Mississippi River Tour (July 4th cont.)

It was a very leisurely 1.5 hour tour. While the tour guide shared some history and interesting facts, it really was more about enjoying The Mighty Mississippi.

We saw many barges and tugboats chugging along. Vicksburg acts as a massive supply "stop" for a lot of carriers. I say "stop" because the system they use to do this is quite fascinating. Carriers send word ahead of what they need and there are boats in Vicksburg waiting for them. These boats carry mail, months of groceries, gas, mechanical parts, medical supplies and care as well as numerous other items that can be requested. The boats go out to the barges and service them so that the barge never has to dock or even slow down. Its a moving resupply stop!

When you look down at the water, you are reminded of its strength. Just look at these currents... (and no, those aren't generated by any boat!!)

As we went under a bridge, he told us that this set of bridges were the MOST hit along the Mississippi. Because there is a bend in the river there, it often makes it difficult for boats carrying a heavy load to make the turn. You can see dents and scratches in the cement pillars. He also said that very often barges and their cargo will sink. Because of the depth of the water, the traffic and the currents they are usually left at the bottom of the river until it goes down. Its is very consuming process of both time and money to pull them up!

We saw lots of people camping out along the shore and on sand bars. They were enjoying their holiday weekend and getting ready to watch the fireworks. My Mom shared many memories of doing the same thing during her youth.

We also saw an awesome sunset. It was a nice way to end a lazy boat tour.

As we headed back to the dock, we passed the fireworks barge. That was our cue that they were setting up for the show!!!
We made our way back to the car to get water and our lawn chairs. The area was now packed with a spectators, kids running around with flags, tailgaters and ice chests. There was a local band playing to keep folks entertained until the sun went down. We found a place high up so that we could make a quick escape to the car to beat some of the traffic.

They put on quite a show from that barge. All the fireworks went out over the river and they went on forever!!! I took pictures but they didn't come out very well.

After enjoying the show, we drove to Jackson and spent the night in a hotel. After breakfast the next morning, my parents took me to the Jackson airport for my flight home. It was a great trip. It was a nice mixture of lazy relaxation and touristy fun. We even threw in a little educational history too!!! Thanks again Mom and Dad... I love you!

Vicksburg National Military Park... (July 4th cont.)

For those of you that aren't familiar with that area, here is a brief history:

Vicksburg was a crucial area for the Confederate Army because it allowed them to control about 8 miles of the Mississippi River. This meant they controlled the supply lines in and out and basically blocked any access that the Union Army might have to send supplies and soldiers up from the Gulf. It is also what joined the two halves of the Southern Army. Because of this, it was a target for the Union. President Lincoln was quoted as saying, "Vicksburg is the key. The war can never be brought to a close until the key is in our pocket." So, he sent General Ulysses S. Grant on a mission to capture this town. After the Union gained control of New Orleans, they had basically surrounded the Confederacy in Vicksburg. From May 18- July, 4 1863 Vicksburg was under siege. There was constant cannon bombardment and gunshots fired killing many soldiers and civilians. However, the South wouldn't give up and the Union began to realize that they couldn't be beaten by military activity alone. President Lincoln sent an order to cut off Vicksburg from its supply lines and back-up soldiers. This meant that the town basically began to die due to starvation and lack of medical care. After 47 days, Confederate General Pemberton surrendered the city and his 30,000 troops. The Union now had full control of the Mississippi River and split the Confederacy in two, cutting it off from its Western allies. The South would never regain Vicksburg or The Mississippi River.

At the same time that Vicksburg fell, so did Gettysburg. The combination of these two Union victories are considered the turning point of the Civil War.

The Battle of Vicksburg involved so many different types of warfare and strategy that it is still studied by military analysts and scholars. The day Vicksburg fell was July 4th, 1863. Because of that strong Southern Pride, the city of Vicksburg didn't celebrate July 4th for almost 100 years because of the other meanings that day held for them. It wasn't until a Proclamation by the the President (FDR) forced them to do so. There are some die hard folks from Vicksburg that still don't!! Which is why I mentioned that is was kind of ironic that we chose this town to be our July 4th trip. So, now you have been caught up on the significance of Vicksburg... on to our trip.

