After a restful and uneventful night - just the way we like them -, drove SPIA a few miles out of the town of TALLULAH, LOUISIANA, parked, and walked BACK to TALLULAH. Did not intend to walk so far, but the morning was pleasant, I was feeling good, and before I knew it I was back in town.
Along the way, I observed the advancing KUDZU vines...above mailbox is about to disappear...
My sister, Millie, lives in KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE, suburbs. Millie says that during her morning 3 mile walks - which she does every day -, the KUDZU is advancing towards her neighborhood, being now less than one mile away. There appears no stopping this vine.
Millie says some neighbors have bought goats and put them in pastures with KUDZU. The goats eat the vine to the bare ground...only to have it sprout right back up.
TALLULAH is home to a women's prison...seen above in the background.
Not much going on in the town of TALLULAH. What there is comes from creative folks - mostly African-American - working out of their homes or from previously abandoned business buildings.
This Teen Center is on US 80, which runs down the middle of TALLULAH.
Hot Tamales business looks to have been closed down.
...as have nearly every business along the 8 - 10 blocks of US 80 as it passes through.
There are actually three water towers...one is too far away to include in the photograph.
Main Street...US 80.
Please say HELLO to Dave, the local Mail Man. This being Saturday morning, we are witnessing a soon to be discontinued service. Would not be surprised if the local Post Office is on the list to be closed down by USPS.
The Court House is impressive and in good state of repair.
A monument dedicated to local young men who volunteered for the Confederate Army.
On his sweep through the South, General Grant passed through TALLULAH.
Dedication words on the Soldier's Monument are nearly erased by weathering of the stone.
The most impressive sign in all of TALLULAH...the entrance to the Women's Prison.
Outside of town, the landscape quickly extends beyond the horizon. Only 20 miles away on the East side of the Mississippi River, the landscape of Mississippi is hilly and forested. What a difference a river makes.
Lots of new Silos dot the landscape. Many seed crops are being grown in this part of Louisiana. The towns are run down and essentially having a difficult time. The farms...a.k.a. Plantations...appear to be doing quite well.
All day long US 80 has 18-wheelers passing every 5 minutes or so, carrying newly harvested grain to local processing plants.
Always seems to be a Lonesome Tree in such landscapes.
The rivers are muddy and running low...even this area is in need of a LOT of rain.
So much so that many creek beds are dry.
This is the area of Ancient Indian Mounds.
Please say HELLO to Johnny. Johnny, together with his Son, "Scooter" and daughter-in-law Shelly, operate 150 acres of this enriched soil flatland.
I had a few minutes to chat with Johnny while Scooter and Shelly played in their sand box...harvesting Soy Beans from their Plantation. Johnny says he and his Brother raised CRAWFISH on this same land for over 20 years.
They carefully groomed the 150 acres to incline slightly to a center line running East and West. The North and South ends of the land were raised a few inches above the center line. In September they flooded the entire acreage, stocked it with Crawfish, which they harvested in the Spring. The land was then drained and planted in a grain crop for the Summer, after which the land was again flooded for the Crawfish.
Today, Scooter is concentrating on Soy Beans. Scooter says this year is his best ever, yielding 75 bushel beans per acre.
Daddy (Johnny) drives the Hopper Tractor while Scooter and Shelly tool through the field harvesting 6 rows at a time in their sophisticated Harvester.
It is a dusty job. The control cabin is fully enclosed - and I imagine Air Conditioned -. Scooter drives it like a plaything...not missing a single stalk.
Sure beats the old Sythe and Rake system used when I was a kid.
Up close look at the business end of Scooters Harvester.
Johnny told me about a Louisiana State Park near the town of DELHI, LOUISIANA, only 4 miles away. I drove over there hoping to find a spot with electricity. Arriving, was told the price was $28.00. Since I don't have $28 for that at the moment, I asked if there would be a discount for the Federal Park Pass- a lifetime membership. The lady said yes, a 50% discount, as long as I was a resident of Louisiana or one of the Resciprosity States. Washington State is NOT on the list having resciprosity with Louisiana..
SPIA, SAM & ME turned around, returned to US 80, where we are parked in a wide spot on the edge of the road for the night. We normally park thus, so it is really not a big deal.
Walked three legs today of 22 miles. Tomorrow, we continue West on US 80 towards SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA, about 170 miles away.
Blog refuses to Post...VERIZON signal is intermittent. Hope we do not lose all my work again.
No comments:
Post a Comment