Waiting for the Roses

I love taking pictures of roses, and can't wait until they start blooming again.  In the meantime, I'd like to share some pictures I captured during a visit to the Vicksburg Rose Garden last Spring ... on April 29th, to be exact.  Hopefully, I won't have long to wait to capture this year's buds and blooms. I'm so glad I was early enough to capture the dew drops on the petals. The dew was very heavy that morning.  I love the little buds tucked underneath this one ...        Red, Red Rose As a flower in the garden Bending toward the sun, Unfolds it's tiny petals One, by one, by one, So faith expands its beauty  Until at last it grows, Into life's lasting flower ... The heart's fair perfect rose.                                                                                                                       ~Rebecca Helmann~ May your days be filled with anticipation of the promises of Spring and new roses ... wherever you are.

Pictures Waiting To Be Taken

This past weekend, I went in search of Spider Lilies to photograph and was cruising down the streets of some of my favorite neighborhoods in Vicksburg, when I found a little cluster of lilies on a vacant lot.  As I slowed down, I was disappointed to find that they had already faded and turned brown on the edges. 

A few minutes later, I passed by an old house where a splash of color caught my attention and I turned around and went back to get a closer look.   At first glance, I thought it was Lantana, but quickly realized that it wasn't.  

I'm not sure what these beautiful little flowers are, but they more than made up for my being too late to capture the Spider Lilies at their peak. [Update:  My gardener blogging friends informed me that they are Four O'Clocks ... aren't they a sweet old-fashioned looking flower.]

Another "picture-waiting-to-be-taken" that caught my eye was this garden that is way past ready to be "put to bed," as my beloved grandfather used to say.  

  

Framed by the old picket fence, its dried cornstalks reminded me of the ghosts of "past-their-prime scarecrows," beckoning me to stop.

The garden is behind one of the old antebellum houses of Vicksburg, which is said to be haunted, and I definitely wouldn't want to come across those cornstalks on Halloween.  I can just imagine them creeping closer and closer to that fence.

About the time I snapped that last picture, two rather unfriendly dogs inside the fence came racing by, announcing my presence to the neighborhood, so I decided I had enough pictures of the garden.

I thought I might find some spider lilies near the Vicksburg National Cemetery, but there were none to be seen.  As I passed by the Port of Vicksburg, I spotted this riverboat in dry dock.  I took these pictures with my long lens from about a mile away, high up on Fort Hill Road.  

I believe it's the former Harrah's casino riverboat which was recently sold for scrap.  Isn't that a sad fate for such a pretty boat!  You'd think someone could have come up with a better use for it. 

I haven't given up on finding some Spider Lilies, but even if I don't, I'm sure I'll discover some more "pictures-waiting-to-be-taken" ... wherever my travels take me.

One of Vicksburg's Hidden Treasures

One of Vicksburg's most beautiful and picturesque places is located off the beaten path in the Vicksburg National Military Park, and is not usually seen by most visitors.  In fact, there are probably a lot of Vicksburg residents who have never seen it, and may not even know it's there.

The "secret place" I'm referring to is located on Mint Springs Bayou,  a tributary of the Mississippi River, and one of three major streams flowing through the Military Park.   There are a couple of interesting stories associated with Mint Springs Bayou -- One is about the flatboaters who used to float raw materials down the Mississippi River, and often stopped at the mouth of Mint Springs Bayou, named after the wild mint plants that grew there. Vicksburg legend has it that the Mint Julep drink (bourbon, sugar, water, and mint) originated here when an inventive boatman tried adding mint to his whiskey and liked the taste.  However, Vicksburg is not the only place in the South that claims to be the source of the Mint Julep.

The second story is that the bayou and its spring were important as a source of water for both sides during the Siege of Vicksburg.  I can just imagine blue- and gray-coated soldiers declaring a temporary truce there on the banks of the stream.

