An "Off the Beaten Path" Adventure

I haven't had time to go on many photo shoots recently, but a couple of days ago I left Vicksburg, driving East on Old Highway 80, and had a very pleasant morning just "looking for pictures waiting to be taken." I found several on Highway 80, but, unfortunately, had to leave them there because traffic conditions prevented me from stopping on the side of the road to capture them. Needless to say, that soon became very frustrating, so when I reached the small village of Bovina, Mississippi, I veered off the beaten path to explore the back roads of Warren County — and I wasn't disappointed by what I found. I am always inspired to see that the spirit of patriotism can be found just about anywhere ... This old country store is at a crossroads, and I would have loved to have gone inside, but thought better of it. I took these pictures from my car, and while editing the pictures, I found several things I would have liked to have gotten a closer look at (you can click on the picture, if you'd like to get a closer look, too) ... I always loved the old Bovina water tower, and captured this picture of it back in January of 2009. That old tower is long gone now, torn down in the name of "progress," and replaced with a bright, shiny new blue tower. Progress is a good thing, I guess, but, in some cases, it surely isn't as picturesque. And speaking of picturesque ... you probably don't think of a muddy creek or river as being pretty, but, as I crossed a bridge over this muddy river, I could see beauty in the contrast of the blue sky and the starkness of the trees along the water's edge, and in the swift current of the river's muddy waters. It was a very peaceful moment as I stopped to snap the picture, and listened to the wind in the trees and the sound of the river moving under the bridge. Some of you may recall this picture of two blue chairs which I captured in May 2009 ... I came across the chairs again on my latest adventure, and here they are as they look now ... Not quite as inviting in January, but I think they still make an interesting picture. Here's another picture I took that same day in May 2009 ... I was glad to see that old chimney still standing ... Just a few yards up the road from the chimney, I happened to notice this old rail car sitting way back off the road, almost hidden in a wooded area on the edge of a pasture (I took these pictures using my zoom lens, and you can click on them to enlarge them and get a closer look) ... I took those pictures from my car, and as I was sitting there on the side of the road, the owner of the property pulled out of his driveway and stopped beside my car when he saw me taking pictures. I explained what I was doing, and he very graciously told me that his father had been a vice president with Illinois Central Railroad, and had bought the rail car many, many years ago. I wish I could have asked more questions about its history, but he was stopped in the middle of the road and I didn't want to keep him. I was delighted to capture the train car, but as I passed by the owner's house ... I noticed this old family cemetery sitting on a hill next to the house ... I'm going to save its story for next time, and hope you will join me to find out what I discovered about it.

A Back Roads Adventure ...

It was a very rainy and dreary weekend here in Vicksburg, but Monday dawned clear as a bell, with mild temperatures -- a perfect day to ramble with my camera. And I had the perfect place in mind to ramble, too ... a place called "Campbell's Swamp," which is in rural Warren County, Mississippi, about 20 miles from where I live.

I had recently read about a charming little chapel located somewhere in the area of Campbell's Swamp, and I hoped to capture it with my camera.

There was also an article in the Sunday edition of The Vicksburg Post (written by Mr. Gordon Cotton, retired curator of the Old Court House Museum in Vicksburg, and a renown Civil War historian), about a lady who lives in Campbell's Swamp, and she made it sound so fascinating (including tales of alligators crossing the road!) that I could just hear it calling my name -- and my camera.

I had no idea what to expect, but was excited about exploring new and unknown territory and couldn't wait to start my "adventure."

I threw my rubber boots in the car (it had rained all weekend, remember?) ... and with camera, glasses, cell phone, Dr. Pepper, and my trusty GPS, I set off in search of chapels and swamp critters.

I didn't have any trouble finding Campbell Swamp Road, but quickly found myself on a beautiful, very isolated road out in the "boondocks" of southern Warren County.

Needless to say, I didn't have a warm and fuzzy feeling about venturing too far off the beaten path by myself, so my "swamp adventure" was somewhat curtailed. But, if you are a regular follower of my photo shoot escapades, you know I can always find pictures to take, even though it may not be what I set out to photograph.

And Monday was no exception. I dearly loved being outdoors, with the car windows down, listening to the sounds of the wind in the trees, and birds flittering (or fluttering, if you prefer) in and amongst the wildflowers and grass on the roadsides. It was just a good day to be alive and enjoy the wonders of God's simple blessings.

Here are a few of those blessings, along with some whimsical things I captured with my camera (you can click on the pictures to enlarge them, if you'd like):

I love these red lilies and the old glass jar bird feeder. If you click on the picture you can see that the lilies look almost transparent with the sun behind them.

Old wooden cross at an abandoned country store ...

The Wonderful World of Yard Art

I did a double take when I saw this ...

Isn't this little fellow sweet ...

Gotta love it!

This elegant cobalt gazing ball was an
eye-catcher in its rustic natural setting ...

And I loved this pretty little resting place beside the road, with its log bench and metal sculptured flower ...

We recently planted rose bushes on an arbor,
and I hope they turn out like this one ...

I usually receive some kind of lagniappe while on my photo shoots and this little guy was my lagniappe Monday:

I took several pictures of him, but was so excited that I had my camera focused on the grass instead of his face! He was just beautiful and was sitting beside the road at an intersection, peeking through the grass at me ... almost as if he was a figment of my imagination.

And speaking of "figments," I couldn't believe my eyes when I spotted this old abandoned bus/steamboat? in a field ...

I was told by my friend and fellow Vicksburg blogger Marty Kittrell, that one of the casinos used the bus in parades several years ago, but "retired" it because it was too large to safely maneuver through the downtown parade route.

By the way ... if you have not discovered Marty's photography blog, I hope you will visit him. I promise you will be awestruck by his God-given talent and inspired by his uplifting words.

In closing, it seems that many of my photo shoots end up at old cemeteries, and Monday I stopped by the Yokena Cemetery. This was my favorite discovery there ...

I love the little lamb on top of the stone and the sweet message at the bottom ...

I enjoyed my back roads "swamp adventure," but have to admit that this was a welcoming sight coming back into Vicksburg ...

Perhaps I can go back sometime when my husband can go with me, and we can find the elusive "Campbell's Swamp," the little chapel, and maybe even see an alligator or two crossing the road. What great lagniappe that would be!

P.S. ... I was just joking about the alligators. I don't want you to picture our lovely state being infested with swamp critters. The only alligator I've ever seen in Mississippi, was at the Jackson Zoo!