A Full-time Life

ALABAMA SKIES

 

SKYWATCH FRIDAY here.  Go.  Enjoy.  Add your own.

We didn't take any time to play in Alabama this time through, but the skies sure gave us a good show while we drove through the State on the next-to-last day of our roadtrip. 

We enjoyed beautiful blue skies all day.  It seemed as if the sun began to set just as we drove through the Bancroft Tunnel under the Mobile River.  When we came out of the Tunnel, the sky had begun to turn pink.

 
Gulf Shores State Park, where we'd hoped to stay was full up but the Ranger kindly gave us directions to a small private park in town. 

As it turned out, it didn't really  matter, because the next morning it poured down rain, so we wouldn't have been able to walk on the Gulf Beach anyway. 

  

THROW ME SOMETHING, MISTER

  HAPPY MARDI GRAS (FAT TUESDAY) and  RUBY TUESDAY  (Red Tuesday)!

 
 

These pictures are from the Mobile Alabama Mardi Gras celebration in 2005.  In the Pacific Northwest, we had Lent but we never got to celebrate for weeks leading up to it!  We loved the parades.   It really is a wonderful community-wide party and more family-friendly than the better-known one in New Orleans.  Mobile says that they celebrated it first and New Orleans stole the idea.  

   
   

Please click on the blue link in the first line to see more ruby red pictures.  Or post your own favorite post featuring RED.  And thank you to Mary at Work of the Poet for hosting this meme.

RE-VISITING SELMA FOR MLK DAY

NOTE:  THIS IS AN UPDATE ADDED OCTOBER 12, 2010:  PLEASE READ THE LAST TWO COMMENTS TO THIS POST.  They provide some welcome update information!!

This post is about an overnight trip we made to Selma Alabama when we were staying on the Gulf Coast there.  This was in 2005, so it is possible that some things have changed since then, but the history certainly has not.  I wanted to re-post it to honor Martin Luther King's birthday, celebrated today.

 We went to Selma because we wanted to see this place where so much civil rights history took place.   It was amazing to see "in person" ("in-place"?) the Edmund Pettis Bridge and the Little Brown Church, where the 40-mile March to Montgomery began.  Of course we had watched these events unfold as on the nightly news, but it really doesn't come close to standing on the spot where history happened.   

Below is one link for a quick overview of what happened on the three Selma to Montgomery marches.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/selma_to_montgomery_marches

The Bridge's location is obvious -- because you have to drive across it to get into town.  Whenever we go to any city or town, we go first to the visitor center for literature and directions.  But when we went to one in Selma we were given information only on the "white history" of the area (about the Civil War, cotton, agriculture etc.)  and met with a kind of polite evasion when we asked about the Little Brown Church and the MLK monument.  Apparently, the visitor center felt like the "Black History" was separate and apart.  Unbelievably sad in this day and age.       

So we walked around town and located the Church and the Monument on our own.  And, we found that there is a very interesting Voting Rights Museum quite near to the Bridge.  (No mention of this had been made at the visitor center.)

I wanted to hope that this attitude might have changed some since we were there, but fear it has not.  This morning, when I went to Google to check my memory, especially about the Museum (because we didn't take pictures in it) I found that the official Selma web page gives the museum -- and  indeed the whole Civil Rights/Voting rights issue  -- only the briefest of mentions.  The Museum has no official web-site.   

Anyway, once we located the Museum and went inside, we talked to Joann Bland, the museum founder. (I'm sure that she meets pretty much everybody who comes  -- and in any case there were hardly any other visitors at the time).  As a child, she was at Bloody Sunday, where her companion was wounded, and then she later marched to Montgomery. 

The museum's displays include a good overview film and still photos taken during the marches.  These pictures were actually taken by FBI agents who were keeping an eye on the participants -- the Museum obtained them under the Freedom of Information Act.  The room that I remember most clearly is the one full of shoe-casts of many of the participants in the March to Montgomery (from kids to grandparents).  There was something so poignant about seeing those feet and thinking about the miles they walked to support this cause, under circumstances I can barely imagine even after watching the news and seeing again the film and pictures.  These were just regular people willing to take a huge risk to get to do something we have always taken for granted.  While they certainly had a charismatic leader, nothing would have happened without these ordinary people.

