Birmingham Rouge - Welcome!

Whoever designed this fountain at the entrance to the new Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children, knew just what they were doing.  Going to the hospital is a scary thing for children of all ages. This made me smile when I saw it. I hope it does the same for the children that come here as well.

Opa!!!!

If you're in the Birmingham area, you're in luck. This weekend marks the 40th annual Greek Festival at Holy Trinity - Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Cathedral. Great food, drink and music!!

Hang On LIttle Tomato

 I took one look at this great espaliered wall in Charlie Thigpen's outdoor garden and you know what popped into my mind...............Sing it Pink Martini!

Very Véro!

 Véronique Vanblaere is the owner of Naked Art Gallery on Clairmont Avenue in the Forest Park neighborhood. I"m a lucky girl, because I just have to walk

 a block from my home to pop in and see what's new!  This is one delightfully fun and funky art gallery,  and she features 60 artists from all over the South.  She's a talented artist herself,  so be sure and have a look at her work.  Today, a few shots but I have more to share.

You can follow them on Facebook here. 

Naked Art Gallery

3831 Clairmont Avenue

Birmingham 

I will be teaching FROM SNAPSHOTS TO PHOTOGRAPHS at Samford After Sundown beginning Oct. 16th for 5 weeks.  Join us if you are in the Birmingham area.

Charlie's Fountain

Last Friday night, we went down to Charlie Thigpen's Garden Gallery for a little fun, food and garden talk.  This beautiful leaf has been a birdbath, but Charlie has turned it into a lovely fountain. He added the pop of color. He's amazing.

Shoot Out On Morris Avenue

St. Louis Daily Photoblogger Bob Crowe, and his lovely wife Carolyn visited me earlier this month.  Bob and I have been blog friends since I started this blog in June 2008. We finally met face to face and got to shoot up Birmingham.  We photographers have some crazy ways of getting just the right angle on a shot!

TODAY ONLY, Zazzle has 30% off on cases. See the sidebar for my Paris/Meeps iPhone cases. Click on it and it will take you right there. Shop till you drop!

Sunday Church Series - The Episcopal Church of the Ascenion

The Episcopal Church of the Ascension, Vestavia Hills

I Long For The Days...

Saw's BBQ- Avondale

when car tags were turquoise and you didn't have to stand in line for 3 hours to get a new one!

Porch Sittin' Weather Again

Finally we're having some cooler temps here in Birmingham. Perfect weather to enjoy my friend's back porch overlooking Highland Golf Course!

BADP On the Road - Cincinnati , A Taste of Belgium

This trip I put A Taste of Belgium on my list.  We lunched there in January, and now that I'm friends with Anni in Brussels ( This is Belgium ), I had to go back for photos!  Located on Race Street in Cincinnati, you can have some authentic Belgium waffles as well as frites!  They were nice enough to let me prowl around with my camera as the waffles were being cooked.

BADP On the Road - Cincinnati Rouge

                                                                      Findlay Market

Findlay Market

Cool Wall in a building under reno

BADP On the Road - Cincinnati "Porkopolis"

"A Streetcar Named Pig"

Way back in the 1820's Cincinnati was the capital of pork processing plants,  earning it the prestigious nickname, PORKOPOLIS.  Alas, all good things must come to an end and in 1861 Chicago snatched the title away. Not to worry, Cincinnati has found a way to celebrate that rich heritage and has enlisted artists to decorate pigs all over town. I caught two as we crossed the street for lunch last week.

BADP On the Road - Cincinnati Architecture

Last week I visited my dear Paris amie Mary Gilbert and husband Jay.  I love Cincinnati. It is one of the prettiest cities I know. The architecture, with its German influence amazes me.  This week, we'll take a little trip up to Cincy for a look around.

A Very Cool ....

way to snazz up a boring parking deck.  Across the street from the brand new Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children.

(Metallic mesh panels)

Forest Hill

Forest Hill Cemetery near the Birmingham airport, was established in 1883.

