St. George Island in May

I love the crowds on St. George Island in May. Actually the winds were pretty stiff, so sunbathing and swimming were not very much on anyone's agenda.

God's Glorious Splendor

This is my first post here in almost two and a half years, so I may not remember how to make it look like I want it to, and they probably changed a ton of stuff in the interim. One glorious morning a few days ago, God just outdid himself with the sunrise, if that's even possible.

Anybody still use Blogger???

Oak Hill Cemetary

JoPaul and I made a photo trip to Oak Hill Cemetery. These seashell look a like mushrooms were growing, not on a crypt, but on an old stump from a tree cut down.

There was also a cemetery cat roaming around the Warnock plot.

The cat was also fond of the new angel at the Chaffin plot.

That new angel is beautiful,

and she has a beautiful view of the city.

Behind Sloss

Norfolk Southern Engine 9434 rumbles through Birmingham, Alabama at dusk.

The sun sets on Sloss.

The Fire Sinks Behind the City

Gary, JoPaul, and I went to the parking deck at 24th St. and 7th Ave. South based a tip a total stranger gave us a couple of weeks ago. It was one of the best locations in our sunset quest. You can get more of a sense of the skyline than up on Red Mountain.

Birmingham Sunset

Gary and I spent a lot of weeks this spring chasing the perfect spot to get the sunset behind the Birmingham skyline, but never found the "perfect" spot. Of course it would move with the seasons too. Tuesday night Jo Paul, Gary and I went back to Stratford Road so Jo Paul could try a panorama. We waited patiently for the sun to set (8:01 pm) and got a few shots.

Here the sun sinks behind a cooling tower at Plant Miller as it pumps power to Birmingham and Alabama. 


Once the sun was down, the sky sort of went purple and pink and the lights of the city started to come up. That's Plant Miller way off on the horizon to the left, still lighting the city (and cooling the interiors of all those buildings).

Birmingham Botanical Gardens

Gary and I went to the Botanical Gardens on one of our recent outings. We were working on some of our macro skills, so the shots were all pretty close.

Prickly Pear Blossom in the Greenhouse

Columbine Tucked Away in the Herb Garden

In the Rose Garden

The Lily Pad Pond

Bluff Park Photo Shoot

The Tip Top Grill sits atop a large bluff on Shades Crest Road at the highest point in Jefferson County. It has a fantastic view of Shades Valley, so Gary and I went to try to get another sunset.

The view from the Tip Top Grill can be fantastic, but when we went to shoot the sunset it was very hazy and the partly cloudy conditions quickly gave way to cloud cover that stretched all the way to Texas. No hope the sun would peak under the clouds and paint their bellies pink and orange. As a side, I wonder why the Tip Top Grill is only open for breakfast and lunch when a dinner view of the sunset over Shades Valley could be fantastic.

Years ago I lived near Bluff Park and would frequent this hardware store when I needed something for the house. They always seemed to have it, and there's not much better than just wandering around a really old fashioned hardware store.

The skinny aisles and floor to ceiling displays just make me want to go in and see what I might need.

This sleepy wooden Indian stands outside On A Shoestring in Bluff Park. I guess he's chained there to keep him from wandering off, although he looks too tired to go far.

Highlands Golf Sundown

From behind the 17th green at Highlands Golf Course near downtown Birmingham, AL.

Sundown Birmingham

Birmingham developed based on mining, railroading, and steel.

Sloss Furnace, very near downtown, was still in operation when I moved here in 1971, belching fire into the night sky as I drove by on the First Avenue Viaduct. It's now a museum.

Birmingham also became a transportation center, and any night we're here shooting, the trains are constantly rumbling past.

As the sun goes down and the lights slowly come up, the nickname the Magic City seems to come to life for me.

Happy Birthday Macro Mondays

The Macro Mondays Flickr Group is ten years old and that led to the theme for this week, Happy 10 Years!

Bottle of Red

The Macro Mondays Flickr group challenge this week is "Made of Metal."
A corkscrew doing its job on a bottle of red. Just another twist or two . . .

Railroad Park View

This was on a calm evening at Railroad Park in Birmingham, Alabama. I've taken similar shots in the past, but the clear reflections make this one of my favorites.

Birmingham from The Club

Gary and I went to the parking lot of The Club on Red Mountain, overlooking Birmingham, for a few night shots. I present the same picture in color and then black and white.

Chilly, Windy Evening on Shades Mountain

On the evening of January 31, Gary and I met in the parking lot of First Church of the Nazarene atop Shades Mountain. The wind makes my little Sony shake around a lot, so getting good images is tough. Maybe I should take that big camera strap off in the wind, since it acts like a sail. During a couple of calm moments, I came away with a shot or two.

Steeple and Stars

(First Church of the Nazarene)

Evening Settles on Samford University

Homewood Neon

We did a little Tuesday night tour of Homewood, Alabama, looking for neon and other things of interest. 

Enjoy the neon:

And a couple of other interesting things: 

Whole Dog Market was NOT open, regardless of what their neon said. Besides, I do NOT think my dog would wash herself, even if she saw others doing it.

The weather was a little chilly for al fresco dining.

Samford After Sundown

"Samford After Sundown" is the name given to a set of classes offered to the community in the evening, so working adults and others will have an opportunity to further themselves in various areas, including photography. I took several classes there years ago and thoroughly enjoyed them and learned a lot. It is also an appropriate description of a photo outing Gary and I took during January. Enjoy. Click the photo for a closer look in Flickr.

Behind Sloss at Night

Need to catch the blog up with my Flickr stuff, so over the next few days I'll put up some posts from earlier in January.

On January 10, Gary and I went to a little place behind Sloss Furnace and tried to get some shots from a different angle than usual. The wind was whipping around so much it was hard to get any decent long exposures, but a couple came out okay.

Got a jet taking off in the first one.

A little different view of part of the Birmingham skyline.

Another Cold and Foggy Morning

It was another cold and foggy morning in Shelby County, Alabama, today, so my camera and I went looking for some more barns to shoot. (If you are not on a phone, click the pictures to see them on Flickr, much better view.)

Through and Through

These may not be as pretty as the one I did the other day (maybe the last one), but these structures are all over the southern part of the county.

Red Barn in Morning, Sailors Take Warning?

I've been wanting to shoot this barn for months, we drive by it all the time. I sort of wish the truck hadn't been there, but hey, it's part of the scene.

Lone Star Lost

This is another one very near our house that we drive by daily, sometimes multiple times. I think the horses are glad they have the shelter.

Foggy Morning in Alabama

Post Card from Alabama

It was a damp and foggy morning in Shelby County, with a threat of rain, but he took his camera out to see what they could see together. This first shot alone made it worth the trip.

Cantilever Space Dock

The dock at the Beeswax Creek boat launch appears to be cantilevered out into space.

Falling Branch

No, I didn't shoot just as it fell, nor did I throw it up in the air. It was foggy down at Lay Lake, and some fisherman had tangled his line, broke off the branch, and left it hanging. The mono-filament was invisible. 

Shelby Springs Confederate Cemetery

They've lain here over 150 years. What's one more foggy, rainy day?