Miracle Mindset

 Photos and Story by Ken Hulsey As many of you already know, I have begun to take my physical health seriously. Earlier this year, a routine trip to the doctor served as a wake-up call when my test results showed that my health was in dire shape. Lifestyle changes had to be made, or I was going to end up in a very bad way. I started watching what I ate, began exercising, and started taking a handful of medications every morning. It seems that when you start getting older, a sedentary lifestyle isn't good for you.  Who knew?

 In my eight years here in Louisiana, I have learned many things about life. Moving from a metropolis like Los Angeles to a small central Louisiana farming town has taught me to enjoy the simpler things in life. 

 Written By Ken Hulsey As most of you already know, Terri and I are from different parts of the country. I hail from California, with short stints in Texas and New Mexico, but I lived most of my life there. Terri is from Texas, but being part of a military family, she lived all over the place, ranging from Germany to New Jersey. She actually spent most of her life in North Carolina. The fact that we both have lived in vastly different parts of our great country, each with different kinds of people, all with different foibles and different ways of doing this thing called life. Despite all of these different experiences under our belts, none of it prepared us for life in the South. 

Photos and Story by Ken Hulseu One of the great things about working in Baton Rouge is watching all the different types of locomotives in operation on the Canadian National. I have to tip my hat off to the CN for not repainting all of their locomotives in their signature colors like all other railroads. I love to drive by the CN engine facilities near downtown because I never know what I'm going to see in the yard. 

 Written By Ken Hulsey If you have been following this blog over the past few months, you have likely seen several posts about how much Terri and I have enjoyed watching documentaries about our nation's breathtaking natural parks. If you're interested in starting to explore these documentaries yourself, I recommend beginning with Ken Burns' PBS documentary, The National Parks: America's Best Idea. In this series, you will learn how each park was chosen for preservation and the significant roles that influential figures like John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt played in their development. Like Terri and me, you will likely find yourself captivated by the stunning scenery and nature footage.

 Photo and Story by Ken Hulsey  About ten years ago, I prayed a very deep and heartfelt prayer for God to change me. At that particular time in my life, I was very unhappy with how my life was going, and I was honestly seeking a new direction and purpose. It was without a doubt the most honest and straightforward prayer of my life.

Photos and Story by Ken Hulsey I've actually had these photos in the queue for over a month now. I took these during the Rock the Red celebration on July 4th. Naturally, I posted the pictures of the fireworks but neglected to feature any other images from the event.

 An old abandoned truck sits rusting away in the weeds in Ferriday. Photos and Story by Ken Hulsry Over the past few months, I have been taking a ton of photographs as I travel all over Louisiana. I have been wanting to share these images for some time, but I just couldn't make up my mind on just which ones I wanted to do individual posts about. As I perused all the images that I amassed, it became clear that it would be way to time consuming to share them this way. Instead, I took the time to weed through them and pick out the ones that really spoke to me and conveyed what I believe to be the essence of what summertime here in Louisiana really looks like.

Photos and Story by Ken Hulsey Have you ever been leisurely driving down a remote highway when all of a sudden you spot something so unusual that you immediately stop and make a U-turn to try and figure out exactly what you thought you saw?

Photos and Story by Ken Hulsey Last week, I posted a very popular article about the Dardanelle and Russellville Railroad 2-6-0 Steam Locomotive #10 at Ford Park in Shreveport. Thanks to Brad Driggers of the Abandoned Louisiana group on Facebook, I learned that old Number 10 isn't the only transportation-related relic residing there. Thanks to the directions provided by Brad, I was able to go on an expedition into the remote northwest section of the park where, deep in the tree line, sits the remains of an old Shreveport Railway Trolley Bus. At this time, the old trolley is barely visible, with only the tail end sticking out of the vines. Though I wanted to explore it more thoroughly, I could only manage to climb through the flora enough to access the rear window and stick my camera inside for a few photos. I also want to give a shout-out to Rick Lewis of Abandoned Louisiana for warning me that the area is home to several venomous snakes. Thanks to Rick's warning, I made a lot o...

Photos and Story by Ken Hulsey One of the things that I really used to love about living in the small farming town of Lecompte was the ability to take quiet walks around town every Sunday evening. I rarely ever encountered a soul on these walks, and it provided me the opportunity to meditate and have a conversation with the Lord while enjoying the beauty of his creation.

