Jasmin Hill Gardens

Today I went to the Jasmine Hill Gardens and Outdoor Museum in Wetumpka/Montgomery, AL. A little history stolen from their map:

"Jasmine Hill stands as "A Little Corner of Greece" atop the southernmost outcroppings of the Appalachians. It was conceived in the early 1930s by Benjamin and Mary Fitzpatrick and has grown into a virtual outdoor museum featuring reproductions of famous Greek and Roman works of art. The story of Jasmine Hill is one of the most romantic stories in Alabama. It is the story of an Alabama couple who spent their early married life busily establishing a chain of stores in the South and then retiring to their hilltop haven to create a living memorial to ancient Greece. Getting a jump on the depression, the Fitzpatricks sold their store holdings in 1927, just before the stock market crash. After the depression came, they were reluctant to venture into business again, so they came to Jasmine Hill to stay and make their home in the 1830-era cottage within the gardens. A garden of this magnitude did not develop overnight. In fact, the Fitzpatricks made over twenty trips to Greece to purchase their art objects, to study at the American Classical School in Athens and to simply enjoy Greek culture."

There are 42 statues throughout the property. I took a lot of pictures, but I don't think I took a picture of every statue. Click link below:

Jasmin Hill Gardens

Dragon Boat Races

In Montgomery, Alabama, the Dragon Boat Races are a yearly event. It was hotter en' hell. I went with a new friend, Ruth Ann Cone. We didn't stay more than three hours. The pictures above are the opening ceremonies and the headdress of the dragon.

Each boat had 20 rowers, a drummer at the front and someone with a megaphone at the back. The rowers row in rhythm to the beat of the drum.

These are schools of fish in the river. I don't think I've ever seen so many fish:

Assateague National Seashore

Tim and I spent a week on Assateague Island in Maryland. It was brutally windy and equally cold. Not much to say, just lots of pictures. These pictures are the ride on the Cape May ferry, something I've always wanted to do.

These are pictures of the horses on the island. Ah, you've seen one horse, you've seen them all:

Tim and his dog and the beach:

Wildlife and deadlife:

Flying my kite:

What could have caused the tree to grow like this? Perhaps the wind?

Tim's artistry:

Traveling to Alabama

It's been a L-O-N-G time since I've taken a trip. I was home for six months. That's about four months longer than I've been home in the last five years. Just before leaving for Alabama, Tim and I went to Assateague Island. I'll get those pictures loaded after these. For now, here are some pics taken during my four days of traveling last week.

I met Claire and Sandy at Perelman Park near Lancaster, PA. This is a view along the river and a view of the park with our Roadtreks in the background:

I boondocked at the Walmart in Lancaster, PA with Claire and Sandy. The next morning, I started to take Hope for a walk around the building when I discovered this path. It lead to a large park which lead to another path that was along a river. We took the river path for awhile before I decided I didn't want to be too far away from the vans. It was a gorgeous day for such a beautiful morning walk.

How does a chicken cross the brook? By it's own tunnel, of course.

After leaving Lancaster, my travels brought me through Gettysburg. I've never been here before and the town greatly surprised me as to how large the battlefields were. I took a really quick drive through the battlefield, stopping to take these two pictures:

The view from my campsite at Douthat State Park in Millboro, VA:

A flag somewhere near Roanoke, Virginia. I took two pictures to show the terrain. Can you imagine installing this flag there?

The following are pictures taken at the Norris Dam State Park in Lake City, Tennessee. These two are just above the marina.

The lake at Norris Dam:

These pictures are of the grist mill and threshing barn. Both buildings were closed. The grist mill still works. They grind corn and other grains at certain times of the year.

A Pegasus somewhere along Hwy 27 (?) in Tennessee.