Heart of the Mississippi Delta

My husband and I recently had the pleasure of driving up US Hwy. 61 North, from Vicksburg to Belzoni, Mississippi, which took us straight through the heart of the beautiful Mississippi Delta.  After leaving the hills of Vicksburg, Highway 61 is as about as flat and straight as a road can be, bounded on both sides by hundreds of thousands of acres of fertile Delta farmlands, literally stretching as far as the eye can see.  Hwy. 61 is also known as "the Blues Highway," because legend has it that blues music was born in the cotton fields and "juke joints" of the Mississippi Delta. I love the Delta, because no matter how many times I go, I always find new and interesting things (to me, anyway) to capture with my camera.   Like this single tree standing in the midst of the plowed fields, like an oasis in a desert.  Come August, I can imagine several of the drivers of the big cotton pickers resting in its shade for a quick lunch. The landscape is also dotted with farms, barns, and cabins like the one in the picture below ... silhouetted against the horizon.  Along with the rustic farm cabins, you might also see homes like these ... If I had to choose between the two, I most definitely would choose the second one, which is Mont Helena, a colonial revival style home built atop a ceremonial Indian mound in 1896.  Another familiar and fascinating sight in the Delta, especially this time of year, are the brightly-colored crop duster planes flying low over the newly-plowed fields spraying whatever they spray in preparation for planting (herbicides, insecticides, fertilizer?). I've always admired the daredevil-like skills of the pilots as they swoop down, barely clearing power lines and treetops ...    On the outskirts of Yazoo City, I got a glimpse of a rusty tin roof on an old barn, partially hidden behind the tangled vines of a fence row.  I asked my husband to turn around so I could get a closer look.    I love the contrast between the rusty tin roof and the brilliant blue sky in the background ... And while I'm on the subject of barns ... as we approached the town of Rolling Fork, I was saddened to see the two large silos which are all that remains of one of the Delta's most picturesque and treasured landmarks, affectionately known as the "big red barn at Rolling Fork."   This is the way the barn looked a few years ago ... During the early morning hours of Saturday, April 29, 2011, a strong storm with damaging winds passed through the area, destroying the barn.  Only its twin silos remained standing.  I captured the following pictures the next day ... As we approached Rolling Fork, I told my husband that I needed to get some pictures of the silos so I could complete the final chapter in my collection of pictures of the barn.  That old barn was one of my favorite places to photograph, and it saddened me to see that the silos were the only reminder that it had ever been. As I mentioned at the beginning of this story, we were traveling up Hwy. 61 North from Vicksburg to Belzoni, Mississippi, which is proclaimed "the Catfish Capital of the World."   But that's not why we were visiting the Belzoni area.  We were looking for one of Mississippi's hidden treasures ... a wildlife management area called Sky Lake, which is home to some of the oldest and largest bald cypress trees in the world.    I hope to share my pictures and the story of our tour of Sky Lake soon.

Louisiana Delta Odds and Ends

Today I'm featuring the "odds and ends" pictures from a trip I took last week through the Louisiana Delta on US Highway 65 North. If you would like to read about my journey and see some of the sights I captured along the way, you can click on the following links:

A Journey through the Louisiana Delta
I Made it to Providence!

I took the following pictures in the Lake Providence, Louisiana Cemetery. They feature a few of the headstones and markers that caught my attention as I drove through the cemetery. Like this marker for Patrick McGuire, who was born in Fermanagh County, Ireland in 1838, and died in Lake Providence in 1917, at the age of 79. I can't help but wonder what brought Patrick all the way from Ireland to a little town in the middle of the Louisiana Delta.

And the markers for babies and children always touch my heart, especially this one for a nameless baby girl who was born and died on the same day, October 18, 1891. I wonder if she lived long enough for her mother and father to hold her in their arms. I'm sure they held her in their hearts the rest of their days.

Notice the engraving on the bottom of the stone. I tried to decipher it, but couldn't make it out (it may be in Latin or French). Can you read it? (You can click on the picture to enlarge it, if you'd like.)

I love this family plot, with its concrete bench. I wonder how many Goodwins have sat there through the years as they visited the final resting place of their loved ones, Marie and Walter Goodwin.

The large monument in the next picture is for Tilghman M. Tucker, a former Governor of Mississippi (1842-1844).

After retiring from public life, Gov. Tucker moved to his Louisiana plantation home, and died in 1859. Buried beside him are his first wife, Sarah, and second wife, Martha, and I believe this next marker may be for his daughter or granddaughter. The epitaph caught my attention — it was taken from Proverbs 31:28, and reads: "May her children's children rise up and call her blessed."

After I left the cemetery in Lake Providence, I continued on Highway 65 North toward my destination of Lake Village, Arkansas. I'm afraid I didn't get very far, though. This old barn was calling my name, and I couldn't just ignore it, could I?

I didn't want to trespass, but I couldn't resist stepping inside the door to get a couple of pictures.

This is the "farmhouse" across the highway from the barn, which I assume is where the owner of the barn lives. I love the tree-lined driveway.

In case you're wondering, I did actually make it to my destination, which was a home decor warehouse called Paul Michael Company, in Lake Village, Arkansas.

Although the store was filled with beautiful Christmas decorations, by the time I got there, I was tired from my morning's picture-taking adventures and everything seemed to pale beside the glorious scenes I had captured with my camera on the way to Lake Village.

I did manage to get a few parting shots as I was leaving ...

As I look at those pictures now, I wish I could go back and spend more time at Paul Michael's, but then I'd have to pass through the beautiful Louisiana Delta again, and I know I'd see more pictures just begging to be taken ... and to be honest, I'd rather take pictures than shop any day.

I have one more post related to my trip, which I'll feature soon. I hope you'll join me for it.