Ol' Man River

Mark Twain, William Faulkner, and Herman Melville wrote about it, songs have been written about it, history books are filled with stories about it. According to Wikipedia, "it's the fourth longest river in the world, and the tenth most powerful river in the world."

Yes, it's the Mighty Mississippi River, and it has always fascinated me. I love living in Vicksburg, Mississippi, perched high on the bluffs of the river, where not only its beauty, but the sheer power of its churning waters and currents are truly mesmerizing.

There are two bridges that cross the river at Vicksburg -- one is the Interstate 20 bridge and the other one is the old Highway 80 bridge which is now used only as a railroad bridge.

The bridges are probably one of the most photographed scenes in Vicksburg, by tourists and locals alike, and today, I'd like to share a collection of photos I've captured of the bridges and the river.

I love the huge flag that waves from the top of the bridge welcoming visitors traveling from the West to Mississippi. It's a beautiful sight and never fails to evoke a sense of pride when I see its stars and stripes billowing in the wind.

This is one of my favorite pictures I've taken of the bridges. I couldn't believe my luck when I was actually in the right place at the right time to capture a train crossing the bridge at sunset.

This is a view of the bend in the Mississippi, where the Yazoo River Canal joins it ...

Tugboats are a familiar sight on the river, and are fascinating to watch ...

Here's that same picture in sepia ...

One of the things on my "Places I Would Love To See" List is visiting the headwaters of the Mississippi River at Lake Itasca, Minnesota. I've read that the river is less than three feet deep there and you can walk across it on a stone pathway. I would love to do that, and then follow the river on its 2,320-mile journey to the Gulf of Mexico. Of course, that's probably not going to ever happen, but perhaps I'll at least have a chance to walk across that stone path someday.

In the meantime, I'll just continue to enjoy the views of the Mighty Mississippi, from here in Vicksburg, as it "just keeps on rollin' along."

The Bridges of Vicksburg

The City of Vicksburg, Mississippi, perched high on the bluffs of the picturesque Mississippi River, is literally a treasure trove of photographs just waiting to be taken. One of the most-photographed scenes in Vicksburg is probably the twin bridges that span the Mississippi River.

I have a modest collection of pictures I've taken of the bridges, and of the river, which I'd like to share today.

Of all the pictures I've taken (of the bridges), this shot of a train crossing the river at sunset is my all-time favorite ...

Sometimes, sepia-toned photographs are more interesting than color ones. I think that is true of the next two pictures.

The Ameristar Casino at Sunset

And this is the sunset a few minutes later ...

Fun with Photoshop ...

Although the following pictures were taken on the Yazoo Diversion Canal, which branches off the Mississippi, they are some of my most treasured ones because they were taken on November 3, 2008, which was the last time the Delta Queen docked at Vicksburg. On that particular day, the American Queen was here, too, and I was disappointed to see that the Delta Queen was partially hidden behind it. But it was still an exciting day and one I'll remember for a long time (especially since it was my birthday, too!).

American Queen

Compared to a lot of pictures taken of the bridges and the river at Vicksburg, mine are, at best, mediocre. If you would like to see a collection of truly breathtaking photographs, you should visit my blogging friend Marty Kittrell's blog. Marty has the extraordinary talent of being able to see God's glory in everything around us, and he captures it beautifully in his photographs.

This is one of Marty's awesome pictures of the bridges.

It was fun going through my pictures again, and it inspired me to revisit the bridges to see if I can get some better shots of them. So many photographs waiting to be taken -- so little time!

The Flags of Vicksburg ...

The weather in Vicksburg this week was gorgeous, although cool and very windy. Tuesday morning I took advantage of the wind and brilliant blue skies and took photos of some of the flags around town, which were gracefully billowing in the wind.

{You can click on the pictures to enlarge them, if you'd like}

This is one of the largest flags in Vicksburg, and it flies over a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant close to the interstate, where travelers can see it as they pass through town ...

I commend businesses that display flags this size, because I'm sure they are very expensive and have to be replaced frequently.

Another notable flag is the beautiful flag atop the railroad bridge crossing the Mississippi River at Vicksburg.

You can literally see this flag from miles away on the Louisiana side of the river, and it never fails to evoke a sense of patriotism and pride in my heart.

Here are some of the flags that fly over the downtown area ...

I love these little flags that were tied to a tree at a construction site ...

And this flag was hanging from a side porch of one of my favorite houses in Vicksburg ...

Here is a picture I took during the Christmas holidays of the front of the house ...

I also found some other flags besides the American flag. I really like this one which was displayed at another one of my favorite houses (I have a lot of favorites) ...

It's a United States Marine Corp flag ...

And there were flags representing some of the colleges in Mississippi, too ...

I love this old Victorian lady (which is for sale) ...

And here are her flags (don't you just love that porch and picket fence!) ...

I really enjoyed being out that day, and was thankful for the wind that unfurled the flags for my camera. There's just nothing like the simple pleasures of life.

Photo Tour of Vicksburg, Mississippi - Part II

I'd like to begin this part of my tour of Vicksburg, with a couple of interesting houses that are "off the beaten path." These houses are not grand, at least not on the same scale as some of the antebellum mansions and "turn of the century" homes in Vicksburg, but they're unique in their own way.

The first house is the Beck House," an Italianate residence which was constructed in 1875, and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

While the majority of Vicksburg's historic buildings are well-maintained, there are some that are in danger of being lost forever through neglect. I'm afraid the Beck House is on the "endangered list." It was restored in the early 1980s, but has fallen into extreme disrepair over the last ten years.

I love this elegant old house and every time I drive by it, it makes me sad to see it literally falling apart. It would probably cost a small fortune now to restore it to its original condition.

Here are some photos which show its ornate architectural details, as well as revealing its sad state of disintegration (you can click on the pictures to enlarge them).

My husband loves the old carriage house in back of the house ...

I love the chimney, especially
its cross-like design in the center ...

I hope someone will come along soon and fall in love with this beautiful old house and restore it to its former glory. It would be a shame for it to be lost forever.

On a more positive note, the second house I want to share is across the street from the Beck House, but it appears to have been blessed with tender loving care through the years. It was built in 1886, and is also listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

I would describe it as a "Victorian era" house, with its gingerbread trim and three-color paint scheme. I think it's very pretty and patriotic looking, and I love the big star by the door. Perhaps the present owner is from Texas?

Not every house comes with its very own cannonball ...

Even the mailbox is painted to match the house ...

A tour of Vicksburg wouldn't be complete without pictures of the Mississippi River Bridge, and I'd like to share a few of mine with you. This is the one I have in my current header for my blog ...

And these are my most recent ones which I took late this afternoon after my husband and I had dinner at one of our favorite restaurants down by the river ...

That's kudzu in the foreground of this picture ...

Just as we were getting ready to leave, I happened to notice a light on the railroad bridge and was excited to get this shot of the train as it reached the Vicksburg side of the bridge. It was right at dusk and it's kind of hard to see, but I think it's neat ...

I hope you enjoyed my tour of Vicksburg, as much as I enjoyed sharing it with you. I love Vicksburg, and I've only scratched the surface of its awe-inspiring historic places, breathtaking beauty, and southern charm. During the next few weeks I hope to share more of it with you.

Sincerely,