Happy Birthday, America!

There's nothing like a major holiday weekend to teach you everything you need to know about the new town you've moved into. Last Sunday, I learned that just about everything here is closed. (Presumably because everyone's at church in the morning and family barbeques in the evening.) THIS Sunday, July 4, I discovered some things: #1. The WalMart down the street is 24/7 and is only closed on Christmas Day (because we have to celebrate Jesus, ya know); #2. In September of 2009, Starkville began selling alcohol on Sundays, from 11am to 10pm; #3. In Mississippi, beer is sold in grocery stores and convenience stores. If you put all this together, you figure out that despite the fact that it's the Fourth, I was able to go into my local WalMart and purchase this:

After damn near killing myself this morning as I drove around Mississippi State University and the town of Starkville, hanging my head and my camera out the window (photos below), I thought it might be a nice, quiet, refreshing way to celebrate Independence Day in my new (temporary) home. Inside, of course, because it's 92 degrees out there and I'm just not used to that yet.

This Morning's Endeavor: "Moving Photography"
(and yes, I was actually driving for most of these shots)

Drive up to the Wise Center, where MSU-CVM is housed

Downtown Starkville (the old part). Thank god it was a holiday or I'd have killed somebody.

Pretty houses in the older section

Talk about pride! Even the water tower roots for the Bulldogs.

I think this sign is hysterical on so many levels.

That, in a nutshell, is the town as I see it. The vet school, the pretty southern stuff, football, and barbeque. And really, to a point, that's been my experience this week. Who knows what's to come?

(I was going to try to come up with something witty to close this one, but the photos took so long to load I'm halfway through the second Mike's and about ready for a nap. See ya!)