25/05/2023
Okayyyyy! Since some of my friends always ask how our most recent tour went....here goes! Jim Kelley and I welcomed a group from Canada yesterday. Of course, they speak French as well as English. The Tour Operator, Mario would speak to them in French while Jim and I were silently praying he was not saying anything uncomplimentary about us! Trust me, it was like herding cats at the beginning of the tour because they all desperately needed a restroom break. And such facilities at the HAMPTON INN TUTWILER HOTEL are limited for a group of 33! Less facilities are available at the LINN HENLEY RESEARCH LIBRARY, our first stop. We had carefully planned the itinerary. You have no idea how much work goes into planning....even going so far as to asking my brother, Larry H. Rogers who was visiting from Florida to take me on the route one evening after the traffic had decreased. His reward for being so kind, a stop at ROJO ON HIGHLAND! Love the outdoor dining with the colored lights and the congenial atmosphere! I regress so back to the tour info. After the personal needs of the travelers were "relieved", we walked over to the LINN HENLEY RESEARCH LIBRARY, the first free-standing library in Birmingham. The group received a warm welcome from Mary Ann as she met us at the entrance. She described the beautiful Ezra Winter murals which adorn the walls of the library. Then we were introduced to the art of restoring and preserving old maps. The gentleman (I am so ashamed but his name has totally dissolved from my brain!) truly loves his work. And our guests loved both hostess and host. The group would have stayed around much longer but we had other sites to see so off we went! Side note: Birmingham is credited for maintaining this beautiful building. Historic Preservation at its finest.
Then, to my favorite...ALABAMA PEANUT COMPANY. My buddy, Chase did a terrific talk about the history of peanut roasting and provided the group with free samples....the typical roasted peanuts, salt & vinegar boiled peanuts and cajun boiled peanuts. What a treat for our visitors from way up north! Jim and I loved every minute acting as servers to this enthusiastic group of "peanut diners"! Oh, sooo much fun!!! Leaving Alabama Peanut Company, the ride down bumpy Morris Avenue with cars parked on each side of this rather narrow street, the driver of the motorcoach handled the motorcoach expertly! Next stop, VULCAN PARK. Remember Jim and I don't just sit there enjoying the ride as we go from Point A to Points around....we are sharing narrative about The Magic City as we ride. And between the two of us, after almost 30 years of sharing historical information, our heads are about to explode with information we want to share! It is so discouraging when we can't possibly share it all! At Vulcan Park, they enjoyed the view of the city from the Overlook Point and were not in the least bit unsettled by Vulcan's buttocks being exposed to the world! They reminded us that they are French so such things don't shock them!! We laughed out loud!!! Next, the BIRMINGHAM BOTANICAL GARDENS to walk through the Dunn Formal Rose Garden and the Hill Garden. Mario, the Tour Operator and the owner of the company had never been to the Gardens and seemed to be impressed. Perhaps he will request this on his next visit. Back on the motorcoach and heading toward the hotel....oh, but I arranged the itinerary to go down historic SECOND AVENUE NORTH. Why? I absolutely love, love, love this street. Many historic buildings which have been lovingly "restored & repurposed", that's why! At the day's end, both Jim and I knew we gave it our best effort. With the limited time we were allowed., we missed some sites which are important to Birmingham's history. These people truly rank as one, if not the most loving, warm,-hearted group. We could see they were really interested in seeing Birmingham in all its glory. Every tour group is different. Every tour is different. It takes much time to cover the parts of the city we THINK might be most interesting to a group. On this tour, we focused on The Five Basic Senses.
The eyes give us the sense of sight.
The ears give us the sense of hearing.
The nose gives us the sense of smell.
The tongue gives us the sense of taste.
The skin gives us the sense of touch.
On a side note, they tried with all their hearts to teach me to speak French ....to no avail. I learned a few words from them and they learned a few from me....one of them Y'ALL! Yes, a Southern word which is essential in the South. And that is how we ended our tour....Y'ALL COME BACK TO SEE US REAL-L-L SOON, YA HEAH! And Jim says, "Thank you, Mother!" P.S. He's older than me!!! But he pretends otherwise! That rascal!
