Lagniappe Pictures

I'd like to share a few "odds and ends" pictures I've taken on various photo shoots. Most of these are photos of things that just happened to catch my eye, but weren't necessarily related to the subject of the photo shoot. For instance, I captured this picture of Ameristar Casino at Vicksburg while I was taking pictures of the sunset that day.

This old water tower is no longer standing. It has been replaced with a new bright and shiny blue tower. I've discovered that sometimes "befores" are better than "afters," especially from a photographer's point of view.

The simple beauty of a steeple of a little country church always catches my attention. I found this one in Nitta Yuma, Mississippi, which is located in the Mississippi Delta. The bell came from Nitta Yuma Plantation.

You've got to admire the tenacity of this little clump of Henbit, growing between the bricks of a wall in Cedar Hill Cemetery in Vicksburg.

I love the door of this little country church. I converted my original picture to black and white and didn't keep the original photo file. I'd like to go back someday and capture it in color.

Lichen growing on an old fence ...

I found this old urn at a cemetery off the Natchez Trace, between Natchez and Vicksburg ...

A tunnel in Vicksburg ...

I always enjoy revisiting places through my pictures and recalling how, when, and where I captured them. I've found that sometimes the "lagniappe pictures" are even better than the ones I set out to capture.

Mississippi Country Roads (A Slideshow)

Mississippi Country Roads A Slideshow Presentation {Turn your sound up if you'd like to hear the music}

Rambling Around Vicksburg ... Part I

Yesterday afternoon it was partly cloudy in Vicksburg, with temperatures in the high 70s -- a perfect day to be out taking pictures. I decided not to venture too far and began my photo quest in the community of Bovina, Mississippi, which is about ten miles east of Vicksburg.

My first stop was a visit with this little guy, who came running to meet me ...

He was beautiful, and so sweet ... I wished my granddaughter Avery could have seen him.

Here are a few more things in the Bovina area that caught my eye ...

I love this little outdoor worship area in some woods next to a church. Can you imagine having Easter sunrise services there? ...

When I left Bovina, I headed west toward Vicksburg on old Highway 80. Some of you may remember the post I wrote last July called "The Art of Kudzu." I took most of the pictures featured in that post on Highway 80, and yesterday I decided to take a few of the same places to show you how kudzu looks in the winter time ... and it's not a pretty sight.

Here's a school bus that was almost completely covered by kudzu last July ...

And that same bus the way it looked yesterday ...

Here are some more "before" and "after" kudzu pictures ...

I did find a little bit of sunshine later in the afternoon to remind me that spring will be here soon. Just look at these pretty daffodils pushing up through the winter leaves and vines ...

And these delicate flowering quince blooms ...

I love these determined little purple wildflowers poking through a crumbling brick wall ...

And with the promise of spring in the air, I am going to end Part I of this post. I hope you will join me tomorrow because I've saved the best part for last -- a visit to Vicksburg's beautiful old Cedar Hill Cemetery.

In the meantime, if you would like to read about Cedar Hill, you can click here to read a post I wrote last year about the Monuments of Cedar Hill, and also one called In the Arms of the Angels about some of the children buried there.

Sincerely,