Rodney Baptist Church

Jerry Rushing and Robert Walker, my good friends, photo-shooting buddies and Christian brothers, went with me to the historic town of Rodney, Mississippi, Saturday morning. The photos for the next several days will feature some of the sights that make the forgotten town such a wonderful place to photograph, starting with Rodney Baptist Church and its unique silver dome. On Tuesday, we go inside!

Full moon Sunday

Full moon

Big Black River Trestle

Bovina, MS

Sunday, Jan. 31, 2010

About 8 p.m.

God's Glory at its finest!

A new day

I watched a new day begin on Sunday, Oct. 25, at the rail trestle that spans the Big Black River near Bovina. The river had flooded, so I had to shoot the bridge from afar in a thick fog. It was a glorious morning to hear the rushing water, to watch the swirls of fog float down the river, to see the classic battle of sun versus fog as the sun worked and worked and worked to penetrate the graying mist. I was at peace with God that only a place like this can give you — a place away from the hustle and bustle of daily living, a place of solitude...just me and Him....
God also gave me a chuckle that morning as I passed by a patch of kudzu that was sharing space with a herd(?) of elephant ears! It was a most unusual sight, one that pleased me to no end to get out and photograph. Once again, snake boots made these shots possible for I would not have waded out into the kudzu patch without them on! It was extremely foggy here, too.

Oh, yeah, I found one very cold grasshopper for which the sun could not come up fast enough!

A fog rainbow!

This is the sight that I discovered while shooting photos at sunrise on Sunday, Oct. 25. As usual, I couldn't sleep and so headed toward the rail trestle over the Big Black to see if I could get a picture of the sun rising over that magnificent structure. But I got there and it was completely fogged in. Took a few pictures and then headed out on Hwy. 80 toward Edwards. It was Fog City! The photo below is one I took inside the fogbank. It was a classic battle of the sun fighting to gain the upperhand, but the fogbank wanted to live as long as it could. I finally broke through the fog near the cotton fields right there before you get to the Bonner-Campbell Institute. I turned around as and as I headed back to Vicksburg, I couldn't help but notice that one patch of fog on my left was extremely brighter than the fog around it and that a patch on the right side of me was brighter than the fog around it. I couldn't figure it out, so I stopped and got out of my truck to ponder the situation. I was greeted with this fog rainbow! How glorious! In 49 years of living I have never seen anything like it! Has anyone? I took some other great pictures on this morning and will share them with you later. And wait until you see what some friends and I were blessed to see on Saturday!

Bovina Rail Trestle

Whenever I go see Earl in Bovina, I also mosey over to see the rail trestle over the Big Black River. It's a wonderful thing to photograph. Most folks don't even know it exists. Want to find it for yourself? Follow Warrior's Trail until it ends at U.S. 80. Or better yet...call me and I will take you!

Earl Simmons

Whenever people want me to take them to distinctive places to take photographs, we go first to Margaret's Grocery on North Washington Street and then we will head to Earl Simmons' house in Bovina. Earl is a true folk artist. There's two parts to Earl. First, there is his artwork which is wonderful. He painted some of the artwork at the House of Blues in Orlando. I try to acquire a new piece each time I go visit him. The other part of Earl is his home. I am not going to show you a whole picture of the home because a photo does not do it justice. It's something you have to see for yourself. But here are a few photos of some of the features of the home. Earl continually builds on the home and he has a plan for the entire structure. It's amazing to see and even better to hear him talk about it. If you want to go, give me a call and I will take you. It's an experience you should not miss. You need to meet Earl. He's one of a kind.

Oh, Lord, My God....

....when I in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds your hands have made. I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, thy power throughout the universe displayed!

Those are the words that sang in my head and heart Sunday afternoon while my friends Robert Walker, Jerry Rushing and I were out rambling around. I wanted to show my two friends some of my favorite photographic sights in Bovina and Edwards. The rainbow was spotted on the way home as we traveled on Hwy. 80. We took a small dirt road later on and came across the sun setting down the railroad tracks. Then the show really started! The sky and the colors changed so quickly it was hard to snap the camera fast enough. And as soon as we caught our breaths at the beauty in front of us, we turned around and were greeted by the rain wall coming toward us. It was majestic! There is no other way to describe it! All these photos were probably taken within a 45-minute span and these are just a few of the ones I took and had time to post up here. We certainly went to church Sunday night in the most wonderful cathedral imaginable! Thank you, God!