 Written By Ken Hulsey As each day passes, it becomes increasingly clear to me that the state of Louisiana is for sale. Every day, we Louisianians hear about new data centers being built, farmland being converted into solar farms, and plans for carbon capture facilities. If you spend any time reading comments on social media, you can see the frustration many residents feel right now. Many are confused about what is happening in our state.

Photos and Story by Ken Hulsey I honestly should change my official title to 'Louisiana Railroad Archeologist' because I have the knack of finding all sorts of abandoned railroad equipment all over the Pelican State. Case in point, last week I was driving around Cross Lake in Shreveport looking for a place to view and photograph the water when I stumbled upon this old steam locomotive just off the road in a closed portion of Ford Park. Wanting to get a good set of photos of the locomotives I snuck in an open gate and weaved my way through twisting roads to the back of the park, dodging crews cutting down all the trees along the way. The old steam locomotive is in bad shape, as is the case with all such locomotives in the state, and it was obvious that the workers at the park had stopped taking care of it long ago.

Written by Ken Hulsey Over the past couple of weeks, Terri and I have been enjoying Ken Burns' series on The National Parks on Amazon. We truly love learning about our great nation's history and certainly love seeing all the vast beauty that we here in America have been blessed with. The early episodes of the series focus on the efforts of acclaimed naturalist John Muir to preserve many of our nation's most majestic locations, such as Yosemite, Yellowstone, and even the Grand Canyon. Muir considered the mountains and meadows of Yosemite to be one of God's most majestic temples, a living example of his divine power of creation. From viewing scenes of this amazing natural wonder, one can do nothing but marvel at its beauty and gaze in awe at its majesty. 

 Last week my travels brought me to the Rosedown Plantation State Historic Site in St. Francisville, Louisiana. Over the past few years, I have been through St. Francisville a handful of times, and I have to say that the town is one of my favorite locations here in Louisiana. The town is quiet, charming, and filled with history. From the nearby John James Audubon Bridge. Audubon State Historic Site, St. Francisville Historic District, to the preserved Illinois Central Railroad Caboose, the town provides the visitor the perfect place to spend a day just exploring. Located just over 30 minutes north of the State Capitol of Baton Rouge, St. Francisville is easy to get to and should be considered a must-see location for anyone visiting the region.

 Photos By Ken Hulsey Text from signage adjacent to the railcar History of ICG 199328 The St. Francisville Caboose is an important historical attraction for the town. The caboose was purchased by the town in 1995 and moved to its current location through a generous donation by Richard Holcomb. The intention was that it would serve to remind visitors and future generations of the history of the West Feliciana Railroad, the third oldest railroad in the United States. The WFRR ran from Bayou Sara to Woodville, MS from 1834 to 1978, carrying the region's valuable cotton crop to the Mississippi River where it could be easily shipped to New Orleans. It was innovative, ahead of its time and necessary.

 Photos and Story by Ken Hulsey This past weekend, Terri and I decided to brave the heat and humidity and spend an afternoon touring the Acadian Village (Museum) in Lafayette. I have to admit that this has been a location that I have wanted to see for some time now. When Terri woke up Saturday morning and said that she wanted to go explore the location, I was more than happy to oblige her.

 Story and Photos by Ken Hulsey There is one thing you can always count on in Louisiana: a beautiful sunrise. Since I had the day off, I decided to wake up early and venture out with my camera to capture some of the stunning scenery here in Central Louisiana. I’ve been promising myself for almost a year that I would spend some time getting back into my photography, and a holiday from work provided the perfect opportunity.

 Photo by Ken Hulsey Rock the Red: Celebrating Independence Day in Alexandria, Louisiana As July 4th approaches, the vibrant community of Alexandria, Louisiana, gears up for its much-anticipated annual celebration, Rock the Red. This free, family-friendly event promises an afternoon and evening filled with joy, excitement, and patriotic fervor—all set against the beautiful backdrop of the Red River.

 Photos and Story by Ken Hulsey Recently, Terri and I decided to take the day off and travel up Monroe for a day of antiquing and sightseeing. After we had taken in all the wonderful shops in West Monroe, we decided to travel across the river and check out the Chennault Aviation and Military Museum. A local friend of ours highly recommended it, so we thought that we couldn't pass it up.