Point Mallard Park

Alabama – Wednesday, December 19

The first thing I did today was call the food pantry I had found in Decatur. It was called Out of the Rain, and was part of the Progressive Christian Outreach Ministries. The lady I spoke with said their supplies were very, very low, and they would be happy to get anything I was able to bring, since their donations seemed to have dried up about 4 months ago. I asked if it was still a working food pantry, and she said at the moment it was on an emergency basis only, for people who had no other resources, and they hoped to be able to get back on a regular schedule. At least they have a little variety now for a short while.

Then it was time to get out walking. I was happy to find Point Mallard Park, which was a really big park along the Tennessee River, especially since it didn’t look like I’d be able to do many miles of walking in the town of Decatur itself. I didn’t know how long the trail was, but it was marked off in quarter-mile increments, and we ended up walking 3 miles to the other end of the trail, and then turning around and walking back. We were also very close to a national wildlife preserve, and I saw a lot of herons and egrets. It was a nice trail meant for walkers, joggers and bikers and we saw lots of people. Tula met a lot of new puppy friends, including a 140 pound Great Dane, who was huge and seemed to be walking its owner instead of vice versa! There were some people fishing and when I asked if they were catching anything, they said the only thing they were catching was a nice breeze, and they didn’t seem to mind – it was indeed a pretty day to be out walking for a couple hours.

Then I headed to a post office again – still trying to get a few Christmas cards and things out. From there I was able to find one of the big historic neighborhoods that I had read about, and many of the homes were lavishly decorated for Christmas – I think there had been a decorating contest. They use a lot of magnolia branches in their decorating down here – shiny green leaves all intertwined with ribbon and stuff makes for some really pretty decorations. Tula and I got in another 2+ miles of walking while enjoying the pretty neighborhoods.

After a bite to eat, I headed south to the Birmingham area, and got there before the storms hit – the midwest was being pummeled by snow, and there were heavy rains down here. I think we were even under a tornado watch. Not a night to be out camping!