Garry Morgan, The man behind "In-the-Boro"

Garry Morgan

If you have ever been to a meeting of the Jackson County Commission or the Scottsboro City Council, chances are you have seen Garry Morgan; he is always there.  Week in and week out he shows up, video camera in hand. Garry is involved in his community, to say the least. 

Morgan is a graduate from Baylor University and for 21 years he served his country in the United States Army.   Following his military retirement, Morgan worked in medical administration. Through years of experience, his knowledge of medicine, sociology, race relations, equal opportunity and evaluation of risks became extensive, and because of his background he is astute to the problems in world around him. “If you don’t ask questions, if you don’t attempt to sit down and try to analyze problems and then resolve the problems, we’re not going to progress as a society. We’re not going to progress as a community,” he said.  

Because of the way he expresses his concern about so many local aspects, Morgan says people have attempted in ways to “censor” him. If you follow various local Facebook groups you are sure to have noticed that his comments are almost never well received. He is often labeled “negative” and even kicked off of groups for the input he gives.

The following is an excerpt from a post Morgan made on the private Facebook Group page for Revive Scottsboro:

“Reality demonstrations a failure of vision and planning. Scottsboro has expanded its shopping areas outward, away from the downtown area. There have been several revitalization plans; but when you spend hundreds of millions on bypasses, service roads and property owners greed- then fail to stick to your basic downtown revitalization plans, Scottsboro today is what you get a picture of urban blight.”

This comment sparked an onset of debate about negativity, but Morgan’s intentions, he explains, are not to simply stir the pot. “People like to say ‘Oh, you’re being negative.’ Well, there is no negative or positive about it. I’m just stating the facts. This is what I am seeing as Garry Morgan in the community,” he said.  

Ultimately Morgan was removed from the group for not following the rules about keeping comments positive.  To that he said, “My goal here in Scottsboro is education, to fight this every way possible. To fight narrow minded thinking. I’m not going to follow the rules set up to discriminate, to not look at reality and to be delusional. No, I’m not going to follow those rules.”

 “What I’m about is awareness, raising awareness and facilitating people to speak up not just to sit idly by, not just to go about your business because somebody tells you ‘hey, butt out.’ I don’t believe in that,” he said.


Before Facebook, however, there was AL.com and its infamous forums.  Morgan used to post there on a regular basis, but noticed that many of his posts were being removed.  Morgan learned that AL.com was receiving local political pressure to remove his posts. “So, I got to asking questions. At that particular time I was friends with folks in Birmingham who managed AL.com,” he said. “People in Scottsboro were calling and saying ‘You can’t let this guy say that.’ Sometimes they let [my comments] stay. Other times they didn’t. So, because of that censorship I started the blog.”

Morgan’s alternative news blog is called “In the Boro”, formerly” Watch for Snakes in Scottsboro.”


Sometimes the reactions other people have to Morgan’s actions are upsetting. “I feel like crying sometimes because of people’s ignorance. Do you not realize what I am trying to do?” he said.


On his blog, he posts political commentary and videos from local political meetings, as well as information he gathers about various environmental concerns.

In the past, he says, his actions have actually helped to improve the rights of citizens. “A citizen could not go before the city council or county commission not so long ago without begging either the chairman or the council president to speak. I’m proud to say I had something to do with changing that.”  Morgan, at his own expense, sued the county commission because they did not publish meeting notices on the bulletin board. Today, those meetings are posted in public view and a citizen sign in sheet is placed at all meetings so that anyone wishing to express a concern may easily do so.

Outside of politics, one of Morgan’s biggest concerns is the local environmental effects on health.  He is a part of groups BEST and MATRR and worked with them to compile a report about the health hazards of radioactive emissions surrounding Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant. “Jackson County has the highest rate of brain cancer in the state of Alabama. Why is that? We asked the question, could it be possible that radiation is causing problems in North Alabama? We couldn’t come to a conclusion on it, but what we can conclude is that when we look at what is happening medically with the pollution in the river in our water systems and our drinking water, some frightening statistics come forth with cancer rates, unknown diseases, people going to the doctor, they don’t know why they are sick they just know they are sick. We are pointing out that we think we do know why, because the river is our lifeblood and the river is polluted. If you look up the river you have a massive defense industry. Seven nuclear reactors, three research reactors, weapons facility production. Then you have chemical plants, massive chemical industries along the river.”

