Friday, February 13, 2015

This is not an ad for Tylenol...

Although I did down a handful right before writing this.

And once you have read what all we did today...you may even need some too!:)

Today was the big Clean-up Day in Rodney, MS.  If you aren't sure where that is, don't worry...99% of the world is right there with you.  We have visited Rodney before, and this is what we saw...
inside Baptist Church
Rodney Presbyterian
Baptist Church

Stone from Cemetery

These photos were taken a few years ago.  Since then, there was a massive flood, seasons changed, and time has passed.

Today, we were lucky enough to attend a Clean-Up Day in Rodney put together by Mrs. Mary from the Rodney, Mississippi Remembering Facebook Page.

More than 60 volunteers used this BEAUTIFUL Saturday to revive, unearth, scrub, and clear out several areas of the former town of Rodney.  The structures included the Presbyterian Church (or cannon-ball church), the Baptist Church, and the Masonic Lodge.  The outsides of all these buildings were also worked on, as well as the Rodney Cemetery.
Group Photo by Paul Wade
In case you can't tell, that is me rocking the MSU sweatshirt just right of center...oh and Heather is next to me. :)

The Instead of Doing Dishes Team (yes...we are our own team) was assigned to the Baptist Church. When we got there, a fellow volunteer had blown out the debris that enters through the broken panes of glass.
All of the volunteers worked extremely hard!  The goal is to save the few buildings left in this ghost of a river town.




I worked in the former slave balcony.  Let me tell you...when I got to the top of those steep, narrow, winding steps...it was a shock! I was ankle deep in dust, dirt, leaves, and who knows what debris!  Thankfully, some other volunteers braved the slanted floor and narrow steps to help shovel out the balcony with me! It truly was a group effort!
Jessica White
Heather
On the ground, Heather and our new friend Jessica worked on removing dirt dauber nests and spiderwebs from the walls and windows of the Baptist Church. There was so much work to be done here.  Several other volunteers came in throughout the day but we were so busy and they got away without being photographed!

One of the disappointments of the day...

These are the pews from inside the Baptist Church.  They were in such disrepair that we could do nothing with them today.  Maybe a skilled carpenter will one day donate their time and expertise to help return them to their rightful places...one day...

We did get to drive around a little before leaving.  I even got to visit the Rodney Cemetery for the first time! First thought - What a HIKE! Straight uphill...whew! Second thought- BEAUTIFUL! I did not get to see it before the clean-up crew got to it...but it looked amazing.  Those folks worked really hard saving and unearthing stones that have been there since the early 1800's! 

This bluff side cemetery is one of the post peaceful places I have ever encountered (even with the chainsaws going:)) No wonder early residents of Rodney hauled their family members to the top for their final resting places. 
A lot of the stones are damaged in some shape, form, or fashion. The above was a picture I took of a stone that I found unique and lovely!

                                                      
After of day of ladder climbing, scrubbing, singing, discovering, and making new friends, we called it a day.  We like to think we left this old beauty in a little bit better condition...we do know it smelled better!

                                                
Maybe one day you will find your way down the gravel roads leading to Rodney.  Feel free to grab a broom (we left some for your convenience:)) and sweep out a few leaves or dusty corners while you soak up the history of this once bustling town.

Until next time!
~Rosemary

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Why We Do What We Do

Why do we do it?
Downtown Natchez

Why do we drive all over creation? Why waste the gas?

Why do we take pictures of every little thing?  Why pull over and crawl through the weeds for a glimpse of a run down, falling in, elderly building?

Today, the answer came to us in the form of Nil Desperandum. If you recall, the lasts time we played around in Louisiana, just across the river from Vicksburg, we stumbled upon this behemoth in the bushes.
At the completion of today's travels, we discovered that she stands no more.  Nil Desperandum once stood proud in the Louisiana delta, but now the two chimneys are all that remain. Or are they?  We also have the pictures!  Buildings, left to their own devices, crumble under the weight of overgrown vegetation and rotted material.  Yet we spend days traveling the pot-hole riddled, wash-boarded, gravel roads photographing just such places so that they may live on forever.

