Heading for the hills, then. . . home

Cathy and Richard on the Square in Oxford. (Can you tell which Witt prof has just returned
from an intense week-long service immersion trip in a remote area?)

The statue of the Confederate Soldier on the Square gets a visit from Ezra.

Oge and Moses, outside the Lyceum (with Moses helpfully indicating
the origins of the Ole Miss logo).

The Lyceum.

This afternoon we found ourselves worlds away from Cary, in Oxford, Mississippi with Witt biology prof and native Mississippian Richard Philips as our tour guide. We took in some of the sights in town, then headed to Taylor Grocery for a farewell dinner of catfish and hushpuppies.

Outside Taylor Grocery, waiting to go in and eat.

Back to where we started. . .

Or back to the Phillips's cabins outside of Oxford for the night, anyway. And tomorrow morning, it'll be back to Ohio for this bunch of exhausted but happy—and thoroughly enriched—Mississippi Delta volunteers.

Photos: 1) The Phillips's cabin; 2) the Witt gang prior to leaving Cary

Friday night in downtown Taylor, Mississippi

Our final day of adventure is topped off by dinner at the fabled Taylor Grocery, just outside of Oxford—known for its catfish and hushpuppies (which we were, of course, quite happy to try).

Kickin' around Oxford

After leaving the Delta this morning, we headed to Oxford for a look around. With Wittenberg biology prof Richard Phillips as our guide, we visited the Square (and Square Books, of course!), then headed to campus to the Lyceum (the site of skirmishes between rioting students and US Marshals and National Guardsmen on the occasion of James Meredith's admission to Ole Miss), fraternity and sorority row, and Faulkner's home, Rowan Oak . . . before heading out to Taylor for supper.

Photos: 1) Kirstie chats with Mr. Faulkner (who seemed a little more diminutive than we all thought he would be); 2) Had to visit the best bookstore in the South! 3) Faulkner's home, Rowan Oak; 4) the Witt profs get tickled; 5) Ryan, Leigh, and Kirstie listen as Dr. Phillips talks about James Meredith; 6) the Confederate soldier memorial on the Square; 7) Ryan, looking epic outside the Lyceum

Packing the experiences in

Leisurely morning running and walking, exploring the property around the cabin and bunkhouse, and sitting in rocking on front porches, traditional Southern-style. Then breakfast at the cabin, with Tyler demonstrating a talent for baconry.

We bid Dr. Phillips farewell and got on the road, stopping in Clarksdale to sign the wall at Ground Zero, Morgan Freeman's nightclub. Quick visit at the Shack Up Inn, where we chatted with Bill, one of the owners Cathy knows from years past. Everybody got a peek into one of the shacks.

For lunch, Bill recommended we eat at Abe's BBQ at the crossroads (the intersection of Highways 49 and 61, where Robert Johnson supposedly sold his soul to the devil for mastery of the blues guitar). When we got there, Abe's had closed for the day but opened back up after they saw the whole bunch of us wandering around the parking lot, looking dismayed.

We arrived at Cary Christian Center just in time for a taco supper with our counterparts from Iowa (18 students from Northwestern College) — followed by a short orientation session. Our crazy busy day ended with everyone crashing early in our barracks-style bedrooms.


Photos: 1) Tyler and Cathy rocking on the porch of Dr. Phillips' bunkhouse. 2) Ryan snaps a photo of Karlos at the Shack Up Inn. 3) A bottle tree at the Shack Up. 4) The Witt team meets the Northwestern College team in our first dorm meeting.