Adventures in Alexandria & Turkey (Creek), Louisiana

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Oops.  I forgot about Alexandria.  I've been so busy this summer preparing for upcoming World Tour Presentations, that posting my latest blog slipped my mind.   I kept putting off Alexandria because it seemed the most obvious.  When I told people I was on a Louisiana World Tour, many responded with "so you're going to Alexandria, right?"  I guess it lacked the intrigue of Poland or China in my mind.  In fact, I passed through Alexandria many times en route to other destinations like Athens and Vienna.  

Finally though, the day came where I would visit the largest town on the World Tour, and I happily encountered an adventure in getting there.  It was late last spring when after photographing the China Cemetery, I decide to venture off to Alexandria.  What I didn't realize was that I was going to pass through another venerable town - Turkey Creek, Louisiana.  

I found this especially exciting, because in just a few short months, I will be visiting the country of  Turkey.  I wonder how it will compare to Louisiana's Turkey Creek.

In Alexandria, I knew I wasn't going to find Egyptian Antiquity, but I did find a colonnade:

Colonnade

Okay, so really it was an LSU building. 

But with its history, it was easy to capture an historic feel.  

Arch

Tree & Window

Alexandria Museum

The downtown area has a lot of quirky architecture, and I was drawn to photographing shapes...

 as well as the government buildings.  (Alexandria is the parish seat of Rapides Parish).

Rapides Parish Courthouse

Alexandria US Flag

Court House

Alexandria may be the most populated destination on the World Tour, but it definitely retains its small town feel. 

Red River Candy Co.

Daily Town Talk

Weiss & Goldring

Even the graffiti seemed harmless:

I ended my visit to Alexandria with a walk to the Red River.   

Red River

I found it humorous that the city I most avoided going to was the one i photographed the most.  Maybe it was because Alexandria was the largest, maybe it was how I chose to photograph it, or maybe it was because part of the World Tour is about opening up to new experiences and perceptions.  Yes, I think that's it.

Downtown Alexandria

(c) Natasha Sanchez

www.nattie-concepts.com

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Ay Carumba! Viva Italia! - in Colombia, Cuba, and Sicily Island, Louisiana

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It's November and the color palette of my World Tour has changed.  The red, yellow, orange, and fading green leaves provided a nice visual track to my spicy destinations of Sicily (Island), Cuba, and Columbia, Louisiana.
My first stop was Sicily Island. The island in the middle of the state.

I purposely decided I was NOT going to photograph churches and leave the spiritual searching at home for a while.  So instead, I focused on true Italian traits, like shopping and fashion:

Island Stylin' Salon

But then again, I do like happening upon visual evidence of small town philosophies, so I was pleasantly surprised when I developed the film and discovered the flair over the Trustworthy Hardware..

Yes, I have a thing for flair, it always seems a bit 'divine' to me.  Yet another validation of my World Tour journey.  One reason I had for starting this thing was to get out and shoot, unlock some of that creativity....It appears I'm on the right path..

Upon leaving Sicily Island, I passed through Turkey Creek on my way to Columbia.

And then at last, I reached Columbia.

Honestly, I hardly spent any time there, though it did look like a darling town.  It was another place that just 'happened' to be on my route. But I sure was sad that I arrived too late for the rodeo....

From Columbia, I headed north towards Cuba.  

In truth, I'm not sure if I ever made it to Cuba or not.  By the Google Map directions, I did.  But I never saw any sign.  These little villages can be hard to pinpoint. (as is evident by my journey through Bristol)  As I was driving around looking for signs of Cuba, I spotted a marker on the South side of the highway.  Hoping it might have something to do with Cuba, I turned around to get a better look, and then -  Ay Carumba!  

Yes, more Indian Mounds...with a little flair....

The mounds, from the Coles Creek Culture,  added a lil piquant to my journey. Only 698 more to go!  (Okay, that will be another tour...)  Not only do they give me something to research and learn about, they also make me realize how large, and how small,  our world really is.  

Up Next:

Adventures in Copenhagen

all content (c) Natasha Sanchez

www.nattie-concepts.com

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