All Shall Be Well: A Giant Potato is Looking at Me

Finally had a 2-day cooperative learning training this summer.

Where?

Birming-you-could-cook-an-entire-ham-on-the-sidewalk

Alabama

Average low temperature: 99 degrees. In the shade.

First peek at the city.

PUSH HERE.

When you pick up your rental car in the dark parking lot at an airport, and it doesn't come with an actual key, you really do wonder how on earth you are supposed to start the vehicle. Funny little spaceship start button. Amusing start.

I have no idea what the rest of this sign says,

but there were a ton of trees in this city. A ton.

Ah, this will be lovely.

AFTER I set everything up...

Thank you, DoubleTree.

I'll take warm cookies any day.

Well, ANY training room that

has a piano is A-OK with me!

Made fast friends with the custodian, Cedric.

Apparently, I must have been moving really fast....

"Miss Brenda? Are you single? Why, of course you must be single!

No creature on God's green earth would be

able to keep up with the likes of you, woman!"

Booya! All set to go. 51 participants.

Seriously? I'm busting my tail inside the building,

only to come outside and find myself parked in?!! Grrr.

Better now. Always better with food.

Sweet dreams. Works for me.

Hunger Relief Day does Alabama!

Dang! That's some blue sky.

I won't mention it's 104º in the shade.

Nope. Won't even mention that.

Won't mention the 200% humidity either. Blech.

Was able to fit in a FAST visit to the Civil Rights Institute after Day 1 of training. One of those places where you could spend an entire week reading every exhibit, and still not be able to process all of the history and emotion tied to this city.

Kelly Ingram Park in the Civil Rights District.

The place where protesters were hosed down in '63. Unreal.

This was fascinating: there are two monuments in this photo (1) the children and (2) the cell bars. There is actually a pathway in-between, but from this angle, it appears the children are in the jail cell. Powerful.

SO many churches in this city.

Some beautiful stained glass.

Sixteenth Street Baptist church, the site of the 1963 KKK bombing that killed four school children. Overwhelming history all around me..

Love the cloud reflection.

The heat must be getting to me.

There's a giant potato looking at me.

Ok, people, I admit: I do travel at a fast rate of speed.

But seriously....ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY NINE miles per hour?

I think not.

Training Day 2 - learning a new structure.

Principals and posters.

I'm always appreciative that people don't flee the room when I explain the guidelines of the Brain Break we're about to do! They jumped right in and started moving and grooving!

Shake it!

Everyone doing The Freeze.

Good job, Birmingham!

This looks a lot like the Supreme Court building in DC!

Beyond peaceful flight from Alabama to Houston, TX.

If all flight travel was this peaceful, I'd happily fly all the time.

30 people on a plane that could have held 60.

I needed 2 hours of quiet time in the heavens.

When peace like a river...

Attendeth my way.

When sorrows like sea billows roll.

Whatever my lot...

Thou has taught me to say..

It is well...

It is well with my soul!

Great picture...until you see the plane that's landing on the strip directly next to us! Holy COW, I didn't think airplanes were allowed to be that close to one another! Sheesh!