The Old Gingko

One of my favorite places in Vicksburg, whatever the season.

The Old Gingko tree in the Vicksburg National Cemetery,

located in the Vicksburg National Military Park.

Here is the original color photo.  Which do you prefer?

Winter's Grace

The new year roared in like a lion, bringing extremely cold record-breaking temperatures to most of the country, including the Deep South. Here in Vicksburg, the bitter cold quickly took its toll on our plants and winter landscapes, creating, to all appearances, a drab, dreary, and colorless palette. However, from my experience as a photographer, I knew appearances can be deceiving, and the winter palette was far from "drab." The first mild day that came along loudly beckoned to me, as if challenging me to come out of hibernation and capture the essence of God's winter grace. So even though the day was cloudy and the temperature was in the mid-fifties, it seemed almost balmy (compared to the low teens of the previous two days), as I set out with my cameras and headed to one of my favorite places ... the Vicksburg National Military Park. No matter how many photo shoots I do in the park, I never fail to find beauty, serenity, and inspiration there ... and I wasn't disappointed on my most recent visit. I chose to share a few of the pictures I captured that day in a brief slideshow presentation, with the stirring strains of the "John Dunbar Theme" from the movie, "Dances with Wolves," playing in the background.  I hope you enjoy the pictures and will be able to imagine the rustling of the magnolias leaves, the sound of the water rushing over the rocks of Mint Springs, the crunch of the winter grass under my feet as I knelt to get a close up shot of the sage grass, and the awe I felt being in the midst of God's amazing "winter grace." [Don't forget to turn the volume up on your computer before you click on "Play," if you'd like to hear the music.]

Magnolias: Nature's Southern Belles

I never tire of taking pictures of magnolias.  Each and every one is truly a masterpiece ... from the pristine, creamy ivory petals gracefully curling around the seed pod, to the shimmery dark green leaves, with their coppery fuzzy undersides ... magnolias, to me, are the epitome of southern grace and hospitality.  I recently visited the Vicksburg National Cemetery located in the Vicksburg National Military Park, which, in my opinion, happens to be home to some of the most magnificent old southern grandiflora magnolias in Mississippi.  The lichen and moss covered trunks and limbs are massive ... And the roots stretch under the canopies, on top of the ground, twisted and tangled ... The roots of the two trees shown below actually intermingle ... I think being embraced by the roots of an old magnolia tree would be a nice final resting place. The trees were literally covered with magnolias.  Unfortunately, they are so large that the flowers are way overhead and difficult to photograph from the ground. However, where there's a will, there's a way, and I did manage to capture a few pictures by standing on higher ground around some of the trees and by using my zoom lens. This first picture is my favorite ... As you can see, it features a magnolia blossom in three stages of its blooming cycle ... with the bud pods on the right, the open bloom in the center, and a faded bloom on the left.  I wish there had been a bud close by, too ... but I guess that would have been too much to ask. Here are a few more blossoms and buds that caught my eye ...  Notice the leaves, too.  I love their richness and texture and colors ...ranging from bright "spring green" to almost black, accented by the coppery undersides. I enjoyed the time I spent capturing these magnificent flowers. They were worth trudging up and down the hills in the cemetery on a very humid spring day, with temperatures hovering in the mid-80s  ... and were worth getting bitten by an ant ... several times ... before I could squash him!  They were even worth spending about twenty minutes searching under those two magnolias with the intermingling roots for a lens cover I thought I had dropped, but eventually found on the hood of my car.    I'll remember that day fondly for a long time, and each time I look at the pictures of the magnolias, the memory will be rekindled ... to be enjoyed again and again ... for, in the words of poet Edgar Guest, "in photographs only can yesterdays live."

Farewell to Winter

I am already looking forward to the arrival of Spring, but, unfortunately, we still have several more weeks of winter to endure before it makes an appearance here in Vicksburg. In the meantime, I thought it might be fun to go out and capture with my camera some of our winter landscapes and scenery, which have a beauty all their own ... and I didn't have to venture far from home to find it.

I drove over to the Vicksburg National Military Park, which is about ten minutes from our house, and I was able to capture most of these pictures from my car, with the exception of the closeup shots.

It was a mostly overcast day and the magnificent magnolias, gingkos, and oaks in the National Cemetery made magnificent silhouettes against the gray skies ...

The next two pictures are of the massive trunk of my favorite old gingko tree in the cemetery. Just look at the character in its strong rugged bark ...

I love that old tree!

I spotted this redbird resting in the branches of a cedar tree not far from the old gingko.

He was a long way off, but I managed to capture the picture from my car with my zoom lens. I love the contrast of his crimson feathers against the green cedar branches.

Just outside the cemetery is Fort Hill.

Fort Hill was the highest elevation in Vicksburg during the time of "The Siege."

As I followed the winding roads through the park, I noticed things that you don't see during the Spring or Summer. Like the tangled vines of honeysuckle and briars ...

And bright green carpets of moss growing along the sides of the road ...

A hole in the trunk of a tree caught my attention, and I used my zoom lens to get a closer look.

As you can see, the hole is out of focus, but I think it turned out to be a much more interesting picture, with the focus ending up (albeit, by mistake) on the sweetgum balls instead of the hole (you can click on the image to get a closer look, if you'd like).

All along the roads were winter grasses, with their pretty rust-colored plumes brightening the landscapes ...

And speaking of "brightening the landscapes," as I left the park, I did a double take as I passed by these colorful purple Irises planted in front of a weathered cedar shake wall ...

I'm still working on my macro skills, and found this lovely little bouquet of "springlike" jonquils a delightful subject to practice on ...

Although I was practically standing on my head to get these pictures, I deemed them to be "keepers."

As well as these delicate little snowbells ...

My lagniappe for the day was this picture of a tugboat on the Yazoo River Diversion Canal ...

It wasn't until I was editing the picture that I realized it was the tugboat that made national news last week when it pushed its load of barges into the railroad bridge crossing the Mississippi River at Vicksburg, causing an oil spill and tying up river traffic for several days.

I"m not sure this turkey could be called lagniappe, but he didn't stay around long enough to pose for a picture.

Overall, I guess you could describe our Mississippi "winterscapes" as drab and blah, but I enjoyed capturing and preserving some of the beauty I found in and amongst the drabness, as I bid farewell to winter and look forward to welcoming Spring's arrival.