Fort Conde - A Short History Lesson

The Alabama gulf coast was originally part of French Louisiana. In 1723, work was begun on permanent fortifications to secure Mobile's position as a focal point of French settlement and colonial exploration. A large, bastioned structure built of brick on a stone foundation, surrounded by a dry moat, it was named after the Prince of Conde.  The fort's cannon controlled the point where the Mobile River flowed into Mobile Bay.

In 1763 the fort was turned over to the British, along with the rest of Alabama, due to an agreement that ended the French and Indian War. At that time the fort was renamed Fort Charlotte. The British even maintained a garrison at the fort during the Revolutionary War.

In 1780 the Battle of Fort Charlotte was begun. It was led by General Bernardo de Galvez of Spain, who commanded a force of Spanish troops and American volunteers in an uprising against the British. The British surrendered, and the fort remained under Spanish control until 1813. At that time it was occupied by U.S. troops under General James Wilkinson. In 1820 Congress authorized the dismantling of the original site.

However, during the 1970's approximately one-third of the original fort was reconstructed at an 80% scale. Fort Conde is the official welcome center for the City of Mobile.

Mardi Gras in Mobile off to Rainy Start

The parade of the Conde Cavaliers, which traditionally starts the Mobile parading season, was rained out last night.  They will try again tonight, immediately after the Mystic Pharoahs at 7:00 p.m.  This was apparently the first time they have been rained out since they first began parading in 1977. 

The Conde Cavaliers' have three permanent floats. The first is a train locomotive. I believe it is called the Cavalier Express.

The next is the 'emblem float,' which has the head of a horse at the front and Fort Conde at the rear.

The third permanent float has the head of Chief Slac on the front.

It's Time for the Tim Tebow Bowl (I Mean the Senior Bowl)

This Saturday, January 30, the Senior Bowl, which pits the college senior all-stars from the South against those from the North, will be played.  Considering all of the publicity he's generating, I'm thinking they should rename it the Tim Tebow Bowl this year.  The last time one player generated so much hype was when Joe Namath played in the 1965 Senior Bowl.  Pro scouts from all of the NFL teams converge on Mobile for the week leading up to the game, as well as front office personnel, general managers, plus print and electronic press representatives.  This year the Miami Dolphins coaching staff will be in charge of the South team, and the Detroit Lions coaching staff will be guiding the North team.

Lord Love a Duck! (and a goose)

Each day to and from work I drive through my city's municipal park, which has become home to a rather sizable population of Canada geese.  There are some Pekin ducks there, as well as some Muscovy ducks. For the last several years I have been going to the park fairly regularly to feed them, and have attached a few pictures.  There are so many more, which I will share from time to time.

Rather than feed them bread crumbs, my friend and I would bring corn from a local feed store, which the ducks and geese really seem to like.  There is a bonus to the corn: the seagulls won't eat it. And yes, even inland, there are many seagulls at the park.

The two white ducks in the picture at left I called Daisy and Donald.  The little brown duck in the picture is their constant companion. I don't know if he somehow was orphaned and they 'adopted' him, but they are always together.

Since Pekin ducks can't fly, it's fun to watch them scamper hurriedly, wings flapping wildly, out of the water and up the bank to reach the corn. Meanwhile, their little brown friend simply lifts out of the water, becomes airborne,  and glides to shore for its food.

Oddly enough, the geese do not bother the ducks. They only try to intimidate other geese. Here they are all behaving pretty well. This was a rather large lunch crowd.

This Is One Game I Will Definitely Watch!

Tomorrow evening, the 13-4 Minnesota Vikings will play the 13-3 New Orleans Saints for the Championship of the NFC.  The winner of this game will go on to the Super Bowl.  Although I don't follow NFL football, this game has gotten my attention. They will be playing in the Super Dome in New Orleans, and since it's Mardi Gras season, I fully expect to see fans decked out in all kinds of outrageous costumes. That's always fun to watch.  Another reason I will be watching is because of the Vikings quarterback, Brett Favre. To be playing as a starting quarterback at the age of forty is simply amazing. But Brett is a 'local' talent. He was born in Gulfport, Mississippi and played his college years at the University of Southern Mississippi. So I will be pulling for the 'hometown' guy, Brett Favre, to lead the Vikings to the Super Bowl.

If It's Saturday, It Must Be Parade Day!

Mardi Gras season is beginning to get in gear. Today there are two parades on Dauphin Island. The parade for the Krewe De La Dauphine was rained out last week. So today it will follow the parade of the Island Mystics at 1:00 p.m. There will be no problem with the weather today...a beautiful sunny sky is predicted!

Back Yard Transition (part 4)

These pictures were taken early last summer once everything had taken root and was flourishing. By this time the day lilies were blooming and the asters were still going strong.  I am really looking forward to seeing some growing things again.  It's very bleak right now, but, of course, that's nature's way.