Harry, Wes, Mary, J.E. and Alma, about 1963, on the farm. |
To arrive
at a just estimate of a renowned man's character
one must judge it by the standards of his time, not ours.
one must judge it by the standards of his time, not ours.
--- Mark Twain
Wes, Stanley, Darlene and Reba at Treadwell's yard. |
Golf course view from our room. |
When considering possible vacations, Alabama doesn’t come
quickly to mind for most people. In
fact, negative stereotypes, so familiar that I need not even mention them,
dominate opinions about this state to the point that many would just as soon
dismiss it altogether.
Because my mother grew up in Alabama and most of her family
remained there when we moved to California, we took many summer vacations there
when I was a child. By the time I was in
high school, I felt a little embarrassed about being born in Alabama myself,
because negative opinions already dominated discussions in school and on
television. And I felt that way despite
knowing how wonderful it can be from personal experience. Such is the power of peer and media pressure.
Julie and I returned to Alabama this past weekend, as a
business trip to the south with her new company would bring her to Huntsville
anyway. I bought my own flight and
tagged along, arriving a weekend early to drive down to Prattville on our own
dime.
Another view from Mariott room. |
We stayed at the beautiful Montgomery Marriott Prattville Hotel and
Conference Center at Capitol Hill.
Obviously, the name was not selected to roll off the tongue any more
than the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim formerly known as the California Angels
moniker. However, at about $125 per
night almost any time of year, it would be a super value in most parts of the
world, especially when you consider it is located on a Robert Trent Jones
designed Championship Golf Course, where golf runs about $46, considerably less
than inferior public courses most other places.
Do the math, and you’ll soon realize this is a great value
for serious golfers.
Cousins at Fantail. |
For meals, you don’t have to pay resort prices. There are lots of restaurants nearby,
including the familiar fast food chains and independents featuring fantastic
local cuisine. Anyone who has been to
Alabama, or had a meal at my late Mom’s house in California, knows the fresh
ingredients prepared by cooks who understand seasoning with love results in
meals that are easily equal or superior to meals from more renowned culinary
destinations like New Orleans and Paris.
We were fortunate to enjoy meals in the area that showcased some
highlights of the local choices.
My cousin Angie met us by the
highway and led us to her home in the woods, which involves turning at the
correct trees rather than street signs.
She fed us barbeque superior to anything I ever tasted in Texas or
anywhere else. By the way, what we call
barbeque in California is what the south calls grilling. Barbecue is meat smoked for a day or so and
then served with a sweet, spicy sauce.
Zachary, Uncle Roy and Aunt Ann. |
For dinner, Aunt Ann and Uncle Roy beat the drum to bring in
my cousins from all other necks of the woods to meet at the Fantail for a
seafood buffet. The thought of a buffet
brings to mind somewhat bland food most places, but not in Alabama. The fried freshwater catfish and hushpuppies
were as fresh, crispy and delicious as the ones we had when I was a child and
we caught and fried them up in an open kettle of peanut oil on the same afternoon. The shrimp creole and stuffed crab measured
up well with anything in New Orleans or San Francisco. Deep fried oysters, popcorn shrimp, Alabama
gumbo, buttery broiled fish fillets…it was all delicious. The company was even better.
Aunt Ann, Donald and Steve. |
“We have a dope
problem in Eclectic,” my cousin Donald said in the booming voice of someone who
almost became a minister like our great-grandfather but instead went into his
family’s fabric business. “Most of us
don’t have an IQ much above 60 or 70.” Now I know he, like my other cousins, is
not simply college educated but has a quick wit and sharp business mind, but he
comes off like Larry the Cable Guy.
Wes and Julie at Lake Martin. |
We had enough cousins to fill the banquet room, but someone
in the main restaurant might have heard Donald shout, “At church that Sunday the
preacher said, ‘We have to put it off a week so Donald can attend a Klan
rally.’” That raucously delivered
punchline was true, but so was the more quiet explanation that he, as an avid
gun collector, actually would be attending a well-known gun show in Birmingham,
adhering to an equally strong but far less negative stereotype of guns and
religion.
I actually think they like being misunderstood. It keeps the interlopers away and the buffet
lines less crowded.
Steve, Michael, Wes and James by Grandparents' house. |
After dinner, everyone headed home except my cousins Angie
and Steve, who went back to our hotels to have drinks by the fire, where we swapped stories about when we were kids and Steve shared some adventures as a detective. The stereotype of southerners is hard
drinking rednecks, and I imagine there must be quite a few, but at dinner, we
all drank iced tea, and at the bar, Angie had a water and Steve had another
iced tea while Julie had a glass of wine and I had a Sam Adams. Actually, I can’t recall seeing any of my
relatives back there drink alcohol ever, although they make jokes about white
lightening, and I’ve heard stories about my dad and Uncle Edwin honky tonkin’
around the time of Hank Williams, something Granddaddy made sure they knew he
disapproved of.
Wes, Jay, Gina, Julie and Amy in Alabama, Summer 1992. |
The next day, we headed to Lake Martin for lunch at Sinclair’s
Kowaliga. If you’re familiar with Hank
Williams, you’ll know the song “Kaw-liga,” which is written about this area,
but the restaurant most brings to mind the feel of an old Rodney Crowell song, “Stars
on the Water,” even if the stars weren’t out when we dined at lunch time. It is a rustic restaurant appropriately decorated
with Hank Williams memorabilia beautiful setting.
That day, they had a fried chicken special for $8.99, which came with two vegetables, mashed potatoes and corn bread. Since that would have been my favorite meal when I was a child, I couldn’t resist ordering it, and the huge chicken breast was delicious. The mashed potatoes couldn’t hold up to Mom’s, but this would be a nice day trip for your golf escape.
That day, they had a fried chicken special for $8.99, which came with two vegetables, mashed potatoes and corn bread. Since that would have been my favorite meal when I was a child, I couldn’t resist ordering it, and the huge chicken breast was delicious. The mashed potatoes couldn’t hold up to Mom’s, but this would be a nice day trip for your golf escape.
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