Centennial Trail.

Centennial Trail is probably the least travelled of the major trails at Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge. It connects the Jeff Friend trail & the Pine Beach trail, both of which have substantially more visitors, especially during the summer months in the height of tourist season. Centennial is roughly two miles long, and ventures through some truly amazing coastal ecosystems. There are huge expanses of palmetto thickets, and a large wetland pond. Sadly, after our long drought this year, the pond was completely dry earlier this week, and growing 6-foot tall pine trees, which means it has been dry for months.

Palmetto thicket.

One of the boardwalks through some of the wetter parts of the trail.

Bon Secour N.W.R.

Remarkably few people venture into Bon Secour National Wildlife 

Refuge. That's truly a shame, because it is a stunningly beautiful place. The only way into the vast majority of it is on foot, which explains why it remains a secluded wonderland. Personally, I love the fact that there is an oasis in the middle of tourist hell where you can easily go hours without seeing another person. Yesterday, I only encountered three other humans over the course of about 3 hours.

That's Gator Lake in the forefront. Little Lagoon is to the left, separated by maybe 100 feet of sand. And in the distance are the natural sand dunes, which can easily be 30-40 feet high, that separate both from the Gulf of Mexico. This is one of my favorite places.

Approaching Little Lagoon on the eastern end of the refuge. The far shore is the narrow peninsula of Gulf beaches. You can see some of the beach houses over there through the trees if you look closely.

Investment Strategies.

Believing.

Whoops! Sign fail. Misspelling AND missing letter.

Wisdom.

I didn't expect to find such wisdom on the marquee of a gas station in Greenville, AL, but there it was....

Whack-a-Do.

As seen in Lake City, FL. 

Bible Camp.

Oh, yeah. It's real. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Coming Soon.

I really believe that this is some sort of threat targeted toward the neighbors. I ran across this one about 1/4 mile from my home. I don't believe for a minute that a trailer park is about to go on that piece of property because it is way too valuable. Plus, I don't think that the city even allows mobile homes anymore. The only ones that are still in existence are grandfathered in, and can't be replaced. But I love the sign, because if it is a threat, it is SOOOO something that I would do.

Blooming Idiots.

This is one that I have passed many times over the years in the middle of nowhere, between Waynesboro, MS & Mobile, AL. They used to be a small plant nursery, but they may have finally given that up and only grow summer veggies now. The name is perfect, though.

The Martin Project.

A purple martin sits atop one of the 12 condos that sit just out in Mobile Bay at the Fairhope Pier.

Fairhope is serious about its birds. And for the bird enthusiast, there is even an annual Alabama Coastal BirdFest, which centers around the Fairhope area.

Summer Produce.

There is an unwritten law in the south that one must not pass by the hand-lettered produce signs without stopping to at least investigate the offerings. And it is rare event to leave empty-handed. We picked up an elusive 'sugar baby' watermelon. These two wonderful produce markets are in the tiny community of Wilmer, AL.

Best & Worse.

I know that there are churches that have some crazy beliefs. And there are some that even handle poisonous snakes because of some obscure Bible verse. But these folks must specialize in smoking crack.

Lorraine was greatly amused that the pastor had obviously changed, but the new one shares the same first name - John. Instead of making it look nice, the just took the last name off one side, and put up a new one in a completely different font on the other. Bless their hearts....

Rooster's.

The chicken head on the sign REALLY makes this one a southern classic! As seen in New Augusta, MS.

Drop It Like It's Hot.

I didn't actually see this one. I stole it from the FB page of one of my daughter's friends. It was just TOO GOOD to pass up!

Simple.

Church marquees are the secondary passion behind this blog. There is never a shortage of them in the rural south.

Dressed.

I want one dressed in polka dot over-alls and a straw hat.

Lil Puppies.

Documenting some of the hand-lettered signs in the south was one of the primary goals of starting this blog. I've had to stop and turn around quite a few times now to capture the image. It's worth the trouble, though.

For Rent.

Can't afford to buy a set of ridiculous spinners? Well, your problem is solved! You can rent them! Surely, this is a new low for humanity.....

Help Wanted.

I checked, but the requirements are far too complicated for the average person....

Shoes Perfectly Optional.

You've all seen the "No shoes, no shirt, no service" signs I'm sure. The are ubiquitous in the south, where it is often too hot to wear much in the way of clothing. Well, in Buckatunna, MS, it is perfectly acceptable to go shoeless. They do, however, insist that your pants not be dragging the ground. What a sad state of affairs it is when such things have to be pointed out.

Bimbo's.

I ran across this place in Silas, AL, very near my hometown. I hadn't been through that part of the world in probably two decades. The 'river rats' reference is due to the high volume of traffic that passes through Silas en route to boating on the Tombigbee River above the dam at Coffeeville, AL. These huge-ass neon lettered signs seem to be all the rage in that part of the rural south at the moment. I hear that it's good, but as you might guess, they don't have a web page or any entries on Urbanspoon.

Hair-Dos.

My friend, Shannon, provided these wonderful salons. Aren't they fantastic?!

Free Sunsets!

While it may seen like an amusing marketing ploy, it's actually a really good deal. Sunsets at the Fly Creek Cafe are often worth charging for.

T-Town.

It's been a month since the Tuscaloosa (and lots of other places) tornado, and for the most part, folks have forgotten about it and moved on. Certainly the national media attention has moved on. But the Original Oyster House continues to remind everyone that they have a very long road ahead of them.

The Lane House.

I ran into this in Auburn this past weekend. The South does love its confederate generals.....

Sweet Home Alabama.

It's always nice to come home. Sometimes more so than others. After a particularly stressful trip to New Orleans last Sunday, it was REALLY nice to be home again. I love New Orleans, God knows I do, but does everything there really have to be so damned difficult? The roads have disintegrated into a vehicle destroying nightmare, parking doesn't exist in any part of the place that's worth visiting, and there's no easy way to get from one part to the other. Dining is universally over-priced. And the crowds of visitors seem to be at record levels recently, making the whole experience even more difficult. I used to find myself sad to be leaving the city after a day or two there, but now I'm glad to be heading home.

Sandhill Cranes.

This one is purely nostalgic. When I was in high school, my aquatic ecology teacher had a special interest in the sandhill crane. He would bring it up often, and in many contexts. My dear friend, Shannon, finally reached a breaking point on a field trip to the Mississippi Gulf coast, and every time that she saw any bird, she would exclaim, "Look! It's a sandhill crane!" Our teacher was about ready to throttle her by the end of the weekend. So, every time I pass these signs for the refuge, I laugh because I can still hear her saying it over and over. 

I know that I have continued to ignore this blog, but things are going to get better. Soon.

Don't Get in the Way of a Parade.

I know that I have ignored this blog horrendously, and I promise to correct that oversight now that the weather is becoming more tolerable for outdoor exploration.

We take our parades seriously in this part of the world. And that ARE NOT joking. If you leave your car on the street, it will disappear. There's a whole fleet of tow trucks that come out for the pre-parade parade of towed vehicles.

Opry.

We pass this one every time we go north to see either of our families. The "Gospel Opry" scares the bejeezus out of me. There used to be another sign indicating the frequency of this "opry", but I didn't see it this time. It think it's a monthly thing. You are free to conjure your own image of what it must be. Just another piece of life here in the buckle of the Bible belt.

Freaky.

This qualifies into my personal "freaky church" designation. This sign is on the main highway in an already-rural part of the world. I can only imagine how rural it must be six miles down the side road.

Curl Up & Dye.

Easily the best salon name in all the South!