Don't It Always Seem to Go That You Don't Know What You Got Til It's Gone

THEY PAVED PARADISE AND PUT UP A PARKING LOT. - Jimmy Buffet

It's hard for me to intentionally use bad grammar. Here it is spoken the correct way.

Doesn't it always seem to be so, that you don't know what you've got until it's gone. They have paved paradise and they have put up a parking lot. elizabeth's translation

Ann and I, and Ellie and Luke, have returned from our trip to Evergreen.

We left on Thursday November 6 - last week. We made a stop at Cahaba Valley Rd and ate lunch at Burger King. I-65 took us through Birmingham, and we got off at the Hope Hull exit. Hope is a friend who lives there(I'll post those pictures on another day). She is Hope Baldwin Coon and her parents are Jamie and Beth Baldwin. Hope has a sister, Joy Baldwin Finch, whose Blog is on my list. Hope and Joy were friends with Ann and Laura Beth, beginning at ages 4 and 5 and 6 and 7. Their dad, Jamie, was our church's Minister of Education from 1986 to 1993. Beth and I are very close friends, and she and Jamie now live in Tallassee, AL where Beth grew up. Tallassee is a 30 min. drive from Auburn, AL - and thanks to hers and Jamie's generous hospitality, I often stay with them when I am visiting the girls in Auburn.

Back to our trip.

Planning to only stay at Hope's about 30 min, we indulged ourselves in a very long visit. Beth was there, also. It was so much fun. Ellie and Luke played outside quite a bit. Hope's little girl, Anna Beth, is such a girly girl and has all the same pink "stuff" that Ellie has. Anna Beth also has a wonderful swingset which her daddy built her. Luke and Ellie both loved that. They have cows and bulls. Luke was thrilled over the outside adventure.

Moving onto Evergreen, we arrived at about 4:35....

.... and acclamated ourselves to Mary Ann's house. Luke and Ellie took it over. Ellie's imagination ran wild - with no designated toys she was able to make up her own pretend games and involved Luke in all of them. After bathtime and bedtime Ann, Mary Ann, and I crashed, in the den, but then, in the bed.

Friday came - Ellie and Luke woke up in "full throttle". They were wild! We had an 11:00 luncheon date at my Aunt Mary's house.

List of those in attendance:
1. Florence Price: Mom's sister, 86.
2. Susan Bozeman Cook: married to my oldest cousin, Bert.
3. Melissa Robinson: Mary's 3rd born who lives with Mary and my uncle, John Law
4. Mary Ann: my sister whom we were staying with.
5. Mary Claire Robinson Warlick: Mary's 4th born who lives in Birmingham. She traveled down
to spend Friday and Saturday night - to visit with us.
6. Ann, Ellie and Luke
7. Myself
8. Connie Gunter Kilpatrick: A childhood friend. I've written about her on my blog.
She lived in the house next to mine, one Williams Street. Her mother still lives there.

We stayed at Mary's the biggest part of the afternoon, skipping Ellie's and Luke's nap.

Saturday Laura Beth and Ada arrived from McDonough, GA, but also Sarah from Auburn. We had Mary and Mary Claire over for late afternoon coffee ( a common habit in Evergreen - noone does that here in Scottsboro much, not that I know of) That was another good visit - after that, dinner.

Sunday morning, Ann had to leave for Birmingham, to cohost a baby shower for one of her college friends. The rest of us went to church. I stayed in the nursery with Ellie, Luke and Ada.

After church we walked around the corner to "Famous Floyd's" Restaurant. Again, saw folks I knew and the Robinsons were there, also.

As we were paying our bill, Floyd's wife told us she uses Mother's recipe for 7-minute frosting, which is in the Sparta Cookbook, for her cakes there at the restaurant. She said she thinks about Mother everytime she makes it. One of the ladies who I ran into at the restaurant, Mrs. Connie Nielsen, came to our table. I identified all of my children and grandchildren to her. She told Ellie she'd known me since I was a baby. I love it. It feeds my soul, to go to Evergreen. Everything's familiar. The air, the trees, the people, the places, the sound of the train engine, the names spoken - the ghosts or images I see in my mind's eye. Layer upon layer of images, memories, things seen, ages, events - it's all there. And when people speak of our past - I know I haven't made it all up. Sometimes it seems like I have.

