Saturday 28th Sept. Housekeeping and veg.

We had decided to do nothing much today. A good rest was needed and we didnt have a car to entice us up and out.
I badly wanted to take everything out of the freezer in the kitchen (vs the one in the lazarette) and see what we had in there. Hard to remember, sometimes:)
I also had the desire to do some cooking in preparation for our leaving on wednesday, all going well. I say that, because things happen to keep us from doing as planned, but we can be flexible, so not a bother.

It makes life easier while underway if I dont have to rush around and prepare food while motoring. We can put the genset on to power the microwave/convection oven, and it helps to charge batteries in the process, but I dont want to be cooking per se, while motoring.

We always have books to read, so we did some of that sitting out on the cockpit deck after we ate our breakfast. We hadnt sat outside for quite a while, and it was wonderful to be able to do so in a cooler morning. The sun is coming in on our starb'd side here, so we enjoy the view of the land side of the boat to Port in the mornings and to starb'd in the afternoon, which means we watch the endless parade of interesting boats and people passing us. Many seem to not know the laws of the water and pass us at great speed, with us waving frantically to slow them down...this is a NO WAKE zone. If they created a wake, it throws our boat (and all others, I might add) against the dock and can do some damage if not fully fendered up.
This dock is less that perfect to begin with, and we have our fender boards down backed by three fendes apiece to cushion the blows.

In fact, we spend quite a few hours sitting on the cockpit seat with the back curtain up slightly so that we could make the most of the breeze which was southerly and went straight through the boat. We didnt put the aircon on at all until evening.We only did it then because of night time bugs with the doors wide open. The temperature was only 85F today, so it was a perfect day to sit and do little...although we didnt sit and do that until we had done all the other things:)

Waz cleaned, fixed and did a few other small jobs, but he too took time out today to relax and enjoy the day and the breeze in particular.

I put a bread dough mix into the machine and that took 1 1/2 hours while I made a Bacon and Egg pie, both for our lunch today and to put in the freezer for instant lunches while underway.

 

 

I made the dough into focaccia buns with chopped olives, sun dried tomatoes and artichokes and cheddar cheese on top. I also put another bread loaf on to cook through in the bread maker. This was a plain white loaf. Unfortunately it collapsed in the maker....troubleshooting that one told us there was too much humidity and heat. I normally have the aircon on and bread is fine, but yesterday, as I said, we didnt, so the heat and humidity ruined the loaf..bummer. Well, we still got a good half loaf to eat.

What I forgot to tell you about yesterday...
How could I forget? As I was writing about friday, I forgot that we had risen early so that we could go and do a shop in Youngsville, not far away. Well, having said that, it did take us 1/2 an hour to get there along a most convoluted route. We had the GPS with us, fortunately, or we night not have arrived.
Katherine and Jim recommended this Rouses Supermarket, as they get their food there.
It is the best supermarket we have been to yet!! So many choices, but we had only fresh fruit and veg to buy, although we did make some unscheduled purchases. We also met a woman who had lived in NZ for 14 yrs and considers it here spiritual home. She returned to the area here to take care of her aging parents, but plans to go back to NZ when she is able.:) She is an employee at the supermarket.

There really is very little in the way of obvious employment in the area, and we did remark on that on our way home from the supermaket. We didnt see much in the way of small commercial or industrial complex at all, in our travels locally.


Back to saturday...

We decided to have an early dinner...I thawed out some leftover salmon and mixed it with some mayo and green onion to make a salad, and then spread that over flour tortillas with chopped tomato, cucumber and avocado to make a lovely wrap or three. It was the perfect end to the day before a walk around the village.
Warren had had a walk earlier in the day when he went looking for a part for something, but I needed to get out and stretch my legs. We didnt go far as the B52 bomber mozzies got to us first.
We marvelled again, while walking, at the remains of homes that had been abandoned, and the state of some of the ones (mostly trailer homes) still occupied. It is hard to believe someone actually lives in them.
Something I have been meaning to tell you:
It is a city ordinance that you must keep your lawns mown. I love this idea and no matter what the home looks like, the lawns are mown and cared for. It does give the place a more 'kept' look and things look  only half as bad:)

Well, I finished another book...which meant it was time for bed.
We dont anticipate doing much on sunday either, although housekeeping might be a good idea...manana!:)

Friday 27th Sept. - 'Shadows on the Teche'

 

Last night we made arrangements with Jim and Katherine that we would go into New Iberia and do the tour of "Shadows on the Teche'....

