Happy Birthday, Sandra!
Today, Bob lost his wallet. (I did not mention that he lost his glasses--which I found in the dirt, right before Bob said, "Well, they have to be in the car, because I just had them and they're not at the campsite." Wrong again oh love of my life-- the first night of our trip. So, once again, we tear the car apart and we drive back to our campsite--not there. I remind him that he had it in his pocket when he went to the showers. He goes back and once again, I and St. Anthony had helped Bob find yet another misplaced possession.
After playing lost and found (and stopping at a hotel) the back of our van no longer even closely resembles the nicely organized vehicle that it was on Day 1.
Note to self: Next camping trip--shave head. I've had one bad hair day after another--it's too hot--and it gets all over the place when I'm sleeping at night, ticklying my nose, chin, well, you know.
Today was as hot as yesterday and even more humid. Like the park ranger at the plantation said, y'all (oops--did I say that again--sorry), this humidity is like walking through gumbo! We did some shopping on Front Street in Natchotoches and walked along the Cane River--beautiful--just what you imagine when you think of the South and its river towns. Charming. We took a picture of the house in Steel Magnolias and began to drive around the city to see all we could see before we left. It was lunch time, so we stopped at a Creole restaurant that was crowded with people (on a Monday). It is called Lasyones. Now one might think that would be pronounced Lazee Ones--but no, it is LA (as in lala land) ZEE ownz. We had meat pies (deep-fried 1/2 circle wonderments with 80% beef and 20% pork filling), I had a crawfish pie and pickled beets. Bob ordered rice and beans with sausage and we finished the meal off with peach cobbler (for two) and ice cream. As we looked around the place (there was a line to pay and a line to come in), I felt so welcome and at home--the reason? Not one person in the place weighed less than 250 pounds, I swear Y'all (oops, dagnabit). The food was wonderful.
Bob wanted to go see some of the historic sites so we stopped at one of the plantations. It was built in 1817 and inhabited by the same family for generations until the park service bought it for 600,000 in 1998. Since it was inhabited for such a long span, the actual main house was a mismatch of furniture from the 1800's and kitchen, addition, and other renovations from the 1950's. It is 4 acres now, but it was much larger in its day with 125 slaves. Prud'homme was the family name and the first Mr. Prud'homme was one of the first Americans to grow cotton on a large scale. The trees on the property were huge oaks, some beautiful flowering cape myrtle, and, of course, some of the larges magnolia trees I had ever seen. The plantation was used as a setting for a John Wayne movie, The Horse Soldiers.
After our private tour (just Bob and I would be foolish enough to be out in this heat and humidity), we walked around the plantation and saw pigeon buildings (raised for food), and other interesting out buildings, but we were so thirsty, so we headed for the car and our cooler full of ice-cold water.
Bob drove around the historical plantation areas and we were so taken by the beauty of the flora of the area on the Cane River (a branch of the Red River). I told Bob that I was glad we had come in the summer because if we had come in the spring, I would've wanted to buy one of the beautiful houses for sale (reasonably priced) on the Cane River. This heat and humidity, though, reminded me why we had rented a cottage in Maine, not Louisiana.
We left and headed for Lafayette, the heart of Cajun country. We stopped for dinner at a place called Prejean's Cajun Food. What a great decision that was (it was Bob's who had first seen a number of billboards on the way in and then when we passed it noticed the parking lot was full and it was a Monday night). What a place! Stuffed alligators all around, a huge stained glass window of bayou critters framed by a set with painted craggy trees from the swamps. The tablecloths were red checked (of course) and the waiters and waitresses aimed to please, y'all. The chef came up and told us a joke about Thibodeau and Robidoo who were friends all their lives. So, on robidoo's birthday, Thibodeau buys him an expensive parrot. After about a week, Thibodeau asks Robidoo, "What do you think about that parrot?" Robidoo answers, "That there was some sweet-tastin' bird." Thibodeau is confounded and says, "I cannot believe you ate that bird. It spoke 5 languages." Robidoo answers, "Well why didn't he speak up?" Okay, I laughed much louder than I should have, but the guy was just showing some real Southern hospitality.
As we drove to Baton Rouge (tomorrow we will see the USS Kidd, a destroyer like the one my father-in-law was on in WWII), we went through swampland and bayous, passed over beautiful rivers and passed by lakes, and as we entered Baton Rouge, passed over the mighty Mississippi River. I was agog with the beauty and all Bob wanted to do was take a canoe out and see an alligator. Honestly--I don't get it.
Hoteling it tonight--still hot and humid and Bob needs a good night's sleep. Talk atcha tomorrow. Y'all have a good night now (spoken with a very bad Southern drawl).
Ham everywhere, even in Bob's dreams, when he dreamt of a epileptic pig that he was trying to save
A shop window in Madrid
3 comments:
Prunella, Olga, and Evangeline the Cajun attended a women's conference aimed at getting men to share the household duties.
Pru rose and addressed the assembled attendees. "I told Nigel that I had had enough, and unless he saw fit to perform his share of the chores about the house, that he could expect no more cooperation from me. I had seen the feminist light, and was not about to hold up his end of what must be a 50/50 sharing arrangement. Well, the first day I saw nothing; the second day, I saw nothing; the third day I came home to a beautifully prepared roast beef dinner and a perfectly folded pile of washed and pressed laundry." The crowd applauded enthusiastically in approval.
Olga then rose to give testimony. "I tell good-for-nothing Sergei that I no more tend garden, cook food, clean house or wash car if he no help me in work around the house. The first day, I see nothing; the second day I see nothing, the third day I come downstairs and all dishes washed and put in cabinet, rug vacuumed, windows washed." Again, the women of the group erupted in appoval.
Then it was Evangeline's turn. "I tol' that wuthless Boudreaux I fed up.! He c'n skin his nutria his own sef', clean his own catch, butcher dem gators wit'out my help, and boil up his own crawfish. Well, the fust day, I don' see nuttin'; the second day, I don' see nuttin'; the third day, I could see a little bit outa my lef' eye."
haha--I'll tell this one (I couldn't rs emember Boudreau's name in the joke I told and Bob was already asleep) when someone else tells me another one here in the South--thanks for the material.
Casey, you were sweating in the Bayou and I was under to alpaca blankets in the Andes! If you go farther south than you were (as in Peru), it actually gets colder. Who'd a thought, y'all?
Hope you are having fun! I am home now.
Take care, Julie
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