Downtown Brandon

I recently visited Brandon, which is part of the greater Jackson area. I found some really cute shops and old buildings in the downtown area. I especially liked this little antique shop. Very quaint.

Full Moon

I just love full moons. This one looked like a big gold coin hovering in the sky above the airport. I guess that's a good place to hover!

Clouds

I couldn't resist taking this picture. The clouds reflected in the pond outside my apartment are simply lovely.

Le Rond Point de Jackson

Granted it's no Charles de Gaulle Etoile, but I was so excited when I first moved to Jackson and there at the exit/entrance to the airport was a traffic circle (or a round point, as I like to call them). I really love round points, but I didn't always feel that way. When I first moved to France, I couldn't understand why they didn't just put in stop signs. As I drove more and more, I began to see the real beauty of round points: if there's no traffic, you don't have to stop!

Unfortunately, most American drivers don't know how to take a round point and they come to a full stop anyway. It doesn't matter though. I still love driving through it. I even put on my blinker before entering the round point and before exiting, just the way I learned at driving school!

Oktoberfest!

Apparently there's a big Oktoberfest every year in the nearby town of Gluckstadt (with a name like that, you know it must have been Germans who settled it!). I've seen posters like this one all over town the last few weeks. I've also heard it's quite a good time. I've never been to the real Oktoberfest in Munich, but I will probably try Gluckstadt's version this weekend. At least I'm sure I'll see one real German, if not more!

Rain, Rain Go Away!

It rained all afternoon yesterday and it started up again today. Although I don't like it much (it interferes with my golf!), the plants are happy for the precipitation.

Expansion: Week 3

They're slowly, but surely making progress at the building site. They've been diligently digging the foundation out since last week and I'll bet it will be securely laid in a few more weeks. Once that's done, things seem to go pretty quickly. I'm still taking bets on the finishing date.

Twilight Swim

One thing I really enjoy is a nice swim. I find it so relaxing to be in the water. And it's lovely just before sundown because you don't have to load up on the suncream and all that bother. Luckily the weather here in Mississippi allows me to do that, but those days will probably be coming to an end soon. I'll enjoy it while I can though!

Fire Brigade

The fire trucks here in Ridgeland are yellow. I don't like that. I think all fire trucks should be red. And that's not just because red is my favorite color. Well, that's not the whole reason at least!

Big Rig

There are plenty of big rigs on the roads in Jackson, and they are really quite impressive. I hope to get a better pic one of these days.

Sunset on the Rez

I don't think this picture needs much narration. I caught this sunset on my way home from the golf course on Sunday. It really sinks fast these days.

Happy Birthday Brookshires!

This is something you would never see in Europe, a grocery store serving cake and punch to its clients to celebrate its 79th anniversary. Although I did not partake in the goodies, I thought it was a nice gesture.

Expansion: Week 2

Work on the construction site next door continues. It looks like they've made only slight progress since last week. Maybe I should revise my wager on when the site will be finished.

Water, Water Everywhere!

Umberto has been upgraded to a full-fledged hurricane. He hit the Gulf Coast of Texas last night and is continuing to dump water on Mississippi. Luckily, there was a lull and I was able to catch some of the water drops on this leaf.

Let's hope those weather people are right when they say this weekend is supposed to be beautiful - and perfect for playing golf!

Umberto

Today I am changing things up a little with a video blog. Photos just don't capture rainstorms well, you can't hear that lovely whishing sound or the rumble of the distant thunder.

It's been raining almost non-stop here today and the weather forecasters say it's due to tropical storm Umberto (what a great name for a tropical storm!). Supposedly, he's bringing us more rain tomorrow, but it should all clear up by the weekend (if you believe the weather people, which I don't!). In any case, I've been enjoying the sound and smell of the storm today.

Harbor Walk

This is another of Jackson's expansion projects, although so far it hasn't worked out too well. As you can see, Spring 2007 has come and gone and there is no Harbor Walk to speak of. The city paid more than $1 million to construct a new access road, and it seems all for naught.

The idea is based on the River Walk in San Antonio, Texas. It's a very popular attraction in that city, but I think it's also because San Antonio is a popular place for people to go. Oklahoma City tried something similar. It took around ten years, but the Bricktown Canal finally came to fruition, complete with fake-y canal, Venice-like bridges (except they're made of red brick) and yellow and green water taxis. I wouldn't say the project has been a rousing success though. And I have a feeling the Harbor Walk is destined for the same fate, if it is ever finished at all.

Charlotte's Web?

A spider has made my balcony its home. If tomorrow I see "terrific" appear, I'll know it's Charlotte!

Another Housing Edition

Bridgepoint is a gated community that backs up to the Ross Barnett Reservoir. We pass it on our way to the golf course and I've always wondered what the houses are like inside. This weekend, we decided to sneak in and take a look.

The houses were not as spectacular as I thought they would be. It's an older neighborhood, which I don't mind, but the houses were kind of small and close together. Except the waterfront properties, they were mansion-like but not really my taste. The search continues...