After leaving The Tomato Place, we headed to the National Military Park in Vicksburg. It is a very interesting place that has obviously been given much thought and planning. When you first arrive, you enter the Visitor's Center. Just outside the VC, there were some men playing roles of the men that once fought there. They interacted with visitor's and answered questions.


Once inside the VC, you can watch a short movie about the history of the park. Then you purchase a CD and jump back into your car for a narrated 2 hour driving tour. It is really a brilliant idea. There is no way someone could cover that much ground on foot- especially when the humidity is so thick you can see it! I had done this tour once before as a child so I offered to drive so that my Dad could enjoy it more.

You can tell that there were many hours of study and planning put into the park. There is a marker for just about every sneeze a soldier made during battle. Every trench is marked Confederate or Union and there are statues to mark positions of different state infantries. The voice on the CD explains the historical significance of all of these blended with interesting tidbits, quotes and stories.

There are about 20 stops along the route that you can get out an explore. We got out at the very first stop because they were firing a cannon! It was really interesting.

Of course, all I could think of was... "those poor guys in this heat wearing heavy wool uniforms!!"

Here is a video of the cannon blast...

After that stop, we realized how much we enjoyed the A/C in the car... so we only got out one more time!! After winding through the tour for another hour or so, we came to the USS Cairo. We got out for this one because it is so interesting. The USS Cairo was an ironclad gunboat used during the war. It sank in the Mississippi and laid there for over 100 years. Then there was a pain-staking, slow project that took place to bring it to the surface. After being reconstructed, it is on display and really, really interesting...

When you look at the amount of wood and iron on this thing- its a wonder it floated!!! It was used by the Union during the efforts to take Vicksburg. During battle it was hit with two massive explosions in its hull. Within twelve minutes the ironclad sank into six fathoms (36 feet) of water without any loss of life. Cairo became the first ship in history to be sunk by an electrically detonated torpedo.

One of the very last places you visit on the tour is the cemetery. Its a very haunting place that makes you realize the human toll that war takes. The narrator explains that you notice two different heights of gravestones... the taller ones are for those that were identified and the shorter ones belong to Unknown soldiers. It is at that point that you realize that the short far outweigh the taller ones.

After finishing the tour, we headed to downtown Vicksburg. We found a parking place and headed to dinner at a restaurant in the main strip along the river. I enjoyed some nice Southern Fried Catfish and again, we enjoyed the cool A/C. After dinner, we went down to the lake shore to hop on our riverboat tour...

"The Tomato Place"...

Sorry about the delay... I got a little sidetracked with my blog because of the arrival of little Dylan. He wasn't actually "due" until yesterday, so the Monday arrival caught me off guard! Congratulations again to Kara & Mike... now, on to finish the story of my Mississippi trip!

After researching some places to go for the 4th, we decided on historic Vicksburg. My Mom knows how much I enjoy planning trips, so she asked me to do some research and map out our day in Vicksburg. I jumped on the computer and did just that! I found us a fun place to eat lunch, got the details on the National Military Park, booked a river tour and found out about the July 4th fireworks celebration. Mom made us a hotel reservation for that night and my Dad was our driver, so we were all set! We hit the road Saturday morning and made the 2-ish hour trip. Our first stop would be "The Tomato Place" for lunch.

I found out about "The Tomato Place" on the Vicksburg visitors website. It had a write up that made it sound like a place we didn't want to miss. It said it was a "Caribbean/New Orleans themed “funky little shack” hidden under the guise of a roadside produce stand." For our lunch it promised a "full menu including salads, signature sandwiches and po-boys, and lunches featuring in-season vegetable sides. Fresh cut fries, regular and sweet potato. You haven’t had a BLT until you’ve tried ours made with a “Real Tomato” – certified by a real old-timer. Fresh squeezed lemonade and iced tea. Leave room for what we’ve got baking in the oven." Sounded perfect!!! However, when we got there.... well....

You would have missed the place on the highway if you weren't actually looking for it. It was a colorful but run down shack. Outside it had random and eclectic artwork, junk, handmade birdhouses mixed in with a few stands of fresh produce. We just kind of looked at each other wondering if we wanted to go inside. I think my Dad was pretty hungry by that point, so he was the one who finally said, "Let's give it a try!" My Mom and I reluctantly followed. I have to say now... thank you Dad. It turned out to be a real diamond in the rough and I am so glad we went in!!! It was a true taste of The South.

The inside was just as run down as the outside and had no A/C (in the muggy Mississippi summer heat). However, once you got past that, you saw lots of vegetables, fruit, fresh baked bread and random food items. They even had bottles of "Mississippi Fever" which they explained was a homemade recipe of a "sweet & spicy sauce for meat".

Most walls were covered by shelves of homemade canned goods including jams, preserves, pickled veggies and honey with the comb. Walls that didn't have shelves for food were painted in random, bright paint colors like yellow, red and blue. They were weathered, rickety and covered in random dusty, pictures and newspaper clippings. For those of you have ever read the book , "The Secret Life of Bees", this is exactly what I pictured as where August, May and June Boatwright lived.


We made our way through the store front and in the back was a very small room with about 3 tables. We decided this must be the "restaurant" part of The Tomato Place". We ordered our lunch and sat down taking in our surroundings. We were joined by a few locals. With thick Southern accents, they would order a slice of Tomato Pie and Sweet Tea. The waitresses were casual and playfully gave attitude to the patrons.

One part of the website write-up I didn't mention was it said, "Open air seating available." We soon realized what that meant... there were no windows. I mean there were openings FOR windows, but no glass or screens. They had wooden swinging doors in front that had been pulled back to allow a little bit of breeze and a whole lot of humidity in!

When our food arrived, we were pleasantly surprised. I had ordered a Turkey Club sandwich with Sweet Potato Fries and the fries were PILED on top of the sandwich and tasted awesome.


Mom had ordered their famous BLT and my Dad had ordered a barbecue plate and some of their freshly squeezed Limeade. As a side dish for my Dad's bbq and on our sandwiches were massive slices of fresh tomatoes. They were at least an inch think and 4 or 5 inches wide!

I had also ordered one of their freshly made fruit smoothies... it was to.die.for.yummy. I have never had a smoothie so yummy- it was made with fresh strawberries, cantaloupe and lightly sweetened with honey and I don't even have the words for the sweet yumminess it provided. (How many times can I use the word "yummy" to explain this smoothie??)

After enjoying an unexpectedly wonderful lunch, we were dripping sweat but our tummies were full. We said our goodbyes to The Tomato Place. We silently apologized for judging it by the outside and vowed to return again someday. We welcomed the cool A/C in the car as we headed to the Vicksburg National Military Park.

I am not biased...

I just had to share some more Dylan cuteness...

Look at that expression!!! I see a lot of his Daddy in that picture. I am pretty sure I have even seen Mike make that same mischievous grin.

While talking to Kara's Mom today, I was gushing about adorable Dylan. Then I said, "Of course, I could be a little biased." Suzanne just laughed and said, "NO- for as long as I have known you, I have known you to be a level-headed smart girl." Well said Mimaw... I don't think you are biased either!

Happy Birthday Dylan!!!

A few hours after I got home from my trip to see my parents, I hopped on the computer at home. I had been off and on email and Facebook during my visit but since we traveled our last day, I hadn't checked in. Boy, did I miss a big announcement!!! One of my very best friends had gone into labor!!! You might remember my past blog entries talking about Kara (aka Jillian, Jr.). When I visited her in Boston last year, she told me that she and her husband Mike were expecting their first child!!! I was over the moon for them! In many, many ways, Kara is like a sister to me. We lived together for a few years during her college days and have remained really close since then. Just over 10 years ago, she moved to Boston. I made the move with her in a U-Haul in what can only be described as a "Thelma & Louise" adventure. (Except minus the part about running into a young Brad Pitt and although we came close in W. Virginia, we didn't drive off a cliff together.) We have remained in touch and seen each other as much as possible through the years.

When I first met Mike, I knew he was special and I knew I would be seeing a lot of him in future years. Kara couldn't have found a better life partner and mate. They compliment each other so well. They are so completely opposite in many ways and yet, they make perfect sense. I have seen how Mike supports and loves her. They make a great team and a great couple. They will also make great parents... which leads me to the topic of this blog entry.

