MONTGOMERY

My and Sher's sister-in-law Marsha was my traveling buddy to visit Sher in Montgomery last Friday through Monday.Sher is there for ten months in a leadership training school at Maxwell Air Force Base. For months she had prepared to go, knowing when the start date would be: rented her house in Panama City, had most of her furniture and belongings moved to storage in PC, made that huge physical and sometimes emotional transition to another base and another environment. She has done this all her adult life. Part of her loves it, and part of her just wants to stay now in PC. After these classes she may well be transferred to another job at another base. If this is the case, ideally she would like to have one more overseas tour. Since I now have to have a traveling companion (Driving Miss Patsy), I'm sure I wouldn't be flying overseas now (I should have 25 years ago when she was there, but that's history... Now if Marsha would go with me...)

Sher had several things planned for us to do and we stayed pretty busy the two full days we were there - Saturday and Sunday. So here's our whirlwind tour:

Arrived Friday afternoon about 3:30, walked around to front of house and Shannon, Sher's housemate had heard us and met us at the front door.

Love this cozy dining nook. Mama's table and chairs.

Resting.

I almost left Oscar at home this time, but knew he would just pine for me at the back door. He travels so good.

Sher's neighborhood has so many pretty homes. This one was once Helen Keller's sister's.

Downtown. Many historic markers.

Marsha brought fresh eggs and they made deviled eggs for next day's shrimp boil at Sher's "flight" mate's home. All and their families were there except one. Such a great group of young people and small children.

Anyway, back to the eggs - I asked Mike what he feeds his "girls." "Bread and corn."

Off for a ride on her new bike.

Saturday it rained but we ventured out to the Capitol Building and other places of interest.

Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church. The Capitol looks toward it and it's to the left of Capitol building.

Rosa Parks Museum was nearby and we went through the part from the 1950's through the beginning of the Civil Rights movement, which she began by her refusal to give up her seat on a Montgomery city bus. I was very impressed and touched. Here's a link to the Museum, which is at Troy University. (Branch of Troy, AL, campus)

After the museum tour we went to the shrimp boil. The lady in the purple shirt is Sher's house mate, Shannon. She's a distance runner and when we were there she rode her bicycle one day 40 miles!!

This little guy is Torin. I don't eat shrimp and had stopped to get a sandwich to take, along with a Sprite. I had set it down and he found it! It was too late by the time I saw him and didn't want to make him cry. His mother was fine with it. Later I saw Torin with a giant chocolate cookie, half of which was smeared on his face. All these parents were so relaxed. The kids were good, not whiny or getting into things or having to be told to stop or "no!" 

Our hosts Chris (orange shirt) and Chris (far right), both in the Air Force.

Marsha has a way with babies. This little girl went right to her and instantly fell asleep on her shoulder.

Sunday morning breakfast: Powell's sausage, Mike's hens' eggs, buckwheat waffles. Sooo good!

A little bacon, too.

Sunday afternoon: F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum. Truly and hands-on. Nothing was roped off; a few things in glass cases, but his typewriter(s) or of the period were touchable and "pick it up if you can" heavy! I didn't try that, but...

Parquet floor detail.

Books about or by the Fitzgeralds.

Inside back of Sheilah Graham's College of One. FSF was involved with her romantically at one time; this is his list of books for a "higher education."

Zelda decided at 28 or 29 to become a ballerina, which was too late in life to undertake that sort of training. Her life was a roller coaster. I've ordered this book, Z, which is a good historical novel about her life.

The Fitzgeralds had a lease of this house for 8 months, longer than they lived anywhere together.

In my dreams...

She was a real beauty.

FSF's boyhood "Thoughtbook."

These are Zelda's I think.

Our curator. He did a great job.

One of the front windows.

Inside the foyer.

Next we went to the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts. Their website is excellent, showing every exhibit.

Grounds...

Glass kimona.

 Rotunda. The hanging exhibit is made of license plates.

 Mrs. Louis E. Raphael by John Singer Sargent.

Charlie Lucas: When the Left Side of the Brain Meets the Right Side of the Brain

Hills Before Taos by Georgia O'Keeffe

Self-Portrait by Rick Beck

Hope by Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald. (Five generations of her family committed suicide. She died in a fire in a sanitorium.)

After the museum, a tour around the grounds of Maxwell Air Force Base:

This group of buildings is near the gray monument below, which marks the place of the Wright Brothers'  flying school hanger in 1910.

  
Sher told me about this statue but I can't find it on MAFB website right now.

Officer housing.

Back home... Sher's landlord lives next door.

Huge tree in front between their houses.

 She brings the special things with her... the cushions I made for her in Panama City!

Love the front door.. old screen.

Marsha and I left about 8:45 Monday morning and got back in Iuka about 2-2:30. A really good trip; so glad Marsha went - good bed feller, driver, sister-in-law and dear friend. We had a good time. Sher thinking she might get to come here before Christmas, quick weekend. 

We can sit on the deck...  Which Mike and Paul are working on again, the pergola... More on another post.

Oh, and one more...

A good time was had by all!