Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from Selma, Ala. Photo!

Have a blessed day!

John 3:16

The Apostles' Window

Where there is hope in Jesus, there is life.

The Apostles' Window at Memorial United Methodist Church

Photo by guest photographer Christine Weerts

Linking to City Daily Photo Blogs from around the world!

The Mayor and Mr. Claus

Selma Mayor George Evans recently welcomed Santa Claus to the Cahaba Mental Health 

Center's Christmas Village program. Santa sure deserves a pat on the back 

for all the appearances he makes this time of year!

Linking to City Daily Photo Blogs

December Sunset

After a cloudy couple of days earlier this week, the setting sun turned the clouds pink.

Linking to Skywatch Friday and City Daily Photo Blogs

Stored for Winter

The hay is in the barn and ready to deliver to livestock. 

After last week's unseasonably warm weather, Central Alabama is experiencing 

a blast of cold air, and with little winter grazing due to recent dry weather,

 cattle will be lowing when they see the hay wagon heading their way!

Linking to City Daily Photo Blogs 

Photo by guest photographer Christine Weerts 

Christmas at the Library

Christmas characters light up at night and parade merrily along on the library lawn.

Linking to Our World Tuesday and City Daily Photo Blogs

Up on the Housetop

Up on the housetop, birds might find a very good perch, plus a well-built roof,

 not to mention the latest styles for family living. Even if you don't cater

 to our feathered friends, who can resist adding one of these rustic creations

 to their yard? I rather like the portraits in wood as well! 

Check them out this week at Holiday House at the Striplin Performing Arts Centre.

Linking to City Daily Photo Blogs

Christmas at Sturdivant Hall

Christmas comes in apples and oranges at Sturdivant Hall 

this year for its annual open house.

Don't you just love this centerpiece?

When I saw it, memories came back of the pineapple and apple centerpiece

 that my mother used to make from an idea came from Colonial Williamsburg.

Linking to City Daily Photo Blogs

Photo by guest photographer Christine Weerts

Santa Arrives at Christmas Village

Here comes Santa Claus to Cahaba Center's Christmas Village Open House!

The annual event features carols, a tree lighting by Selma's mayor,

 sale of handmade crafts and viewing of a miniature ceramic village

 all decked out for the season.  The center's day-program clients

 work many months to prepare for this day!

Linking to City Daily Photo Blogs

Uptown Lights

It's ABC Wednesday, and "U" is for UPTOWN.

Broad Street is magical in December with Christmas lights aglow after dark. 

Linking to ABC Wednesday and City Daily Photo Blogs

Deck the Porch

Christmas decorations are going up all over Selma,

 and I still love the elegance of greenery with red bows.

Linking to Our World Tuesday and City Daily Photo Blogs

Your Name in Pictures!

Photo letter art is sort of a scavenger hunt for photographers,

 and Kayla Smith has snapped the whole alphabet!

In fact, she found "letters" in S hooks, on barns, gates, fences,

 posts, logs and all throughout the Dallas County area. 

She displayed her hobby and sold letter pictures 

at Saturday's Sturdivant Hall Christmas Fair. 

Linking to City Daily Photo Blogs

The Candy Man

It's almost Christmas, so there must be candy!

Do you prefer almond brittle or chocolate-covered peanuts?

Selma's Gantt Candies shared samples of the sweet treats

 at Saturday's Sturdivant Hall Christmas Fair. The handmade candy

 is sold at several local businesses including Carter Drug Co.

Linking to City Daily Photo Blogs

 

Crimson Tide BLVD

 

It's December Theme Day, and City Daily Photo Bloggers

 are posting their versions of "My Street." 

Well, this isn't the street where I live, but this corner says a lot

 about the loyalties of University of Alabama sports fans, especially football.

This afternoon, the Crimson Tide meets the Georgia Bulldogs

 in the Southeastern Conference football championship over in Atlanta.

 The winner plays Notre Dame for the National Championship.

Can Alabama win it yet one more time?

Linking to City Daily Photo Blogs

Waiting

Garlands drape the fence that encloses Santa's wonderland

 at the Selma Mall, and soon, very soon, St. Nicolas will take his place

 in the emerald chair to hear the Christmas wishes of little ones. 

Linking to Friday Fences

Tractor Lineup

T is for TRACTORS, and all makes, shapes and sizes

 are on display every year at the Orrville Tractor Show. 

Have you ever driven a tractor?

Linking to 
ABC Wednesday

 

City Daily Photo Blogs

A Peek into Selma's Air Force History

This jet mounted in front of Memorial Stadium reminds Selmians

 of our years when Craig Air Force Base was the largest flying field in the U.S.

 Craig provided flight training for young Air Force pilots and was open

 from the World War II years until the late 1970s when it

 was closed by the Jimmy Carter Administration. 

Another post on aircraft displayed at the stadium is HERE.

