As usual, the Tiffin campground at Red Bay was full, so we decided this time to wait in Muscle Shoals for a vacancy. After arriving at the Heritage Acres RV Park, we drove the 40 miles to Red Bay in Mae and checked in at the Tiffin office to leave our squawk list and get our service number.
We spent a couple of days wandering around Muscle Shoals, and then Tiffin called us to "come on down." After our arrival amidst the other hundred or so Tiffin coaches, Norris met us and looked at our service list, advising us that we would probably be in an express bay in a couple of days. This was good news; if you're not judged to be an express bay candidate, the wait here can be weeks long!
As we drive around this part of Alabama, we find it a rich source of observations that may seem odd or curious to us, but probably don't seem so at all by the local folks. We find them "precious" (a term you hear often here in the deep south) and wonderfully revealing of a genteel rural culture that we just don't see in the big city.
I did a previous blog post on this subject during our last visit, so I thought I would reprise a few of my favorite photos from that post:
This is one of my favorites--a single metal building on the side of the road and a sign stating, well, the obvious. I can't help but scratch my head about this one...
This dummy sits in a lawn chair outside a dilapidated house. Not sure why.
Fall vignettes are popular on the roadsides around here; we loved the old Chevy truck decked out in a pink metallic paint that would make Mary Kay proud.
Now for a some more selections from our current trip:
Speaking of vignettes, here's one in front of a Red Bay bank that extolls the variety of 'things to do' in the area. Sandy and I were amazed that pieces like the golf clubs and telescope were left there obviously with no consideration of the possibility of their being stolen. But they are quite safe; the postmaster told us she couldn't remember the last time there was any crime here.
Stopping at a rest stop on our way to Red Bay, I couldn't help but notice that the size of the truck carrying this piece of earth-moving equipment may have been a bit of overkill.
Stopping for a snack in Scottsboro, Alabama, we spotted this advertisement for a true southern delicacy, I guess. I confess that I never thought of this combination before seeing this sign. I (almost) wished I had tried it.
These horses grace the front lawn of a Mexican restaurant in Muscle Shoals. If the rationale was to entice passersby to take a second look, I can testify that it worked!
More statuary from the same restaurant. I was a little uneasy about the meaning of the neck chain on the left statue, but the elephant...well, I'm afraid I'm at a loss, unless it's a political statement (of which I would approve).
How about this from Littleville, Alabama: A used auto lot that sells only monster trucks. Talk about specializing!
This may be my favorite restaurant name of all time. We tried it, but weren't very impressed, unfortunately. (We are incredibly picky, however.)
We think we may have been able to come up with a more positive name for our church, even though we might live in Burnout, Alabama.
I think this yard sale gets our nod for displaying the most overly ambitious sign we have seen anywhere.
Well, there you go. Aren't these wonderful? Somehow it all seems fitting here among these warm and friendly people who just don't take themselves all that seriously. We like that a lot.
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