An anniversary trip to Huntsville, Alabama

 

On Friday, Alex and I headed to Huntsville, Alabama, the "Rocket City," for a weekend getaway in honor of our fifteenth anniversary! Huntsville was an easy four-hour drive away, and we enjoyed the short drive as well as all the new sights we found in Huntsville. The space center was across from our hotel, so this was our first sight every morning.

My favorite sight in Huntsville, though, was the famous "Cosmic Christ" mosaic at First Baptist Church of Huntsville. The space-age artwork, started in the sixties and completed in the seventies, is now being restored. But if you haven't heard of "Cosmic Christ," you might have heard of the mosaic's nickname, "Egg Beater Jesus," which I'm told the locals use affectionately and meaning no disrespect to the Lord!

I think it's pretty self-explanatory why they call it that. Some 14 million tiles, each no larger than a thumbnail, went into this mosaic.

Here are some photos where you can see the individual tiles. I cannot image the work that went into the mosaic or the work that's now going into its restoration!

Because I'm setting my second cozy mystery series in a small town outside of Huntsville, I wanted to visit a small town outside of Huntsville for ideas that I can use in my books. Decatur was the perfect town, and it even has a historic depot.

I always enjoy reading the signage from a historical association.

Decatur also had some great antique stores, including Tammy Eddy Antiques, where I enjoyed the friendly welcome and the lovely offerings throughout the store. 

The blue wares caught my eye, but what I bought was a brown transferware teacup for fall.

It's marked Charmstone Chin Hung, which I believe is a Korean manufacturer.

Is this a pagoda or a teahouse? I liked it, at any rate.

I liked the roses incorporated in the design as well, so this was the perfect fall teacup for me!

Carrying on with the railroad theme, Decatur has a restaurant called the Railyard, where we enjoyed a delicious late lunch of duck tacos (me) and a Cuban sandwich (Alex). We shared a dessert of their Toffee Crack Pie, which was divine!

Here's some of the decor from the Railyard.

And I'll close with the requisite cheesy picture of me with the butterfly wings. We greatly enjoyed our trip to Alabama and look forward to returning one day!