes alot of foods to look Halloweenish.    We passed out candy to the kids in the neighborhood in North Muskegon. Her husband, son and others tried to scare the trick-or-treaters.  I dressed up like Lucille Ball as I didn't want to go out and spend alot of money on a Halloween costume.

October 2, 2009-Nashville & Andrew Jackson Home

 

I forgot to mention some information about Nashville which is quite interesting.    It has about 595,000 people living there.     Next to New York City, it has the largest banking and finance industry.  That is their #1 industry.   The founders of Dollar General, Krispy Kreme Donuts, and the head of Fed Ex have homes out in the country near the country music star homes.      Maxwell House coffee started in Nashville.      


Anyway, we left for President Andrew Jackson's home as that is in the area.   It is called the Hermitage. It is the 3rd most visited Presidential home.  
He and his wife are buried in the gardens next to the home.  The wall paper in the home is over 200 yrs old.   Everything in the home is the original which is amazing.


We left around 12:30 and started heading home.  I wanted to get home the same day and not have to stay in another hotel, as I wanted Sunday for cleaning up and doing laundry.


We had a nice trip home until we got up into Indiana.     As soon as we got to South Bend, it was dark and the rain was down pouring.   Add that to the glare and construction and you have a scary drive on your hands.     I still can't believe the GPS took us from Indianapolis to 31 North which takes you forever.     We got into Michigan and there was road construction.    I drove about 40 mph through that as it was raining hard, dark, and the glare was getting to me.    I hate night time driving.  The rest of the trip we got to our destinations by 5 or 6 p.m. as I said I would not drive in the dark.    
But, we made it home safely.   We drove a total of 2500 miles. I did about 90% of the driving on the trip.   I think the worse driving on the whole trip was the last 1 1/2 hrs.   


Here are a couple of pictures at Andrew Jackson's home.

October 1, 2009: Nashville, TN and Opryland

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Opryland Hotel is gorgeous inside.     I found out that they spent about 2 million dollars on the plants alone.  They have 4,500 employees at the resort.   It is the World's Largest Non-gaming resort in the World, which I can believe.      We were not crazy, though, about our room. I think we were in the oldest section and you could hear the pipes every time someone turned on the water.   I was surprised as this is an expensive hotel.      

We took a city tour of Nashville and went through the County Music Hall of Fame Museum.     We went down Broadway Street which is where many of the Honky Tonk bars are located.      We went into the Ryman Theater, which is the original Grand Ole Opry.    That closed in 1974.     The new one is out by the Opryland Hotel.  


We also took a tour of the star homes which was interesting.   Many of the homes are in the same area (Brentwood), which is on the south end of the city.   Kenny Chesney and Faith Hill have banned touring buses from going in front of their homes, so we were not able to see them.  Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban's homes are in gated communities so we couldn't see those, either.     But, we did see the homes of Alan Jackson, Trace Adkins,  Brooks & Dunn, Dolly Parton,  and Minnie Pearl.    


In the evening, we went to the Grand Ole Opry and listened to several performers, including Carrie Underwood, which was pretty neat.    I will send you a few photos here, however, I have tons of photos.  I will be sending you the link in another email for all of my pictures from the trip.

September 30-October 1, 2009-Atlanta

 

 

Yesterday, we were in Atlanta.    I drove us down to downtown Atlanta.    We took highway 78 most of the way there, so didn't have to get onto I-75 or any of that part.     We visited CNN News and took the studio tour. That was quite interesting.   They operate 24 hrs a day.  Each shift has about 100 workers.    The production person has a screen with 24 different videos (some pre-recorded and some not) on a large monitor and whichever he/she thinks is the most interesting, he/she will put that in programming mode.  The anchors will have about 2-3 hrs on the air and then spend the rest of their time researching stories, etc on the computer.
The building that CNN is in used to be an amusement park years ago, but that park lost money and had to close. That's when CNN bought the building and started.    There is a huge escalator to go to the top.   


