continuation of oak alley plantation

i am doing 2 posts tonight b/c i can't possibly skip the trees at oak alley.

 this is one of the "baby oaks".  only 150 years old as opposed to the 300 year old front ones!  these were saplings planted from the older ones.

 giant mansion, right?  wait until you see it dwarfed by the 28 300-year-old oaks.

 these are the older ones.

look at that!!!!  see the TEENY looking mansion!?!?!  (this is the other side of the house.)

 sorry if you are getting bored.  they are just so cool.  this is view from upper level.  someone planted 14 on ea. side in the very early 1700s.  they stretch from the house to the mississippi river.  which you can't see anymore b/c at some point levees were built that block the view of the water.  the distance from the house to the road (where the trees end) is 1/4 of a mile.

oh, speaking of mileage, i DID run this morning.  maybe not at 7 a.m. but maybe by about 8:15.  about 2.5 i think.  unless i was going wicked slow.

 2 1920s model As that are in the garage.

me for scale.

they have nice plantings around.  and they decorate w/these giant old vats that used to be for heating and stirring the sugar cane.


sorry i am jumping all around but now i am going back to nottoway.
these photos are from the guided tour.  our guide was a woman who has been coming to the house since the 40s b/c her mother was friends w/the prior owner.  now it is owned by a rich guy from australia who just visits.  you can actually stay in the main part of the house.  or if your budget is that of a public defender, you stay in the boys' wing.  and are still ecstatic.

 just to brag - see how i caught the outdoor pillars in that window reflection?!?!?!  the style of this place is italian ???? and greek revival.  (the oak place was french colonial and greek revival.)  i'm amazed i remember that.

family members (descendants) moved the graves of a bunch of the original owner's family to the grounds in 2003 b/c they were in a poorly kept cemetary elsewhere.

my plan for tomorrow is....

then on to cajun country.

OH and i have basically changed around my entire trip plan.  took more time in louisiana already than i thought i would, so doing more time in mississippi and alabama and then probably tennessee and then home.  unless i can squeeze in seaside, florida on tara and vikram's recommendation.  saving the east coast for next fall when i go to north carolina for amanda's wedding.

hoping that someone is so envious of my amazing travels and amazing ability to pick fantastic beautiful and relaxing places that they are right now scouring the internet for tickets to birmingham to meet me....