904 Cardigan Court

We went to visit this house today, in the hopes of purchasing it. It is in Wright's Mill, the aforementioned neighborhood with the hokey water wheel at the entrance. The house has been foreclosed and we knew that it needed some cosmetic work on the inside. The previous "owner" trashed the place before leaving and didn't bother to repair some things, like a gaping hole in the roof.

What we didn't know is that it has some major foundation problems. The foundation has shifted and one side of the house dropped about 1.5 inches. And it really shows. There are big cracks everywhere and one of the front doors looks like it could pop out at any minute.

It makes me begin to wonder if living in Wright's Mill is just a pipe dream...

Jackson Skyrats

Canadian geese are sort of like the pigeons of Jackson. They used to be migratory birds and would stop over here in the south, but these days they are staying longer and longer. Or not even leaving at all.

I (un)affectionately like to refer to them as poo-makers. They're always leaving their business behind on the greens at my golf course, which is pretty icky when it's not dry. They're also very aggressive. They will continue coming at you with their wings a-flying even when you are brandishing a weighty sand wedge. I made sure to stand clear and make use of my camera's zoom feature for this picture. You can see one of them was eyeing me though, ready to attack, if threatened.

Beagle Bagel Reprise

Today I had a lovely lunch at the Beagle Bagel Cafe. It was a lox lovers sandwich on a black Russian bagel with a side of bagel chips. Delicious!

Expansion

This construction site is just next to the apartments where I live. Apparently, they're adding (even!) more retail space to the area. I don't know why, because there is so much empty retail space already. But, if there's a buck to be made, someone's going to be chasing after it, even if it's not sustainable.

When they were clearing this site, I heard backhoes and earth movers beeping all day long. It really took me back to the days of Bussy St Georges. There was a big apartment building going up across the street from me. It was always noisy in the mornings (it kept me from oversleeping) and there were perpetual clouds of dust. At least the housing in Bussy was needed though.

I am going to post a photo of this worksite once a week, in order to track its progress. Feel free to place your bets on how long it will take. My vote is for three months.

The Red Store

This picture was actually taken in Oklahoma City. I was there visiting family over the Labor Day weekend. This red store is even bigger than the one in Jackson.

Shopping is definitely a different experience in the US, here they actually have cashiers manning almost every station! In the green store in France, you were lucky if there were five registers open, and two of those were usually for holders of the green store card only. America is more democratic in their customer service, and I like it.

Northpark Mall

Jackson only has two traditional enclosed shopping malls, Northpark and Metro Center. Neither one has an outstanding selection of stores, but I usually go to Northpark because it's not too far from where I live. There is also a nice shopping area called Dogwood Festival on Lakeland Drive. It's all outdoors though and sometimes you just need the refreshing feeling of the mall.

Madison County Building Codes

Madison County building codes require that all buildings have brick facades, or at least have bricks somewhere visible to passersby. This requirement leads to offices looking distinctly residential.

Drive Thru Banking

Drive through banking is something I had totally forgotten about before moving back to the US. Europeans would most likely find the idea abhorrent, it's just another way we avoid moving our lazy rumps!

I think it's sort of ingenious though. I mean, we've taken an old, obsolete technology and given it a new use. And I bet if they started installing them around France, people would use them... they just wouldn't like to admit that they enjoyed the convenience!

Char

Many (including my husband) say this is Jackson's finest restaurant. Tonight was my first taste. We were accompanied by a French-Swiss gentleman, a colleague of my husband's who is here on business. I thought it would be a good chance to practice my French, but we ended up staying with English all night.

The food was good though, the drinks too! I'm not sure if I would consider it my favorite restaurant, that honor has yet to be bestowed on any restaurant in the city. But I would certainly come back. I had an ahi tuna mixed with crab meat salad. It was good, but next time I would just go for the ahi tuna steak. The men had the Henry IV steak, which I'm told is the best cut of meat you'll ever taste. I'll trust their judgment on that.

Mum's the Word

A colorful display of mums has been set up at my local fruit stand. Summer (at least by the calendar) is coming to an end and it's time to get some autumnal plants out into the garden. Although I'm not a big fan of mums, they remind me too much of funeral flowers, I have to admit the reds, yellows and purples here are really lovely.

New Stage Theatre

This is Mississippi's one and only professional theater, working hard to bring culture to the masses.

The 2007-08 season sounds promising. I am seriously contemplating purchasing season tickets, although I had rather hoped to be in one of the plays rather than just a spectator.

Ye Olde Bagel Shoppe

One of my favorite weekend treats is fresh bagels from our local bagel-ry, Beagle Bagel.

Legend has it that the owner received a beagle as a gift many years ago. He was from New York City and was a very particular eater. He wouldn't touch any dried dog food, but would only chomp down on bagels. Soon, the supply he came with dwindled and the owner decided she'd better learn to make bagels on her own. It turns out the dog wasn't the only one with a developed taste for bagels - her family and friends loved them too - so she decided to open her own shop. And thus, Beagle Bagel was born.

I'm not sure of the verity of the story, but if it's printed on their paper take-away bags, it must be true, right?