But I get ahead of myself.  We ended at Nil Desperandum, but we started in Natchez.

Now, we have been to Natchez many, many, many, many times. Yet we still find things to check out EVERY TIME! Started with a church on the way down town.
                                                   

Holy Family Catholic Church can be found in downtown Natchez.  This beautiful old building has been here since before 1900.  Imagine the worshiping that has occurred in this structure.  Across the street is the Rhythm Club Fire Museum.  We did not take the tour today, as we had other plans (yes, we do sometimes stick to a plan), but we will return.


Finally, we crossed the Mighty Mississippi River and headed north.  Once out of Ferriday, Louisiana we were in uncharted territory...at least for Instead of Doing Dishes :). First stop was Clayton, Louisiana where we crossed an old vertical lift bridge...

before turning around to get pictures.  This engineering is not something we have seen much of on our travels, so we were impressed.

We choose a road that paralleled the river and headed north, seeing as we have been south along the river before. Hwy 65 runs from Ferriday to Tallulah, LA.  Now, you know us...we did not stay on Hwy 65, but this was the main road we took through the flat plains of Louisiana.

As we bobbed and weaved we found a few old plantation homes. We loved this one.

There were not signs... we are not even quite sure where we were...other than Louisiana, but either of us would snap this bad boy up in a hurry.

We stumbled upon a pretty famous home, at least to us, that has been shut down for renovations.
Winter Quarters was once a residence of Haller Nutt.  Nutt is most known, to us, for his building, but never completing Longwood Plantation in Natchez.  We really wanted to get in to see this house, and hope that one day they will reopen to the public.

Most of what we encountered on this days journey were churches.  Plantations often built their own churches for people to worship close to home. We found there are several old churches still standing! Some had names, some did not, but all were worth the stop to take a picture!
            

As we took the long way around St.Joseph Lake, we also found the marked site of a former mission.  From the signs, I deduced (did I really just use that word...gonna have to back off the Sherlock watching!) that the mission here was the predecessor to St.Patrick's Mission in Fort Adams, MS.
The building, although antique itself, was not part of the original mission.  Interesting fact, if you zoom on the above photo one sign is in English and the other Spanish.  The Spanish sign is in much better condition than the English.  When we stopped, I first tried reading the better looking of the signs when I realized it was not in English.  While Heather was taking pictures, I began slowly reading the English version, which Heather didn't know was there as I was reading.  She was, at first, very impressed with my ability to read Spanish having never learned the language! HA I should have kept my mouth shut and not pointed out the other sign...I might get her next time!

Sometimes while traveling, we find things that remind us of home or other places we have been.

This was a "reminder" that Heather could have lived without.  I believe we saw the smoke stack of Grand Gulf Nuclear Plant for most of the trip.

Poor Heather...this day was just totally against her...because not to much further down the road we stumbled up THIS (which thrilled my soul!)
If you recall we have covered the Mississippi side of Old Ulysses' march to Vicksburg during the Civil War. We also, found out there was a Louisiana side to the old fellow's travels.  We have not yet followed it, but I believe we found the tail end today around Winter's Quarters.  One day we will complete this!

Not only was my day made, thanks to Grant's meanderings, but my youngest got the thrill of his short life when we were buzzed by "Dusty Crophopper"!
Heather got some great shots and I plan on blowing these up for my two-year old's wall.  He talked about this the entire way home.

Our last detour, once we got back to Mississippi was a trip down Letourneau Road in Warren County.
There are some amazing river shots to be had from here.

If I remember correctly I believe there were three barges within sight.  It was pretty spectacular.

We survived another trip!  I believe it is time to give the Blue Mazda a check up before out next excursion...she works harder than the rest of us after all!


So this is why we do it.

We find things that other have forgotten...or may not have even known was there without us.  We share the experience so that those who can not spend hours roaming the lesser known roads can follow along at their own pace.

We do it for places like Nil Desperandum. Future generations will drive by and see two chimneys and wonder what was there, but we can look back at our photos and KNOW what was there.

Until next time!
~Rosemary