Hi Downhome!I am a native of Mobile, Al and boyfriend Shane Hoskins is from Bellevue, NL; we currently live in Biloxi, MS. While visiting NL this September, I was delighted to find the article about Mobile Alabama in your "Explore" section. I am so proud of my hometown, and your article highlighting Mardi Gras and the correct pronunciation made my day!

I am attaching a photo from my first trip to NL in 2009. The photo was taken in Bellevue, and everyone seems to get a kick out of the photo, because I was intent on taking a picture with the pink flowers, which are apparently so common in the area that no one even notices them. I had never seen anything like them and thought they were beautiful (silly Alabamian!).

I'm also attaching a photo of Shane's first Mardi Gras in Mobile in 2008. The entire week of Mardi Gras is a holiday for us...no school, no work, no worries! Shane and I are both members of Mardi Gras krewes in Biloxi, and we enjoy it to the fullest every year.

I fell in love with NL immediately, and have since returned a few times a year to visit family, friends, and the beautiful rock!

  Submitted By: Sarah Irby