This issue is the first of two parts where we travel from New Orleans to Memphis via the Mississippi River.

Poetical Journal ©by Bob Casey

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Mission: To provide poetical and thoughtful comments on life

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VOLUME XXIII – Issue 2: Sunday, March 26, 2023 (259th Issue)

Welcome

I am pleased to have you as a reader. If you enjoy the PJ, please encourage others to subscribe.

If your country is not listed in the demographic section at the end, please let me know so I can update the list.

The next Poetical Journal will be out April 30, 2023.

Cabin 248 - our room for the cruise. All the suitcases easily fit under the bed. (I definitely over packed.) Very roomy for a cruise ship. Nicer than many hotel rooms we have stayed in.

...Opening Comments from Bob

This Issue: Jan and I had the opportunity to escape the never-ending snow and take a river cruise up the Mississippi River from New Orleans to Memphis. This issue will cover our time in Louisiana. Part 2 in April will cover the rest of the trip from Mississippi to Tennessee. The first two poems are trip based, The Mississippi River Cruise and Houmas House. The third, The Voyage, is a serious one speaking to a journey all are on.

Subscriber Residences: PLEASE let me know if your state, providence, or country is not listed in the demographic section at the end. There currently are subscribers in 27 states, 3 provinces, and 13 countries. See complete list near at the newsletter.

Next Month: The issue comes out on Sunday, April 30, 2023.

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PLEASE! Supporting the efforts of the Poetical Journal is greatly appreciated! Any amount of donation is appreciated. To support, click here.

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Viking Mississippi, our ship and home for the Mississippi River cruise discussed in this issue and next month's.

New Orleans, LA: We spent a day and half in the Big Easy before departing on the cruise. Mardi Gras
was just beginning on our day of departure.

Upper Lf. Clockwise: Local artists sell their works on Jackson Square; Louis Armstrong museum is an easy
walk from the French Quarter; partialview of the Mississippi River port; a tour group standing
under a huge Live Oak on the museum's grounds

 

Three Poems

Comment: Being around such a historic river that has so impacted US history, one can't help but be
inspired to write poetry.

Comment: This short prose poem is on Houmas House. This large sugar plantation survived the
Civil War through a ruse. The owner, originally from Ireland, hung a large Union Jack flag across
the front of the home and claimed a form of sovereignty with Great Britain. The ruse worked and
the plantation was spared the torch.

Comment: A bit about the voyage we are all on.

Located in Darrow, LA (Day 2 of the cruise) The main house exterior is pictured in the above poem.

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Recommendations

New Orleans French Quarter

There are so many recs one could give. I will first provide one that is not common knowledge. Stop at the Quarter Grocery and Deli (836 Burgundy St.) and order from the small deli in the back one or more of the following (warning: the servings are large): the catfish, shrimp, jambalaya, or po'boys. Unbelievably tasty and reasonably priced. Locals go there. Rec. #2: Of course, you have to try the beignets at the famous Cafe Du Monde. By the lines, evidently much of the world already is aware of this pastry. The young man below graciously posed for me while devouring the tasty treat.

Viking Mississippi River Cruise

While you pay top dollar, we have never experienced such high caliber of service as we did on this cruise. This shipping line continues to receive the highest ratings of any line by national travel magazines. Be warned, as Jan and I took one of the last two openings in 2023, I believe 2024 is also totally booked. You will have to check if interested.

Please take a look at the online book and gift pages.

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Day 3 Mississippi River Cruise: The Atchafalaya Basin in Louisiana is the nation’s largest river swamp, containing
almost one million acres of the nation’s most significant bottom-land hardwoods, swamps, bayous, and backwater lakes.
Pictured is a small portion of the Henderson Swamp Loop. Pic. 1 - Our means of transportation Pic 2 - a partial view of
the swamp Pic 3 - Years ago an artist painted the picture of the Last Supper and displayed it miles into the swamp By
the way, alligators are always looking for a snack..

