BELK INC.

Horrifying news: my favorite department store is putting itself up for sale.

Belk, with nearly three hundred stores across the south, has been my favorite place to shop since childhood. Started in 1888, Belk is a southern institution. And why not? It has good prices, nice merchandise, and pleasant salespeople. Alas, now it may be going the way of Davison and Rich's in Atlanta: gobbled up by a chain and never more heard from. Macy's has been mentioned as one potential buyer, but 'experts' think they'll pass.

It's a shame, since Belk is one of the few family-owned stores left. Oh, there's still WalMart, but that isn't exactly known for its customer service and well-kept stores. Good values, yes, but the quality isn't that great. It isn't a place to go when you need a special dress for a special occasion or a plush mattress pad for that new bed. Not like Belk's.

And Belk is always having sales! Sometimes as much as eighty percent off. If you don't need towels or shorts or pajamas a toaster or an emerald ring right away, wait. Whatever you want will soon be on sale and you can snap it up then. A woman the other day bragged about getting a hundred dollar outfit for under ten.

Oh, Belk! Don't do it! Don't sell yourself! A few paltry dollars for each family member isn't worth the heartbreak you'll cause millions of loyal customers!


Belk ad talking about locations, number of employees, etc.

WALK

Finally resting up after our travels to the wedding last week, we've begun taking walks again. Here are a few pix from them.

This one is down in the village, looking out on a surly sea. You can see a couple of small boats if you look carefully.

This one was outside the airport. You can see some of the hangars beyond the fence. What I wanted to get was the wildflowers blooming between the road and fence. Scads of little purple and yellow with a few white ones. They don't show up very well here, but they were very pretty.

And these cute little fellows were nestled alongside the road, just sitting there when we walked by from the Village. Their pond was at a condo complex behind us so don't know why they came out to the road.

We have some pretty scenery and cute wildlife around us.

SWEET MEADOW FARM

Last week was busy. Relatives came to visit Monday and stayed till Friday. Then we had to travel up to North Georgia for another relative's wedding Saturday which meant a six hour drive.

Sweet Meadow Farm, in Tallapoosa, caters to weddings and is a beautiful place for nuptials. It was outside...luckily it didn't rain...and had sweeping lawns, fenced pastures, and a meadow across the pond where benches were set up under a tree for the ceremony.

Here's a view of the farmhouse up above  as we headed toward the pond.

Turning around, you can see the pond below. If you have good eyes, start at the top's middle and look down about a fourth of the picture. Those little white specks between the trees are the benches for the ceremony. We walked down and across a little bridge to get to them.

Here's part of the crowd sitting on those benches, waiting for the ceremony to begin. You can see the farmhouse in the background by the tree, and to the right behind another small tree is the stable where the reception was held.

Coming back over the bridge and up to the stable, this is the side we saw in the photo above.

And here is the other side, where tables were set up and a dance floor was laid out. By this time it was dusk. A bar and hors d'oeuvre tables were placed inside, as later were the cakes. There was also a photo 'booth' so guests could paste pix into a book and sign for the happy couple to enjoy later.

These next two photos of the tables were taken earlier in the day as we headed down to the meadow beyond the pond for the ceremony.

And this one was taken after dinner, waiting for the toasts to begin.

We left after the toasts and cake cutting. Evidently we missed out on some really good dancing and other revelries but alas, we were exhausted from our six hour drive that morning.
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If you're planning a wedding anywhere around Tallapoosa GA, this is a wonderful setting. Everything from the catering (great food) to the golf carts taking us to our cars went smoothly. The people were friendly and helpful. And the views were spectacular.

Here's their website: http://sweetmeadowevents.com/ in case you want to find out more.

And no, I don't know them and don't get a commission from referrals!

CRIME BLOTTER

Oh, our local paper does have such interesting tidbits! In the last few weeks:

A car veered off the road and hit a sewer lift station, causing about five thousand dollars worth of damage. It left the scene but officers tracked it down. The owner said he'd loaned it to a woman. Hmm, likely story. Wonder if there was a problem with back-up in people's houses afterward?

Another car struck a parked car, then entered a car wash and struck the guidelines of a power pole. The driver ran off but police found the car owner. He said he loans it to the man involved in the accident on a regular basis -- in exchange for crack cocaine. Don't think I'd have told that!

Then a couple kept calling 911, using different names and giving different locations. When police traced down the house, the man said the woman wasn't there. Police found her hiding in a closet. The item said both appeared intoxicated. You think?

And this weird one: a man cut his hand on some glass and started spreading his blood on the walls and windows of a local business. Wonder if he broke the glass trying to rob the place?

Finally, someone broke into a man's apartment and stole a Templar sword and shield along with an art deco bronze statue, for a total worth of about three thousand dollars. Won't it be hard to fence something like that?

Just the usual interesting crime items. Our part of the country is never dull!