We crossed into Alabama along the Natchez Trace and are in the Muscle Shoals National Heritage area. Cave Springs is a cave with a spring in it. The Indians may have used this site for water and a source of stone. The park service says now the water is unsafe to drink and the cave is dangerous. Backlit leaves, Welcome to Muscle Shoals home of Fame Recording Studios, "Birthplace of Muscle Shoals sound". The Trace Parkway is a delight to drive, there is no commercial traffic or semis and the speed limit is 50 mph. No wacky drivers careening toward us and very pretty.
We stopped at the Freedom Hills on the Trace and hiked to the highest point on the Trace in Alabama-800 feet for this view.
The bus parked at the McFarland Park Campground in Florence, Alabama on the Tennessee river. There is a slough behind us. Sunset light on the bluffs over the Tennessee river.
I finished up these two baskets. The round one is 2 3/4 x 3 1/2 inches, has a magnetite bear in the bottom and glass seed beads around the top.
The little one is 2 1/4 x 2 inches, has a silver bead in the bottom, gem chips. a magnetite turtle, tiny bear, turtle dove around the top.
This morning we toured the Frank Lloyd Wright Rosenbaum house. It has been called the purest example of Wright's Usonian design. Usonian houses are designed to control costs and be affordable for middle class. The houses were usually small, usually single story dwellings, usually L shaped to fit around garden terraces, constructed of local materials, features included flat roofs, large cantilevered overhangs for passive solar heating and natural cooling, unique window and lighting cutouts and radiant floor heating. I loved the walls of windows. They didn't allow photos inside so these are photos of photos in their display.
Our next stop was Ivy Green where Helen Keller was born and lived. It is furnished with mostly original furniture and many of her personal mementos, books and gifts from her lifetime of travel. This is her bedroom and the actual well pump that Helen learned her first word 'water' from. Amazing woman.
Then on to the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. John going in the front door, the actual tour bus the legendary Alabama Band. used and some vintage recording equipment. There were a number of recording studios in the Muscle Shoals area and a lot of talented artists in Alabama. The brochure says " See hundreds of glittering costumes, chart-topping albums, photos and musical instruments that represent legendary Alabamians whose music is recognized around the world.
Outside was another blue bird 90 degree day. Sunset from our picnic table at dinner.
This is the current basket I am working on. It has a piece of glass in the center that I made.
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