The drive from Memphis to Mobile was a memorable one. Following Google's directions, we headed east in Mississippi on Route 19, a two-lane, narrow road, with a 55 mph speed limit. There wasn't a lot of traffic, until...we rounded a big sweeping curve to find a half a manufactured house barreling down the road toward us, taking up not only its own lane, but a healthy portion of ours. Ray did an admirable job keeping us on the road that had a 1 foot shoulder. Later, on some county road, again directed by Google, we rolled down a similar road to find an unmarked railroad bridge ahead of us. What was the clearance? We needed at least 13 feet to get under the bridge unscathed. A judgement was made. We proceeded. Success. After that, we ran into road construction, where workers were painting lines on the highway. It would have been easier if the cones to block off the right lane and allow for painting had not been placed at least a foot to the left of the striping. That left clear road just about the width of the RV to travel on. Result? We ran over a cone that collided with the front of the car. Fortunately, no permanent damage was done. All in a day's drive!
We are staying at a lovely state park just outside of Mobile, and on Mobile Bay. Tomorrow we visit
Bellingrath Gardens.
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Walter Bellingrath was one of the first Coca-Cola bottlers in the Southeast, and with his wealth built Bellingrath Gardens and home. He and his wife, Bessie, lived in the home which has since been converted into a museum. The gardens opened to the public in 1932.
Mr. and Mrs. B lived in Mobile, but wanted a place to get away from the pressures of life there, so they purchased a fishing camp on the Fowl River in 1917. The transformation from the "Belle Camp" fishing post into what is now Bellingrath Gardens and Home is largely thanks to Mrs. B, who had married Walter in 1906. Mrs. B began developing the gardens in 1927. The 10,500 square foot home was completed in 1935. That's a pretty big house for people who had no children.
The unique feature of this home is that it is all original. All the furniture and decorations are exactly as the Bellingraths left them, and
everything is pristine, exactly as if the Bellingraths had just left. The house and gardens have been maintained exactly as the Bellingraths did while they were living here.
When we originally showed up for the house tour, there were about 15 other people queued up for the tour. We opted to wait for the next tour, and are glad we did. We had our own personal tour, as there were no others at that time.
The house is beautiful, though ornate, Mrs. B's taste. The setting is serene. Apparently, spring is the time to come: azaleas and camellias are in bloom everywhere, and the weather is cooler and a bit drier. We'll be back.
Photos are here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/kA8aK79E11nTyjK3A
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