Monday, April 22, 2013

The Land of Grits and Gravy

For the past few years we have timed our visits to Mississippi to coincide with a local event called The Pilgrimage.  Several antebellum homes can be toured and volunteers dress up to tell the history of the house and it's contents.

There is another reason that this is so good besides the obvious perk of getting to see the beauty of the homes inside and out.  When we leave here, our grass is still brown, we are still wearing winter clothes and our heat is still on most days.  After crossing into Kentucky, the grass is suddenly green.  The sun is out and we are shedding our jackets.  By the time we are through Tennessee, the air might be on in the car and the flip flops dug out.  We are usually able to go for lots of walks in Mississippi.  

Then, by the time we get back to Indiana, our grass is green!  The tulips are up and the daffodils are blooming!  It's great!  It's like we get an extra dose of spring.



Kate got put to work right away by collecting the tickets.  I couldn't help thinking that just a couple of years ago she would have freaked out if a strange man had tried to talk to her, much less help him do something.  She didn't speak, but she did smile and did her job well.



Not only are the houses beautiful, some of them have been handed down from generation to generation and still have many of the original families belongings.  This house had at one time been occupied by four sisters who made lace, sewed, knit, etc. to keep those Carpetbaggers from getting their property!  Some of their work was displayed and it was amazing.




Volunteers are usually in each room to tell about the furnishings or the room itself or maybe the family who built the home.  They are always dressed like Scarlet.  Callie wants a dress too! We actually looked for one at some of the consignment stores around town, but no luck.




This one wasn't on the tour, but it's just an example of some of the beautiful homes in the area.  This one is unique in the way that the front is built.  I'm sure there is a technical term, but I have no idea what it is.  I love how it is angled.



These aren't the best pictures, but I'm including them because they are the only ones I got of the "jib windows".  This is one of my favorite features of these Southern homes.  Apparently, after The War the homes were taxed on the number of entry doors.  So they built the windows to go all the way to the floor.  They were windows, so they couldn't be taxed on them, but the homeowners could walk through them onto their porch.  And they let in the much needed breezes.  They look really cool from the inside.






So this is the end of our "What We Did on Vacation" series.  :)  As always, the Cox B&B treated us well and we returned home from the Land of Grits and Gravy a few pounds heavier!

Speaking of gravy.....wait till I tell you what Cameron's dad made for breakfast one morning!

3 comments:

  1. WOW! Those houses are beautiful - and the porches! Glad they let you take pictures.

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  2. This makes me want to go on vacation down south.

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  3. You should Glenn! There are a lot of cities that do these tours. You and Kelly would love these houses!

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