There it is (above): the old Jackson homestead. That's where it used to stand, anyway. The house pictured belonged to my great-aunt Isa at one time - the last Jackson to live on this property, which was in the family from before the Civil War until the 1980s.

The now-defunct town grocery in "downtown" Emelle, where the only operating concern is a U.S. Post Office. The store, incidentally, was once owned and operated by the Stegall family, friends of the Jacksons.

Abandoned shack outside Emelle - a typical sight.

Wisteria everywhere.

This was interesting - a handmade manifesto of sorts - nailed to a tree on the road between Emelle and Sumterville.
Click on it (and on any image on this blog) to enlarge - it's worth reading.

Meridian: Another great city that is heading toward ghost town status, at least its downtown business district. There's so much gorgeous architecture and, of course, signage, in Meridian. We loved it.
Meridian.

This "cafe" is actually a funky antique store. Lovers of vintage McCoy pottery, be alert. We'd hoped to eat at Weidmann's, a famous Meridian diner, but it's now open only for dinner.
The friendly proprietor of the antique store directed us instead to the completely nondescript Jean's Restaurant down the block.
What a find.

Dessert first, then: Lemon icebox pie. Incredible. And only $1.75/slice.

Another Meat + ? meal.
Above: Broiled catfish, turnip greens, mac & cheese, field peas (aka blackeyed peas), cornbread, and rolls.

We finally found our fabled chicken and dumplings (above). Plus coleslaw, potato salad, and lima beans. And of course, iced tea.
It. was. amazing.

We arrived at the home of our cousin, Jannelle, and her husband George, who showed us the most wonderful hospitality. They also shared these old photos with us.
Above, my grandfather's brother, John R. Jackson, in his wedding photo with bride Beda Lee (ca. 1930). Aren't they cute?

Above, John R. (the bigger boy) and his brother, my grandfather, Jabe Cook Jackson (ca. 1910).

We visited the cattle ranch of our cousins The Parkers. A beautiful spread.

Mooner and I at the Parkers' place, where we had (what else?) a fantastic steak dinner.

Downtown Hattiesburg - or what used to be downtown in "Hub City." Beautiful old buildings abound.

Hattiesburg. This building had trees growing up through the middle of it.

From Nashville, we headed south toward Mississippi. Rather than take the Natchez Trace through Memphis (it's a great city, but I'd been there before), we went through Alabama to get a taste of the Jackson homeland. Mooner directed us to a local favorite, Bogue's diner, but unfortunately it was closed. Thankfully, Mooner's Google Phone led us to another out-of-the-way legend: Niki's West Steak and Seafood Restaurant, located across the street from the Birmingham Farmers Market (above).


We're still not sure why it's called a "steak and seafood" place, since neither were on offer. But almost every other Southern delicacy was.

The food is served cafeteria style (above). Nothing is labeled and the line moves fast. When Mooner asked Mr. Surly Server (pictured above, arm outstretched) if a particular item was in his station, he growled "It's ALL my station."

"Meat & 3" is a standard meal template in the South but at Niki's we went for something like "Meat & Many." Pictured above, moving clockwise: Niki's famous Greek chicken (amazing), Fried okra, Fried green tomatoes, a new variation on banana pudding, pulled pork, coleslaw, potato salad, and lima beans. Plus the obligatory iced tea. No, we were unable to finish it all, tasty as it was.
The waitress asked us where we were from.
"Is it that obvious?" I asked.
"Well, y'all were taking pictures of the food..." she replied.
Case closed.

Time to meet some kin!
Mooner and I were so excited to see our beloved cousin Tim (above) and his beautiful family.

Meet Caz and Ava, who have an entire repertoire of funny faces tailor-made for the camera-snapping of doting aunties.

The lovely and amazing Julie, here with baby Bennett! He has a lot of personality for a -1 yr old.

After dinner with Tim and Julie & co., we met up with my friend and ex-bandmate in the legendary Missouri Breaks, Benjamin Smith. He lives in Nashville now and is the ED of the fantastic non-profit org, YouthSpeaks Nashville. Benjamin led us on a tour of the city's finest honkytonks, from Southern frat-rock to Western Swing.

After Prince's Hot Chicken Shack, we couldn't make room for Jack's.

But we did make time for Robert's and we adored its bolo-tied, Buddy Holly-esque band - tighter than a snare drum and just as loud. The Missouri Breaks used to perform Hank Williams's "Honkytonk Blues," so Benjamin and I felt right at home here.
Did I mention we LOVED Nashville?

I'd like to start this post with a lovely, refreshing image of the flowering dogwood. Think of it as a palate cleanser before we move on to...

Prince's Hot Chicken Shack. Yep. Mooner heard about this fabled chicken emporium and our bold city guide Carol K. drove us over there to see and taste it for ourselves.

Here's what you can order: Chicken.
Here's how you can order it: Mild, Medium, Hot, or Extra Spicy. We ordered Mild and we were glad, because even the Mild is hotter than most of the hot sauce in my kitchen cupboard back home.

Here's what you get: Chicken, Dill pickles, Wonder bread. Extra: Coleslaw and Baked Beans, surprisingly expensive at $3/2 oz. But essential.

It's amazing. Go get some yourself and see. I'd hoped to also try Eastside Fish in Nashville, which advertises itself as "The Crunkest Fish in Tennessee." It's hot, too. But I think Prince's is about all my stomach lining could tolerate.

You've earned another palate cleanser: Flowering redbuds on the Vanderbilt campus (exhale).

Our first stop on the trip: Nashville, Tennessee. I loved it from the first GooGoo Cluster (sorry, no photo - I ate it too quickly).

We hit the The Loveless Cafe. It's an institution... and its own sense of its importance worried me: would our visit be a delicious tour through Tennessee's culinary byways, or merely a stop at a food-themed amusement park?

Here's your answer: The best fried chicken I've ever tasted. Biscuits with gravy - lip-smacking, and I'm not even "into" gravy. Hash brown casserole - still not sure what it is, except wonderful.

It doesn't stop there. Above, going clockwise: Heavenly cheese grits; Redeye gravy (made with coffee) and country ham; more Hash brown casserole.

And, to finish: Amazing banana pudding with homemade Nilla Wafers. Note the Sweet Tea in the background. I ordered mine half and half but it was still a little too sweet for my taste. I could see how a body could get used to it, though.

Mooner and Yours Truly in front of the lovely Loveless (no longer a motel).