Memorial Day 2007 In Park

Vicksburg National Military Park on Memorial Day 2007




This Cemetary has 18,244 interments and 12,954 are unidentified. Date of Civil War Interments - 1866-1874. Noticed all the graves have flags. They were placed there by the Boy Scouts.

Ron Kissing A Frog

This is my step-daughter's husband, Ron. He caught a frog in a brook below their log cabin in the woods outside of Las Vegas, NM.

Here is Ron kissing the frog! Have you ever seen anyone kiss a frog? We were vacationing with family four years ago when this was taken. Every time we go to Santa Fe, NM, we try to get a weekend trip to their two story log cabin, at the Cerro Bonito (Beautiful Hills) Ranch, in San Miguel County, New Mexico.

First Great Grandson!

TIDUS DAVID BARNHART!!
A picture with his eyes opened! Tidus will get to go home tomorrow and start his new life! Great Gran Gran loves you!

Happy Birthday Tidus David Barnhart

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO TIDUS DAVID BARNHART!
Tidus David is my first Great Grandchild and was born today at 2:38 p.m. at Lake Forest Hospital in Lake Forest, IL. He weighed 8 lbs. and 3 oz. and 19-1/2 inches long. He has brown hair. Mother and baby are doing fine. He is welcomed by his Dad, Ryan Barnhart, who is stationed in the Navy at Great Lakes, IL, his Grandmother (Nana) Kathleen Love Day and his Great Grandmother (Gran Gran) Marian Ann Phillips of Vicksburg, MS. His Great Grandfather, Jesse Aaron Boyd, Jr., of Vicksburg, MS and his Great Grandmother, Ruth Thomas of Louisiana.

Cousins, Sidney and I

A picture of Sidney Marzaret and I, at St. Vincent de Paul's Cemetery after the funeral of my cousin, Thomas Blanchard "Tom" Huff in April 2005. Tom was a gunnery sergeant in the Army in World War II and was awarded the Bronze Star. He was also a member of the Timberwolves, 104th Division. In August when Katrina hit, this cemetery went under water.

Cousin's Uncle Interred In National Cemetery

THE VICKSBURG NATIONAL CEMETERY

The tour of the park is a somber reminder of the struggle and price paid for our freedom and way of life.

 Vicksburg National Cemetery was established by an act of Congress in 1866. It has the distinction of having the largest number of Civil War interments of any national cemetery in the United States. Of the approximate 17,000 Union veterans, only 5,000 are known. There are no Confederate burials here. Confederate soldiers were interred at Cedar Hill Cemetery in the City of Vicksburg.  Also included in the cemetery are veterans from the Mexican and Spanish-American Wars, World Wars I and II, and the Korean Conflict.

I was informed by my cousin, Sidney Mazerat of New Orleans, that his Uncle, (my relative) was interred here on March 21, 1960. He is located at Plot: M 18001, Cpl, Hdqts Dt Base Sec 1 ASC.

Hometown Civil War History

I wanted to share a little bit of history of my hometown of Vicksburg. The Seige of Vicksburg was fought here and a park was established to commenorate one of the most decisive battles of the American Civil War. You can drive the 16-mile tour road through the Union and Confederate siege lines. A must-see if you are in this area.

The recovery of artifacts from the Cairo revealed a treasure trove of weapons, munitions, naval stores and personal gear of the sailors who served on board. The gunboat and its artifacts can now be seen along the tour road at the U.S.S. Gunboat Cairo Museum in the Vicksburg National Military Park.


A very impressive monument in the park that is called the Illinois State Memorial. This monument has 47 steps, one for every day Vicksburg was besieged. The eagle on top was taken down in April 1996 and re-gilded by artisans. The gold leaf will last for approximately 75 years. (Noticed the bird on the eagle's wing)



A statue of Ulysses S. Grant who was the leading Union General in the American Civil War, capturing Vicksburg in 1863.

A displayed of cannons that can be seen at the Visitors Center in the Vicksburg National Military Park.

