Skip to main content

Natchez

I was not supposed to be there.  This place, with its canopied beds and winding staircases, seemed very grown up.  But, I was only nine years old.  I was supposed to be at least ten before I stayed there.  Then, why was I there, at the most unusual hotel I had ever seen - until then?  The answer, actually, was simple.  I was there because of Marguerite.

Marguerite was my great aunt, my grandfather’s sister.  She lived in Natchez, Mississippi, and worked as a hostess at Monmouth Plantation.  Monmouth was a beautiful antebellum home situated on a hill.  Once owned by an American general, the house had many lives.  More than one century after it was built, Monmouth became a bed and breakfast and Marguerite became its greatest ambassador.

Marguerite was one of those people who seemed to never meet a stranger.  Even in a large group, she could make you feel like the most important person in the room.  Marguerite also was a great storyteller.  On any given afternoon, she could be found leading groups of guests around Monmouth’s grounds, relating stories of how the home was built and of the people who had lived there.

Over the years, my family and I made many trips to Natchez and every time, we would go to Monmouth.  And every time, Marguerite would lead us around the old house.  It was so pretty and had so much history.  I wanted to stay there one day.  And one day, I did.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Only In Seattle

    It was a slow afternoon at the tiny Seattle coffee shop.  As I opened the door, a group of three school-aged boys ran in front of me.  Each of the boys was lugging an overloaded backpack with them.  They obviously had just left the private school a couple of blocks down the street.  As I perused the menu, the three boys placed their orders, all the while joking with one another.  The first two each requested a pastry and a glass of water.  The third boy studied the menu a bit longer before deciding.        “Umm. . . I’d like a tall espresso, double shot, please.”          The cashier giggled a bit, thinking that her young customer was just repeating something he had heard adults order. After a few seconds, she jokingly said to him, “Alright. . . whatever.”        Noticing that the boy seemed serious, she looked puzzled.  Then, sh...
Post a Comment
Read more

Time Enough For Courtesy

       Life is short, but there is always time enough for courtesy.                                                   ~   Ralph Waldo Emerson Emerson wrote these words in the nineteenth century, more than 130 years ago.  It was well before the time of e-mail and texts and instant messages.  At that time, even the telephone was still something of a curiosity.  Yet, when I came across this quote recently, I was struck by how it is as relevant today as it was during Emerson’s lifetime. Thanks to technology, people all over the world can communicate with one another.  All it takes is a few seconds.  Technology has totally revolutionized the way business is done and the way our lives are lived....
Post a Comment
Read more

Catch A Cab

We had been walking for about forty-five minutes, making our way from Manhattan’s South Street Seaport to the Macy’s flagship store on 34th Street. When we were within fifteen blocks of our destination, some of my companions decided that we should complete our journey by cab. Despite my attempts to convince them to keep walking, they were insistent. The trip that ensued was a true New York experience. After a few minutes of trying, one of my companions was able to hail a cab. However, we wanted to go north. The cab that stopped was going south. It did not seem to matter, though, as my companions still got in the cab. One person sat in the front while I slipped into the backseat, between the other two. Hardly before the doors could close, the driver had fought his way into Manhattan traffic. Without warning, he took a sharp right turn onto a side street and began to head north, steadily increasing his speed. Within seconds, the cab was weaving a...
1 comment
Read more