The Goodrums

We have some great friends! Last Saturday our friends Eric and Amanda invited us to go to her family's "camp." They have 3800 acres in northeast Mississippi - near Shuqualak - if you happen to know where that is (we didn't before this past weekend). It's about 10 or 15 miles from the Alabama border and between Meridian and Starkville for the North/South dimension (I know that still won't help most people but the Missisippi folks will at least know where it is).

The camp is actually an old plantation, complete with a beautiful old plantation home. Amanda's family purchased the land and the house in 2000. It had been abandoned for about 20 years at that point. They are working on restoring the homes and property. We went to "help" (wore our painting clothes) but played much more than we helped. They also have a ranch on the property - horses, close to 1000 head of cattle, farmland, etc.

The landscape reminded us of driving up Highway 6 into College Station (around Navasota). It is hilly, open, with the same kind of trees, livestock, etc. - so it brought back many reminders of home. Michael was also happy because everything was yellow and brown (read really dry lately in Mississippi). It reminds him of the desert/plains where he grew up.

We had such a great time - so much fun. I haven't seen Michael that happy in a long time! It was the joy of open land, the beautiful outdoors and great company. Here are a few pictures from our trip...















Group Picture taken by Eric who is a photographer (professional-type)
(from left - Eric, me, Christy, Michael, Amanda)















Michael playing in the hay (post forward flip)















More playing in the hay

Great news! This is the first time I have ever been able to play in the hay without getting ridiculously sick afterwards (allergies). Hay is one of my worst allergies. However, I found a miracle drug that I have been on for over a year now - and I've been well the entire time I've been on it. Wow! The hay was the real test though. I was amazed! I was able to play for half an hour without watering & swelling eyes, sneezing, wheezing and all that fun. I didn't even get a sinus headache and no sinus infection the next day! I love being an almost normal person - even if it is medically induced. The medicine hasn't resolved my food allergies though. I had two major reactions last week - and it seems to be something in enchiladas (oh no! - I would hate to have to give that up). I'm going to the doctor after Thanksgiving for more tests. I officially have the weirdest allergies ever...

One more picture -















The Plantation Home

This is the plantation home on the property (complete with a piece of machinery in front to show that they really are working on it :). If I remember correctly, it is a 7 bedroom, 7 bathroom home complete with a beautiful wood library, huge ballroom, study, multiple dining rooms, a spiral staircase taken from one of the first historic theatres in New Orleans and more. The construction on the house is amazing - such good quality of work. They don't build houses like this anymore!

The house has a tree-lined drive leading up to it. From the road out front, it reminds me a little bit of the entrance to the Texas A&M campus leading up to the Academic Building. The picture doesn't quite do it justice - the home is more impressive in person.

If you look off to the lefthand side of the big house, you can see a smaller building. That's where we worked last Saturday. It's the old carraige house. They are restoring that building first. We primed walls (for painting) and Amanda and her mom mapped out the cabinets for the kitchen. Eric and Michael did a little electrical work. It was really cold that day (for Mississippi anyway - I believe the high was in the upper 40s) so that hampered our work a little (but not the play. It's amazing how that works!).