A Journey through the Louisiana Delta

Sometimes the journey to a destination turns out to be more fun and exciting than actually reaching the destination.

That's what happened to me the day I decided to take a drive up to Lake Village, Arkansas, to visit a huge home decor warehouse outlet called Paul Michael Company. Lake Village is about an hour and a half from Vicksburg, "as the crow flies," but it took me around three hours to get there. Why is that, you wonder? Well, because on US Highway 65, between Vicksburg and Lake Village, lies thousands and thousands of acres of flat, fertile, Louisiana Delta lands, stretching as far as the eye can see ...

And there are about that many pictures just waiting to be taken along the way.

The highway is flat and, for the most part, straight, and you pass through communities and towns with names like Panola, Shelburne, Alsatia, and Transylvania.

You've gotta love a town with a sense of humor ...

Along with the cotton gins and grain elevators you see every few miles, you also see scenes like these ...

I love the observation tower located on the grounds of this sprawling Delta estate (near Alsatia, Louisiana) ...

I can just imagine the view from its windows ...

These headstones in a private family cemetery have always fascinated me.

I first saw them last summer on a trip through the area, and they were barely visible above the sea of lush green cotton ...

And speaking of things I saw on my trip last summer — I also visited with these little guys, or, perhaps, some of their cousins.

They were just as friendly this time, and seemed to be smiling for the camera.

Aren't they sweet!

I love silos, and there are an abundance of them to be found in the Delta. Throw in an old barn and oak tree, and you have a photo opportunity that no photographer could resist.

One of the prettiest towns you pass through on Highway 65, is the town of Lake Providence, Louisiana.

Highway 65 meanders through the center of town, then follows alongside the beautiful cypress-lined Lake Providence for several miles.

I'm going to end today's journey here, and will continue it in my next post, with some closeup photos of this gorgeous lake. I hope you will join me.

Train Art

Yesterday, I drove up to Lake Village, Arkansas, to visit a home decor/import store called Paul Michael Company, which is one of my favorite places to shop for accessories for my house and outdoor decor. Paul Michael has a store in Monroe, Louisiana, which is closer to Vicksburg, but I haven't been to the Lake Village store in quite a while and thought it would be fun to take pictures along the way.

Well, as it turned out, taking pictures was a lot more fun than shopping, if you can believe that. I just didn't see anything I had to have at Paul Michael's, which is a rarity. Of course, it could have been because on the way to Lake Village, I saw so many things I wanted to capture with my camera, but didn't take the time to stop. By the time I got there, I really wasn't in the mood to shop, and couldn't wait to get back in my car and find those "pictures" I saw on the way up.

I was traveling on Louisiana Highway 65 North, which is in the heart of the Louisiana Delta. A railroad track runs parallel to the road for miles and miles, and I noticed a very long line of railroad cars on a side track beside the road. I was fascinated by the "graffiti," or "urban art" painted on some of the cars.

I've always wondered about the people who paint those pictures on train cars. It has to take some time to paint the more detailed pictures and intricate letters, and I wonder when and where they paint them without getting caught.

Some of them are quite good, and if they painted their creations on canvas instead of trains, they could probably make a living by selling their art. I can just imagine an art gallery in New York City featuring an exhibit called "Train Art." Hmmmm ... I wonder if they would exhibit my pictures of train art ?

Oh, well ... I'll just share them with you here instead. Here are my favorites (you can click on the pictures to see the details, if you'd like):

I love the views from underneath the train cars, too.

Aren't they amazing! I hope you will join me tomorrow to see the rest of the pictures I captured on my journey through the beautiful Louisiana Delta.