The local news recently reported that Alabama is no longer in the top ten party schools, according to the Princeton Review. Ah, that's too bad.

It appears that the UA students may have settled down a bit - Princeton Review ranks University of Alabama at #19 out of 20 schools. Of course, being the competitive college that UA is, I'm sure the student body will get together and try to figure out how to raise their ranking. I'm sure this will make the parents jump for joy.

I can hear the phone conversations now..."ah, Mom, I really need to change schools, we're down to #19 on the top party school list..."

The mayor of Tuscaloosa, Walt Maddox said that voluntary water conservation efforts are working to sustain the city of Tuscaloosa's water reserves, but an equipment failure or major fire could force the city into mandatory water conservation efforts.

So far the water levels are showing some gain. Recently the reserves had been tapped by as much as 25%. The mayor still says that Tuscaloosa's water system isn't past the crisis stage yet, but if the present trend continues, he doesn't think that we'll have to have stronger conservation efforts.

The Alabama Forestry Commission just issued a no-burn order for 59 counties throughout Alabama, including all counties in West Alabama. Under this order, it is against the law for campfires, fires to burn trash and debris, or any fires for that matter. Severe drought conditions are causing far too many problems on our water supply to have to deal with putting out fires.

Mostly known for its many college football championships, the University of Alabama is a champion in other areas too - like academics.

In a recent U.S. News & World Report, The University of Alabama ranked 91 out of 258 public and private colleges across the U.S. The University of Alabama is not only a great college, but it's located in a fantastic city, Tuscaloosa.

I've met a lot of people who moved here from other parts of the country, and I've never heard any of them say that they wished they could go back to where they came from. Usually, most people who move to Tuscaloosa want to stay here.

Congratulations to the University of Alabama!

In case you didn't recognize the title of this blog, it's from a Marty Robbin's song, Water. I really like that song, but if you live in Tuscaloosa, Alabama right now, you might want to turn the old sprinkler off for a while.

The Mayor of Tuscaloosa, Walt Maddox, said the water tank near the North River area had dropped to less than 25% of it's capacity, prompting the mayor to ask North of the River residents to cut off the water use, or at least curtail it a bit.

If you live north of the Black Warrior River in Tuscaloosa, the city of Tucaloosa has asked that those folks with odd-numbered street addresses to only water their lawns on odd-numbered dates, and residents with even-numbered addresses shouold water their lawns on even-numbered dates. Additionally, the city of Tuscaloosa has also asked that residents only water their lawns between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m.

I kind of like the idea myself. Less grass to cut.

Got the urge to smoke inside a public place in Northport, Alabama? Well, you better get used to going outside. The Northport City Council adopted a smoking ban in most public places. The vote was unanimous.

The ban includes restaurants, stores, government buildings, and buses. If an establishment that gets more profits from alcohol than food then you can light one up inside, i.e., a bar.

I used to think that this was a right of citizens, but after leaving a public place smelling like an ashtray, I say to the inside smokers..."take it outside!" If you want to smoke, smoke, but the secondhand stuff is not good for anyone.

Good job, Northport City Council.

July 2007 Market Report

The total number of homes sold in Tuscaloosa County for the month of July, 2007 was 252. Twenty seven percent (27%) of the homes sold were new construction.

The total number of homes on the market has increased again to 1,969, with the average DOM (days on market) rising to 112.

The average selling price was $179,739.

Compared to July of 2006, the number of homes for sale is up 29%. There are 451 additional homes for sale than last year at this time.

Overall, I'm a little concerned about the number of homes on the market. It doesn't appear that builders are slowing down any, but yet I don't see a demand for housing increasing compared to the number of new constructions that are going up.

The number of homes sold last year at this time was 241, which is an indication that the number of homes sold this year did not increase that much.

Whewwwwwww! It's hot down here in Alabama! I went home for lunch and changed into shorts and a polo shirt because no one in his right mind would be wearing dress clothes out in this heat.

The heat index was over 100 degrees today and it doesn't look like things will be cooling off here for a while.

The latest forecast doesn't show any signs of rain coming our way for the next week. Great for beachgoers though. I'm not going to the beach but I'm sure planning on dipping my toes into a swimming pool at some point this weekend.

You may not have to travel to the outer ends of the world to experience seven wonders, according to Mark Hughes Cobb, a staff writer for the Tuscaloosa News.

In todays Sunday edition, Cobb pointed out seven "wonders" of West Alabama that you must might be interested in seeing...right here at home in the Tuscaloosa area. Here are the seven wonders of west Alabama:

1. Moundville, Alabama

Moundville was supposedly one of North America's largest cities, at least it was eight hundred years ago. Now you can view some of the remains of the inhabitants of that era. You can find 26 "Indian" mounds circling a central plaza by visiting the small town of Moundville, specifically, Moundville Archaeological Park.

For more information visit http://www.moundville.ua.edu/

2. Hurricane Creek

Rebounding back from pollutants and enviro-killers, Hurricane Creek is now one of the most beautiful expressions of nature in the United States. The gorgeous hardwoods along the creek entertain you with abundant wildlife beckoning you to stay awhile. You can ease along Hurricane Creek's almost thirty miles of bubbling waterway.