Dancing Instructors

PRESENTING MY DANCING INSTRUCTORS!


Jim Frechette owns the Applause Dance Factory in Ridgeland, MS and comes to Vicksburg twice a month to teach ballroom dancing at the Southern Cultural Heritage Complex, which so happens to be where I went to school for 12 years in one city block. It was once called St. Francis Xavier Academy and run by the Sisters of Mercy.


A picture of Sam Wong and I that was taken a few years ago around Christmas time at the Senior Center. I have actually known both Sam and Roy for approximately nine years now. Sam re-married about four years ago to Grace, who also loves to dance.


Roy Campbell recently re-married a nice lady by the named of Sandy from Jackson. He and Sandy are making their home in Clinton, MS and will visit us from time to time at the Senior Center here in Vicksburg and once a month at the Mississippi Country and Western Dancers' Association (member), which is held at the Madison Square Center for the Arts in Madison, MS. Our line dance teacher is Kay Bennett and I regretfully do not have a picture of her at this time. She volunteers her time at the Senior Center and works for the Federal Government. Sam and Roy are both retired Federal employees.

8 Random Facts About Me

Eight Random Facts About Me
It's a meme, but it's a good way to learn about fellow bloggers deep, dark secrets...

The Rules: Players start with 8 random facts about themselves. Those who are tagged should post these rules and their 8 random facts. Players should tag eight other people and notify them that they have been tagged.
Rex at Deer Camp Blog has tagged me.
1. I want disclosed all my deep dark secrets but do have a few. I don’t smoke. I did try it when I was about 16 years old, at a girls slumber party, but did not like the taste. My first and second husbands smoked.
2. I really enjoy deer hunting. This sport has opened up a whole new world for me and has given me a lot of confidence. I can’t get enough of it and enjoyed being in the outdoors and being close to God‘s creatures.
3. People may think I am a little eccentric, but I am as cunning as a fox.
4. I am a romantic, but not in a romantic relationship. I’m in a caring one.
5. I want to go up in a hot air balloon before I die.
6. I would like to travel to see the Grand Canyon; the State Parks in the United States and travel to all the states I have not seen. I would also love to go on an Alaskan cruise one day.
7. I love music and enjoy line-dancing, rock & roll and ballroom dancing. It keeps me physically fit and puts me in another world.
8. I have met a lot of friends via my Website, My Space and the Blog. It energizes me and makes me happy to get to know people. Through the years I have grown to developed true friendships near and afar.
Who to tag? -
1. Outdoors With Othmar Vohringer
2. Outdoors With Norm
3. Tricia Dishes
4. Linfy's Blog
5. Crossbow Hunting Peru
6. Charming, Just Charming
7. Cliff At Hunting Sense
8. Hog Guy
Hope you don't mind Rex..I used some of your Blog Friends!

Dad & Mom's Wedding Pix

While I am reminiscing of my childhood, I might as well post my Dad and Mom's picture taken on their wedding day back on February 3, 1940. They were married here in Vicksburg, MS. Dad was originally from New Orleans, LA and Mom was born in Franklin County, Arkansas.

Around 2 Years Of Age

Not sure when this picture was taken..could be around 2 years old.  Mother told me that when I was born she braided my hair at the hospital before she brought me home.

Picture Of My Siblings

Picture of me, my sister, Laura and my brother Marion, Jr., (Buster).
I actually remember when this was taken in the living room and we were sitting on a piano bench. A photographer had come to the house and he threw a white sheet over the door and put us in front of it. I believe I was about 5 years old, my sister 4 and my brother 1 year. Possibly taken in 1946.

Granddaughter, Candace

Candace Lynn Barnhart (my granddaughter) will be giving me my very first great-grandson any day now. I love this picture of her that she took of herself a few years ago. She and her husband (Ryan) live in Great Lakes, IL, where he is stationed in the Navy. I'm looking forward to the blessed day!