This visit was so worth the time and effort .  Selma's definitely not a top tourist destination, but I feel like it should be.    Our country's history was changed here.  Anyone who has the chance should go.

ALABAMA and FLORIDA, the end of the 2008 road trip

Our last stop before we arrived at this year's Winter destination was on the Alabama Gulf Coast.  A familiar spot -- and yet different.  We spent the 2004-05 Winter in this area.  That time, we arrived on December 1, less than three months after Hurricane Ivan had devastated the region.  The RV Park where we stayed then had not been much damaged but the surrounding area was still showing serious effects.  The road along the beach was covered with sand (it didn't even open for traffic until a month or so after we arrived), many buildings and homes were in complete ruins, and there were seas of blue tarp roofs in evidence, where people were still living in homes with the roofs blown away.  When we left in April '05, the area's recovery effort was still really just at an early stage.

This time, we stayed at Gulf State Park, which was completely closed to the public when we were here before -- the whole camping area had been destroyed.  It is rebuilt now and is a great RV spot.  The state took advantage of rebuilding to modernize the facilities, so that there are full hookups and lots of space.  This state park has most of the amenities of a private winter resort in addition to being close to the Gulf Beach.  Some people we talked to said that they missed the trees that used to be here before they were blown down by Ivan, but since this was our first stay, we thought this park had everything.

These are two views from our site.  We didn't see any alligators this time, so we didn't even have a chance to not aggravate them.

The picture below is on the nearby Bon Secour River near Billy's, which is our favorite fisherman's market ever.  Many varieties of local fresh fish and shrimp, caught daily, are available.  We only had time to visit it once this time. I hope we'll find something as good in Florida.

It was interesting to see how this area has recovered.  Now, you can't tell that it was ever hit by a hurricane.  We re-visited  many of our favorite places and enjoyed the sunny weather before heading to our Winter destination.

We arrived at North Ft. Myers, Florida, where we plan to spend this winter, on December 1.  This is on the Gulf of Mexico side of the State. 

We are staying at Upriver RV Resort on the Caloosahatchee River.  It's about three miles upstream from downtown Ft. Myers.  We really like our spot and, of course, will post more as we explore the area.

So our 2008 road trip is over.  It was true cross-country travel this time -- from Oregon in the Northwest to Florida in the Southeast.  We had a great time and saw some interesting country.  But it is good to be settled in one spot for a few months.  We're going to enjoy it.

 

 

 

 

 

A TRIP SOUTH -- Fall, 2004

We took a long journey to new territory in the Fall of 2004.   After summer visits with our family in the Northwest and Colorado, and some time in South Dakota (now our home state) we drove through parts of the middle of the United States – Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. 

Then we spent quite a while in Louisville, Kentucky.  (We actually stayed in a KOA across the Ohio River in Clarksville Indiana – it’s just a drive across the bridge).  I'm standing on the high school campus where my mom's family home used to be.

My mother was born and raised in Louisville and her family had lived there for generations, but she came out to the Northwest before she met and married my dad.    Mom took us to visit when I was three or four (when my dad was overseas in the service) but I hadn't been since.   There were lots of Kentucky stories when I was growing up though.  So Louisville had a kind of mythical status in our family.    It was enjoyable and kind of sad all at the same time to see places we’d only ever heard about. 

Generations ago, the property where the Louisville Zoo is now belonged to some of my ancestors.  This memorial is there.  It's not everybody who has family buried at a zoo.

We also stayed for a while at Bardstown.  Kentucky, of course, is famous for its bourbon and I think it’s illegal to go to the state without sampling.  It was really quite interesting to learn the process of how it is made.  It’s the water from Kentucky’s creeks running over the limestone rock that makes it so good! These are barrels of whiskey aging at Maker's Mark Distillery.  The open vat is whiskey mash before it goes into the barrels.  I guess no germs can survive in the alcohol.

