Northport, Alabama

Northport is just across from Tuscaloosa, on the other side of the Black Warrior River.


A tile mural depicting the Kentuck symbol on the side of the Kentuck Museum in downtown Northport. The area around the mural is called the "Courtyard of Wonders," and features many unique art pieces and working artists' studios. Kentuck, which is a non-profit organization dedicated to the arts, also hosts a Festival of Arts each October.


A robot made out of cement blocks.


A big red dog -- let's call him Clifford, shall we? -- on top of one of the buildings surrounding the Courtyard of Wonders. Clifford kind of looks like he's made out of paper mache, but I don't think that holds up to the elements, so he's probably made out of something else.


The world's largest fire ant, who sits atop a pole in the courtyard. I wouldn't want that ant in my pants.


The bag door of a barn-like structure in the courtyard.

I walked behind another building and found this peaceful scene of storage space. I'm sure all of this has some sort of use or function in the Courtyard of Wonders.


Northport has its own old-fashioned barber shop, complete with a genuine barber's pole. The inside of the shop is just as quaint as the outside, and there was a man inside getting a cut.


Although it's located behind downtown's main street, signs lead to Mary's Cakes. It was very hot, and since one of their signs also advertised gelato, we had to find it. The bakery had a large selection of extremely cute cupcakes, cookies, petite fours, and other treats. They make all of the gelato, and there were only three kinds to choose from that day -- peach, lemon and cantaloupe! I had never had, seen or heard of cantaloupe gelato, ice cream or anything else similar to those, so I was intrigued. The girl who was helping me said they had recently bought a really good, ripe cantaloupe and decided to make gelato with it. She let me try it and the lemon, and when I couldn't decide which one to get, she gave me a scoop of each. I ate every bite, before it melted. Robert doesn't like gelato (or cantaloupe), so he missed out.

No all day parking.

Downtown Prattville, Alabama

Daniel Pratt Historic District in Prattville. The downtown area has recently undergone a revitalization process that includes restoration of some streets and buildings, the addition of shops and restaurants, landscaping and lush containers and a creek walk along the Autauga Creek.




Daniel Pratt, who can be seen in the statue and mural above, both of which are found in the downtown historic district, came to Alabama from New Hampshire in 1833 with the intent to build and sell cotton gins. Over the next few years, he did more than just that and built an industrial village that still bears his name.



A dam on the Autauga Creek in Prattville. The flowing water once powered Pratt's cotton gins and other industries located on the creek. The remnants of pillars in the midground would suggest that at one time there was a bridge located there.



Many of these industrial buildings can still be seen next to the dam, which is behind the main section of downtown where the revitalization has occurred. Although they are run down and don't appear to be in use at all anymore, there is a certain beauty about them that makes you wonder how they once looked when they were thriving industries years ago.



At Uncle Mick's Cajun Market and Cafe, we had one of the best meals we've ever had, Cajun or otherwise. We were in Prattville around lunch time, and decided to go to the Italian restaurant that's also downtown. For some odd reason though, it wasn't open for lunch on Saturdays. We were left with two choices that we knew of -- Uncle Mick's for Cajun or a little tea house type sandwich cafe that Robert wouldn't have been caught dead in. So Uncle Mick's it was. It's similar to a "meat and two" with plastic trays, a steam table and friendly Cajun gentlemen serving your plate. They are happy to give out samples, probably because they realize many people don't have a clue what sauce piquant is. I didn't know either, but when the four people in line ahead of me all ordered the Chicken and Sausage Sauce Piquant, I decided to go with that. Robert opted for the Alligator Piquant. With sides of boiled squash, black-eyed peas and green beans, we almost completely cleaned our plates that had previously been piled high. Freshly made caramel cake was the perfect ending. And I don't even like caramel cake. It was so enjoyable, two weeks later we went back for dinner with my parents. My dad loves pretty much everything Cajun, and during out first experience at Uncle Mick's, I called him to gloat. We all rated the meal "10+."

