Be Cool

Best wishes for a cool weekend, wherever you may be ... [Ravennaside Fountain, Natchez, Mississippi]

Windows

When I am photographing architecture, I find myself looking up a lot of the time, and I'm always glad I do, because I never cease to find interesting details to capture — especially when it comes to windows! The following photos of windows are just a few I've captured during my ramblings. This old church stands in a field in the Mississippi Delta, and its windows have long been "gone with the wind." I love the simple beauty of this vine's tendrils reaching toward the light from this old barn window. This is one of my favorite windows, which is on an old building in downtown Vicksburg. This family mausoleum in the Natchez City Cemetery is impressive on the outside, but I'm so glad I stopped to admire it up close. If you click on the picture and look a little closer, you can see a tiny bit of light coming from the back of the tomb. I'm so glad I stopped to get a closer look, because I would have missed this magnificent stained glass window. A huge bear playing "Peek-A-Boo" from an upstairs window of a shop in downtown Vicksburg. Poor thing, it looks like he lost one of his eyes, so I guess that's why he was banished to the attic. This window is in Old Town Vicksburg, and every time I see it I wonder what those old tattered drapes looked like when they were new. This window in an old building in Yazoo City, looks like it could be somewhere in France or Italy. Ornate bank window, downtown Vicksburg Old Sisters of Mercy Convent, Vicksburg Old carriage house window Window above the entrance to Vicksburg's City Hall This beautiful old Victorian home in Natchez caught my eye. Upon closer inspection, I saw this guy looking down from a third story window. He looked sort of like a mannequin, and I thought he was kind of creepy. I love this shop window in downtown Vicksburg. It reminds me of the 1950s. And, last, but not least, where else, but in Natchez, Mississippi, would you see a sign like this one in a downtown shop window? The next time you are out sightseeing, or just walking down a city street, don't forget to look up and notice the windows above you. I think you'll be surprised to see what you've been missing. [P.S. — If you would like to see some of my pictures of Church Windows, you can click on the link]

A Day Trip to Natchez, Mississippi

When you hear the word Natchez, what images come to mind? — Grand antebellum houses? Towering moss-covered oaks? Azalea and magnolia blossoms? Steamboats on the Mighty Mississippi? All of the above?

Well, Natchez is, indeed, all of that — and much more.

Located just an hour south of Vicksburg, Natchez is one of our favorite "getaway" places, and it was such a gorgeous Fall day Friday, my husband and I decided to drive down the Natchez Trace and eat lunch at Fat Mama's — one of our favorite places for hot tamales. The Trace is always beautiful and peaceful, no matter what time of year you travel it, and Friday was no exception.

The trees are just beginning to turn and the sky was a brilliant blue — a perfect day to be out enjoying God's glory.

About halfway to Natchez, we stopped at a creek bed that was almost hidden from the road.

It was dry this time of year, but when we walked down to it, it was like entering a secret hideaway. It was cool and shady, and leaves were drifting down on us from the trees overhead. It was one of those "serendipity" moments, and I'm so glad I captured some of its magic in my pictures.

When we arrived in Natchez, we discovered that our timing wasn't that great — it was the weekend of The Great Mississippi Balloon Race, and there were hundreds of visitors in town.

After lunch at Fat Mama's, I had hoped we could drive through some of the Garden District neighborhoods so I could take pictures of some of the houses there. But, unfortunately, traffic was congested — and to further complicate matters, one of the high schools was having its Homecoming Parade downtown. Not a good day for a leisurely drive and photo shoot.

After fighting the traffic for a while, we finally managed to make our way into a less congested area where I was able to capture a few pictures of some houses that caught my eye.

This house is my favorite ...

It is called "The Keyhole House," and it was built in 1890 ...

Isn't it unusual!

I love the wraparound porch on this pretty house ...

I don't particularly care for the color scheme on this house, but I have to admit that it did catch my eye.

I love this charming little house, with its elegant Corinthian columns gracing the porch, and the "fishscale" trim at the top.

And here's another house with "fishscale" trim. I love those huge dormer windows!