We toured Mammoth Caves National Park.  Caves are very difficult places to take pictures.

Then we spent a while in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and Asheville, North Carolina.  We saw the tourist stuff at Pigeon Forge (Dollywood!) and the Biltmore Mansion in Asheville (the grandest home we’d ever seen at that point, before we went to England). 

We drove and hiked in the beautiful Great Smoky Mountain National Park. 

When we started on this leg of the journey, we didn’t have advance reservations anywhere and we had no concrete plans except to see the Louisville area.     Everything else we did was just a matter of enjoying whatever we happened upon.  But it was already getting cold in Louisville in October and we got a sprinkling of snow in Asheville, so we needed to move South before Winter really set in.    

Bill did some research on winter weather and RV parks and we decided to head to the Gulf Coast.  Tired of being on the road, we settled down for the winter at an RV Park called Plantation Harbor.  It's in the village of Elberta – between Mobile, Alabama and Pensacola, Florida.    We really lucked out by landing there, because  we met some wonderful people and had some great times.     The Park is on Wolf Creek, which drains into the Gulf.  Our good neighbor in the park had a boat and often invited Bill to hitch a ride; fishing was great. We did a lot of exploring in the area too, since everything about the South was new to us. These two pictures are on the walking area by the Creek in back of the RV resort.

The Lower Alabama area is very friendly to its winter visitors.  Scenery is beautiful and there is a lot of good local food.  We almost lived on shrimp and other seafood and learned to like grits and collards (sort-of).  There was a good artisanal cheese-maker right outside of our little town and a nice farmer’s market.    (We bought just-picked farm strawberries  -- in February.)   Restaurant food was good and inexpensive.    Local groups had dinners and other events that welcomed the winter visitors.  We even joined the Friends of the Library in Foley (the neighboring town) and Bill took a photo software class at Faulkner State University In Foley.

We really enjoyed this whole trip and we had a great time on the Third Coast, which is what the locals call this area of the Gulf.  Traveling clear across the country from Northwest to Southeast was a great learning experience. 

MARDI GRAS 2005, MOBILE

We went to our first Mardi Gras celebration while we were staying in Alabama.  Every year, when we were kids growing up in the Northwest, we had to have Lent and give up candy or something, but nobody ever told us that there were people in this world who got to have a month-long party to get ready for Lent.    Gosh, it would have been fun to have known that back then!  Even In later years, when we started to see things about Mardi Gras on the news, I still thought that it was a one-day party and only in New Orleans.  And attending that party wasn't at all high on my priority list.

But in Alabama we learned that Mobile was the first American city to celebrate Mardi Gras – starting in in 1703!    They think that New Orleans is an upstart.  Mobile calls its celebration “America’s Family Mardi Gras” and it really is fun.    It’s hard to explain why.  Partly, I guess, it’s the Mardi Gras motto “Laissez les bon temps roullex” – (Let the good times roll.) The attitude is infectious.   You’d have to try pretty darn hard not to enjoy yourself.   

There are Mardi Gras parades for two weeks, sometimes two or three on one day!   Each parade is put on by a different Mystic Society.    As far as we could learn, these are Civic groups (kind of like really happy Rotarians) with their major goal being to put on these parades for everybody and a party that night for their members and guests.    The Societies that have been around the longest get the choicest days.

These floats are not like those at any other parade.

People from our RV Park would carpool in a convoy.   Those who were veteran attendees knew the best parking and standing places. 

For our first Parade, we just went along for the ride since our neighbors were all going, but after that you couldn't keep us away.  We cannot explain why it’s so much fun to catch the silly ”throws” – beads, doubloons, stuffed animals, candy, and moon pies.  But I guarantee that anyone who goes will enjoy it.  The Krews (those on the floats) are generous – and, remember, this is Mobile – the family-friendly Mardi Gras.  All you have to do is holler "throw me something, mister" -- sometimes we ladies would say "throw me something for my grandkids."   

We went to, maybe, a dozen parades within the two weeks – probably more than we’d been to in our entire lives and way more fun than any other.

