Sunflowers, Cotton Fields, and the Cairo Plantation

"Don't freak out Pierre, but I think we may be in Oz."

Back in June, we visited a stunning sunflower field on the outskirts of Shreveport.  It is in the small community of Dixie, Louisiana.  The entire area surrounding the sunflowers belongs to the Cairo Plantation.  That’s right, it’s the south, and we have a lot of plantations.  Most of them are antebellum homes reminiscent of Gone with the Wind.  This one isn’t that style, but it is a very lovely home nestled amongst giant oak, weeping willow, and southern pecan trees.

Real Dogs

Real dogs aren’t afraid to show their softer side.

We Were Walking in Sunshine

Happy Hump Day!  Over the weekend, we visited the Sunflower Trail in Dixie, Louisiana.  It was an amazing sight to behold all of the gorgeous sunflowers.  We truly felt as if we were walking in sunshine.  If you missed our first post, please check it out here.  I hope these photos make you smile.

Sunflower Fun

   Few things say “welcome summer” like the sunflower.  Its bright petals and huge “face” are easily recognizable.  I love everything about sunflowers from admiring their beauty to chomping on their seeds.  It seems that every part of this magnificent plant is usable.  Even the stalk can be dried and used for kindling during the winter months.  While Kansas is “The Sunflower State,” here in Bayou Country, we have an impressive trail of sunflowers.

   The North Caddo Sunflower Trail is located in and around the small town of Dixie, Louisiana.  It began back in 1996 when John Sloan and a friend decided to plant sunflowers for their fall hunting expeditions.  Mr. Sloan said that one day it was just the quiet of his fields and the next day he saw painters, photographers, and sightseers stopping to admire his field of happy flowers.  Neil Johnson captured the magic of this field in his book, “A Field of Sunflowers.”  The massive twenty-acre field is located on the Cairo Plantation, although there are rows of sunflowers along a thirty-mile stretch leading to Gilliam, Louisiana.  The friendly people of Gilliam hold a one-day Sunflower Festival to honor this brilliant bloom.  This was the festival’s fourteenth year and it is gaining in popularity drawing visitors from near and far.

The Baby Birds

   A few weeks ago, we posted a photo of bird eggs that a robin continually builds in one of my hanging plants.  I asked how to keep her from building the nests.  It’s not that I don’t love seeing the little birds, I do.  The problem is that bird eggs bring snakes.  It never fails that when the eggs show up; some slimy snake comes to eat them.  I enjoy the eggs and the baby birds…the snakes, not so much.  Of course, once the eggs are there, I can’t possibly get rid of the nest.  Bad karma and all that, plus I couldn’t kill an unborn bird and live with myself.  Well, you’ll be happy to know that the birds arrived and they have left the nest.  Bentley and Pierre were disappointed that the little ballerinas from the Wizard of Oz’s Lullabye League weren’t inside the eggs!