A Side Trip

to Biloxi, Mississippi.

We took the coastal route to get there, on US 90.

There are some beautiful homes and huge live oak trees with Spanish moss dripping from those trees, and the beach goes on for miles.


My brother was stationed there many years ago when he was in the Air Force.  Our family visited him there and I remember how the beach looked then.  A long way to get to the water if you wanted to step around all the crabs that were there and there were no waves!!

I am seeing Biloxi with a different set of eyes.

Mississippi has only one lighthouse and it sets in the middle of a four lane busy highway.

It was built in 1848.  It survived the Civil War and more than 20 hurricanes with Katrina being the last one.

We just missed the last tour so we were unable to climb the 57 steps to the top.

The Visitors Center is just across the street from the lighthouse with plenty of parking.  It is a real beauty inside.

We walked around learning what we could from the nice displays.

There were some nice sculptures made from the dead trees and driftwood Katrina left behind.

We particularly were impressed with this horse head.

Coming in to town, we noticed these carvings in the middle of the four lane highway.

This is the Katrina Sculpture Garden.

The sculptures line the road.  They were made using a chain saw from the trunks of the trees that did not survive Katrina's wrath.

We were told this was the place to have lunch...Beau Rivage.

You will notice the flag is at half staff in memory of President Kennedy.

The place was beautifully decked out for the Christmas holidays.

And the food was absolutely delicious.

On my plate was alligator sausage (just had to try it), pulled pork, ribs, fried green tomato, yams, catfish, green beans, jambalaya, and mac n cheese.  The salad was exceptional.  Then we had dessert.  We were glad we stopped here, but we ate TOO much.

People that know us know if there is a refuge close by, we will make the effort to visit.

We met Tom and Sally who are in their 5th year there, and Melissa, volunteer coordinator. 

We wanted to see the cranes.  Sally gave us some ideas with not a lot of hope of seeing them at this time of day. I finally spotted these two way off the busy road.

I should have taken my Cannon for this shot!!!

I don't give up easily, when I yelled, "there they are!"  They were the only ones we saw...but it made me happy, happy, happy!!!

We enjoyed a short walk on the trail and were delighted to see the pitcher plants are still fresh, not too many though.

It started to sprinkle on us so we headed back to the truck.

We circled through the volunteer area where we decided this was not a place we would be interested in staying.



We drove back to our lodging through the fog of the coast, then decided we better go back on the interstate.

We had a wonderful time on our day off.

Until next time...

Jewel in Jackson

Mississippi's State Capitol was built in 1901-03, on the site of the old state penitentiary at a cost of $1,093,641 with funds from a lawsuit against the Illinois Central Railroad for back taxes. It was restored in 1979-82 at a cost of $19 million.

The gold-coated copper eagle stands at the apex.  It is 8' tall and 15' across.

 

The central dome rises 180' from the first floor. There are 4,750 original light fixtures with 750 being in the Rotunda.

I surely would not like to be the one who changes light bulbs, and you will notice some of them are burned out.

It is amazing how light is used in this building.





The formal (grand) staircase ascends to the 4th floor (or you can take the elevator).

At the first landing, there are three huge stained glass windows. Mother Mississippi is shown in the middle with the American Indian and the Pioneer Settler on either side.

The building is rectangle in shape with semi-circles at each end.  The Senate Chambers is at one end with the House at the opposite end.

They each have a beautiful stained glass (minor) dome.

When they are in session, the Mississippi flag is raised above the dome and lowered when they adjourn.

In the House of Representatives, Tennessee pink marble is used on the walls.

We sat in the visitor's gallery and admired the grandeur. The semi circular arches, each with the coat of arms with the words "Virtute et Armis," Latin for "by valor and arms."

The dome in the Senate with the six panels depict an American Indian woman and the inscription "The people's government made for the people...made by the people...and answerable to the people." 

There are 122 members in the House and 52 members in the Senate.

The architecture is Beaux Arts style and is grand and lush.

This style has a lot of beautiful details.

I really liked this area showing the pink marble

and the stained glass window with pretty colors.

The long hallway on the 4th floor, the little black squares are glass cylinders (bottles), which allows sunlight to shine through to the 3rd floor.  There are stained glass windows above letting in plenty of natural light.

Corinthian columns are used extensively, inside and outside. Blindfolded Lady Justice reminds us all that laws are to be fair for all people.

The letter M is displayed in several places...this one is on the floor in the Old Supreme Court.

There are 242,500 square feet in this State House.

Mississippi comes from an Indian word that means "Father of Waters."

Jackson Mississippi is named in honor of Andrew Jackson, the 7th President of the United States. 

In our walk around the town, we enjoyed several sites, had a wonderful meal at Elite Restaurant, and got another stamp for our visits to State Capitols.

Again, another great big thanks to our wonderful friends, David and Marianne for introducing us to these magnificent places of history.

Until next time...

Youth Art Show

We assisted in the Youth Art Show last weekend here at the refuge, and my, what talent these kiddos have.

There were entries from eight years old to 14 years of age.

This little cutie took first place in her age division...8-10.  A watercolor of a wolf.








There were many to judge from, and I am glad I was not one of the judges. 

One particular teacher had many winners from her class.

Outside was where the fun began.  This little bobcat kitten stole the show walking around on a leash, playing with the skunk and circling the Gopher Tortoise.

And of course, we had to have the baby alligator out and about.













This Short-eared Owl drew some attention.

Then I just had to hold this boa constrictor!!!  What a beautiful snake.

It was on display, snaking around on a table for kids to touch.

The art show was a success with many in attendance, and of course the animals added to the day.

Here's looking at you kid.

Until next time...

It's Open...

Remember a few blogs back, that I said we would come back to this place, The Dew Drop Jazz and Social Club.  Well, the doors and windows are open, and we enjoyed the evening listening to some great music.