Last Picture With My Dad

Photo was taken by Bob of my Dad (Marion Edward Love, Sr.) and I, a few weeks before he past away in November 87'. I will always treasure this picture as long as I live. He was the first love of my life!

Who Is This?

WHO IS THIS????

Does anyone out there in BLOGLAND know this guy?

Passing Empty Barge While On Sweet Olive

On May 9th I took this picture of an empty barge headed to the Port of Vicksburg in the Yazoo River Diversion Canal (passing by Horizon Vicksburg Casino & Hotel) while headed towards the Mississippi River. My sorority, Pi Alpha Kappa, had planned this trip on the "Sweet Olive" which is a tourist excursion boat docked at the riverfront. We had a wonderful time going into the Mississippi River and under the two bridges at Vicksburg. This was our last meeting and we had brought food and wine aboard and had a wonderful time. We will meet again in September.

Bob Being Bad

BAD BOB!

I took this picture of Bob "showing off" when we lived in Hamilton Heights (The Flood Zone) back in the late 80's...he was rough and tough and ready for just about anything! He had a love/hate relationship with his employees since he hired and fired and had his life threaten on numerous occasions.

Visiting Daughter & Family

On our way back home from the wedding in Biloxi, MS, we stopped in Magee, MS, to visit my daughter Theresa and granddaugher, Sonya. Here are some pictures I took of the pets on the farm.

I enjoy taking pictures of old barns.

'Wind Walker'

Sonya with 'Creed'

Sonya will be attending University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg in August and will major in theater, drama and dance.

Congrats To Newly Weds

Mr. and Mrs. John Kirk Ring

John Kirk (my godson) was married Saturday on May 12, 2007, to the former Melissa Joy Kilpatrick at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church, Biloxi, MS, at 7:00 p.m. Parents of the Bride is Mr. & Mrs. Ronald Kilpatrick of Biloxi, MS and Parents of the Groom, Mr. & Mrs. Charles Ring, Sr., of Vicksburg, MS. The Reverend Patrick Mockler officiated the Nuptial Mass.

Kirk with his mother, Jeanette, my best friend.
Kirk is at Mississippi State pursuing his Doctorate of Philosophy in Business Administration with an Emphasis in Strategy and Entrepreneurship. He will graduate in May 2008. Melissa is a Dance Instructor. We wish the newly wed couple many happy years together and may God Bless Them!

I also want to share with you what Melissa and Kirk had to say on the back of their wedding ceremony brochure.

MRK

We are deeply humbled to be surrounded by so many dear friends and family as we say our vows and become united in marriage. Many of you have played significant roles in our lives by offering us love, support, and wisdom that have helped guide us to where we are today. A sincere thanks to everyone who helped make this day a cherished memory and especially those who have traveled from afar.

Love, Melissa and Kirk

Congrats Godchild!

John Kirk Ring (my Godchild) killed this big buck in south Warren County at 5:15 pm at the edge of a food plot. He found the right side of a shed that is very similar to this buck in March of 2005 while scouting for turkeys. The shed was found around 350 yards from where Kirk killed the buck. On December 23rd, he was climbing a tree when the deer came out trailing a doe and his gun was on the ground. He had to watch him trot by. The day that Kirk killed the buck, he hunted from sun up to sun down, and the buck finally walked out just before dark. It was 74 degrees that day with 20 mph winds.

9 point with an inside Spread: 19 1/2"

Beams: 23"

Weight: between 200 and 215 lb.

Kirk will be getting married this weekend to Melissa Kilpatrick in Biloxi, MS, at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church. Looking forward to being there for the wedding. His mother and I are the bestest of friends. May you and Melissa have a wonderful life together John Kirk!

Wishing Karen A Happy Birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAREN!

My favorite picture of my step-daughter Karen.

We were in Santa Fe, NM, visiting Karen at the time I took this picture in a restaurant of her with her Dad. We want to wish her a very Happy Birthday and looking forward to seeing her and visiting with family in September.

