Month: May 2015

Av loves Cochon.  Here’s why. It’s cool. You’re seated close to others so it’s easy to make friends (and ideas of what to order next by what they’re getting). All of Donald Link’s restaurants rock. And Av’s met him and thinks he’s great.

Also: Cochon is walking distance from the museum district.  So 5* from me.

Plus the most important part…it’s crazy delicious.  Maybe so delicious that I couldn’t take a pic in focus.

fried alligator with chili garlic mayonnaise:

wood-fired oysters with chili garlic butter.

boudin balls:

and boucherie plate:

Yes, yes, yes.

The first time we had ever seen Tim Tingle’s carvings was at Orr Park in Montevallo, Alabama:

In March, we visited Aldridge Gardens in Hoover — which is wonderful and charming and not-too-big and not-too-small…lovely walking trail with lake and art like below plus some Frank Fleming…

The boys have been coming here since they were babies.  We had a regular schedule for each of the five weekdays: Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Birmingham Zoo, Birmingham Museum of Art, Aldridge Gardens, and one day for whatever.  Shug:

…and here’s Shugie by the Tim Tingle carving:

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Late last month, Ai Weiwei’s Iron Tree opened to the public at Meijer Gardens in Michigan.  It’s his largest outdoor sculpture yet, 22′ tall x 22′ wide, ‘composed of 99 unique iron pieces cast from individual tree elements from southern China. Held together with oversize stainless steel bolts, Iron Tree appears as a living tree in form, but upon closer examination, the diversity of shapes, exaggeration of reality and awkwardness of the bolts create a much different image.’