Tiggers Never Get Lost - in Copenhagen, Louisiana

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Tis True.  A Tigger never gets lost.

But I do.

It was bound to happen.  After all, I am an admitted hypocrite.  Just call me "Rabbit".   I knock technological advances all the time. I've written enough songs about it to produce an entire show. Yet when I go on my World Tour adventures  I am armed with only Google Map directions and my hotshot phone.   Yes, the Once-Upon-A-Time Wanna-Be Geographer doesn't even bring a map with her...It never dawned on me that I might want a broader view of the landscape, but then again, isn't that what this whole World Tour shenanigan is about?

But first - Copenhagen.

When I think of the Copenhagen countryside, I am going to think of tall trees and log cabins.  How appropo..

 I will also think of these Horse Bff's I encountered on my drive:

I should have suspected something was amiss in Copenhagen Proper, when the signs just didn't add up. Clearly, this shoe shop was closed.  And it was Saturday.

It took me awhile, driving through the winding wooded roads to realize that I didn't know where in the heck I was, that I had missed the signs for the roads I was supposed to turn on.   Since I didn't realize I was lost, I had no problem stopping off now and then for a photo shoot in the lovely forest.

Soon after the forest shoot was when I realized - 'Oh. I'm not supposed to be here anymore'.  Woops.  GPS and fancy phones work GREAT when you have a car charger or at least keep your phone charged. And when you are capable of reading a map the size your thumb.  (okay, palm..)

After a while of driving and guessing where I need to be, all the roads started to look the same, and I began to feel like I was in some sort of Truman Show type of reality.

Open Road...Curve...Woods...

Open Road...Curve and Woods...(again)

Open Road..Curve..and Woods...(again..)

Then finally --- I found my way out of the Forest.  I was so happy to see this sign:

And I knew which way I was headed - South.  So off I went.. Carefree, happy, and at peace with the lovely images I had captured in and near Copenhagen, Louisiana. Getting off track actually helped me to stay on my path.  So I was content.

And then.  The unthinkable happened.   I hit a squirrel.  I maimed it I think.   It happened so fast yet so clearly in my mind. I saw it flip and scamper off...WWTD?  (What Would Tigger Do?)  Well, I'm not Tigger, so instead of bouncing back to the injured Squirrel, I kept driving. With my hand over my mouth, shocked at what I had done.

 I didn't want to write about The Squirrel.  I didn't want to admit it is part of my journey. But it is.  I can accept that.  And hold out on the hope that 'yeah, maybe I made that Squirrel even stronger!'...sigh...

In conclusion, my trip to Copenhagen was beautiful, but also yielded many adventures.   I got lost like Rabbit, bounced back like Tigger, and then I maimed Twiggy.

I think a nice jar of honey would be good right about now.

All content (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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Komm Gib Mir Deine Hand - in Hamburg, Louisiana

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Well, not really.  I don't really need to hold or take your hand in Hamburg, but I thought it was a funny title.  And its the only German I know.
True to my word, I had a lil Lennon on the iPod, but I quickly changed it when I realized what's in Hamburg.

It's not the Beatles or the Beetles (read: boll weevils)

It's cotton.

And lots of it.

So that meant it was time to listen to Merle Haggard. Well, sort of. I switched to Gram Parsons who does my fave version of Merle's "California Cottonfields". (In my twisted mind, it makes sense to hear Gram Parsons' version as I drove through Louisiana's cotton fields, because he is buried here.  Not in Hamburg. In Metairie.  But I waaayyy digress...)


Anyhoo, after leaving Waterloo, I headed on and towards New Roads, and new surroundings, albeit very carefully...

And lo and behold - I arrived in Cotton Country.  Avoyelles Parish. 

 I'd like to return next time before the cotton is harvested.  But still, the scenery made for some nice driving and photo shooting...

One thing I enjoy about this World Tour is the photographic comfort and inspiration. I'm keeping it real with my beloved 35mm and (mostly) black and white film. But just as I discover new things to think about, like ancient mound builders or the creation and production of cotton, I also am drawn to playing around with different photographic processes.  

Hamburg Handtint

 Hamburg, tiny hamlet that it is,   

    houses a cotton gin: 

a store that I guess I didnt photograph;

 this computer repair shop:

and a horse.  

Like all the international small towns I've acquainted myself with, this one is just lovely, 

and such a nice drive.

I'm looking forward to more.

All content (c) Natasha Sanchez

www.nattie-concepts.com

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Sie Liebt Dich, Hamburg!

Truth or False? - Waterloo, Louisiana

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Waterloo/Water Tower

The first World Tour road trip of the Fall led me to Waterloo, Louisiana. I haven't been out that way before, so I wasn't sure what to expect.  I read up a little bit on the internet, so I knew it was situated between the Mighty Mississippi and False River.  I've started tailoring my iPod to tunes that I feel are related to my destinations.  So, for this trip, I had Sarah Quintana, a New Orleanian with a flair for French, blaring through the winding roads.  I passed sugar cane fields, a familiar site to me, living in South Louisiana.  Well, I'm accustomed to them only because I've taken many a trip south of New Orleans where sugar cane is rampant.

When I finally reached Waterloo, I knew instantly why things felt so familiar to me, as this was the first 'civilization' that I saw:

Waterloo Daiquiris..and Gas Station

Yup. A Daiquiri shop attached to a gas station:

Not only that, the gas station/daiquiri shop is located on St. Claude.  Yes, right at home I felt..

Waterloo is a beautiful, peaceful place and right away, it lets you know what matters:

The natural landscape is quite pleasing to the eye.

As I started driving down the wooded Hwy 413 en route to my next destination, a cabin off the side of the road caught my attention.

I'm often drawn to rustic scenes such as this one, but on this day the scenery, coupled with the pretty fall light,  reminded me of my first exposure to the world of photography.   In 1996, I was working as a PA on the movie "Eve's Bayou".  On that flick and others,  I was always the one sent to photograph the changing light for the cinematographer.  Though I had never expressed my secret interest in photography, I was thrilled to have these assignments.  It was "Eve's Bayou" though, filmed in beautiful October light, that made the realm of photography click with me.  (Yes, that pun is intended...)

I still have the polaroids, (yes - polaroids), from the assignment that was the 'one' for me -  the one where  I first became acquainted with the idea that in photography, nothing is permanent and everything is relative.  

Waterloo Woods

  I was pondering the correlation between photography and the Buddhist concept of impermanence when..of course..I came across this sign:

I had just wanted to go to Waterloo and discover & shoot the Daiquiri Shop Gas Station and maybe make some witty comment about Napoleon and the Duke of Wellington, but - no.  Divine inspiration keeps following me on this trip and now I'm pondering Truth as I drive through False River..

False River

..and my iPod is tuned to John Lennon.

Next Up:

Hamburg LA

All content (c) Natasha Sanchez

www.nattie-concepts.com