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| Do you know what this is? |
One of the things I discovered this trip at Bay Hide Away on my walks is the photo at the left. All along on what will become lawn space in spring these mounds abound. Right now the area is swampy from the rains.
Some of these mounds appear in village like clusters.
At the Slidell, LA Mardi Gras and Confederate Museum we learned from the tour guide, that early settlers to the area sliced from these mounds, baked them and used the baked clay donuts to make some of the first stove burners.
Our museum tour guide who is involved in Civil War re-enactments said that he knew there were tunnels connecting these clusters of clay condos and as a boy would ignite one, close off the top and then see the smoke arise from other mounds that were connected by the tunnels. Maybe you are familiar with these, I was not. They are craw dad homes. Curiosity encouraged me to poke one to investigate but first I asked lest these be some type of wasp nest and I would regret their ire.
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| This one was abandoned, closed over |
The Slidell Museum was a fascinating small place and three of us enjoyed a historic personally guided tour where I held a musket for the first time. Whew those are heavy so the early soldiers and settlers who were not so big as folks today had amazing strength to use those arms and while riding a horse besides. The old two cell jail is inside and from the likes of the stone walls and heavy metal doors no prisoner was going anywhere, there was never an escape. Although the guide told us that the sheriff was puzzled how one prisoner would be found drunk every morning. It seems friends of the incarcerated smuggled moonshine to him late at night and shared it through the cell window bars. He would drink his fill and pass the container back. through the bars. Many amusing stories like that. Unlike bigger museums, the artifacts are all our where visitors can touch them, even the dresses, uniforms and all fabrics. I asked if they were not concerned about wear and better preservation but so far no, although the guide noticed some of the clay balls missing from the fire pit over which there was a grate. It is all to easy for unescorted visitors to help themselves. It was a couple hours very well spent.
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| Slidell Museum |
Have had some fun antiquing and flea market browsing and picked up a few trinkets here and there, which I will share later after we return home and I have time. Hah!
This is Magnolia Iron antiques in Menge , LA where one cannot move comfortably sideways let alone forward inside amidst all the stuff. Apparently the owner is more interested in collections than having accessible pathways for potential buyers. Although we talked and she was concerned about the lack of sales. As we were leaving a young family was entering, I do not think this is a good place for curious active children.
We are now in AL between Foley and Fairhope at a new Magnolia Farms RV park, opened in December next door to one of those so called RV resorts which sells lots to snowbirds and which is in bankruptcy currently. Only 8 RV'ers here.so it does not have the conversations as we had in Bay St. Louis, Bay Hide Away RV. By staying there a month, we have only driven the coach 1323 miles and spent $725 for 189 gallons of diesel since leaving home. We have been using the HHR of course for local driving and so far although watching regular prices of gas escalate $.60 cents per gallon over the last month, we have spent only $ 160 for 60 gallons. Jerry would like to go over to Daytona, FL where our new WI friends will be for the Daytona 500. But not for me, not this trip, another time.
