Lagniappe and Serendipity

According to Webster's — serendipity is "the phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for" ... and the word lagniappe means "something given or obtained gratuitously, or by way of good measure." I prefer to think of lagniappe as being "a little something extra, usually unexpected," and as a photographer, I encounter both every time I venture out in search of "pictures waiting to be taken." I recently went on a photo shoot hoping to capture the Redbud trees in the Vicksburg National Military Park, and discovered that, although they were blooming, the trees weren't quite at their peak yet. I was disappointed, but my spirits were lifted when I noticed that all around me there were bees and butterflies and dandelions and wildflowers, all happily heralding the coming of Spring – all “valuable and agreeable things not sought for,” right? Serendipity! Our Mississippi landscapes are, for the most part, still cloaked in the colors of winter but, in and amongst the drabness, some trees are already sprouting their baby "spring green" leaves ... I also found Snowbells ... And Dandelions ... And Hyacinths (on a street corner in downtown Vicksburg) ... On the way to the Park, I passed by the little pink bunny in a tree, which I featured in a blog post several weeks ago. If you would like to read her story, you can click on the link. She was still there, and was still looking very forlorn (perhaps I can "spruce" her up for Spring!). A little further down on Fort Hill Road from the bunny, I spotted these Daffodils, high on a bluff overlooking the Port of Vicksburg ... Also on Fort Hill Road is an antebellum house called Anchor to Windward, ca 1852. I love that name, and always find pretty flowers growing in front of it. This time, it was Vinca ... Next time I'm on Fort Hill Road (when I go to "spruce up" the bunny), I will get a picture of the house. A few houses down from Anchor to Windward, I was delighted to find this pretty white Crabapple tree ... Its blossoms remind me of Dogwood ... While I'm on the subject of Crabapple trees, I found this magnificent pink Crabapple tree at an old house called Plain Gables, ca 1834, which is located in "Old Town Vicksburg" ... You can tell how much I loved that tree by the number of pictures I took of it ... When I finished capturing the Crabapple tree, I noticed a pretty pink Azalea blooming at Duff Green Mansion across the street. I love Azaleas and hope to capture more pictures when they are at their peak blooming season here in Vicksburg. I realize this is a lengthy post, but I have a few more pictures from the park that I'd like to share. While driving the winding roads of the park I noticed an abundance of these trees, which were covered with white flowers ... I'm not sure what kind of trees they are, but they are obviously an "invasive" variety since they were everywhere. Invasive or not, they had flowers and I was curious to see what they looked like up close. I guess most of my pictures featured here would fall under the category of "Serendipity," but this honey bee was pure "lagniappe." Aren't the flowers amazing! I'm so glad I stopped to get a closer look. I hope you enjoyed my preview of Spring, and I hope your weekend will be blessed with both lagniappe and serendipity!

A Lagniappe Kind of Day

[Image borrowed from the Internet] Today is "Leap Day," and I'd like to wish a very Happy Birthday to all of you who were born on a Leap Day. I like to think of today as being a "Lagniappe Kind of Day," and hope you find lagniappe wherever you go today.

Finding Lagniappe

I went in search of Magnolias, and found lagniappe instead.

Nothing grand or fancy,
Not even a bright blue sky.

Just simple things I passed,
That happened to catch my eye.

Like Ivy and Geraniums ...

And Mockingbirds at rest ...

Pretty Purple Crapes,
Atop a downtown crest.

I love these bright Blue Flowers,
Whose name I do not know.

And these yellow Lilies ...
that beckoned me to slow.

Although I didn't find Magnolias, I really didn't mind,
Because I found sweet lagniappe ... of the very best kind.

May your weekend be filled with lagniappe as sweet!

Vicksburg Lagniappe

I spent a few minutes riding around some of the older neighborhoods in Vicksburg this morning, just taking pictures of things that caught my eye.

One of the first things I saw was this pretty porch with its bold red chair and spring green cushion. From its shady spot on the porch, it just beckons you to "come sit a spell" with a book and a glass of something cold (you can click on the images to enlarge them, if you'd like).

Up the street and around the corner, I noticed these pretty purple flowers gracing the front steps of an old Victorian-style house.

I love the flowers, but I'm not so sure about that gargoyle! Here's the old house ...

A couple of houses down from the gargoyles, this beautiful old window with an oval inset caught my eye.

Nothing says, "Home Sweet Home" to me like window boxes, and I love the contrast this one makes with its red geraniums and white windows against the creamy yellow paint on the house.

And last, but not least, my lagniappe for the day. As I was driving by the Old Court House Museum near downtown Vicksburg, I was delighted to see my first magnolia blooms of the season.

Isn't it magnificent! Magnolias are one of my favorite subjects to photograph, and I'm looking forward to capturing a variety of them with my camera this summer. Talk about Southern Lagniappe! ... it just doesn't get any better than Mississippi Magnolias.