Tuesday, July 9, 2013

M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

an old juke joint in Bentonia, MS, where once upon a time one might have found Skip James singing and playing the blues.
It is my supreme pleasure and with a big ole’ heart that I bring you some of my favorite photos (in no particular order) from my recent Mississippi road trip. There's a lot of them, but I'm certain you will enjoy a peak at this beautiful region filled with open (much akin to my own personality) and hospitable folks, a land where you can feel the ghosts, where tupelo and cypress trees grow in swampy waters, where moss drapes the trees, where the big red sun hangs over cotton fields, the land where the blues began, and the land where I got married! That's right - we had a shotgun/surprise wedding (me being the one surprised) in Clarksdale, Mississippi,on the 4th of July. But I'll need to elaborate on the wedding and how awesome Clarksdale is in another post. Hope ya'll are even half as happy as I am!
My bestie, Desiree, leaping in Clarksdale, MS.
tupelo trees, along the Natchez Trace.
more Tupelo trees
Port Gibson, MS.
Skip James blues marker, Bentonia, MS.
graveyard in Holly Ridge, MS.
The Rev. John Wilkins and his daughters performing at the Mississippi Hills Blues Picnic, Holly Springs, MS. They were so good; I danced their whole set.
Rocky Springs, MS.

Canton, MS, where O Brother Where Art Thou was filmed. The old buildings are breathtaking, but it's a shame that most of the businesses are out of commission.
Canton, MS.
Natchez, MS.
Abe's BBQ, Clarksdale, MS. We ate red tamales, pulled pork sandwiches, ribs, coleslaw, and it was all Dynomite!
Clarksdale, MS.
Bentonia, MS.
Clarksdale, MS.
Mikey and Desi
inside the Rock and Blues Museum (amazing!), Clarksdale, MS.
Clarksdale, MS.
Mississippi treasures: Rev John Wilkins cd, William Faulkner's 50s edition of "Mosquitos", Leadbelly portrait.
crepe myrtle trees covered in moss. Natchez, MS.

Natchez, MS.
Stax Records, Memphis, TN. There are some Memphis photos in the bunch too, as this is where our trip started. We loved Memphis too, though we'd both been there before to visit Graceland.

Club Ebony, a juke joined now owned by B.B. King. Indianolo, MS. Can you believe it - we ended up catching  B.B. King perform at  his yearly homecoming festival in Indianolo. He's definitely getting older, but man, he was so happy on the stage, like a big beatific buddha. The whole town came out to see him. He had the kids come on the stage for a dance contest.
Mikey and Desi, groom's gal and bride's maid respectively. Clarksdale, MS.
Shack Up Inn, Clarksdale, MS.
Elvis' boyhood church. Tupelo, MS.
 

Johnnie's Drive-In BBQ, where Elvis used to eat cheeseburgers. Tupelo, MS.
Memphis, TN.
Memphis, TN. The Arcade Restaurant in the oldest diner in Memphis. The film "Mystery Train" was filmed here.
Memphis, TN
Big oak tree, a common sight, Natchez, MS.
Huge porches, another common sight, Natchez, MS.

Camera from Pete's stepdad, so I guess my step dad in law, dress from my girlfriend Miro. Natchez, MS.


Natchez, MS - oldest settlement in the Mississippi. We stayed in a huge home from the 1840s (not pictured here) and we were the only guests.I don't know how we get so lucky.
Natchez, MS.
Natchez, MS.
Windsor Ruins, Port Gibson, MS.
Rowan Oak, Oxford, MS. home of the wonderful William Faulkner. I'm on my 5th book by him, so it was a delight to visit Rowan Oak. My favorite books so far have been "As I Lay Dying" and "A Light in August."

If any of my readers have any questions, I'm always happy to answer in the comments. Many more posts on my Mississippi road trip in the near future.

xoxo!

22 comments:

  1. Congrats and I'm loving all these photos. I love the South. Hope to visit again soon.

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  2. these look amazing! so much cool stuff! the trees! the diners! the leadbelly painting!

    your white dress+hat are total southern belle too!

    oh, now i totally wanna have a road trip in the south and look for old blues and country 78s records...

