March in Mississippi Mar 21-24

 I left Friday morning for the 500 mile drive to Wolf Lake and Park & Cindy''s house  near Yazoo City, Mississippi.  It is a long day but I made it with no problems.  We went to P-Reaux's for a great supper at a unique place.  I had a dozen oysters on the half-shel and boiled crawfish (all I could eat).  This hole-in-the-wall place does them as well as I've ever had and I used to live in New Orleans.

P-Reaux's, Yazoo City

Cindy and I shared 3 pounds of crawfish.  We didn't finish it all.

We also shared 2 dozen oysters.  I think I had more than my share!

Park & Cindy at P-Reaux's.  It is a real neighborhood place and they knew almost everyone.  They are Friday night regulars.

Saturday was a restful day, just hanging out around the house.  Late in the afternoon, we went to a neighbors for a crawfish boil.  More regional goodness and good company.

Crawfish boil at the neighbors.  They have a beautiful place. 

We ate casually in the garage/back patio.

From the Taylor's gallery (back porch)

The "back" of their house faces the lake and is the living space.

Wolf Lake and their dock.  Water level is high due to recent storms.

Their garden

Sunday morning after breakfast, I said goodbye to Park and Cindy and made my way to Melanies, traveling part of the way on the Natchez Trace. Melanie and I went out for lunch at her favorite Mexican restaurant. Late in the afternoon, we went to Brenda's for supper. Melanie did not spend the night, but I did.  

I picked up Melanie on Monday morning and we made the long drive back to Tennessee.  She will spend the week with me.

New Year Day 153 - March 13

 Trump Regime - Day 51

In addition to illegal firing of federal workers and dismantling of Congressionally approved agencies and withholding Congressionally approved appropriations, the Trump Regime is mounting a concerted attack on the First Amendment.  On March 7, I posted to Facebook the text of the First Amendament without comment:

"The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or of the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for the redress of grievances."

On March 11 I reposted the First Amendment text with the following comment: "I seems that every day we are hearing of a new assault on the Freedoms it guarantees. Without it we do not have a democratic republic."

On March 13, I reposted again with this comment: "The First Amendment was written for such a time as this. Our founders feared a strong executive. Pay attention. If we lose our First Amendment rights of religion, speech, press and assembly, we are truely lost. This regime is challenging it every day in the quest for power."

The most recent assault is the Regime's lawsuits against the lawyers and law firms who have successfully brought cases against him. He should lose again as the suits clearly have no legal basis. The lower courts are consistently ruling against his executive orders.  As of March 6, more than 100 lawsuits have been filed against the regime: 30 related to immigration, 20 challenging Musk's DOGE, 10 challenging policies related to transgender and 20 opposing changes to funding, hiring & firing and dismantling of agencies, like USAID, approved by Congress. Of those which have recieved a ruling, Trump has won only a small handful. It remains to be seen whether he will abide by the court's rulings. So far, all are under appeal. 

A court has just ruled that most of those who were fired must be reinstated as the firings did not follow proper, legal procedure.  The latest attack on lawyers goes to the heart of the rule of law.  These are SCARY TIMES, even more so than in the 1960s. Then we witnessed riots, beatings, burnings and assassinations. Somehow, it seems that it was all endured to promote human rights and the general welfare, not to dismantle the government.

Gardening is Holy Work

Gardening is Holy Work

On grass-stained knees
With dirty hands
Earth-scent filling the air

Humbly submitting to rain

and sun and drought and cold

To bugs and bunnies taking their share

To being one with all creation.

Gardening is Holy Work.

(March 11, 2025)

March 8 - Before

March 10 - Preparing the ground

March 11 - A beginning, greens in the ground
(buttercrunch and romaine lettuce, swiss chard and spinach plus parsley and kale)

March 11 - First shoots of asparagus

Fifty years ago we began gardening in this spot on Shalom Farm, in cooperation with Anna and Jake Smith whose farm it was.  Bill and I later bought 2 acres from them that included our little house and the garden plot.

Going Home

Day 10, March 3 Skidaway - Covington

We started the journey home with a lot of discussion about which route to take home.  Could we avoid Atlanta altogether? No. We decided to take I-16 out of Savannah and then go cross country to hit I-20 outside of Augusta. Our target was the Hampton Inn in Covington where we stayed Day 1. The plan more or less worked. We found a beautiful little state part on our route, Magnolia Springs just off US 25. We stopped there for a leisurely lunch break.  We travelled 246 miles over 6 1/2 hours.

The light blue-green in the center is the spring source.

Day 11, March 4 Home

We left Covington at 10 am, hoping we would go around Atlanta at an off-peak time.  The traffic, construction and congestion were harrowing anyway. It took us about 1 1/2 hours on I-20 to I-285 (east beltway) to I-75 to get out of the heavy traffic.  After a brief lunch and gas stop north of Chattanooga, we made it home at 3:40.  We travelled 244 miles today.

Trip Total : 11 Days, 1823 miles

Skidaway Island State Park, Savannah, Mar 1-3

 D8: Traveling I-95 North

We got ourselves going a little faster this morning since we had a long day of driving ahead (by our RV standards, anyway). We said good-bye to Kevin and pulled out at 8:40. After a brief stop for Egg McMuffins, we were on I-95 Northbound. Our starting mileage of 117,113 showed us that we had traveled 104 miles since we exited I-95 on Wednesday.

We stopped for our picnic at Blythe Island Regional Park, exit 29, outside of Brunswick. It was a charming park, complete with a marina and camping, located on the South Brunswick River.  

