Living In Beauty Carmen and Jim Beaubeaux

In honor of the upcoming Juneteenth National Independence Day, we are publishing our latest blog post on our Civil Rights Trail journey in the deep South.
As we drove north toward Mound Bayou, on our way to the King Biscuit Blues Festival, we expected to visit a Museum, but we soon discovered that the entire town is a museum.
If you've ever heard of Mound Bayou, then you are the exception.
Former slaves, left to their own resources, built a city that actually thrived all the way into the Civil Rights era... in Mississippi.
Mound Bayou is a remarkable story of Brothers – the Davis brothers and the Montgomery brothers, who knew each other almost intimately, whose children played together and studied together, yet shared nothing in common as they worked side-by-side to opposite ends.
This is a story for our time.
The post Civil Rights Trail – Chapter Four: Mound Bayou, Mississippi appeared first on Living In Beauty.

"So, what's it like to live in an Airstream?"
The answer to that question changes about every two weeks.
The short answer is, "It's magical."
We just released a short documentary about living in Beauty, pursuing moments that add up to dreams.
The post A Day in Beauty appeared first on Living In Beauty.

Merging onto The Blues Trail from the Civil Rights Trail and the Emmett Till Memorial was effortless, and necessary.
We've heard that when life gets heavy, The Blues can soothe woes.
It was almost Opening Day of the annual Clarksdale Juke Joint Festival, and we needed to blow off some steam.
The post Civil Rights Trail – Chapter Three: Juke Joint Festival – Clarksdale, Mississippi appeared first on Living In Beauty.

Our Civil Rights Trail tour began with the Emmett Till Memorial – a good place to start, for several reasons.
First, the murder of Emmett Till launched the Civil Rights movement.
Second, our destination for the night, The Emmett Till Intrepid Center was a scenic Sunday drive from Dad's house in Decatur, Mississippi.
Third, it was Spring – the most beautiful season in Mississippi – when it is customary to reflect on new beginnings, redemption, and reconciliation – these are ideal conditions to immerse in the life-and-death story of Emmett Till.
The post Civil Rights Trail – Chapter Two: Emmett Till appeared first on Living In Beauty.

Every year of Living in Beauty is memorable and different.
Some years are spectacular and adventurous from start to finish.
Other years are simply focused on relaxing color and scenery, or romance and celebration.
Spring, Summer, and Autumn '23 on The Civil Rights Trail with side trips through The Great Smoky Mountains and The Blue Ridge was definitely our happiest year on the road.
I understand if you think I misspoke. How on earth can nine months of immersion into the story of a people's bloody struggle to restore and maintain their lives, dignity, faith, and patriotism, against all odds, be a happy thing?
Honestly, we're still trying to figure that out.
The post Civil Rights Trail – Chapter One: Introduction appeared first on Living In Beauty.

Pitching a tent on Christmas Eve under the stars is an old tradition we picked up from a family of refugees.
You’ve heard the story.
In a time of war and occupation – a man and his pregnant wife – are forced to travel long-distance on foot to register. Arriving to their destination the woman falls into labor and every room in the city is occupied. Giving birth in the street is not an option because cars haven’t been invented yet. Seeing their distress, a lovely hotel manager says, “Don’t worry, be happy” and directs the refugees to a nearby stable.
It’s an old story we see playing out every day as people are caught up or drawn into miserable situations. But dwelling on the socio-political details behind the holy-family’s hardships – and without looking further than the obvious religious message – misses the key point which is: Eventually, everything’s gonna be alright.
Celebrating our 8th Christmas traveling full-time, we share a message of joy and peace with you, our followers.
The post 8 Christmases in Beauty appeared first on Living In Beauty.