Hello Polaroid!

I have a new favorite application for my mac!  We all love the beautiful vintage look of polaroid pictures.  And unfortunately, polaroid announced that they will be discontinuing their polaroid film early next year.  But, not to worry, THIS wonderful website has an application you

 can download and it turns your photos into polaroids.  Not quite as cool as the real thing, but still produces some beautiful photos.  I found the website via THIS lovely little blog.  Here's a few I made today!

Lake Jackson

A few weeks ago we visited the beautiful Lake Jackson.  It is in the little town of Florala, Alabama, about 40 minutes north of us.  We had decided that we were going to go camping, but couldn't decide between Lake Jackson or the Chatahoochee River.  I've always thought of the Chatahoochee as such a symbol of the South and thought it would definitely be the ideal place for a weekend camping trip.  So, we called the state park and asked if campfires, swimming, dogs, etc. were allowed.  To our excitement all of the above were permitted at Chatahoochee state park.  However, the park ranger advised us against letting our dog swim.

"Why is that?", asked Mitcheal

"Well, you don't want him gittin eatin' by a gator." replied the unconcerned park ranger.

"Eaten by a gator?  So, is that something that happens frequently?"

"Well, we had a dog git eatin' right off the dock last year."

"Wow", Mitcheal responded "So, you said it was okay to go swimming.  If there are that many gators in the water, is there any danger of a human getting eaten by a gator?"

"Oh no," said the park ranger "If you see a big one, just get out".

So, it was decided! We were off to Lake Jackson, which after another phone conversation was deemed 'safe' because there were minimal gators (I would have been much happier with no gators, however, that is not easy to find in these parts).  Only a 40 minute drive north and we found ourselves in a picturesque little town filled with historic southern homes and big front porches with rocking chairs.  The town feels like it was frozen in a 1930's film about life in the south.  

If anyone is taking a road trip through the southern states, Florala, Alabama is definitely worth a stop.  We had a great time taking swimming and exploring and made it through the weekend gator free.

     There were trees surrounding the lake

         Lots of Spanish moss

       Ozzy chasing the ducks

        My favorite tree

Finally, I have decided to be a responsible person and join the blogging world.  Mitcheal and I are having far too many adventures out here to let them go undocumented.  The Florida panhandle is indeed an interesting place that is steeped in southern culture.

Just a few crazy things that have happened in the last few weeks:

-I found a scorpion in my bathroom.  Yes, a scorpion.  I had no idea that scorpions could live in such a humid, swampy area.  But, apparently they do.  However, the scorpions in Florida aren't dangerous like the ones we have out west.  They are regarded as more of a nuisance and there sting is similar to that of a bee.

This is not the actual scorpion (I wouldn't hold a scorpion in a million years, even if it was harmless), but just a picture of how small Florida scorpions are.

- I have a giant pot on my porch with a palm tree in it.  Well, a few weeks ago I went to water the plants and after spraying water in the giant pot I noticed somthing sticking out the top.  I moved in for a closer look, when I realized it was a giant green snake coiled up on the inside of the pot.  I dropped the hose and ran inside to tell Mitcheal.  He quickly came out and decided that he would need to pick the pot up and let the snake slither out into the forest across the street.  As soon as he picked the pot up, the giant snake seemed to leap out of the pot towards Mitcheals face.  He dropped the pot and we both ran inside and quickly locked the door, as if just shutting the door was not enough to keep us safe from the giant but most likely harmless snake.

-Tropical Storm Fay passed over the panhandle fairly uneventfully.  Lots of rain and a few broken branches, but nothing too scary.