try2seeitall

We had an uneventful flight back to Antananarivo from Sambava where we were met at the airport by our bus driver. We spent part of the day getting to the University of Antananarivo to meet Dr. Steven M. Goodman, whom I spoke about briefly in the last post. He was an interesting man and just like all the people on our trip, a person whose fascination for wildlife runs very deep. Devin had made the connection, and a stop that was planned for a short period of time wound up taking the better part of the day. Dr. Goodman is listed on the Princeton University Press website as: the MacArthur Field Biologist at the Field Museum of Natural History, a cofounder of Association Vahatra in Antananarivo, Madagascar, and Professor Honoris Causa at the University of Antananarivo. He has authored or coauthored close to 600 publications concerning different aspects of Madagascar.

We were born the same year, but obviously he has had a career that brought him to a much higher level in academia than I was able to muster. I like meeting people like him and was pleased to have had the opportunity to make his acquaintance. I think I can speak for our whole group when I say, thank you, Devin, for making this meeting possible and thank you, Steven, for spending so much time with us.

When we left the city we headed by bus to the relatively small but important town of Andasibe. It was to be my second time visiting the region, but the last time I didn’t realize that it was important as the place where Sir David Attenborough stayed on one of his first visits to Madagascar. Devin might say the town is important because it was the town where he met his wife, one of the daughters of the local doctor, and where, this time, we were going to pick up his wife and daughter for the next leg of the trip. The photo above is of the combination train station and hotel where David stayed on what I gathered was his first visit (in 1961) and where he revisited when he reminisced about the importance of Andasibe in a more recent documentary which I recall having seen on some streaming service; but can’t seem to find now. I didn’t take many photos on this visit to Andasibe. I was a little off my game with an intestinal illness I had picked up while at Marojejy.

Last time I was in Andasibe, it was my first real exposure to the wilds of Madagascar, a place where another famous British naturalist, Charles Darwin, sailed right past on his epic voyage without stepping foot on land. I am giving credit to Sir David Attenborough here because he has done much in his later years to bring to the global collective conscience the crisis of climate change, and has done so in a way that can give a sense of hope that we can still act with solutions that can improve the outlook. That is a message worth spreading.

The last time I was in Andasibe with this group, I was traveling with my nephew Scott. He is pursuing his doctorate at Yale, and I hope with his degree he will be able to add to the discussion and make a difference by providing leadership and solutions. Part of the solution, at least in my view, is educating the young. We must also take into consideration that if we don’t try to address the problem in the near future, we could cross tipping points. The science is pretty clear on this, so we can’t wait for the next generation to try to solve what Sir David Attenborough and many others say is the most important issue of our time. We all should be worried and should be trying to educate ourselves on the facts. I wound up watching a few hours of nature documentaries and news presentations like 60 Minutes when I returned home in order to try to verify that the picture above was revisited in the 21st century by David; but I was unsuccessful. The extra time I spent was important, because I came away with a stronger feeling that the time to act on behalf of the only planet we know is habitable is now.

For a few more photos of Andasibe from this visit, click here. If you want to see more photos of Andasibe in 2019 click here.

After we acclimated in the capital we hopped a flight to Sambava, a coastal town in northeast Madagascar. It is famous as the World’s Capital of Vanilla. Vanilla is a labor-intensive product that comes from the bean that develops from the pollinated flower of a vanilla orchid. It is native to Mexico, but most of the best quality vanilla comes from Madagascar. The pollinator of the flower is not found in Madagascar and therefore each flower has to be pollinated by hand. We came to Sambava, not to buy vanilla beans (though each of us left town with some) but because Sambava is the gateway to Marojejy National Park. 