I-10: You are looking at an engineering marvel. The Atchafalaya Basin Bridge is a pair of parallel
bridges between Baton Rouge and Lafayette which carries Interstate 10 over the Atchafalaya Basin.
With a total length of 18 miles, it is the third-longest bridge in the US. Because of the water depth,
some of the pylons are on floats. The guide told us that on the weekend it is common to have speedboats
including water skiers zipping up and down the water corridor between the pylons.

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Quotable Quotes

"A good teacher opens the door for you, but you must enter the room by yourself." - Chinese Proverb

"The goal in life is to die young but to do it as late as possible." - Unknown

“Every day you must say to yourself, "Today I am going to begin." - Jean-Pierre De Caussade

"There is no enlightenment outside of daily life." - Thich Nhat Hanh

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Louisianans enjoy their wetlands. Hence, some have vacation homes as well as permanent ones on the
water. Pictured are two houseboats (look like traditional homes) hooked up to all the land utilities. Of
course, you have to endure the many insects and other creatures that love the swamp. Besides alligators,
black bears are extremely prevalent in the area.

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A Bit of Humor

A bit of laughter is healthy for the soul (December Issue)

Let's Make a Deal

While perusing a curio shop in Texas, Harold's eye is drawn to the skull of a horse sitting on a high shelf. "Pardon me, but what's this?' he asks the shops keeper.

"That," the shop keeper replies. "Is the actual skull of Trigger, the horse belonging to legendary Wild West hero Roy Rogers."

"How much is it?" Harold asks.

"This little gem is $3,000."

Harold hadn't wished to spend quite that much, so he asks the shop keeper if she had anything cheaper, upon which she reaches under the counter and takes out a smaller horse skull. "This is only $500."

"Well, that sounds like a good deal," Harold replies. "Whose skull is it?"

"It's Trigger's skull from when he was just a colt."

Compliment of A Joke A Day

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Day 4 Mississippi River Cruise: St. Francisville, LA: This small, well-maintained, community benefits
greatly from tourism. Pictured above is Rosedown Plantation. During its heyday right before the Civil War,
it was a major producer of sugar.

The plantation gardens were beautiful for this time of year. They really won't bloom for another two months.

NO Vignette this Month

I won't bore you with many shots of Rosedown's interior but found this one very interesting. The pictured
needlework was done by Martha Washington and given to her friend, the plantation owner's wife.

Having left Louisiana and under the bridges of Natchez, MS. More about Natchez in April.

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Tai Chi Corner

Click here to locate the name of a tai chi instructor near you, or contact me directly.

PJ Forum

If you have comments, recommendations, or suggestions for the PJ, please e-mail them to bob@poeticaljourneys.com. I personally respond to all. (When editing the comments for publication, I eliminate very personal comments and edit for spacing.

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"We've had very little snow in our part of Ohio this year, so we especially enjoyed your winter scenes in Utah.  It looks as if your granddaughters are growing up. . . Thanks for all these delightful years of the Poetical Journal!" - Jim from Ohio (Ed.: Jim has subscribed for almost two decades and had provided ongoing feedback over the years. Thank you, sir!)

" Happy anniversary // 22 years is a lot // I hope you are happy // With the readers that you got // We appreciate your letters // Each and every one // The poems and the photos // And the stories are much fun // I love the quotes and jokes too // So, thank you Bob, for all that you do!" - Freda from Ontario, CA (Ed.: Freda is also a long time subscriber and had provided feedback over the years. I really enjoyed her poem in relation to the anniversary issue.)

". . . Thanks for latest Poetical Journey.  Hard for me to imagine the snow." - Helen from New Zealand (Ed.: Helen wrote much more as you will learn about in a future issue. Hint: A Kiwi plans to visit.)

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Reader Demographics

States - AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, HI, IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, NC, ND, NY, OH, OR, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WV, and WI     

Canadian Provinces - BC, ON, and QC;   

Countries - Albania, Australia, Belgium, Canada, England, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, Turkey, UK, U.S., and Venezuela.

........Changes to this section will be updated each month.

If your state, province, or country is not mentioned, please let me know.

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Book Reviews

Blast Series: Review by Janice M. regarding Blast Book Four: . . . I loved the book.  There were so many ideas floating around in my head from your writings, and I understood everything you wrote about.  I saw the visions while traveling through the pages. Thank you for your inspiration. . . ."

