Modern Cotton: she's gone country

"When the sun starts slippin' from the Delta sky,

And the last scarecrow tucks in for the night

Make a fire, throw a blanket on the sandy bank

'Bout an hour til we feel the first catfish yank.

Barefoot cane pole wavin' at the riverboats

And when they're gone take a dip in the moon glow

That's what country is..."

Luke Bryan

I finally made the trek to Mississippi to visit Benny, and to my surprise I really liked it. Don't get me wrong here-- I never ever thought I'd hate it, but despite my freakish flare for country music, in reality I actually am a city girl. I've only ever lived in the thriving cities of Memphis and Birmingham, which despite being rich Southern history, aren't exactly the country....

That said, the fear of the unknown rural-lifestyle had me a bit spooked. Thankfully, we (me and the backwoods) hit it off right from the start. My trip was full of fun and new experiences including shooting my first gun, learning new history about the state lines (the Mississippi River doesn't actually serve as a hard-and-fast divide of Arkansas and Mississippi), and trips to both Doe's and Abe's. Here are a few of the pictures I took this weekend, and let me be the first to say they do not give The Delta justice--really and truly it's gorgeous down there.

[walking around some wreckage from the flood of the mighty mississippi]

[one of my favs-- he didn't know he was in the picture]

[deer tracks everywhere--this one looked like a heart]

[again...one of my favs b/c it describes him so well]

[Benny and his true love--his John Deere]

As you're well aware I'm a huge fan of lists in my posts; this one is no exception. While I found numerous things I loved, these next few are among some of my latest and greatest obsessions...

1) Orchards--specifically pecan orchards

[love the endless rows of perfectly landscaped trees]

[pecans]

[I don't even really like pecans, but these were ah.maze.ing.]

2) The Delta Sunset

[gave me chills]

[it lights up the sky like I've never seen it]

3) Open Spaces

[with the amazing sunset over a field at Allendale Farms]

[ok--so, this isn't a field, but c'mon..pretty dang cool if you ask me]

4) Back Roads

[at Concordia Rod and Gun Club]

[must admit it beats a highway any day]

last but not least.........

5) Cotton

[proud of the cotton modules]

In the word's of an all-time favorite,"I hear down there it's changed ya see, they're not as backward as they used to be-- She's gone country, look at them boots; she's gone country, back to her roots; she's gone country, a new kinda suit; she's gone country, here she comes..."

Couldn't have said it better myself, Alan. Here's to hoping that this is just the beginning of my love affair with the mesmerizing Mississippi landscape...