September Theme Day - BIG

DREAM BIG!

May I just say once again, how many doors Birmingham Alabama Daily Photo has opened for me? Today's post is another example of how fortunate I am to be able to go out into my community and photograph and write about the wonderful things taking place all over this city.

Saturday I was invited to visit Willow Woods Community Center in Birmingham's Woodlawn neighborhood. It was parent orientation for an exciting new program. Thanks to Church of the Highland's Dream Center outreach program, some mighty excited little girls are going to be taking ballet lessons for the very first time. Saturday the Briarwood Presbyterian's Exaltation company performed for the future ballerinas and their families. It was thrilling to watch. Their enthusiastic ballet instructor, Adair Whetstone, happens to be a dear friend, and she has offered to let me come back to class and take some more photographs as these young girls begin to live out their dreams. Lucky girls, lucky parents, lucky me!

Today, City Daily Photo Bloggers all around the world are putting their unique spin on this BIG theme.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Note: As this blog has expanded my circle of friends around the world , it has increased my personal awareness of how natural disasters ( not to mention political ones) affect them. Right now our friends in California are living through the nightmare of devastating wildfires. We worry for them, their neighbors and the heroes that fight the fires around the clock.

100 Strangers Challenge - The Cutie Patooties!

Stranger # 89

Well I just sat myself on the steps at the Pepper Place Market last Saturday with my friend Bill and watched the people and the dogs parade by us. These two little strangers just practically plopped in my lap. The "Ice Cream Girl" and her family sat down with us. She wanted to "pose" for me, but for once , I waited. Eventually the ice cream won out, and she had to have an unposed LICK! The little curly head below, walked right up, gave me a very serious stare and said, "Will you take my picture?" Well you bet sweetheart. I snapped and snapped and she continued to stare. I knew the shadows were too dark so I waited, eventually she glanced away and I got this shot. I'm almost at the end of the 100 Stranger Challenge. I'm thinking this is way too much fun. I' m not done.

Stranger #90

Two Things Challenge -Early/Late

Early

Here today ...........gone two hours later. Fresh peaches grown right here in Alabama don't last long at the Pepper Place Market on a Saturday. This truck was full and they went like hot cakes...... I mean like peach cobbler!

I FINALLY join my beloved TWO THINGS CHALLENGE TEAM again. YEAH!!! To see how the rest of the gang interpreted the challenge click here.

LATE

Yellow

I was at Sloss Furnaces last Saturday waiting for the train to pass..............took advantage of the view. Not my usual, but I think my granddaddy, who worked for the Missouri-Pacific Railroad as a switchman, would have liked these.

TKO

Technical Knock Out is the only electronic recycler in Alabama. They recycle anything that plugs in except a TV. The components all stay in the good ole US of A. IN 2008. they recycled 142 TONS of metal, 6.9 TONS of wire, and 11 tractor trailers full of circuit boards, power supplies, floppies (I resent that!), and opticals. My friend and co-owner, Elise mans their booth at Pepper Place Market every Saturday. She loves talking to the patrons and seeing the PPM dogs. Last Saturday I found these colorful "mother boards". Elise thinks they look like mini-cities. I do too!

Just Melons

Averiett Branch Farms

Pepper Place Market

It's all about the light, isn't it!

The Crape Myrtles are a Bloomin'

This time of year Birmingham is covered with the blossoms of the crape myrtle. They come in all colors of white, lilac, pink and my personal favorite that I call watermelon, shown here today. Birmingham 'eye candy' for sure!

Stokin' the Fire BBQ and Music Festival

As your roving reporter in Birmingham, I found myself at Sloss Furnaces on Saturday morning to cover the Stokin' the Fire BBQ and Music Festival. Alas, the BBQ tasting wasn't until 4:00 that afternoon, but I wandered around the whole place and checked out the team tents and the various grills/smokers. I'm a fair barbeque smoker myself, and I have to tell you that there were some mighty fine rigs out there. I don't know who the winners were, but I can tell you that everyone was having a fine time at 11:00 and I can only imagine how much fun they were having by nightfall when the music really cranked up. Oh and just for the record, my two favorite team names were: "Bad to the Bone" and "Bubba Q"!

Just one of the Mega-Grills!!

My southern readers won't need an explanation here but for the rest of you, this is a smoked Boston butt. It has nothing whatsoever to do with Boston or anything Yankee. Butts (excuse my French), ribs and I think chicken were the categories for judging.

Pepper Place Dogs

The Trifecta

What can I say, these Pepper Place dogs are so darn cute, I can hardly stand it!

If you're happy and you know it........ wag your tongue!

Foxglove

Have a bon Sunday everyone!

When the Cat's Away.....

Apparently while I was running loose in Paris this summer, the spiders were spinning out of control - right here on my window ledges. Someone needs a good window washer! This photo is proof positive that the late afternoon light can make anything look good.

Another Gathering Storm

Grab your glass, it's time to head inside!

( Evie's deck)

Tea Party

Tuesday, I ran in to Village Press in Mountain Brook Village to buy some cards. They have a terrific selection of cards, invitations, and stationery, not to mention a helpful and friendly staff. What a pleasant surprise to find that they were having a tea party for their patrons. My cute little friend Elizabeth, was having a grand time sampling the pink lemonade and cookies while her mom was shopping! I was able to talk her into just one more cookie so I could take her picture.

Rest in Peace , Dear Willie

The hardest part about having a pet is having to say goodbye when they are ready, but you're not. I lost my sweet granddog Willie on Monday. He was much loved by our family and especially his soulmate, Ivy and Kittykins, who secretly loved him but wouldn't admit it. From the day he joined our family, he was the sweetest and gentlest dog you could ever love. Man's best friend indeed.