Only another week left in August???

Hi there! A few items to report on - the yard work hit a major milestone yesterday when I finally raked up the last of the big pile-o-leaves in the backyard. It looks a lot better now and we are deciding on the perfect patio set to place outside so we can fully enjoy the area. The ivy is a huge pain to pull out of the ground, and as you can see from photos in the link below (or to the right at our shortcuts area), it's a slow, slow work in progress.

Clearing the decaying leaves and sprawling ivy means we've shooed away the Palmetto bugs that plague the South, but imagine my surprise when a different pest showed up this morning...a rat! in broad daylight! Feasting on some old rice I had sprinkled out for the birds. I'm a bit conflicted about our new rodent friend. I'm pretty sure he's a resident in the empty field lot behind out house, but unsure what damage he'll do on our yard/house. Rats eat roaches right? Well, the enemy of my enemy just might well be my friend...

We also have the good fortune this week of experiencing a low of 60 degrees this week!! The highs are again in the low 90s which is great compared to the last month...Dry air wafted through Alabama and boy could we feel it this morning! It was the most pleasant weather we've experienced here to date. Dan and I are excited for the fall to settle in - Unsure about the massive amount of leaves to rake up, but I'll deal with it if I can sit outside for longer than 20 minutes without needing a shower.

Anyhow, this past weekend we also went on an evening cruise aboard the Bama Belle. Pictures are also included in today's link, and I'll let Dan tell you about the happenings on that end as he tends to provide more vivid narratives...

The link to the yard, Bama Belle, and a few of Hannah...

Cheers for now all!

A few days of cooler weather...

meaning it is only in the low 90s this week!! At this point I think we'll take anything below 100, and as long as our central air works we will be golden. A low-key week has passed us by. The UA starts classes tomorrow, and it shows. Tuscaloosa is flooded with students - traffic is a little worse and the grocery stores are a little bit busier. All in all I'm interested in seeing The Strip bustling, but will be happy that we are closer to the Downtown proper area. Construction Downtown is nearing an end, save for the Federal building that is currently pink in color for some reason.

I've been busing myself with cleaning up the yard. There are years and years of fallen leaves that have piled high along our fence. I'm slowly but surely making a dent and attempting to beautify the yard. It's not so bad as it is, but the ivy is a bit unruly. That said, I'm really unsure what the other vines creeping along our fence are - weed? native? invasive? For now I have been pulling up things and asking questions later. I really can only stand an hour or so outside before becoming a complete puddle, but progress can indeed be seen (at least I think).

Other than that, Dan and I finally finished the bedroom table - salvaged from CNR. It looks so much better than it did originally so we're pretty pleased with ourselves! We've also added a little greenery in the home, after researching a local nursery that has gotten good reviews for their staff and plant knowhow. They've been kind enough to take a look at some pictures of our yard and gave us ideas of what to do with it to make it more welcoming. Right now our task is to just clean it up as it's too hot to plant anything now. Come October the weather should be tame enough for us to plant some pansies, and the splash of color will be most welcome. As it stands though, the yard has been a great pleasure for us given our avian friends. The hummingbird is constantly buzzing about defending his prolific cane sugar-producing territory.

Well, click here for a few pictures of the table, yard, and misc...

xo

Building a bird sanctuary brick by brick..

Well, not brick by brick, but first with a hummingbird feeder, and hopefully after today, with some bird seed and suet. Our backyard is now home to a great male ruby throated hummingbird. He's a territorial little bugger and is fending off his new territory from a younger male. We have been delighted by his flits and fancies about the yard (see a couple pictures of himat the end of the Aug 8 photos posted). His favorite perch is easily viewed from our living room couch and the kitchen. In addition to our feisty buzzer, we have a pair of morning doves dubbed "Pat and Chris" that like to roost on the fence dividing us from our neighbor's yard each evening around 5:30pm. But that's not all!! We've been treated by visits from many cardinals that feed on our flowering grass (sadly, today is their last day since the yard guys come every other Monday to tame the lawn). There is also a very vocal Carolina wren that wakes us each morning and enjoys sunning on our back porch by the BBQ. Add in the handful of mocking birds that seem to pepper our southern landscape and you've got enough to keep this So Cal girl happy for quite a while. Perhaps it is the lack of a TV, but our backyard keeps me well-captivated. I've been spending mornings staring out of our windows enjoying the little bit of wildlife we are lucky to have. Makes up for all of the biting and stinging insects that plague me when I venture into the yard.

Still in the works is a plan for the backyard. The stack of library books has yet to totally inspire us to a firm plan, but we have many options for our mostly sunny backyard. We hope to get rid of most of the grass in the backyard, save for a little patch that Hannah can enjoy the few times she requests a visit. Maybe some no maintenance gravel and mulch to offer walking paths, a firepit of some sort, and affordable outdoor furniture to lounge in once it is no longer oppressively hot (October we are hoping).

The front porch is slowly coming along...a small table to hold my morning coffee and what is deemed the "ghetto" furniture of a milk crate bench will hopefully get covered with oil cloth or the like. Our street is quiet for the most part and the front porch is a comfortable area shielded from the morning sun and I have yet to be harassed by any invertebrates while relaxing there. Hannah comes out occasionally to lie on the warm sidewalk and observe the cars that are traveling to and from the post office the next block over. To be sure, our house is now a home, and a home in the south at that...

xo

Day trips and other fun stuff

Since Dismal's Canyon, we've been keeping busy with other trips around the area. On Thursday evening we headed across the river with our neighbors to the city of Northport for a little culture. The city's galleries were holding their monthly "Art Walk". The average age of the artists was probably 65 and there were common themes of pet portraits, people portraits, and southern landscapes. To say the least, the art wasn't very imaginative. We did however meet some folks that could paint a nice portrait of Hannah if we ever felt the urge to have one.

We awoke on Friday morning with the urge to get out of town. We decided to head to the small city of Huntsville which is located in northern AL. Huntsville is famous for being where the US space program first took off. The NASA Space and Rocket Center and a branch campus of UA are located in Huntsville. However, we decided to leave these two attractions for our next visit, instead opting for some delicious Vietnamese food and an art gallery. Chau was really excited about the food and I think it passed her rigorous approval. While in Huntsville, we also took in some breathtaking views of the surrounding area from the Monte Santo State Park lookout.

Yesterday, still feeling the urge to get out of town, we headed to B-ham to watch the Birmingham Barons battle it out on the diamond with the Mississippi Braves. First, you should know that the B-ham Barons are a legendary minor league team. The Barons have produced several Hall of Famers such as Satchel Paige, Willie Mays, Reggie Jackson, Rollie Fingers, Robin Ventura, Bo Jackson, and Frank Thomas. You may also remember that in the early 1990s, Michael Jordan attempted to play major league baseball. The minor league team he played for was the Barons. Out of the three big things we did this weekend, the game was our favorite. The stadium was great. The people watching was great. But best of all was the fireworks spectacular (Pyro Palooza III to be exact). It was awesome. Plus we got to eat hot dogs and drink extremely expensive beer. Oh yeah...and the Barons won! We'll definitely be back.

Check out the photos from our weekend...here.