The Sandbar Is Out

Took these two pictures of the sandbar yesterday afternoon on the Louisiana side of the Mississippi River at Vicksburg, Mississippi! The Ameristar Casino is shown above. The MS River stage is 13.43 ft. The flood stage is 43 ft.

Michael's First Deer

Daniel Famer's nephew, Michael Alphonso, got his 6-point buck back the other day.  This is his first deer to kill, not baited, and no fancy stands. So proud of him.  My first deer was a 6-point buck, and I shot it from a flat platform with steps.  My very first deer stand back in 1986. You will never forget your first deer kill in our great Mississippi outdoors!  My congratulations to this young hunter!

Happy Belated Birthday, Emma!

Wishing my Granddaughter, Emma, a very Happy 15th Birthday yesterday.  She will be coming to see me in August, and I will be going to Virginia to see her in September for her Mom's 50th Birthday.  I love you so much and hope you had a great birthday!  xoxo  Gran Gran

Fat Raccoon

I took this picture of this FAT raccoon eating through my bedroom window next door. My neighbor feeds him. I had heard about the raccoon, but this was the first time I had seen it.

I'm sure more than one raccoon comes to a free meal.

Happy 38th Birthday Sonya!

My Granddaughter, Sonya Michelle Gordy, turns 38 years old today! She is the oldest of six granddaughters, and I'm proud to say that she has served in the U. S. Navy. She went to boot camp at Great Lakes, IL, and was stationed at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA. She had signed up for 6 years and planned to be a linguist but became ill and was honorably medically discharged. She attended MS State University at Starkville and the University of Southern MS at Hattiesburg. She's planning to return to Southern MS to further her education. Sonya is fluent in French, German, Spanish, and Chinese Mandarin. While living in her hometown of Vicksburg, Sonya took the Hunters Education Course and had planned to hunt with me until she moved away to Magee, MS. I would take her to the deer camp and practice shooting my .22 rifle, and she was very good at hitting the bull's eye. Sonya has also performed on stage at the Vicksburg Little Theater and took acting lessons in college. I wish her a very Happy Birthday, and may she have many more returns of the day! I love and miss you so much! Have a Blessed Birthday, and I look forward to seeing you soon. Gran-Gran 

Beautiful Sunset Taken By Layne Logue

Sharing a beautiful picture of the sunset recently that Layne Logue took while on the mighty Mississippi River canoeing.  He is the owner of Quapaw Canoe Company - Vicksburg Outpost.  Layne also has a Facebook page with pictures of his tours on the river.  If you get a chance to take a trip in a canoe on the river, it will be an experience of a lifetime.

Seeing TGIF Spots

From my Facebook friend, Marion Ray James:

SEEING TGIF SPOTS! Finally glimpsed our farm's first set of 2022 twins on this overcast Friday, June 10th morning. And talk about active! One fawn was hungry and wouldn't let go of mama's teats; the other kept busy exploring its surroundings and running in ever-widening circles while keeping an eye on its piggish sibling and patient mother. Sure wish I could bottle and share some of that super-charged fawn energy with family and friends.

View From Here Tonight!

If you watch the news, it's strange that you’d swear the world is ending, and the sky is falling in!

Here is my advice.

Don’t believe everything you hear on the news; it will just stress you out at the least or make you crazy at the worst.

Never forget, those people on the screen are getting paid millions of dollars for giving you bad news, and they’d get paid a fraction of that if they gave you good news!

So turn off the TV and go outside. Smell the air. Look at a bird or deer or just admire a tree, and the stress will lift from your body!

You’ll realize if you look around that this amazing planet is pretty darn resilient, and it’s going to be here for a long, long time!

And we will be too!

By Jim Shockey in Canada

2022 ~ Memorial Day Pictures @ Vicksburg National Military Park & Cemetery

I took random pictures earlier today in the Vicksburg National Military Cemetery, where no vehicles are allowed because of road erosion.

There are nearly 18,000 burials in the Vicksburg National Military Cemetery. Around 17,000 of those are Union war dead. The remaining are "unknowns." In addition, more the 5,500 were of the U. S. colored troops, which were African American soldiers who served with distinction. There are more than just Civil War veterans buried at the cemetery. Veterans from the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, and the Korean War.

You will also see the Port of Vicksburg in the distance, the Navy Memorial in the background, the tallest monument in the park, and the U. S. S. Cairo Museum nearby.

Port of Vicksburg and Yazoo Diversion Canal.

U. S. S. Cairo

Magnolia - State Flower of Mississippi.

U. S. S. Cairo in the Vicksburg National Military Park, Vicksburg, MS.

Kareen - The Queen Of Hog Killing

My Facebook friend Kareen of Alpine, Texas, did it again. The queen of hog killing. This is her story.

I was out by 8:48 p.m. because the card showed a boar had come in at 9:38 p.m. Nothing else came in, and I figured he would be a no-show per the usual. Finally, I heard the cattle panel rattle, and there he was under the lights, happily chomping away at the corn I had put out. I took the safety off my rifle, put the crosshairs on his head, pulled the trigger, and down he went. I can never tell how big they are in the dark; they always look more prominent in the daylight. I shot him at 9:42 p.m., so he was on time. That makes a grand total of 202 and 7 for the year.

My congratulations again to Kareen! Way to go in our great outdoors!

Three Riverboats In Town Yesterday

We had three riverboats moored in the Yazoo Diversion Canal today. American Queen was at the gravel pit for her passengers to tour our historic town of Vicksburg, MS. (I did not get a picture of her this time). Also, I had never seen two riverboats moored so close together, and I took several pictures of American Splendor and American Heritage. Someone is fishing off the tailgate of his truck on a sharp incline. I hope he gets lucky! (River Stage 37.91 feet, Change -0.74 feet, Flood Stage 43 feet)

Tour Guide, Myra Logue said this about tourism in Vicksburg - People are pouring into this area on the Riverboats. With the American Queen Steamboats, for instance, Vicksburg is the most popular shore tour, and there have been many awards won by AQV for their tours. Soon the Viking will be coming to Vicksburg!! Business seems to be booming!!

A  comment was made by Debra Crist Cape on Vicksburg, MS, FB site. - I am not jealous of the visitors to our city.  I am jealous of the gentleman fishing in the back of the truck, that is relaxing.

The Grand American Queen @ Vicksburg, MS

The Grand American Queen was here a half-day last Friday with her passengers, visiting our historic city of Vicksburg, MS. She was moored in the Yazoo Diversion Canal at the waterfront and not at the gravel pit this time. Was so glad to take some better pictures of her. Vicksburg: The Key To The South! (River Level: 40.10 feet - Change: +0.13 foot - Flood Stage: 43 Feet)

Capturing a perfect trifecta - - splash pad, murals, and the Queen!