Thomas Blanchard Huff

I love this picture I took of my Dad's first cousin who had lived in New Orleans and was visitng us at the time of my youngest daughter's wedding. My Dad and he were like brothers, since my Dad was the only child. Thomas Blanchard "Tom" Huff was a gunnery sergeant in the Army in World War II and was awarded the Bronze Star. He worked for the railroad, managed apartments and was proprietor of Huff's Hardware. He was a member of AmVets, VFW Post 7194, the Disabled American Veterans, the American Legion and the Timberwolves, his infantry division. After his death in April 2005, I became the matriarch of the family.

Fabulous Weekend @ Camp

A Fabulous Weekend at the Christmas Place!

Bob and Rex getting ready to head out to explore the famous Christmas Place.

Denise and I ready to go and enjoy the day with them!

The Chief and Rex!

Rex has just launched "The Othmar"..... Yay Rex!

Camo taking at break at one of the Indian Mounds.

Rex and Bob at an Indian Mound.

Rex and I at the Indian Mound.

Rex stoking the camp fire that evening after having a wonderful adventure riding through the woods and checking all the deer stands at the famous Christmas Place Plantation Hunting Club.

I stopped along the way home to take this picture of a swamp after ending a wonderful weekend with the Howell Family at their Christmas Place Plantation Hunting Club on the edge of the Mississippi Delta. Thank you so much for your wonderful hospitality and new found friendship!

Uncle Clyde On Frisco Line

My Uncle Clyde was an engineer on the Frisco Lines and had the run from St. Louis, MO to Memphis, TN. When I went to visit them, my Aunt Ruby and I would get in their cadallic and drive down the road trying to keep up with the train and my Uncle would blow the whistle until he was out of site. At lot of fond memories back then. Both my Aunt and Uncle are gone now, but I will never forget them and the fun we had together during those summer months when I was out of school.

Uncle Clyde was also a Deputy back in Chaffee, Missouri and is giving his son-in-law, Carl a ticket. Of course, this was a joke!

Two Dogs Tall

'TWO DOGS'

In November 1981, my son Greg and I went hunting for the first time. We hunted at Brown’s Point, on Kings Point Island north of Vicksburg at the invitation of Willis Dykes, the camp manager. Before going out on the first hunt of the day we were told to shoot any deer, buck or doe, as long as it was two dogs tall. Greg and I were together in the stand when we turned and saw two does crossing the path. I had a double barrel shotgun and Greg had a .3030. I asked Greg if he thought the deer was two dogs tall and of course he responded with a, “yes Dad”. I said, “let them have it”. Greg hit and killed his deer on his first shot and I shot both barrels at my deer. I was shooting a 30-yard gun at 60 yards. The deer ran into the woods turned back and ran across the same path that he had just come from. I was wearing a shooting vest and I had shot shells, deer slugs and bird shot all on my vest. What I was going to do with all that, I don’t know! I’m short, squatty and muscular and I looked like Elmer Fudd. I grab my gun and chased my deer…I was shooting and running at the same time. Starting with my buckshot, my bird shot and my slugs. I cleaned myself out. On the last shot I had one slug and my deer stop and looked at me and I let it have it in the neck. (When I skinned the deer out, I found one hole in it and had missed the other shots). Greg and I pulled our deer together and rested our guns against them to take a picture. At that time, the man who manages the dogs came riding up on this horse. His name was “Wild Man”. He had a long beard and half the teeth on his right side were missing. He was intimidating! I asked him what he thought of our deer and he looked at the deer and deposited the results of his tobacco chew on the head of my deer. He then turned and rode away into the woods, never saying a word to us. I turned to Greg and said, “son we are in trouble”. All the hunters gathered together on the road and one of the hunters came up and said, “I didn’t know what was going on with all that shooting - I thought that the Yankee Bob Phillips wanted to start the Battle of Vicksburg all over again”. We all went back to the camp and hung up the deer. We had never done that either and gutted them and that is when the hunters picked up the blood and put it on us. (See picture). After that was all over, we went into the camp house to eat lunch and Willis said, “well TWO DOGS TALL, you got your deer and you got your southern nickname all at one time”. My license plate on my Toyota Tacoma is – you guessed it! TWODOGS

Congrats Linda!

