Birmingham Chronicles, Wrap Up

Our last day in Birmingham was spent hanging out with my Mom. She has another round of chemo beginning today and going for about 9 weeks...plus she's had quite a week, what with family and friends and Christmas so she was a little tired.

The strangest reality about that was my mom's stepson, Kris. He's a police officer and works other security jobs on the side. He was between jobs and had fallen asleep in a chair in my mom's living room...feet over the back, head in the footrest and a blanket over him. He slept that way through the entire visit, his phone woke him up to go to the next job, he pulled his gun out of the top of the cabinet, and off to work. Very surreal.

It hailed on us, too. It rained like it hasn't rained in Texas in like a year or so.

Then we went to visit this suburb called Mt. Laurel that's close to where my in-laws live. It's supposedly a trendy new idea is subdivisions, where you create an "urban" atmosphere in the 'burbs. Narrow streets. Town square with the requisite local businesses (not chains) within walking distance. Brownstone type townhouses. Houses close together but none looking alike. But still with all the amenities of the suburbs like sidewalks and parks and community pools and schools. It was pretty cool and I can see why other places would want to imitate it.

Then we spent the last night with my niece and nephew. Nothing really special while at the same time that was really special in and of itself. I really like them.

So, that's pretty much all from Birmingham...gotta pack and get on the road before 9AM to hopefully arrive in Dallas around 7:30 or so.