Sorry, no pics, but soon I promise!
1) Been working on the yard some, excited to start planting soon! We have been prepping the yard for various patches of fruit and vegetable bearing plants. We've also had some fun making paths with the Coweeta rocks... I just bought 4 Cascade Hop Rhizomes! They should produce enough for a batch of beer by the end of the growing season!! I spent the day yesterday making a flimsy bird feeder to draw in more birds closer to the house, and also "plumbed" the garden hose from the Nelson parental units to the backyard (the backyard has no working faucet - which was very lame). I have a "grand plan" sketched out in my mind of what the back yard will eventually look like - it involves building a deck over the eyesore-cellar door, a firepit, a chicken coop (with laying chickens!), and plants that will feed us to no end! One step at a time...one step at a time...
2) Last weekend Dan, Hannah and I went to Oak Ridge Mountain State Park which is near Birmingham (and also close to our local Brew Store, AlaBrew!), it was surprisingly nice once you got past a few details - a couple of man-made lakes, a brown golf course, a couple animal rehabilitation centers...BUT the gem was the miles of hiking trails and the clear tiny streams (and even a waterfall!) that criss-cross through the 9000+ acre park! This is the closest we've gotten to a natural area that you can get lost in, which we miss dearly from out West!...Hannah had a blast and was quite tuckered out by the end of the trip. We also went to
Jim n' Nicks BBQ which is a southern chain and pretty delish. It reminded us of a Cheesecake Factory with a southern twist - not quite that "downhome" feeling you get at most BBQ joints around here, but everything is made from scratch so who really cares? The best part of the mean were surprisingly the collard greens! The greens melted in your mouth with large chunks of smoked pork nestled throughout -
Alabama Alchemy at its finest...
3) Although economic times are tough around the US, you wouldn't know it from all the new construction going on around Tuscaloosa. Aside from the
new federal building going up downtown that is said to be a new FBI headquarters, There are numerous city construction projects in the works. One that I am especially excited about is the new
Tuscaloosa Farmer's Market going up a mile north of our house. It's gotten mixed reviews, but all in all I'm fairly excited that this will be complete within the year! Associated with that project is a continuation of the Riverwalk which will connect a 2 mile path along the river. Over the hot hot summer Dan and I took a bike ride along the path and were surprised by its abrupt stop after a scant half mile. The path should be finished by early summer - all in all I'm excited about any new construction in the South that encourages biking and walking and does not involve building
condos that will be swept downriver in the next 100 year flood (this is such a poorly-planned idea).
4) Again associated with new construction, the new
Tuscaloosa Amphitheater is finished and the first show is April 1st - Band of Horses is opening up for the Avett Brothers and Dan and I (along with a gaggle of other grad students) have tickets! We are uber excited to have nice weather and be able to walk down to the amphitheater for some music that is right up our alley. Earlier reports had Kenny Chesney opening up the season and that got us slightly depressed that the new 7,500 person venue would cater soley to the country audience. Thankfully, Kenny had to postpone later in the year and now we get to see Band of Horses! I am totally addicted to their
cover of Cee-Lo Green's "
Georgia" (only $0.99 on the Band of Horses website!)
The backstory on the song, which I find precious since it is football related, ahh the South and their football:
Ben Bridwell of Band of Horses recalls the genesis of the "Georgia" single: "This began as a very random idea I had on my dad's patio after we watched our beloved Georgia Bulldog football team get robbed of a win at the hands of the referees and LSU last year. I knew I wanted to pay homage to my favorite team in song but didn't have any idea how to begin. Once I heard Cee Lo's 'Georgia,' I was immediately smitten and figured that's as good as any tribute to any state I've ever heard. It wasn't until I heard his cover of our song though that it occurred to me: Duh, we should return the favor. Incorporating the Redcoat marching band was just the icing on the cake! This song is so nostalgic to me as my parents grew up in Atlanta and have so many family members in the great state of Georgia. It's always been a second home of sorts. We've played some great shows there as well, including our run of annual New Year's Eve shows in Atlanta from 2007-2009."
....as a neat aside, the Georgia Bulldogs Marching Band now plays the song at their
football games...I will melt when they play is live on April 1st - no foolin' (so cheesy I know)
5) Dan and I have been tasting our beer throughout this maturation process, it's been fun to hear more and more carbonation form (when we crack open the bottles) and taste the difference - it's definitely an IPA and it's definitely got alcohol...it hasn't made us go blind yet so far - that means a success in my book thus far, we'll still have to wait a full two weeks for the "best" flavor..
6) I tried my hand at making cinnamon raisin bagels this morning from Dan's Healthy Artisan Bread in 5 minute book - they are NOT pretty, but they were pretty tasty...which is the important part I guess
Hopefully I'll have time soon to post pictures of the above events...as for now, I gotta go to work!
xo!
