Hunt Refinery

This is Hunt Refining Company in Tuscaloosa. This refinery has been a major employer in Tuscaloosa since 1946. They make products including oil, gas, jet fuel, diesel fuel, home heating oil, and paving asphalt. If you buy gas at a Parade station in the southeast, that fuel was refined right here. Hunt products are marketed as far as New Jersey to the north and Houston and Pensacola to the west and south.

Work in Tuscaloosa

If you lived in Tuscaloosa, chances are you would know someone who worked at or had retired from "the rubber plant," BF Goodrich. This plant has been manufacturing tires for as long as I can remember. It is unionized and over the years has experienced many strikes, a buyout by Michelin, and unfortunately recent layoffs. But at least it's still here. The plant in Opelika, Alabama hasn't fared as well.

Spring in the Woods

On a springtime walk in the woods of the southeast, you might spot - a quiet lake with new life buzzing, swimming, & hopping all around, wildflowers, wild ferns, honeysuckles, blackberry blossoms, and unidentified seed pods.

Skywatch Friday

"But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?" ...oh wait, that's not a window, that's a hole in the roof of the barn! Here's a shot into the hayloft, complete with rope for swinging down. And technically, that is the sky you see through that hole, so it works for Skywatch Friday too! Now, how many blogs can combine the Bard and a barn in one post?

Inside the barn

That's an old screen door hanging up. I love the rafters and old weathered siding here. If you click to enlarge the next pic, you can see a plow and an old wagon wheel in back.

Pieced together barn

Here's the barn, as promised, almost. My Daddy is over 70 and he says it has been there as long as he can remember. It belonged to his mother's youngest brother.

I took two pics of the front, neither of which included the entire barn. Not sure how that happened...amateur photography once again. Anyway, I pieced the two together in Picasa. I matched the roofline and that vertical loft line. Sorry about the shadow and sky color, not enough time to fix them (and maybe not enough skill).

Old Farm

Another old farming implement at my great uncle's old homeplace.

Stay tuned for the barn.

Old hay rake

Spring in Tuscaloosa 2

My composition is less than perfect with that big pine in the way, but I loved the contrast between the waxy green magnolia and the stark white dogwood. The magnolia tree here is HUGE. It's one of the largest I've ever seen and it has several giant buddies in the same yard. The dogwood is also large for its type. I think this one is worth a click to enlarge.

Skywatch Friday

Spring clouds near sunset over Shelton State Community College.

See more skies Skywatch Friday.

Egg Hunt

Is there anything sweeter than a big ol' white bow on a brown haired girl?

I don't think so. The Easter egg hunt after lunch was a big hit with this little one and her big brother (behind the tree).

What IS a Gravity Wave?

Sunday night a gravity wave moved across Alabama. I don't understand it either, but whatever it was, it included winds of 60 miles per hour. Did you know that 60 mph winds will turn your neighbor's trampoline into a flying saucer? Did you know that the impact of a flying trampoline rolling across the back of your house can break a window, tear away aluminum from the eave, and rip a gaping hole in your roof? Did you know that the sound of a trampoline crashing into your house at 12:45 a.m. is very upsetting? We thought a tornado was ripping the house apart with us in our bed!
But we were lucky compared to some residents.
Lots of people are still without power. That's the one downside of living in a city of large trees.
Thankfully, there were no injuries reported.

Happy Easter

A dogwood blossom reminds us - cross shaped, crown of thorns in the center, rusty colored nail prints on the outer edges of the petals. There's a legend about the tree, but I don't know that it's true.
This I do know...
Hallelujah, He is Risen!
Happy Resurrection Day Everybody!

Snowball Bush

Spring in Tuscaloosa - Chinese Snowball Bush - Viburnum

Skywatch Friday

Those little specs among the puffy white clouds are the U.S. Navy Blue Angels flight demonstration squadron performing combat maneuvers over Tuscaloosa last weekend at the 2009 AirShow. Click to enlarge! Happy Weekend Everyone!
Please visit these Skywatch Friday to see other skies from around the world.

Pink Dogwood

The dogwood trees are blooming in Tuscaloosa. I love the white variety that is native in the southeast. This pink dogwood is a cultivated variety and a favorite of mine.

Ascending

Ascending. Blue Angels fly the Boeing F/A 18 Hornet.

The Tuscaloosa AirShow was a rousing success and the weather couldn't have been more perfect Saturday. Unfortunately on Sunday, Tuscaloosa was cloudy and rainy, forcing the Blue Angels to cancel the second show. The pilots stayed around and visited and signed autographs for the 30,000 people who came to the show Sunday.

More Blue Angels

Sorry about the lack of quality here. They're flying really high and really fast. This is the best I could do with my rinky dink camera. But you can see the classic diamond formation. We had four Navy pilots and two Marine pilots. Their pictures were in our local paper. They were dressed exactly alike, but I think I could tell the difference by the way they wear their hats! Navy hats were pulled wide toward the ears, Marine hats were pulled narrow front to back. (does anyone know if that's right?)

"The Blue Angels’ mission is to enhance Navy and Marine Corps recruiting efforts and to represent the naval service to the United States, its elected leadership and foreign nations. The Blue Angels serve as positive role models and goodwill ambassadors for the U. S. Navy and Marine Corps."

Blue Angels

An estimated 80-100,000 people turned out Saturday at the Tuscaloosa Regional Airport to see a day of flying that concluded with a spectacular show of combat maneuvers by the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels. The show was a huge success! We can't wait till they come back to see us again. Click to enlarge. I'll be sharing other photos from the show this week.

The Blue Angels in Tuscaloosa

Click to enlarge! The Blue Angels, the U. S Navy's Flight Demonstration Squadron, are performing maneuvers in Tuscaloosa this weekend at the Tuscaloosa Airshow! We're so excited to have this elite flying team in town. They only perform in 35 cities a year, and we got them! I hope to get some shots of the show.

Skywatch Friday

Blue sky over the Paul W. Bryant Bridge, the newest spanning the Black Warrior River in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Who is Paul W. "Bear" Bryant? Glad you asked.

For more skywatch photos, please visit Skywatch Friday.

Happy Weekend!

Water Towers, Old and New

The older one in the background was always a favorite place for local high school students to paint their schools initials. Now it's covered in rust and I'm pretty sure some less than innocent grafitti. The newer one is tag free, probably because it's harder to climb.

(And there, in the foreground, are my signature power lines. Apparently I can't take a shot without them. good grief)