Tuscaloosa

Tuscaloosa is a city of about 78,000 located about one hour west of Birmingham on Interstate 20/59. While T-Town (as it's affectionately called) is mostly known for being home to the University of Alabama it also has many great sites to visit.


One of the icons of Tuscaloosa's past is the Moon Winx Lodge. Built in the 1950s, the lodge fit right in with all the other motels popping up all over as more and more American's could afford reliable transportation, and thus could travel farther and farther from their home. In 1957 Alabama artist Glen House, Sr. developed the Moon Winx sign to attract passing motorists. He used neon and a recent development, dayglo paint, to lure travelers to stay at the lodge and dine in their restaurant. The restaurant shut ages ago, but the motel and its timeless sign remain on University Boulevard (Alabama Highway 215) at Forest Avenue (34th Avenue), a couple of miles east of downtown Tuscaloosa.


The Tuscaloosa Veterans Memorial is located on McFarland Boulevard (US Highway 82) just south of University Boulevard in front of University Mall. The items on display there include:

• A 1940s Willys Jeep decorated in Air Force blue
  
• The mast from the USS Tuscaloosa
  
• An M60A3 tank
  
• A Bell UH-1 Iroquois Huey helicopter
  
• A Vought A-7E Corsair II jet
  

It's an amazing display of military artifacts as well as monuments inscribed with the names of all Tuscaloosa citizens who have served in the various branches of the armed forces.


The University of Alabama (UA) is home to the Crimson Tide football team (and some other sports, I suppose), as well as education to a lesser degree. There is some great architecture to be found on the campus as well as rich history. During the fall and spring semester some 28,000 students can be seen all over campus, which was started in 1831.

UA's mascot is officially an elephant. While elephants are actually quite dangerous in the wild, they don't really translate to a fierce mascot for football. Therefore, the nickname of "Crimson Tide" is used in place of "elephant". "Crimson Tide" came about when an announcer at a UA football game commented that all the crimson helmets running out onto the field looked like a crimson tide.


Located at the corner of Campus Drive and Queen City Avenue is the now-defunct Queen City Pool. It was built many moons (and winx) ago by an architect who had studied under Frank Lloyd Wright. The pool out back was filled in long ago, but remnants of the outer edge jut out of the earth, and in some places the depth marks are still visible. Behind the pool is a mammoth concrete structure that appears to have been used as bleachers. Most likely the parents would socialize on the bleachers while their children enjoyed the water. To one end of the pool is a very retro fountain that is now very overgrown with weeds. It would be great if the structure could be restored and used for something other than to just have mass and take up space.


Located across Queen City Avenue from the pool is the Tuscaloosa Public Library. They have a very nice fountain in front of the building.


Tuscaloosa has a great downtown area. It's large, but very easy to navigate afoot. Most of the building are quite old, including the unused L&N depot and the Allen & Jemison building. The A&J building was purchased by a church and is in danger of being demolished because the church believes it is too expensive to maintain. Why they don't just sell it to someone who appreciates it is beyond me. If you are reading this before the fall of 2009 it might not be too late to see the old beaut in all her glory.

While we were in downtown Lori and I had lunch at one of my favorite places, Mugshots, located on Greensboro Avenue on the block just south of University Boulevard. There is the Tuscaloosa location and the other three locations are in Mississippi. It's a great restaurant with hardwood floors and pressed tin ceilings. If you're ever in need of lunch in Tuscaloosa Lori and I highly recommend it.


Located at the northern terminus of Greensboro Avenue is the Port of Tuscaloosa, which is port-of-call to the Bama Belle, a replica paddlewheel boat that can be rented for parties, receptions, dinner cruises, etc. Also located at the port is a large fountain and picnic pavilion.


