Memorial Day 2010

Remembering our American soldiers who gave their lives for freedom.

Camera Critters, Learning to Fish

From Alabama's Gulf of Mexico, I bring you a heron learning to fish!

Well, due to the angle, he looks like he's fishing with a pole that is really just planted in the sand. In reality, this bird was hoping to catch the fisherman's fish.

For more fun critters of the camera, visit Camera Critters Meme.

Backyard Bounty

Ahh, late spring and early summer is when the flora flourishes in our backyards. Also, note the washtub fountain!

Thanks to guest photographer Christine Weerts for the photo!

Skywatch Friday, (Pastels in the Sky)

These pink-tinged clouds reflect a brilliant sunrise one morning last week. The clouds moved on, and the sky turned bright blue.

To view more skies, visit www.skyley.blogspot.com.

Lots of Lichens

The common lichen can be uncommonly beautiful. It is also more complicated than it seems, consisting of two or more organisms that live together. Most interesting, while lichens seem to grow anywhere, even on bare rock, they are good monitors of air quality.

School's Out

School is out in Selma, and it's been out at Dallas Academy for a long, long time. But sculptures such as this one, placed above a water fountain, honor its teachers. Here, Mary McEvoy, who taught first grade there, is remembered. I believe the sculpture was moved here from another former school. Can anyone verify that?

Today, Dallas Academy, which became the town's first public school, is used for community organizations such as offices for the Boy Scouts. The city's Ceramic Arts program is located in the basement, and some of the upstairs classrooms are used during Art Camp during the summer.

Sailing

Gulf Shores and Orange Beach are favorite vacation destinations for many Selmians, and I think this photo explains why!

A trip to the beach only takes three-four hours, and while there last weekend, we saw at least a half dozen other people from our hometown.

Oil-Free!

Okay, so this isn't Selma! But The Selma, Ala., Daily Photo took time to drive a few hours to the Gulf of Mexico and check out the oil-free status for you.

All is clear, and the seagulls are happy to walk Alabama's beaches.

Meanwhile, a couple of Mississippi farmers may have the solution to cleaning up the oil spill if BP can just plug that oil well.

Sandbar

The river is up in this photo, but when it's down, the sandbar makes a great playground for boaters along the Alabama.

Galactic Blast

A Galactic Blast is on the way, and those who participate in Church Street United Methodist Church's Vacation Bible School will learn more about a powerful force in the universe!

Many Selma churches are promoting their VBS events with signs like this.

Skywatch Friday, Silo in the Sky

Skies were bright blue the day I found this old silo in Dallas County. Silos once were quite common, but most have vanished along with dairy farms in this area.

Check out more awesome skies at www.skyley.blogspot.com.

Arsenal Place

Arsenal Place, which leads into the Riverview neighborhood, has a distinguished entrance with posts on each side of the street.

The plaques on each post recognize Selma's contribution to the manufacture of munitions for the Confederacy and were placed in 1931 by the United Daughters of the Confederacy.

Several thousand people worked in the facilities which were destroyed in the April 1865 Battle of Selma. Click on the photo to see a larger version.

Butterfly Bush

The Butterfly Bush attracts butterflies, and since Selma is the "Butterfly Capital of Alabama," it fits the local summer landscape well.

Thanks to guest photographer Christine Weerts.

Old-Fashioned Roses

And what is so lovely as a day in May when old-fashioned roses drape across fences?

If magnolias, jasmine and honeysuckle weren't enough, gardenias now join the scents-sational Spring in the South!


Thanks to guest photographer Christine Weerts.

Camera Critters, Out for a Swim

Geese are out for a swim on a warm, spring day in west Dallas County.

See more Camera Critters at this link.

Magnolias and Moss

Two very southern things, magnolia and Spanish Moss, intertwine all over town in May and June.

A special thanks to guest photographer Ed Weerts, who came a long, long way to visit family, enjoy Selma in May and share this picture with you.