3. Ghost in the courthouse window

At some point in every University of Alabama student's career, he or she will cruise on over to Pickens County to see the a face staring out of one of the window of the Pickens County courthouse. Supposedly, the face is that of a freed slave, Henry Wells, who was hiding out there from an angry mob outside.

While Wells was staring from the window, at the local mob, lightning struck and forever inscribed his face in the window. People from around the world visit Pickens County to see the "ghost."

4. The Warner art collection (Mark Hughes Cobb's description)

Consolidation has made the journey to Tuscaloosa more convenient for art lovers from around the world, as the fabulous Warner collection of art and antiquities is now housed almost exclusively in the Westervelt Warner Museum of American Art, adjacent to the NorthRiver Yacht Club.

Former Gulf States Paper CEO and Chairman Jack Warner has spent more than 40 years amassing "an unparalleled assembly of 18th-, 19th- and 20th-century American art" (by the editors of the book "An American Odyssey: The Warner Collection of American Fine and Decorative Arts").

"Every piece of art I've ever collected, over 40 years of collecting, is here," Warner said.

As renovations got under way at the University Club and Mildred Warner House, Warner gathered pieces from those, along with Gulf States works, some loaned to the University of Alabama President's Mansion and others from his private home, to fill the building formerly known as The Anchorage.

The hundreds of paintings, sculptures, artifacts and antiques include works by James A. McNeill Whistler, John Singer Sargent, Frederic E. Church, Childe Hassam, Thomas Cole, Andrew Wyeth, Winslow Homer, Duncan Phyfe, Mary Cassatt and James Peale.

Hours are noon-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. Call 205-343-4540 for tour information, or visit www.warnermuseum.org.

5. Kentuck (Mark Hughes Cobb's description)

When people say Kentuck, they're mostly thinking of the Kentuck Festival of the Arts, an October tradition drawing 30,000 lovers of folk art, traditional crafts, music and more to Kentuck Park in Northport (a settlement thought to be originally named Kentuck or Canetuck, because it was a cane-brake wilderness. Another theory suggests that "Kentuck" once meant paradise).

Whatever those name origins, the Kentuck Festival grew out of a simple one-day fair back in the early ‘70s into the international hit that draws renowned contemporary and visionary folk artists, along with practitioners of traditional crafts such as weaving, smithing and more. Appearances on the Brother Ben and Festival stages range from renowned folk, blues, gospel, jazz and other musicians to theater, dance and other performing artists.

But in addition to that riot of color and sound, the third weekend in October, Kentuck also stands for the arts center at the heart of it, located in downtown Northport at the corner of Fifth Street and Main. With museum and gallery space, Kentuck features regular exhibits and classes throughout the year. The courtyard is the site of numerous demonstrations and performances, especially during the monthly Art Nights, held the first Thursday of each month. www.kentuck.org. 205-758-1257.

6. Dreamland

"Ain't nothing like ‘em nowhere." That's what sport celebrities from around the globe say about their visit to Tuscaloosa's own Dreamland Barbeque.

Just white bread and ribs is all you will get at the original Dreamland Barbecue...and really, that's all you will want. Talk about good!

The legend of Dreamland was spread through The New York Times, Forbes FYI, Chili Pepper Magazine, Southern Living, USA Today, ESPN and others.

http://www.dreamlandbbq.com/

7. The Bama Theatre

Located in downtown Tuscaloosa, this old theatre is a throwback to the early thirties. It's now host to a lot of local events and pagents, and every weekend or so, you just may be able to catch an old flick there.

The weather in Tuscaloosa, Alabama was absolutely gorgeous yesterday. It was a perfect day for showing homes. In an earlier post this week, an Active Rain member told of an experience with a prospective buyer where they were showing this buyer a home on a rainy, cloudy day. The buyer did not like the property at all.

Interestingly enough, several weeks later these same buyers wanted to see this home again (they had forgotten about seeing it), and it was a sunny day. The agent wrote a contract on the home with these buyers!

Well, I could absolutely tell a difference in my showings yesterday, as the temperature in Tuscaloosa was in the upper 70s and the sky was a gorgeous blue. Now it doesn't hurt that I was showing my clients homes above $500,000!

We've had rain for a while here, which was needed, but it sure is nice to be in the real estate business in weather like this.

There are several indicators to look for to see if housing starts are going to slow down. Many people in the housing industry look at lumber prices and orders, as well as other housing material orders.

It recently occurred to me, while talking to a friend of mine in the blueprinting business, that if house plan orders and printing of blueprints slows down, then a housing start slowdown is surely on the way. This was kind of like a light bulb going off in my head.

In Tuscaloosa, Alabama, there are more houses on the market than ever before. I keep wondering when it's going to slow a bit to allow for the buyers to catch up, but builders just keep building.

Personally, from being a builder myself in the past, I think that the local builders can't afford to stop building because they have been living off of the construction draw money that they receive from the local banks. This is a dangerous situation to be in and at some point, the piper must be paid.

I surely don't want to be perceived as being negative, but I think that there are going to be some builders in trouble soon, especially in Tuscaloosa, Alabama - just check with your local blueprinter to find out.