Located at the western end of University Boulevard is Capitol Park. Tuscaloosa was the second permanent capitol of Alabama from 1826 to 1846. What's left of the capitol building can be seen up close in the park. It's amazing that a building that played such a large role in the history of Alabama for 20 years is now just a few walls and columns. It seems like they would have tried to preserve it throughout the years.

On the way to Montgomery

We had seen this car sitting in the parking lot (or the grass) of a body shop on Highway 25 between Montevallo and Calera a few days before we went to Montgomery. We thought it was neat and said as we passed by that we should take a picture of it. Once we've passed something like that, it's very unlikely that we'll actually turn around and go back, so no pictures were taken of it that day. It stuck in my mind though, and when we were planning our route to Montgomery, we decided to go that way, mostly so we would be able to stop for photos. Robert thought it was probably an ambulance or a hearse.



Turns out that it is actually a 1960 Cadillac Chassis with a hearse body by Superior Coach Corp. of Lima, Ohio. I wish I knew who used this as a hearse and if was painted such vivid colors at the time. Judging by its current condition, it might need a hearse of its own.



Apparently, it has lived in a few places around the area. Now, it's right on the side of Hwy. 25 where the bright pink is hard to miss. I love this hearse.

Montgomery, Alabama

Montgomery is the capital of Alabama.



This is Hebe, goddess of youth and cup-bearer to the gods. She stands perched atop the Court Square Fountain downtown looking up towards the Capital building. She must be new to the job as she's spilling the water she's pouring into her cup all over the place.



Stained glass window inside Union Station in Montgomery, Alabama. The interior of the station is rather ornate, from the stained glass, to the woodwork, to the elaborate tilework on the floor. Union Station serves as Montgomery's welcome center, and there was a trolley leaving for a tour. There is also a gift shop, and more importantly, restrooms.



The main entrance to Union Station.



The faded remains of an old Wrigley's Spearmint mural on the side of a building. Why it was originally put there, I don't know.



Sign outside Riverwalk Stadium, which is home to the Montgomery Biscuits minor league baseball team. The cute little guy peaking out from the bottom left corner is the team's mascot, which is a biscuit with googly eyes and a pad of butter for a tongue. The name and mascot were selected from entries in a contest to name the team.



Drain pipe outside Riverwalk Stadium that's rusted to a pretty blue-green color.



In the 1970s Amtrak wanted to run a line through Montgomery. The only trouble was Union Station had long since closed to train traffic. The owner of a silo near the tracks turned it into a station, which served the Amtrak line until it was discontinued about nine years later.



"Decorations" on the top of the Steiner & Lobman building downtown. Folk lore says that a body is entombed in the casket-like structure. There is also a story that one of the original owners wanted to be buried in the "sarcophagus" so as to look over "beautiful" Montgomery in the afterlife.



A giant fishing lure from the "Hooked on the Alabama River - Festival of Fishing Lures" project sits outside the front entrance to the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Montgomery. Several lures like this one (all in differing themes) were created and displayed around Montgomery and nearby Prattville towards the end of summer, 2008. The lures' purpose was to get people interested in conservation of the Alabama River, which flows through the city of Montgomery. In November, 2008 several of the lures were auctioned to raise money for the Alabama River Clean Water Partnership. Other lures were paid-in-full by sponsors, such as this one, and they were able to keep them at the end of the project.



Looking at the back of a building from a parking lot across from Riverwalk Stadium.



Gravesite of Hank and Audrey Williams. The cowboy hat on Hank's tombstone is supposedly one of his actual hats that's been cast in concrete (not unlike casting a baby's first shoes in bronze).

An older man was there who was apparently well versed in Hank's life. He answered questions for a family that was visiting. The family listened to the man's answers as they relaxed on a bench, smoked their cigarettes and drank beer. If you're wondering why the grass around these graves is so green, it's because it's actually astro turf. Classy.



Carolyn Blount Theatre located in Blount Cultural Park, Montgomery. It is part of the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and many of the playwright's plays are performed there.