Pictures of the Week 2008-43
Hello All,
A real black mark in American history was when the U.S. Government forcibly relocated about 17,000 Cherokee Indians from their homelands of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Most were forced to walk a trail through Tennessee and then on to Oklahoma. Others were transported part way by boat down the Tennessee River. Great suffering and about 4,000 deaths occurred along the way, especially during the winter of 1838-39. The route they followed is now known as “The Trail of Tears.” To honor these Indians and to ensure they will never be forgotten an annual motorcycle rally follows the Trail of Tears. One of the rally stops is at McFarland Park in Florence, AL where we are camped. We were lucky enough to be here when they passed through.
A real black mark in American history was when the U.S. Government forcibly relocated about 17,000 Cherokee Indians from their homelands of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Most were forced to walk a trail through Tennessee and then on to Oklahoma. Others were transported part way by boat down the Tennessee River. Great suffering and about 4,000 deaths occurred along the way, especially during the winter of 1838-39. The route they followed is now known as “The Trail of Tears.” To honor these Indians and to ensure they will never be forgotten an annual motorcycle rally follows the Trail of Tears. One of the rally stops is at McFarland Park in Florence, AL where we are camped. We were lucky enough to be here when they passed through.
There was a guy doing tricks
on a motorcycle at the park. He would
jump the motorcycle from the ground to the top of a picnic table and balance on
top of the table never putting his foot down.
Then he would give the motorcycle power and jump from the picnic table
to the top of a car and balance on top of the car. He was fascinating to watch. As you can see from the windshield he was a
little hard on the car!!
We made a small loop drive into the farmland of
northwest Alabama. Corn, soy beans, and cotton are the main crops in this
area. Having never lived in an area with
cotton fields we found it quite fascinating.
In the fall the cotton bushes dry and their pods burst open. Voila--cotton balls!!
On another day we visited the
University of North Alabama (UNA) in Florence. It is a lovely campus with a
student body of about 6,500.
Sports teams of the university are dubbed “The
Lions.” Right in the middle of the
campus they have a multi-million dollar facility that houses two African Nubian
Lions. The brother and sister lions are
named Leo III and Una. Wow, are they
ever magnificent. We were lucky enough
to be able to talk with one of their caretakers. We watched him run with the big male lion and
then he would stop and scratch his ear or under his chin. The big guy loved it. These mascot lions go to all the home
football games and are in local parades.
For these events they are in special built wagons with glass sides. The caretaker said they get all excited when
they hear their wagons pull up as they love going on trips.
We did find a house to buy in
the area. It is a foreclosure so the procedures are a little different than
what we are used to. A company in
Houston, TX is handling the process for the bank. Wouldn’t you know, they suffered damage from
hurricane “Ike.” That has really slowed
down the process.
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns