Day 140: December 5: We were graced with a gorgeous sunrise; soft yellows and oranges glowing through the clouds reflecting upon the calm mist covered water. It was so quiet. Even the birds were silent this morning. Here along Rattlesnake Bend on the Tombigbee things were starting out well.
After coffee the jugs were collected; we were happy to see two good size catfish had been lured in. We would not go hungry tonight. Good fortune was with us in another way as well. John and David said while they were scouting around for the jugs, Archie spotted them from his deck and invited us to come ashore and tour the property. Not wanting to miss the opportunity, we scurried around to get ready and dinghied to the small dock where Archie keeps his pontoon boat. Once on shore I was able to snap a picture of our 3 boats rafted together in the middle of such amazing nature. What a glorious day.
At the dock we found 2 golf carts Archie had left for us to use. We hopped on and headed uphill toward the house, searching for our host. Let the fun begin.
While we didn't find Archie right away, we were greeted by other residents on the farm. They couldn't tell us much however so we rode on, past the numerous sheds and barns, rusted tractors and cars, and piles of scrap metal and tools and headed toward what we assumed was the main house. A friendly man was sitting on the expansive deck that overlooked the river; he chatted with us for awhile about the 1400 acre farm and the 2 miles of waterfront property owned by Archie's family. We then headed back toward one of the barns; a man came out and told us to drive up the path ahead of us and we would arrive at the hay bale art field.
Escorted by one of the 4 legged farmhands named Dog, we rambled on, "over the river and through the woods", by the cow pasture, across a railroad track to the open field dotted with whimsical characters. The first was impossible to miss. There he stood looming over the others, the unmistakable 32 foot tall Tin Man.
Jim Bird's Hay Bale Art is the work of Jim Bird, a creative soul who combined junk (discarded tires, hubcaps, 55 gallon drums and whatever else that caught his fancy) and hay bales into imaginative creations. The field is located off the highway to Demopolis in Alabama's Black Belt, catching the attention of all those who pass by.
Wanting something to do, Jim, who recently passed away at the age of 96, turned his artistic and engineering talents into a field of whimsy. The project began in 1993 when a hay baler started to malfunction; spitting out deformed hay bales. Jim's creative mind took over and he used the hay bales to create a caterpillar as a surprise for his wife Lib. After that Jim just kept on, creating more and more characters to the delight of anyone passing by. Since he has passed on, Archie hosts a yearly party in May. Folks touch up the artwork in the morning and then party on for the rest of the day.
After wandering around the field for quite some time we returned to the yard where we ran into Archie. He surprised us by offering to give us a tour of some of the trails cut into the woods all around the property. John hopped on a 3rd golf cart with Archie and off we went.
The number of trails were amazing; some led to open fields where observation huts were stationed for deer hunters. Up and down and all around, Archie led us around his beautiful property; field, swamps, woods! We encountered deer, skunks and many armadillos. Like most farms, the property was loaded with hidden "treasures" that in their former self would have certainly been a collector's dream.
During the tour, the battery in the cart Frank, Mona and I were riding on slowly died and Archie and John ended up towing it back to the farm. We returned to the house and Archie shared some history of the farm, including the fact that is was once a cotton plantation. In the distance we could see a couple of chimneys, all that remained of the houses where the plantation "workers" (as Archie described them) lived.
Private tour over, Archie allowed us to take the carts ourselves and ride through more trails. We loved exploring the beautiful land; all the while accompanied by Archie's two dogs. For a couple of hours they kept up with us, running alongside and sometimes stopping for a quick drink in one of the many creeks.
We thoroughly enjoyed our side trip. What a unique experience off the grid. Daring to take the road less traveled is sometimes very rewarding; today was one of those days.
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