Devin Edmonds, who designed the tour, chose this park because of its unique biodiversity. He had previously traveled to Marojejy about ten years ago. Then he didn’t know how much time to allocate. He didn’t get to see all of the things he wanted to see and he didn’t have time to make it to the summit of the Marojejy Massif. We were not sure we would make it this time either. It is an incredibly hard hike to the top, climbing steep cliffs covered with tree roots. I was pretty sure I would not make it to the top when I signed up for this adventure. Even though I trained to get in shape, I have never been a fan of steep cliffs with the very real possibility of falling. At nearly 65 years old, I certainly didn’t want to be a liability to the group. Besides, the main animal I wanted to photograph was the Silky Sifaka on this part of the trip. It is a very rare primate that probably numbers less than a thousand in the wild. Needless to say, it is critically endangered and one of the elite members of the cute and cuddly, furry and fuzzy critters that conservationists refer to as charismatic megafauna. I really wanted to see it in the wild. There was a known family group that could typically be found at Camp 2 in Marojejy, Devin didn’t get to see them on his first trip to Marojejy.

Making it to camp 1 was a challenge for many in our group because the first part, before actually getting to the park entrance, isn’t well shaded. There was a lot of up and down, but the elevation change wasn’t drastic. My training served me well. I was pleased to see young local school children coming from the opposite direction, apparently returning from a school field trip, as we got into the forest. I figured, If a bunch of 8–10-year-old children could make it up and back to camp 1, then our group could make it to camp 1, where our bags were left by our porters. Our park guides, Lex and Guy, pointed out a few things as we made our way to camp 1, but the first day was mostly covering ground. 

Day 2 was a lot harder, but the forest was much better. It is some of the best primary forest in all of Madagascar. I made it to Camp 2 with energy to spare, but after we arrived we were told that the trackers had located a Silky Sifaka family group and we were encouraged to see if we could get to them. It was a bit late in the day and the lighting was not going to be great for photography. Shortly after we got started, we left the established trail and got into some dicey scrambling along the forested ravine. The sifakas weren’t having any trouble jumping from tree to tree, but I was struggling to stay on my feet carrying a camera with a big lens. It was more difficult than the Mountain Gorilla trek that my wife and I did in Rwanda a few years ago, but at least in Madagascar you don’t have to worry about charging forest elephants or venomous snakes. Lex could see I wasn’t comfortable and he started looking out for me. The park guides and the community that surrounds the park rely on tourism. They did their best to look out for all of us. I was grateful for his concern and his assistance. Lex and Guy were both outstanding at their jobs and I am sure they were happy (because they told us) to see a return of the tourists to the park. 

I asked Guy if the hike to Camp 3 would be more difficult than what we had experienced to get to see the sifakas and he said it would be steeper and more grabbing roots to climb the trail. It was then that I decided that Camp 3 was probably going to be out of the question for me. I wasn’t the only one to make that decision; three of us stayed at Camp 2. The other eight headed up to Camp 3 after breakfast the next morning. When they got to Camp 3, three of the eight decided that was as high as they were going to go and only 5 attempted the summit. They had to get up very early and hike in the steepest terrain using headlamps. They all made it, and told stories of how difficult it was when they returned to Camp 2. Meanwhile, the three of us who remained at Camp 2 were able to relax a little and have a second chance to see the Silky Sifakas. This time the lighting was better and the sifakas really put on a show. The photo above is from the second day with the sifakas. 

For other photos of this part of the trip that I took click here. I am not sure I can make it happen but I am hoping to get photos from others to add later. I am sure the group as a whole took several thousand photos. I got some pretty good shots, but I am sure others got better ones. There was a young couple, Stephanie and Daniel, from Flagstaff, Arizona, traveling for their first time in Madagascar, that were a delight to travel with, and they both made it to the summit. It would certainly be interesting to hear them re-tell some of their experiences. Daniel was quite knowledgeable about the amphibians and reptiles of Madagascar. I am told that Stephanie was the best climber in the group, navigating the trails almost as well as the guides. Keith, also a first-timer in Madagascar, had some of the best camera gear in the group and had a passion for wildlife photography. I would love to feature some of his best shots. He made it to camp 3 and saw things I didn’t get to see. I was the only retired person in the group, and therefore, I probably was the only one who has had a chance to go through all the photos I took.

