Mississippi Joined the 20th Century

Here it is now. In Greenville Mississippi. The Juke Joints' character changed forever. Th' fabled Honky Tonks lost some of their lustre. And, what did it leave for the good, honest bootleggers to do?

Probably Not Meridian

Click on the photo to be sure.



Maybe Niamey, Niger.

Anthem - a reprise.

Bob Dylan's 30th Anniversary - a celebration his music. The oldest guy there? Not me. I think Johnny Cash was.

Recorded in October, 1992 at Madison Square Garden in NYC.

Causeyville General Store, Causeyville MS.

This general store and gristmill, opened in 1895, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Stone ground corn meal is produced on the premises. For more than 90 years, hoop cheese has been sliced for customers on site. The Gristmill operates for the public only on Saturdays. The store also features a musical museum. Free.

From Meridian, MS take Highway 19 South, approximately 7 miles: watch for state highway sign indicating a right turn to Causeyville and follow the signs.

Meridian Underground? Who Knew?

Click on:

Meridian Underground

Those Ubiquitous Five and Dime Stores

S.H. Kress & Co. (1896–1981) was one of the 20th century’s most prosperous variety-store retailers. Though never the largest chain, Kress maintained the highest per-store sales of any five-and-dime retailer.

Growing up, who among us didn't spend most of our meagre allowances on any given Saturday at Kress's, Newberry's or Woolworth's? For me, it was usually after a matinée picture show at the Temple or the Royal.

R.I.P.

S.H. Kress (1896-1981)
J.J. Newberry (1911-1997)
F.W. Woolworth (1878-1997)
and others. They were the precursors to the
big box stores of today: WAL-MART, KMART, etc.

If you have to ask...

You might be on the wrong blog. A hint? Sure, it starts with a "K".

Click on:

Northwood Country Club

Year Built: 1930

Greens Grass Type: Bermuda Grass
Fairways Grass Type: Bermuda Grass
Water Hazards: Yes
Sand Bunkers: 11-20
Yardage Markers: 200, 150, 100 Yard Markers

Northwood Country Club Website

Club Features:

Proshop: On-Site -- Opens at 8:00
Driving Range: Hit from grass
Chipping Green: No
Practice Bunker: No
Guest Policy: Reciprocal
Dress Code: Collared Shirt, No Cutoffs, Denim OK
Reservations: Not Accepted
Food: Full Bar, Beverage Cart, Snack Bar, and Restaurant

Deep Thoughts

From Jack Handey's interstitial segments on Saturday Night Live ( 1991 - 1998)


Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

Children need encouragement. If a kid gets an answer right, tell him it was a lucky guess. That way he develops a good, lucky feeling.

If a kid asks where rain comes from, I think a cute thing to tell him is "God is crying." And if he asks why God is crying, another cute thing to tell him is "Probably because of something you did."

The face of a child can say it all, especially the mouth part of the face.

One thing kids like is to be tricked. For instance, I was going to take my little nephew to Disneyland, but instead I drove him to an old burned-out warehouse. "Oh, no," I said. "Disneyland burned down." He cried and cried, but I think that deep down, he thought it was a pretty good joke. I started to drive over to the real Disneyland, but it was getting pretty late.

Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have to look at the word itself: "Mankind". Basically, it's made up of two separate words - "mank" and "ind". What do these words mean ? It's a mystery, and that's why so is mankind.

The memories of my family outings are still a source of strength to me. I remember we'd all pile into the car - I forget what kind it was - and drive and drive. I'm not sure where we'd go, but I think there were some trees there. The smell of something was strong in the air as we played whatever sport we played. I remember a bigger, older guy we called "Dad." We'd eat some stuff, or not, and then I think we went home. I guess some things never leave you.

A Short Commercial Break

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Velvet Jones - Eddie Murphy

The Three Mile Inn and Court

It should have been placed on the National Register of Historic Places.



The No-Tell Motel


Third Rate Romance - Amazing Rhythm Aces

Used Prose Poem II

Friend's Wife

I will undo you. I will do it single handed like I might a button on a collar. And I will watch you as you, like a collar, spread apart. And I will hear your breath’s soft whistle as you pull the air inside you. And I will know your eyes are closed. And we will.

Afterwards, because we swore we wouldn’t, your expletives will sting like hornets. And again we will swear we won’t again.

Old U.S. Highway 80 West

From Meridian westward paralleling existing U.S. 80 and Interstate 20 is a pre-1960 section of old U.S. 80. The highway is split into three portions, with one abandoned and two designated as old U.S. 80.

Click on:

Old Section: The easternmost section of this highway is designated at "OLD U.S. Hwy 80." The highway is still open to traffic and is home to homes and businesses in west Meridian. This photo shows a narrow substandard railroad overpass along the route.

Carefree Highway - Gordon Lightfoot

Carefree Highway Lyrics

Merchants and Farmers Bank R.I.P.

My first checking account was taken out here. In 1956. I still have that checkbook. I wrote three checks.

Arch above the entrance

Date Established: 04-01-1907

Address: 406 22nd Avenue, Meridian, MS 39301

Date of Deposit Insurance: 01-01-1934
Last Structure Change Effective Date: 12-01-1984
Last Structure Change Process Date:  02-01-1985

Status: Inactive
Closing history: Merger - Without Assistance

Total assets: $168.8 mil

Bronson Road Bridge

The Bronson Bridge constitutes a narrow pony truss bridge across a creek in rural Savoy, Mississippi, 9 miles south of Meridian.




What the hell is a pony truss bridge? One that's built like this:



This bridge is on Bronson Road between Valley Road and Highway 11 near the Savoy community. It will be permanently closed to all traffic this week (9/4/07).

Note: Stuckey's Bridge between Meehan and Savoy will also be permanently closed.

Attribution: Rebecca Benson, a quite talented Meridian photographer.