Merry Christmas!

This is the Mississippi Capitol building. It was not heavily decorated for the holidays but there was a nice wreath and a few lights lining the sidewalks. Here's wishing you a great Christmas from Jackson!

McAllister's Christmas

McAllister's is a local eatery here in Jackson (although I do believe they have some regional franchises). This Christmas display made me laugh, there is a package of assorted chips under the tree. Is that the best they could come up with for gifts?

Poll

The January theme is your best photo of the year. So I'm leaving it up to you to decide which of my many pictures should have the honor.

Take a look through the archives and leave me a comment with the date of the photo you think is my best.

Thanks for your help and, as always, for your interest in Jackson!

Alps

Once again, this picture is not really from Jackson, but from my recent vacation. We flew over the Alps on our way from Germany to Italy to catch the boat for our transatlantic cruise. It was a spectacular sight!

Hibiscus

This hibiscus was not actually found in Jackson, but in Casablanca. I was there recently during a stop on a transatlantic cruise.

Typical Street Corner

This will be my last post for awhile since I don't know how often I'll be able to access the Internet during the cruise.

In farewell, I send you a look at a typical American street corner. This was taken on my drive home from work. I sort of liked how the sun was casting a pink-ish glow on the clouds.

My New Workplace

This is my remote office in Berlin where I am processing orders with other Siemens drones this week. I must admit that their offices are much nicer than ours in Jackson. I definitely like the open space work plan better than our tiny, cramped cubicles.

Airports

I like airports. I like to take pictures in airports. This one happens to be in Philidelphia. It isn't the plane I took, but I thought the reflection looked neat, sort of like a conjoined twin.

Thanksgiving Celebration

This is where I spent my Thanksgiving, in the Independence Brew Pub at the Philidelphia airport. Instead of the traditional turkey feast, I partook in beer and big pretzels. It was not as bad as it might sound.

The Rosalie

This is another picture from Natchez. It was taken inside the Rosalie, one of the beautiful antebellum houses. Most of the furnishings and decorations in this house were generously donated by the houses former inhabitants. It certainly made for an interesting visit!

I'm going to be out of town for a few weeks. I may try posting photos of where I will be, but I won't have enough of Jackson to cover three weeks. Don't hesitate to pop over for a look now and then. I'll be back full-time in mid-December.In any case, I hope everyone has a lovely Thanksgiving!

Lone Flower

This flower looked so lonely all on its own. All of its friends have gone away!

Foggy Monday

This morning I awoke to further signs that fall is upon us. A light misty fog was hanging over the pond which I can see from my balcony.

Aunt Caroline is Dead

As it turns out, Aunt Caroline was killed by her secretary/companion Miss Mina Mabbit. Mabbit did it for the greater good, so Agnes could get married and Ricky could go to college. And Mrs. Endicott can finally stop giving piano lessons to every neighborhood brat and concentrate on raising her two youngest children, Beryl and Cicely. Yes, Mabbit did it all for them!

But in the end, Lieutenant Clayton rules the case a suicide in order to "save the government a pile of money," since Miss Mabbit was dying of cancer anyway. Cue curtain...

Snake in the Grass

If you look very closely, you'll see the snake slithering into the leaves. He was having some fun at the golf course today. I didn't want to get too close, but I'm quite impressed that the zoom worked so well.

Signs of Fall

Although autumn officially began in September, there were no outward signs until just recently. The leaves have finally begun to change color. It's really a beautiful sight when you're driving down a street lined with these red-leafed beauties. I hope they won't dry up and fall away too quickly.

Backstage

This is a backstage look at the Black Rose Theater in Brandon, MS where I am currently participating in Who Killed Aunt Caroline? This is our last week of performance and I will be sort of glad when it's over. All of that acting is very tiring, especially when you have a day job.

Natchez Trace

The Natchez Trace is an old road which links Mississippi and Tennesse. It's a scenic road and motorists are limited to 50mph with strict radar control (although I've never seen any troopers out there, I guess just the mention of them is enough to keep people in line).

The Trace also has a rather sad history. It was part of the Trail of Tears, when Native Americans were "relocated" from their lands in the east into the open spaces of the west.

Today it makes for a nice drive, there are no billboards or advertisements to mar the natural beauty of the flora and fauna that call the Trace home.

Mississippi River

The river creates a natural border between Louisiana and Mississippi. Just cross this bridge and you're in the Pelican State!