Linking to Our World Tuesday and City Daily Photo Blogs

Photo by guest photographer Christine Weerts

Play Day

Oh, it's hard to resist playing in all those golden gingko leaves!

Linking to Mellow Yellow Monday

and City Daily Photo Blogs

Autumn at the Mabry-Jones House

Orange and gold leaves frame the antebellum Mabry-Jones House

 on Tremont Street in Old Town Selma. Temperatures dipped

 into the 20s this morning, so our beautiful autumn will soon be gone.

Photo by guest photographer Christine Weerts

Linking to Shadow Shot Sunday 

and City Daily Photo Blogs

The A Teams

The A Teams, Alabama and Auburn, play their annual college football rivalry today,

 and I've seen quite a few mailboxes and doors decorated with the team colors.

 These wreaths were available at Selma's Riverfront Market Day in October. 

Linking to City Daily Photo Blogs

Oldest to Youngest

Thanksgiving isn't just about turkey and the trimmings 

or Pilgrims and Indians gathering together for a first feast/game day. 

It's mainly about family. It's the biggest family day of the year,

 and many Americans travel great distances to be there. 

Our family reunited on a front porch in Old Town Selma, 

and here, the oldest and youngest say "Hello!"

Linking to City Daily Photo Blogs

The Thanksgiving Table

It's Thanksgiving, and here is the colorful table set at the home of family today.

From pumpkins and a ceramic turkey to Pilgrims and candles, 

the tablescape brought the meaning of the day right to our plates. 

I am so thankful to those Native Americans who taught

 our forebears how to survive in this "new" land.    

Linking to Rural Thursday and City Daily Photo Blogs

S is for Super Savor

It's "S Week" at the ABC Wednesday meme,

 so I am SUPER SAVORING the gorgeous gingko this fall! 

Photo by Guest Photographer Christine Weerts

Linking to ABC Wednesday and City Daily Photo Blogs

Double Delight

Today, I am thankful to be an early riser and able to catch both a double rainbow

 and rosy sky at dawn! The gingko tree is the same one that I posted

 in the night photo yesterday. 

Linking to Our World Tuesday, Skywatch Friday and City Daily Photo Blogs

Gingko by Night

Every year, I post a picture of our gingko tree in mid-November.

 However, this is the first time you get to see it at night

 with the moon poised among its golden branches!

Linking to Mellow Yellow Monday and City Daily Photo Blogs

The Chapel Cross

The cross atop the chapel at Concordia College rises above the trees

 along Broad Street. The chapel was formerly part

 of the United Methodist Children's Home.

 (Photo by guest photographer Christine Weerts)

Linking to City Daily Photo Blogs

Fall Welcome

Just a wreath and a pumpkin attached to a gate 

make a cheerful fall welcome at this driveway.

Guest photographer: Christine Weerts

Linking to Rural Thursday and City Daily Photo Blogs

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

How much stuff do you recycle? 

Selma residents are encouraged to REDUCE, REUSE and RECYCLE,

 and big RED, dropoff centers are located in a parking lot on Broad Street

 near the National Voting Rights Interpretive Center, at the old Walmart location

 on Highland Avenue and at Bloch Park/Memorial Stadium off West Dallas Avenue.

By the way, it's R Week over at ABC Wednesday!

Linking to ABC Wednesday and City Daily Photo Blogs

Cotton Picked

The cotton is nearly picked!

Fall is cotton-picking season in Central Alabama, and this field is finished. 

Thanks to guest photographer Christine Weerts for finding this field 

down in neighboring Wilcox County.

Linking to Our World Tuesday and City Daily Photo Blogs 

Iron Bridge over Valley Creek

The old iron bridge over Valley Creek looks a bit rusty, but it's still reliable.

 The bridge is located on the Kenan's Mill property. 

Linking to Friday Fences and City Daily Photo Blogs

Corn Grits

What could be more rural AND more southern than stone-ground grits?

Corn grits are sold at Kenan's Mill during special events such as the 

Kenan's Mill Fall Festival and  Spring Pilgrimage. Maintaining a mill like this

 is quite a job, and the creek doesn't always flow so swiftly.

 But it's  an historic site worth saving and an ongoing project

 of the Selma-Dallas County Historic Preservation Society. 

Linking to Rural Thursday and City Daily Photo Blogs  

A Quantity of Quarts

It's "Q Week" at ABC Wednesday, and a QUANTITY of canned QUARTS 

of jams and jellies and preserves might just make you hungry!

 These colorful jars of goodness were for sale at the Kenan's Mill Festival

 by Mrs. Rushton's Cottage Kitchen.

Linking to ABC Wednesday and City Daily Photo Blogs

Area 51 Update

Last week, I posted a picture of Dallas County's Area 51

 and asked what  could possibly be going on. 

Replies included "making an air hockey table" and "printing posters for the art event."

 Tanya of Around Roanoke photo blog came the closest with her "building a UFO" comment.

