Blues, haints and bayous: snippets from the Deep South: A mint julep for one, please, James

We follow the water and end up in Mobile, Alabama, a small city with a long history of race relations problems, and, though some out-of-towners later tell us its crime rates are still terribly high, our two days there were spent in peace and tranquility. We enjoyed what appears to be a very well kept, tidy and prosperous city with a quiet centre and very little decay, albeit, with a lot of downtown space empty and for lease. Though, it seems, just about everywhere has that problem, given the growth of the strip malls out near the interstates drawing much of the core business out of the town centres.

Mobile has excellent facilities—a great Cathedral, art galleries, a symphony, and sports stadiums galore. An old streetcar follows a circular route around the city, tours for free, and there are sweet historical accents remaining.

We had to ask around to find a place that sells espresso, and continue to be surprised that these are so rare, so few and far between here, and that there is not a coffeeshop on every street corner in the heart of these towns. Another odd thing about drinks, Bec often orders Coke as her drink option. It always comes in a large litre disposable mug. It is always refilled for nothing. As many times as she likes. She sometimes, even gets offered a fresh container as a takeaway as we leave. So, Coke is almost given away. Good coffee, though, is scarce, even in good-sized towns.

We took a self-driving tour of some of the stunning wooden homes around the city. Alabama tourism has done an excellent job of marking great drives throughout the state and within such towns. Easy to download, too. The craftsmanship on these homes, from days long past, is wonderful. The detail on some of the Queen Anne homes is so intricate, you know the builder cared. They must be a nightmare to maintain, though, but maintenance does go on. One was being washed as we photographed it. This home design was actually chosen by the family from a catalogue and its bit parts arrived in town on thirteen railroad cars. Even more beautiful today, given its rarity.

Others are grander, even. Americans, we are finding, have a passion for Greek columns decorating their homes. Some go quite Corinthian and embellish overly much, but this one, while fanciful, is a little more restrained. The repetition of the columns on the lower sections at the back is rather effective, too. Some, are very grand, though, and end up looking more like libraries and museums than homes. We love this one, though.

We head down to Fairhope and spend hours talking fanciful political and tax theory with a bunch of locals in a cosy coffee shop down there. Fun. We get a hug when we leave, and that, too, was lovely. Fairhope looks an alternative little community, though, these days, it appears more a suburb of Mobile. Folk seem to have the time and money to be a little zany, here, a little different.

Since 1894 this town was set up following the economic theories of a social activist, Henry George. It is, now, one of only two communities in the US that offer a single tax opportunity for folk wanting to own a home here. Henry George wanted all of America to operate following his Georgian economics theory, but that never happened. But, folk who enter this arrangement in Fairhope, eventually own their own home, by leasing the land on which it sits from an umbrella corporation who actually owns it. For a 99 year lease, renewable.

We drove down to the waterfront and found, even there, some eccentric housing opportunities for seasonal visitors to Fairhope: the purple Martins who will be migrating back here, in their scores, any day now. Even they have unusual habitat arrangements—lovely one, two or three story purple Martin bird apartments set up all along the waterfront, to welcome them back.

No doubt they have to pay a body corporate fee before they choose their nesting suite each year. And they likely have to check in with the Site Manager, first, to attend that preliminary briefing that is compulsory, but is likely well worth it, given the prime waterfront location they have on offer for the season. Lucky little birds.

On to Magnolia Springs, where the wealth continues. This community has a tiny population of about 700 and at its heart is the sleepy Magnolia River. A caring lot, the locals have recently declared their community to be a bird sanctuary. Long ago travellers came to visit by steamship. Today, a two acre, two home property on the winding slow moving little river is currently for sale for a cool 4.6 million dollars. We took a shot of its jetty.

And some 180 river front properties in Magnolia Springs have their daily mail delivered each morning, by boat. An 11 foot aluminium boat putt-putts along its 31 mile route in about 4 hours. A service which has been operating here since 1915 and not expected to stop any time soon.

Folk launch their own boats into the river late in the afternoon on fine days like today, take out a toddy, and salute the high heavens, as crickets and frogs set up a welcoming chorus from the water's edge. It all is so idyllic. A mint julep for one, please, James. It is another world. For some.