Two Good Weeks and One BLUSTERY Day!

This is the view from my kitchen window this morning. I guess I'm not going riding today...or anywhere else, for that matter! The winds are gusting up to the mid-40's. We're expecting 6-8" of snow, but that's down from the original forecast of 1-2 FEET! So, I'll stay inside, warm and cozy, and catch up on home-things, such as my blog.

I'm off for a few days, but have had two terrific trips in a row. The most recent was an overnight in Birmingham, Alabama.

Shannon, Brenda, Jake and I set off to explore downtown Birmingham on Monday, April 7th. Shannon specifically wanted to see the 16th Street Church. We hopped on the trolley to begin our day. It cost each of us a quarter.

This smiling woman was our trolley driver, to & from downtown!

We walked through Freedom Park. During the Civil Rights uprisings, demonstrators were often attacked by police dogs. This sculpture is a disturbing monument.

This is another sculpture in Freedom Park. MLK's statue is in the background; Birmingham is where he spent time in jail, and wrote the letters that became the book "Why We Can't Wait."

This is the 16th Street Church, the site of a bombing that took the lives of 4 little girls. The church was closed on Mondays, but you can tour it Tues-Sat.


We found the Peanut Depot, which roasts peanuts the old fashioned way--in roasters that are over 100 years old! Note the open gears on the left--OSHA would have a field day! However, the roasters are grandfathered because they have been in continuous use since the factory opened.

Owner Lex, scooping freshly roasted peanuts.

Birmingham is in Jefferson County. Their sewer covers are works of art, aren't they?Me & Henry McShan, a former construction worker turned watercolourist. He is self-taught, and very talented. I bought the smaller painting of the 16th Street Church for $25 (larger paintings are $40). If you are ever in BHM, be sure to find him--he'll be displaying his art on the street, somewhere around 20th N and 4th. I think that art is a terrific souvenir, especially when you've met the artist.
Of course, I had to snap a photo of Obama headquarters. The North Carolina primary is only a few days away, and I'm planning on making some phone calls as part of the grass-roots effort to encourage people to register to vote, as well as to get out and vote!
Birmingham has a lot of parks, and this small site was dedicated to 9/11. It's a beautiful memorial, with a bench facing the sculptures. Both towers are taller than I am--but then, what isn't!

The previous week, my overnights included a long stay in San Francisco. Matt & I headed downtown, in search of sushi, baseball and a tour of Alcatraz. We took the BART to Embarcadero, explored the ferry terminal, then discovered the trolley barn.The Alcatraz tour was sold out, so we continued to explore. San Francisco has amazing architecture, and we discovered this Catholic church, built in the 1800's.
Mass was in progress, so we couldn't go in, but I was able to zoom in on the stained glass through the window. Beautiful, isn't it?I love the Victorian cottages. This is a wonderful building, with the traditional bay windows and elaborate paint. This is in the Cottage District, near Japantown. While in Japantown, we found a tiny sushi restaurant and gorged--it was amazingly delicious!
We are both baseball fans, and hoped to see a game, but the Giants were in LA. We wandered down to AT&T park, and walked around. I had treated myself to a game last year, between the Giants and the Reds--it was one of Barry Bonds last games, and I also hoped to see Ken Griffey Jr, but both were out for injuries. I'm looking forward to going to another game there this year--it's a beautiful ballpark. If you go, be sure to have the Gilroy Garlic Fries!
So, two good weeks capped by a blustery, stay-at-home day. Not bad for the first half of April!