Gallery 1930

Birmingham artist Meredith Keith exhibits her work here at Gallery 1930 in English Village

Round and Round You Go!

Stairwell of the newly completed Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children

Basket Case II

Sojourns Fair Trade

2017 Third Avenue North

Looking Back at the Past

This powerful sculpture by Alabama artist Ronald McDowell, is dedicated to the foot soldiers of the Civil Rights Movement.  Kelly Ingram Park across the street from the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. 

Shoeshine Guy

When my friend Bob Crowe was here last week from St. Louis, he noted that we had two shoeshine establishments within a block of each other in downtown Birmingham.  He thought this quite remarkable in this day and age.  For this photographer, it's an never ending source of material.  Here's one of the nice  guys at Bon Ton Hatters.

Sunday Church Series - Cathedral Church of the Advent

One of Birmingham's most beautiful places of worship.

Summer's Over

Time for the girls to hang up their fishing poles!

Camera Porn!

I took Bob and Carolyn Crowe to What's On Second last Monday. I"ve been there many times but this place is so full of memorabilia you would NEVER see it all. I always head to the old camera section and swoon. This time they had them displayed with these cool pink lights.  BAM!

BTW, Bob featured some of his photos yesterday on his Saint Louis Daily Photo blog.

Days Gone By

 Built in 1927, the Florentine Building on 21st Street north downtown, is begging for someone to save her!   There are a  few shops on the ground level,  but the second floor, which was once a ballroom,  is in serious disrepair.  The beautiful terra cotta  architectural details ,  are still intact for the most part due to the fine craftmanship. This lantern is as pretty as those I've seen in Paris.  This building is an historic treasure for the city.  Hopefully investors will save it before it's too late.

Parking

Last  Sunday, while showing Bob and Carolyn Crowe Birmingham's historic Morris Avenue, I went poking around for something I'd missed all the other times I'd been there to shoot.  This caught my eye. Photographer's are a weird bunch, I know.

That's All Folks!

Bob and Carolyn Crowe and I started out yesterday morning bright and early with the best of intentions. We were headed to the Barber  Motor Sports Park for the Color Run.  Bob had photographed this fun run in St. Louis just a few weeks ago and we were all pumped for a great day.  Bumper to bumper traffic on the interstate plus POURING rain did not deter us.  We drove in and parked in a grassy field that we knew would be mud shortly.  We climbed the to the street saw this below us, and I took five shots.  In order to get anywhere close would have meant a very long climb in the driving rain.  When the going got tough......... well Carolyn and I turned around and headed for the car and Bob carried on. He got some terrific shots and you can see them HERE on St. Louis Daily Photo.  This is my meager offering.

It's About Time!

Bob Crowe's St. Louis Daily Photo blog caught my eye shortly after I started this blog.  Through the years he's given advice, support and become a dear friend.  This weekend we FINALLY met in person.  Bob and his delightful wife Carolyn flew to Birmingham and we have had a marvelous time together. You don't even want to know how many photos we taken and we still have today left...Color Run, Sloss Furnaces and BBQ!!!  Yesterday we did the Children's Hospital, downtown B'ham and the Civil Rights Institute.  We polished off the day with dinner am my house with a few friends.

Birmingham Rouge - Quinlan Castle

Taken through the gate, Quinlan Castle

Quinlan Castle started its life on the B'ham scene in 1927 as an apartment complex. In the 1990's it fell in total disrepair and its future was sketchy.  Luckily Southern Research Institute bought it and it has been restored since the first time I posted it here.   Today I revisited with St. Louis blogger Bob Crowe and his lovely wife Carolyn, who flew in to spend the weekend with me in Birmingham.  Stay tuned, we  have a lot planned for the next two days.  We've already had some photo ops and a divine dinner at Little Savannah.

CDP Theme Day - People Watching

This guy amuses himself all day long,  people watching at the Birmingham Zoo! 

Today, my fellow City Daily Photobloggers are posting their idea of PEOPLE WATCHING for our September Theme Day. Click HERE   ( Facebook) or HERE to see them all!