Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Poetry in Fairhope

Soooo - I went to Fairhope with sister Joanne and nephew Jed, for the Alabama State Poetry meeting! We had a wonderful trip, beautiful weather, good conversation on the road, everything delightful for an enjoyable week-end.
Here we are, the traveling poets, enjoying the beautiful weather and brisk wind on the bay.

My poem, "Eden Road" won 1st Place in the Alabama Residents Only contest, and my poem "david's blood" won an Honorable Mention in the David Cato Prize contest.

Joanne won a truckload of prizes, including a 1st Place, a 2nd Place, two 3rd Place prizes and 2 Honorable Mentions.

Apache Indians at Mt. Vernon, Alabama

We had a great time, and cruised around Mt. Vernon and McIntosh on our way home, hoping to see some historical sites and glean some knowledge of the history of The Old Man, Geronimo, and his time spent in south Alabama in the late 1800s. We saw Searcy State Mental Hospital, the original building which was the military fort around which the Apaches built their cabins, and there were some little white houses which we guessed may have been from the Apache period.


We all thought that visiting a mental hospital after the poetry readings seemed like a logical progression. Jed, who was the designated driver, did "joke" about leaving me and Joanne there, but ended up bringing us back home!
The hospital is scheduled to be closed in September, and we saw no one around to answer questions. I think I'll have to do some online research and make another trip down.

All in all, it was a fun little excursion.

5 comments:

Joanne Cage said...

It was a real trip. A really good trip. I love your Eden Road poem. I noticed that Joe remarked on its rhythm.

JD Atlanta said...

Great poem & great company for the trip!

Camille said...

Sounds like it was a nice trip. A little too much interest in the mental hospital.

Camille said...

Why would the Apachees (forgot how to spell) built there teepees around the military fort? Doesn't seem likely.

Ramey Channell said...

Dear Camille, That was after the Apaches had been caught? trapped? kidnapped? rounded up by the army and sent far from their homeland. They were sent first to Florida, then to Mt. Vernon, Alabama, then finally to Oklahoma. They all wanted to go home, but weren't allowed to.