On Monday we all took it slow - slow morning - but got out and ate, again, at Burger King. We like their fries. :-) Then we went to the train depot and took lots of pictures. Actually we'd taken some on Sunday - as Floyd's is across from the Depot - and that was when I first let Luke sit on the Railroad Track. He aptly named it the "ChooChoo Train Track". So.....Monday - we walked the streets of Evergreen. I named all the stores that used to be, but noone seemed too moved. They can't see it all, as I can. Mary Ann sees it.

Napped on Monday afternoon. Lazy afternoon. Oh - Florence came by on Monday morning. She had not seen Ada. This was Ada's first visit to Evergreen and all were wanting to see her. She is named for my great grandmother, Ada Chapman Henderson - whom everyone called Granny. The Robinsons had met her on Saturday - we missed Florence on Sunday - so she came by on Monday. Bert and Susan were out of town.

Tuesday we travelled home.

So - below are my pictures - and only a few compared to all the ones I took. Can't post them all.

Mary Ann's House

Luke sitting on Mary Ann's bed, wearing Daddy's Band Director's Hat.Florence, Ellie, and MarySitting at Mary's Dining Table
Again, we're beginning to enjoy the Chicken Pie, Baked Fruit, Marinated Green Beans, and Homemade Rolls which Melissa and Mary had prepared. It was so good and we were so hungry!I'm having a conversation with Mary. Didn't even know this was taken.
Connie Sue Gunter Kilpatrick and Mary Ann.Mary is getting Luke to blow out Florence's candle. Her birthday is November 29, but Mary had Melissa do this cake for her - since we were all together. Sunday Morning. Ellie and Ada in the rocking chair that Mother and Daddy have had longer than they've had Mary Ann and me. This was 'Daddy's Chair'. So many memories here. I've sat in it so many years. It's been recovered so many times.Ellie and Ada.Ada is dressed for church and we're playing in Mary Ann's front yard.running in Mary Ann's front yard.This chair that I'm getting Ada to sit in.....I remember when I was in the nursery and it was purchased. It was red with white arms to it. It was brand new to me, then and seemed so special to me. When I am at home, at church, I like to look and see if it is still there. This chair, behind which Ellie is posing for me, is one of the many chairs we sat in as preschoolers. The classes were called Primary Sunday School. Florence was my Primary Sunday School Teacher. I remember her teaching us, at Christmas, about the Christmas Story and how it was found in the second chapter of Luke. This room, in which Luke is standing under MUCH protest, has seen so many people and layers of years and conversations. Shortly after I became a Christian, our MYF met in here. I remember that and trying to communicate the change that had occurred in my heart. Some of my friends looked at me with complete confusion in their eyes, others understood what I was talking about, and others didn't seem to be bothered one way or the other.Ellie and Luke sitting at the church alter, for me. It was here I was married, Mother and Daddy were married, and their funerals were held. I knelt at this altar many many times and took communion here.Laura Beth and Ada posing for me. Behind them are some of the beautiful windows we have in our church, the choir loft where Mary plays the organ, and behind them is the piano at which Mary Ann plays. Laura Beth and Ada catching up with the others to walk around the corner to Famous Floyds where we plan to eat lunch.Inside the restaurant. Ada and Ellie.Mary Ann and Luke at our table in the restaurant.

Luke and the Evergreen DepotWalking down the track in front of the depot.

This is the train we watched.Watching the train.Waving at the train.Luke pointing out the train to us, with much enthusiasm.Black and White of the Train - more fitting for the time I grew up in.Ellie and Luke playing on "stuff" pertaining to railroads - this is between the tracks and the depot.

Ellie and Luke at the Evergreen Depot

The track which runs down the middle of downtown Evergreen - and you can see the bridge in the far distance.Luke standing in front of the track.Luke and the DepotSarah and Luke on the track.

Back in Scottsboro. Luke playing with cars. Ellie playing dressup.

Charlie and Luke, on my kitchen floor, pushing cars to each other.

They make a really cool noise.

That's it. Our trip to Evergreen.

Steve will return from Greece on Saturday. Have I mentioned that he is there?

This morning Ann talked with him. He was studying at a Starbucks in Ephesus. How strange is that? Imagine the Apostle Paul communing with God at a Starbucks in Ephesus.