Happily married 55 years, retired baby boomer, mother of 2, grandmother of 4, traveler, Georgia Bulldog fan, Air Force Brat, avid reader, amateur photographer, gardener, ovarian cancer survivor, blogger. Every day is a gift!
For this challenge Tina is challenging us to show no more than five of our all time personal favorite images representing special moments or memories.
This is a really hard challenge for me. I have thousands of pictures in my archives. Most of them remind me of a special time, place or event. The sunrise in the header image was taken in my own back yard. It reminds me of how grateful I am for the gift of another day.
One of the most memorable events from our very first long RV trip occurred in Arches National Park in Utah. We wanted to take the hike for a close up view of Delicate Arch. The hike involved walking up slick red rock and included walking along a narrow ledge before getting to the Arch. I am terrified of heights and the idea of the ledge terrified me but I managed to get all the way to the top to take this picture. This picture reminds me of how I overcame my fears to see this beautiful sight.
Henry standing underneath Delicate Arch, Arches National Park, Utah
This silhouette of Henry at sunset reminds me of all the wonderful memories we have from our RV trip traveling south from Washington to California on Highway 101.
Henry watching the sunset over the Pacific Ocean in Washington
I have literally thousands of images from our 2013 RV trip to Alaska. We saw amazing landscapes and wildlife and visited many unique places. I chose this image because it brings back happy memories of our fun filled week in Haines. We took the time at the end of each day to enjoy this spectacular view from our campsite.
Watching for whales at the end of the day in Haines, Alaska
The last image reminds me to take the time to stop and enjoy a sunset when I get a chance. I call this tree the bird tree because I often see herons, egrets, wood storks, roseate spoonbills, and other birds perched on the dead limbs. The tree is located on the road to our neighborhood. I’ve driven past it many times over the years and have captured many beautiful sunsets here but this one is my all time favorite.
Ritva’s challenge is Portraits. She says “Whether you choose to ask a stranger, do a self-portrait, take the portrait of a friend, family member, or acquaintance, or photograph animals and birds, the goal is to connect with another person or subject and tell their story through your image.”
I enjoy nature and wildlife photography and am not comfortable asking strangers if I can take their picture. I didn’t have to ask this young man to pose for a portrait. I was holding up my phone taking pictures of a Junkanoo Band from the Bahamas performing as part of a St. Patrick’s weekend celebration when he walked over to me and posed. He liked having his picture made!
I’m much more comfortable capturing bird and other animal portraits.
This bear and the female elk seemed to pose for me.
I will end with my favorite portrait of Blondie, our beloved Yellow Lab who was part of our lives for many years. She’s been gone since 2017. I still miss her every day.
For this challenge Anne asks us to share what has enriched and/or changed our life.
I’ve had many changes in my life but what changed my life the most was surviving ovarian cancer. In July, 2010 I began a ten month battle with ovarian cancer. I am grateful that my cancer has not returned since I finished treatment.
Most cancer survivors I know say that the cancer changed them. I know it changed me. I look at the world differently now. I have learned that life can change in the blink of an eye and no one knows what tomorrow will bring. I have learned that life is too short to put things off. I have learned it is important to enjoy life every day. I know that every day is a gift.
Two of my passions are travel and photography. One of the things that kept me going during treatments was planning an RV trip to visit family and visit a few bucket list places. We began the trip two weeks after I received the good news that I was in remission.
The RV trip was just what we both needed. We called it the “Celebration Journey”. Every day was an adventure and I was never at a loss for something interesting to photograph. The header image of the two seahorses was taken at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga near the end of our journey. The rest of the images are of some of the highlights from the trip.
We camped with a view of Cypress trees at Lake Bistineau State Park, LouisianaWe met some Texas Lounghorns at Copper Breaks State Park, TexasWe explored the Petroglyphs at Petroglyphs National Monument in New Mexico with my brother and his wifeWe visited the Great Sand Dunes National Park in ColoradoWe saw lots of Elk in Rocky Mountain National Park, ColoradoWe saw herds of Bison in Custer State Park, South DakotaWe went to the headwaters of the Mississippi River at Itasca State Park in Minnesota with our daughter’s family
After we returned home I continued to enjoy my photography and we have been on many more fun adventures since then.
