APtravelnews-Happy Halloween from AL. & TN.—–
Pictures of the Week!
StreamLight Hits a Home Run With Their New Siege AA Magnetic Light
APtravelnews-Product reviews October 29th, 2015-Over the past few years I have featured several flashlights and battery powered lighting units and here’s another from StreamLight: The Siege AA is a 6-inch high light operating up to 36-hours on three AA size batteries. It offers three white powers and a red steady and blinking light as well. The base has 3-magnets that allow the light to be used as an auto-emergency blinker, it sticks strongly to any iron part on a vehicle. It has a top and bottom hanger hooks, can be dropped from 3-meters up, its IPX Waterproof and it floats. This light is for the outdoors-man and woman, campers, hikers, kayaker’s, hunters take heart; this is your light-period! On low light setting it can go for 37-hours straight on three AA batteries. I love that it floats, and is waterproof, but I also really like the fact that it can be an excellent red S.O.S emergency light that can save lives too! With Five modes of different operational abilities, this light is a must have in, or out of the home to light your way, in or out of emergencies during blackouts and from storm outages. Go: www.streamlight.com and also ask your sports store if they are available and if the salesman or owner says they don’t have it, ask “why not?”
A Visit to the Wright-Rosenbaum House in Florence,
APtravelnews-October-28th,-Florence, AL.–As part of our tour of Florence, AL. we were introduced to a few of the Museums of the city of Florence. The first location we visited was The Wright-Rosenbaum House Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Stanley and Mildred Rosenbaum commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to design the only Wright house in Alabama. The home is one of the earliest Usonian designs, the house has been called one of the purest examples of Wrights unique style. What we saw was a house that was built where design, form and function melded beautifully with its surroundings. One of the features (and there are many unique features for the times is circulating piped hot water embedded in the concrete floor and heavy use of brick, glass and gorgeous Cypress wood that resists pest infestations. (footnote) I had taken in a course in Architecture in the 1960’s and remember thinking then after seeing a photo in my architecture school book was the Rosenbaum House. I admired it then and now was actually able to visit, some 53-years later.
When the house was completed in 1940 there was a view of the TN. River. Today other homes and trees have obscured that view, never-the-less the wonderful landscape today is in perfect sync with the house today. The home was expanded as the Rosenbaum family grew and Wright was asked to design an addition which he flawlessly created to match the original plan. From 1940 to 1999 the Rosenbaum families were the sole occupants. Today it is the property of the City and is a museum accessible to everyone. There is an admission charge. Go: www.wrightinalabama.com www.florenceal.org 256-718-5050
Stay with us, see the next music oriented museums in our next posts!
Florence, AL. Travel Experiences Part 2 of 5
APtravelnews-October 25th- Florence, Alabama-Barb and I travel quite a bit all over the place. You would know this if you’ve been a regular visitor to our APtravelnews.com. Once in awhile we stumble across a place in time and space that just makes us marvel at all the great things a tourist, or local can experience without going to a big city, or taking a cruise, or visiting anywhere else in the world!
Florence, AL. ( Florence is Firenze in Italy) and the American city of Florence, in many ways is reminiscent of that special city in Italy known for the Renaissance and the “Enlightenment” period that pulled much of Europe out of the Dark Ages! Florence, AL.is known as a place that birthed the Blues, and visiting the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum pulls at the heart strings of anyone who thinks they can whistle a tune about crying over losing their wife, their dog or their boat, that so many Country songs draw on for song content thematic’s. We visited several venues that featured all manner of music history and up-to-date music digital publishing of the latest songs coming from the souls and lips of would-be and hopeful stars and those that already have made a name for themselves in the music industry as well. We spent some time at FAME Studios2 for a tour of the facility and found out that anyone who wishes can cut a digital mastered song for hourly or daily fees that seemed quite reasonable to us. For more information go:http://www.fame2.com after visiting this studio we headed for the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio at 3614 Jackson Highway. This location is known by anyone interested in Country Music as the small studio that the likes of Cher, Wilson Pickett, Rolling Stones, Paul Simon,Bob Segar, Aretha Franklin and so many others too numerous to mention. This location is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The location is being renovated at this time thanks to a very generous million dollar gift from a music maker and lover! Their website encourages donations. Check out their website: www.msmusicfoundation.org
After heading over to Bunyan’s BBQ in Downtown BBQ sandwich.
Have you ever been spooky scared? Do you enjoy Halloween? Would you like to be frightened out of your shorts and pay 20-bucks for it? Would you make a donation to serious children’s causes (that’s where the 20-bucks go)? Go do it, but my caveat: Its not for the faint of heart. Arx Mortis is probably the greatest haunted attraction anywhere. Well over one hundred volunteers are actors and enjoy scaring the pants off of you. Promise; this is the best spooky spot in America. People drive their families here for over one hundred miles to get scared nearly to death! www.arxmortis.com
.Frank Lloyd Wright designed and had built some of the most iconic homes in the world. The Rosenbaum home in Florence, AL. is but one of them. Fantastic experience to visit this home that balances form so well with function! The Rosenbaum House will be featured in our next article: “Florence, AL. Adventure 3”