Birmingham Library

This is a night shot of Birmingham's new library. I love all the glass. I'm sure it's a nice place to read and relax on a sunny day.

Skywatch Friday

Does a sky get any better than this? I don't think so! This sky comes to you from the Ridge course at Oxmoor Valley in Birmingham.


Happy Friday everyone - click on the skywatch link to see more skies from around the world.

Optical Artwork?

I caught this shop in the Five Points South area of downtown Birmingham. I like the idea of mixing glasses and art. It's only too bad the shop was closed when I went by!

Downtown Birmingham

While in Birmingham we stayed in a historic hotel downtown. We were near some very lovely old buildings such as this one - it's the old library although I believe it is still in use. Luckily I was able to get a few shots on Sunday morning before we left. After the golf on Saturday it rained pretty much non-stop so we stayed indoors.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow...

There's nothing like a beautiful rainbow at the end of hard day of golf. The courses we played on the RTJ trail were just gorgeous! I'll be showing you more of them and Birmingham this week.

My golf scores were okay considering that I didn't know the course at all. I still didn't make that elusive hole-in-one, but I had a couple of chip-ins which were great. The courses were all in great shape as well with really fast greens. Although my body feels like it was run over by a golf cart, I'm still looking forward to more golf this weekend. That's the problem - the game is so addictive!

Happy Memorial Day!!

This is the famous Vulcan god who overlooks the beautiful city of Birmingham, AL I am missing it already!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Memorial Day. I'm enjoying the time off and the golf. I'm certain this won't be my last trip to 'Bama.

Saint Francis of Assisi II

This is the entrance into the church offices. I like the glass and the modern looking cross.


Once again - do you prefer the black and white or color version?

PS: I am really enjoying Alabama! Birmingham is a lovely city. I just wish it wasn't raining. Our first round of golf on Saturday was a little wet, but not too bad. We didn't get to do much in the afternoon though. I had dreams of wandering the streets of Bham and snapping photos here and there! Today we're playing again at Oxmoor and then tonight we're off to Pratville (just outside Montgomery) where we're playing two rounds on Monday at Capitol Hill. If you're into golf, the Robert Trent Jones trail is definitely worth it!

Skywatch Friday: Storm Brewing

It seems like it's just one weekend of storms after another down here in the south. I actually photographed this sky last Saturday - and unfortunately our weather forecasters are predicting more storms for this Memorial Day weekend. I just hope they don't ruin my big weekend of golf in Alabama! Next week I may even have some photos of the Magic City, if the weather cooperates.

Until then - take a look at other skies around the world at skywatch.


And enjoy this bonus video, complete with mockingbird warning call. Happy Friday!!

Steel Umbrella

I guess this is probably intended to be more of a parasol - all of those tiny holes might not be so good at keeping the rain out!

I've been testing some new settings on my camera. This red does not seem to represent the original, but it's the best I could get out of it. I guess there's more testing to be done!

Edited to add

This setting was something called "vivid color", although I couldn't tell that the color was off until I saw it on my screen at home. I worked with it a little in an editing program - but this red was more vibrant in real life.

One thing I really don't like about this camera is you have to use the manual mode to take pictures in black & white, sepia or any setting besides standard color. I've been trying the to set up my shots based on aperture or shutter speed - but sometimes the photo looks good on the camera screen and awful on my computer!

Reflections

This picture also comes to you from The Renaissance. A new wine shop should be opening in this space any day.

I like the reflections in the window of what was behind me, the empty racks in the shop and also how you can see through the glass to what lies on the other side. The sepia tone tops it off with a nostalgic feel.

The Renaissance II

This is one of the shops at The Renaissance. They've tried to make the center into an Italian style shopping village. While it's certainly not Italy - it is a nice place to shop. All of the shops have different facades and colors - some are round, others are square, some are yellow, others are white. A lovely place to pass an afternoon!

The Renaissance

I have shown you the Renaissance shopping center a few times before and here it is again. This is the clocktower in the middle of the main traffic circle. I love all the beautiful flowers and plants the developers have used in the landscaping. It really does make the shopping experience more pleasant.

St Francis of Assisi

This is Saint Francis of Assisi church of Madison. As you can probably guess this is a Catholic establishment. I really like the architecture of this building. I'll definitely be showing you more of this church.


Today's question is: black and white or color?

Skywatch Friday

I was working out in the yard recently when I heard this fellow tap tap tapping away. It's not the best picture, but I can tell you this woodpecker is a beauty. They love all the old pines in my neighborhood.

To check out more skies from around the world - click on the skywatch link. Happy Friday!!!

Fondren Village

The Fondren Village sign looks really nice at night. It's not as special-looking during the day, although I love just about everything in the Fondren area - night or day.

Does the weekend seem to be taking a long time to get here or is it just me?

I've been tagged today by Jacob at Ocala Daily Photo. Thank you so much for the honor!

