Touring North West Alabama

Tuscumbia, AL

Being a nice day we thought it would be a good time to visit a few (somewhat) local sites.  Also a good time because our friends Jim and Darlene, full-time RVers, were visiting us on their way back from the west coast to Pennsylvania.

Their rig on one of our sites:

This is Darlene and Jim

We started off stopping at our favorite Amish Bakery Dutch Oven for a few goodies.  Biscotti for me, Jalapeno bread for Leonard and chocolate covered pretzels for us both.

Then we drove the 80 or so miles to Tuscumbia to the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.  Some of the artists from Alabama:

The group Alabama (of course)

Hank Williams

Hank Williams Jr.     He's from our current hometown of Cullman

Sonny James

William Lee Golden from the group Oak Ridge Boys

Nat King Cole

We found that Tammy Wynette, Jim Nabors, Lionel Ritchie and the Commodores, The Temptations were from Alabama.  And so many others.

Here are the 4 of us

Just a couple of miles away was our next stop.... Helen Keller birthplace and home

Helen was not born deaf nor blind.  She was sick at about 18 months with a virus that left her deaf and blind.    Her parents knew they needed help with her so hired Annie Sullivan age 20 who had just graduated from a school for people with those afflictions in NY.  Annie was with Helen for the next 50 years.

The house was built in 1820 by Helen's grandfather.  At that time it sat on 640 acres.

Most of the furnishings in the house are original.

If you saw the movie The Miracle Worker with Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke you might remember the scene with Patty Duke as Helen would walk around the table and take food off anyone's plate.  This is the table and same dishes where that actually occurred.

Annie realized that she could only do so much for Helen with the parents protecting her.  So she and Helen moved into the Birthplace Cottage a small building next to the main house.  Their clothing.

Also if you saw the movie you will remember when Helen first connected the word water when Annie had her use a pump and feel the running water.   This is that pump.

If ever in the area it is worth worth a visit.   A guide will take you through the downstairs of the house and explain various items.  Then you are invited to see the upstairs and other buildings and gardens on the grounds.

By this time we were ready for lunch.   We found a Lenny's Subs.  We've had them once while in Mississippi.   These were good but not as good as the ones we had in MS.

Our next visit was about 20 miles away.

Yes!  A cemetery for Coon Dogs ONLY.

Time to head on home.    Winding narrow roads.  A detour.   Took a while.   But we got here.  Darlenegot busy making chicken and rice and vegetables in her Instant Pot.  When done she and Jim brought that plus salads and Whoopie Pies she had bought at the Amish Bakery to the house for dinner.

We so much enjoy the company of Darlene and Jim.  They pulled out about a half hour ago headed for a few days in Nashville then on to Kentucky and back to Pennsylvania.   We hope to see them sometime this summer when we plan to be in the Hershey area.

Until next time.