Merry Christmas

from Tuscaloosa Daily Photo

Merry Catmas

Everyone around here is in a Christmas Tizzy. (that's southern for a fit caused by last minute shopping)....well maybe not everyone. We don't even bother putting the presents UNDER the tree. We hate to disturb Mollycat.

Turnip Greens

Picking turnip greens for lunch. Garden to table in an hour or two.

Postcard Tuesday

Here's a nice little blast from the past - Downtown Tuscaloosa in the 20s or 30s.

The building on the left with the flag is Allen Jemison Hardware (whose existence is in danger, but may have been reprieved). On the right are the Alston building and the First National Bank building.

University of Alabama SEC Champions!

Photos by Robert Sutton from the Tuscaloosa News. The Crimson Tide of Alabama just beat the University of Florida to win its 22nd SEC Championship!

ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!!

Friday Reflection

Looking across the Black Warrior River, nearly sunset, fall

The smoke is from Dreamland BBQ behind Wintzell's Seafood.

The colors were more vivid in real life, imagine that...here's an attempt to brighten it up. You can see the fall colors better, but it washes out the sky. Oh well...

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone

from the main turkey at Tuscaloosa Daily Photo!

Fall at the Gazebo

Gazebo in one of the parks on River Road (Jack Warner Parkway)

Fall Downtown

Here's a drive by of University Blvd. in downtown Tuscaloosa. I thought the fall trees were pretty. I didn't realize I also caught the Amercian flag and the State of Alabama flag hanging from the balcony of the Italian restaurant.

Skywatch Friday

Cotton candy clouds at sunset in Tuscaloosa.
Happy Weekend Everyone.
Please visit Skywatch Friday!

Sunday

Spooky Spider

Spiderwebs are particularly tricky to photograph if you're an amateur like me.

But, if you can manage to overlook the mad skillz (not), check out the weirdo spider living in this one. He's yellow and black and seems to have on body armor. Anyone have any idea what he really is?

New Sign

There's a new sign downtown painted on the side of the Mellow Mushroom. They painted over part of the old Maxwell Brothers Wholesale Grocery sign that I featured in one of my early posts.

Serene Sunday

This little church is in Bibb County, a neighbor of Tuscaloosa.
Enjoy a bit of serenity today.

Homecoming Floats - Return to Glory

That's twelve, count 'em, TWELVE national championship rings on this College of Nursing float.



Are you seeing the theme?

Who's Number One today? A Return to Glory Indeed

Roll Tide!

Homecoming Parade

Cool rides at the UA Homecoming Parade

This one had animated stuffed elephants beating up various other mascots. It was pretty elaborate and very funny!

At some places, they play football...at Alabama, we LIVE it.

Truer words were never spoken. Roll Tide!

(Virginia, if you happen by my blog this weekend, I'm sorry. It will be over soon. Just hit the pause button on the player QUICK)

Getting Ready for Homecoming

Tomorrow is Homecoming 2009 at the University of Alabama - "A Return to Glory" is the theme. Here are some of the sights around campus today

Lawn decorations on Sorority Row, windows painted on the "strip", a city of tailgating tents on the quad, the Million Dollar Band practicing, wood piled high for the bonfire & pep rally tonight, and even a cute Bama scooter in front of the Locker Room store.

And, just in time, the rain has finally stopped and it actually feels like FALL. It couldn't be a better weekend in Tuscaloosa!!! ROLL TIDE ROLL!!

Ghost Sign 2

You can hardly read it, but the sign says Belk-Hudson. This is on the side of the Mellow Mushroom building downtown, originally the Maxwell Brothers Grocery. We have a Belk in town now, but apparently many years ago, there was a Belk-Hudson. Belk is the department store that bought out Parisian a few years ago.

Ghost Sign

Here's an old ghost sign on the back of the Drake Printers (click to see their cool neon sign)building downtown. "Parsons-Persons Motors" Sadly, I couldn't get the entire sign in the frame as it is mostly in an alley and blocked by a newer building. This is also the same building with this ghost sign on the other side.

After the rain

After the rain, the caladiums and other landscape flowers are really showing out. I took this through the car window stopped at a red light. This is in front of the University Club on University Blvd. in downtown Tuscaloosa.

Rainy Week in T-Town

Here's the view on the drive home this week - EVERY DAY...Seriously. It's rained every day this week. Yesterday's fare included deluge followed by sun - hello steam - followed by deluge, and repeat. Seems the same is on tap for today. Oh well, the downpours make for good Sunday napping. Hope you're having a restful weekend!

Skywatch Friday

The clouds are shaped up like North America and Europe/Asia before the continental drift. What does it look like to you?

Happy Friday Everyone. Please click the banner to visit other Skywatch Friday posts!

H & W Drugs

Here's one of a handful of home owned and operated pharmacies left in Tuscaloosa. H & W Drugs has been around a long time. This location is on 15th Street. I love the curved awning/facade and the neon letters.

Postcard Tuesday

If posting around here doesn't pick up, I'll have to change the name to Tuscaloosa Tuesday Photo! Shame and a disgrace with no excuse other than, LIFE happens and frequently at the most inopportune times. So, with the photo well dry and the camera card empty, I submit an old postcard. Here's Broad Street - now University Blvd. - facing east toward the University of Alabama. The bank building from last week's post is in the center of the card. Click to enlarge for detail.

The Bel Aire

It's hard for the younger Tuscalooosans to remember, but before the days of hotel chains, there were little roadside motels like the Bel Aire in town to accommodate travelers and game day guests. In it's heyday Alberta City (this section of Tuscaloosa) had several motels and restaurants along University Boulevard. You might remember the Moon Winx.
Click to enlarge this one to enjoy the great old sign and the vintage vertical flourescent light fixture.

Skywatch Friday

Blue skies over the construction site in downtown Tuscaloosa. That's city hall in the background. Happy Friday Everyone! Please click the banner to visit Skywatch Friday participants from all over the world!

Then and Now

An old postcard image of the First National Bank on Broad Street (now Univ. Blvd.)

I believe the upper floors were apartments that faced 23rd ave.

Here's what it looks like today. It's DePalma's Restaurant. In the years between the bank and the restaurant, it was Adrians, which was a great women's clothing store.

Skywatch Friday

This is a drive by at dark thirty, but I liked the way the tops of the clouds were still lit by the setting sun. (and yes, that is a cemetery) Happy Friday Everyone!

Please view the friendly skies at Skywatch Friday.

Downtown Parking

Newly constructed parking deck downtown.

Functional? maybe

Attractive? hardly

Downtown Re-do

Here's the Innisfree Irish Pub recently relocated into the refurbished Norris Radiator building. The courtyard out front is new, but the rest of the structure has been around for many years. Glad it didn't see the wrecking ball closeup!

Ghost Sign

With all the destruction construction going on downtown, I thought I'd better catch this old ghostly sign while it remained intact. The building it's on isn't in danger, thankfully. I just hope no one gets a bright idea to paint it.

Ken Mac, this one's for you in celebration of your speedy recovery!

Idle Irrigator

With all the rain we've had recently, this metal monster has taken a break.

Corn and Sunflowers

Wish my zoom was better. Please click to enlarge.

Barricades and Barrels

Downtown Tuscaloosa is a bit of a mess right now. (Progress...I'm agin' it.)

But I'm sure it will be lovely once it is all finished. Unexpected finds and old sewer lines have delayed the construction of infrastructure to support the new federal courthouse. The top two photos show University Blvd. facing east. Below are facing west and the new courthouse site.