Tree of Gold

Seems I just can't get enough of autumn colors this year! It's supposed to rain (hurray!) Wednesday and Thursday, then turn cold, so I'd better catch these oranges and golds while they are still around. That blue sky just sets a perfect background.

Lapsley Street: Live and in Color!

Byrd Elementary School is almost hidden behind a wall of color. These brilliant hues can be seen all along this section of Lapsley Street.

Autumn Red

Autumn colors are peaking in Selma this week, and here is the brightest red I found. An inch of rain and a couple of frosts really seem to have brought fall in with gusto just before Thanksgiving.

Happy Fall, Y'all!

Autumn is still alive and well at this little Victorian cottage in Selma's Old Town district. The display of yellow mums and pumpkins just seem to say, "Happy Fall, Y'all!"

Thanksgiving First!

Christmas may already be in the stores, but it isn't in the air or on the doors...yet! I found this "berry delightful" autumn wreath on a door in Selma's Old Town neighborhood. Our town does itself proud during Thanksgiving. There will be a community-wide Thanksgiving service Sunday night at First Presbyterian Church, and while Christmas decorations are up downtown, the lights won't be turned on til after next Thursday.

Reformed Presbyterian Church

The Reformed Presbyterian Church was built in 1878 and is one of Selma's oldest churches. Its Carpenter Gothic architecture is elegant, and the structure is slated to be on tour during the 2008 Spring Pilgrimage.

The Cocoon

This photo is grainy, I know, but it is the best I could get of the Garden Spider in My Kitchen Window finishing a cocoon way up in the eave. She's the same spider that we "claimed" as a Halloween decoration on the window screen. Yep, she's still around, and I am about ready to get the broom and sweep her away before Thanksgiving, but she just keeps amazing us with her handiwork! She obviously picked the perfect habitat...away from the wind and the rain and right where the bugs get caught in her web.

No Excuses!

There is simply no excuse for Selmians not to be physically fit! You don't have to join a health club to walk the track at Bloch Park or to use the exercise stations. It's all free, courtesy the City of Selma and Vaughan Community Health. There is even a station for wheelchair users who can try an upper body workout.

Honoring our Veterans

Selma and Dallas County veterans are honored with a series of monuments at Memorial Stadium. The center monument (with the gas flame) honors the World War I and World War II veterans who gave their lives. Nearby are the Vietnam and Korea memorials. Another one honors Commander Howard Gilmore who commanded the Growler submarine in WWII. The Growler sunk a Japanese freighter and damaged another. Later, Gilmore died in a 1943 attack. Selma also honors veterans with ceremonies here.

The Brownstone Manor

The afternoon sun spotlights this Neo-Classic mansion that is both a home and reception hall. The first floor includes a bandstand and banquet hall, and long-ago guests included F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. (Fitzgerald authored "The Great Gatsby" among other American classics.) Today's guests are wedding parties and those who come to celebrate their birthdays and reunions. Outdoor courtyards add to the elegance. The home has been featured on Selma's Pilgrimage for a special night tour, because it was built for its outside appearance. The "mirrored house" has inside chandeliers that are in line with the large windows, so that its exterior really sparkles after dark.