The best part of a trip like this is finding characters and stories you never expected, such as Herman Neff and his blueberry farm. Although I've visited Mississippi many times, I'd never seen a blueberry farm there. I didn't even know blueberries grew in the Deep South. It turns out Herman, who's now 80, is one of Mississippi's blueberry pioneers, and the fruit is fast becoming a popular local crop.
The real thrill for me, or at least for my inner ten-year-old, was riding on Herman's blueberry harvester. The massive machine resembles a contraption right out of Dr. Seuss as it hovers over an eight-foot (two-meter) blueberry bush, its scores of long metal fingers shaking and flicking the berries into a conveyor system. The driver and passengers sit on top—about 15 feet (five meters) above the ground—on a platform that sways and rolls like the deck of a ship. As the machine moved down a row, it felt as if I was floating along on top of the bushes. I spent part of one blazing afternoon with Herman and his grandsons riding the harvester, eating fresh blueberries by the handful.
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Since Hot Coffee is so tiny, I had to stay in a hotel about a dozen miles (20 kilometers) away out on a main highway. Next door, a fast-food restaurant was running a promotion with a huge inflatable Shrek—maybe 20 feet (six meters) tall—standing on the roof. The first morning, I pulled back the curtains to see Shrek's giant green head bobbing outside my window, which sort of freaked me out. I know National Geographic writers are supposed to exhibit intestinal fortitude when faced with unexpected exotic creatures, but I draw a firm line at Scottish ogres, especially before I've had coffee.
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Determined to leave no stone unturned, photographer Bob Sacha and I crashed—er—got ourselves spontaneously invited to a surprise bridal shower at the Hot Coffee Community Center. After the requisite chorus of "SURPRISE," the hosts explained to the bride, Janice, that the two men in the room—the only two men in the room—were a writer and photographer there to capture her bridal shower for the pages of National Geographic, undoubtedly every bride's dream come true.
Bob and I had a lovely time at the shower: The food was delicious, the ladies were charming, and we learned quite a lot about the blushing bride. Unfortunately, the photos from the shower didn't end up in the magazine story, but Janice, if you read this, we wish you and your new husband, Milton, all the best. And don't worry; all the info I scribbled down from the "How Well Do You Know Janice Quiz" will remain confidential. I promise.
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