Sepia Coast

This picture was actually taken in Destin, Florida. I was there a couple of weeks ago for a weekend of golf. It was great fun and I played one of the best rounds of my life.

Feast

What lucky birds! While it may seem cruel, this is nature's way of continuing the cycle of life.

I saw this scene just off the Natchez Trace. I assume the deer was hit by a motorist and pulled off the side of the road. At least it provided some food for the vultures. I would hate for a poor deer's death not to benefit anyone.

Purple Bloom

I was looking at some of the other Daily Photo blogs and for some reason flowers seem to be a popular choice today. I thought I would add my own. I'm not sure what kind of flower this is, but I found its autumn bloom lovely.

For a look at other flowers, follow these links:

Plumeria Bloom

Pink Perfection

Shady Glory

Autumn Flowers

The Flower and the Bee

USS Mississippi

This bell from the USS Mississippi was on display at the Rosalie mansion in Natchez. Apparently this battleship served in both WWI and WWII. She was sold for scrap in 1956 and I imagine the DAR purchased this bell to display in the gardens. We rang it out, the sound was quite imposing.

Break a Leg!

I am actually part of this show. We're having our final dress rehearsal tonight in front of a supportive crowd of friends and family. I hope all will go well, we were still a little shaky on the lines last night.

La Tienda

I'm going to share some more of my snapshots from Natchez. This is an old sign for a ladies boutique. Apparently La Tienda means "the shop" in Spanish (sort of a redudant name), but don't hesitate to correct me if I'm wrong!

Old South Winery

A colleague of mine recommended taking a tour of this winery on my recent jaunt to Natchez. Unfortunately, it was closed on Sundays. The building still made for a nice photo though. And the sepia seemed fitting. Hopefully next time I'll get to sample their supply!

Lo and Behold!

I visited the local Wal-Mart and what before my wondering eyes should appear? An aisle full of Christmas decorations! Halloween wasn't even over at this time. And have we forgotten about Thanksgiving? What is this world coming to?

Theme Day: Blue

This is my submission for the November 1st theme day. I rather like Mississippi's welcome sign. It's not the typical green you usually see on highways. Plus, it has a magnolia and they make everything pretty!

Please take a look at the other blogs who are participating in today's theme.

Boston (MA), USA - Cleveland (OH), USA - Philadelphia (PA), USA - Arlington (VA), USA - Cape Town, South Africa - Portland (OR), USA - Sequim (WA), USA - Selma (AL), USA - Arradon, France - Petaling Jaya (Selangor), Malaysia - Stockholm, Sweden - Singapore, Singapore - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Phoenix (AZ), USA - Seattle (WA), USA - Toulouse, France - The Hague, Netherlands - Moscow, Russia - Fort Lauderdale (FL), USA - Kyoto, JapanTokyo, Japan - Saint Paul (MN), USA - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Stayton (OR), USA - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Detroit (MI), USA - Crystal Lake (IL), USA - Port Angeles (WA), USA - Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Nelson, New Zealand - Bandung (West Java), Indonesia - Greenville (SC), USA - Hyde, UK - Radonvilliers, France - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Nashville (TN), USA - Manila, Philippines - Port Vila, Vanuatu - Saarbrücken, Germany - New Orleans (LA), USA - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Melbourne, Australia - Hobart (Tasmania), Australia - Forks (WA), USA - Wichita (Ks), USA - Barton (VT), USA - St. Louis (MO), USA - Joplin (MO), USA - Chandler (AZ), USA - Quincy (MA), USA - Setúbal, Portugal - Inverness (IL), USA - Christchurch, New Zealand - Toruń, Poland - North Bay (ON), Canada - Le Guilvinec, France - Chateaubriant, France - London, England - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Naples (FL), USA - Norwich (Norfolk), UK - Sydney, Australia - Austin (TX), USA - Mumbai, India - Boston (MA), USA - Santa Fe (NM), USA - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - Paderborn, Germany - Montréal (QC), Canada - Stavanger, Norway - Orlando (FL), USA - Grenoble, France - Cheltenham, UK - Forks (WA), USA - Mexico City, Mexico - West Sacramento (CA), USA - Silver Spring (MD), USA - Weston (FL), USA - London, UK - Jefferson City (MO), USA - Ocean Township (NJ), USA - Belgrade, Serbia - Paris, France - Shanghai, China - Montego Bay, Jamaica - Montpellier, France - Saint Louis (MO), USA - Wailea (HI), USA - Rabaul, Papua New Guinea - Auckland, New Zealand - Evry, France - New York City (NY), USA - Nottingham, UK - Las Vegas (NV), USA - Oslo, Norway - Minneapolis (MN), USA - American Fork (UT), USA - Cypress (TX), USA - Haninge, Sweden - Trujillo, Peru - Trujillo, Peru - Melbourne (VIC), Australia - Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation - Durban, South Africa - Brussels, Belgium - Anderson (SC), USA - Budapest, Hungary - Wellington, New Zealand - Prague, Czech Republic - Saigon, Vietnam - Ystad, Sweden - Miami (FL), USA - Seoul, South Korea - Hong Kong, China - Melbourne, Australia - Baziège, France - Greensboro (NC), USA - Sharon (CT), USA - Kajang (Selangor), Malaysia -

