As a lot of you know, I live just a hair’s breadth away from the mighty Mississippi River. Well, actually not the REAL Mississippi River, but a smaller river, a canal really, what used to be the Mississippi River a little more than a hundred years ago. The Mississippi River is constantly moving and with that movement often comes course changes. That’s right, the river actually changes course. That’s what happened here in Vicksburg in 1876. The river changed course and left Vicksburg and its very active port, high and dry.
(more…)Archive for the ‘history’ Category
It’s All So Exciting – ‘Til It Isn’t
Posted in Autumn, Baer House Inn, cruise, cruising, vacation, dessert, desserts, drinks, eating, Family, food, friends, history, humor, innkeeping, Jansen Schmidt, laughter, Mississippi, travel, vacation, Vicksburg, writing, tagged American Cruise Lnes, American Queen, Baer House, historic homes, low water, Mississippi River, paddlewheeler ships, paddlewheelers, river cruises, river cruising, steam ships, tour homes, traveling, Viking Cruise LInes, Viking River Cruises, Yazoo Diversion Canal, Yazoo River on November 7, 2022| 6 Comments »
Monument of the Millennium
Posted in blogging, camera, Caribbean, Carnival cruise, cruise, cruising, vacation, Family, friends, history, humor, inspiration, islands, Jansen Schmidt, laughter, travel, trivia, vacation, writing, tagged American Society of Civil Engineers, Atlantic Bridge, bridges, cargo ships, Colon Panama, cruising, engineering, freighters, locks, Monument of the Millennium, oceans, Panama, Panama Canal, Panama Canal cruise, Panama Canal transit, physics, shipping, ships, wonders of the world on October 3, 2022| 4 Comments »
I hope I haven’t lost you. We were cruising and I left you hanging at Costa Rica. Never fear, we’re back on track. The next day of our 15-day cruise was spent navigating the uber impressive Panama Canal, designated as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World and a Monument of the Millennium by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
(more…)Let’s Explore the A B C’s – Part I
Posted in beach, blogging, camera, Caribbean, cruise, Family, friends, history, humor, Jansen Schmidt, laughter, travel, vacation, weird facts, writing, tagged ABC Islands, architecture, cactus, carillon, caves, cruising, Curacao, distilleries, forts, Hato Caves, history museums, islands, museums, musical instruments, touring, tourists, traveling, Youtube on August 22, 2022| 6 Comments »
A few weeks ago I blogged about our trip to Jamaica. That was the first port stop on our Panama Canal Cruise. Today we’re moving on to our second stop. Our itinerary called for us to visit Bonaire next, followed by Aruba. But, because covid numbers were surging in Bonaire, they re-routed us to Curacao instead. No worries for us, we had never been to any of the A B C islands so we were eager to see what all the fuss was about.
(more…)The Broken Lightbulb: A Spooky Tale
Posted in Baer House Inn, blogging, Family, Fiction, friends, history, humor, innkeeping, Jansen Schmidt, laughter, Mississippi, Paranormal, redneck, travel, vacation, Vicksburg, weird, writing, tagged Baer House, Baer House Inn, ghosts, haunted, haunted B&Bs, haunted inns, historic inns, light bulbs, locked doors, Mississippi, random, spirits, traveling, unexplainable events, unexplained, unexplained phenomenon, unseen forces, Vicksburg on August 8, 2022| 12 Comments »
Here at the inn, I have a policy: if a room is not made completely up and ready for someone to check into it, I keep the door to that room either shut or locked until it’s ready to go. I don’t like snoopy guests – and they are, every single one of them – to peek in and see a dirty or unfinished room. I just think that’s unprofessional. I’d rather have those snoopy guests wonder what those rooms look like than for them to see an unmade bed or a vacuum cleaner sitting in the middle of the room or towels stacked on the dresser. Hey, my inn, my rules. I want to present it in its best light.
(more…)A Trip To the Oligocene Epoch Right Down the Road
Posted in blogging, blooms, driving, flowers, friends, gratitude, history, humor, Jansen Schmidt, Mississippi, travel, Vicksburg, writing, tagged Earth science, erosion, Flora, Flora Mississippi, forest, fossils, lichen, Loblolly pines, National Natural Landmarks, National Park Service, nature, nature walk, petrified forest, petrified wood, pine needles, prehistoric, science, trees on May 16, 2022| 6 Comments »
A few weeks ago, I time traveled. I wasn’t gone very long and I didn’t travel very far, but I definitely went back in time. Back about 36-38 million years ago in fact, if scientists are right. It wasn’t as exciting as I thought it might be but it was interesting none-the-less.
(more…)The Je Ne Sais Quoi of Abandoned Places – Part Two
Posted in Baer House Inn, blogging, bucket list, camera, cement walls, Family, friends, history, humor, Jansen Schmidt, positivity, resolutions, short story, travel, vacation, Vicksburg, weird facts, writers, writing, tagged abandoned places, adventures, American Civil War, exploring, headstones, historical places, history, Mississippi River, off the beaten path, Port Gibson Mississippi, preservation, ruins, southern plantations, traveling, Windsor Plantation, Windsor Ruins on January 17, 2022| 6 Comments »
Last week I told you of my interest in exploring ghost towns and abandoned places. I relayed the story of the town of Rodney, the capital that almost was. This week, I continue my exploration adventures with you to another spot not too far from my home in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Let’s wander over to Windsor Ruins, what’s left of Mississippi’s greatest plantation home ever.
(more…)The Je Ne Sais Quoi of Abandoned Places – Part One
Posted in Baer House Inn, blogging, Family, friends, history, humor, Jansen Schmidt, Paranormal, positivity, resolutions, short story, travel, vacation, Vicksburg, weird facts, writers, writing, tagged abandoned places, adventures, churches, exploring, ghost towns, graveyards, headstones, historical places, history, Mississippi River, off the beaten path, old churches, Rodney MIssissippi, steamboats, traveling on January 10, 2022| 10 Comments »
I don’t know if you like to explore abandoned places, but I do. I enjoy wandering around ruins and imagining who lived there, what they did, how they lived, etc. Maybe it’s the writer in me or maybe just an inherent curiosity. I don’t know, but I’ve always sought out ghost towns when I’m traveling.
(more…)