IEAFCS Trip April 15, 2012

Sunday was "travel home" day. After Carol made a special effort to secure our brunch tickets at Paula Deen's, we again enjoyed a plentiful sampling of southern cooking. Ask Carol about trying to get the message that was left on her phone.

Harrah's of Tunica is quite a place as you can see from this view across the parking lot from the hotel.

Bill Bales was our bus driver and part owner of the company. He had a great sense of humor, and kept the group entertained throughout the trip. He also did a good job navigating those narrow Natchez streets. This is Bill and Carol in front of Magnolia Hall.

Carol did a tremendous amount of work and coordination to make this trip possible. I believe we all thought it was great! Everyone contributed and Janet Burnett presented her with several gifts that will serve as reminders of our Southern experience. Thank you Carol!

A group photo was taken by the bus driver, and there were lots of cameras used. However, mine wasn't one of them. As soon as I get a "whole group" photo from someone, I will post it.

Otherwise, that concludes the summary of our IEAFCS 2012 excursion. Plans are already being made for 2013. Let us know if you have a suggestion.

IEAFCS Trip April 14, 2012

Saturday morning began with a tour of Rosalie Mansion where we were again welcomed by gracious "southern belles." We were fortunate to have great weather for the entire trip--in spite of the storms raging in Oklahoma and Kansas to the west of us.

Rosalie is owned and maintained by the Mississippi State Daughters of the American Revolution. It was built in 1820 and named after the French Fort Rosalie. It also served as Union Headquarters during the War Between the States.

No photographs were allowed inside most of the mansions. However, I was allowed to snap this one of Ruby Lingle playing the piano in the ladies sitting room of Rosalie. Way to go Ruby!

Mammy's Cupboard was the next stop for lunch. The cupboard is a much loved landmark built in 1940. Several members of our group ate inside Mammy's skirt. And the desserts were delicious (especially the caramel/banana pie).

Then it was time to travel back north to Tunica, MS to Harrah's casino. We arrived in time for dinner at Paula Dean's Restaurant which is located in the casino. Not sure I have ever seen so much food laid out in one place. Seems like almost everyone splurged a bit on the selections available.

Those who were feeling lucky tried a bit of gambling. If anyone won big, I guess they kept it a secret because I didn't hear about anyone hitting a big jackpot.

IEAFCS Trip April 13, 2012--P.M.

After a delicious lunch at Magnolia Hall, we crossed the mighty Mississippi into Ferriday, LA. An interesting note is that very tall flood walls have been built on both sides of the river to protect Natchez and Ferriday. In fact, a lower level of Natchez that used to be several 
blocks wide is now one street. The rest of it is in the river!

First stop was the Delta Music Museum. It features a small collection of some very famous artists that are from nearby towns in Louisiana and Mississippi. Jerry Lee Lewis, Mickey Gilley, and Jimmy Swaggart are all cousins and are from that area. There was a fourth cousin--if someone remembers who it was--add a comment.

One famous photo in the museum is of the so-called Million Dollar Quartet--Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and Elvis Presley. Video performances of members of the museum brought back lots of memories. And you may be interested to know that Jerry Lee Lewis just got married for the 7th time. Some will remember the often colorful history of his previous marriages.

Next stop was Frogmore Plantation, which gives a contrast between a working cotton plantation of the early 1800's and a modern one today. It is over 4,000 acres of corn and cotton.  There was corn already a foot high! Owners Lynette and Buddy Tanner also have a cotton gin that serves about 25 other local farmers.The Tanners have a desire to preserve history, and they have an entire collection of buildings on the property that are set up just like it would have been on an early plantation--slave houses, overseers quarters, cook shack, barns, etc. These are the original buildings that have been salvaged and moved there!

One building houses a rare steam cotton gin--no longer used, of course. We also learned how the War Between the States (not Civil War) and the boll weevil devastated this area for many years. Louisiana has fertile soil that is replenished from the flooding of the delta on a regular basis. Many wealthy plantation owners lived in Natchez, but owned plantations on the other side of the river because the Mississippi soil soon became worn out.

Who knew that a hoe cake was named because it was cooked over an open fire on a hoe!

Lynette and one of her assistants shared insight about the music that was important  for motivation as well as communication during the slave area and the new way of life called sharecropping.

And, of course, there was a gift shop!


After leaving Frogmore, it was a short trip to the Sandbar Restaurant for dinner. Are you getting the idea that food was a very important part of this trip?

IEAFCS Trip April 13, 2012--A.M.

