FOURTH TIME’S THE CHARM!

Georgia and Alabama finally happened on the fourth try. In 2020 it was cancelled by Covid, again in 2021 cancelled by Covid and last year, in 2022, it was cancelled because Lou got Covid. This year I almost wished it was cancelled because of a total rental car fiasco (details soon on my Everyday Musings blog) and unbelievable traffic congestion all over Atlanta – not to mention the heat & humidity.

Anyway, our first full day was a 110 mile journey southeast to the Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins, Georgia.

There are four buildings of aircraft displays including World War II, Viet Nam, and a Century of Flight. This is the second largest Air Force aviation museum in the United States.

A few of the 80-some planes packed into the various locations.

I liked the clouds and the vintage tower display. If you want to see lots more aircraft and lots of facts about them, check out Lou's Facebook page.

Next up was a late afternoon visit to Ocmulgee Mounds National Historic Park. We had less than an hour before they locked the gates on us so we had to zip through it quickly.

The Visitor Center for the park is the only one in our National Park system that has a streamline moderne design.

 Since we had less than an hour, I started up the trail to the Earth Lodge Mound while Lou got his camera out of the car and snapped this photo of me. This was a meeting place for over 10,000 years of Native American cultures.

The entrance has been restored with air conditioning installed so we didn't keel over inside the mound.

The floor of the meeting place is original and over 10,000 years old while the rest has been recreated. The floor is protected by a glass wall to keep people from damaging the site. This photo is taken through the glass.

The highlight of Atlanta for me was a tour of the Fox Theater, a National Historic Landmark built in 1929, originally by the Shriners, and almost demolished before it was saved by a grassroots movement in the 1970s and restored to its previous glory.

The sign and marquee outside the theater. We arrived at 9:45 am for the first tour at 10 am and were the only ones there. Lou had been told we could purchase tickets on site but the box office wasn't open. When the tour guide came out we asked about tickets and were told we had to purchase them online and then have them scanned from our phone. The guide and security person talked me through it all and we finally were heading inside for our private tour. If you don't have a smartphone these days, you are screwed.

The lobby of the Fox Theater. It is ornate and beautiful after being restored as closely to the original building as possible.

The Mighty Mo, a 3,622-pipe organ custom made for The Fox by M.P. Möller in 1929, is the second-largest theater organ in the world—bested only by the Wurlitzer organ at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The current organ player is in his 70s and training a teenager to take over when he retires.

The Moorish themed interior of the 4,665-seat auditorium was gorgeous. Click on the photo to enlarge it.

These two Egyptian chairs in the Women's Lounge entrance are priceless. The manager of the theater wanted the people who donated to save the Fox to have access to everything in the building since it really belonged to the people. No corporate money was used to restore it.

Lunch at The Varsity, a friendly, fast, fun-filled restaurant offering American favorites such as chili dogs, burgers and onion rings. We had them all.

The Varsity was established in 1928 and covers two city blocks. It can accommodate up to 800 guests. Being across the highway from Georgia Tech University, they have a built-in clientele readily available.

The entrance to The Varsity. "What'll Ya Have?" is the tag line to all who enter. Speaking of which, we were asked, "How ya'll doin?" or told to "Have a good day, ya'll!" at least a hundred times on this trip. We'all were trying our best!

My 48^th State Capitol was a bit of a dud but at least we did go inside this time. Years ago we were in Atlanta on a weekend and the Capitol was closed.

The exterior of the Georgia State Capitol.

Unfortunately, the entire Capitol is under renovation and this is what the inside looked like. Lou was surprised they let us inside without hard hats. All of the displays were removed and most of the building was inaccessible. There was one service elevator in working order. Oh, well, at least I was inside and that counts.

That evening we enjoyed dinner at Cracker Barrel and lots of visiting with Lou’s Air Force buddy, Chuck. Our hotel was less than 10 miles from the restaurant. We allowed an hour and had to call Chuck to tell him we would be late due to – what else – traffic. The following morning we visited the Jimmy Carter Presidential Center.

The entrance to the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta. 

The normal admission fee was $10 for seniors. BUT it was Rosalynn Carter's 96th birthday so the entrance fee was only 96 cents. We also signed her card and had some birthday cake. A nice surprise!

