Rockin' Robin

I suspect he and his pals were on their way through town and stopped for a meal in the snow before making their way south.

Wheeeeeeee

Despite temps well below freezing today, the kiddos in my neighborhood had fun at Triangle Park.  Not much of a hill but if you get a big push from Dad, you would make it all the way down!

Meanwhile our interstates and roads are still impossibly clogged with stalled/wrecked/abandoned cars and with the expectation of low temperatures again tonight, the refreezing will make it even more difficult. The good news is that many people have gotten home or at least to a warm place and most, but not all of the teachers and students that spent last night in their schools, have been able to go home.

Coming In For A Landing

Well as most of you know, Birmingham had a huge surprise yesterday morning. Mother Nature had the last laugh on the meteorologists and dumped about 3 inches of the white stuff on our fair city in about two hours time. To say it caught everyone off guard is an understatement. All over B'ham, people have abandoned their cars and tried to walk home or sought shelter, and many school children and teachers are sleeping in schools tonight. It's a hot mess. I'm fortunate,
 as I got to the grocery store and back home in record time and spent the rest of the day taking periodic trips outside for photos. I spied this fat cardinal and stalked him for as long as he'd let me. I got several shots but this one of his approach to the bird feeder was my favorite.

Breaking News....Aliens Invade the Birmingham Museum of Art !!!

 Quilted Vessel
 Craig Wedderspoon

The new Craig Wedderspoon installation in the museum's outdoor Mezzanine Sculpture Gallery is great fun. Scattered all around are his amazing undulating welded aluminum pieces.  I dare you to have a look and not smile.

Close Up

You will have to come back tomorrow to see more! 

Chinese New Year - The Year of the Horse

Yesterday I was able to spend a few minutes at the Boutwell Auditorium for the Chinese New Year celebration. The dragon is always a crowd pleaser!  I was sorry I couldn't be there for the wonderful music and dance presentations throughout the day.

Red Barn - Homewood

This is no ordinary barn, actually I think it's just a storage area painted this fine red at Christopher Glenn in Homewood.  They specialize in antiques, lamps and accessories inside, and outside a beautiful selection of planters, statuary and fountains for your garden.

Fast Forward...

Back in 2011, I was wandering around the Pepper Place Market and spotted this pretty girl with the bright sunny parasol and hat to match. Fast forward to the Magic City Art Connection the next year where we recognized each other and started a wonderful friendship.

Meet Laura Kate Whitney, fabulous mom to two adorable boys, community activist, blogger ( Magic City Made) and now working tirelessly for Avondale Elementary School and Revive Birmingham.

Fast forward to  Revive Birmingham's Woodlawn street party last fall where I snapped her again. Watch out for Laura Kate Whitney Birmingham, she's a mover and a shaker and we are so lucky to have her!

Like Going Home Again

Yesterday, I had the privilege of visiting Shades Cahaba Elementary.  Not only did my girls and I attend school there, but I taught third grade for 19 years.  I was invited by my friend and fellow teacher Delaine Ragland to come and speak to her class about what it was like growing up in Birmingham during the Civil Rights Movement here in  Birmingham.  Delaine found my comments on Kids in Birmingham 1963, which is a wonderful resource for teachers and students as well.

We had a wonderful time together and her students were a terrific audience and asked some excellent questions. I'm looking forward to visiting their classroom again at the culmination of their study to see them present what they learned.

Treadwell's Barber Shop........ a Mountain Brook Tradition

I love featuring the  businesses in my city that have been here for decades. Well Treadwell's goes back 50 years in Mountain Brook. Thankfully, they are still in business.

Old Man Winter

We've asked him to leave, but he's still hanging around.

In A Winter Garden

Purple Cabbage

Good News For Birmngham!

I fell in love with the Florentine Building when I first got serious about photography.  I knew it was a fabulous old treasure and heard that it was due a facelift.  Well five years later..........it's happening!  This week it was announced that this beautiful building,  built in the 1920's,  is going to be renovated. Read all about it right here. I"ll keep you posted on the progress.

Blue Skies

This delicate metal topiary tempietto by artist Mario Villa, stands in the center of the Dunn Formal Rose Garden at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.  It caught my eye as the clouds moved past. I would have loved to have waited long enough to find them aligning themselves to resemble the continents on planet Earth but............