Morgan continues to monitor river and rain waters. His suggestions are stark; don’t eat fish out of the river and don’t play in the rain. According to Morgan there are very high levels of Mercury in the Tennessee River and the rain is radioactive. “I monitor it all the time and get counts as high as 2000 counts per minute, which is basically your annual dose of radiation that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission says is allowed,”  he said. “You can’t see it, taste it or smell it. It’s out of sight out of mind.”

The answer is not that complicated. “Stop using those things which are killing people,” Morgan says.


  “That requires a cultural and lifestyle change. We are not prepared to do that.” Morgan explains that if we could begin to veer away from antiquated energy sources, such as nuclear and coal, then we could begin to see a positive change. “Energy efficiency is the answer. There are solar panels now that can not only generate electricity, but store it. We are at a point now where we can generate power from the earth the sun, sugar, hydrogen. The real answer for a future is moving from the fossil fuel economy to the hydrogen economy. Of course you have big oil companies and politicians making money. They don’t want to go there because of the greed. They are making billions and trillions of dollars. They are concerned about their sphere, their clique, their culture, which is a lot different from yours and my culture.”

Morgan says that while the majority of people have been educated to be quiet, he cannot live like that. “That’s not what our nation is about. That’s not why for 21 years I did what I did. It’s because of my military background and my education that I have a calling to speak up about things and write. I have experienced a strong censorship by the local media and business organizations to try and protect an image. But what image? The people are the image. You have to accept the good and the bad,” he said.

“I bring information forward to say “I think there is a problem here. Some people don’t like that. Some people don’t like it when I say ‘hey, here is the problem, let’s work towards the solution. That’s bothersome to me. After all, military is engrained into me. I’m still fighting this battle. It’s within myself, but it’s also in the community. How to make improvements. How to work on things. So, that’s the reason I write blogs. That can be my input. By conveying that information and in that information expressing my concern and my views. If that helps the community, if that helps other people to understand what’s going on around us, then I think I’ve accomplished something.”



Morgan's blog, which is frequently updated, may be viewed here.

Backpack Buddies, sending home hope

P.A.L.S. Club, Woodville High School

Common sense tells us that nutritious food is essential for the mental and physical development of children. However, statistics show that many American children go hungry each and every day. In fact, 15.8 million children live in homes that do not have an adequate amount of nutritious food, according to the USDA.

Most educators can vouch for the old story that many children only get fed at school, but in 2012 Woodville High School student Alyssa Cosby had an idea to change all of that. Cosby says that the idea stemmed from the school's participation in Christmas Charities. "I was in Bible class and they were taking up money for a local family to help them buy Christmas presents for their child. I started thinking that if families needed help at Christmas that they probably needed help the rest of the year too," she said.

Cosby discussed the idea with her mother, and together they decided it would be a great idea to start a club that could help community members in need throughout the year. The name, they decided, should be P.A.L.S., Panthers Always Living Strong. 

Cosby wrote out her ideas for the club and presented them to one of her teachers, Mrs. Amanda Peek. "I went back at break that day and she informed me she loved the idea and encourage me to get others on board," Cosby said. 

Cosby spread the word to other students that they would need about sixty kids to make the project work. Before long the club had been created and officers had been elected. 

According to Cosby, at the first meeting, Mrs. Peek suggested the idea for "Backpack Buddies." The idea was to send bags of food home at the end of the week with students in need. "The idea was a major success and in its first year PALS helped around 30-50 kids in the school every weekend," Cosby said. 

Since P.A.L.S. was founded in 2012, the Backpack Buddies program has spread to other schools throughout Jackson County. In addition to Woodville High School, Skyline, Bridgeport Middle and Bridgeport Elementary schools all participate in this program and are able to send food home to around 175 students.

Backpack Buddies always accepts monetary or food donations. "The items we use are in individual packaging and are shelf stable. However, we do like to send fresh fruit whenever possible," Mrs. Peek said.

