Warm Winter, Early Spring in B'ham

The first day of Spring is not until the 21^st, however you couldn’t tell from all the flowers, trees and other plants in bloom around Birmingham.

Usually it warms up so that the trees start to bud and then we have one more hard freeze, for the first time that I can remember that has not happened this year.

And with that here are some shot from here and there around Birmingham, Alabama.

        And for a moment of calm from Avondale Park

The Colors of Birmingham

I took this photo of the edge of downtown Birmingham at sunset and noticed an odd coincidence with it, as I was resizing and correcting the photo for color I happened to look at it in as a negative, and saw that the colors of the clouds and sky were almost the same color if looked at in negative, as shown below.

Alright, I know that's not much of a much, I just found it interesting.

Yes I need to get out more I guess.

Cool huh?

Oh, and here they are placed on top of each other with one changed from left to fight with one half transparent.

Sunday in the Park with Terry

Sunday, New Year’s Day 2012, was surprisingly warm before the chill rolled in Monday with the winds and the below freezing temperatures.

As such people (and the ducks) were taking advantage of the warm clear day to make use of the newly refurbished and reopened Avondale Park.

Below are just a few pictures from that day, ending with my favorite bit the Grotto with the small waterfall, both a wide shot of part of it and a small bit of it in motion.  

  

On the whole, through it didn’t the get publicity that the Railroad Park got, a nice little park and worth a visit, even if now it would be a bit on the frigid side!

But boy howdy does that little pond need to be de-slimed around the edges!

Progress continues along 6th and 7th avenue.

That former dusty empty gas station on 6^th (the last time it was open premium was $2.92 a gallon) has opened and become the 6^th Ave. Grocery.

It’s looking like the former Fire House #22 will be ready long before the Walgreen that caused its transformation to start in the first place is even close to opening.

The former (and future?) Golden Rule it going through even more changes.

I also note that a section of building that has been empty for years, set between an equipment rental place and a collection of seemingly abandoned cars, had the lights on for the first time that I’ve ever seen, with refurbishing going on inside. Now if they could just get rid of some of those rusty hulks littering the auto place they’ll be cooking with spam.

It looks like the Tinroof restaurant, its water main problems fixed, will be opening soon. I see they have moved in some pool tables.

While at the same time the condos on 7^th progress… though I have to think all that pounding they are doing this stage can’t be doing the lunch time business much good!

This End Up

The people going down 7 Ave. seem to know what it means, so I guess that's all that matters.

Just so you know what it is see below.

Note the street sign on the right, it has been upside down like that for years.

The Viewing of the Lights

Way back long in the long ago, well… not that long ago, but it seems like a long time ago to me a regular holiday event was to pile into the car and go look at the various displays of Christmas lights.

The main attraction being to head to the heights around Red Mountain and see how the rich people had decorated their homes.

This time mind you was the 60s, back when there were only three channels on TV and one, being Alabama Public Television, was never watched anyway, and the phones were not smart, heck, they were so stupid they had to be leased to the wall with a cord, I guess so they wouldn’t wander off into traffic, I’m just saying if you wanted entertainment you had to go out and hunt for it.  

I imagine this `viewing of the lights’ has go the way of Drive-In Movies, Bowling Allies and Putt-Putt Golf; I know the last time I got taken on one was when I was something like 7, and that was some time ago indeed.

I mean do the “rich folks” even do this sort of thing anymore? Or is it too gauche, or are too many of today’s rich too staunchly Objectivist to take part in such things?

Not that there aren’t all kinds of lights, alight… it’s just that most of the impressive displays I see seem to be on businesses.

Most, but not all.

                       Note the fire to the right of the light at the bottom

    After all those break-ins it had to happen sooner or later

Occupy Birmingham

You can easily miss it, but there is an on-going Occupy Birmingham demonstration going on in Downtown Birmingham.

Frankly like so many things that go on in the “Magic City” that also take place elsewhere, i.e. film festivals, music festivals, tries at major league sports, marathons etc… it is at best an anemic effort.

The only thing we really have other cities beat is in having the nation’s largest Veteran’s Day Parade. That’s where I took the photo here.

I sympathize with the Occupiers, heck as someone who works in education I MORE than sympathize with the movement.

But personally, as a movement, I don’t really give it much hope.

My reason for this is while watching news about it a comparison about it came to me.

Back in the 1890s after having been defeated again and again and moved to smaller and drearier Reservations some Native Americans, looking for something like hope, started to participate in the Ghost Dance.

The Ghost Dance was a way to dance into a trance where it was said those taking part could talk to departed relatives and ancestors, and if enough took part the white men would leave and the buffalo would return.  It at least gave those who danced something to believe in other than despair.  And all it was really was dancing, who could deny them at least that?

Never underestimate ignorance, fear and hate, the message from those in charges of the Reservations was “Indians continue to dance, send more soldiers.”

They did, and with the biggest and newest guns available, the scary dancing was stopped.

You get my metaphor?