Country Roads Photo Shoot

It was 85 degrees according to the temperature gauge in my car yesterday morning at 9:30, and with our Mississippi humidity, it felt more like ninety-five. But I was on a mission to find a particular picture I've been wanting to capture, so I braved the heat and ventured out onto some of my favorite country roads around Vicksburg.

It was a glorious day to be out in the country. The corn is already standing tall in the fields ...

And cotton trailers are lined up, ready for cotton pickin' time this fall, which will be here before we know it.

But back to yesterday ... I didn't find the picture I was looking for, but I did find lots of lagniappe along the way which, I think, turned out to be just as interesting as the picture I went in search of. That happens a lot on my photo shoots.

The first thing that caught my attention as I was driving down the north frontage road along I-20, between Edwards and Bolton, Mississippi, was the Queen Anne's Lace along the fence rows. It was absolutely glorious in the Spring ...

But now that summer temperatures are already here, it is fading ...

I pulled over to get a closer look, and was amazed at how beautiful the fading blossoms and seed pods were. You can click on the pictures if you'd like to get a closer look, too.

The seed pods remind me of little bird nests ...

There were still a few pretty blossoms mixed in and amongst the faded ones, and I captured this one to preserve it in a picture before it succumbs to the summer heat ...

After admiring the Queen Anne's Lace, I left the frontage road and headed for some of my favorite country roads in Hinds County, in hopes of fulfilling my mission to find that picture I've been wanting. I'll give you a hint — it involves cows, but, unfortunately, this is about as close as I came to capturing it ...

That black beauty was way off the road, but she stopped grazing long enough to pose for the picture.

A little further up the road I spotted these cows who were sticking pretty close to the tree line, trying to stay cool in the shade. Whoever said cows aren't very smart, was wrong!

They were a long way from the road, too, so I had to use my zoom lens to get these pictures.

Since it's so hot now and the cows are staying out of the pastures in the shade, it's going to present a challenge for me to get the picture I want ... but I love a challenge, and won't give up until I get it. I'll be sure and share it when I do!

After I gave up on the cows, I stopped to look at these white flowers that were growing beside the road ...

A closer look ...

I thought they were pretty, but, as I was capturing them with my camera, something in the underbrush caught my attention.

Ahhh ... lagniappe in the form of wild blackberries!

My mama always told me that snakes "hang out" around wild berries, and I thought it was because snakes liked to eat them. Of course, now I know the reason they like the berries is because they like to eat the little critters that come to eat the berries. Even though I didn't see any little critters or snakes-in-the-grass waiting for little critters, I was hesitant about getting any closer to the blackberry vines than the edge of the road, so my pictures aren't that great. The moral of this tale? — It's better to have out of focus pictures than be bitten by a snake.

Another bit of lagniappe I enjoyed along my journey was seeing the silhouette of a bobcat crossing the road about half a mile in front of me.

When it comes to photo shoots, I guess country roads are one of my favorites. You never know what you're going to see, and I never fail to find something I want to get a closer look at (like the Queen Anne's Lace and the white flowers).

I hope you enjoyed going along with me on this shoot, and I hope I have inspired you to take time to "get closer looks" at things along your everyday journeys.