The cost is $10.00 which is really a donation.  There are only benches to sit on...nothing fancy, but the place was packed. Of course, you can bring a cushion if you so desire.  The church next door has plates of food to purchase and there is plenty of beverages.

These were the groups playing.  They were very good.  Tom could really play that piano, and Aurora could really play that saxophone and clarinet.  She also sang some really old fashioned songs about the area.  I had never heard them, mostly about the Mississippi.

At 8:00 pm, the New Orleans Jazz Vipers took stage.  They were very good too.  The feet were tapping to the music.

This water feature caught my eye...an old french horn, which was located in a yard nearby.





We had a wonderful time and enjoyed some wonderful music.

Until next time...

It's Over...

The government shutdown that is!!!  After 16 days of loafing around, we got back to work.

The first thing we did was put up the interp panels that were taken down with that last threat of a hurricane.  This is out on Lake Road.

A work in progress, I almost forgot to take pictures.  Of course, I was helping with those big signs, holding them in place and making sure they were even, while Wallace was just screwing around! hehe.

The emptiness is now filled and completed after we filled the brochure racks.  Those signs are heavy!!!  Then we went over to Boy Scout parking area and put up three more of them.

The next day, we drove over 200 miles taking care of the Bogue Chitto refuge.  Filling the brochure kiosks at several places around the refuge.  This shot was taken at Walkiah Bluff on the Pearl River where there is a boat launch.

Monday, we were asked to drive the boat back over to Delta NWR.  They had been brought over here to be safe from the storm.  Another 200 plus miles, and driving through New Orleans.  This is just one of the air boats this refuge has.

Let me tell you, it was white knuckling time!!! But we made it through all that traffic without incidence.

We really doubt if we will ever see Breton NWR as it is a long boat ride to get there.  But we did get to enjoy looking around Delta.  Breton is a chain of islands in the gulf.

A very lovely spot to sit and watch the big vessels going by on the mighty Mississippi River.  This is right in front of the entrance to the refuge.

This is Max Latham, who took us out on a boat ride all around the refuge out to the Gulf of Mexico.  What fun...and lots of good birds!!! 




So, we had a wonderful respite, but it is now time to go to work. It really isn't a tough assignment.  We are now replacing some boards in several boardwalks and the guys are helping to install a bat house.  More on that at another time.

Until next time...

Exploring the Northshore

of Lake Pontchartrain.

This is a view of the lake with the causeway in the background.  The causeway was constructed in the 50's and 60's.  At 24 miles long, it is the second longest bridge over a body of water in the world, the connection to New Orleans.

Some more facts about the lake.

1. It is a brackish estuary.
2. It is 630 square miles in size.
3. The average depth is 12' to 14' deep.
4. It is connected to the Gulf of Mexico.
5. It is one of the largest wetlands along the Gulf Coast.
6. The Native American name was Okwata (wide water).
7. It forms the northern  boundary of New Orleans.
8. In 1600 B.C., the Choctaw inhabit the northern shore.

Our exploration started in Lacombe on Lake Road.

This is a popular place to wet a hook.  If you want to go fishing...this is the place, very close to where we are located. The road ends at the lake.

We do some of our volunteer jobs here.

Here is part of the Tammany Trace bike path that goes for 31 miles.  It is a rails to trails path. Now all I need are the roller blades I gave up a few years ago!!!  The path links 5 towns along the way.

Our next stop was at one of the refuges in the complex of 8. I think we could use a little pruning here, what do you think?  The woodpecker in the sign is the Red-cockaded Woodpecker, a threatened species on the refuge.

Next on the agenda is Fontainebleu State Park where you can enter for the day at no cost if you are a senior citizen.

It is a beautiful park with grand live oak trees over 100 years old, draped with Spanish moss.

The main reason for stopping here was to spend some time checking out the old sugar plantation where the remaining ruins still stand.

Bernard de Marginy accumulated and lost a fortune in his lifetime, 1785 to 1868.  He was responsible for growing sugar cane and the refinement of sugar from 1828 to 1852.

Mandeville town was owned and developed by him.  

There is a small sand beach and this nice pier to walk out on. We enjoyed a walk on one of the trails where you can still see the effects of Katrina where there no longer was a boardwalk.

It is a very nice state park.

This is a famous little place on Lamarque street called the Dew Drop Social and Benevolent Hall where people come together to listen to jazz.  Louis Armstrong has played here, and the music has been going on since 1895.

The next time the doors are open is October 25, and we plan on being there.

It is the oldest unaltered jazz hall.

Our next stop was in Covington. I have been hearing about muffulettas since we got here and now I want to try one. DiMartino's is the place as this is their specialty.  We both got one and we were not disappointed.

This was it.  It WAS delicious, and what made it so good was the olive salad that you can see on top.  The bread was just right, and tasty too.






Covington is the county seat for St. Tammany Parish (county) where we reside at this time.

There is also a Kohl's store where we stopped to see if I could find a skort.  I found just the right one...denim...for only $9.00!!!

Covington was established in 1813.

Now that our appetite was sated, it was on to Madisonville to explore the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum where we heard about the citizens of New Orleans, during the Civil War, left the city and fled to the northshore because they would not support the Union.

We drove out to get this glimpse of the Tchefuncte Light House.  It is not open to the public, but I was able to get my book stamped at the museum.
It was built in 1837.

This was as close as we could get.


Madisonville was established in 1810.  Many people took the steamboat, The Camelia, across Lake Pontchartrain to Madisonville,  and it seems to be the first place many of them settled. 

In 1803, the United States acquires 828,000 square miles of territory from the French with the Louisiana purchase.

In 1812, Louisiana is admitted to the Union.

We ran out of time so the other towns will be visited another day.

Until next time...