The following is a list of donation suggestions the group may accept for distribution:

Shelf-Stable Milk, Juice Boxes, Bottled Water, Cereal, Cereal Bars, Muffins, Macaroni & Beef Ravioli, Spaghetti &Meatballs,Beef Stew,Beans & Franks,Fresh Fruit,

Jerky/Cheese, Snack Cakes, Granola Bars, Rice Krispy Treats,Pudding Cups

  

Or, if you prefer you can sponsor an individual student for the following donation:  $15/month, $75/semester, $150/school year.

For more information please contact Amanda Peek at Woodville High School: 256-776-2874 ext. 3102 or peeka@jackson.k12.al.us

 

  *Photos courtesy of Amanda Peek

Happy Veteran's Day

Major Carey Hughes:WW2, Korea,Vietnam

 

 

Major Carey S. Hughes gave nearly his entire life to his country, serving as a fighter pilot in not only World War II, but also in the Korean War and Vietnam. He passed away in 1981, at the young age of 57, but his wife Martha recently shared her memories of his brilliant military career.

Hughes wanted to join the military at a young age, right out of high school. “He wanted to go into the service, as all young men did at that time, when Japan attacked us. Everybody was patriotic then, like they are not so much anymore, but he was too young and his parents wanted him to stay in college,” Martha said.

Instead of enlisting right away, Hughes honored his parent's wishes and spent two years at Vanderbilt University. After two years of college he was eligible to become a naval air cadet, so he enlisted in the Navy on December 10, 1942 and became just that.

Before Hughes could complete his flight training, tragedy struck his family. His mother became ill and was diagnosed with cancer shortly after he left. Meanwhile, his younger brother John, who was fighting with the Army in the Pacific Islands, was in the process of coming home. Before he could make it back to his sick mother, however, he was shot and killed by a sniper. Before the family got word that John had been killed, their mother passed away. Shortly after, Carey got word that his father was in the hospital at Vanderbilt, but before he could get there his father too passed away.

Hughes's family owned Merry Acres, a dairy farm in Huntsville. Because all of his immediate family was now deceased and Hughes had the responsibility of returning home to settle the affairs of the farm he could not extend his time in the Navy past the end of World War II in 1945, though he wanted to and he did remain in the Reserve.

In 1953, during the Korean War, Hughes decided to reenlist. This time, however, he enlisted with the Marine Corps. “They wanted him to do that because they were giving close air support in Korea to the ground troops,” Martha said. “When they told him they wanted him to go into the Marine Corps they said it was because they had lost so many Marine pilots.”

He was in Korea for about 16 months. During that time, Martha says he wrote her nearly every day. “Sometimes I'd get a whole bunch at one time after I hadn't gotten any for a few days. He wrote almost every day, so I got them frequently,” she said.

Like many veterans, Martha says Carey never talked about any war in very much detail, but he would talk about the countries he saw. “In Korea he bought a motorcycle, more like a scooter, so he could travel around the countryside. He liked to take his motor scooter and go around the countryside and he brought a lot of pictures back that depicted the Korean countryside showing the women washing their clothes on rocks in the streams... and the rice patties. He liked things like that. He liked to get acquainted with the culture and the people. He talked more about things like that than he did the actual war. I never questioned him a lot. Whatever he wanted to tell me was fine,” she said.

From Korea, Hughes was sent to Japan , and Martha had the opportunity to visit him there, but the trip started with some confusion. “He got a telegram that should have said I'll be there at 10 o'clock on the second, but it read two o'clock on the tenth. So, he didn't meet me at the airport because he was still on his way. He didn't know I was getting there so soon. There I was, not speaking Japanese and not many Japanese people there spoke English. The red caps at the airport grabbed my luggage to take off and I had no where to go, so I was trying to get them to let it go...just pulling at them because I couldn't speak Japanese. Finally there was a Naval officer there who was a liaison officer and he tracked Carey down for me. He was on his way, so I stayed at a hotel there that housed civilians who were working for the government until he could get there,” she said.

Hughes stayed in Japan for about six months after Martha's visit. “The 1st Marine Aircraft Wing was there and they were ordered to be back home when the war was over. It was a big deal. They had to account for every little thing and bring it back to the States,” Martha said.

When Hughes returned from Korea, he and Martha were moved to Pensacola Naval Air Station in Florida where he served as a flight instructor.

