Natchez, MS

We are now in Natchez, MS. Actually we are staying across the Mississippi in Vidalia, La. For those of you in the Sacramento area that is like staying in Yolo county. It is very poor here, not the best neighborhood. Nevertheless, the RV park is nice.

Yesterday, the 28th, we took a bus tour with Miss Betty Lou and toured the streets of Natchez and walked the city cemetery. It was very cold and I personally returned to the warmth of the bus even though Miss Betty Lou, Blue as she was called was very interesting. I just had to nurse my cold. Here are a few sights we saw along the way.

Yes, nice old mansions.

Y'all come back now.

Too cold to comprehend.

The sun came out but it was still cold.

Just can't look at the Missip. without taking a picture.

These barges amaze me. One barge carries the equivalent of 68 eighteen wheelers of cargo. Each tug pushes about 6 of these barges. Imagine! While in Vicksburg 5 barges got away from the tug and hit one of the pylons on the bridge. The bridge was closed for several hours while things got under control again. Traffic was backed up for miles at 4 p.m.

Well last night at 2:30 a monstrous gaggle of barges hit the bridge here. The corps of engineers closed the bridge until it was found to be safe. At 7 a.m. when we walked to the river for photos the barges were run aground. Later things got patched up.

Tug awaiting help.

The barge load is almost a mile long.

You can see the front is aground.

Last evening we attended a play. The Historic Natchez Tableaux of 2011. This has been going on since 1938. Put on by the ladies garden club, it is the place to be seen and if you have a child, it is the play to be seen in. It gives a history of Natchez from the white mans viewpoint. Somehow, I just don't think they quite get it. Of course, being a Yankee I probably don't understand. The kids were cute however and we did have a good time.

Well now maybe it's not all beautiful.

Tomorrow we tour some antebellum mansions. Natchez has so many mansions, because the inhabitants had the good sense to surrender when they had the chance.

See Ya! Barry and Shirley