Linda "Sunshine" Elliot, who lives in Mount Vernon, ME, sent me a story of her turkey hunt today via e-mail, that was taken in 2006 with her husband Bob. I wanted to share the story of her exciting hunt.

My husband, Bob, and I had been rolling out of bed long before dawn, off and on, for a week. It was the end of Maine's opening week of spring turkey hunting 2006. Bob had already tagged out on a nice Tom two days earlier, which he had called in while I was toiling away at work. Now it was Saturday and it was my turn to go after an Eastern Gobbler of my own.
We thought the birds would be roosted in the tall trees adjacent to one of the fields we frequently hunt. This had been one of those seasons when the turkeys just didn't want to cooperate and roost in the same area two nights in a row.
We set up our decoys in the field and concealed ourselves in a hedgerow along the edge. As dawn approached, the first gobbles of the morning echoed down the ridge. Unfortunately, the gobbles from the roosted birds were coming from a long way off. As time went by, it became obvious that, no matter what calls Bob made we were not going to entice these gobblers to come looking for love.
After what seemed like an eternity, Bob whispered "Are you up for a hike?" I quickly agreed, as I knew that there was a farm road that would allow us to approach the oak ridge where the turkeys were gobbling without spooking them.
We eased along the old dirt road and approached the area where my husband had taken his Tom earlier in the week. We stopped and listened, as we started to move along again, turkeys started to gobble. They were close.. . real close! Bob motioned to me to look for a place where we could set up our decoys and plan an ambush. As we looked over a small crest in the road, we could see a bright red head of a strutting Tom in the middle of the dirt road about 50 yards away. We both dropped to our knees, but we knew the bird had spotted our movement and listened for the tell tale putting of an alarmed turkey as he left the scene. To our amazement, we never heard a putt.
We peeked over the small crest in the hill and, to our surprise; the long beard was coming toward us. Bob motioned to me to get down and to lay flat on my belly next to him. We were lying prone in the middle of the road as the Tom crested the hill. I had my 20 gauge Mossburg up to my shoulder and ready. To our increasing surprise, as the Tom spotted us in the road, he began to run toward us at a full gallop.
We were totally camouflaged and we think that he may have thought we were other turkeys. We also realized that, in our haste to hit the deck, the decoy Bob had been carrying was now lying in the road. It is possible that the approaching Tom thought that a more dominant bird was injured and he was coming in to get in a few licks of his own.
Whatever the reason, the Tom kept on coming at full speed. When I thought he was within range, I whispered to Bob "Now?" "Not yet7' he replied. I waited. "NOW?" "No, not yet: he replied again. "NOW?" I insisted. Bob finally gave me the green light. "Take him," he whispered loudly.
I had my front bead low on the bird's chest because as he was running, his head was bobbing around so much that I was having a hard time keeping him in my sights. As I squeezed the trigger, the shot toppled the Gobbler over backwards as if he had been run over.
It was at that point that I noticed he was being followed by a group of Jakes. Bob told me that he had seen them the whole time lagging behind the Tom. I had been so intent on making a good shot, that I hadn't even noticed them.
We hugged and admired my second long beard in two years of turkey hunting. The bird weighed 16 pounds and sported a 9-inch beard. While my Gobbler wasn't quite as big as Bob's, the hunt was one of the most exciting we have ever had.

One Of My Does

About 5 years ago I had harvested this doe and had decided to stop by our friends, Dale and Nita Burroughs, to show it off. Dale snapped this picture of Bob and I beaming! It was taken off of Homewood Hunting Club, in Claiborne County. It was a good day!

Pretty Dogwood Flower

I took this picture of a dogwood flower in our front yard last month. It looks like it has wings!