General: JJG wrote: I've read Bob's "To the End of Time" trilogy twice, each time gaining deep and deeper insights into the human condition. The three small volumes hold their own as good stories but also provide a unique glimpse into a new religious paradigm. Would that it could come to be.

Specific Book: To the End of Time and Back: An Epic Journey

David from Utah: "The new novel, To the End of Time and Back is a skillful account of two lovers on an 'Epic Journey,' racing through time and history to learn life-changing truths. Their spectral mentor, Arundel, sends them through difficult travels, but their relationship endures and remains strong despite physical, and psychological stress. Powerful emotions such as fear, anger and happiness, combine with lust, pain and sexuality to help them learn. Written in verse form, the story is an epic poem, painted to portray the duality of mankind throughout dimensions of human history that is sometimes cruel and horrific. The reader will come to know and understand what is being described and will certainly enjoy the stimulating elegance of the story and the philosophy. A thoroughly enjoyable read that is certain to make you think."
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Jim from Mt. Vernon: "I finished your book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was much easier to follow by having the whole thing in front of me, and reading as much as I wanted at a time. I felt pretty weary after bouncing around in time for many hundreds of years, but I was relieved to know that at least part of the world survived 'Armageddon'. What a feat you have performed."
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Kimberly from Ohio: "Well, Bob! I am rather blown away by your book. Finished it yesterday, and it only took four days, which means I was intrigued and wanted to know how the book ends. I'm a slow, deep reader and since my profession is writing and editing, I edit continuously as I read. Can't help it! But this book was worth dropping everything for and reading to the end. I admit to cynicism about your claim that it would change me, and I don't know that it has just yet but it won't be leaving my heart and head for a long time, and change could happen. I'm impressed that the book actually lived up to your claims for it. . . . I'm intrigued by this book because it rings so true, and I am therefore tempted to believe you actually were given the gift of this dictation. But if not and this is fiction, you have written one hell of a book, masquerading amazingly as non-fiction ... which is indeed one of the goals of fiction."
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An Ohio Reader: "WOW! WOW! WOW! I read it in one sitting and found so many things you wrote about 'true' for what I know and feel about past lives I've lived. Actually, the chapter about the Holocaust was something I couldn't bear to read–too sad and painful. (I've always felt that way about that period of history.) . . . it was very well done, Bob. Just beautifully done. I'm looking for the movie. . . I'm sure others will feel connected to this book just as I did. AMAZING. Just AMAZING. I couldn't put it down. There was so much anticipation with each chapter it hooked me from the very beginning. . ."
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Specific Book: Adelyn: An Epic Journey:

Ohio Reader: "In his book, Adelyn: An Epic Journey, Bob navigates the reader through a challenging journey in the time space continuum while exposing both the weaknesses and strengths of humanity. As Adelyn is exposed to the infinite love of The Source, the reader is challenged to understand how personal beliefs and actions often have more to do with cultural rather than spiritual influences. In a time and world filled with political anger and personal indulgences reading Adelyn offers the open-minded promise. It would make a great book study."

Specific Book: The Tao of Momentary Thoughts

Doug from Ohio: ". . . I was not prepared for page 116 Should have been because of the extremely personal nature of the entire book. Please understand that the unusual length of time to finish your book (especially for a binge reader like me) was because it screamed to be read thoughtfully in increments. For me that was 10-15 pages every weekend, often in quiet . . .Thank you for "putting pen to paper" and sharing your soul. Those of us who have followed Poetical Journeys will recognize much of the content. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to share part of your journey really feel a part of it."

Charles from Park City: "Hi Bob….I just picked up your The Tao of Momentary Thoughts.  It’s wonderful . . I love your book."

Ed from Seattle: The Tao of Momentary Thoughts: "I was smiling all the way through the reading . . .I think I will reread it again during the next week."

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PJ Online

To read some of the back issues of the PJ, go to here.

The next issue will go out on Sunday, April 30, 2023.

Until next time - joy and peace,

Bob

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Bob Casey
Poetical Journeys
P.O. Box 319
Midway, UT 84049
bob@poeticaljourneys.com

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