Part 2 of our Viking Mississippi Delta Explorer Adventure – Mississippi
Natchez, Mississippi
Our first stop in the state of Mississippi was the town of Natchez which sits on a bluff above the Mississippi River. The fog was thick when we arrived.
We took a bus tour through the town of Natchez with a great local guide. We visited a museum featuring old historic photographs depicting life in Natchez through the years before touring Magnolia Hall located in Natchez. The Natchez Garden Club owns the home and lovingly restored it. Mardi Gras decorations and flower arrangements from a recent flower show were displayed around the home.
We stopped at on overlook on the top of the bluff for a look at the river. The light was not good for a photograph but I couldn’t resist taking a picture of our ship anyway.
Vicksburg, Mississippi – Vicksburg National Military Park
This was our third visit to the Vicksburg National Military Park. On our previous visits we drove through the park on our own. This time we were on a bus with a guide who told us about the battle of Vicksburg and pointed out important sites of the battle. I enjoyed hearing the details about this pivotal battle of the Civil War. The day ended with a beautiful sunset over the river.
Greenville, Mississippi – Steve Azar’s Mississippi and the B. B. King Museum
Greenville, Mississippi is the self-proclaimed heart and soul of the Delta. The City of Greenville has received a Trademark on the title “Hot Tamale Capital of the World” from the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Jim Henson, who created the Muppets, was born at the hospital in Greenville and grew up in the nearby town of Leland where he made his first Kermit the Frog puppet out of his mother’s green bathrobe.
One of the highlights of the entire cruise an event called “Steve Azar’s Mississippi”. We enjoyed a delicious brunch of local foods and a live concert with Greenville native Steve Azar. The event was held in the beautiful Jake and Freda Stein Hall located at the E. E. Bass Cultural Center in downtown Greenville. We had a nice conversation outside with Steve Azar before the show.
Servers brought each course to the tables. The meal started with a Bloody Mary. The first course was delicious hot tamales. The second course was fried catfish and hush puppies. Next up was pulled pork barbeque, rolls, rice, and macaroni and cheese. Near the end of the show we had a toast with moonshine followed by banana pudding for desert.
The show began while we were eating. We were entertained by stories about the state of Mississippi and the culture of the Delta. The music was great and included the song “One Mississippi”, Mississippi’s new official state song written by Steve Azar. The video is of the band performing the first two stanzas of the song.
After the fantastic show we boarded a bus for a 30 minute ride to the town of Indianola to visit the B.B. King Museum. We had another entertaining local guide who told us lots of fun stories and pointed out points of interest. The museum was filled with memorabilia and was very well done. Seeing another beautiful sunset over the river was a great way to end the day.
Final Day on Ole Man River
Our final day on the ship was a perfect day for watching the barges on the river as we cruised from Greenville to Memphis, Tennessee. The last sunset over the river was spectacular.
We had a fun week aboard the beautiful Viking Mississippi. The crew was excellent, stateroom spacious, food delicious, music outstanding, and the excursions were fun with great local guides.
Part 1 of our Viking Mississippi Delta Explorer Adventure – Louisiana
The Mighty Mississipi River runs through ten states and is the second longest river in the United States (the Missouri is slightly longer). During our RV travels Henry and I crossed the Mississippi River many times, stopped to explore many places along the river, and camped in campgrounds next to the river so we could sit and watch the barges go by.
It had been a while since we had seen the Mississippi River so we recently took a Mississippi River Cruise from New Orleans to Memphis. We learned a lot about the history of the river and the area, ate delicious local foods, visited historical homes and battlefields, and enjoyed fantastic music from the region.