After CNN, then we went over to the World of Coca Cola for the VIP tour.    I learned a little about what is in the secret formula for their syrup. Some of the ingredients are:  watermelon, oranges, and lemon.    No one knows the exact formula to this day.
We got to try 64 different Coca Cola products from around the world.      That was pretty neat.


We walked over to the Underground which is stores and restaurants under the ground; however,  I think it is becoming the ghetto in that area.   


My mom wanted to tour the Margaret Mitchell apartment which was downtown.   She is the author of "Gone With the Wind".    She lived in a very small apartment (3 rooms) and wrote the book.  She knew what the ending was going to be, but did not write the book in order.  When a thought came to her mind, she would write it down.     She put each theme in an envelope and would hide them around her apartment, as she didn't want anyone to know she was writing a book.     Eventually, she did take it to a publisher.     After doing so, she found more of her envelopes hidden around the house so had to bring them to the publisher.
She received 15% royalty on each book sold.     Next to the Bible, it is the greatest book ever written.


Our drive back to Logansville, which is where we were staying with our friends, took us about 1 1/2 hrs as it was 5:30 rush hour traffic.    We were so glad to see their house.   Gina, Jayne, Evan, Averie and Anderson were all very good  to us. Thanks so much!!!   The kids were very entertaining.


This morning, we went to visit my friend Jamie and her new son, Trenton, who live in Alpharetta which is about a 45 minute drive from Logansville. It was very good to see them.      I hadn't seen Jamie since she left Muskegon in 2004. I can't believe it has been that long.
We got to Nashville around 6:30.    We didn't realize Nashville was on Central time, so we couldn't figure out how the GPS was saying we were going to go 90 miles in 10 minutes...it had already calculated the time change.

September 29, 2009-CNN & World of Coca Cola

 

 

 

 

We are in Atlanta right now.  It is hilly and pretty down here.   We are 

staying out with friends in Loganville which is NE of the city. We just 

took a tour of CNN News. It was pretty neat to see the studios in action. 

They have 100 employees working on each shift. Now we are going 

on the tour of Coca Cola. 

After college, my dream was to work at Coca Cola down here but then

ended up in Chicago which was cool too. After this, we are planning to 

go to the Underground shopping. 

September 28, 2009-Paula Deen Tour

This morning, we walked down Barnard St. to see Marnie's nephew's jewelry store.   It is at 32 N. Barnard.  He and his family went on the European cruise with us back in 2004.    We were hoping he would be at the jewelry store today, but he wasn't. My mom tried to call him on his cell, but his mailbox was full.  So, she left him a note with the clerk in the store.    He has some beautiful jewelry in there.


We also walked down to Chippewa Park which is where a scene of Forrest Gump was filmed.   It is where he is sitting on a bench with his chocolate.   Remember the famous line "Life is like a box of chocolates....you never know what you are going to get".   I am starting to believe that very phrase. 
We sat in the park and watched the school kids play on their recess.   These kids were dressed in school uniforms.  I think there was a private school nearby.    I asked one of the teachers where the bench was from Forrest Gump, but she said she thought the bench was on permanent display in the visitor's center.


In the afternoon, we took the Paula Deen tour and learned quite a bit about her.  She has two grown sons. Her first husband was Jimmie Deen.   Now, she is married to Michael.     Paula is a very nervous person and takes medication for it.    Her parents both died in their early 40s, so it made her fearful of going out of her house for some years.  She used to bring her kids to the doctor office all the time.    I don't remember the name of the disease she has, though.


She has a house about 5 miles outside the city, which has 9 kitchens in it.  We are hoping to go find it tomorrow on our way to Atlanta.

 

 

 

 

We went by Jones Street in Savannah, which is where doctors and lawyers used to all live.   That's where the phrase 'Keeping Up with the Jones" came from.

Our tour took us to Paula Deen's brother's restaurant called Uncle Bubba's.    It isn't far from her home.  He was actually at the restaurant today, so we got our picture taken next to him.   He also signed our cookbook which we bought.

For dinner, we ate at Paula Deen's restaurant in downtown Savannah.    Since we were on a tour, we were able to get priority seating; otherwise,  you would have to get there at 8 a.m. and wait for 2 hrs to get a reservation for the day.   