One last thing to mention before I end this post is the mystery of the swimming (and biting) floating blades of grass. While waiting at Camp 2, after seeing the Silky Sifakas for the second time, Mike and I decided to go for a swim in the pool below the waterfall next to camp. Mike was relaxing in the splash zone below the falls. I was across the pool. I noticed floating on the surface of the water some things that looked like freshly clipped pieces of grass floating with the current. Nothing special about that…until the clipping changed direction and moved across the current, towards me. That was odd, but not too concerning. Then, a few seemed to dip below the surface and swim toward my legs. The blades actually had the ability to work their way through the hair on my legs and to my surprise, it felt as if I was getting pinched or bitten by the mandibles of a small insect. At that point I described what happened to Mike across the pool, questioning whether he was having anything like that happen around him. He said he was not, but when I flicked one of the blades towards him, he saw what I was talking about and we both decided to get out of the pool.  As we were returning to camp, we saw Anna, the third member of our group who remained at Camp 2 and as passionate as anyone about all things great and small. She offered to get some small collection containers that she had with her gear. After some searching, I saw some of the critters again and we collected them. Anna got a pretty good video on her cell phone of the little guys moving around in the collection containers. I got some (not so great) still photos which are at the end of the photo gallery. I speculated that they could be caddis fly larvae; though I had never witnessed one behave in the aggressive manner I described.  When we flew back from Sambava to Antananarivo the next day, Devin had already made plans to go to the university there to meet Dr. Steven M. Goodman, a scientist and book editor of many books on the creatures of Madagascar. After he sold a couple dozen books to members of our travel group, Steven graciously looked at the video Anna was able to show him on her iPhone and confirmed that it was a member of the order Trichoptera, also known as Caddisflies.  I was happy to be right about the little critters, but it still didn’t solve the mystery of why they tried having me for lunch.

When I started this website, I had in mind an around-the-world adventure, kicking off in Madagascar. It was high on my list because of all the endemic wildlife found there and because it was relatively affordable. I had such a good time traveling with the group in January 2019, and the feeling seemed to be mutual among the others. We agreed that we should try to do it again. Then Covid shut things down. It was postponed and then postponed again. Mike Wallitis, owner of Black Jungle Exotics, a terrarium supply company that I had done business with when I kept terrariums in my biology classroom and who has a small tour company specializing in taking people like me on no-frills rainforest adventures, kept the group informed. Devin Edmonds, an expert in Madagascar wildlife and current doctoral candidate doing field research in Madagascar, worked hard to make it possible this year. Seven of the eleven people on this year’s trip had gone the last time. This trip was slated to be a bit more challenging, especially considering everyone was three years older, and the early part of the trip was a trek through mountainous, thick forest, in hot and humid weather, with a considerable change in elevation, and camp accommodations that had not been used much (at least by foreign travelers and scientists) since the pandemic limited access. We were encouraged to get in shape before showing up in Madagascar!

We flew into the capital city of Antananarivo and took a few days there to get acclimated to the time change. I had already been in France which is only a two hour time difference, but some on the trip had to contend with an eleven hour time change. We visited a park with plenty of wild birds in the center of the city; a lemur park, where they had rescued animals from around the country; and a crocodile farm where they had native plants and animals, along with huge crocodiles which were being raised for leather and for meat.  

It was a good chance to practice our photography skills. Most of the people on the trip were interested in photography. Some were quite skilled and came prepared to get good photos. On this kind of trip there is always a chance that you will get to photograph a creature that has not yet been described by science. Certainly, you will see the rare and unusual.  Getting a really good image can be a challenge. 

Above is a photo of a Golden Mantella. It is a tiny frog about an inch long that has become rare in the wild due to habitat destruction. Devin has worked with local people to establish a captive breeding program which has been pretty effective in Madagascar. But, even Devin will admit that habitat destruction is still a major problem. Golden Mantellas are listed as critically endangered in the wild, with a population that is decreasing; like so many amphibians throughout the world. The individual above was photographed at the Crocodile Farm. For other photos from the first few days in Antananarivo, click here. 

Yes, we did take the opportunity to have lunch at the Crocodile Farm. Everyone from our group had some version of a crocodile dish offered by the onsite restaurant. It was surprisingly tender and as they say, it tastes a lot like chicken. The dish is the last one in the gallery if you clicked the link above.

