Friday, April 2, 2010

Wide Open Spaces

I live in a very small rural community so we do have some wide open spaces around here.
But, many of those wide open spaces are covered with chicken houses...bleh!

When I go to my mom's house in Birmingham, AL, the wide open spaces are different.
First of all, if there are any chicken houses in Birmingham, I haven't seen (or smelled) them since my mom moved here 20 years ago.

Birmingham is an older, traditional community with a hip sense of self.
You can find anything in Birmingham...from the best farmer's market I've ever been to (Pepper Place) to some of the best shopping you've ever experienced (The Summit), the best restaurants, book stores, colleges, community activities...you name it, it's in Birmingham.
Birmingham has everything a "big city" can offer...with a country style of life.

There are a lot more reasons I like Birmingham, and through the weekend I'll blog about some of my favorite Birmingham "things."

One of my favorite things in Birmingham is the walking trail behind my mom's house.
I love this trail.
I feel as if I am deep in the woods somewhere enjoying the peace and serenity of nature.
Except I'm not deep in the woods...
that would scare me :(

Here are some pictures I took the last time my brother and I walked the trail behind my mom's house.

I increased the saturation some on this photo to bring out the Fall colors. 



Water is one of the most peaceful sounds and sights to me...and I don't even have to get in it.



I love that you can see the mossy bottom of the creek in this photo.



The "rapids" :)
I could sit in this spot all day and just listen to the sounds around me.



The trail photos are bittersweet...the last time we walked the trail, our pal Charlie was with us.


This is my mom's house from the trail...the hill is a lot steeper than it looks...we enter the trail from another spot in the neighborhood to keep ourselves from rolling down the hill.
Ok, ok...I enter the trail from another spot so I won't roll down the hill.
It could happen easier than you can imagine.
:)

Hello, Birmingham!
I'm home.

2 comments:

  1. I loved reading this and seeing the photos. It looks a lot like my parents' home in Arkansas. I too, love the water. I can sit forever just watching the water sprinkler going. I love the sound, watching the movement, and the smell. I miss the south on the mainland. Don't get me wrong, Hawaii is lovely, but I miss home.

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  2. How wonderful that you have a place that makes you fell to welcome and at home. Your pictures are beautiful.
    Isn't Birmingham grand?! We have family there as well and the Summit is one of our favorite stops. Have you ever ventured over to Edgar's Bakery just across 459 from the Summit? You would make it a permanent stop each time you visit!

    happy Easter to you and your family!

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