Birmingham Alabama Daily Photo Celebrates SIX YEARS!

Today is the BADP's SIXTH Anniversary !!! It's hard to believe that I've been doing this every day since 2008.  Monsieur Google says that's  2,209 posts.  I am sure I say this every year but I owe a huge MERCI to Eric Tenin, Paris Daily Photo, and the genius behind the City Daily Photo Blog community.  I started with Eric's blog and then realized I might be able to do one myself.  The simple act of creating this blog has opened the world to me,  and I've made so many friends around the world who are bloggers like me or just blog readers. My life has been enriched beyond measure by your blogs, your comments and your friendships.

Today I thought it would be fun to share my first post!

 Nothing says summer like sunflowers!  These were spotted at the Pepper Place Market on 2nd Avenue South.  Open each Saturday morning from May through September, it's the place to go for the freshest homegrown produce, homemade cakes and pies, handcrafted items, live music, and cooking demos by local chefs.  Grab your camera cause it's great place to take pictures.  6/20/08

Last Chance

for pool time before schools start in Birmingham!!

It's Too Darn Hot!

We've had high temps and a lot of rain lately.  Sort of "saunaish", as some say.  This lady found the perfect thing to beat the heat... what we've been known to call a "funeral home" fan.

Free At Last!

Our "petit prince" Davis, celebrates the end of his 5K year at Railroad Park.  Here comes summer......

Chillin' Out

Sometimes just sitting under a shade tree is the best place to be here in Birmingham....in the summer.

No Mow

Today's photo is one that instantly evokes memories of my childhood.  I spent summers in North Little Rock, Arkansas with my grandparents.  From the time I could reach the handles of the "push mower" my granddaddy, who I called Big Daddy ( it doesn't get more southern than that!) , had me helping with the mowing.  I didn't look on it as a chore, rather a rite of passage. I was finally big enough to help him!  I spotted this handle-less mower at Sweet Peas and actually have photographed it many, many times.  Spring has arrived and summer will be here before we know it.   Such sweet memories of summers gone by.

There's a Tune du Jour!  I had this in draft form so Tony Bennett can croon 

" For Once in My Life" , one of my favorites!

Discover Tony Bennett!

So Long Summer, 2008

Even in  Alabama, summer's over. Good bye fresh peaches, home grown tomatoes and the Pepper Place Market every Saturday morning. Hello craft fairs, pumpkin displays and scarecrows sitting on haystacks. Sure it's hot enough to be summer , but it's just time now  to "play" fall.  My last chance to post this picture of my little friend from the Pepper Place. He was there almost every Saturday with his grandmother and other relatives. He usually hung out in the back of the truck with a load of cantelopes and as the summer wore on, watermelons. Sometimes when I'd stop by and ask, "Where's my little buddy today?" Grandma would say, "Thank goodness he's asleep in the truck!" He was a tad busy as we like to say. One Saturday his dad even had him on a kiddie leash! The day I took this photo, Grandma was behind him hollering, "Smile for that lady!"  After I was done, he took off like a flash. I contemplated chasing after him, but someone told me that everyone looked out for him and he'd be just fine. I can't wait till next spring to see how he's grown.  Maybe I'll be able to trick a smile out of him next year! So long my little buddy, so long summer!

The Tune du Jour is "Sunny" by Marvin Gaye

Clinging to Summer

Autumn hasn't found its way down to Alabama just yet.  Oh the days are shorter, the kids have been back in school for over a month now, SEC football is at fever pitch,  and Halloween mania has hit every shop in town , but the weather still feels like summer!  This outrageously gorgeous bucket of zinnias caught my eye at the Pepper Place on Saturday.  A sure sign that summer's not ready to pack her grip and make way for fall anytime soon.   Why,  it's still flip-flop weather!!!  So how's the weather in your part of the world?

The Tune du Jour is a good one -  "Summertime" by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong.  You will want to sit back and listen to every minute of this.

Gathering Acorns

Portraits From My Heart I

I don't know about you , but I thoroughly enjoyed the artist portrait series from my friend over at St. Louis, Mo Daily Photo.  Unfortunately,  my portfolio of  portraits is still a work in progress.  However, I do have a very small collection I would like to share.    I have photographed each one since the first day they came into this world and my life..... my grandchilden!   I hope that each photograph gives you a glimpse of their sweet spirit.

My granddaughters found some baskets in the basement and set out to harvest acorns in my yard last week.  Hard to believe that the squirrels that reside in my trees had left them even one, but in no time they had quite a collection.  Great fun was had drawing faces on them and decorating them with fern leaves.  The pleasures of summer.

The Tune du Jour is from the movie Forest Gump, one of my favorite tunes. Enjoy!

2 THINGS CHALLENGE - UP/DOWN

Little did I know when I posted this photo today that I was jumping right into this week's Two Things Challenge which is UP/DOWN!  Thanks to my pal in D.C. for alerting me.  For once I am ahead of the game instead of bringing up the rear. 

These boys are having a ball swinging as high as they can go!  Isn't that what summer is all about?