If you have been following this blog, you know I have family currently living in Paris. We were fortunate and thankful to have been with them on the last Thursday in November. My daughter is a wonderful cook and they invited some interesting people who happened to be from the USA. Erin and Pat, our co-grandparents, were there, along with people who became friends because of my grandchildren or by living in the same neighborhood. It was a delightful group of people. The picture above is my plate. A good and thankful time was had by all! As you can see from the photo above, I filled my plate. We diverged from the classic Thanksgiving desserts by partaking of delightful pastries from a local shop. No one seemed disappointed. Also, most of the beverages were from France and the adults seemed particularly fond of the ones from Champagne.

I have posted on this before, but I truly enjoy food that is carefully and artfully prepared with fresh ingredients in the style of the place we are visiting. While in Bordeaux we had dinner at restaurants that fit this description. 

The first night with Erin and Pat, we ate at La Brasserie Bordelaise which was recommended by the host of Villa Reale, the apartment where we were staying, located on la Place du Parlement where we stayed the first three nights in Bordeaux. It was close.  A brasserie in France is a place that serves typical but simple dishes. One of the specials of the day was Lamprey (a primitive jawless fish that looks like an eel that feeds by attaching its sucker to other fish), which I had read is considered a delicacy in Bordeaux. I considered it, but when I questioned the waiter about it, he said it was his first day on the job and he brought over a colleague. He asked, “Do you know what it is?” and gave me a look that said more. Something that I interpreted as; buddy, you probably can’t handle it. I took his advice. No one at our table was disappointed with their choices, but a part of me wishes I had been a little more adventurous. Maybe it wasn’t fancy food but it was certainly good.

The second night we ate at a place that was recommended by our tour guide, Emiline. It was called Restaurant le Bouchon Bordelais where Pat and I had to try Le Beaujolais Nouveau. It was being featured (I think the phrase used by the waitress was, We are celebrating the arrival of Le Beaujolais Nouveau, one of my favorite times). Unfortunately, we chuckled a little, because we had no idea what it was, and that caused an awkward moment, because I think she thought we were laughing at her or the way she said something in English, when we were really just ignorant of what was being offered.  So we lightened the moment by ordering a couple of glasses. I think it is a fresh wine made to drink, not to age. Even though it was different than what we were tasting at the châteaus, it was in my opinion a good recommendation. Pat and I opted to try the fixed price multi-course offering of the day. I like ordering dinner this way, because I don’t feel as guilty when it comes time to eat dessert. It is often my favorite part of the meal, especially in France. Everyone was happy with what they ordered and it was all artfully prepared.

The third night in Bordeaux (Pat and Erin went back to Paris to babysit) my wife and I ate at a place the host, Pierre, at the lovely B&B,  La Chartreuse – Bordeaux, recommended. It was called Le Clemenceau. It was not too far from the B&B and was recommended because of the seafood selections. Again I went with the fixed price menu and it was all great.

The fourth dinner establishment we went to was a place I had been looking forward to since I read about it on trip advisor. It was a place called Blisss. It came up on a search of highly rated dinner experiences in Bordeaux, but it is not actually within the city limits. It was a 40 minute tram ride and a 15 minute walk. My wife was questioning my judgment on the way to the restaurant when, as she correctly stated, there are plenty of excellent restaurants closer to where we were staying. It made me a bit nervous because I knew the expectations would have to exceed her normal ones. Otherwise, the return trip to our room wouldn’t be a happy one.  The name of the restaurant. Blisss, with an extra “s,” is an extremely high bar to reach; especially considering our other dining experiences had been so exceptional in the region. Fortunately it didn’t rain while we were walking, which worked in my favor. I was able to convince my wife that it was something I wanted to do and asked that she reserve voicing her opinion until she had at least tried what was on offer that evening. The restaurant opened and we were the first guests to be seated. Our hostess, Isabelle (and the wife of the chef), who I believe contacts each prospective dinner guest after you submit an electronic reservation, to make sure the guests are a proper fit for the dining experience. It is a unique experience, where they say on the website: “The restaurant where nothing is to choose from, everything is to be discovered.”  Isabelle handed us a card with a list of ingredients and explained that each of the dishes we were about to be served would contain three of the ingredients on the card. Maybe other ingredients besides the three that you guess, but never more than three ingredients on the card would be used in each dish. Once you correctly identified the three ingredients you would then be served, when it was ready, the next dish. Those ingredients could not be used again on any of the remaining dishes. In theory, identifying the dishes’ ingredients should get easier as you reduce the number of unused ingredients on the card, but the card did contain more than the number of ingredients necessary; so that when the last dish was served there were more than three ingredients still on the list. Once my wife understood the rules of the night, she seemed ready to enjoy the challenge. That, along with Isabelle’s kind and welcoming demeanor, plus being served a nice glass of white wine (that Isabelle recommended), set things up for the wonderful evening. If you would like to see some photos from our meal at the restaurant click here. It turned out to be an exceptional and indeed a blissful evening. The Chef is a culinary genius and the kitchen produces artful and tasty creations worthy of the Michelin guide mention they have received. Thank you Isabelle and chef Anthony Aycaguer. My wife was pleased with my choice!