Halloween: Day 7

I know it's not really a Halloween decoration, but I believe this house bears a striking resemblance to the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland in Paris. I wonder if it served as inspiration for the Park's desginers?

Halloween : Day 6

It was not really that dark when I took this picture. Somehow the flash made it look darker than it really is. Unfortunately, when i didn't use the flash, the photo was blurry.

In any case, a local antique shop had these guys in front of their shop. I found them pretty cute.

Halloween: Day 5

More pumpkins!

Halloween: Day 4

And yet another display of scarecrows. They really are most popular around here!

Halloween: Day 3

I passed this little pumpkin stand the other day. The merchandise is washed and ready for carving or painting. The best models have been chosen from the patch for your shopping convenience!

Halloween: Day 2

One of my neighbors put out some colorful mums and cute little scarecrows. It seems they're pretty popular decorations here in Jackson!

Halloween: Day 1

I am going to do a series of photos on Halloween decorations around town this week. I'll start things off with the scarecrow who has recently taken up residence at the entrance to my golf club!

Wildflowers

These yellow wildflowers can be seen in abundance in marshy areas right now. It's sort of surprising to see all those flowers coming out of the water and even more surprising that they bloom in the middle of October. But they are very nice to look at.

Sunbathing

I couldn't resist this shot of a friendly little turtle getting some sun at the golf course!

Best Mexican Food in Town

According to Steve of Steve's Golf Shop, Margarita's serves the best Mexican food in town.

I will admit, the food was really good, but for me the best part was they didn't mess up my order! That seems to happen to me a lot at Mexican places around here.

The atmosphere was also nice, if a little kitsch (but all Mexican places are sort of like that). I would definitely go back and next time I'll sit at the bar.

Apartment Gardens

One of the drawbacks of living in an apartment is not being able to have your own garden. Some people in my complex have gotten around that by putting planters and garden decorations outside their windows.

Going Home

After a long journey, we finally made it back to the Brave New World.

I don't think there are a lot of 747-400s still in use these days, but we flew one on the way here and on the way back. They're quite impressive planes! It's one of those that has an upstairs area for first class passengers. I was really curious to see how it looked up there. But unfortunately, I did not dare to climb the stairs for a peek.

I'm glad to be back in Jackson though. And more photos of the city are coming!

Orchids

This picture is not really from Jackson, it was taken in a flower shop in Paris that specialises in orchids near the Luxembourg RER station. I was having lunch with a friend of mine who works in the area and who also happens to be mad for orchids. He took me into the shop for a look, and I must admit, it was lovely.

Unfortunately, this will be my last post before getting back to the states. I can't upload on my MiL's computer because it's too old and does not recognize my card reader! But I hope you enjoy this photo for today. I'll be back on Thursday... possibly Wednesday if we don't get in too late.

Water Lilies

This picture was also taken at the Canton Country Club Golf course. The water lilies looked especially lovely alongside the reflection of the clouds.

Spare Parts?

I just started a new job a few weeks ago. My division sells spare parts for voltage regulators and transformers. I now look at substations in a brand new way! Although I still think it´s a good idea to stay away from high voltage.

Jackson vue de ciel

This is a look at the Ross Barnet Resevoir (aka the Rez) from above. I took this during take-off at the beginning of my seemingly endless trip back to the old country. I'm here now though and having fun!

Sepia Sunset

I'm going back to the Olde World for a week, but I've stocked my SD card with plenty of pictures of Jackson so I hope to be able to post while I'm gone. The only thing that worries me is that my MiL only has dial-up internet, but hopefully things will work out.

For today I send you a lovely sunset look over the water at the Canton Country Club golf course. I played there last weekend and it was really a treat - beautiful scenery and great golf!

