Angels on the Bluff

I hope you all had a great week. I did too, busy as usual! Anyway, it's time to relax for a little bit now and go sightseeing. You might not think the cemetery is not exactly the best place to visit but our cemetery is one of the most famous ones in the country with so many intersting people buried there. Besides, there was a special annual event that went on that we did not want to miss. I want to share it with you. The event sells out every year and this time, I made sure I reserved the tickets early.

I am also linking with Linda for Junkin Finds at http://ljm-alacarte.blogspot.com/

Beverly for Pink Saturday at http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Laurie for Favorites Saturday at http://bargainhuntingwithlaurie.blogspot.com/

The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday at http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/

Before we go to the cemetery (we are not really in a hurry to get there, are we?) , let me show you my pink junkin' find and favorite for today. I bought these 2 vases from another vendor at the store. The one on the left was $1 and the one on the right was $2. Now, tell me, who can resist prices like that! I could just turn around and sell them for more in my booth but let me use them first on one of my vignettes or tablescapes. Aren't they just the cutest? They are pretty tall too!

Ok, now to the cemetery. The Angels on the Bluff is an annual event here in Natchez, usually around Halloween, where reenactment of the lives of the one who is buried there is portrayed, usually by their descendants wearing period costumes.

They really do a lot of preparations for this that is why people come from all over to watch.

Even Carol of The Writer's Porch, came all the way from Hattiesburg with her husband. She said she tries to get a ticket every year but they are always sold out by the time she reserves, so this year, she placed a note on her computer terminal reminding herself to buy tickets the first day they go for sale. It worked! I was so happy to meet her and her hubby. They are such sweet people.

This is the first act that we saw. The tomb is empty because the one who was supposed to be buried here, a HS student, fell from a ferry and drowned and was never found. The actor was so good that I had to ask John if he was the real father. I mean he was even tearful telling us how he did not know that the person he tried to help by throwing him a life saver, was his son. John laughed cause all these happened a long time ago, some of them in 1800's.

Ginny Benoist, as Madame Marguerite Justine Belhomme Marchand Benoist Mezeix “The milliner of Natchez,” stood before her grave and gave an account of her life. The Milliner of Natchez is known for her hats that appear in the Henry Norman photographs.

Next, we were treated to the story of Vaughn, portrayed by Doug Broome of the First Baptist Church. Vaughn edited the first Baptist newspaper in Mississippi and served as pastor at First Baptist Church. He was one of the founding members of the Mississippi Baptist Convention.

This was a total surprise. We were walking towards the next stop when we heard "Amazing Grace" being sang by a young lady, on top of a hill.

It was a pleasant surprise indeed. Isn't that a pretty oak tree?

Owen was the president at Natchez College for many years. The university was first supported by black Baptists of Mississippi and flourished under Owen’s leadership

While on our way towards our next destination, we passed by the graves of the unknown civil war soldiers.

This was one of my favorites, I think because the setting was very elegant. This is about the Fleming Family and their story of love and tragedy was told. The family owns one of the antebellum mansions in Natchez called the Towers.

This guy had the funniest story. He is actually a local attorney and he is a great great nephew of the deceased buried here. He portrayed himself as the deceased and gave us stories about things that happened mostly while he was drunk. Evidently, the deceased loved to drink.

Diana Glaze portrayed jazz singer Marian Montgomery. Yep, she was performing in the cemetery by Marian's family grave.

That was the last show and I cannot wait for next year's Angels on the Bluff. They portray different people's lives every year. It is never the same.

Carol and Eric really enjoyed it and I am sure they will be back.

After the cemetery, the bus took us back to the visitor center where we parked our vehicles.

We headed to a restaurant called Magnolia Grill which was located right across the Mississippi River, and had dinner there.

I had a redfish topped with crab, some veggies and a baked sweet potato. Uhmmm, yummy! Actually, all of us except for John had this red fish. It was so good!

My friend Debjani, joined us. I had originally purchased a ticket for my mom too but after finding out that we had to walk, I knew she could not do it. Debjani tried to buy a ticket but they were sold out so I gave her my mom's ticket.

Thank you so much for joining me on another interesting trip.

And thank you to all our gracious hostesses!

Thanksgiving Tablescape

We are really not having thanksgiving dinner here (we were invited at a friend's house) but my former co worker from Florida is coming this Friday to visit with her daughter, so I thought I would prepare dinner and set the table Thanksgiving style. I invited John's pingpong buddy also.

I am linking with the Style Sisters for Centerpiece Wednesday at http://thestylesisters.blogspot.com/

I am also linking with Susan for Tablescape Thursday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

If you want to treat yourself to some awesome and very creative tables, go visit them and their participants.

The setting is in our formal dining room.

I think I will cut up some hollies on Friday and add them to this centerpiece so we can have some fresh plants and berries on the table.

I bought this dinnerware set, Brookshire, last year and did not even take them out of the box until last week, to wash them and get them ready for this table. They are made in England by Johnson Bros. John loves ducks so I knew he would love this set.

Doesn't this stem look familiar to you? Yep! Bill of Affordable Accoutrements
has used them on his table. I actually won when he auctioned them to help the Visual Vamp, Valorie Hart, who was stranded when her husband had a heart attack in Calgary, while on their way to teach a tango workshop. The money raised was used to bring him back home to New Orleans for treatment.

Of course, I was happy to help out but I had a selfish ulterior motive too.

Bill always sets a very elegant table so I thought if I owned something that belonged to him, maybe his talent will rub off on me.

I had to add shrimp cocktail in my menu just so I could use these beauties, lol.

I've had this turkey for a while. I love his hat.

Isn't this etched glass just gorgeous? I just love the details on the stem.

I have this hunt scene flatware, which I bought from Tuesday Morning, last year also. I used ducks for napkin rings since the plates have some ducks in it.

I hope you enjoyed my tablescape for today cause I had so much fun setting it. Now, all I have to do is go grocery shopping and start cooking.

Thank you so much for stopping by and thanks to our hostesses for faithfully doing these weekly memes.

Minor Changes in the Living Areas

Hello everyone! I have been doing some minor changes in our living areas. The first thing I want to show you is our new old crystal sconces, which we hang on either side of the fireplace walls. Do you see them? It's very hard to capture the beauty of these sconces. I have tried taking pictures of the light being off and on and off again. Oh well, you get the idea!

I would like to link with Kim's B + A party at
http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/

and Susan's Metamorphosis Monday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

This is the "Before" picture. I used to have 2 wood paintings of roses with ornate frames hanging there. I moved them into the master bedroom behind the end tables.

Here is a closer look of the sconces with the lights turned off. I got these pair from Ebay from a guy selling a lot of French art nouveau bronze antique items. I also won a pair of French bronze woman drapery tie backs, which I intended to use in the living room, but I could not use them because I lost the bidding on another pair. I need 2 pairs for the 2 windows. I will have to figure out something else.

The sconces make the room look so much bigger and I just love the way they brighten the dark paneling.

The sconces are framed with bronze. I polished them a little bit but I think they need more. The bronze was black when I received them.

Another change I made is in the family room where I placed the parlor set that I won in an antique auction. This is the "Before".

I was playing musical rugs this time. I moved the rug from the home office into our master bathroom, then I moved this leopard patterned one from the bathroom to here. Please tell me the truth. Do you think it looks ok layered above this square Turkish Ushak rug?

I am sure it will eventually move but for now, I think I will leave it there for a while.

Last but not least, let me show you another minor change in the main family room area.
Below is the "Before" picture.

And this is now. I changed the pillows to make it look more autumnal.

Thank you so much, Kim and Susan for hosting.

And thank you all for coming by.