Audubon, BBQ, and a Barge

Friday, March 10…

Roseate Spoonbill.Audubon didn't see this
bird in Louisiana, but it's one I remember
vividly from my childhood reading.

Relatively short drive to Natchez, with a short stop at Oakley Plantation House, where Audubon completed 32 of the paintings that would eventually become Birds of America. I received a copy of this book when I was maybe 10. (No idea now who gave it to me or why. I don’t recall either of my parents being into birds.) I do know that I spent quite a bit of time going through the pictures – never reading the text at the front, of course, but a couple years ago I did read and enjoy a pretty serious biography of Audubon. So I was curious to see what might be here. Audubon was hired to tutor the plantation owner’s daughter. After the morning lessons were complete, he and his assistant would wander the woods and swamps looking for new birds to portray. What made Audubon unique was that he drew the birds in natural poses and environments, not stylized. To do this well, he first observed and sketched a species. Then he would shoot it, do some basic taxidermy, stage a natural tableau and create the full illustration. (His assistant gathered branches and other natural elements to create the tableau and also did some of the background coloring.) Greg and I wandered through some of the woodland paths, but the only wildlife we saw was a small turtle. 

Greg (the turtle slipped back into the water)

Who knew trees had knees?
(growths bulging up from the root system)

Now this is really a down dog!
(trunk is firmly rooted in ground)

12x15 "greenhouse" for winter veggie garden.

Natchez, MS, sits on the east bank of the Mississippi, but our campground is just across the river in Louisiana. Our site has an unobstructed view of the river - yea! Enjoyed a late lunch at The Butt Hut, a local BBQ spot that well deserves its People's Choice Award.

 

Fellow campers enjoying the river.

Barge heading upriver.

BlogAnnouncement... We're going to CUBA!  A small MH window is being replaced in Tampa, FL, so Greg (who has wanted to go to Cuba forever) booked flights and I booked a BnB for $26/night. Total in: $650. Pretty sweet.

Goodnight, Bridge.