It has become a tradition for me to go on a mini trip when I go back to my hometown of Brandon, Mississippi (right outside of Jackson.  Last year, I went down to Brandon to visit family and celebrate my birthday.  My husband, Bart came on the trip, so I drug him along with me the first day we were there to photograph Jackson.  We went to lunch at the Iron Horse Grill, which was a restaurant that I went to many times growing up.  It burned down once I left, but re-opened in the last five years, so I was so excited to go back.  I always love to shoot on State Street where the Mayflower Café and The Elite are located.  Fun story about the Elite, my grandfather “Popsie” upholstered the booths in the restaurant.  He would do that once he retired.  It’s been years since he’s left this world, but knowing that his work is still out there in a restaurant makes me feel closer to him.

We ended up at the new Cathead Distillery for a tour.  My mom, Aunts & Uncles met us there for a tasting of their vodka and whiskey.  I highly recommend their Honeysuckle vodka.  I do love this company because the company gives a percentage of their sales to help fund live music, which is so important to me.

The mini trip we decided to take was to Vicksburg.  As always, I plan the day trip with my cousin Cathy, who loves a good adventure.  We chose Vicksburg because we wanted to visit the newly opened McRaven house because it is known as one of the most haunted houses in the state and they only recently opened up for tours.  We got to Vicksburg around lunchtime, so naturally, we had lunch at one of its best-known restaurants, Walnut Hills.  After lunch, we went to the Old Courthouse museum since some in our group had never been before.  The Battle of Vicksburg was one of the biggest battles of the Civil War, which was a turning point in the war.  Although we didn’t go to the National Military Park, it is one of the most impressive Civil War parks I’ve ever visited.

Once we finished that tour, we went on the McRaven tour.  Cathy and I were snapping cell photos to try to get ghost orbs in our photos, but no spirits were about that day.  After the tour, we decided to go walk down by the river and check out the gorgeous murals.  They span a block or more and depict the history of Vicksburg and the area.  My favorites are the Miss Mississippi mural(Vicksburg has been the host of the Miss Mississippi pageant for years now), the ‘Gold In The Hills’ mural (a play that was held on a riverboat that one of my relatives was in at one time) and the Jitney Jungle one (a local now, defunct grocery chain).

I ended my trip by shooting around the Ross Barnett Reservoir, which is a local attraction for fishing and water recreation.  The Rez (as we call it) is where I grew up, so I naturally had to photograph the house I grew up in along with some of my favorite views.