Our first stop on the tour of Antebellum homes was Shields Town House. Southern Belles in full dress greeted us. Pictured are Lois Smith and Kathy Rhodes as they received a warm southern welcome. By the way, Antebellum means "before the war." All the homes we toured were built before the Civil War. Shields House was built in 1860--the last fine townhouse built before the war began.

Members of the group pictured in front of the Shields House are Rick Lingle, Ruby Lingle, Kathy Rhodes, Cammy Seguin, Nann Armstrong, Lois Smith, Kathy Harrison, Pat Hildebrand, Karen Gibbs, Joy Richey, Charlotte Crawford, and Joe Harrison.

Our hostess at Airlie (built in 1790) was the lady who actually lives there with her husband and son. They purchased the house several years ago and have worked to preserve it and make it livable at the same time. Airlie was used as a hospital for Union soldiers during the war.

  Natchez has lots of Crepe Myrtle trees all over town. This photo shows how they look like they don't have any bark. We missed the Azaleas because of the early spring, but the Crepe Myrtle were just starting to bloom.

The last stop of the morning was Magnolia Hall (built in 1858). It is owned and maintained by one of the Natchez Garden Clubs. The garden clubs sponsor the Spring Pilgrimage, which is a very big event in Natchez. It began as a garden tour, but one year when it rained and rained, they decided to do home tours instead. The tradition has continued now for many years.

We were served a delicious lunch at Magnolia Hall. It was the last great mansion built downtown before the Civil War. Natchez did not want to go to war, but they had to follow the vote of the state of Mississippi. Because there were no battles fought there, many more of the historic buildings were preserved than in other parts of the south.

                                                         

IEAFCS Trip April 12, 2012

The second day began with a tour of Elvis Presley's estate in Memphis. There was lots to see there including his mansion, cars, airplanes, and special exhibits. Some of us may want to go back!

Graceland was very interesting, and one of the best things was a building in the back where you could see Elvis performing via video. It was tempting to just stay there!

That's Joy Morris in the foreground of the photo, and even though it was a weekday in April, there was a large crowd as the shuttles ran continuously.

One of the items in the fountain area where Elvis and his parents are buried was an exhibit of his ladder of success during the 50's, 60's, and 70's. And were you aware that he had a twin brother that died at birth?

Elvis purchased Graceland when he was 22 years old for $100,000--a pretty good price for 1957. His gold and platinum records and many awards were showcased, of course, as well as his great charity to many people and organizations.

Lunch that day was at Cracker Barrel in Batesville, MS, and then an afternoon bus ride to Natchez. Landsdowne Plantation is still owned and lived in by members of the family who have had it for years. This is not the case with many of the Natchez Antebellum homes. That's Ruby and Rick Lingle and Carol Schlitt at the entry of Landsdowne. Our group enjoyed a delicious dinner there and then traveled into Natchez to the Little Theater for a play called Southern Exposure.

This was the last week of the Natchez Spring Pilgrimage, and the play provided some insight into how local citizens deal with the swarm of tourists that tour the mansions during the 5-week period.

IEAFCS Trip April 11, 2012

Twenty two IEAFCS members and friends departed from various locations for five days of fun in the sun.

The first stop was Lambert's restaurant in Sikeston, MO for a delicious lunch. Serving sizes were ample to say the least! Ask Karen Barker about getting hit in the face with a "throwed roll."

After a drive to Germantown, TN, it was time to eat again!

 Some members of the group pictured at the Germantown Commissary are Ruby Lingle, Joe Harrison, Karen Gibbs, Nann Armstrong, Kathy Harrison, Joy Morris, Bev Combs, Pat Hildebrand, Janet Burnett, Lois Smith, and Joy Richey. The barbecue and dessert were wonderful!

Then we spent "A Night with Jeanne Robertson." She was funny and entertaining as always. We were reminded that you find what you are looking for--so look for the humor in life.

Check back soon for notes from day 2.

FCS Positions Coming to Extension

There is a bit of good news concerning Family and Consumer Science positions in University of Illinois Extension. The last issue of FYI listed Family Life and Nutrition & Wellness educator positions, plus an EFNEP one.

Discussion at the JCEP meeting indicated there may be a few more coming in the near future.

If new individuals begin working in your area of the state, be sure to introduce yourself and encourage them to join IEAFCS.

And here are some trivia notes about the English language that you may not know.

'Stewardesses'  is the longest word typed with only the left hand.

And 'lollipop' is the longest word typed with your right hand. (Bet you tried this out mentally, didn't you?)

 
No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple.