There was a huge college football game in Tuscaloosa last night: Louisiana State Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide. Alabama lost a very close game but the locals are still proud of the home team, nicknamed Bama.
Local folks also use the term 'bama when talking about other things: 'bama roads, 'bama cotton, 'bama coast, etc. So here are some 'bama scenes from the past couple days...
When our little RV family was in Arizona last winter, we met lots of Americans who carried guns. They seem to be a pretty big deal down here in Alabama as well, but yesterday was the first time I saw these on the roadside during my daily stroll.
Nearby town of Foley, Alabama:
And the highlight of this post - the numerous 'bama cotton fields:
I swiped a great description of cotton growing from this website:
Seeding is done with mechanical planters which cover as many as 10 to 24 rows at a time. The planter opens a small trench or furrow in each row, drops in the right amount of seed, covers them and packs the earth on top of them.
About two months after planting, flower buds called squares appear on the cotton plants. In another three weeks, the blossoms open. Their petals change from creamy white to yellow, then pink and finally, dark red. After three days, they wither and fall, leaving green pods which are called cotton bolls.
Inside the boll, which is shaped like a tiny football, moist fibers grow and push out from the newly formed seeds. As the boll ripens, it turns brown. The fibers continue to expand under the warm sun. Finally, they split the boll apart and the fluffy cotton bursts forth. It looks like white cotton candy.
And that, my feathered friends, is where cotton balls come from.
Love your informative blog with pictures helping to tell the story! Would sure be nice to be there with you today, -7 was our low last night and 0 for our expected high, here in the North Okanagan. Foley looks like a nice town, even with a Piggly Wiggly! Those shells you found are shotgun shells, used mostly for shooting birds or ducks. We cant wait to go South next winter after my replacement knee is healed.
Posted by: Don | November 06, 2011 at 09:58 AM
Mr P - the southern 'Bama weather has been consistent... sunny and mid 20's during the day and +5C to +12C overnight.
Those shotgun shells on the side of the road freaked me out a bit, but not as much the snakes. Or the numerous armadillos I've seen. Even though the armadillos should be the least of my worries... unless one jumps out at me from behind a bush which would immediately result in a heart attack :)
Sounds like you're chomping at the bit to get out on the road next winter and I don't blame you.
My Fella and I consider ourselves so lucky to be able to explore North America this way. It's pretty amazing.
Posted by: kelsi | November 06, 2011 at 04:08 PM
LOL at the Piggly Wiggly - cutest store name ever. I remember visiting my old aunt in ND and we'd make a game of trying to make her say Piggly Wiggly as many times as possible (in a Fargo-esque Norwegian accent.) Good times, good times.
Posted by: Jacq | November 07, 2011 at 08:10 AM
jjolie - there are two Piggly Wigglys within 12 miles of each other so they're pretty popular down here. But not as big as Winn-Dixie, a local grocery store chain based out of Jacksonville, Florida.
Posted by: kelsi | November 08, 2011 at 05:42 AM