I visited one of my favorite places in Birmingham for the Stokin' the Fire BBQ festival. Sloss is one of my favorite places because urban decay is like porn to me. (Not that Sloss is decayed really; they are taking good care of it, but it IS retired industrial equipment.) Ah, I feast my eyes on the abandoned furnaces and maze of rusted metal pipes, steel trellises and crooked wooden walkways. It's all so beautiful I could sit on a bench and gaze at it for hours. I've been a fan of urban decay since I was an architecture student in New Orleans. In college I used to wander around the warehouse district, sneaking in open doors and taking photos of the inside of decaying warehouses and metal sheds. It was much like wandering a maze, making turns here and there, and sometimes finding a delightful surprise.

Sometimes I drive by Sloss, slow down, and stare at the massive metal structures that make me feel small and insignificant. The trains pass right next to the site, squealing and creaking as they rock back and forth on the tracks. Pure aural and visual beauty. I wish I could have observed the furnaces in action in the early part of the 1900s.

I'd love to be let loose on the grounds while they are empty.

After my eyes and belly were full with good nourishment, I headed home smelling like a roasted pig. Then my dog ate me.