Friends, the Alabama odyssey has begun. For some of us, it began as early as 3 a.m. as we needed to get to the airport by 5:45 a.m. ! We met in the Hartford airport to fly to Atlanta, where we were met by a bus to take us on this journey of exploration and understanding.

Having lunch on the bus, we arrived on a gray, rainy day and checked into our hotel, the Embassy Suites.