Family, front porches and fresh starts: Cannatas find joy in Russellville

RUSSELLVILLE — After three decades in Tampa, Florida, Andrew and Cassandra Cannata traded skyscrapers for songbirds and boardrooms for a back porch swing.

Now settled in Russellville, they say they’ve found a slower pace and deeper peace than they ever imagined.

Cassandra grew up in Russellville, graduating with the Class of 1998, but the couple spent 30 years in Florida before returning to Franklin County. They came back in 2023 after family changes made them realize it was time to be closer to home.

“There were some family changes, and we needed to be back here,’ Andrew said. “We knew we were going to end up here eventually. We just came a little earlier.”

Andrew retired as a chief security officer for a major multinational company, while Cassandra spent those same years managing the household and raising their three children.

Their children now live in Texas, Colorado and Tennessee. None have children yet, but the Cannatas laugh about having what they call “starter grandbabies” — their cousin’s two energetic children who also moved back from Tampa.

They’ve quickly embraced Franklin County life from the Watermelon Festival and Fifth Fridays to events at the Roxy and other places in the area. They also host Sunday dinners for family and friends, where anywhere from 10 to 25 people gather each week.

“It’s calmer than Tampa, for sure,” Cassandra said. “The pace is slower, and that’s what we love about it.”

Their new house became a labor of love. They gutted and remodeled it to make it their own.

“When we bought this place, it was a great house, but we basically gutted it,” Andrew said. “We wanted it to be exactly what we wanted, and we’re almost done.”

Outside, they’ve created what they affectionately call their “chaos garden,” a mix of flowers, feeders and favorite plants. They often sit and watch hummingbirds swirl around — sometimes eight at a time — calling the birds both beautiful and bossy.

“We do watch the hummingbirds a lot,” Cassandra said. “It’s really sad when they leave.”

Gardening and canning have become favorite hobbies. They’ve already filled jars with peppers and pickles, and they’re planning a bigger garden next year.

“It’s neat to go from the seed to the jar,” Andrew said. “Next year we’re going to do a big garden. We already have it plotted out.”

Cassandra’s also learning to make sourdough, and Andrew has joined in the process.

“There’s a loaf in the oven right now, proofing,” he said with a grin. “I’ve made crackers and bread and butter. We’ve settled in.”

The Cannatas have stayed busier in retirement than they expected. When they aren’t tending the garden, they explore local thrift stores and antique shops in Sheffield, Decatur and Cullman.

“We’ve found a new love for thrift stores,” Cassandra said. “We have enough stuff that we could open our own thrift store.”

They also enjoy getting outdoors — hiking, fishing and the occasional glamping trip.

“We went glamping in Cullman at the Palomino RV Resort,” Cassandra said. “It had a bathroom — that’s my kind of camping.”

Andrew, a military veteran, laughed. “That glamping thing is a foreign concept,” he said. “But it was fun.”

The couple says they spend as much time outside as possible, soaking up the change in weather and the slower rhythm of northern Alabama life.

“Tampa was great, but 10 months out of the year it was too hot to be outside,” Andrew said. “Even when it’s hot here, it’s not as hot as there.”

Their days are full of simple pleasures — books, drives on back roads and discovering hole-in-the-wall restaurants and local spots.

“We just get in the car and roam the streets,” Cassandra said. “You never know what you might find.”

Andrew joked about almost wearing a Florida State shirt recently — their sons went there — but decided against it.

“We don’t want our house to get egged,” he said with a laugh.

Both said they’ve been amazed at how friendly people are in Russellville.

“It blows me away how people are just nice,” Cassandra said. “You just stand around and chat.”

Andrew agreed. “Expect the pace to be slower,” he said. “But that’s absolutely perfect.”

After years of working 40- to 80-hour weeks, Andrew now works “maybe four hours a week” consulting here and there. Most days, he’d rather be on the porch, watching the hummingbirds and talking with Cassandra.

“I can’t imagine being anyplace else,” he said.