Hughes was stationed at Paris Island when he got orders to Vietnam. Martha said that the Vietnam War was probably the most dangerous for her husband. “In earlier wars, being an aviator, it wasn't like the troops fighting on the ground. They just flew their plane out and had fights in the air and then came back to a more or less safe place. But in Vietnam it was a closer war. There was more contact,” she said.

Martha recalled the time that her husband was sent to Hawaii for R&R, rest and recuperation, during his Vietnam tour. “I met him there and he just wanted to sleep all the time. He said he never had a night's sleep because he had to wake up and go to the bunker room if they sounded the sirens that the enemy planes were coming,” she said.

Though this was a tougher war for Hughes, he still wrote letters back home and called on occasion. And, like in Korea, he liked to explore the Vietnamese countryside, though what he saw wasn't always pleasant. “He noted that the children in Vietnam would try to take your watch off of your arm. They'd do primitive things, like put feces on nails so that they [American soldiers] would step on it and get infections. These weren't military things, that was just what Vietnamese civilians did,” Martha said.

Hughes was awarded the Bronze Medal for Valor during his military career.

He retired from the Marine Corps on June 30, 1971, at the age of 47. By this time, he and Martha had built a home on Roseberry Creek in Scottsboro, where they lived with their two sons, Carey, Jr. “Butchie” and John. After his military retirement Hughes worked as the personnel manager at Halstead, served as the President of the Rotary Club and ever the aviator, he owned and flew his own Cessna airplane.

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Don Hodges: Vietnam

Don Hodges was in the middle of his college career, working to become a pharmacist, at Samford University in Birmingham when he enlisted in the United States Army. Until that point he had been deferred from the draft, but because he could not afford to attend school full time his deferment ran out. “I was afraid that if I was drafted, because of my pharmacy background, that they might make me a medic. That, of course, was a very high risk job in Vietnam, so I went ahead an enlisted so I could pick my choice of school,” he said.

“I certainly was not chomping at the bits to go to Vietnam, but the main thing is I knew so many had served before me in all the wars, but especially World War 2 because that was the greatest generation. A lot of people don't even know about them now, but if we had lost World War 2 we would certainly be living differently today,” Hodges said. “I just thought about all those that had gone before me and knew it was my duty to go too.”

Don was 23 years old when he enlisted, several years older than most people he served with. “I really wish I had gone sooner and gotten it over with,” he said.

He began his basic training at Fort Benning, Ga. in 1967. After basic, he went to Advanced Individual Training where he became a Microwave Radio Specialist. “I had always been interested in electronics,” he said, “ yet, I only ended up doing that maybe less than a month in Vietnam and then I became a company clerk and I ended up driving truck.”

By the age of 25 he was in I Corps, where he would spend eight months, next to North Vietnam.

“The main thing about my story,” he said,” is I was just scared to death.”

“I'd never been in a war before. The main thing that scared me was there were people I didn't know, and they didn't know me, and they were trying to kill me. I never had a narrow escape episode or anything but when I was up north I had some that were too close for comfort.”

He was stationed in a place called Phu Bai, where he says there were many attacks, mainly at night

Though he was scared, he said he was lucky in many ways. “I was always back at at established base at night. I never had to spend a night out at what we referred to as the boonies. I ended up seeing more action than I wanted to, but the main thing is I didn't have to stay out at night,” he said.

The last six months of his tour, Hodges spent at a battalion headquarters near Cam Ranh Bay. “There wasn't much action there and that's where I started driving a truck. It was called a ration truck and I'd go get food and supplies.” he said. “This place was not one of the main sights for people coming in to the country, but it was a sight where people go home. It's also the sight of a big mortuary. Most people went home with their bags. Some went home in a bag,” he said. “But, compared to I Corps, where I was stationed at first, we had very very few attacks. It was a pretty secure area.”

Hodges had gotten married before he was sent to Vietnam. “We missed each other a lot. There certainly were a whole lot of letters,” he said. “We also had tape recorders that had a reel on them and we would make tapes and send them back and forth. When she would visit my mother, my wife could let her listen to my tapes and she'd make me one. The mail was everything. It'd probably take five days, maybe seven, for mail to travel between home and Vietnam, but when you got it, it was current,” he said.

