These are the photos previously mentioned.
Turtle
Huntsville Alabama
Introducing Huntsville, AL
Today, I made my quarterly visit to see the Internist. He gives me a B12 shot for energy and to ward off Alzheimer’s, he states.
I left his office after being diagnosed as “Clumsy” for falling once again; on my right side, once again; yet not breaking any bones because I am a little fluffy. He wants me to lose weight, however, I think I shan’t because when I fall over stools (not in their rightful place) I have some cushion to keep from breaking bones.
This year I wanted to show readers a little about my adopted city. I started today, deciding to give a mini history lesson. This actually turned out a rather decent photo, made in the rain as did the photo below!
This building was where the first Alabama Legislature met on October 25, 1819. The Alabama Constitution orginated in Huntsville in 1819, presumably in this building. Alabama was admitted as the 22nd state in the United States. Huntsville was, in 1819, the oldest and biggest town in the Tennessee Valley. It became the first capital of Alabama. Alabama’s first governor was William Wyatt Bibb, a Georgia physician with powerful friends in Washington. While Huntsville was the capital, the House met in the courthouse, and the Senate is believed to have met in the house of John K. Dunn, this house.
Leftover Lemon Peels
No vampires here as on Lake Superior Spirit! the first bicycle race in Huntsville, yes; streets blocked off; sitting in a bank parking lot wondering how one manged to get through all this mêlée to get to the Museum of Art where one could see and participate in the wine and cheese and other goodies preview party before the opening of The Red Clay Survey Exhibition.
Here to report…. I made it after staring down a bicyclist, his wife, young baby, daughter and another couple… for their parking place in the Museum parking lot, no less. This was after touring downtown Huntsville at least 5 times; passing my church, St. Mary’s (where I had missed mass for the day) to happily foil everyone trying to find a parking place; waiting patiently as they loaded the bike; talked and gestured to each other; noted I was waiting and others were having to go around me; finally, yes finally, they left. I hope they were one of the winners of this first bicycle race. However, who gave them the right to take up all our Museum parking places. Oh, well, I’m sure they had trouble finding a place to park, as I did. They probably stared down a little old lady, like me.
I was an hour early, even after touring all of Huntsville and sitting in a bank parking lot. I know, cause the lady in blue at the Museum’s front door told me so. Therefore, I strolled on down to Big Spring park and watched the ducks. I had a camera but remembering ColderWeather’s beautiful photos of these creatures, I would not dare even one shot to show I had actually been there with the ducks. I watched the children running barefoot through the grass down to the edge of the pond, playing with the fish and talking to the ducks. One young lad kept saying “bye-bye; bye-bye” to the ducks. The joys of youth.
Finally, after watching eclectically dressed young ladies, kinda like in The Quotidian Hudson’s photos, go up the down steps to the Museum, I, too, decided to wander back up to the front door, wearing my Gloria Vanderbilt brown jeans with a brown satin top with pearls (no less) and carrying a sparkly hand bag which did not sell for fifty (.50) cents in my yard sell…so I retrieved it from the handbag cart in the garage and used it to highlight my upscale outfit. Wonder what J9 would think about this?
The Red Clay Survey started in 1988. I remember it well. Now it is a recurring juried exhibition open to established and emerging artists in 11 Southern states. There were really neat pieces of art, i.e. one stunning work called “Party Dress” by Huntsville artist Katherine Purves is a 36 inch tall “dress'” assembled on a fabric-covered wire frame and made entirely from lemon peel and thread sewn together; another, a self-portrait of the artist covered with dirt from the graves of her ancestors. My favorite was the large mechanical sculpture simulating a swaying field of grain. In total there were 80 pieces of art, all as unique as we all are here in our little blogging community! We do make a difference, don’t we?
Now, that is not all to tell. I rarely go out, if it means driving home in the dark, so this was to be an adventure. The new Museum Director and I met at St. Mary’s when he first came to town last May or was it June? I was the first person he met in Huntsville (other than the people who hired him away from Vermont). We occasionally go out for coffee and such after Mass. Now don’t go getting the wrong idea; he is in his early fifties so I am close to his parents age! (He is very nice looking and knows all the big names in NY…he is also the curator of Gloria Vanderbilt collection). I kept wondering where he was. Finally, he appears just in time to point me to the sign that clearly and plainly stated: NO FOOD BEYOND THIS POINT and I had, yes you guessed it, I had passed this point. On Two Minutes of Grace, Debbie pointed out that constructive criticism is criticism, no more, no less, which I heartily agree with…my friend asked me ever so gently, as he steered me back beyond the sign, “does that sign say no eating beyond this point?” ….no criticism…just asked me in a very unique way…”Dummy, can you not read?” as I quietly looked at him and grinned. I was only sneaking past to go sit on a bench to listen to the jazzed up jazz music by a band I had watch grow up. Caught in the act…so to speak.
I think for my indiscretion, my punishment was to help put all the used wine glasses left on the table with the sign: DROP OFF TABLE FOR WINE GLASSES…..into plastic carts for glasses to be carted behind some mysterious door to be cleaned. Being the gentleman that he is, he helped some; and, I kept at it until 8 p.m. As he looked at his cell phone, he innocently said, “Only an hour to go…” I jumped right in and stated very clearly (that is for me), “Oh, no, I have to go…I have been here a looooooong time; you just got here.” I left after volunteering to work the next event…just for good measure.
The lady with the blue dress who had clearly given me the time at the beginning, remember her?…was once again at the front door to thank me for coming and to ask: “Did you have a good time?” I assured her I had and would be volunteering at the next event.
P.S. I made it home in time to see most of my Brit Com shows! Yahh!
purpleborough 