First though, we would go to lunch at Victor's Cafeteria. Warren and I had passed this interesting looking (from the outside) place a couple of times when walking up and down West Main Street in New Iberia. According to Katherine, this place is famous, locally, and she wanted us to eat the 'local' food there.

we had trouble finding parking in the main street as everything was being set up for the Sugar Cane Festival which started on Wednesday with the choosing of the royal court for the parade. The parade of the adults is on Sunday, but the children's parade is on Saturday.

We had also packed everything up ready for a picnic on the banks of the Teche somewhere to watch the flotilla of boats up the Bayou into the city docks.

The day dawned clear and lovely, and so we put all our sunscreen, hats etc in our bags and took off around 11.30am for the parking lot here in Delcambre. We were to drop our rental car off at Enterprise on the way into town, after filling up with gas. We met J and K there and transferred all our goodies into their Suburban for the ride into town.

As I said, parking was a problem until it was suggested that we seek approval to park in the lot of the Information center, which Katherine ascertained was just fine. We parked and walked the short distance to Victor's.

This old time dining room is cafeteria style where you take a tray and walk along the bain maries and choose your hot foot etc. The staff were difficult to understand, such were their thick Louisiana accents (or cajun/creole??), but we made our selections.

Katherine had suggested that the servings were so huge we would eat half there and take the rest for a picnic dinner when we were watching the boats on the Teche. Well, our food wasnt that huge...I ordered 9 fried shrimp, and Waz got two pieces of chicken (he saved one) plus some Corn (local style which is yummy) and a small (the serving was very small) cajun spiced fries, along with a VERY small salad.

The food was nothing special, in fact, nothing much at all....but the idea of eating there was fun, and the trip to the bathroom out back was the highlight of the adventure.

We walked back to the information center and were glad of the cool in there.

We got our tickets to the Mansion tour, and Katherine decided to stay in the center, as she had done the tour several times. Jim hadnt see inside the house before, so he accompanied us on the tour.

 

 

Along with our tour guide, we entered the property from the Main Street, side gate.

There were several similar statues on the walk from the gate to the house.

 We began the tour on the ground floor and went straight into the Parlor. It is appropriate to note here that the home had been built in 1831 by the Weeks Family as their wealth grew from their Sugar Plantation. They lived close by while this home was being built for them. All the 1/4 of a million bricks were made by hand from clay taken from the property.
All the rooms lead into each other with there being no hallway at all. This makes excellent sense when you conside the summer heat and the need for the windows and doors to be open to allow for any breezes to flow through the house.
After the ground floor tour, we took the rather deep steps up to the first floor veranda.

These columns face the road. I guess this is typical of Antebellum homes in that the facade is usually pillored with wide verandas. It makes good sense, when you see that this photo was taken about 1.30pm, so the sun is taking up most of the space.

I could probably have put my hammock up here and and napped in the cool breeze.

The up stairs rooms were mostly the bedrooms with a small sitting room off the master bedroom, overlooking the Teche. The main sitting room was next door and opened onto the upstairs loggia looking towards the Bayou. That room is top center in the photo below with the white doors.

this view of the house is th back one overlooking the Bayou.The stairs at the bottom left lead to the upstairs loggia, there being no internal staircases.

Standing on the upstairs loggia balcony, this view extends to the Gazebo overlooking the Teche. Note the Spanish Moss dripping from the Live Oak tree. the trees are stunning old ones and they are all dripping in moss. I think this is one of the lovely things about the deep south: the lushness of the foliage and the huge old trees everywhere.

 

I might mention that Warren and I were pretty tuckered out by Friday...We had spent the whole week driving and sight seeing and it was hard to keep our eyes open at times. We were grateful that Jim was driving, which gave us a break from driving and navigating.