New Orleans, Louisiana
“Laissez les bons temps rouler” (Let the Good Times Roll)
Our trip started with a long travel day to New Orleans. Somewhere between home and New Orleans I managed to twist my right knee and was limited in the amount of standing and walking I could do. But, I was not about to let my bum knee keep me from having fun.
We arrived on a Thursday night less than two weeks before Fat Tuesday’s big Mardi Gras celebration. We learned that in New Orleans many people begin celebrating Mardi Gras right after New Year’s Eve. Some people leave their tree up until Mardi Gras, replacing the Christmas ornaments with Mardi Gras colors of purple, gold and green.
We enjoyed drinks and delicious crawfish etouffee and gumbo at Daisy Dukes Express near our hotel on Thursday night. On Friday we explored the French Quarter around Jackson Square and St. Louis Cathedral. The day was cold and windy. Beignets and hot chocolate at the famous Cafe Du Monde warmed us up.
People were in a festive mood and many had on their Mardi Gras colors. Balconies and businesses were sporting Mardi Gras flags and decorations. As shown in my header image, even the bridges over the Mississippi River at the Port of New Orleans were lit up in Mardi Gras purple. The following gallery shows a few of the highlights from the day.
First night on the Viking Mississippi
Saturday morning we took an Uber to the Port of New Orleans and boarded the Viking Mississippi, our home for the week. While we waited for our stateroom to be ready we explored the ship and I walked around the port. The ship was docked on the Mississippi River underneath two bridges.
The Mother River statue at the Port of New Orleans.
Jazz musician Wendell Brunious (he has led the Preservation Hall Jazz Band since 1978) and his Swedish wife Caroline performed a Tribute to Louis Armstrong that evening on the ship. It was the first of several wonderful music performances we enjoyed while sailing up the river.
Darrow, Louisiana and a Cajun Swamp Tour in the rain
A series of levees have been constructed along the banks of the lower Mississippi to prevent flooding. The ship docked next to the levees and passengers had the option of walking up the levee or taking a golf cart ride to the top.
The rain was coming down hard when we took a golf cart ride to the top of the levee at Darrow. We were dropped off in the parking lot of the beautiful Houmas House and Gardens where we boarded our tour bus. Our local Cajun tour guide kept us entertained with stories about the history and culture of the Cajun people during the 30 minute ride to LaPlace, Louisiana for a Cajun Swamp Tour through the Manchac swamp.
It was still raining when we boarded our covered pontoon boat and Captain Brian took us into the swamp. As we rode along he pointed out the different trees and plants and we learned about the folklore and history of the swamp. We learned that cemeteries were always on high ground because of flooding. We passed by a lone grave which is allegedly the burial place of Julia Brown, a medicine woman who died in 1915. Her ghost is believed to still be in the swamp.
Alligators were once almost extinct but now there is a large population thanks to licensed alligator farms. It was the wrong time of year to see many alligators in the wild but we got to meet Louie, a 2 1/2 year old alligator who will one day be released into the wild. Everyone on the boat got to meet Louie.
When we returned from our excursion we had hoped to tour the historic Houmas House and gardens but the rain was still coming down and we opted to spend the rest of the afternoon on the ship.
St. Francisville, Louisiana – tour of Rosedown Plantation
The ship was docked next to the levee in St. Francisville, Louisiana. This levee was pretty steep and we were glad to ride the golf cart to the top.
Our local guide was a former school teacher who loved history. As we traveled to the site we learned about about the history of the area and of the Rosedown Plantation State Historic Site. We passed through sugar cane fields and crossed the Mississippi River before arriving at the beautiful home and gardens. Daniel and Martha Turnbull began construction on the main house at Rosedown in 1834 and furnished it with furnishings brought from Europe. Many of the original pieces are still on display at Rosedown.
Entertainment that night was Cajun and Zydeco music by Bruce Daigrepont. He told us their costumes were “Country Mardis Gras” costumes. The music was fun and he was a great story teller.
I posted about some of our previous travels along Mississippi River at A River Runs Through It.
Next up – More of our adventure on the Big Muddy in the state of Mississippi.
Wandering Dawgs 