Taking a break in Columbus MS

Taking a break in Columbus MS

As luck would have it, our son, Paul, and his wife, Amanda, live along the Tenn-Tom in Columbus MS where he is currently stationed in the Air Force. It seemed too perfect for our plans, so we invited ourselves to Thanksgiving Dinner at their historic home.

 

With this extended stop we also planned some dry land travel west on highway 82 to the mighty Mississippi River. This is the delta famous for authentic Blues music which was the focus of our visit.  We traveled in a “land yacht” to keep docking skills up to par and simulate the gentle rocking of the boat. So we did not lose touch with the water, we parked on the Mississippi River shore.  One recent acquaintance who has travelled in both types of “yacht”, prefers the water craft version since there are often long stretches when close attention is not needed –reading Time magazine while cruising with a “land yacht” is not recommended for a healthy retirement.  While each mode of travel has advantages and disadvantages, we don’t plan to abandon the Erben Renewal anytime soon.

 

 

 

 

small leak flood......

The land yacht did serve us well for this trip even providing warmth when the winds off the river blew about 20 knots and the temps dipped into the 20s. Even these brisk winter winds and temps did not deter our touring. We all just layered on the clothes – (for Steve an me) all of our clothes!

 

 

 

 

We paused at Greenwood for a quick lunch at the Delta Bistro on our way west.  This chic cozy restaurant was packed with customers who all seemed to know each other, so we knew we were in a popular local spot. The food proved this assumption true – it was so good we did not take time for photos until it was all gone.  Steve’s poached duck sandwich was voted the best entrée and the bread and butter pudding a hit on the dessert side. On our way back to Columbus we managed to stop at Honest Abe's for pulled pork and donuts - another local Greenwood eatery worth wandering off the highway to discover.

In between these delicious lunches we spent time and evenings in Greenville and Clarksdale. The Walnut Street Blues district in Greenville was our first stop where we were early for the music.  While we waited for the promised “good” band to get going, the boys entertained themselves at the pool tables – Steve showing his finely tuned skills that even surprised the resident pool shark.  Amanda braved the authentic décor to leave our mark on the heavily autographed walls. 

 

From Greenville we travelled up to Clarksdale for a stop at Ground Zero – a club where Morgan Freeman is part owner.  No Morgan sightings, but the crowd was entertaining.  Since the music was only so-so (they called it hillbilly blues) – we moved on to Red’s where the joint was jumping. This small and intimate venue was packed with Blues lovers enjoying the traditional delta music.

 

During the days we managed to tour the welcome center museum in Greenville housed in a building constructed to look like a paddle wheeler.  One tiny point of interest is Greenville was the home to the Stein retail business that today is one of my favorite stores - SteinMart!

 

 

We backtracked to Leland for a surprise treat at the Hwy 61 museum where Pat Thomas played for us in the museum lobby.  Pat is the son of James “Son” Thomas a delta legend who has taken up his father’s mantle with the guitar.  He is also well known for his CAT artwork – picked up as the logo for the Cat Vodka brand.  This tiny museum was also a jewel with treasures and artifacts from many of the Blues greats.  We were surprised to see the saxophone player from the previous evening in one photo.  We had seen the lead singer’s photo in the earlier stop at the welcome center display.  Even though the crowd had been thin when we left, the band had indeed been quality.

Our stop in Leland also included a quick visit to the Jim Henson museum commemorating Kermit the Frog’s birthplace on Deer Creek and a tour of the many musical murals.  

 

Perhaps the highpoint of our museum touring was the B.B. King museum in Indianola. This new and high-tech museum provided an overview of B.B. King’s life as well as many of the other formative figures in history of Delta Blues. Having enjoyed his music for many years, we now have a greater understanding of this generous man who has performed with class from his earliest years yet has never forgotten his roots.  He comes back to perform in Indianola each summer and now in his 80s plans to continue performing.  While W.C. Handy was the first to put Blues music on paper, B.B. King is the King of the Blues.

 

 

Our route conveniently ran close to the factory where Paul purchases his materials to make bullets, so we detoured to Ruleville to pick up his recent shipment and as a bonus were given a tour of the factory.

 

 

Our visit to the Delta was motivated by our interest in Blues music as well as the story of the 1927 flood that devastated this area. 

 

Unfortunately, the small museum devoted to this historic flood was not open.  The rain and mud we experienced on our short visit did remind us of this low and flat land which is vulnerable to the rising river.  In the park we noted the historic flood levels at the observation tower. As we headed back east to Columbus the flat delta land quickly gave way to the hill country visually reminding us of the extent of the floodplain.

 

 

 

Oh, one other discovery is the delta preference for tamales.  Hot Tamale Heaven came highly recommended although we passed on the tamale tour described in our travel brochure.

 

 

Back in Columbus, Steve and I toured the Waverly Planation Mansion – a private home which has been restored and is open for tours.  Sadly, we were not allowed to photograph the interior but from the outside the octagonal copula gives a hint of the soaring central hall where balls have been held since before the Civil War. Remarkably this home has only been owned by two families since it was constructed by  Colonel George Hampton Young in the 1850s. The current owner began restoration in the early 1960s after the house was vacant for just over 50 years. He is in the antique business and has furnished the home with period correct furniture and extensive collections of decorative objects.  Reality however intruded as the temperatures were lower inside than outside and the damp left plaster walls peeling. Beautiful as this mansion is, life on the boat is more manageable for us.

Courtesy of Paul and Amanda’s friend Taylor, we made a visit to the T6 flight simulator – where Julia quickly crashed.  Steve flew a little wobbly and Patti Mitchell – a looper friend and former airline pilot – showed us all how it is done by flying under the Hwy 50 Tenn-Tom bridge. We are all grateful to Taylor for making this unique non-boating experience possible, but water based travel will remain our first preference for now.

Finally, the gracious host and hostess – Amanda and Paul and three couples, provided a scrumptious Thanksgiving feast. The men handled the smoking and deep frying our main course while the gals provided bountiful sides and desserts. We all had fun working together, and Steve and I especially enjoyed the youthful energy of these lovely young couples – our future is indeed in good hands!