Skywatch Friday, Roses by the River

Skies are partly cloudy, and the sun shines through just enough to highlight these roses by the river.

See more Skywatch pictures at www.skyley.blogspot.com.

The Straight and Narrow

Much of the paved Clear Creek Nature Trail at Old Cahawba Archaeological Park is straight and narrow, allowing hikers, people in wheelchairs and pets an easy option for viewing the diverse plant life. However, don't count on the creek being clear! But you might see turtles and alligators sunning on its surface.

Thanks to guest photographer Christine Weerts.

Rocking Through Summer

"Dog Days" have begun early, and this royal resident of Old Town has chosen the chair where he plans to rock his way through summer.

Thanks again to guest photographer Christine Weerts.

St. Luke's Exterior

Yesterday, I showed you the interior of St. Luke's Episcopal Church. Now, here's the exterior.

Almost complete, the church is under reconstruction at Cahawba Archaeological Park near Selma. The 156-year-old structure was moved from the town of Cahaba in 1880 and was returned piece by piece a few years ago. Soon, park visitors will be able to tour this architectural masterpiece.

Thanks to guest photographer Christine Weerts.

Back to Cahaba

After a 130 year absence, St. Luke's Episcopal Church has returned to Old Cahawba Archaeological Park, and its reconstruction is almost finished.

The church, designed by the famous architect Richard Upjohn, was built in 1854 and moved to nearby Martin's Station in 1880. Now, thanks to the Auburn Rural Studio, Alabama Historical Commission and Cahawba Advisory Committee, the church will once again belong to Cahawba.

Upjohn, who was known for his Gothic Revival designs and Italianate style, also designed Trinity Church in New York City, St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Selma and St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Prairieville.

To read more about the church, please see a feature in the local paper HERE.

Thanks to guest photographer Christine Weerts.

White Iris

Happy Mother's Day! The traditional way to honor and remember our mothers is with flowers, and guest photographer Christine Weerts found this white one growing in the wild.

'Tis the Season

'Tis the season to remember your mother! Tomorrow is Mother's Day in the USA, and if your mama is still living, I know she'd love flowers of any kind. Selma's garden centers are teeming with hanging baskets and potted flowers and plants in anticipation of the occasion.

(Skywatch Friday) Perfect Day

Blue sky! Puffy Clouds! It's a perfect day!

See more Skywatch pictures at www.skyley.blogspot.com.

Zacapa Fountain

How many Selmians ever heard of the Zacapa Fountain? I had not until I found this marker in front of the old Dallas Academy. The fountain no longer stands, but the site has pretty shrubbery, and the marker states that the fountain was dedicated to the people of Zacapa, Guatemala from the people of Selma back in 1970.

So what happened to the fountain, and is this Guatemala town our "sister city?"

Retreat

Isn't this a tempting spot?

I was tempted to put down my camera, take a seat amid the roses and enjoy the view of the river and the bridge. Had a cup of coffee and a newspaper been handed to me, I would have!

Two years ago, the terrace looked like this.

Chugging Along

A freight train chugs its way across the Alabama River into Selma as the rain-swollen river chugs on down to meet the Tombigbee.

Knockout Roses

Roses are red and pink and yellow and white, and these red knockout roses at Four Seasons Garden Center are big sellers around Selma and elsewhere.

Developed about a decade ago, the roses are disease resistant and bloom practically year-round so that we have showy flowers at Christmas, Easter and the Fourth of July.

(Camera Critters) At Rest

"Work's done. Stomach's full. Now, if that foolish person with the camera will get out of my face, I can get my Sunday afternoon nap!"

See more of God's creatures, great and small, at the Camera Critters meme.

May Theme Day (Statues)

It's Theme Day for the City Daily Photo Blogs, and statues are the subjects. I've posted photos of this statue before, but she's beautiful from all angles, and I took this one for a front view. She can be found in the Jones cemetery plot at Old Live Oak Cemetery.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants