A Farewell Brew for Two

As our time in Natchez winds down, there were two stops we could not miss, or should I say Jim could not miss.  Everyone who knows Jim knows he is addicted to chicken wings.  Natchez Under the Hill is home to several eateries that have great food.  Champs is one of them so we made our way there so Jim could sample the wings.  A picture tells the tale, they were tender, juicy and very flavorful.  They use a rub on the wings and then smoke them.  They were a winner.

The second must was the Natchez Brewery.  We arrived just as they were opening the doors for the day.  It is housed in an old building that was renovated to become the brewery.  The Tap Room displayed all their offerings mmmm, which one should we choose?  A sample flight seemed to be the best option.  They had sours, ale and lagers just to name a few.  Since I am a stout lover, I wanted to taste the Sticky Slicter Stout.  Just my luck, it was the most heavy with 8.3% abv!  Oh, well we added it to the flight.

In the end, the stout was the winner and we shared a glass — did not want to drink and drive!  It was a nice way to end our time in Natchez.  We experienced good foods, drink and the history for this remarkable Southern Beauty.

If the Dead Could Speak, The Natchez City Cemetery

We often hear people say, “if only the dead could talk, what tales would they tell”?  We took a tour of Natchez that was focused on history, culture and people more than the 1,000+ historic buildings of Natchez.  Our guide, Rev as he was called, included a visit to the Natchez City Cemetery.  I am not a big lover of visiting cemeteries however, this one was quite different.  The history of this place dates back to the 1700s even though the placard at the gates state it was established in 1822.  Those that are pre 1822 were originally buried in church cemeteries and other family plots.  They were disinterred and moved to what is now the City Cemetery thus graves dating to the 1700s.  The original land area was 10 acres.  Today, it covers 140 acres!  And the dead certainly do talk.

The most famous statue in the Natchez City Cemetery is “The Turning Angel” that seems to watch people as they pass by the cemetery at night.  When cars pass by on the main road outside of the cemetery's gates at night, the headlight shine on the angel who seems to turn to watch the passersby.

On March 14, 1908, an explosion at the Natchez Drug Company killed twelve employees and destroyed the business. The owner purchased this lot to bury his employees and erected this beautiful angel statue in their memory.

There are many sections in the cemetery that represent how the people of Natchez saw themselves.  One of the largest is filled with monuments of the upper class, the wealthy part of society.  For the most part, the cemetery is no longer a place of burial.  However, the plots that represent the wealthy families to this day remain a place of rest for the remaining descendants of the once insanely wealthy elite.  In its heyday, Natchez was home to more millionaires than any other place in our country.  Cotton was King.  Plantation owners had wealth that is hard for me to even imagine.  They had huge plantations and a home in Natchez.  It is said that the wife of such a man had only two purposes, to provide him with an heir and to spend as much of his money as possible!  The homes in Natchez were a display of wealth.  The sky was the limit and she pushed that limit at every turn.  So it is not surprising that the monuments they left behind are equally lavish.

There are sections dedicated to the Jewish population, the Irish Catholics, Italian merchants as well.  These people represent the “middle class”.  They were prosperous but not ridiculously rich.  The tombstones tell their stories.  One especially sweet one tells of a Southern Lady who went abroad.  While there she met a man and fell in love.  When time came for her to leave, he had to remain behind but told her “I will come to you my love”.  Every letter he wrote ended with those words.  Finally he boarded a ship bound for America.  When he arrived, he booked passage on two different river boats that would bring him to Natchez.  His letters still ended with “I will come to you my love”.  During his trip, he caught dysentery and died.  She had his body shipped to Natchez where he is buried.  The head stone has these words, “You could not come to me but I will come to you my love”.  She was later buried beside him.

There are many stories but one of the most mysterious is the headstone that reads “Louise, The Unfortunate”. No one know for sure who she was but it is told that she came to Natchez to meet her fiancé and marry.  When she arrived, he either jilted her or was married already.  Too ashamed to return home or without enough money to return home, she ended up at Natchez Under the Hill working in a house of ill repute.  Over the years, a doctor befriended her and gave her medical attention.  When she died, he paid to have her buried and put this enigmatic inscription on the stone.

In all of the cemetery, there are only two people of color buried within its ornate gates.  A true reflection of the times.  It is said that we die twice.  Once when our life expires and once when our name is no longer spoken.  Here the dead speak and they are remembered long after they left this world.

Natchez, On the Banks of the Mighty Mississippi

Our campground lies just below the levy nestled against the Mighty Mississippi River.  As I sit here having coffee, it is interesting to watch the activity on the river.  The Mississippi invokes images of Huckleberry Fin and his adventures.  Here at Natchez, the river is about an ⅛ of a mile wide.  Other places along her length, the river is a good mile wide and the muddy waters flow lazily along.  But here, it is a different story.  When you watch the river, you notice the lack of recreation vessels of any sort.  The reason is clear when you look closely at the water.  It churns and swirls and rolls creating an environment that is too dangerous for swimmers or jet skis or any sort of small vessels to navigate. But there are those who still make their living plying these muddy waters.

Barges are the lynch pin of the commerce trade on the river.  These small, powerful vessels push huge barges loaded with railroad cars and truck trailers filled with goods.  The hardy men and women who captain these vessels are highly trained and fearless.  They know all the twists and turns, rocks and whirlpools that may lie in their path and most importantly how to navigate around them.  As I watch, a tug is slowly moving up stream pushing a block of barges that are four wide and six deep lashed together by strong cables.  I won’t bore you with details but these tug or “tow” boats as they are referred to on the river are the tackles of the football field  - strong, low to the water and powerful.  Control is the name of the game as once these barges start to move they can easily lose control and accidents are costly and deadly.

Behind the barge configuration came a paddle wheel cruise vessel.  She moved faster than the barges but not by much.  I counted five decks with cabins facing the river for a good view of the world sliding slowly past.  There were no passengers visible, a result of Covid I suspect.  Back in the day, it would have been a lively affair with gambling and drinking and all sorts of chicanery going on.  Oh, wait I think that is what we have to look forward to when we board one of these vessels in November!

Whether it is moving goods or moving people, the Mighty Mississippi is still one of the most economical modes of commerce transportation.  She may look lazy but like the story of the Tortoise and the Hare, slow and steady wins the race.

 

Cabin Lake County Park, escape from COVID Blues

 COVID has over shadowed everyone’s lives in one way or another.  At our ages and state of health, we have been very careful to follow all the guidelines and stay mostly at home.  But we both are itching to get away so selected a place not far from home.  Cabin Lake Campground is about an hour, give or take from home.  The camp itself has only 12 sites so social distancing was a breeze, besides there were only two other rigs camping and they were on the other side of the camp.  It is a lovely little county park with a spring fed lake with cold, crystal clear waters that call for us to jump in and enjoy.

We arrived at the camp and quickly set things up so we could sit outside and relax.  All around, only the sound of the wind through the trees and the occasional bird song could be heard.  The air was crisp and clean, man just what the doctor ordered!

So, here we were nestled in a stand of tall pines with a lovely view of the lake below.  Jim and the girls are loving relaxing with an adult beverage.

The lake sparkled under the afternoon sun.  With no one else around, we felt as if we owned the whole thing.  The lake was quite large and stocked with bass and sun fish.  Alas, they were not renting boats because of the darn virus but perhaps another time we can get out on the lake and drop a line.  I am sure the fish have grown quite fat with no one able to go out and catch them!

In the late afternoon, our first visitor came calling.  This fat little fella did not look as if he had missed a meal.  Charlotte was pulling on her leash, anxious to give chase.  Savannah on the other hand, only yawned and did not waste the energy.  She knows that there is no way to catch the teasing vermin and so no need to waste a perfectly good nap.

Night fell and a chorus of insects and frogs filled the air.  Fireflies flew among the trees like tiny fairies zipping here and there.  We sat out enjoying the evening waiting for the appearance of the moon.  Finally, it began to rise as if coming out of the lake.  The light glistening on the water like sparkling diamonds.  From our site, the cold light peaked through the trees as if to tease us with its light.  Here, among the trees and beneath a perfect moon, the COVID Blues fell away and we were at perfect peace.

Finally, On the Road Again

 It has been quite a while since I added anything to our blog.  A great deal has happened including moving to NC, building a house and trading our fifth wheel for a motor coach. In addition, there has been COVID which has kept most everyone at home for some time.

This is our new home away from home.  It is a 2018 Winnebago VISTA, 33 feet long. Our toad vehicle is a 2012 Jeep Wrangler (you can just see the nose).  We love our new home for a variety of reasons but mainly because it is shorter and easier to set up and break down.  Oh yes, it uses regular gasoline instead of the more expensive diesel.  We have reduced our overall length by 12 feet and that is good too.

