"
There once was a land
of
cavaliers and cotton fields
called
The Old South...."
A place of
quiet, gently flowing rivers moving back and forth with the tide.
Pristine marshes and century old oaks were spread around the country side,
draped with the beauty of Spanish moss. Successful planters put their earnings
into beautiful homes, installing the luxuries of the old country.
Gracing the landscape
were ladies in large hoop dresses
and gentleman in
their coated outfits. This way of life
which seemed certain
and prosperous existed until the War Between the States. Union
soldiers brought desolation to most of the South's plantations.
Military headquarters for the invading Union troops were set up in many
of the lovely old homes. And when they were no longer useful, they were
ravaged, stripped and many of them burned. Others fell into disrepair
because of the death of their inhabitants or the loss of their fortunes.
A region veiled
in legend, mystery, and romance the South
and all it's
glorious culture does indeed still exist today in fact as
well as myth. A unique regional culture, far different from
the American norm. Without a doubt, the most extraordinary
portrait of the nation's richest cultural landscape
There's no need for
"hurry" in the South. I believe this stems
from an old- time
belief passed down, that if you were born
into a good family,
and were "converted" or "saved" biblically
speaking,
then you were safe for this world and the next.
But one of the dearest
characteristics of Southern people is, when they say "How ya doin?" ...
They really want to know.
.
And the South is
my home...my beloved Dixieland. And I love everything about it.
I love ...
the ante-bellum
homes, the oaks, the swamps, the pines,
the moss, the bayous,
the fields, the rivers, the lakes, the crawfish, the shrimp, the cotton
fields, the oil fields, the sugar cane, pecans, pralines, beignets, gators,
riverboats, the Blues, Jazz, The French Quarter, The Mighty Mississippi,
The Cajuns, Zydeco, Mint Juleps, The Saints, The MudBugs, The Captains,
The Stars and Bars, Southern hospitality, Southern charm, Southern gentlemen,
red beans and rice, froglegs, hushpuppies, fried catfish, Gumbo, Etoufee,
magnolias,
roses, azaleas, muscadines, oleanders,
blackberries,
strawberries, Jambalaya, Crimson Tide, The Titans, The Saints,
The Razorbacks, The LSU Tigers, Lady Techsters, Florida beaches, Tennessee
hills, Louisiana bayous, Arkansas Ozarks, Mardi Gras, The Big Easy, Mississippi
Mud Cake, Georgia peaches, Indian mounds, Kentucky Derby, Virginia
culture, The Carolinas, Oklahoma hills, Texas plains, Missouri temperment,
cornbread, yams, soppin' syrup, home-made biscuits, fried green tomatoes,
oh this could go on forever..and I have only just begun.