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    1. I was expecting to come home with more records, figuring that there would be a surplus in Mississippi. I did forget to go to Shangri-La Records in Memphis. They might have had some good stuff.

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  3. First of all, congrats!! Second of all, I love all these photos! I want to go all over MS now, I've never been. I visited Memphis last year, and loved it a lot; your photos were really interesting & gorgeous of there as well!

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  4. Congratulations!! And your photos have some William Eggleston-level gorgeousness going on. Hurrah for Southern roadtrips and juke joints!

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    1. Yes, William Eggleston had quite the backdrop to work with! Girl, Mississippi was everything I thought it would be and more. I can't believe I got to dance in a juke joint, which I'll talk more about soon, and I learned so much checking out all the blues trail markers and visiting museums. You must pay a visit; I know that you would feel right at home.

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  5. ugh i love the mississippi delta so much my heart literally thumps and hurts a little looking at these photos. some of these places are familiar to me, having traveled through several years ago. others are just beckoning to me, come again, come lose your heart under these crazy vines. thank you for the excursion through such a bewitching land, and what a story and memory you made there! can't wait to hear more about the wedding!

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    Replies
    1. Have you been to Clarksdale, MS? You would absolutely love it!

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  6. Oh, I started to imagine how beautiful photos can be taken in those areas! Missisippi looks so lively, and it makes me trigger to go there asap :) I like the band on the stage, church and your white dress with a big hat so much <3 I just only wanto to ask why some captures look so "stretchy" (I'm not sure if it's right word for it), maybe you change their sizes?..

    Thanks for sharing these inspirational captures in your blog, I can't wait to share my trip pics.

    Btw, if you like lace, I have my first giveaway here:)
    http://photostorms.blogspot.com/2013/07/my-first-giveaway.html

    Hugs!

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    1. I’m not sure why some images look stretched. I size my images the same through Blogger. I'd like to know how to make my images bigger, but truly I am pretty technologically inept. So any help from my readers is always appreciated.

      While the nature in Mississippi is lively (i.e.: verdant, overgrown), living is rather slow paced.. Goodness, we were in Tupelo on a Sunday evening, and hardly any businesses were open. And they like to close their shops at like 2:00 p.m. in Mississippi too, which I guess is a good thing cause it kept me from over spending. However, experiencing the blues in the homeland is indeed an exhilarating experience.

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  7. This looks like quite the adventure! I do love the South. It'll always be home for me, no matter how far away from it I roam.

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    Replies
    1. I didn't realize you were a southern gal. Yes, it was a memorable experience to be sure!

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  8. Thanks for the Skip James plaque photo- I hadn't heard Skip James before so I watched a few online videos of his performances. I was prepared to be mildly impressed, but I am now wide awake. Skip James is the missing link in my musical DNA. I really like how he wasn't afraid to play the blues right through a wide range of musical styles. I've heard the same wonderful lilting yet urgent harmonized melody from "Crow Jane" in some Pokey LaFarge songs. And I especially love the minors in "Devil Got My Woman".

    Also appreciated the notes on the Arcade Diner, the Windsor Ruins, and Rowan Oak- that name makes me think of Roanoke.

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  9. Love "Crow Jane"!, and I'll have to check out Pokey LaFarge. I'm usually more familiar with the older musicians. Have you been to Roanoke? We were just talking about Virginia being our next southern destination. Thanks for stopping by, Drifty.

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  10. Lovee the photography and the outfit of the white dress, hat, and sandals. Beautiful!
    xx,
    www.TheAblazed.com

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  11. Beautiful photos as usual, I wish I could be shown around all these amazing places by the likes of you! Congratulations on the marriage I know you were a gorgeous bride!! xxx

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  12. if you are a literature major with roots in the south, how is it that you are only getting through faulkner now?

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    1. I read some Faulkner previously in college, but wasn't devouring his works as I am now. I think now that I'm older, (I've read more, experienced more), I can really appreciate/understand his literary style and themes. I am always astounded with how much literature and music there is out there to be absorbed and enjoyed. It is endless, and we are so blessed for it.

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