Here is my list of six things that make me happy. :)

1. A good day on the golf course
2. Birds
3. A tasty salad
4. An unexpected letter/postcard from a friend
5. Spending time with my husband (on or off the golf course)
6. Comments on my blog

An Evening of Laughs

As most of you probably know, my two main passions are golf and theater. Last night I did a show with Mississippi Murder Mysteries - we're a group that goes around and performs different shows in restaurants. At the end, the guests have to guess whodunnit and the winners receive a prize.

I don't know if this is a first in MMM history - but last night NO ONE guessed who the murderer was. I guess that means we all were good at looking guilty - except the real guilty one! These are some of the performers enjoying dinner after the show.

Alarm Bird

Before every storm this little mockingbird sits on the rood of my house and sends out the alarm to all the other birds in the area. Usually when I come outside and look he flies away. But I guess Sunday night's warning was so urgent he wasn't even daunted by my presence.

We have a lot of birds living in the old trees in my neighborhood. I certainly hope none of them lost their nests in the storm. That would really be a shame.

Big Storms

My power was out for two hours last night due to the severe weather that came through our area. I was a little worried without my trusty TV weatherman to tell me to take cover. Luckily things never got that bad. This was the sky before the storm hit.

And this is some bonus video I took from my front porch., although it's probably not really a good idea to stand outside in high winds and possible tornado weather. I hope my rose garden was not damaged. I was really worried about those trees - they seemed to be swaying a lot.

First United Methodist Church

This church is located just across the street from a Baptist church. I wonder how people decide which church to attend, there are so many choices here in the Jackson area.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. We're currently under a tornado alert here in the metro area.

Skywatch Friday

There's nothing better than a beautiful sunset over the golf course.

Happy Friday everyone - check out all the other skies around the world at Skywatch!

Goodbye Mr. Melton

Rumors have been flying about the failing health of Jackson's mayor Frank Melton but they were finally put to rest early this morning when his wife announced that he passed away during the night.

Mr. Melton will probably be most-remembered for his involvement in various controversial affairs - most notably the unauthorized destruction of an alleged crack-house. He and his bodyguard stood trial for destroying private property, but were never convicted due to a mistrial. A new trial in a different county was set - but thank goodness taxpayers will now be spared that expense.

Melton was defeated in the democratic primary race for mayor earlier this week - so he would not have continued to represent our city anyway. He may be gone but he will not soon be forgotten!

Chairs

Ever since Virginia in Birmingham started her chairs series - I've been looking out for them. This scene at the Madison Library recently caught my eye. Two lovely chairs to sit in and enjoy a good book!

The Intellectual Bulimics

There's a new venue in Jackson - The Auditorium! My husband and I went to see a comedy show there this past weekend. It's a wonderful new venue inside the auditorium of the old Duhling school (hence the name).


I am so glad they've found a second life for this wonderful landmark. There are plans to add other restaurants and shops to the rest of the building. For now The Auditorium is serving up tasty victuals and hosting local entertainers - and right in the heart of Fondren!

More Shadows

I took this photo at the Seattle's Best Cafe inside our local Borders. I was contemplating using this picture or my shadow for the theme day. My shadow prevailed, but I still like the pattern on the floor and the light on the chair.

Skyway Hills Baptist Church

This little church is located off highway 80. I thought it was sort of quaint - not like most of the big mega-churches you find around town. And this one doesn't have a website!

May Theme Day: Shadows

I hope you don't think I spend all of my time at the golf course. I really don't - there is also the theater!

I hope all of my European friends are having a wonderful May Day and enjoying some time off. Happy Theme Day to the rest of you, we can at least celebrate the weekend.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

A Photo of a Photo

Not only was Eudora Welty a Pulitzer Prize winning author - she was also an accomplished photographer. During the Depression she worked for the Works Progress Administration. She traveled across the state of Mississippi photographing ordinary people. She really had a talent for portraiture - not really a surprise since she was a self-proclaimed people lover. There are several compilations of her photos out on the market - the most widely known One Time, One Place: Mississippi in the Depression.

I hope you've enjoyed my series on Eurdora Welty. I still haven't found something suitable for tomorrow's theme day. Wish me luck!

More Welty

Each year New Stage hosts the Eudora Welty New Play Series to discover new writing talent. Anyone can submit a new play. A panel of judges reads through all the submissions and selects three for a staged reading.


The readings take place over a weekend and on Sunday the grand winner is announced and awarded a small monetary prize. But really, all three shows are winners. Her legacy remains!

Welty Display

Lots of Welty memoribilia was on display in the Hewes Room at New Stage.


Ms. Welty was a big fan of theater and was always a supporter of New Stage and the arts in general. This season's performance of The Ponder Heart was not the first at New Stage. Adaptations of some of her other works have also been performed here - most notably The Robber Bridegroom. Let's hope the Welty traditon continues!

The Ponder Heart

My husband and I went to see the stage adaptation of The Ponder Heart at New Stage this weekend. We had great seats this time, which made the show even more enjoyable.

There was a big display of Eudora Welty memoribilia on display in honor of what would have been her 100th birthday. I'll be showing it all this week - so check back!