The last meal worth writing about in Bordeaux for this post was recommended by the hosts of L’Appart D’Oli et Tiane, (a unique apartment in the center of the historic district of Bordeaux, where we stayed the last four nights) called Modjo. It is located only a couple of blocks from the apartment. The food was delicious. Again the menu was fixed-price. You could choose the number of plates, but not what you were going to eat. At Modjo, you could avoid food allergies or sensitivities, because the waiter asked the question when you were seated (rather than pledging when you made the reservation that you didn’t have any food sensitivities, as you had to do to secure a reservation at Blisss). I highly recommend this restaurant, though I didn’t take many pictures. Click here for other photos from the city of Bordeaux, including some photos of food we were served. The first few pictures in the gallery are actually from Modjo. We were particularly impressed by the dessert presentation.

Disclaimer: I did my best to match the proper website to the place. They all were at the time of this posting secure websites. I was not paid for adding the links. I have noticed in the past that if you do not have a secure web browser, you can be routed to a site that tries to sell things I have not recommended or visited. Be careful!

About an hour away from the center of Bordeaux by car is the Bay of Arcachon. It is known for its summer recreation activities, but it is also famous for seafood, especially oysters. Though November is considered out of season, I thought it would be a good opportunity for a short diversion to a place I had never been. It certainly would be a less crowded time of year to visit and being close to the Atlantic Ocean it would likely be a little warmer. It has a microclimate that allows for citrus trees to grow and therefore would likely brighten my wife’s spirits. She does not like the cold and she loves the ocean and seafood. So, when planning this part of our visit, I rented a car (it happened to be a little Fiat 500, with a six-speed manual transmission) and booked a highly rated and affordable B&B called Villa Mady in the seaside village of Andernos-les-Bains. I didn’t plan much other than that. The weather was predicted to be rainy, but we were lucky and saw a good bit of sunshine while we were there. Obviously, I wanted to find good photo opportunities of my favorite subject – nature – for this photo journal and allow family and other people who cannot travel to try to see it all.

The drive from Bordeaux was uneventful, which is a good thing when you are driving in a foreign country and you don’t really know where you are going. Google Maps and smartphone technology has taken most of the worry out of navigation, especially when you have a co-pilot who can watch the map, as it doesn’t always match the voice to the reality of the road. 

We arrived at Villa Mady a little early, but our host was ready for us. She was patient and good at communicating, despite the fact that we speak very little French and English is not something she was confident with; but she was prepared with brochures and suggestions and she was able to make reservations for us at a local seafood restaurant, Chez Huguette, for dinner. Following her suggestion, we drove to Cap Ferret and spent the afternoon. From the tip of the peninsula you can see across the mouth of the estuary to the largest sand dune in France (I think it is the tallest in all of Europe), called Grande Dune du Pilat. With my telephoto lens, you could actually make out the people standing on the dunes. 

The only mishap of the day that had me worried was when I tried to back out of a sandy parking lot and the little Fiat I was driving got stuck. It reminded me of when I was cruising with my best friend Mark, from high school, in his car and we thought we could cross some sand that had drifted across the road in a heavy, rear-wheel drive American car from the late 60’s. We made it halfway to the paved road in Nags Head which was our goal before the car was resting on the frame with the wheels spinning freely in the sand. It was a struggle to back our way out, constantly having to clear sand from under the car until we made it back to the road on which we had started. It took over an hour that day in the blistering sun, but we didn’t have to get towed. Fortunately, in Cap Ferret, it was not so hot. Also, the little Fiat was front wheel drive and that gave it better traction. I only had to dig sand for about 10 minutes this time before I was back on the asphalt pavement. My wife was relieved that we didn’t have to call for help and we were going to be on time for the seafood dinner she was promised. 

