We spent Thanksgiving week in Vidalia, Louisiana, across the Mississippi River from Natchez, Mississippi. There is a pretty bridge that connects the two. The RV park, River View, is right on the river, and has a really nice 1.5 mile river walkway. We walked a lot. Watched barges go by. Took lots of pictures of the bridge and the river.

Natchez is an interesting town, lots of history, lots of antebellum homes. We toured two of them, Longwood and Stanton Hall. Longwood was amazing. It tells a powerful story of how war can impacts people’s lives; how in general, life can change dramatically quickly. 

The story is about an extremely wealthy couple who began to build an unusual octagonal home. The home was never finished because the Civil War broke out, and all the materials they needed to complete it couldn’t get to them because of the war. The skeleton of the house was completed, but the “basement” was the only floor of the six floor monstrosity that was habitable. The family lived there for many years. The rest of the house remained a skeleton. The family essentially went broke and faced a great deal of tragedy.  

The visit to Longwood was very moving. The house itself is beautiful, phenomenal. The story is riveting. 

We shopped in Natchez and met a couple of ordinary/extraordinary people. Pat was our waiter at a really cool restaurant called Frankie’s on Main. The building was an old bank, and many of the elements of the bank still remain: the teller windows, the vault, the old writing table for customers. The current owners are very artistic and add quite the flare. The food was good too! Their specialty is smash burgers, and the fries were very very good. 

Pat, the waiter, is a retired Catholic school teacher and principal. He told us the story of his career. He quit right before Covid. There was quite a drama about how the church tried to get him back because things were so challenging. He went back, but is now done. He clearly enjoys being a waiter. 

We dined outside. Pat told us that his extended family was in town for a reunion. As he chatted with us and served us, family members strolled by and he introduced them to us. Many of the family members have left Natchez, but Pat has remained there. 

The town is very friendly. Down the street from Frankie’s there is a fudge shop called Darby’s. Actually, there are several stores in town called Darby’s. At the fudge shop we met Dennis who was a great fudge salesman. Why did I buy a pound of fudge when my friends only bought a half? I can’t answer that question. 

I later learned that Dennis and his wife who is named Darby run the store and live upstairs. https://www.natchezdemocrat.com/2021/02/14/theirs-is-a-love-story/ Dennis is the one that suggested we go to Frankie’s on Main. He told us about the smash burgers and the pickles. “I don’t like cucumbers, but I like pickles. But the pickles at Frankie’s are too much like cucumbers, so I don’t like them.” He loves the smash burgers and fries though. 

Dennis has a dog named, hmmm, I can’t remember, a girl’s name, like Mary Sue, or something like that. When we were eating, Mary Sue (or something like that) wandered down from from the fudge shop and stared at us longingly, hoping for food. Of course, Christine obliged and we had a friend forever. Dennis came looking for her at some point, and had to lure her back to the fudge shop with a French fry. 

We had Thanksgiving lunch at the RV park. The park provided turkey and ham, and the rest of us brought side dishes and desserts. It was nice, but I was homesick. Homesick for home, and homesick for Bob. Bob was like being home wherever we were. That untethered feeling visited me again.

In the evening, my friends and I gathered in Christine’s rig. We watched Thanksgiving sit-com episodes and knitted. Christine is an expert knitter. She taught Kimberly how to knit and is trying to teach me.  Debbie is having none of it. She just likes to watch us, take pics of us, and be entertained by the whole thing. We got very silly and my spirits lifted tremendously. So grateful for so much.