When last I reported, DH and I had planned to eat lunch at Stanton Hall’s restaurant in Natchez, but had the misfortune of arriving on one of their closed days.
On to Plan B: there’s a fine little sandwich shop and bakery near the former location of my favorite yarn store. In fact, on one yarn store trip we asked for local restaurant recommendations, a la Rachel Ray, and were sent to the bakery. (Unfortunately, the yarn store closed last year, so there would not be a fiber expedition on this trip.) Much to my sorrow the sandwich shop had closed, too. That place was so good that one was torn between diving right in to the excellent sandwich or going straight to dessert! The obvious conclusion is that the sandwich/bakery shop couldn’t survive in these economic times, but I like to think that it was the lack of yarn patrons that was the final straw.
Plan C involved an Irish restaurant I spotted when we drove through downtown. Nope – the sign hand-painted on the window glass said “restaurant fixtures for sale”. Dang! This town is folding up its tents!
Plan D – head for Vidalia, Louisiana (across the river) where there’s a funny old shack called The Sandbar. They make great fried catfish, and DH would love that. It’s certainly not fancy, but the food is pipping hot and generous, and the locals are friendly cotton farmers. (Three pick-ups in a row in the parking lot had the cotton logo as their front license plates.)
After lunch we drove up onto the levee on the Louisiana side to see the sights. Natchez is built on the river bluff, but there is an old town, known as “Natchez under the hill” that has always been taverns, gambling, and that sort of establishment.
You have to wonder how many times these buildings have been flooded out. See the road, like the hypotenuse of a right triangle?
It’s narrow as well as steep, and can be a bit scary to drive if you meet another car. I think it is best viewed from Vidalia!
DH enjoyed seeing the river again. (He was an Illinois boy, growing up near the river.) Yes, we live near the Mississippi now, but it is a bustling port in Baton Rouge, not so much a river to contemplate.
We spotted a number of logs floating by, with one coming into view before the last had disappeared downstream. The water must be high up north.
Monday I’ll tell you the secret of what really holds Natchez together.
(I just love a house that sits on its own hill. After all, hills were the theme of the road trip.)
Unlike the sometimes fanciful names that are given to eating establishments, this one truly is located in the former carriage house of the home, thus its position at the rear of the block.
Then, one day a guest accidentally brushed the Stanton Hall plate as she passed, and it crashed on the floor. As I told the gift shop lady on Wednesday, I’m just glad it was the Stanton Hall plate that broke, and not the one from Washington’s headquarters in Morristown, NJ. Now that would be a road trip!
Knitters see patterns everywhere!
Look on beyond the foot of it, and you’ll understand why the city bus routes have names like “South Hill”. ( That was the route to my grandparents’ home and another story for another day.)
As you come to the top of my favorite hill all the valley lays out before you. DH indulged me and stopped the car so I could capture the scene. Then I turned to the right and took a picture of the very top of the hill there.
Why is that special? If I had enough money I’d track down the owner of that land and build my dream house right there…with windows overlooking that glorious view.
Here is the woods below “my” house site, just beginning to have some fall color. Every time we drive by, I say “There’s my hill!”
and she knows it is knitting (almost unheard of in these parts)! Are you a knitter, I inquired?
Noro Color 102 is fuscia, pink, orange, and purple. Noro Color 172 is black and warm brown and hunter green. Together they will make my “Woods in the Fall” scarf.
No, we didn’t go down to the stadium. When college football is broadcast on TV my lake house has the best concessions, the most comfortable seats, the shortest bathroom lines, the best parking, and no drunk spills anything on my knitting! As you can see in the lower left corner of the picture, DH even got me the traditional football mums.
This shawl will certainly be in my book tote for Thursday’s EFM seminar. Our daily highs are still in the upper 70’s, but the over-enthusiastic air-conditioning makes it shawl weather.
By the time I could grab the camera, he was out again, alarmed for Casper. “Hang on, Casper, I’ll get that zipper open!”
We are so proud of all that she accomplished with her committee. The show earned $945! When memorial contributions for the year are added, she should make that lofty $1,000 goal. Wow!
