2/25/12

Early Spring at Birmingham Botanical Garden

A couple of weeks ago, we took a walk up the hill and were delighted to see daffodils bursting with bright yellow colors scattered around the hillside. A few days later, the temperature dropped to below freezing, followed by heavy rain. Then the last two days, we were rocked by 10-20 mph winds. Seeing white caps on the river, I can't help but think of the tornado that roared through here almost a year ago. Freezing temperatures, heavy rain and strong winds would not stop the daffodils from announcing its presence. Spring must be around the corner.

Last spring, we drove to Boston for a wedding. Along the way, we stopped in Washington, D.C. to see some friends. Our timing couldn't have been more perfect, as it was also the beginning of the Cherry Blossom Festival. We grabbed the opportunity to spend a day walking around the Tidal Basin to view the magnificent cherry blossoms. It was cold but totally worth it. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the gift of 3,000 cherry trees to Washington, D.C. from the mayor of Tokyo. So if you're thinking of visiting our nation's capital to see the Cherry Blossom Festival, make your plans now. This year's festival starts on March 20th.

We won't be in Washington, D.C. to view the cherry blossoms, but we'll be in Birmingham, Alabama this Sunday. We will surely stop by the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, which incidentally is free to the public. Hopefully, the cherry trees will be blooming in the Japanese Garden. Here are some pictures from a visit one spring.




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2/10/12

Super Bowl and Commercials

I received a hilarious video file from a friend yesterday. It is too funny not to share. Perhaps you have seen the video, since the original was posted on YouTube over a year ago. The subject is a commercial for Bud Light. In the forwarded email, someone wrote "A Thought: Why didn’t we see this one during the Super Bowl?"
Speaking of Super Bowl, my brother, an avid football fan, and I were recently chatting about this past Sunday's game. We both used to live in Boston, so of course we cheered for the Patriots. Unfortunately, they lost to the Giants. It was an excellent game, nevertheless. Not that I understand the rules, but I know a great game when I see one. Prior to the Super Bowl, I watched the Denver-Kansas City game on New Year's Day, and it bored me to tears. Sorry Bill! Our consolation was that the chicken wings at the sports bar were absolutely delicious:-)
My brother was surprised that I even watch football. Since I was invited to a college football game (thanks Jim and Beth!) last fall, I understand the game much more, but the truth is I watch the Super Bowl because of the commercials and the half time show. I will never forget the hype and excitement of the Apple Macintosh commercial in 1984, the #1 of The 10 Best Super Bowl Ads of all time. Apple has come a long way. Sitting at $494 a share today, Apple is the largest publicly traded U.S. company, with a market cap of $459B. For those holding Apple shares, I applaud you for keeping the faith.

As for the half time show, why they chose Madonna is beyond me. I love Madonna, in the 80s. Is there no more talent in America? Who would you have preferred performing at the half time show?

(From the email)A Second Thought: When is your next clothing drive?
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