Vulcan on the horizon

Most cities have a downtown skyline visible for miles, but Birmingham’s topography makes this impractical. One thing that this provides, however, is sweeping vistas from almost any road as one drives up and over the many “mountains” (actually very long ridges formed from prehistoric tectonic shifts). This morning, I was cresting over just such a place (Shades Mountain in Vestavia Hills) and what should catch my eye but Vulcan in all his glory holding court over the clouds and fog smothering Shades Valley and the City of Homewood. I wasn’t in a good position to take a photograph on Highway 31, so I doubled back to the Sybil Temple and shot this photograph from the parking lot.

Alabama’s state motto is “Audemus jura nostra defendere” (We dare defend our rights). There’s a bit of metaphor here tied to Vulcan. In defense of the recent radio changes, the owners surely have the right to make the change to their programming. But, like this photo represents, does “The Vulcan” stand apart from the rest of the others? Or, when the fog lifts (more metaphors – eeks!) maybe we will see it for what it is… Vulcan (the radio station) firmly planted in its place on the radio dial (well, maybe through preset buttons in the radio spectrum). Only when the sun comes out and burns off all of this fog will we know for sure.