A Wet SawGrass and a Tombstone

One murky late Saturday morning Leah and I headed to Tuscaloosa to meet Codie and Wes at Taco Casa for some yummy lunch (two combo burritos with extra sour cream, sopapias and a large Mt. Dew). Papa called while we were waiting to let us know that he was for sure going to join us for our ride. YEAH!! I love riding with Papa b/c he always takes us off the trails (I wish I could do this more but I have no sense of direction and don't know the land near as well as he does).

After getting the horses saddled up and ready we headed west for the day's ride.

Wes, Papa, Leah and Codie

Leah and Codie

Codie and Wes

Papa

After riding a ways Papa asked if we'd like to take a break and see something he found pretty recently off the beaten path.

The horses taking a breather.

Although Gainesville, AL is not a big city today it is in the Black Belt and before the Civil War it was very prosperous with many plantations. Within the acres of SawGrass there are 2 slave houses that are still standing.

[A bit of history; Gainesville, AL is where the last Confederate army surrendered, weeks after Lee had surrendered and Lincoln had been assassinated. ]

Part of the original tombstone is that buried light rock covering the date. The tombstone was replaced with the original inscription a few years ago. It reads "In memory of Anthony, a faithful servant and an honest man, died April 26, 1862." Because there is no last name on the tombstone and the servant reference we came up with our own conclusion that this is where a slave of this plantation beside SawGrass was buried.

Codie, Wes, and Leah listening to Papa sharing some Gainesville history.

Codie, Wes, and Papa watching Leah's true reaction. :)

I don't know the names of these purple blooming trees but they were all over SawGrass. Enjoy the scenery we took in and notice how wet and flooded some of the paths were in the next few pics! :)

(this is my favorite tree!)

A rough marked map of where we went.
To be continued...