Vicksburg's 25th Riverfest

Friday and Saturday in downtown Vicksburg will be the 25th Annual Riverfest with entertainment, food an arts/crafts show and a flea market.

Easton Corbin will be the main entertainer tomorrow night.  He is known for his traditional country sound and is the most successful new artist in country music in the last year.  He is the first country male artist in 17 years to have his first two consecutive singles reach No. 1 - "A Little More Country Than That" and "Roll With It."  He won all of the Breakthrough Artist awards in December at the American Country Awards - Artist of the Year.  Billboard named him as the Top New Country Artist of 2010.  "I can't Love You Back" is his current single.

Bob and I will be at the Old Court House Flea Market on Saturday selling Bob's copper trees and his paintings.  It is forecast to rain but hopefully we can make it through without a downpour.  Below is a picture of one of his copper trees and one of many paintings.  You can view more on his blog at:
Two Dogs Tall 

After the flea market I will be going to my Alma Mater's (SFXA-SAHS) Alumni Banquet at the B'nai B'nai Literary Association Building (B B Club) joining some of my classmates who will be attending from town and out-of-town.  It will make for a long day but looking forward to a fun weekend.

Copper Tree w/beads

Small Tepee Village

Missing The American Queen

Southbound, M/V Joseph Merrick Jones, on it's way towards the bridges while waiting for two hours for the American Queen to come by.  Normally, it would not take that long but there was a high volume of traffic on the MS River going north and south. 

M/V Joseph Merrick Jones

Took this picture of a little sparrow sitting on a barrier while waiting for the American Queen to come by at the Riverfront Park.

Picture I took of the American Queen that backed out of the Yazoo Diversion Canal and sat there for two hours.  Picture was taken from the parking lot of the Diamond Jacks Casino.  Southbound traffic of towboats have the right-of-way.  There is a bend in the river at Vicksburg and the towboats have to navigate a wide turn to be able to continue their trip north or south. 

Photo taken by Marty Kittrell

Stacks down on the American Queen to get under the bridges.

Photo taken by Marty Kittrell

A beautiful evening picture of the American Queen going under the bridges at Vicksburg, MS on April 17, 2012.

Photo taken by Marty Kittrell

Marty took this picture of the stacks going down after it pass by Riverwalk Casino.  He was chasing down a ship also and headed back to the overlook for a sunset pix.  I also went to Riverwalk Casino parking lot in hopes of catching the American Queen and realized when I got back to the overlook by the bridges that I had missed the ship.  Marty told me he got some pictures of it and said it would be alright for me to shared them with you.  Marty is a great photographer and has a Facebook and a blog if you would like to follow him.  You will not be disappointed if you love photography. 

As the sun was setting Mark started taking pictures and so did I.  David Darby a friend of Marty was also there taking pictures of the sunset.  It was awesome to be standing next to a great photographer as Marty and taking pictures with him.  I wished now that I had taken a picture of him taking a picture! Below is another one of his pictures that he took with his very nice Canon camera as the sun was setting.  

Photo taken by Marty Kittrell

Sun setting at the bridges.

The American Queen Is Back!

The American Queen

This morning before 8:00 the paddle wheel steamboat, American Queen, rolled in and docked at our City Front.  She is a 418-foot beauty.  It has been three years since we have heard the sounds of her calliope playing at the foothills of Vicksburg.  The old-time calliope is fitted with 37 gold-plated brass pipes, according to the website Steamboats.org.

This is her maiden journey since being acquired last year by Great American Steamboat Company of Memphis.

The American Queen left New Orleans Friday and after her stop here, will turn around and head back sometime around 4:00 this afternoon.  I will try and get some pictures as she leaves Vicksburg later today to post tomorrow.  Thursday, the boat will return upriver on its second cruise and stop again in Vicksburg April 23 on its way to its home port of Memphis.

While here, passengers will disembark for day excursions that include time to visit downtown shops and museums, the Outlets of Vicksburg and tours of the Old Court House Museum and Vicksburg National Military Park.

About $5 million was spent to ready the ship for the 2012 season.

Other lower-Mississippi River cruises this year will feature day stops here, and in the summer, Vicksburg will be a featured city for several Civil War-themed cruises that will originate or terminate here.

For more info and American Queen river tour schedules, visit http://www.greatamericansteamboatcompany.com/american_queen/

Grande Caribe

People were boarding the Grande Caribe at the waterfront.  I was surprised to see this boat at the water front.  The Grand Station Casino boat is in the background.

There was two American Queen buses plus another bus that could have been for the Grande Caribe for tourists to make way to their destinations.

Children @ The Love Wedding

Laila

Charlie

Anna Claire

Zack

Noah

Olivia

Two little girls at the reception that posed for me at a window.  I was admiring their pretty dresses.  So cute!

Laila dancing with the groom, Mr. Love.

An Old Court House Wedding

Yesterday afternoon Bob and I attended the wedding of my nephew, Marion "Bubba" Love and his new bride, Cassie Jo, at the historical Old Court House Museum in Vicksburg, MS.  It was a lovely wedding and I'm so happy that we have her in our family now with her son, Charlie, who was the ring bearer.  My sincere congratulations to the new bride and groom.  May they have a long and happy life together and may God Bless this union and their children.