He was also able to make a few precious phone calls back to the states while he was away. “ I can't remember if it was the Red Cross or the USO, but if you were ever close enough to where you could get to a place they had, of course the line would always be long, you could call home. I'd call home in the middle of the day there and it'd be the middle of the night here. I made several calls to my wife and mother and that was real neat because that was the farthest from home I've ever been.”

Hodges says he doesn't like to talk in too much depth about his war stories. “It was pretty rough. And, I don't like to talk about it much either because it was such an unpopular war,” he said. “When I was in I Corps I had to run down to Da Nang and do a courier run. There was a CBS news crew there that interviewed me, and I don't know if it ever got on TV or not,but the main thing they asked me is 'What do you think about all the protests going on in America now, especially by people your own age?' My reply was 'Well I wish they were over here and I was home.' I didn't want to get into politics or anything like that, but that's just what I told them.” he said.

It wasn't until ten years ago, on a hike in the Smoky Mountains, that some one thanked Don for his service. “That was the first time that had ever happened. It's happened a lot since. It's not that I'm looking for thanks, it's just that I remember when I came home. I flew in to Huntsville. I had on my uniform and when I got off the plane there were some people who shot me the bird and called me a baby killer.”

Hodges was born in Scottsboro to L.C. “Mess” and Elizabeth Hodges and though he only spent his first 18 years in Scottsboro, it is still the place he calls home. He is a member of VFW Post 6073 and even comes back most years to help at the county fair.

When Hodges returned from Vietnam in 1970 he got to go back to school in Birmingham, where he has lived ever since. He is now a retired pharmacist.

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Michael Kirkland: Afghanistan

When I asked my husband why he wanted to be in the Army he told me that he had wanted to since he was just a kid. Part of his reasoning for this was because he wanted to be like the good guys he saw on television. "I always thought those dudes were cool, running around shooting guns. That's why kids want to be in the Army, because that's what they see on TV. They see dudes beating bad people," he said.

"It's just something I wanted to do. It's just something you want to do or you don't and it was something I wanted to do."

He thinks he was destined to be where he is today. He said he thought that true because when he was a little kid he and his cousin Patrick built forts together all the time. "When I was really little I'd just built them out of sheets and furniture in the living room. Then, when we moved out in the country I'd go out in the woods and build forts and brush piles and bridges and walls and paths. That's a lot of fun," he said.

He almost joined right out of high school but says that his dad wanted him to get a college education first, and so he did. But as he was finishing school he realized he still wanted to be in the military, so he started looking at the process of enlisting.


In March of 2011 he left for boot camp at Fort Benning. "It wasn't hard. You wake up early and stand in formation and go to PT and whatever training we had for the day we'd go do. It wasn't physically hard. I expected it to be like the movies where you get yelled at and beat up by the drill instructors, but that's not how the military is now."

During basic training a recruiter came and talked to him and the others about being a Ranger. "I didn't know anything about it, but it looked cool. I already knew I wasn't going to like the job I was supposed to do (satellite communications). It seemed like a better place so I volunteered for it and went to AIT at Fort Gordon. I was there for 11 months and I went to airborne school in April of 2012 and I started the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program in August of 2012 and finished in October."

(Because he always tells me to Google it when I ask him what a Ranger is...)
The 75th Ranger Regiment is a lethal, agile and flexible force, capable of conducting many complex, joint special operations missions. Today's Ranger Regiment is the Army's premier direct-action raid force. Each of the four geographically dispersed Ranger battalions is always combat ready, mentally and physically tough, and prepared to fight our country's adversaries. Their capabilities include conducting airborne and air assault opertions, seizing key terrain such as airfields, destroying strategic facilities, and capturing or killing enemies of the nation. Rangers are capable of conducting squad through regimental size operations and are resourced to maintain exceptional proficiency, experience and readiness. The Regiment remains an all-volunteer force with an intensive screening and selection process followed by combat-focused training. The 75th Ranger Regiment is a proud unit and a team of teams – serving the nation. 

After that he was stationed at Fort Benning, where he remains, with the 3rd Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment.

Michael was well aware that he joined the military in the middle of a very long war, and knew it was likely he would be deployed.

