Claiborne County Lotus Flowers

There is a lake in Claiborne County, Mississippi, a few miles from Port Gibson and just a hop, skip, and a jump from the Grand Gulf Nuclear facility, which is home to some of the most beautiful Lotus flowers I've ever seen.  My husband and I were "daytripping" yesterday and detoured to see if the flowers were blooming.  You can imagine my delight when we rounded a bend and saw this sight ...     There is a narrow, rough and rocky dirt road circling the lake, and as we drove around it, I was in my glory snapping pictures along the way.     The blossoms are exquisite, of course, but the lotus pads and buds have a delicate beauty all their own.         I like the shadows of the blossom on the lotus pads in this next picture ...   I'm so glad we decided to detour off the beaten path, and I was able to capture these beautiful works of art growing in a pond, practically in the shadow of an ominous-looking cooling tower for a nuclear energy facility. Sometimes the detours taken during a journey can be the best part of the trip.  I think that's true in Life, too.