One major rule for Mobile Mardi Gras – another difference from New Orleans – is that watchers are absolutely not allowed to cross the barriers.  Anyone who does will be arrested and fined (we saw it happen).  Note the long-handled catcher.  Some people use them to make it easier to catch more of the throws.  (You really don't need it.)

After the last parade on Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras), the streets are swept clean and downtown gets back to its normal business-like appearance.  Kind of like Brigadoon.   Fun while it lasts.  

Our RV Park celebrated the occasion with dinners and parties and our own parade (just around the RV resort) on the last Saturday.  Bill was elected King! The election involved a very rigorous process -- I think it was drawing the lowest card after a potluck dinner.  But it was fun.  We still keep in touch with the lovely Queen (chosen through the same process) and her husband.  After all, when you've shared the throne -- or being spouses of royalty -- it gives you a special bond. 

Back home, at the end of the two weeks, we collected all our loot and packaged it up to send to the to grandkids.  So it turned out not to be free after all, because of the UPS bill.  (The clerk at the UPS store couldn't believe what we were sending.)  But it was worth it -- Northwest kids deserve to know about Mardi Gras too. 

A short visit to Selma (2005)

For the winter season of 2004/05 we stayed on the Gulf Coast of Alabama.   We  saw some wonderful country on our way and had a great time while there.   (I'll do a post next month about the RV resort where we stayed and some of our very fun Alabama Gulf Coast adventures.)   

But watching current political news and "discussion" about who was actually responsible for voting rights legislation reminded me of an overnight sidetrip we made while our home was parked near Mobile.  We went to Selma because we wanted to see this place where so much civil rights history took place.   It was amazing to see "in person" ("in-place"?) the Edmund Pettis Bridge and the Little Brown Church, where the 40-mile March to Montgomery began.  Of course we had watched these events unfold as on the nightly news, but it really doesn't come close to standing on the spot where history happened.   

Below is one link for a quick overview of what happened on the three Selma to Montgomery marches.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/selma_to_montgomery_marches

The Bridge's location is obvious -- because you have to drive across it to get into town.  Whenever we go to any city or town, we go first to the visitor center for literature and directions.  But when we went to one in Selma we were given information only on the "white history" of the area (about the Civil War, cotton, agriculture etc.)  and met with a kind of polite evasion when we asked about the Little Brown Church and the MLK monument.  Apparently, the visitor center felt like the "Black History" was separate and apart.  Unbelievably sad in this day and age.       

So we walked around town and located the Church and the Monument on our own.  And, we found that there is a very interesting Voting Rights Museum quite near to the Bridge.  (No mention of this had been made at the visitor center.)

I wanted to hope that this attitude might have changed some since we were there, but fear it has not.  This morning, when I went to Google to check my memory, especially about the Museum (because we didn't take pictures in it) I found that the official Selma web page gives the museum -- and  indeed the whole Civil Rights/Voting rights issue  -- only the briefest of mentions.  The Museum has no official web-site.   

Anyway, once we located the Museum and went inside, we talked to Joann Bland, the museum founder. (I'm sure that she meets pretty much everybody who comes  -- and in any case there were hardly any other visitors at the time).  As a child, she was at Bloody Sunday, where her companion was wounded, and then she later marched to Montgomery. 

The museum's displays include a good overview film and still photos taken during the marches.  These pictures were actually taken by FBI agents who were keeping an eye on the participants -- the Museum obtained them under the Freedom of Information Act.  The room that I remember most clearly is the one full of shoe-casts of many of the participants in the March to Montgomery (from kids to grandparents).  There was something so poignant about seeing those feet and thinking about the miles they walked to support this cause, under circumstances I can barely imagine even after watching the news and seeing again the film and pictures.  These were just regular people willing to take a huge risk to get to do something we have always taken for granted.  While they certainly had a charismatic leader, nothing would have happened without these ordinary people.

This visit was so worth the time and effort .  Selma's definitely not a top tourist destination, but I feel like it should be.    Our country's history was changed here.  Anyone who has the chance should go.