"That’s the point of joining the Army;you know at some point you’re going to have to go . If you don’t want to fight in a war you probably shouldn’t join the military."

He said they went through a training cycle to prepare for deployment. "We did a lot of scenario based training... of what we should expect overseas."

He deployed to Afghanistan at the end of the August of this year.

He said what he experienced was almost exactly like what happened in training, and that they continued to train even while overseas.

He said that the living was pretty cramped, but  it could have been worse.. "It was really dry and there were big changes in temperatures between night and day. It wasn't horrible living conditions. I imagine it's a lot better how we lived than how they did in other wars. It wasn't bad how we lived. We had indoor plumbing, we had laundry rooms and computer rooms. So, it wasn't horrible."

The food, he so eloquently stated, "sucked."

He wasn't able to tell me a lot of the details about what went on while he was in Afghanistan, except that they went on missions. And during those missions they accomplished that thing that Michael dreamed about as a little boy building forts...they got the bad guys.

"It was pretty rewarding when we got to go out and catch whoever it was we were looking for, because  that meant there was somebody less in the world that was going to try to hurt people"

They had to deal with mortar attacks on a daily basis and while it was unnerving to Michael, it made him a better person.

"Being overseas and being away from everyone you know and love, and getting shot at on a daily basis...when you get home you appreciate those things more when you wake up in a peaceful place...you are a little more thankful for every day that you have."

He made it back safely to the U.S. on  Thursday, October 24.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!

When I was young my mother would put me to sleep by telling me ghost stories that were told to her when she was young. They were all true, as far as she knows, though she says that her grandma may have just imagined them.

Many happened in Jackson County...Pisgah to be exact, but the one I am sharing today happened in Decatur.

Here is the transcript of my mom telling the story last Sunday:


It was a big old pretty house but Grandma would hear sounds. It was a big two story house. It had about four bedrooms up stairs. Rich people used to live there but a lot of them would build big houses out in the country but then move to town . A lawyer owned it and they'd moved back to Decatur.

They were sharecroppers. The owners let them live in the house and farm the land and gave them half of it. Grandma didn't have any furniture to put in the house but it had been beautiful.

Her and grandpa had been over at Grandma Washburn's, her mama's, they were bad all of them to go aback to their mamas.

That night they had been to grandma Washburn's and had to come back home to the big house. They had to walk and there was a big snow on the ground. Her and Grandpa didn't have anything in the house but in two rooms with some rocking chairs and a bed in the living room.Instead of trying to heat the kitchen up, it was so cold they'd just cook on the fire place. Grandma was cooking and they heard somebody "knock knock" on the door and they said well it must be Billy or Reuben, that was grandmas two brothers, they weren't there and they were mean as black snakes. In those days people didn't go to the door so Grandpa said "come in come in."  But no one ever came in.They kept hearing it and so Grandpa went to the door.  He saw the snow was banked up and there wasn't a footprint in the snow and no body was out there.  He said "Melviney come here and look." The snow had already covered their footsteps on the porch and walkway, from when they got there earlier, and there weren't any other tracks anywhere. It scared Grandma. She didn't hardly sleep that night and she wouldn't go back up there after that night, so she went back and stayed with her mama.

The next night, Reuben and Billy said they'd go back with Grandpa and stay and see what happened. So they carried them a little liquor and was drinking, Billy and Reuben was, and after a while they started hearing soft music and they looked and coming floating down the stairs was a beautiful woman in a long white dress and  Uncle Billy said "Come on down here baby, I'll dance with you." And she went "poof" and vanished in the fog. So they grabbed their mules and wouldn't even stay all night there half drunk, they went back home.

Grandma said she always worried that she didn't try to find out what had happened in that house.

Ok, so  perhaps this is not the scariest story on earth, but it was scary enough to put me to sleep when I was younger.  I'm keeping the better stories, like how my great grandmother was warned of all her children's deaths, for another day.  

I share this story because...that's what I am trying to start with this blog...a sharing of local people's stories...because I think all stories are important and worth writing down or recording.   

Movie on the Square

Last Saturday, Downtown Scottsboro, a group of individuals interested in bringing a little more energy to Jackson County's historic square, hosted a movie night on the courthouse lawn.

The grass on the north side of the square was filled with blankets and chairs and hundreds of people gathered to watch Madagascar.