The truth is that owner Gary Blaylock builds identified flying objects...

remote-controlled hobby aircraft, some of which are shown above.

 He uses highly-technical, computer-controlled equipment to make the designs

 and cut the model pieces. For those who visited his workshop last weekend 

during the Black Belt Arts Explosion, he kindly demonstrated

 his contribution to the arts!

Linking to Our World Tuesday and City Daily Photo Blogs

Visit to the Mill

Pumpkins were everywhere for the annual Kenan's Mill Fall Festival on Saturday. 

The 1860's gristmill and grounds have been preserved as park that opens

 for special events and also features a mill house, brick charcoal kiln,

 swinging bridge across Valley Creek and bandstand. 

Linking to Your Sunday Best

City Daily Photo Blogs

At the Water's Edge

When crossing the swinging bridge at Kenan's Mill, you might catch the reflection

 of the 1860's building at the edge of Valley Creek, especially when the sky is blue!

Linking to City Daily Photo Blogs, November Theme Day "At the Water's Edge"

and to Rural Thursday

P is for Potter

We're honoring the letter "P" over at ABC Wednesday, and it was my PRIVILEGE to visit

Becky Blaylock at Earthquake POTTERY for a few PICTURES. She explained that the first

 PIECE of POTTERY she ever made looked as if an earthquake hit it,

 hence EARTHQUAKE POTTERY! 

Since then, she's acquired quite the creative touch and likes to incorporate

 natural and not so natural POTPOURRI into her designs. The POTTERY above

 is one of her more unique PRODUCTS.   

Becky was among PARTICIPANTS in the weekend's Black Belt Art Explosion. 

Linking to ABC Wednesday and City Daily Photo Blog PORTAL.

Area 51

For Our World Tuesday, I was able to secure entrance

 into Dallas County's own highly technical Area 51!

Any idea what is going on here???

 

Hint: This place was among the stops on Saturday's Black Belt Art Explosion tour. 

 

Linking to Our World Tuesday and City Daily Photo Blogs

 

Sunshine Cottage

What a cheerful house the owners have to come home to!

It has the white picket fence, gingerbread trim, American flag,

 front porch and sunshine yellow paint. Very pretty!

Linking to Friday Fences

City Daily Photo

The Pumpkins' Gate

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate;
The first one said, "My it's getting late."
The second one said, "There are witches in the air."
The third one said, "But we don't care."
The fourth one said, "Let's run and run and run."
The fifth one said, "It's Halloween fun."
"Wooooooo" went the wind,
And out went the lights.
These five little pumpkins ran out of sight.

Fingerplay directions:
Hold up five fingers and bend them down one at a time as the verse progresses.
Line 7: Swoosh hand through the air.
Line 8: Clap hands on "out"
Line 9: Place hands behind back.

My children learned the "Five Little Pumpkins" fingerplay verse in preschool, and these 

pumpkins (way more than five!) are on display at St. Paul's Episcopal pumpkin patch.  

Linking to Rural Thursday

City Daily Photo Blogs

O is for Open-Air Market

We're photographing the letter "O" at ABC Wednesday, and the annual

 open-air market known as Riverfront Market Day brings arts, crafts, food,

 music and children's activities to Water Avenue.It's a fun day

 in usually great weather! Market Day was held Oct. 13. 

Linking to ABC Wednesday

Fall at Kenan's Mill

The millstones will turn once again at Kenan's Mill on Saturday, Nov. 3! 

Celebrate the Year of Alabama Food with fresh-ground cornmeal and grits 

at the annual Kenan's Mill Fall Festival. Sample some old-fashioned apple cider

 made on site, and tour the mill and charcoal kiln. Children will find lots to do 

from hayrides and train rides to sack races and jumping

 in the Selma Fire Department's Fire Safety Bounce House.

Then, bring a lawn chair or sit upon the hay bales

 and enjoy live music or head to The Vittles Wagon for barbecue,

 chili, hot dogs, Hoppin' John, cornbread and more!   

Linking to Our World Tuesday

The Sunflower Sculpture

Sunflowers are just springing up all over down on the terrace of Carneal ArtsRevive.

These metallic sculptures most recently greeted guests

 for the annual Alabama Tale-Tellin' Festival.

Linking to Mellow Yellow Monday

City Daily Photo Blog Portal

Market Day Musician

Market Day musicians keep melodies going all day.

 The keyboarder above played Dixieland and jazz with The Ramblers.

Linking to Weekend in Black and White

City Daily Photo Blogs

Have a Little Hay

There was plenty of hay to go around at the equine exhibit

 during the Central Alabama Fair, and I'm sure

 the horses and ponies didn't mind a bit!

Linking to Friday Fences 

City Daily Photo Blogs

Light from the Rafters

From the heights of the weathered rafters on the terrace

 of Carneal ArtsRevive shines the light of a sparkling chandelier! 

 

Linking to Rural Thursday