The road trip was lovely. We set the GPS to 'avoid all highways' and took our time meandering down to  Gulfport, MS, then to New Orleans for a few days before heading north to Oxford. We ate and drank well,  stomped all over the Garden District and French Quarter, drove out to Grand Isle to see some of the delta,  bought a pile of books, and came home to find the house still standing. It was hot and steamy, and we had a great time. We've never been to Oxford, and it was the perfect end to the trip,  both to prime the pump for more Faulkner (pics below) and to visit with a dear friend of my wife who teaches there. After Oxford, we trekked across southeastern TN back toward home, which included a  substantial stretch of the Buford Pusser Memorial Highway. Friends, I maintained the speed limit just to be safe.

I am enjoying the downtime before my studies ramp back up in August. I'm heading into my final online class, which means this is the last time I'll need to juggle multiple classes at once.