Dinner  in the evening was not fancy at Chez Huguette, but fresh and good. The following day, the breakfast at Villa Mady was excellent! It was obvious that our host had put a lot of love into preparing it. I highly recommend staying there and wish we had booked more time. 

For photos from the Arcachon area click here. It just might brighten your spirit too.

We knew we were going to spend Christmas in France this year. It will be the last chance to spend the holiday while our daughter is living with her family in Paris. Erin and Pat (our daughter’s in-laws) were also making plans to go to France. Like us, they like to see sights they have not seen so that crossing the “Pond” is not just to see family. Family is reason enough, but who would pass up the opportunity to travel to a world famous wine and food destination with people who are fun to be around. Not me for sure! Unlike us, Erin and Pat are not retired, Finding time to travel is still more of a challenge for them than it is for me and my wife, so it was a special treat to be invited to spend a couple of days with them in Bordeaux. 

We had a previous positive experience with Val de Loire Travel, so Erin contacted them again. She was able to get two guided tours set up with a very capable and interesting tour guide named Emiline. She had vast knowledge of the region surrounding Bordeaux; including the culture, history, food and wine.

The first day was centered around the Unesco World Heritage village of Saint-Emilion. We walked the village and toured the 12th century monastery including the Monolithic Church which was an important stop on the Camino de Santiago, an important pilgrimage. The region has had vineyards since Roman times and it is still an important and famous wine region today. We tasted wines in a wine shop in the village and then toured Château de Candales and Château Coutet where we visited the wine making facilities and the cellars and had a private wine tasting at each vineyard.  

Day two started with a tour of Cadillac-sur-Garonne including a tour of the national monument,  Le Château Ducal de Cadillac. Emiline gave us an interesting account of the history of the village and the history of the Château. It was for a time the impressive home of the Duke of Épernon, but after the French revolution it was recommissioned as a womens’ prison. After the visit we went to see Château Margaux, a renowned wine producer, but not open for public tours or tasting. Emiline gave us a lesson on the region and what makes the wines so special. We then visited two different wineries; Château Dauzac and Château Haut Breton Larigaudière.

Thanks Emiline, for your expertise and your spirit. Thanks Erin, for setting up everything!

If you would like to see more photos from the region click here.

When I was a little boy I knew I wanted to do something different than my dad did to make a living. He was a mechanical engineer who always said he loved what he did, but to me he was always working. We just didn’t see him that much. He came home after our bedtime on most days and often worked on Saturdays. I don’t think he ever came to a little league baseball game or any sporting event when I was growing up. He did make it to most home football games when I was in high school and occasionally made it to other athletic events provided he wasn’t working on a project that had a deadline. I am not complaining. His job afforded us the opportunity to go to good schools and live a happy middle class life. One thing we seldom did was take family vacations. I did all my exploring by reading books and magazines that had a lot of photos; no doubt, this influenced me. I was also lucky that the neighborhood I grew up in had a small stream running through it and I was always fascinated by the little critters that lived in and around the stream. I am sure this stimulated my interest in wildlife biology. I spent a lot of my time trying to find and identify all the different little fish, salamanders, reptiles, and invertebrates. I had found my passion at an early age. It didn’t hurt that there were a few good television shows and documentaries, especially The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau. When most children were saying they wanted to be firemen or policemen, I was saying I wanted to be a marine biologist. That career didn’t quite become a reality, but I was able to pursue my passion by combining my interest in biology with my interest in sports by becoming a high school science teacher and coach. This career, like the career of my father’s, kept me both busy and happy, but unlike my father I was able to spend plenty of time with my family, especially during the summer.

I have since moved to a lake in southern Virginia and the photo above is a road that runs along the spine of Smith Mountain, where my oldest son and his three children recently did a little hiking and a little exploring. If you look closely, you can see the place we live off in the distance in one of the photos you can see by clicking here. If you are family with a password you can click here to see family photos. My son did follow in his father’s footsteps and also became a teacher. Although he also has a passion for wildlife and the outdoors, he became a math teacher.

