Tuesday in T-town

The new farmer's market on Jack Warner Parkway has opened! If you haven't been by it, it is a beautiful facility. It is open Tuesday and Saturday from 7a-noon. I hadn't been yet, but I had really been wanting to go. So, yesterday morning I stopped by to see what was there. I was expecting fewer vendors and a smaller crowd because it was Tuesday. And, it seems still a little early for a lot of produce. I can't wait until June with the good tomatoes start coming and the yummy fruit. According to the director, there are more vendors on Saturday and still room for more to come.
Here is a little about what I saw, and what I hear is there on Saturdays. I bought some fresh spinach and sweet potato butter from one of the men. He also had onions, collard greens, chow chow and relishes. There was a lady with homemade jellies and fried pies that looked delicious! A guy was there with pork products and a guy with pottery. Christy said that on Saturday there are more produce vendors, a man with black angus beef, plants, and more. I can't wait to stop back by this weekend on my way to the Dragon Boat Race.


Then, last night I went to the Documenting Justice film screening. This is a class at UA that has students from all different majors who come together to make 10 minute documentary films on something happening in Alabama. Here is a link to the article about it. These students did a fantastic job. Topics ranged from tornado relief in Tuscaloosa, to immigration, to schools in the black belt. I was really drawn in to several of them and felt like they could have been at least twice as long so I could hear more about the stories. This event was at the Bama Theatre, which is by far one of the greatest venues in Tuscaloosa.
This event only happens once a year, so you will have to wait a while if this sounds like something you would enjoy. But, it is just proof of the cool things being done here in town. And, just how lucky we are to have UA and the things that come along with that. This is certainly a chance to see just want the students here can bring to the table.

Wine Tasting at Ozan Winery

Back before Christmas I purchased a Living Social deal for Ozan Winery. The deal was a wine tasting for two with a cheese platter and some free goodies to take home. So, I thought it would be fun to do and grabbed the deal. This Saturday was the last available date before the certificate expired and I waited until about 2 weeks ago to check the dates for the deal. So, needless to say, this Saturday I went to the winery.

I had heard that there were some wineries in Alabama but I had yet to visit one. Ozan Winery is in Calera, and turned out to be only about an hour drive from Tuscaloosa. It was a really easy day trip for a very fun experience!! 

When I asked Wes if he wanted to go, he passed. So, I called one of my oldest friends in T-town, Amy, and asked if she would like to accompany me. And, then when I told my friend Christin who lives close to the winery we were going, she wanted to come too. When I checked the website, they said you can show up for a tasting as long as the group is small. They normally have wine tastings on Friday and Saturdays. I think Saturday they were open from 11 to 6. We decided to go around noon and that was probably a good thing. By the time we were leaving, things were getting pretty busy. They have a few tables outside under umbrellas, a few in a partial open air area with the white tentlike sides, and a few tables inside. Here is a shot of the building. We definitely didn't feel like you are in Alabama.

The wine tasting has a lot of wines and we really liked most all of them. There were three whites, several fruit wines, like a Chilton County Peach, about four reds, and then two dessert wines. Three of the wines are made with the grapes that are grown at the vineyard. The others are from grapes grown elsewhere, like Georgia, or other fruit juice they use. I bought a red that uses the local grapes. Here it is in front of the vineyard. I thought this was a nice shot.

It was a really nice afternoon with really great friends. We learned a little bit about the wines, got to catch up with each other, and enjoyed the experience a lot. There are a few other wineries in the area, so now I am thinking we need to try out the others.

Hidden Art

I had a lunch date with a friend/client yesterday. She suggested that we meet downtown at Moe's BBQ and visit the art at the federal building. Ok, so maybe others knew about this art, but I had no idea that as a part of the new federal building there was an artist commissioned to create special artwork just for our city and this building.  My friend Amy was on the board to select the artist, so I got a little bonus info on the visit. 

The artwork is on the second floor. The board decided they wanted an artist who could paint realistic portraits and a historical representation of our area. The artist, Caleb, was there working on one of the final paintings and was extremely nice and took a minute to talk with us. He still has two paintings to finish.

I am no art person. I have taken one art history class, visited a few museums, and know very little about the process that goes into painting. But, I know, these paintings are really great.  Caleb did his research. He studied the landscapes he painted, the people he painted, and has truly created lifelike paintings. He has such accurate scenes and the faces are so realistic. The Moundville painting has a gorgeous sky that catches light and looks like a photograph more than something someone has painted.

If you have the chance, stop by and see this fantastic art. All you have to do is tell the guys at the metal detector that you are there to see the art.