Football Season

Not only do Jacksonians like to celebrate Halloween through decorations, they also go all out for the fall football (American style, of course) season!

Cotton!

It's sort of funny to see cotton growing in a field instead of woven into a sweater. Even the clouds looked sort of cotton-y today!

Soldiers

This is a memorial to Mississippians who have given their lives in service.

I am not a fan of the state flag though. I don't agree with the appearance of the confederate flag on the corner. I think it stands for one of the low points in this country's history and considering the racial make-up of Mississippi, I'm surprised it's still there.

I just took a look at wikipedia, and it appears that a vote was taken on the flag in 2001 and so the conferate jack remains.

Post Boxes

It's funny to think of having to buy a post box, but I guess someone has to do it at some point - they don't just grow up in your lawn. These models are available for purchase at a small lawn and garden furniture shop in Brandon. They're also not cheap!

Halloween is Coming!

It seems Jacksonites can't wait for Halloween. Decorations have been up around town since mid-September, even earlier in some places.

The local grocery store, Brookshires, has been advertising the season with spiders on the ceiling for quite some time, but today was the first time I saw them taking over the produce aisle! Usually they keep to their "webs" at the entrance. I must admit I find the helium spiders cute in a silly kind of way. At least Brookshires had the decency to wait until October to start decorating their entire store.

Expansion: Week 4

It seems to me they are making some progress on this site. Nothing that really shows yet, but the piles of dirt are moving around and this tunnel (or whatever it is) looks more defined every week.

Theme Day: Cemetery

A cemetery theme is a good choice for October since Halloween is coming up. I even planned on showing a cemetary pic before I saw it was the October theme!

This is not a traditional American gravestone. These days, most cemeteries use flat headstones that lay flush with the ground. I guess it makes the mowing easier or something. This is an older cemetery, so there were some interesting stones and statues. I really liked this angel, especially with the setting sun illuminating her from behind.

Take a look at some of the other photo blogs that participated in October's theme day!

St. Louis (MO), USA - San Diego (CA), USA - Cleveland (OH), USA - New York City (NY), USA - Boston (MA), USA - Mainz, Germany - Hyde, UK - Arlington (VA), USACape Town, South Africa - Saint Paul (MN), USA - Toulouse, France - Arradon, France - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - Montego Bay, Jamaica - Ampang (Selangor), Malaysia - Joplin (MO), USA - Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Mexico (DF), Mexico - Seattle (WA), USA - Baziège, France - Baltimore (MD), USA - Chandler (AZ), USA - Sequim (WA), USA - Stayton (OR), USA - Stockholm, Sweden - Austin (TX), USA - Singapore, Singapore - Anderson (SC), USA - Orlando (FL), USA - Greenville (SC), USA - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Nashville (TN), USA - Tenerife, Spain - Manila, Philippines - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Jacksonville (FL), USA - River Falls (WI), USA - Chateaubriant, France - Quincy (MA), USA - Rabaul, Papua New Guinea - Buenos Aires, ArgentinaCrystal Lake (IL), USA - Inverness (IL), usa - Lubbock (TX), USA - Phoenix (AZ), USA - Moscow, Russia - Norwich (Norfolk), UK - Crepy-en-Valois, France - Minneapolis (MN), USA - New Orleans (LA), USA - Montréal (QC), Canada - West Sacramento (CA), USA - Toruń, Poland - Philadelphia (PA), USA - Christchurch, New Zealand - London, England - Paderborn, Germany - The Hague, NetherlandsSelma (AL), USA - Sunderland, UK - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Stavanger, Norway - Fort Lauderdale (FL), USA - Weston (FL), USA - Portland (OR), USA - Forks (WA), USA - Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Boston (MA), USA - Sydney, Australia - Wellington, New Zealand - Montpellier, France - Wailea (HI), USA - Petaling Jaya (Selangor), Malaysia - Evry, France - Saarbrücken, Germany - New York City (NY), USA - Santa Fe (NM), USA - North Bay (ON), Canada - Melbourne, Australia - Port Vila, Vanuatu - Cypress (TX), USA - Saint Louis (MO), USA - Paris, France - San Diego (CA), USA - Wichita (Ks), USA - Haninge, Sweden - Prague, Czech Republic - Zurich, Switzerland - Budapest, Hungary - Paris, France - Saigon, Vietnam - Grenoble, France - Zurich, Switzerland - Port Angeles (WA), USA - Naples (FL), USA - Toronto (ON), Canada - Sequim (WA), USA - Chicago (IL), USA