Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Still in Red Bay, AL

On Monday they replaced the 3rd window and found another that needed to be replaced.  While Bruno and I were "displaced" we took a ride to Florence, about 50 minutes away, to a quilt shop to buy my Alabama fabric.  I had the camera with me but forgot to take a picture.  I went by some places that I thought would be interesting to visit when Don was displaced too.

On Tuesday we were in the garage while they sanded and primed the places that needed to be repainted.  The paint to waranteed 3 years, that ends in May so they suggested we get it done now.  We were able to stay in the coach so Don & Bruno took a nap and I read.

This morning the coach went into the paint shop here, where they do touch ups.  We couldn't stay so we went exploring.  First we took a tour of the paint shop where they paint coaches as they come out of the factory.  That was sooooo interesting.

They paint the main color then mask what stays that color so they can do the second color, so on and so on.  After they have the 4 or so colors done they top coat it, polish it and buff it..  What a process.

Then we drove to the Coon Dog Cemetary.

Not only are only registered coon hounds allowed to be burried, they have to be champions.

It was a great place to let Bruno loose and let him run and chase sticks.

Then we went to the birth place of Helen Keller.

I remember seeing the movie about her life, "The Miracle Worker" many years ago.  She lost her hearing and her sight after a severe illness at the age of two.  This is the house she grew up in.

This crazy quilt in her parents' bedroom was made by her aunt, her father's sister.  I have always said some day I will make a crazy quilt.

This is the little cottage that was next door.  When Helen Keller was 7 they hired a teacher for her.  The problem was that she could get away with anything with her parents.  The teacher insisted on staying alone with her for a while until she could get her to get the concept of words and communicating.  They rode her around for an hour and then came right back home to that cottage.  Of course Helen was not the wiser, she thought she was far from home.

The teacher would go to the water pump, pump water in one of Helen's hands and do the letters for 'water' in the other hand.  It took a while for her to get it but once she got the concept, she went around to as many objects as she could and ask her teacher to sign the word in her hand.  If you ever get a chance to see the movie, watch it, excellent movie.

On the way back, we saw the "Alabama Music Hall of Fame" so we decided to stop.

I didn't realize how many musicians, song writers, singers, are/were from Alabama.  This gold convertible belonged to an old country singer, Webb Pierce.  You should have seen the inside.  Between the bucket seats in the front was a saddle.  The back of the front seats had holsters and western guns.  It was decorated with a bunch of silver dollars.  That's Don checking it out.

The part we were the most interested in was the first bus that the group Alabama traveled in.

I wish I knew what years they used it.  It had 9 bunk beds in it and a bunch of couches.  It was neat.

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