The trip started in New
Orleans, Louisiana with my college singing group, the V8s, gathering for
our annual rehearsal weekend....
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We stayed at a
quirky villa site right on the canal that leads to Lake Pontchartrain.
The breezes and weather were considered cold for the locals, but felt
fabulous to us--having traveled from CT, IND, IL, NM and ME.
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And we often have
trouble finding individual bedrooms, with private baths, for 6,
so I was happy to find this place...and in our price range! |
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Here's our closest
neighbor on the canal, a 100' houseboat owned by Nancy.
She said that she and her husband were enjoying listening to us singing
and she said, 'hey, I know some of
those songs....that's live.' And he said, 'nah, that's the radio'. But
when we stopped for a break, she was proven correct.
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Four days were spent
eating....checking out the shopping district....eating....wandering the
cemeteries....eating....and touring the historic districts...with
rehearsals here and there...
My favorite restaurant was the Commander's
Palace for brunch. |
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......oh yes, and we took
a wonderful walk at the Barataria Preserve SE of New Orleans, where I
fiaally got my fill of Spanish moss...and were visited by egrets and
alligators galore. |
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Then it was time to
say goodbye to the Songbirds and to start my exploring adventure of the
Deep South. So I took off to the east and wandered backroads through the
Gulf areas of Mississippi and Alabama. Everyone was amazingly nice and
helpful...it really was the 'southern hospitality' that we Yankees hear
about. |
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March 5
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Along the Louisiana
and Mississippi Gulf Coast, there were multitudes of stilts and signs,
stilts and signs. |
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Bay St Louis, LA
Angel Trees |
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Very interesting to
see the Presidential Library and Museum of the
President of the Southern United States during the Civil War,
Jefferson Davis. |
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At the highest point
of Alabama, in the Talladega Forest, near Lineville, I found a
hike...and a very large new friend. Sasquatch!! But seriously, these
states are close to flat...and most of the hikes had no views. I'll take
Maine any time. |
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The Mississippi
River was a major draw for this trip, but the Tennessee River was no
slouch! In fact, the width of the Tennessee had been a major obstacle to
travel and trade and war until a half Scot/half Chickasaw planter found
a way to profit off of its size. |
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This bridge put an
end to the ferry business. |
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The mighty
Mississippi was already overflowing its shores when I was there. Crop
fields and homes and driveways were just covered with water.... |
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Roads were simply
impassable...without a boat. |
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What a powerful
force of nature! |
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