On The Road Again

It's hard to believe that a year has passed since we were on the road to another job.  A lot has transpired in the past year - the passings of my mother-in-law, of my best friend and fellow adventurer, Ceekay, our beloved dog and traveling companion, Maggie, and my own dear father.  All things come in the Lord's timing and now we are in Monroe, Michigan while Hubby works at the Fermi Nuclear Power Plant.  This will be a short-term job and we will return home before it gets too cold!

We arrived at our new temporary home two weeks ago.

It is definitely a lot greener here than home in Arizona!

There are also lots of water features that.......

.....Comet enjoys every chance he gets!

Besides Comet, there are lots of fish, ducks, Canadian geese, and even mink that enjoy the water.

However, as nice as Camp Lord Willing is, when those geese fly south for the winter so do we!  Meanwhile, we'll do some more sightseeing and pay another visit to our friends on Middle Bass Island in Lake Erie.

To be continued..................

Southern Adventures With Ceekay

It's been so long since I've worked on my blog I'm not sure I still know how to do it!  We've had so much going on since the last time I was here.  Shortly, after my last post, my precious friend Ceekay came for her yearly visit.  We spent two glorious weeks in late April/early May exploring Mississippi and Louisiana.  Unfortunately, her health has taken a definite turn for the worse and she will never be able to join me on another adventure.  This is for you my dear dear friend!

 

We began our adventure when I picked Ceekay up at the New Orleans airport.  We made our way to our home for the next couple of days, Ormond Plantation, located just outside the city.  The main house was built in 1790.

 

Ceekay took a few minutes to relax in our room while I took pictures of some of the other rooms. 

 

These are just a couple of the rooms we didn't stay in.

 

We soon left for New Orleans where we found a southern-style fish restaurant for dinner and did a little shopping.

 

The next morning we were up bright and early for a delicious breakfast served in the main dining room.

 

But first, we couldn't resist taking photos of ourselves in this fabulous chair.

 

 

New Orleans saw some rain that day but we didn't let that stop us!  We shopped, ate, explored, and took a wonderful carriage ride.

 

The next day I took Ceekay to see my very favorite plantation - Houmas House.  (I blogged all about it several years ago.)

 

Another visitor kindly took our picture for us.

 

We had another fabulous tour of this beautiful plantation.  You'll have to check out my previous post for more pics.

 

Before heading to Vicksburg, we toured the famous Oak Alley Plantation.  Alas, no photos inside the house were allowed.  It was a long day but it was worth it!

 

Back in Vicksburg, we toured the Courthouse Museum........

 

......and had some lunch at the store where the Teddy Bear was invented.  The story goes that Teddy Roosevelt was on a tour of the west when he stopped here.  They had a bear cub in a cage out back and invited the President to shoot it.  Being the sporting gentlemen he was, he refused and the teddy bear was born!

 

We also took a day and drove to West Monroe, Lousisiana where we did a little shopping at the Duck Dynasty store.

 

Finally, we headed down to Natchez, Mississippi where we felt like southern belles for the night at Brandon Hall Plantation.

 

When you are guests at a plantation you are encouraged to take all the pictures you like......

 

.......and touch anything you want to - even 200 year old Steinways.

 

We had gorgeous suite.......

 

.......with out own rooms and bathrooms.

 

Breakfast was served in the beautiful dining room.  There wasn't anyone sitting in the corner pulling the rope to keep the fly swatter going above the table but we enjoyed seeing anyway.

 

In Natchez we enjoyed touring three plantations..............

 

.........and taking another wonderful carriage ride.

 

All too soon it was time to return Ceekay to the New Orleans airport for her flight home.  I will sorely miss our adventures together and I know that for the rest of my life there will come countless times that I will think, "Carolyn would love this!"

 

 



Old Court House Museum in Vicksburg

We enjoy getting to know more about our temporary home here in Mississippi, so we spent one Saturday touring some of the museums.  When Teddy Roosevelt came to Vicksburg, he visited the Old Court House. So did Jefferson Davis, Booker T. Washington, William McKinley and U.S. Grant - so we figured we ought to visit it too!

It was on these grounds that Confederate President Jefferson Davis launched his political career.

It was also here, on July 4, 1863, that the Confederate Stars and Bars were replaced with the Union Stars and Stripes, signifying the end to the 47-day siege.  

Built in 1858, the Court House withstood the bombardment by Union Troops, hit by only one cannonball.

A museum since 1948, it houses thousands of items reflecting the Southern Heritage, including this Bible that was nearly destroyed as it lay open on a table inside a house hit by cannon fire.

There are many exhibits reflecting the southern way of life for the well-to-do citizens of Vicksburg before the war.

The museum doesn't neglect the fashions of the time either.

There are also exhibits on the early days of Vicksburg......................

....................and the many steamships that travelled the Mississippi River.

And, of course, what would a court house be without a court room?

We had an enjoyable day learning about the history of Vicksburg.  By the way - Vicksburg did not celebrate  the 4th of July with the rest of the nation until after World War II.  Feelings run deep in the south!