But back to my present-day story about Mint Springs.  As I mentioned previously, it is home to one of the prettiest little spots in Vicksburg ... a 30-ft. waterfall located not too far off Washington Street at the foot of Fort Hill, as shown on the map below ...

My husband and I visited the falls a few years ago, on an unseasonably warm January day.  Not too far off of Washington Street, there is an opening in the trees and you can see a path leading up the hill.  If you go, I highly recommend you visit in the wintertime and be sure to wear boots.  The path is covered with ivy and it's very rugged and steep in places.

As we meandered along the winding path ... way before we saw the falls ... we could hear the unmistakable sound of the water.

Having been born and raised in Louisiana, I haven't seen many waterfalls up close and personal ... and to think there was one this close and so easily accessible, was exciting.  I couldn't wait to see it!

I didn't have to wait long, and it was well worth the hike.  It was truly breathtaking!

The mist from the falls and the sunlight created a beautiful rainbow effect ...

UPDATE:  Unfortunately, the area around the waterfall is currently off limits to visitors due to unstable terrain in the area.  The Park is committed to the safety of all visitors and anyone caught around the waterfall area is subject to prosecution for trespassing and can be fined if convicted.

Daisy, Daisy ...

I did a double take as I drove by one of the churches in downtown Vicksburg yesterday, and saw these beautiful daisies beckoning to me.  

I was on my way to a photo shoot and just happened to have my cameras with me, so I turned around and went back to get a closer look at those pretty little sunny faces peeking out from the flower bed.

 

Aren't they sweet!

I'm sure they will bring smiles to and brighten the days of lots of passersby this summer.

Oh, and the other "photo shoot" I was headed to before the daisies sidetracked me?  Here's a preview:

I hope you will join me next time for the rest of the story.

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In the Rose Garden

It was a perfect morning for taking pictures ... 65 degrees, with a brilliantly clear April blue sky.  It was around 9:00 a.m. when I pulled into a parking lot across the street from the Vicksburg Rose Garden, and my heart skipped a beat when I saw the bright reds, yellows, and pinks of the roses ... in full bloom, and beckoning to me to come get a closer look.

I was truly "in my glory" ... with church bells tolling the hour, a light breeze stirring, purple martins swooping overhead, and hundreds of dew-kissed roses waiting to be captured forever in pictures.  I was so happy to be there, and as I looked at the roses through my camera lens, I knew I was going to experience  many  "How Great Thou Art moments."

This exquisite "red velvet" rose was my first one ... it was absolutely perfect.

The roses were glistening with dewdrops in the early morning sunshine, and looked as if their petals had been sprinkled with little crystal beads.

Another "How Great Thou Art" moment ...

Each and every rose was a work of art, and I loved capturing them from every angle.

I love this elegant old-fashioned looking rose ...

 
 

Some of the roses had tags on them.  This one is called Mardi Gras ...

These red roses are called Oklahoma ...

 

Some of the petals were edged in black ...

This "orangey-red" rose looks as if it has a flame in the center ...

  

   

 

 Queen Elizabeth

 

 

If you click on the next picture, you can get a closer look at the tiny dewdrops rimming the petals.

The Rose Garden  is also home to several memorials honoring our veterans.  My favorite is the Purple Heart Monument, which is dedicated to the recipients of the Nation's oldest military decoration, the "Purple Heart."  I so wanted to add an apostrophe to the word "nations" in the inscription on top of the stone, though.  I can't believe the sponsors didn't have the engraver go back and "squeeze" one in!

There are also monuments honoring World War I and World War II veterans ... 

 

I hope you enjoyed my visit to the Vicksburg Rose Garden as much as I enjoyed my time there.  If you  are ever in Vicksburg this time of year, I hope you will take the time to go by and see and smell the roses for yourself.  And, if you're lucky, you may hear the church bells playing "In the Garden" while you are there.  That would truly be a "How Great Thou Art" moment, wouldn't it!