Starkville's Serengetti

Mr. Bill Poe is a most curious character. In his eighties, a retired MSU professor of some science (can't remember the department), and an avid traveler and collector. A few years back, he went on a safari in Africa. Came back with a backpack full of pictures, and a head full of ideas. He remodeled his house to include an addition that houses a bunch of stuffed animals he acquired from friends (and possibly some he hunted himself, I didn't dare to ask) and created a back yard to forever remind him of his travels. He hired a local artist to pain scenes from his pictures on the structures in the yard, and followed Husband Dear's advice on creating a rain garden to sustainably and effectively deal with stormwater. This picture is taken during a party he threw for the students and faculty involved with the Museum project of which he is an avid supporter.

A piece of Africa (in a lighthearted, metaphorical way) in the USA's Deep South... Who'd have thunk.