Driving our new coach has been an eye opening, butt jarring experience.  Unlike the fifth wheel, we can really feel every wind gust, 18-wheeler vortex and the slightest bone jarring rut in the road.  My first time behind the wheel, I felt as if I were flying above the road from my perch in the cockpit.  At first, I struggled with just where I was within my lane.  I would look in the mirror at the lines and chase after them.  I finally had an ah ha moment when I remembered hearing my Father telling me long ago when he was teaching me to drive, “don’t look down, look up and down the road.  Your eye will find the center and the car will follow.”  I think perhaps that is not a really good way to describe what happens, but I know that when I look down the road and forget about the lines, if I check my mirrors I am centered, whew thank heavens.  There are a number of other things that are different and impact how we drive, but overall we are in love with it.   So, we are all set to head out.  I hope you will join us as we travel down the highway in search of adventures.

On Down the Road to Coaldale, CO

 There are so many places in Colorado that we want to see, it would take months, not week to see them all.  We decided to take a short trip down into the valley to Coaldale.  The ride was amazing.  As we left the higher altitude of ranches and with grasses and trees, we dropped into a valley with rock formations on both sides and the Arkansas River.  No, not the Arkansas as in the state, well yes the same name but it has nothing to do with the state.  It actually begins high in the mountains and flows through this beautiful area.  There are lots of activities that involve the river from fly fishing to rafting to swimming and probably other things that we just did not see.

We stayed at the Big Horn RV Park right on the banks of the river.  Our site was on the end directly adjacent to the river.  Here the river runs through a small canyon and the water is crystal clear; I can report that is was cold too!

There were lots of things to see and do in the area.  One day we visited Salida.  We ate lunch at  the Boathouse Cantina.  It sits right on the banks of the river.  The perimeter is lined with garage doors that were opened to allow the clean air to cool everyone.  Outside, the river was full of activity.  There were swimmers and rafters and lots of families and children, everyone was enjoying the day.  Of course there was shopping too.  Lots of wonderful, quirky shops to browse through.  I found a small wine shop that had some interesting red wines.  I bought a couple of bottles to try later with some grilled meat, mmmm mmmm mmmm.

The next day we went in the opposite direction to Westcliffe.  Westcliffe is up in elevation once again.  The land we drove through was barren of trees but great for grazing cattle.  The little town is alas, slowly declining.  It seems that the harsh climate and lack of tourist and other traffic is slowly eating away at the population.  Still, it was an interesting little town to walk about and browse — yes — shops.  We found one shop that handled great hand made wood art.  These wonderful pieces were made of Aspen wood.  There were pieces of all sizes and shapes.  Some of them were left natural finish with just a light coating while others had a shiny finish.  I was drawn to the natural ones.  We usually purchase something from places we visit that are representative of the culture, these certainly do.  I ended up with a unique vase made from Aspen that has burls, something most Aspen trees do not develop.  It is stressed and beautiful.

It was a lovely trip.  Tuesday morning we packed up and prepared to go back to the ranch.  Before we left, we heard music — specifically someone singing and the echo through our little canyon.  We walked toward the sound and found a woman standing facing the rock face singing.  What an amazing sound; her voice was angelic.  She turned as the echoes of her last song faded and was surprised to see us watching.  It turned out that she comes here every day to pray and sing.  At our urging, she agreed to sing another song for us.  It brought tears to our eyes.  What a spiritual way to end our trip to Big Horn RV.

We headed back to the ranch glad we had visited this special place.

The Wonder of Nature....

At the end of each day, we are treated to some of the most beautiful sunsets imaginable.  The sky lights up and the colors streak across the sky in magnificent glory.  I had to post these beautiful pictures for you all to enjoy as much as we have enjoyed them.

Once the last rays of the sun are gone and the stars rise, the sky is magical.  On clear nights, the inky blackness makes the perfect backdrop for the stars.  I wish I were a good enough photographer to take pictures so you could see the amazing sight.  The Milky Way is clear overhead.  I remember when I was a child in Mississippi, we would lay in the grass at night and look up at the Milky Way.   With all the ambient light from towns and cities, one rarely gets the opportunity to see it any longer.  But here, on this wonderful mountain all we need to do is walk outside and look upward.  The silence is absolute and peace — well you just have to visit.  We love it!