Life at

Dear Friend,

It's hard for me to decide what to tell you about this month: Julie Sandner's incredible pumpkin topiaries, Charlie Thigpen's colorful fall salvias, Dianne Young's turn at old-style golf, or Tanner Latham's look at the Alabama Civil Rights Trail. Faced with that dilemma, I've decided to tell you about all four.

When I saw another pumpkin topiary story planned for this month, I questioned whether Julie could do something both creative and new. The answer was yes. Just take a look at "Pumpkins With Pizzazz." This fall topiary idea is light-years ahead of our previous ones. You will see what I mean when you turn to page 126.

Charlie actually got me to grow salvia in my garden several years ago, and he taught me how many types there were and how beautiful they are in fall. The first ones I tried were Mexican bush sage and pineapple sage (all true sages are salvias). The purple blooms of Mexican bush sage and the fire red color of pineapple sage now grace my garden each fall. Charlie introduces you to a host of other salvias too and tells you how to use them beginning on page 94.

Dianne is quite a golfer, which is why we ask her to head up our annual LPGA special section and to be involved in all the things we do with that program to encourage breast cancer awareness. But quite honestly, I have never seen Dianne play the game wearing 1880s-style clothing or using an all-wood putter as she did at West Virginia's Oakhurst Links. Read her take on this remarkable course and the National Hickory Championship that's held there starting on page 76.

Having grown up in the area, I must admit that the road from Selma to Montgomery holds many images and memories for me, and Tanner's story on Alabama's Civil Rights Trail has revived plenty of them. His challenge, though, was to write a story about what you can experience today, not a story that focuses solely on the past. I think Tanner, at the ripe old age of 26, has succeeded beautifully, and I hope you think so too. The story begins on page 128. Enjoy reading these and the many other stories in the following pages. I look forward to hearing your comments about this October issue.

Best regards,

John Alex Floyd Jr

John Alex Floyd, Jr., Editor

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Oct 2003
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