The Pastor standing with the new family, little Charlie, Anna Claire Love, Cassie Jo and Marion "Bubba" Love with son, Zack Love.

The Wedding Party and Family

Laila

Charlie

Mr. & Mrs. Marion Edward Love, III

My Nephew's Wedding Day

Today, my nephew, Marion "Bubba" Edward Love, III, will be marrying Cassie Jo Griffing, on the grounds of the majestic and historical Old Court House Museum which withstood the Siege of Vicksburg.   Below are some pictures I took in and around the wedding rehearsal yesterday afternoon. Later we all went to Goldie's Trail Bar-B-Que for a wonderful evening of family, friends and fellowship.

Great niece, Anna Claire, rehearsing.

A new member to join the family...soon-to-be, Mrs. Love

Oh Nooooo - A Back Yard Bear?

My dear friend/mentor, Jean and her husband, Ed, moved to MA a couple of years ago from Vicksburg to retire there and she has been telling me about seeing a bear crossing in her neighborhood in the early morning and late evening.  She posted this on her Facebook page Wednesday morning.


Bear in the back yard!  Came across the patio then to the side yard, maybe checking if the cherries were ready yet.  Sorry about the rear view - took me awhile to get things together.  

Jean with her husband, Ed, while visiting friends in Vicksburg last month at the Highway 61 Coffee Shop/Attic Gallery on Washington Street, downtown Vicksburg.

Naughty Bear

Wonderful pictures from the Simferopol Zoo, Ukraine.

A baby bear made his mother angry.  She tried to explain something to him in the corner 

                                                           and then shook him by the neck.

Sorry Mama!

After that she hugged him like a real mother.

Real Hunter's Wives Decal Logo

Yesterday, I was fortunate to win the above decal logo on Facebook by Real Hunter's Wives page and I can't wait to receive it and put on our truck.  All I had to do to win was to share this logo on my Facebook page and make a comment that I had done so.  They also have a website called, RealHuntersWives.com and quotes that it takes a special woman to be with a hunter and to support him.  It's all the better if the woman hunts with the hunter in my case. It's also a place where hunter's wives can share hardships, laughs, recipes while their men hunters disappear into the woods.   The site has a forum you can join and a trophy room to share hunting pictures.  I was fortunate to be invited by my husband-to-be, while we were dating, to go with him on hunts and told him one day, I can do this!  I have been hunting now for 27 years and have some great memories to share on my blogs. Go and check out the Facebook/website of the above with hunting stories, what products you use, and what you want out of life.  If you do have a husband that goes to the woods and leaves you home with the children or if you go with your man to the woods, this is the place to come and enjoy the camaraderie.

Nancy Jo's Turkey Hunt in Florida

Nancy Jo Adams

On April 2011, Nancy Jo Adams, a friend of mine on Facebook, went on a hunt in Osceola, Florida with Woodland Guides Outdoors.  She said that they scored a TRIPLE on this hunt in the first hour of their first mornings hunt.  Go over and read about her entire hunt on her blog, Shenanigans From The Field.

My congrats to Nancy Jo in harvesting this nice turkey in our great wild outdoors!  You Go Girl!

Wild Game: A Very Healthy Food Group

I just read that wild game is now considered one of 11 in the healthiest of food groups. According to Rodale (Where Health Meets Life) they liked wild game because it was "free of the taint of chemical fertilizers" since the animals forage for food in the wild. It is a healthy super food that's a prescribed diet by some physicians of wild game to patients with high blood pressure.

Wild animals aren't just free of the taint of chemical fertilizers, they're also free of hormones, antibiotics, and even the antibiotic-resistant bacteria so common in factory-farmed animals, according to a study published last year in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.  Meat from deer, elk, wild boar, and other feral creatures also has fewer calories, lass saturated and total fat, and even lower levels of cholesterol.  The primary concern with wild game is lead contamination; hunters use leaded bullets, fragments of which can get introduced into the meat.  

The advice was quoted as saying, "Go to the hunting regions during the proper season.  Many of the resorts serve venison and other game meats."  But you don't really have to travel that far in this day and age.  A number of online retailers sell wild game meats.  Just be sure to ask about whether the retailer tests for lead.

I was totally unaware that you could purchase venison online.  Since my husband and I have been hunters for over 27 years I have found out that it is a very healthy way to go and good for you.  We try to get at least two deer a year and will last us until next season.  I usually take it to a meat processor and they make it into deer burgers and/or sausage for us.  I do keep out the tenderloin for steaks. Also, if we are lucky to get another deer, I will save the hindquarters for roast.  It is a healthy way to go and lucky that we have been exposed to the sport of hunting for food.

The other healthy food groups within are - salt water fish, kelp, mushrooms, coconut, watercress, wild berries, wild rice, organic maple syrup, raw honey and nuts. 

Camo Easter Eggs

Happy Easter to all my blogging friends!  

(Above our dyed Easter eggs camouflaged by my husband, Bob).