Our Summer Trip to Alabama

In August we took a trip to Alabama to see my cousin Earlene (in Birmingham) and to visit with my friend Jim in Tuscaloosa. I was so excited to take the girls to Tuscaloosa, and to take them to the campus of the University of Alabama to show them where I went to college. And they seemed excited about going. That was until they actually got there and stepped out of the truck into the heat. Now remember, we live in Tampa, FL. A sub-tropical climate, where the heat and humidity are oppressive on a good day during the summer. Well, you would have thought I had taken them to vacation on the Sun!!! It was "too hot" and they wanted "to just go home" the entire time we were at the university. I managed to drag them around the stadium and do a little bit of sightseeing before they began to melt. I enjoyed my visit in spite of the whiney-hineys I had with me! Jim was a great sport about walking around in the heat, and then he turned into the hero of the day when he suggested we go get ice cream!! We went to a place called "Yogurt Mountain" where you serve yourself and you get to put whatever toppings you want, and as much as you want, on your frozen yogurt. Then when you go to pay, they weigh the cup and charge you by the pound (ok, really by the ounce, but I think Amelia was closer to the pound measurment!). Well, I have to admit, eating a tub of blueberry cheesecake frozen yogurt, in the air conditioning, was a bit more pleasant than melting the soles of our shoes onto the stadium sidewalk!

Amelia and Hannah at Bryant-Denny Stadium

Amelia giving her honest opinion of her visit

Hannah acting like her dad (it is impossible to take a decent picture of either of them)

The next day, I once again insisted we go out into the heat and go to Moundville. It is the site of an ancient Indian civilization. I went there in the fourth grade for a field trip and remember thinking it was a very neat thing to see. I really thought Hannah would enjoy it, even if it was not Amelia's cup of tea. By the end of the day, they both were saying it had been lots of fun. I am glad we went. It is always surprising to me, however, to go back to a place that I have not been to since I was a kid. It always seems so much smaller and less amazing than I remember it. But it was something the kids have never seen, and I am sure they will have memories of it forever, just as I have. Hannah got an arrow head for a souvenier. Luckily we took a picture of it right after she got it, because that was the last time we ever saw it. We stood on the banks of the Black Warrior river and yelled across. This was the first time either of the girls had ever experienced hearing their echo! That was the highlight of the day, no doubt. I am sure the people down below trying to enjoy a quiet afternoon on the river took great pleasure in listening to my kids yell at themselves for about 10 minutes. But that is the price you pay to hang out in such a cool place!