Prairie Buttercups and Partly Cloudy

That dark cloud is just pretending it wants to rain,

 because it was a perfect weather day in the Black Belt prairies 

of west Dallas County. Those yellow wildflowers are

 prairie buttercups, and they can be spectacular 

when covering an entire field. 

Linking to Skywatch Friday 

River Birds of the Black Belt

The red-shouldered hawk, belted kingfisher and great blue heron 

are a few of the river birds that you might see in the

 Alabama Black Belt. This informative sign is located 

on an overlook at the end of Clear Creek Nature Trail in the

 Old Cahawba Archaeological Park.

 The paved trail is wheelchair accessible.

Linking to Signs, Signs

Noon

It's almost NOON in the pasture, and while the calves rest,

 their herd eats lunch. 

Linking to ABC WEDNESDAY (depicting the letter N)

The One-Room Schoolhouse

The one-room schoolhouse at Old Cahawba still stands.

Used until the 1950s, it was one of less than 100 segregated

 African-American schools in Alabama. The school is located near

 the ruins of the Methodist-Episcopal Church that burned in 1954.

Linking to Our World Tuesday and Tuesday's Treasures

Clear Sky over Marion Junction

Early morning sunshine bounces off the steeple of the

 Marion Junction Presbyterian Church. A soft blue sky promises

 a perfect spring day!

Linking to Skywatch Friday

The Flower Shop on Broad

The bright colors and flowers at Pringle Petals sure make

 a shopper want to go inside. The shop moved from across

 Broad Street, and its larger location offers a

 wider selection of gifts, plus flowers.

Linking to Signs, Signs

In MEMORY of John R. Bell

The family of John R. Bell apparently MEMORIALIZED him as

 the victim of a murder when he and his son, John A. Bell,

 were killed in a shootout on the streets of Cahawba in 1856.

 The three other  men involved were exonerated in court,

 but the Bell Family declared via the inscription on his tombstone:

 "No murderer hath eternal life abiding in him."

Linking to ABC Wednesday depicting the letter M

The Alabama Artists Exhibition

It's an art lover's paradise! 

It's the 15th annual Alabama Artists: Roots and Wings Art Exhibition

 at Charlie (Tin Man) Lucas' Studio. The diversity of works from 55 artists

 is amazing and features photography, acrylics, oils, works on paper,

 3:D and mixed media.

Two of the winning works are shown above: "Winter Forest," 

1st place Acrylic by Jeff Hughes; and "Soul, Cotton and Van Gogh,"

 Best in Show, an acrylic by Mary Ann Casey.

  

Sponsored by ArtsRevive, the show and sale opened for a members' reception 

Saturday night and will be open free to the public every Friday and Saturday

 from 11-4 through April 29. The studio is located at 7 Lauderdale St.

 Come see!

Linking to Our World Tuesday