This evening, we just rested up, as we have a long drive tomorrow to Atlanta.   

September 27, 2009-Savannah, Georgia

 

We spent the whole day in downtown Savannah.   We went on the trolley tour which I highly recommend for getting around the downtown sites.   Took a tour of the Juliette Low home.  She started Girl Scouts of America.    She got married in the late 1800s to an Andrew Low who was quite wealthy. They lived in England for a while.  The first 2 yrs of their marriage was happy, but then her husband starting flaunting mistresses around, so she came back to Savannah and stayed in Andrew's family home, which he had given to her.   Her husband passed away.    Juliette had no children.  She wanted to do something meaningful in her life, so she did alot of traveling.    She met the gentleman who started the Boy Scouts.  They didn't have an organization for girls, so with some help of her friend, she started the Girl Scouts.     She died at the age of 66 of breast cancer in Savannah and was buried in her Girl Scout uniform.


We also went to the Mercer home, which was featured in the movie "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil".   The front office where the character played by Jude Law was found murdered was filmed here.   
We also went to Forsythe Park, which is also in the movie.


Savannah has several little parks all throughout the downtown, on practically every block.    The live oak are all over with the Spanish moss hanging on the limbs.     You don't want to take the Spanish moss home, as red ants can live in it.


We had dinner down at the Riverfront and then took the Haunted Mansion and cemetery tour.   The guide told us ghost stories along the way.   We thought it would be more interesting in the mansion, but there wasn't much to that.     I probably wouldn't recommend taking that tour.


Tomorrow, we are going on the Paula Dean tour and planning to have dinner at her restaurant.   


Here are a few pictures from the past few days at Boone Hall Plantation in South Carolina as well as around Savannah, Georgia.  

September 26, 2009-Charleston & Savannah

 

 

 

 

Well, today was another busy day.   We got up early and drove downtown Charleston to catch the boat over to Fort Sumter, which is where the Civil War started.   There was a charity run/walk going on, so traffic was extra heavy downtown.   In fact, it was a mess.   The boat took about 1/2 hr to get to the fort.    There are some other forts in the area, but this one was built in the middle of the harbor, to try and keep the enemy away from Charleston.  This fort was also used in World War II.


Drove over this neat bridge over to Mount Pleasant, SC which is only 3 yrs old.     We went to the Boone Hall Plantation there.    When you drive down the driveway,  there are 300 yr old trees lining up on both sides with their branches meeting each other on the other side of the driveway.  It took 200 yrs for these branches to meet each other.    Then, you see tons of Spanish moss hanging from the trees. It looks like the typical south portrait.  At the end of the driveway is the plantation house.
This plantation is where they used to make cotton.    They still have a small area of cotton trees, which are used for demonstration purposes.   
The tram ride took us all over the property.   It is still a working plantation.  They make watermelon, strawberries, tomatoes, etc.   During the strawberry season, you can go out to the field and pick strawberries.
Several Hollywood films were made at this plantation including the Halle  Berry movie "The Queen",  "The Notebook", and the Patrick Swayze TV show "North and South".


It took us about 2 1/2 hrs to drive to Savannah, GA.   I was expecting it to be all interstate highway, but much of it was on North 17 which is out in the boonies.  There isn't much to see except swamps and trees.


We got lucky with our hotel in Savannah.    We wanted to stay at the Doubletree, but when we got there, they were booked so they told us about this new hotel through Marriott, Springhill Suites.   We went there and got a room for $89/night.    The hotel just opened two days ago, so it is brand spankin' new.    It is ultra modern.    We went to the City Market for dinner.

September 25, 2009-Charleston-Middleton Place

Enjoyed our day at the Middleton Plantation, as well as Drayton Hall.      I didn't take well at all to the hot, humid weather today.   It didn't used to bother me, but with the combination of 40 extra pounds on me and wearing jeans,  I was dying.     That is another wake up call to get this weight off.   


We learned quite a bit from our trip to Middleton today.    I never knew that the blue bottles the slaves put in the trees was to scare off the evil spirits.   They did that in the movie about Ray Charle's life.    Slaves that were considered 'free' were given special privileges if they finished their 8 hr day.   For example, they would be given time with their children, fishing time, etc.     At Middleton, they used to plant rice fields.   