Even though we were in a residential area, the traffic was still pretty steady, and it got to be very frustrating for me (and especially for my husband/chauffeur). I kept saying, "Stop! I need a picture of that!" ... and, of course, he couldn't just stop in the middle of the street with cars backed up while I jumped out to take pictures. So, needless to say, I had to leave LOTS of pictures of some really good stuff there in the Natchez Garden District. I did manage to shoot these two pictures (without getting out) while we were stopped at stop signs ...

Everywhere I looked there were pictures just begging to be taken, so perhaps I can go back to Natchez sometime (maybe on a Tuesday or Wednesday morning) when there won't be much traffic, and I can stop at all the places I didn't get to stop Friday. [Sigh] ... So many pictures, so little time!

If Trees Had Souls

If God had given trees souls, I don't think their souls would be found in the loveliness of their spring flowers and budding leaves, or even in the magnificent glory of their colorful fall foliage. If, indeed, trees had souls, I think they would be found in their roots -- the roots that anchor them to the earth and keep them straight and nurture them as they grow.

I love taking pictures of trees, and have discovered that sometimes the twisted and tangled roots of a tree are more interesting and just as beautiful as its flowers and foliage. Here are a few pictures from my collection which, I think, illustrate this perfectly.

Tangled roots of an old magnolia tree located on the grounds of the Old Court House Museum in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

More magnolia roots ...

I captured these huge roots of an old oak tree in an antebellum neighborhood in Natchez, Mississippi.

I found these moss-covered roots on the side of a road in Vicksburg.

The roots of this old magnolia tree, located in the National Cemetery inside the Vicksburg National Military Park, embrace grave markers of soldiers who died during the Siege of Vicksburg.

I love the roots of this magnificent Gingko tree, also located in the cemetery of the Military Park. The tree is approximately 240 years old, based on the size of its trunk.

This picture, which was taken during winter, gives us a glimpse of what the roots of a tree look like underground. It amazes me that trees can live with their roots exposed like that, but those are, indeed, alive and struggling to hold on to their tentative grasp of the soil crumbing around them.

After looking at these pictures, perhaps you can understand why I say, "If trees had souls, you could find them in their roots."

Natchez Lagniappe

Saturday was a cold and dreary day in Vicksburg (and probably everywhere else within 500 miles). We decided to get out for a while and drove down to Natchez, which is about an hour's drive South from Vicksburg. Actually, the main reason for going was to go to Fat Mama's for lunch and get some hot tamales. They are well worth the drive, especially on a cold day. So, we bundled up our daughter and granddaughter and off we went.

After eating lunch, we drove around Natchez, showing them the sights, and as we drove by Memorial Park downtown, I caught a glimpse of the fountain and was delighted to see that it was frozen solid. Even though the temperature was around 26 degrees, I couldn't wait to get out and capture this rare and beautiful sight with my camera.

This is my favorite ...

When I was editing my pictures, my only disappointment was that I didn't get some really close up shots of the statues' little ice-covered feet and hands. I guess that was because my little hands and feet felt like they were ice-covered, too!

Here are a couple of pictures of the fountain which were featured in an old post I wrote about Natchez, called A Natchez Getaway. These were taken in August of 2008.

After leaving the park, we rode around in some of the historical downtown neighborhoods, admiring the gorgeous old antebellum homes and landmarks of Natchez. At the end of a cul-de-sac, we came upon Ravennaside, a magnificent example of Colonial Revival architecture which, I discovered upon "googling" it, was built in the early 1900s. One thing I found interesting about its history is that Ravennaside is the birthplace of the Natchez Trace Parkway. Mrs. Roane Byrnes lived there her entire life and led the effort to create the 450-mile long parkway.

But, as picturesque as Ravennaside is, that's not what caught my eye as we passed by. It was this ...

Another beautiful ice fountain!

We enjoyed the afternoon in Natchez, and I was so pleased to capture in pictures the rare sight of those beautiful ice-covered fountains.

Natchez is one of our favorite "getaway" places It is a beautiful town, perched high on the bluffs of the Mississippi River, and is rich in history and southern hospitality. If you would like to know more about it, click here to go to the Natchez Convention and Visitors Bureau.

You may also find the following links to be helpful:

Attractions
Hotels, Motels, Bed and Breakfast

The Natchez Blog
[This beautiful blog is all about Natchez, and is written by Casey Ann Hughes of Natchez. Casey Ann was kind enough to link my blog to hers after coming across several posts I wrote about Natchez.