Serendipity Again!

We moved to Tupelo, MS on Friday.  Other than construction and a U Turn detour in Jackson, TN, things went ok.  We have a nice big site in the trees and horses a few sites away.  Ted has been feeding them apples and carrots.

On Saturday, we settled in and drove a bit on the Natchez Trace stopping to see some Chickasaw mounds and listen to an audio about their life and friendship with the Natchez Indians plus English and French traders. We went to Mass at 4:30.  There weren’t more than two dozen people in attendance.  

We have friends that have moved to Ramer, TN which is less than an hour away.  We went there on Sunday and visited all afternoon and had lunch.  On Monday they drove to us and we continued with our visit and had lunch at Rib City.  A good choice by Ted!

So today we drove north on the Natchez Trace for about 50 miles before getting off and traveling into Alabama.  Our destination was Helen Keller’s birthplace in Tuscumbia.  What a delightful, informative and beautiful place and tribute to an outstanding woman.  

We learned Helen was born healthy but lost sight and hearing from a high fever illness called, at the time, “brain fever.”  Anne Sullivan was hired as a teacher for her at age 7.  They recounted the food fight depicted in the movie and said it really happened.  And Ms. Sullivan taught her in one day what her family had been unable to do in 7 years.

Anne finger spelled names of things into Helen’s hand all day long.  The water pump breakthrough did happen too.  As Helen had water running into one hand, Anne was spelling W A T E R in her other hand.  A word Helen had learned by 19 months old was wawa.  She put it all together and finally Anne had her attention.  She was extremely bright and learned 30 words that day.  

A sculpture of Anne and Helen at the pump.  The second is a bronze sculpture that sits center stage in the museum room.  The other photo is the actual, real pump where Helen made her learning breakthrough.  

In 1925 Helen attended a Lions Convention and was able, in her own voice she could not hear, challenged the organization to make their mission help for those with sight problems.  To this day they continue their mission.  She traveled all over the world and met every president from Calvin Coolidge to John Kennedy.  

We so enjoyed our visit to a place we had no idea even existed.  Sometimes these are the best surprises.  

On our way we saw a sign that Red Bay, where we are to meet Tommy and Susan a week from Friday, was only about 45 minutes away.  We needed a new drawer lock where the spring had sprung so Ted decided we would drive to Tiffin service to buy one.  We drove through the park we are booked into.  The restaurant was closed for 14 days starting 8/8 so we assume someone had tested positive.  They will reopen the day after we check in if Tommy is a go after his blood test results.  We bought our new drawer lock and drove back to Tupelo stopping in town for an early dinner since we had no lunch.

It has been storming tonight so it should be extremely good sleeping.