I finally got to visit Arbor Day Farms. It has been on my stop list during previous travel adventures, but something always happened and I had to readjust my plans. Now, my only regret is that I was not able to spend more time here. A few hours does not allow you to explore the entire area.
Arbor Day Farms is the birthplace of Arbor Day. Julius Sterling Morton moved to Nebraska in 1954 and decided to start planting trees.
Along I-80, in about the middle of Nebraska, crossing the Interstate, erected high, stands the Archway.
Inside the Archway is a museum that covers the history of the Great Plains of Nebraska. From the settlers, to building of the interstate, through today’s modern history.
Outside on the west side, is a maze that resembles a fort. It probably depicts Fort Kearney, which is only a few miles away.
Across the bridge there are sculptures of bison and walking trails that will take you to Kearney or the Fort Kearney State Historical Park.
I attended the Art Show of some very talented students from the Hall County area of Grand Island, NE. The event was held at the Sturh Museum. These are just a few of the hundreds items on display. Their parents and teachers should be proud.
The students put in a lot of time and effort on each piece.
The little added pieces provided an excellent enhancement.
Many of the students showed that they had a steady hand and a lot of patience.
Transforming one dot at a time into a work of art.
Even the creepy, crawly turned out beautiful.
Some pieces should their whimsical side.
Other pieces showed their creativity.
This wooden screen was purchased from Hobby Lobby. It was a blank canvas that I stained and painted. The flowers in the middle of the screen was painted with chalk paint.
In August 2016, my parents house flooded. They had 44 inches of water in their home and they lost most of their belonging. For Christmas I stained and put mosaic on a jewelry box for my mother.
The box was purchased from Hobby Lobby. The mosaics was done with polymer clay, and for the grout I used glue and micro beads.
Several coats of polyurethane was placed over every surface, including the mosaic.
Monday, I was stuck inside all day due to freezing rain. Tuesday, the weather man said it would be a good day to go out and take pictures, if you had a good camera. He was wrong about the camera. It was a good day to take pictures. However, I did have to dodge falling ice.
Most of the homes around Natchez, MS, last tour is a 4:30 p.m. So, what do you do after you walk around downtown and view the Mississippi River? Yes, you go to the cemetery.
The Historic Natchez Cemetery was established in 1822 high on the bluff overlooking the Mississippi River.
I do not have any known relative or friend buried here. But, there is a lot of history on these grounds.
What do I remember about Rosalie? It is located in Natchez and overlooks the Mississippi River. The walk around Rosalie was beautiful; tree lined paths and flowering plants. The original owners built it on the property that once held Fort Rosalie and decided to keep the name.
I remember most the gardener putting down mulch and playing with the sundial. The gardens were beautiful.
I have driven through Natchez, Mississippi many times while heading to North Louisiana. Mostly, stopping at the McDonalds for a quick break. I always loved the tree lined view on John R. Junkin drive, and wanted to see more of the city.
Natchez, is located on the East side of the Mississippi River. Vidalia, Louisiana is directly across the river on the west side.
Selecting pictures to add in the blog post was difficult, because Natchez is a beautiful city with a lot of history.
I could have spent the entire day, looking over the Mississippi River. If you never have seen the Mississippi River in the Southern States, it is an amazing site.
This is a newer building overlooking the Mississippi. I share it because the famous restaurant, Cock of the Walk, was located.
Even their Court House is a vision.
In other blog posts, I will cover some of the places I visited while staying in Natchez, MS.
Paris, Texas is located in the northeast Texas just minutes from the Oklahoma border. I have driven through Paris, Texas many time, even spend the night there once. But, arriving after dark there was not much adventuring, just eating and sleeping.
On this trip, I decided to add Paris to my list of places to visit. My only regret is, I didn’t spend enough time there.
I learned in 1916 there was a great fire that burned most of the city, 30 blocks. Most of the downtown area was rebuilt in about a year. That is why most of it’s architecture in from the 1916 period.
The fire spared the Sam Bell Maxey House, only touch the edge of the property. After the fire, Mr. Maxey was a key figure in setting up the American Red Cross in Paris, Texas.
In 1993, Paris, Texas built their Eiffel Tower. In 1998, they added a red cowboy hat to make the tower taller then Paris, Tennessee’s Eiffel Tower.
It is located next to their Veteran Memorial.
