A great new bridge has replaced the ferry I’d been looking
forward to. But peering down through one
of its many drainage holes I saw flowers about two hundred feet below on the
approach, before the bridge rose even higher over the navigation highway this river
has been for a long time. 
Livin’ high—stayin’ dry, on the river-side of the levee
Outside the levee, houses rest on the ground, including the old
White Hall Plantation House of 1849. Barton Simmes built it, namesake of Simmesport
from which I write this.
Also, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church and Cemetery has rested
in this former floodplain since 1848.
Can anyone identify these birds? I found them in this huge nest, high in a
tree. The parent has a white head
and yellow beak. The chick has a black head and black beak. 
Fertile fields outside the levee, big farms.
What a world you're in ... where people and birds nest high, and flowers bloom so low and bright you can peek from 200 feet through a telescope at them (or the like) - lovely. Amazing sight those houses perched... and you swirling along through it all. Glad you had a shorter, easier ride, and you seem happy as a lark... no they are not larks. Maybe someone reading will know those birds, and also I know a few who might. It is great sharing your journey!
ReplyDeleteSwirling through it. Yes, it feels that way. The Great River swirls too, like a big snake.
DeleteEverything is nice and green. So much to see and enjoy!
ReplyDeleteYes, after I crossed the Mississippi, the land became flat, the plants greener, and the white sand on which every has grown since Daytona Beach is gone, deep dark soil in its place.
DeleteProud Mary, a classic riverboat song to fill in for your lost ferry. Or possibly another loss to the river if it doesn't play from this window. BTW, I recognize White Hall, and have seen the stick houses. My favorite is the "shotgun" houses. Keep riding and writing!
ReplyDeletehttp://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=11211489
Yes, I hear you rollin' on the river. I'm really surprised you've seen the White Hall Plantation House; it's on a backroad, near the levee, off the usual path. You must know this country.
DeleteI lived there for a year, saw many a back road, but remember very little. It was 35 years ago, and I was apprenticing as an alcoholic.
DeleteYou seem to remember quite a lot. I wont ask if your apprenticeship fledged into Journeyman.
Delete