New Orleans - Swamp Tour

 

We thought we would tour on an 'air boat' but not quite!

We did see bald eagles, turtles and many alligators.

There is an alligator hunting season.  This was a hunters cabin -

until Hurricane Ida.

After posing, he split.

New Orleans - Sea Plane ride

A wonderful tour.

We were lucky to be able to do this tour since they have just been able to open up recently after Hurricane Ida, and their area was not hit too badly.

It was so interesting to hear them describe how they experienced the hurricane - watching the debris blow past their building, and wondering if they should evacuate. They spent one night at their daughters house, but had to return to work the next day as their planes were needed in helping in the recovery process. 

We have been to New Orleans before, but never realized that they had a downtown with high rise buildings (ha!)

The structure in the foreground is a pumping station ( the largest in the world) that

was put in after Hurricane Katrina.  It  pumps 10,000 gallons of water per second.

 This storm surge wall  and the pumping station were installed after Katrina and has helped control the flooding significantly.

They say that Ida was as bad as or worse than Katrina, but the damage has been much less.

Blue tarps distribution- it is interesting how some neighborhoods have so many and others were not hit too hard.

It is always so amazing to witness the devastation.

This area probably had over 5 feet of water just a month ago.

We have helped in several of these disasters with Samaritan's Purse and it is interesting to see it from the air.

Here's where this boat landed!

(reminds me of the lava in Hawaii surrounding a solitary house)

 

Natchez, Mississippi (Older than New Orleans)

 The Stanton House Tour

This is one of the most opulent antebellum mansions to survive in the South.

Most of the elegant buildings in Natchez are of the Greek Revival period.

Beautiful care and upkeep has been provided by the Pilgrimage Garden Club.

The house across the street hasn't had the best of care 

but it typical of many of the old houses.

Yes, it is tilting that much!

No money was spared in the building of this house.

Many mirrors were imported from France in the early 1800's

Some are in original condition,(bad) and the ones here have been restored.

The ceiling fixture here is made from plaster and horsehair 

(sometimes human hair)

The upstairs hallway is 72 feet long and 15 feet wide.

All the wallpaper has been hand-painted by a famous artist, 

and you could buy some yourself for $40,000.

The detail is incredible.

After the owners died, the garden club had turned the place into B&B for a time.

The step/chamber pot is here for antiquities sake.

Horse and Buggy ride tour

Go, Clyde  (he has to be bribed with carrots first)

He is a Haflinger horse, outperforms his working partners, and he always likes to be in front of the other buggies.

He is half Haflinger and half Arab - very energetic.

Kind of a fun ride!

Thanks, Clyde!

Yes, it has gotten much wider now.

They say it is 1 mile wide and 1 mile deep.

Well, probably not that deep.

St. Ann's Church

The super-rowdy 'neighborhood' of Natchez in on the river front, and was frequented by gamblers, river pirates, highwaymen, and prostitutes.

Jim Bowie and his knife were made famous here in Natchez when he was involved in a brawl that broke out between two dueling parties on a sandbar in the river.

He was shot twice, stabbed with a cane sword, but killed the attacker and maimed another with his knife.

Short version is: He got into a gun fight but won it with his knife!

Later he recovered in Natchez and moved to Texas, fought in the Alamo

where he died.

This is the now famous "Jim Bowie Knife"

We enjoyed browsing The UNDER-THE-HILL SALOON

The oldest continuously operated saloon on the Mississippi River.

The very high ceiling is covered in folded up dollar bills, 

tis a contest to get it up and get it to stick with only a thumbtack.

The bartender was nice to demonstrate.

Then they ring the bell for all to cheer!

This African Face Mask didn't fare so well

We met a nearly toothless local gentleman who stopped us and explained the shortage of dentists in the old days.  He said that his parents lived across the river in rural Louisiana. When they needed to see a dentist they had to ride horseback to get to the river, take a ferry and then come to the 'Painless Dentist" here above the saloon in Natchez, Mississippi.

Vicksburg, Mississippi

Vicksburg National Military Park

In memory of the sacrifices made from both sides

Vicksburg was vital to the victory in the Civil War.

General Grant infiltrated the Confederate territory and a Siege lasted for 47 days

before a negotiated surrender took place.

Illinois State Monument

This building is 1/4 scale of the Pantheon in Rome

(The guide said that when it rains, the rain bounces on the marble floor)

These Ironclad Gunboats made wooden warships obsolete.

Both North and South rushed to build these.  

This one sunk in 1862 while mine-clearing.  It was found and restored in 1956.

The hole in the front was where it ran into the mine.

Cairo is pronounced "Kay-row" in these parts!

It took 2000 pounds of coal per hour to power this paddle wheel gunboat.

The remains of the paddle-wheels.

Lunch! at an Antebellum Mansion

Ceiling piece of the chandelier- made with marble dust and molasses 

(and some other ingredient that we can't remember)

Rug made by hand-very, very small stitches

Curtains - copied after Blue Room in the White House

The house had interesting collections of many different things --

but this one is a show stopper.

Apparently the owner was having a 'bad day' and when he saw this photo, it totally changed his mood! 

Vicksburg city murals