Today was focused on a relatively small geographic area. Simply put, this is exactly why we are on this trip. We have had more than a couple memorable experiences but today will be forever etched in our searcher minds and curious hearts.
We started the day with the joy of laundry. Our fine motel did not offer such amenities. So, we had to find a local wash-a-teria. There were a couple of snafus but one recurring and obvious aspect of our interaction with the folks of Mississippi -- they are wonderfully friendly. People have just plain been nice and have gone out of there way to talk to us.
Our first quest took us along the Mississippi to an outsider site called "Margaret's Grocery and Market" by Reverend H. D. Dennis. This explosion of color and "stuff" was dominated by Biblical writings. It was created by a Christian man that had fallen deeply for a woman and he promised to build her a palace. The place has sadly fallen into disrepair and it is likely they have both passed. One unexpected part of our art quest was that this particular ad hoc gallery was guarded by Satan's minions; thousands of tiny red ants. I almost immediately was the feast for the day. I was doing quite the ant dance as I tried to rid my legs and feet of the evil critters -- not really very funny. Susan thought I was being wimpy and over dramatic. Then..... she was the second course; the ant cha-cha followed. Needless to say this did cut our visit short.
We then drove around town to see the many historic mansions and amazing architecture mixed in with the ubiquitous historical markers; amazing.
It was then time to seek out another artist site in nearby Bovina (pronounced -- Bow-vine-na). We wound around some back roads and came to a rather famous local site; The Black Bridge. It's an impressive concrete railroad wonder from the past that still functions today. Kind of hard to believe and scary that it holds up to four modern diesel engines daily.
The a mile or so down the road, we came to the art "architecture" of Earl Wayne Simmons. The first take is one of complete astonishment. Wow! Oh my God! Then we weren't sure if it was falling apart or still a work in progress. We grew ever-bolder with our exploration of this 8th Wonder of the Re-cycle World. My sense was that this place may actually still be occupied. Then Susan found a current newspaper sitting in a carport-like area. We were both dying with desire to climb up into and see what might be in this conundrum of metal, wood and junk. As I backed into the street for another photo attempt at getting a shot of the scale of this thing, a gentle man came walking up and said "Hello, I'm Earl." We shook hands and I must have lit up with hope when he asked if we'd like to go inside. Introductions were made and out into the maze we were led. Now there is absolutely no way to describe what fell upon on our eyes. Our guide was so happy to share his world with us. Now comes the hardest part; trying to tell you what it was like to meet and be with Earl in his art creation.
Earl was so sincere, committed and truly believed that someday his place will be everything he imagines it to be. He took us into the libary (that is correct), the gift shop, the gallery, his studio and workshop. The place has no electricity and was thus very dark. Thank God for the camera flash. Every room was a cacophony of odd items placed haphazardly in some version of display. Earl told us what each room would be like upon completion. He was mellow yet very excited about his work. There were bare wires hanging everywhere and thankfully, the local authorities have not yet approved of connecting power to this tinderbox. The whole tour was a bit of a Karma check and tetanus avoidance test. We went all the way up to the top, his studio, and returned via a different route past the myriad of doors, stairs, nooks and crannies including an "emergency door" without steps. Earl is a treasure and inspiration; I am a better person for having met him and getting to see his world. He is a true artist who lives his art heart. He is one of a kind. Susan was rapt and in awe of this human visionary. We were completely blown away. We bought a couple of small pieces. When we got back to the truck, all we could do is shake our heads and say thank you thank to the outsider art gods above that led us to him.
The Earl encounter was exactly what Oddasee is all about. We are very grateful.
Just down the road we stopped in a true old time country store from 1915; though it had been an antique shop for about year. The proprietors were instantly friendly and inviting even though the shop was closed. The older gentleman insisted on giving us an ice cold bottle of Coke. His wife was just as hospitable and cheerful. We told them of our visit with Earl and they gave us more info and showed us a few of his pieces they had on display. We had a grand time looking at their collection of junk and occasional antiques along with the history of Bovina. I also got some good photos out back.
Love and corrugated sheet metal,
Blown away Rodney and Susan
ps. also included some misc. pics from along the way
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