Pine Straw!

This afternoon a spent a few hours spreading 10 bales of pine straw in the new garden finishing my project!

What do you think?

The southern states of the US are covered with millions of acres of Slash, Longleaf and Yellow pines. The pine needles are harvest yearly as they fall and used as mulch in southern gardens.

Georgians spend more than $25 million on pine straw every year! Almost three-quarters of the straw harvested in Georgia is from slash pine, but longleaf pines produce the longest, and most desirable straw.

100 Degrees!!!!!!

How hot was it in Montgomery AL on Tuesday???
TOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!

Kia comes to Georgia

On I-85 in Georgia I stopped to take a picture of the new Kia Motor Plant under construction.

At the signing ceremony in Seoul, Governor Sonny Perdue and Kia President and CEO E.S. Chung announced that Kia Motors Corporation will build an automotive assembly plant in the city of West Point, Georgia, creating more than 2,800 jobs at the plant and making a $1.2 billion economic investment in the state. The business deal includes a commitment from five supplier companies to locate in Georgia, bringing an additional 2,600 jobs for Georgians.

The new assembly plant, scheduled to begin testing operations by May 2008 and reach full production by 2009, will build two vehicle lines and include an engine assembly line, paint shop, training center, welcome center and two adjacent supplier facilities. To bring the plant online as quickly as possible, the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education’s (DTAE) Quick Start program will build and staff an on-site training center to provide custom training and serve as a community trainingcenter. The new, two-million-square-foot assembly plant will be built on a portion of a 3,300-acre site at the intersection of I-85 and Webb Road in Troup County. About 2,200 acres will be dedicated to the plant and future expansions. The remaining property will be used for roadwork and other infrastructure improvements. The company, owned by Korea-based Hyundai Motor Company, anticipates the plant will produce 300,000 vehicles per year.

For more visit: http://www.georgia.org/Mobile/PressCenter/NewsItems/Kia+to+Build+Assembly+Plant+Invest+in+Georgia.htm

New Bird Bath

Thank you Home Depot for putting bird baths on sale the very day I went shopping for one, they saw me coming, lol!!

Solid cement base and top for $29.90. I figured the pricing at a penny per pound as I carried each up the hill to the backyard!

Backyard Fence Garden Phase One

Phase One of my long planned backyard fence garden began in earnest this weekend.

Using Chris's tiller I began to till and trenched along the fence digging planting hole as I went.

It just so happened that Pike's Nursery had it's yearly red tag sale this weekend and I was able to find a mixture of grasses and shrubs all for 50/75% off!

I also found a cement St. Christopher figure at Walmart for $17.76!!! Now I have to find a bird bath on sale.

Tomorrow I will install low voltage lighting along the fence and then next Friday will begin Phase Two when I'll finish the plantings, put down 30 bales of pinestraw as ground cover and install some new bird feeders.

Thunder Storms!

Yesterday while retuning home from Montgomery, AL I drove through some of the worst thunder storms I've ever seen.

The thunder was so loud at times that it shook the car!

There were five accidents within 10 miles of eachother backing up traffic for 30 miles south of Atlanta. One accident involved this FedEx truck causing it's packages to be a bit late, lol!!!

Fort Mountain State Park

This week I toured the states in GA, TN and AL. This picture was taken between Blue Ridge GA and Chattanooga, TN on State Road 52 north and west of Ellijay, GA at the Fort Mountain State Park overlook. The park is also famous for it's wall!

Enigmatic. Puzzling. Mysterious. These words are frequently used to explain a nondescript stone wall at the top of a mountain in Georgia. The wall runs 855 feet and varies in height from two to six feet. When built, it was probably significantly taller. Why was it built? Who built it? When was it built? These are the questions puzzled researchers ask. The time frame for construction ranges from 500B.C. to 1500A.D. The current commonly accepted date for construction is 500 A.D. The myths of the culture who built it abound. Local Indian culture speaks of a race of "moon-eyed" people. Some choose to interpret this as "white people", inferring that the dark eyed Indians would select this as a description for a light skinned blue eyed race. If the "moon-eyed" people myth can be believed it would more likely be a reference to the god they worshiped than to the shape of their eyes.

Another myth revolves around the Welsh prince Madoc. He arrived in Mobile Bay around 1400 AD and moved north from there. Several petroglyphs support the existence of this legend. Critics of this theory quickly point out that the English were trying to lay claim to the land in the late 1600's and this may be a product of somebody's fertile imagination. Currently, most scholars believe that the wall originated about 500A.D. and has a religious purpose. Many early cultures built structures related to astronomical events. In this case the wall runs east to west around a precipice. The effect is that the sun illuminates one side of the wall at sunrise and on the other side at sunset. Native American cultures worshiped the sun and all things in nature. The absence of religious artifacts supports this theory since it was common practice for Native Americans to take ceremonial objects with them when they moved.

For more visit: http://chieftainstrail.com/sites/fort_mountain.html

Front Row Seats

After dinner it was time to watch Joseph and Gabriel's carefully scripted July 4th fireworks extravaganza!

Already sitting in the grand stands from L to R are Papa, Gram, Maddy, Stacey, Joseph, Kristy and Roxy!

Fireworks Extravaganza!

Thanks to Joseph and Gabriel for our stellar fireworks extravaganza!

Pete and his baby girl

Maddy was suffering with an ear infection yesterday and need her Dad to comfort her. Poor baby!

Kristy and Pete's Home

Pete, Kristy and kids live about 15 miles from use in Roswell, GA! Their home is beautiful with high ceilings and beautiful views of the Roswell area.

July 4th Treats!

Yesterday the family gathered at Pete and Kristy house to celebrate July 4th! As you can see it was a desert rich environment!

Not pictured here was Beth's famous Trifle which last only a few minutes before the bowl was empty!

Pensacola Bay

Last week I visited a CVS location in Pensacola FL. The store on Scenic Drive bordered Pensacola Bay.

Pensacola Bay is located in the Western Florida panhandle near the Florida-Alabama border. The Pensacola Bay system is the fourth largest in Florida, one third of which is in Florida, and two thirds of which are in Alabama. The system includes Escambia Bay, Blackwater Bay, East Bay and Santa Rosa Sound. Major rivers comprising the system are the Escambia, Yellow, Blackwater and East rivers which provide freshwater into the system. The bay is separated from the Gulf of Mexico by a combination of a peninsula, the Santa Rosa Sound and Santa Rosa Island. Water exchange with the Gulf takes place between Santa Rosa Island and Perdido Key. The system is designated as an Aquatic Preserve in Florida. Extensive salt and freshwater marshes and seagrasses characterize the bay system and provide a nursery and migratory corridor for many birds species. The area is home to fishes, reptiles and marine mammals.

For more visit: http://www.pensacolachamber.com