A Ride through the Louisiana Delta

[While I spend time with my parents at the hospital while my dad recovers from his recent surgery, I am going to be featuring a few "reruns" of posts from the past. Please excuse me if you read them the first time around.] Sometimes the journey to a destination turns out to be more fun and exciting than actually reaching the destination. That's what happened to me the day I decided to take a drive up to Lake Village, Arkansas, to visit a huge home decor warehouse outlet called Paul Michael Company. Lake Village is about an hour and a half from Vicksburg, "as the crow flies," but it took me around three hours to get there. Why is that, you wonder? Well, because along US Highway 65, between Vicksburg and Lake Village, lies thousands and thousands of acres of flat, fertile, Louisiana Delta lands, stretching as far as the eye can see ... And there are about that many pictures just waiting to be taken along the way. The highway is flat and, for the most part, straight, and you pass through communities and towns with names like Panola, Shelburne, Alsatia, and Transylvania. You've gotta love a town with a sense of humor ... Along with the cotton gins and grain elevators you see every few miles, you also see scenes like these ... I love the observation tower located on the grounds of this sprawling Delta estate (near Alsatia, Louisiana) ... I can just imagine the view from its windows ... These headstones in a private family cemetery have always fascinated me. I first saw them last summer on a trip through the area, and they were barely visible above the sea of lush green cotton ... And speaking of things I saw on my trip last summer — I also visited with these little guys, or, perhaps, some of their cousins. They were just as friendly this time, and seemed to be smiling for the camera. Aren't they sweet! I love silos, and there are an abundance of them to be found in the Delta. Throw in an old barn and oak tree, and you have a photo opportunity that no photographer could resist. One of the prettiest towns you pass through on Highway 65, is the town of Lake Providence, Louisiana. Highway 65 meanders through the center of town, then follows alongside the beautiful cypress-lined Lake Providence for several miles. I'm going to end today's journey here, and will continue it in my next post, with some closeup photos of this gorgeous lake. I hope you will join me.

Lagniappe on The Natchez Trace

[While I spend time with my parents at the hospital as my dad recovers from his recent surgery, I am going to be featuring a few "reruns" of posts from the past. Please excuse me if you read them the first time around.] The Natchez Trace Parkway runs from Natchez, Mississippi, to just outside of Nashville, Tennessee, a distance of 444 miles. It is a beautiful and relaxing drive and, living in Mississippi, we take advantage of its beauty any time we can. On a trip home from a visit to Tennessee, a couple of years ago, we entered the Trace from Tennessee Highway 64, between Lawrenceburg and Waynesboro, Tennessee. A few miles down the Trace, we stopped at a rest area (Glenrock Branch at Mile Marker 364.5), and were delighted to see a little creek meandering its way between high limestone bluffs. I was absolutely thrilled, and couldn't wait to capture it all with my camera (you can click on the pictures to enlarge them, if you'd like). There were several picnic tables at water's edge, and I can just picture it in the spring and summertime, with children wading in the creek while their parents enjoy the tranquility and beautiful scenery. I loved this natural rock formation which looked, to me, like a picnic table made by God, with its tablecloth of bright green moss. Isn't it awesome! This is another place I'm going to add to my "Go-Back-in-the-Spring-to-Photograph" List. I can just imagine redbuds and dogwoods in full bloom along the creek. There are scenes like this all along the Natchez Trace, some of them visible from the road and some you have to look for ... but, believe me, they are well worth taking the time to see. If you live near the Trace or are planning a trip somewhere along its route, I hope you will take some time to explore it for yourself. It is such a beautiful and relaxing way to travel.