The picture above reminded me of a Robert Frost poem I chose as one of my top ten favorite poems for a fifth grade project the last lines go….

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.”

Thank you Mrs. Coleman for assigning the project and thank you Dad for working so hard.

My wife has roots in the rural south near the college town of Hattiesburg, Mississippi. My father-in-law, James, went to the University of Southern Mississippi, where he earned a double major in Math and Physics. He was a brilliant man with a strong work ethic and many talents, who unfortunately passed away well before reaching the average age of people born in the early 1930’s. I always felt fortunate to have married into his family. He knew he didn’t want to have as many children as his parents had, and so (as the story goes) when Sarah (my future mother-in-law) delivered three daughters in a row, two years apart; James said, that’s it; we’re calling her Jamie. (His father, Roy, was a well-respected farmer, who had enough boys that he and his wife, Lilly Mae, gave two of them the first name Roy.) Roy Sr. was so well known in the area that an oat variety was named after him. (I am not giving away last names here, because I haven’t asked the family’s permission, and I always try to focus on the story while protecting the privacy of the people. I will tell you it is possible to find the family name, if you read this Mississippi State University scholarly article; but you will have to look hard.  Anyway, if you have read this far, it is likely you are family, and are wondering why I haven’t gotten to Dottie Belle yet! I will… I promise.)  

James, it turns out, was not destined to become a farmer. With his degrees and a commitment to the army, the government assigned him to the U.S. Explorer 1 project; where he met and worked with the famous rocket scientist, Wernher von Braun. James was very proud of where he was from, but also humble. He loved his family and seemed to enjoy having me walk the land he helped plow when he was a kid to help his father with the chores and walk the land he purchased from farmers who were retiring from farming that he had planted with pine trees as a young man. He treated me well, as did the rest of his family. To this day, a little more than forty years after my first introduction, I still feel welcome and enjoy learning about the family history from different perspectives.

That brings me to the title of this post. Dottie Belle was James’s older sister. She passed away at the age of 93 on July 11th. She lived a full life. She was especially kind and welcoming to my wife and I, and James’s grandchildren. We were honored to drive to the services from our home in Virginia, to pay our respects and to hear the stories of a life well lived, retold (in superb fashion with both humor and love, I might add) at the services by her pastor for many years, and her granddaughter, Dana.  It was good to hug Liz, James’s only surviving sibling, and talk to Millard, Liz’s husband, who built a house on the same road as the church, next to the old barn and Pecan trees that meant so much to the family. It was good to gather at Linda’s house (Dottie’s daughter) to reminisce with cousins and friends and eat comforting southern food provided by members of Dottie’s church; a church and cemetery built on land donated, in large part, by Dottie’s ancestors. Dottie Belle was a true treasure to the community. Dottie is now buried next to her husband Ray. May they rest in peace.

The picture above is of the aptly named Great Smoky Mountains. If you are wondering why I chose the photo, it was a place that was special to Dottie and Ray. They camped there for many weeks during the summer season to escape the Mississippi heat and humidity.  We visited the park on our way back to our home, as a tribute to Dottie Belle and Ray. We will return again. 

To see a few more photos of our travels to and from Mississippi click here. On the way there, I added an other state capitol visit in Montgomery, Alabama. Though I was hoping to, I did not make it to Jackson, Mississippi. It will have to wait. I still have a dozen left to visit.

We were told when we purchased our new condo that our balcony would have one of the best views on the lake during the Independence Day celebration. The first year we were living here, the show was canceled due to the pandemic. This year they were predicting rain, but it held off and there was quite a show! It actually went on each evening for several days, although officially the revelry was only supposed to happen for one night. I am not really a big fireworks fan. I guess I worry about safety, environmental costs, as well as financial costs, and the analyst in me says it isn’t worth the bang for the buck. My wife likes them and I like the challenge of photographing them. So, above you see a photo from the 2022 show from our balcony. If you would like to see more click here. Photos are slow to load, so unfortunately I can’t provide you with the highest quality images through this platform and your experience may depend on your internet connection.