The property is gorgeous, with meticulously manicured lawns and gardens.     I will send some pictures in tomorrow's email, as I am sure I will have some more from Charleston tomorrow.   We are going to Fort Sumter, Aiken-Rhett house, and to Boone Hall Plantation.    Then, we will head to Savannah, GA for a few days.  

September 24, 2009-Charleston, South Carolina

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had a full day on our plate.    We took a tour of the Magnolia Plantation, which is the largest plantation that is privately owned.    It dates back about 14 generations back....into the 1800s.      This particular one is still a working plantation.  Took a walk around the gardens which were beautiful.    Also, took a tram ride around the property and saw some alligators in the swamps.    We toured the home, which had some original furniture dating back 300 yrs and were in such wonderful condition.    
One quilt on the bed took a woman her entire life to make.   I don't think I would have the patience to do quilting. 


After the plantation tour, we took a 90 minute city tour around Charleston which was interesting.      What I found out is that these large mansions down by the waterfront were owned by the plantation owners.  They would stay there in the summer months and have formal parties at those homes.    Plus, the homes were close to port, so they could have guests come to visit very easily.


Thanks to my friend Janelle's suggestion, we ate at Hyman's Seafood restaurant which was delicious. We had the flounder.   You could eat one side of it and then flip it over to eat the other side.   Many famous movie stars have dined at this restaurant such as:  Sandra Bulluck, Oprah, Martha Stewart, Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, Cyndi Lauper,  Jimmy Buffet, and Mel Gibson.   There are pictures of them on the walls, as well as individual plates signed by the stars.


We wandered around Battery Park, the mansions, Rainbow Row, and Waterford Park.   


There is alot to do in Charleston, so if you come, be sure to have extra money.

September 23, 2009-Asheville, NC to Charleston, South Carolina

 

 

We left Asheville this morning but stopped at the Grove Inn hotel in Asheville.   It is a cobblestone hotel up in the mountains that overlooks the city and surrounding mountainside.    It is truly gorgeous.  Many past Presidents have stayed here, such as George Bush, Bill Clinton, Teddy Roosevelt, and Obama.   Also,  Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Mr. Firestone,  President Lyndon Johnson's wife, etc, have stayed at the hotel.  I can see why, as it is gorgeous.    The golf course is to die for.      In the lobby, there is the biggest fireplace I have ever seen in my life.   


I really was impressed with what I saw of North Carolina. I do want to check out some other cities in that state on a different trip.    I think I have come to the realization that I really don't like humid weather. I am definitely getting out of Muskegon, but just not sure where yet.    Ann Arbor comes to my mind many times.  One thing I have found as I get older is that I like the change in seasons, but not winter.    


I could tell a big difference once we left North Carolina and entered South Carolina.    The topography almost immediately changed from the beautiful mountains to more straight, maybe hilly roads (like in Iowa).    And I got a kick out of the road signs...they had the wrong signs up  (eg.  left lane closed when it was the right lane closed) or the signs posted on the northbound highway with the writing towards our side.  I thought it was very strange.


We have gone from a 4 star hotel to probably a 2 star.  It isn't as bad as the hotel in Detroit across from the stadium, but close enough.   The hotels we wanted to stay at in downtown were already booked up or they were way too expensive.    We are making reservations as we go along on this trip, as we aren't 100% sure each day where we will be.      Hopefully, we can get a better hotel in Savannah.  We are about 1.5 miles from the downtown.    


We went walking around downtown Charleston tonight and got to the waterfront and on the ground were all of this big bugs scurrying all over the place. I was freaking out.   I guess they are palmetto bugs.    They look like huge cockroaches and you know me and bugs.....I go crazy when I see them.   Maybe that is why I should not live in a humid climate.  The girl at the restaurant said you get used to it and see them in your home.    That would drive me up a wall.   


Tomorrow, we are going to take some tours of the city and a plantation.      I will send some pictures in tomorrow's email.