Love ya, Friends for taking time out of your busy day to read our adventures.Okayyyyy! Since some of my friends always ask how our most recent tour went....here goes! Jim Kelley and I welcomed a group from Canada yesterday. Of course, they speak French as well as English. The Tour Operator, Mario would speak to them in French while Jim and I were silently praying he was not saying anything uncomplimentary about us! Trust me, it was like herding cats at the beginning of the tour because they all desperately needed a restroom break. And such facilities at the HAMPTON INN TUTWILER HOTEL are limited for a group of 33! Less facilities are available at the LINN HENLEY RESEARCH LIBRARY, our first stop. We had carefully planned the itinerary. You have no idea how much work goes into planning....even going so far as to asking my brother, Larry H. Rogers who was visiting from Florida to take me on the route one evening after the traffic had decreased. His reward for being so kind, a stop at ROJO ON HIGHLAND! Love the outdoor dining with the colored lights and the congenial atmosphere! I regress so back to the tour info. After the personal needs of the travelers were "relieved", we walked over to the LINN HENLEY RESEARCH LIBRARY, the first free-standing library in Birmingham. The group received a warm welcome from Mary Ann as she met us at the entrance. She described the beautiful Ezra Winter murals which adorn the walls of the library. Then we were introduced to the art of restoring and preserving old maps. The gentleman (I am so ashamed but his name has totally dissolved from my brain!) truly loves his work. And our guests loved both hostess and host. The group would have stayed around much longer but we had other sites to see so off we went! Side note: Birmingham is credited for maintaining this beautiful building. Historic Preservation at its finest.
Then, to my favorite...ALABAMA PEANUT COMPANY. My buddy, Chase did a terrific talk about the history of peanut roasting and provided the group with free samples....the typical roasted peanuts, salt & vinegar boiled peanuts and cajun boiled peanuts. What a treat for our visitors from way up north! Jim and I loved every minute acting as servers to this enthusiastic group of "peanut diners"! Oh, sooo much fun!!! Leaving Alabama Peanut Company, the ride down bumpy Morris Avenue with cars parked on each side of this rather narrow street, the driver of the motorcoach handled the motorcoach expertly! Next stop, VULCAN PARK. Remember Jim and I don't just sit there enjoying the ride as we go from Point A to Points around....we are sharing narrative about The Magic City as we ride. And between the two of us, after almost 30 years of sharing historical information, our heads are about to explode with information we want to share! It is so discouraging when we can't possibly share it all! At Vulcan Park, they enjoyed the view of the city from the Overlook Point and were not in the least bit unsettled by Vulcan's buttocks being exposed to the world! They reminded us that they are French so such things don't shock them!! We laughed out loud!!! Next, the BIRMINGHAM BOTANICAL GARDENS to walk through the Dunn Formal Rose Garden and the Hill Garden. Mario, the Tour Operator and the owner of the company had never been to the Gardens and seemed to be impressed. Perhaps he will request this on his next visit. Back on the motorcoach and heading toward the hotel....oh, but I arranged the itinerary to go down historic SECOND AVENUE NORTH. Why? I absolutely love, love, love this street. Many historic buildings which have been lovingly "restored & repurposed", that's why! At the day's end, both Jim and I knew we gave it our best effort. With the limited time we were allowed., we missed some sites which are important to Birmingham's history. These people truly rank as one, if not the most loving, warm,-hearted group. We could see they were really interested in seeing Birmingham in all its glory. Every tour group is different. Every tour is different. It takes much time to cover the parts of the city we THINK might be most interesting to a group. On this tour, we focused on The Five Basic Senses.
The eyes give us the sense of sight.
The ears give us the sense of hearing.
The nose gives us the sense of smell.
The tongue gives us the sense of taste.
The skin gives us the sense of touch.
On a side note, they tried with all their hearts to teach me to speak French ....to no avail. I learned a few words from them and they learned a few from me....one of them Y'ALL! Yes, a Southern word which is essential in the South. And that is how we ended our tour....Y'ALL COME BACK TO SEE US REAL-L-L SOON, YA HEAH! And Jim says, "Thank you, Mother!" P.S. He's older than me!!! But he pretends otherwise! That rascal!
Love ya, Friends for taking time out of your busy day to read our adventures.
