Wow, what a busy week. I’ve completed another online newsletter for AIA and just about completed a complete redesign of their website for my friend Rhea at the AIA Birmingham office (American Institute of Architects). I’ve just completed another online newsletter for CGH Insurance Group. I’ve added a couple of new posts to the Your Town Alabama blog and witnessed the earliest closing of the Your Town Alabama workshop–along with the most registrants. In previous years, particularly those first few, it was more a matter of finding people to attend (always plenty and always great folks, but the effort was on Your Town’s part). In recent years, with this year as the best example, it has not been a problem, as witnessed by the early full registration. (everyone should read up on Your Town Alabama, as it offers a good answer to some of the ills facing small town Alabama and provides some useful and powerful self-improvement models–visit the blog: www.yourtownalabama.org/blog). And, to top it all off, I finished another small series of ads for Underwoods, sister company to Alabama jewelers Brombergs.
Those Cows
Another photo from my trip back from Thomasville, Alabama. This was taken along Highway 25 between Faunsdale and Greensboro. There were about 30 cows all gathered in a corner. I liked this shot. Not sure where I can use it, but it provides a bit of that pastoral feel.
Blooming Chives
I sent our new Canon 40D with Ann to take a photo of someone at her office for their newsletter and went to the backyard to take a couple of photos of some flowers we have using our old (probably about 5 years old now) Canon 10D. Snapped a couple of photos. This photo of chives is one of my favorites and the other is a flower I don’t know the name of, but dug in Octagon, Alabama last year. It is beautiful–the flowers close every afternoon when it is hot and open up when it is cool.
Rural Heritage Center in Thomaston, Alabama
Yesterday, I spent most of the day in the Black Belt of rural Southwest Alabama. The morning involved working with the Ala-Tom RC&D Council on, primarily, the Southwest Alabama Tourism website followed by lunch at one of 3 Chinese restaurants in Thomasville, Alabama–okay, I can’t imagine how a town the size of Thomasville can support 3 Chinese restaurants, but it was a tasty lunch buffet. (I’ve got a rough draft of the front page only developed so far on my server: joewatts.com/southwestal)
After lunch, I struck out, first taking Highway 5 north to the intersection of Highway 25. I turned north on 25 and passed through Vineland then on to Thomaston, Alabama and the Rural Heritage Center. What a neat place. It has been there for years, but somehow I’ve managed to avoid going. I really was surprised that it had as much stuff as it does. If you ever make it to Marengo County, Alabama, it is well worth a stop. From there it was the typical route to Birmingham: through Faundsdale, Greensboro and Moundville and on to Tuscaloosa. From there, the boring but expedient interstate took me home.
Below is a shot from the drive down early in the morning taken along scenic Highway 5.
Cataloging Photos of Alabama Scenes
I’ve always liked this shot (taken in 2003 between Selma, Alabama and Montgomery, Alabama). The grass is green and the water and sky are blue–thanks in part to a little touch up work in Adobe Lightroom. I’m thinking of using this photo in a project I’m currently working on for the Southwest Alabama Rural Tourism group (www.alabamasfrontporches.com). It is in large part thanks to Adobe Lightroom that I’m even able to track it down. I’ve since gone through and done a better job of keywording some of my photos with place specific tags (they already have keywords relating to the specific city/town but not to the larger region. I’ve gone through and tagged about 500 or more with Southwest Alabama in addition to rural or byway or Marion or Greensboro. Hopefully, this will help me in this project and in the future.
A Cow Painting: Who Would Have Ever Guessed
Well, after all those years of rounding up cows back in Octagon, Alabama, I’d have never imagined that I would be hanging a painting of cows in our dining room. But, hey, here goes.
We saw another painting by Les Yarbrough, the artist that did this piece, at the Garden Art Party for Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama but we were outbid. We went to the Birmingham Magic City Art Connection downtown in Linn Park this weekend and found this piece along with something smaller for Ann’s office by someone from Pennsylvania.
I still have trouble believing that I actually like to see cows now. For years, I looked at them from the perspective of someone who actually rounded them up after they got out. Let me tell you, that is not a pretty way to look at cows–makes it a bit easier to eat them, though. They almost never got out during school, they never enjoyed escaping when it was sunny and pleasant–only when it was dark and rainy.
Now, I see cows and feel more peaceful and can enjoy the tranquil setting of a rural Alabama landscape. Much better.