This was a really cool idea...something most people don't think of when they think of Scottsboro. 

Hopefully this is just the beginning and more family friendly events like this one are in store!

*I employed my ten year old nephew to take a lot of these pictures

An ode to a favorite tree of mine

What is it about a tree that makes people so sentimental?

I have always had a special affection for different trees I noticed. I grew up climbing a tree in my grandmother's front yard and so "Birches" is one of my favorite poems of all.

If you don't already know, the Jackson County Commission is considering cutting down the beautiful Maple tree in front of the courthouse, and even though I really feel like they wouldn't cut the tree down unless there was a real concern (especially since the Tree Commission approved it, because those guys are really serious about trees) I can't help but be really really sad about it.

When I worked at the paper I frequented the courthouse. I didn't really notice the tree much during the summer months, but when cooler weather came along the tree took on a whole new life as thousands of leaves began to change color.  By the time it was cool enough to wear a coat they were the most beautiful yellow color you could ever imagine.  As winter went on, nothing could compare to its beauty.  The other trees dropped their simple brown leaves and those covered the courthouse yard, but many of the gold maple leaves held strong until harsh winds and snow finally brought them all down.

I can't tell you how many Monday evenings I told myself I needed to take a picture of the tree and its gorgeous leaves. I always thought there would be another chance...when I had more time or when the lighting was better. And then last weekend I realized that I may never ever get to see that tree and its majestic fall beauty ever again.

They say it is 150 years old. I like to think of all of the other people who have witnessed the beauty of that tree. My grandparents? My great grandparents? How many people over 150 years have sought shade from the hot summer sun under it? Did Clarence Norris or Charlie Weems notice it?

A specialist from Washington state has offered to see if there is a solution to save the tree, and I really hope he finds one.  I, as much as anyone else, really don't want anyone to get bonked in the head by a huge tree limb... but I also really really really want to see those gold leaves again.

Something about a tree is magic. That tree has seen 150 years...something neither you nor I will ever do. It's heartbreaking to think of it as something else...furniture...paper...firewood...what do they do with beautiful trees when they are cut down?

I'm happy the tree will live a little longer. I took these pictures last weekend at First Monday because I thought it would be the last time I ever got to see the tree.

I didn't want it to end like that, with its gaudy summer leaves. I wanted so badly to see it again in its season of loveliness.

Maybe I will get to after all.

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

Labor Day Weekend in Scottsboro

Labor Day weekend is kind of a big deal in Scottsboro and it draws a pretty big crowd.

On Sunday the Three Arts Club held its 41st Art in the Park at King Caldwell Park. Each year at this event dozens of artists set up spaces to display and sell their work and you can usually find some pretty cool things.  Here are a few of my snapshots of people and art from Art in the Park. I tried to get cards with names and websites for the photos I took...I apologize to the ones I missed (forgot my notebook!)

L

These sweet ladies worked the library's book sale. Paperbacks for a quarter, hardbacks for a dollar. I was in heaven and bought a ton of books!

This lady's candles smell amaaazing and she has a ton of scents. If you missed her at Art in the Park, dont fret. You can find her selling her candles each Sunday at the Taco-Bet.

Kristen, Stratton and Jacob Foster

This is Katelyn from HomeGrownFabrics. She had some really pretty hand painted scarfs! Here is a link to her etsy shop....you can also find HomeGrownFabrics on Facebook.

Mike and Debbie Ashburn

Amy Guthrie from Not Too Shabby. That really cool rocker above belongs to her!

Daniel, Meagen and Landen Pence

Madd Dog Bowtique....so cute!

Coyote Cove: Handcrafted soap, herbal bath and beauty products.

Ciara Herberholz of C Marie Design

John Warr. His booth is probably one of my favorites because a lot of his art is very local and historical.

Each year here is a huge amateur photo contest!

On the left is my buddy Riley Hambrick... I didn't catch his friends names,sorry haha!

I didn't get these girls names either, all I know is they played a mean Gavroche in Les Miserables.

First Monday is a monthly thing at the square in downtown Scottsboro, but I would venture to say that Labor Day weekend sees the biggest turn out. I snapped these shots of the streets and a few of the things I thought were cool finds.

Until next time....