Kara's due date was July 8th but as with most first babies, we knew it could be any day now. So, we have been on Baby Watch for the past few days. A very calm Kara posted on Facebook Sunday morning: "...wondering what I should do today. Hmmm...maybe I'll have a baby! Water broke about half an hour ago and, after breakfast, I'll be heading to the hospital! Not looking forward to those contraction things!" WOW!!! Well, by the time I got home and saw this, it was about 8 hours old!!

I immediately sent Mike and Kara a text message to get the lowdown. They couldn't talk at the moment, but Mike replied by telling me she was being induced and they were still waiting for progress. I sent my love and told them to keep me updated. Since I consider Kara a sister, I felt like my nephew was being born!!!

A few hours later I got a phone call from a very calm Kara. She was enjoying the benefits of the epidural but no baby yet. We were interrupted by a doctor's visit. We quickly agreed that no matter the time, they would call when there was news. I went to bed that night with my cell phone on my bedside table and the ringer set to "high"!! And then it happened...

At 1:22Am, my phone rang. I answered with a groggy voice and Kara just said sweetly, "He's here..." My heart overflowed. It had been a long day for her and Mike but she was holding their reward. She began to fill me in on the stats: Born at 1:36 AM (Boston time) weighing 7 lbs and 4 ozs. She said he had brown hair and blue eyes. Then she told me the secret that we had all been waiting for- his name. Please let me introduce everyone to...

Dylan Thomas Hines

Beautiful name for a beautiful baby boy.

Welcome to the world Little Man. Even before you made your grand entrance, you were already loved by so many people. We are all excited you have joined us. I look forward to watching you grow, celebrating your milestones and seeing how you change your parents.

Jason and I can't wait to meet you when we visit in September!!!

Congratulations Mom & Dad... you make one cute baby!! I love you both.

My trip to The Homeland...

Okay- well not REALLY my Homeland. I haven't ever lived in Hattiesburg, MS with my parents but Mississippi is where my Mom is originally from, so the state has always been a part of my life. I flew out last Wednesday evening and stayed through Sunday morning for the holiday weekend. Jason wasn't able to get as much time off work, so he made plans with some old friends in Uvalde and Pipe Creek.

Overall, I don't consider my job fairly stressful. However, at the end of each quarter I do have a crunch time of closing out things, figuring commissions, checking figures and tying up lose ends so that the new quarter can begin. Well, when I booked my flights for this trip, I didn't consider that I would be leaving on the day that I needed to close the 2nd Quarter!! So, somehow I manage to get that done, leave early, go home and meet Kasi for my ride to the airport for a 6:30 flight. Needless to say, by the time I got into Jackson at 10:30, I was beat. Then we made the 1.5 hour drive to my parent's home in Hattiesburg. My mom had to teach the next morning, so I slept in until 10AM. For those of you that don't know me... I am an early riser. It is very, very rare that I sleep past 8AM, so I really needed the sleep!!!

I always enjoy time at my parents home because it is relaxing. We all enjoy reading, so I get time to do that as well as just lounge with the folks. It might bore some folks to tears, but I love it. This trip was no different.

After I got out of bed that first morning and my Dad greeted me by jokingly saying, "Good Afternoon", I had some breakfast. Their breakfast area has a nice bay window that their cats often enjoy. For their viewing pleasure, my parents provide the neighborhood squirrels with sunflowers seeds!

The cats and the squirrels have quite a relationship that includes taunting each other and seeing who is tougher!! Here is Hattie staking her claim to the squirrel on the ledge.

Hattie stalking the squirrel...

"BOO!! That's right squirrel... run, run far away!!!"

Hattie- don't be so sure you won this round. Look behind you!!!

Later that day, Mom came home from school so we headed out and enjoyed a nice lunch. It gave us some Girl Time so we could catch up. And what Girl Time would be complete without a pedicure!? So, we did just that.

The rest of the evening was relaxing and lazy. The next day was similar. We did venture out for lunch though. We went to this local hole-in-the-wall place with YUMMY Po' Boys. I enjoyed a wonderful Shrimp Po' Boy with a side of my favorite dessert... sweet tea!

That evening we took it easy. Mom grilled some steaks and we called it an early night... the next day we were heading on a mini-trip to celebrate July 4th. And we went to a very ironic place... check out the next blog to find out WHY it was ironic!!!