We're back in Alabama for a few days, getting the last of our stuff and closing out accounts, etc.

The house is great, as is the neighborhood. It's only a few blocks from the center of town, but it's surrounded by rivers, creeks, a cemetary, and some open fields with railroad tracks, so it's almost like living in an intimate little neighborhood out in the country. Our back yard is surrounded by an impenetrable jungle of trees, bushes and prickly vines, so when I look our our kitchen and bedroom windows, all I see is a wall of green.

We couldn't ask for better neighbors. Because it's a small and somewhat isolated neighborhood (middle middle income range... good, solid, hard working people like teachers, small business entrepreneurs, law enforcement... people like that), the people in the neighborhood really look out for one another. I really like that.

Interestingly, as far as we know, we're the first non-African American family to live, not only in that neighborhood, but also in that part of town. People are still doing double-takes when they see us. I expect that will change eventually, but we have been welcomed very warmly to the neighborhood, and we feel very fortunate to be living there.

We've only been back in Alabama for a few hours, and I miss Wilmington (and our house) already.

Here's a picture of the house...

http://community.webshots.com/photo/541279686/1541498752034261223mEVQvG