A replica of Jimmy Carter's Oval Office.

I liked this quote from Jimmy Carter. It makes total sense and many of our politicians today should heed the advice. I always liked the Carters - really down to earth people.

This evening we had tickets to see our Giants play the Braves, the hottest team in baseball right now. Unfortunately, the Giants played lousy, the Braves played great and we lost 4-0. This was another total clusterfuck among many in Atlanta. I was glad to see Atlanta in our rear view mirror the next morning.

Okay, our hotel was 8 miles from the ballpark and we had reserved parking in Lot 60. We left two hours prior to game time. By the time we fought traffic, found the parking lot and walked what seemed like miles, we ended up in this line to enter the ballpark. There was close to this many people in front of us when Lou turned around to see the line behind us! Long story short, we missed the first half inning just getting to our seats and he missed another 1-1/2 innings looking for some food. Unbelievable!

Truist Park is a beautiful ballpark but given the rest of the evening, I didn't really care. I'll take our Oracle Park any day.

We did manage to smile for a selfie. Notice the hot and humid appearance.

The drive through rural Georgia and into Alabama was really relaxing and serene. Our first destination was Red Oak Creek Covered Bridge followed by Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Little White House in Warm Springs, Georgia.

The Red Oak Creek Covered Bridge is the oldest (from the 1840s) and longest (391 ft) wooden covered bridge still in use in Georgia. The sun was in the wrong place for this photo.

Another view of the Red Oak Creek Covered Bridge.

President Roosevelt loved his Little White House in Warm Springs. This was his personal retreat and he enjoyed spending time in the natural hot springs to ease his problems from polio. The house is only 700 square feet. Tiny by any standards.

The bed where FDR died after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage in his living room while sitting for a portrait that remained unfinished. The President died at age 63 less than a year into his unprecedented 4th term. 

The Warm Springs Therapy Pools where Roosevelt swam with the kids and others who also sought healing here. The docent said the hope is to restore them and make them available to visitors next year.

The next morning we toured the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Having an ex-husband, a son and a current partner who love aircraft of all types, I have seen way more aviation museums than I knew even existed. I actually enjoyed this one more than I thought, although it was $30 just to get in the door and many other attractions had additional fees. I have no idea how much the week-long Space Camp for all ages would cost.

The entrance of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.

The Saturn V moon rocket - the most powerful rocket ever built. It was flown from 1967 to 1973 and used for nine manned crew flights to the moon.

The capsule from Apollo 16, the tenth crewed mission to the moon. 

A mock up of the International Space Station that we were able to explore. You could not pay me enough to go up there and live for months. No way!

The outside of the International Space Station that is sometimes used for the week long Space Camp offered in Huntsville.

My reward for touring two more aviation/space/rocket museums. A great dinner and margarita at Las Trojas Mexican Cantina in Huntsville, Alabama. Yum!

Our next destination was the Quad Cities of Muscle Shoals, Florence, Tuscumbia and Sheffield. We were able to tour two of the legendary recording studios in this small area of northern Alabama.

FAME Studios (an acronym for Florence Alabama Music Enterprises) was started in the 1950s by Rick Hall and was owned by him until his death in 2018. The studio was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.

The studio still operates and has hosted many famous musicians and bands over the years who recorded albums in the two studio rooms. Notice the red sound deadening mat behind the cymbal and music stand on the left. During Aerosmith's first visit, Steven Tyler walked to that mat, rubbed it reverently with his hand and proclaimed, "This is where the good mojo is." Our guide said to feel free to rub it if we believed in that sort of thing. Myself and one other woman walked over and rubbed it. I can certainly use some good mojo.

One of the studios that was just being broken down after a recording session the previous night. Since FAME Studios is still quite active, tours are only given at 9 am and 4 pm, twice a day.

A sound booth at FAME Studios. Everyone from Percy Sledge to Etta James to Demi Lovato have recorded here.

Ivy Green, the birthplace of Helen Keller located in Tuscumbia, was originally built in 1820, one year after Alabama became a state.

Helen Keller was born on this property in 1880. She became blind and deaf following an illness at 19 months of age. 

