Monday, June 29, 2009

Off the Beaten Path: Between Vicksburg and Natchez


I would like to thank our gracious hostess Sally at Smiling Sally for taking the time to host our Blue Mondays. Be sure to visit Sally to see her patriotic "Proud to be American" post.

For my Blue Monday contribution, I would like to share some photos I took over the weekend (a couple of them have some blue, other than the sky, in them).

Natchez, Mississippi is only about an hour's drive from where we live in Vicksburg, and this past weekend, my husband and I went to Natchez to spend some time with his brother and his wife who drove up from New Orleans.

Instead of traveling down Highway 61 South, or the Natchez Trace, which is the way we usually go, we decided to get off "the beaten path," and drive down the Louisiana side of the Mississippi River, on US Highway 65. This took us through the heart of the Louisiana Delta, where the road cut through dusty fields of corn, soybeans, and cotton, stretching as far as the eye could see ...

Cotton
Soybeans

I think the Delta farmlands are their prettiest this time of year. The plants are thick and green and lush, and the cotton fields were dotted with little white blooms. I grew up in Northeast Louisiana, and have been around cotton fields all my life, but I had never seen a cotton bloom up close.

Well, needless to say, as soon as I saw the blooms, I asked my husband to stop and let me get some pictures. Being the sweet, patient man that he is, he pulled over and I grabbed my camera and jumped out into the 98-degree heat of the Louisiana Delta.

It was hot and dusty, and I wasn't dressed to be out wandering in cotton fields, but I didn't mind when I saw how beautiful the blooms were. I think they were worth getting a little hot and dusty for (you can click on the photos to enlarge them, if you'd like)...

And speaking of hot and dusty, this is a picture of the parched earth in which those beautiful plants are thriving ...

It looks like it's going to be a long, hot summer for the farmers trying to keep their fields irrigated.

I always try to stop and photograph the three crosses on highways when I see them, and I love these standing amongst the soybeans and corn. Click on the picture and you can see three small metal crosses attached to the big ones, which I've never seen before ...

I don't think I've ever seen a mailbox as big as this one either. The street sign reads, appropriately, "Mail Box Road" ...

We took a little detour through the town of Newellton, Louisiana, and was rewarded with a little lagniappe in the form of this charming little house in the country ...

I love its little picket fence and beautiful flower beds, and was delighted when I saw the BLUE bottle tree in the front yard.

But this little house had even more lagniappe in store for us. Just look at what was in the side yard!

Is that not the cutest little outhouse you've ever seen ... complete with a little BLUE chair to sit in while you "wait your turn." And look at the corn field that comes right up to the back yard ...

I just love people's sense of humor and imagination when it comes to yard art, don't you!

You just never know what you're going to find when you venture "off the beaten path," and I'm never disappointed. I always seem to find lagniappe wherever I go.

17 comments:

Knitty said...

That last photo with the blue chair is delightful!

Gee said...

Nice posting. Happy blue monday.

SmilingSally said...

Thanks for taking me along on your country road trip. I've never seen a cotton blossom before either. Is the pink bloom also cotton? That waiting spot for the outhouse is a good idea. Thanks for sharing. Happy Blue Monday.

bj said...

Hi, Janie..I enjoyed all of your photos but that little cottage with the picket fence is just about the cutest thing I've ever seen. Complete with the adorable outhouse. I would LOVE to see all that in person. When I was a young teen, my folks moved to the state of Arkansas (for a very short time) and bought a small farm. The house had running water but not a bathroom (let's see...this was in 1952, rural Ark.). We had an outhouse just about like the one you photographed...no little blue chair, tho. We didn't think our outhouse was one bit cute!! haha..but I would love to see it now.
Thanks for great memories...
xo bj

Unknown said...

Hi Janie,
Great photos. I love the cottage and garden in the last few!

It has been hot and dry here too. My son did a great job of watering our plants while we were gone...now it is my job again. We need rain! LOL
:) Diane

Sandi@ Rose Chintz Cottage said...

What great shots! Love the outhouse with the blue chair! So cute! Have a wonderful week and Happy Blue Monday!

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Beautiful, Janie! I love all of your photographs, and the blooms are amazing. I also love that house. How adorable... the flowers, the roof, the outhouse, and that cute chair. And who can resist a fun bottle tree? Cute as can be.

XO,

Sheila :-)

Mary Bergfeld said...

I love the images you chose to share with us. The last frame with the blue chair is especially nice. Have a wonderful day and enjoy the coming holiday weekend.

Marjorie (Molly) Smith said...

When DH and I were doing alot of Riding the back road we loved to drive Highway 65. Usually when we traveled anywhere west of MS we always came down the river to Natchez and then across to Brookhaven, rather crossing at Vicksburg and coming south from there. I also enjoyed seeing all of the Delta land and those cotton blooms brought back memories of when Granddaddy grew cotton, just thinking about it my hands still hurt from picking it..
Thanks for the beautiful pictures.
Molly

Rue said...

Hi Janie :)

What a wonderful road trip! I love that little house too :)

Thank you so much for your kind words about Shiloh sweet friend.

xo,
rue

From the Old InkWell said...

Oh, I loved the road trip. Isn't life interesting when you take the time to stop and look?!

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed the drive in the country. You captured some interesting sights! Love the little chair.

Kathy b

Donna said...

Beautiful pictures, as usual. Thanks for the dose of country lagniappe :)

D

Regina said...

Nice tour. Thanks for sharing. Great shots.

RachelD said...

Janie,

I meant to say something yesterday, but my Commenter seemed to be broken.

I love the pictures---it brought back such memories of living more than half my life in what seemed like fields of orchids---the purple and the pales and the white stretching far as I could see across the flat.

One of the best things to hear in all those years of heat and sweat and labor in the fields was "We've got BLOOM!"

And I KNOW these people---I could walk down the road and across that lawn and say hello. And your pictures make me feel as if I have.

Terry said...

Howdy Janie
Oh my sweetie you really captured some of the sweetest moments when driving along on a sunny afternoon in the south.
Love all the photos and that blue chair was a fantastic find.
I love a good sense of yard creativity myself.
It is so much fun to look at all your photos .
Thank you so much for sharing .
They are fabulous just like you :)
Happy Trails

Lady Katherine said...

I live all around where they use to grow cotton, now it is corn. I do miss the cotton fields. Love the out house and blue chair. The house is charming.