By 2:30 we were getting back on 95 bound for Skidaway Island State Park. GPS said we have 80 miles to go. That 80 took us 2 hours due to traffic jams. We travelled 287 miles today.

I guess Savannah has just expanded out to this island. The park is practically in the suburbs, but you wouldn't know it once you are inside its boundaries. The campsites are spacious and quiet with a jungle feel. We had salmon filets, green beans cooked on the campstove, and a microwave sweet potato dish.  Once again we had to eat inside away from the gnats. By 8 pm we were ready to settle in with our books and computer.

Day 9: Skidaway Island State Park

After drinking a sufficient amount of coffee, I was ready to cook a full camp breakfast (9 am). We were comfortable through the night and not too cold.  Bill's little heater worked well to dispel the morning chill. After breakfast and clean-up we took a hike.  I cannot resist a trail called the Avian Loop. It was flat, clean dry trail through scrub forest and over boardwalks through the marsh. The turning point of the loop was at the river - Skidaway Narrows. This was the site of Confederate earthworks and gun batteries as part of Savannah's defense. That defense was broken when Gen. Sherman culminated his destructive "March to the Sea" across Georgia.

The Avian Trail was pleasant, but did not produce any birds of interest, the closest being what I believed to be a Wood Thrush that briefly flitted onto our path and flew away before I could raise my camera. To compensate for lack of birds, I photographed some lovely marsh scenes. We walked a bit more than 2 miles in a bit more than 2 hours. After late lunch we were ready to do nothing for the rest of the afternoon.

The river is the Skidaway Narrows

More photos:

https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipND8oVUw-clm0RCuEXrdqSOl-YqDpgXc-QnS4hP

New Year Day 142, March 2

On election day, November 5, 2024, I wrote a post in which I said that our nation was at the beginning of a new era.  (https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/3321957526055752851/4388781177987208699?hl=en). I following that with my reflections over the next 9 days.  I didn't continue specific NY posts, but I continued to follow and monitor the increasingly alarming events as the Trump Regime took office on January 20 with the signing of 73 executive orders in the first 30 days and additional ones since then.

On March 2, I felt compelled to again record my response to this dangerous regime:

Trump Regime, Day 42

    In the 6 weeks since his inauguration, Trump has made a mockery and shambles of our democratic norms and institutions while his collaborators in the House and Senate remain silent and his MAGA cultists cheer him on. The indiscriminate firing and budget cuts by Musk and his minions at DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency - created by Trump) will wreak havoc with people's lives and local economies. The latest offense to Democracy occcurred last Friday when Trump and Vance bullied and insulted President Volodomir Zelensky in the Oval Office, with cameras running, because he did not sufficiently kowtow to them.  It is going to get worse before it gets better.

I have renamed DOGE to DOGIE (pronounced dodgy) - Department of Government Inefficiency.  Later I learned that others were doing the same.

Even if the courts rule that Trump's and Musk's action are illegal, who will inforce the order, he has dismanted much of the professional staff of the FBI and replaced with his stooges.

How long before his MAGA cultists turn on him?

Day 7: Orlando Wetlands (not in Orlando)

 Day 7: Friday, February 28 - Economic Boycott Day - Orlando Wetlands

We tried not to spend any money today but we needed gas and lunch.  We bought our lunch from Popeye's Fried Chicken which has many black-owned franchises, managers and customers.

Kevin had recommended that we visit Orlando Wetlands outside of Titusville.  It provides natural water treatment for the city of Orlando with an extensive wetland and pond system.  It is home to a great variety of waterfowl and wildlife.  Instead of driving the levees as we did at Merritt Island, visitors walk or take an electric tram.  The trams were busy! We chose to walk the 3-mile birding loop.

Walking along the levee, we encountered alligators up close. Visitors were warned to stay at least 25 feet away and we tried to do that! We saw an abundance of wading and swimming birds, little songbirds flitting in the trees, various blackbirds, vultures and osprey of course. As we neared the end of the first loop, we had to decide which fork to take to return to the parked RV. The longer path included a boardwalk which I had heard was not to be missed. Of course I didn't want to miss out, so I took the boardwalk path.  Bill had seen enough and took the more direct path back. 

Just before that same junction, we came upon the pair of Sandhill Crane and their two chicks. They literally walked along with us for about 100 feet - very up close and personal. That encounter was worth the whole trip to me.

My path also took me took close to a couple of very large alligators snoozing in the warm sun. They definitely were not interested in me, but I gave them as wide a berth as possible. To get to the boardwalk ahead, I had to pass by this big fellow.

From the boardwalk, I looked across to a cypress island where hundred of large wading birds have made their rookery - Wood storks, American Egrets, Snowy Egrets and especially Roseatte Spoonbills. On the nests were young birds, fledged and just beginning to test their legs and wings. Just a few feet away from the boardwalk, a juvenile Spoonbill treated me to a show as he/she was learning the Spoonbill feeding technique.  This along with the Sandhill chicks, made this day memorable. 

More photos of the day are on my blog at:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ApgJfUzCsTdNhNmDA

20 bird species identified today and 23 alligator sightings:

White Ibis    American Egret    Limpkin    Anhinga    Coot        Snowy Egret    Blue Heron    Boat-tailed Grackle    Bronze Grackle    Common Grackle    Blue-winged Teal    Red-winged Blackbird    Blackbird    Osprey    Sandhill Crane    Wood Stork    Roseatte Spoonbills    Black Vultures.

The 3.5 mile walk took me about 3 hours.  I was really tired by the end but it was worth it!

After lunch at Popeye's we were back to our "campsite" at Kevins to do laundry, shower and prepare for the next day's travel.  We had plenty of left-overs from two nights eating out to make our supper.