The entrance hallway of Ivy Green. The house has been renovated several times.

If you saw the movie The Miracle Worker - starring Patty Duke as Helen Keller and Anne Bancroft as Annie Sullivan, Helen's companion and teacher - this is the pump where Helen finally associated water with the sign she was being shown on her hand.

Helen Keller's childhood playroom. She went on to become an author, disability rights advocate, political activist and lecturer throughout her long life until her death at age 88.

With some free time in the Quad Cities we explored several things that weren't on our original list of sites to visit.

At its completion in 1926, Wilson Dam was the largest hydroelectric installation in the world.

The Florence Indian Mounds Museum was closed but Lou decided to take a walk up to the top. I decided to wait for him in the car with the a/c running to escape the heat and humidity. We were told Florence was under a heat advisory.

The Cypress Moon Studio was also closed but we took this photo through the front window. Neither of us knew of this studio and still aren't clear on its details. But it sure had a pretty lobby.

The Tennessee River.

The Old Railroad Bridge. It is a pedestrian bridge across the Tennessee River. You can see the no longer used train tracks along the top level.

Our final full day of sightseeing began with a tour of the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Rosenbaum House in Florence, Alabama. Most FLW homes we can tour don’t allow photos inside but this one did, including flash photos!

The Stanley and Mildred Rosenbaum House in Florence, Alabama. Stanley's parents lived across the street. They gave him and his bride this property and $7500 to build a house. They commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to design and build their home.

The living room designed to incorporate Stanley Rosenbaum's large collections of books.

The original dining room table designed for a newlywed couple was quite cramped after they had four boys. Eight years later, Wright designed an extension to accommodate the larger family as well as the things Mildred needed to make her life as a wife and mother easier, such as a door from the carport to the larger kitchen in order to bring her groceries into the house.

Finally, we enjoyed our tour of the second music studio in the Quad Cities, Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, located at 3614 Jackson Highway.

Originally, the studio musicians known as The Swampers (hence the line in Sweet Home Alabama - Muscle Shoals has got the Swampers) worked with Rick Hall of FAME Studios. After a falling out The Swampers started Muscle Shoals Sound Studio.

This is the only studio and it occupies most of the building. They still do some recording but the guide admitted that they make more money from tours and selling merchandise than from recording now days. In its heyday I'm sure it was quite the place to be.

Cher recorded her first solo album at Muscle Shoals (unfortunately, it was a flop). This is a photo of her album cover in front of the studio. You'll notice the album cover has the address "3614 Jackson Highway" above the door. It was not on the building behind the group photo but was later added to match the album cover.

Lynryd Skynrd, Bob Seger, Rod Stewart, Willie Nelson, Aretha Franklin and the Rolling Stones recorded here among many others. The Rolling Stones recorded parts of the "Sticky Fingers" album here but there is no credit on the cover because their American visas did not permit working in the United States. Of course, that didn't stop them. This is the sound room where Mick Jagger (in the photo) recorded the maracas at the end of "Brown Sugar".

And one more interesting side note. Keith Richards finished writing "Wild Horses" right here in "the loo" as he called it. One of my favorite albums, Bob Seger's "Night Moves" was recorded here also - not in the bathroom but in the studio. We were truly on hallowed ground.

We had our final picnic lunch in Spring Park in Tuscumbia. All these geese and some loud, aggressive ducks decided to join us. Fortunately, we were just finishing up and escaped without being attacked.

We had a fantastic “farewell dinner” at Ricatoni’s Italian Grill in historic downtown Florence before driving back to Atlanta the following day. Fortunately, we turned in the rental car, uneventfully, and our flights were on time. 

One last quick bitch – why do men (not Lou or my son) seem to think that they can take up more than their share of space in the cramped airline seats? Lou was in the window seat and I ended up in the middle seat. The flight was completely full. The man in the aisle seat hogged the armrest and even put his foot around the divider and had it under MY seat as he snored away. I “accidentally” kicked it a couple times to no avail. Finally, I tapped him on the shoulder twice and loudly said, “Excuse me, I need to get up.” I’m telling you, the fun has just been sucked right out of air travel. But it was still great to get out there on the road again after three years.