Ugly Art

I suppose some people would call this art. I just call it ugly. This was in the restroom at a Doctor's office I recently visited. It appears to be an acrylic media on a piece of half inch plywood. I thought this was pretty tasteless, particularly for a restroom.

Mt. Cheaha Tower

 This is the view out one of the tower windows.

Some graffiti inside the tower 

 The beautiful old tower. It has some bleeding from the stones in the main arch after you enter. mini stalactites have dripped down.

More graffiti.

Red and Yellow Leaf Coloration

These leaves looked unreal they were so beautifully and carefully painted. They were on the way out to the Bald Rock.

Rock Formation at Mt. Cheaha

There are lots of rocks just ideal for stumbling on on the old trail out to the bald Rock at Mt. Cheaha. Luckily several years ago a raised board walk was built from the parking lot out to the overlook. This has enabled many people to see the overlook who otherwise would not have been able to because of the roughness of the trail. The day we were there some volunteers helping the park people to paint the boardwalk. There never is enough money for such things so the help of volunteers is invaluable.
But about this rock...
These rocks are characteristic of the overlaying sandstone that comprise Lookout Mountain, the end of the Appalachian Range. These rocks break into layers and make stacks like the ones in this picture.

View from Bald Rock at Mt Cheaha

A leaf trip to Cheaha this past Thursday provided some beautiful sights. This photo was taken from the overlook at the Bald Rock. The bald space on the left of the picture is an area which was recently clear cut. You can see the roads through the area. The green  bisecting the area is probably a waterway since regulations prohibit harvest within so many feet of a waterway.

Motorcycle Car

I saw this at Ruths Flea Market this past week.  Quite innovative. I believe even I could ride this!!

Mayan Gold (Tecoma)

I bought this Tecoma in 2009 and overwintered it in the greenhouse. This year I put it in the ground about mid summer when other things in my flower bed began to disappear and leave empty holes. Last year it had made some seed so I had planted those and also have several smaller plants in pots that I am going to carry over this winter. I am anxious to see whether it will return next year as there are conflicting claims on the internet. The introducer (Bill Calkins at Ball Seed) said it was an annual except zone 9 and south. Others claim it is root hardy to zone 7B, returning in mid-spring.
I can say that Tecoma Mayan Gold loves the summer heat in my section of Chambers County Alabama. It starts blooming when the days are long and continues even now. I think it must not set seed till the days start to shorten as I am just now getting a couple of seed pods forming.I have really enjoyed it's bright yellow as well as it's carefree nature. nothing in the way of insects or deer seem to bother it. (Deer could get it any day as they are eating everything else around here these days, but so far, so good.) I hope I have discovered a new perennial that will fill the gap after the summer flowers begin to loose their vigor.  Full sun.