We’ve all seen the movie set in this area where the main characters fall in love when struck by lightening as children. The movie shows this beautiful swirling glass sculpture created by the mixture of lightening and sand. In the real world these little lightening creations are called fulgurites. Fulgurites (from the Latin fulgur meaning thunderbolt) are natural hollow glass tubes formed in quartzose sand, silica, or soil by lightningstrikes. We were actually brought a few of these interesting pieces of glass by a friend of the company and they are not what I expected. They are formed when lightning with a temperature of at least 1,800 °C (3,270 °F) instantaneously melts silica on a conductive surface and fuses grains together; the fulgurite tube is the cooled product. This process occurs over a period of around one second, and leaves evidence of the lightning path and its dispersion over the surface. Fulgurites can also be produced when a high voltage electrical distribution network breaks and the lines fall onto a conductive surface with sand beneath. They are sometimes referred to as petrified lightning. The glass formed is called lechatelierite which may also be formed by meteorite impact and volcanic explosions. Fulgurites can have deep penetrations, sometimes occurring as far as 15 metres (49 ft) below the surface that was struck.
Bellingrath Gardens a must see when you visit the Beach
We’ve talked about this several times in the past, but we wanted to call attention to one of the most beautiful sites to see in the area. We visited their website and found this useful information. This is a definite “must see” for anybody with a green thumb!
If you decide to venture over to Dauphin Island via the Mobile Bay Ferry, be sure to head on over to Mobile to smell the flowers at Bellingrath Gardens and Home. The garden features 65 acres of fragrant flowers that bloom year-round.
Bellingrath Gardens and Home was the creation of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Bellingrath. The Gardens were first opened to the public in 1932 while a national garden club meeting was taking place in Mobile, Alabama. Mr. Bellingrath placed an ad in the Mobile newspaper announcing that anyone who would like to see the spring garden could do so free of charge. After an overwhelming response, the couple decided to keep the gardens open year-round beginning in 1934. Throughout the year, this 65-acre garden estate is in full bloom with camellias in the winter, azaleas in the spring, roses in the summer, chrysanthemums in autumn and Magic Christmas in Lights during the holiday season.
In addition to the self-guided walking tour through the gardens, you can also enjoy a 45-minute cruise aboard the Southern Belle, and a tour of the 10,500 square foot home with its original furnishings. You can experience the Bayou Boardwalk, Mirror Lake, the Great Lawn, the Asian-American Gardens. Don’t forget to stroll through the Butterfly Garden and view the formal garden terraces. For more information, visit https://www.bellingrath.org/home/ for events, admission rates and hours of operation.
2011 Sunset Properties Photo Contest Winners
We wanted to say a special Congratulations to our Winners and Honorable Mentions for our 2011 Photo Contest. We appriciate your time an efforts in entering this contest and sharing your beautiful memories and great talent! Enjoy these great photos below.
1st Place: Jessica Mooney ” Baby Jake”
2nd Place: Jennifer Hill – ” Crab Hunting”
3rd Place: Angela Allred – “Fishing Lesson”
Honorable Mentions in no particular order
Amanda Snipes- “Family Beach Photo”
Christie Arthur – “Mr. GQ”
Kevin Ware – ” Sunset from Pier”
Toni Fahler – ” Lucy buried in the sand”