We heard that the flotilla wasnt going to be specatulat this year, so made the executive decision not to stay until 6.30pm for that event coming up the water. We were just too tired to wait around in the heat.

After the house tour, we jumped back in the Suburban and headed for home.

Our toungues were hanging out for a cup of tea....as they usually are. The humidity level was much lower, so it was drier, and we found ourselves a bit dehydrated.

 

Getting back to the boat was most welcome and we veged for the rest of the day.

A lovely sunset was the end to a gloriously sunny day.

Thursday 26th Sept....Lafayette

It is midnight and I can hardly keep my eyes open. Warren took himself off to bed a couple of hours ago. I needed to catch up with some reading and then finish these blogs, because when I get too far behind, I forget what happened each day. The Days are full, and so much is happening, it is actually hard to remember.
Today we decided to venture not too far..Morgan City was 50 odd miles, but Lafayette was only 20 something. A shorter day, but no less hot today. I have to say the breeze was cooler, which did make a difference, but it was dryer inland, so we felt dehydrated very fast.
We left Delcambre at around 10.30, armed with fruit and water. We find that we crave fruit after eating out...which is usually fried something.
Today we parked in the center of town...something to mention here...all the signs everywhere are in French...and parked in a parking building (it cost us $1.75 for three hours!). We got out and walked first to the Chase bank where I got some cash. This building was one of the tallest in town (Chase Bank, that is). We then walked into the center of the square to the gorgeous Catholic Cathedral. Remember, we are in the very heart of Catholic French/Cajun country here.

 

We went inside for a while to look around, but sat at the back as a noon mass was in progress. We couldnt walk around because of this, so left and found somewhere for me to visit the ladies room. We met Pat who works at the Sherrifs office across the road...yes, this old building is the Sherrifs office

And they kindly let me use their bathroom:) Pat also told us that the place we needed to eat for lunch is only a couple of blocks from here, past the court house, and known as Pat's. No relation, apparently:)

We found Pat's and ordered and sat and waited. Apparently it is the thing to do to order by phone, then turn up and claim your food. People who entered after us got their food way before us, and we figgered they knew the game..you reckin?:)

So, our food arrived. We had been told to order the Fried Shrimp Po'Boy. So we did.

Ok..so I had already taken a bite before I remembered I am supposed to record these events, and take a photo. Lots of shrimp, with a LOT of mayo and a SMALL amount of lettuce. I ate the shrimp and 1/2 the bun. Waz at the lot!

The old buildings are generally brick..though we dont think they would withstand too many earthquakes. Unreinforced!

Lots of lovely murals on public walls..This one depicting the swamp with the Swamp Cyprus stumps sticking out and some of the birds. Very well painted.

We then visited a gift shop/gallery that is housed in the oldest commercial building in Lafayette. I bought myself a pair of shrimp earrings...very cute! and they will remind me of our visit to the deep south...not to mention all the shrimp we have eaten!

While there we met a woman and her hubby who live on the Hudson River, New York. They gave us al their contact details to give them a buzz next year when we are up their way. She said she will take us food shopping or anything we need.

after that little interlude we headed back to the parking garage and then headed home. We had gone via a scenic route, through some lovely countryside...gorgeous trees, and quite a lot of new homes...and we decided to take the highway home. I HATE the highway with a passion. It is generally concrete and is so cut up and bumpy that you feel you are on a rollercoaster...especially as the speed limit is 70mph...apprx. 120kph. Too fast for comfort for me. I prefer the 65pmh.

Well, I cannot put it off any longer.. Bed beckons and I have another long day tomorrow. The car goes back to Enterprise tomorrow, and we have the Sugar Cane festival in New Iberia to attend. It will be a loooong day.

Ciao for now.

 

Wednesday 25th Sept. ...Morgan City

We began our day at a later hour than normal. We had slept in and enjoyed doing so. It is tiring tiki-touring, and we needed to just relax this morning. We were due to meet Katherine and Jim at the car at 10.30 for a trip into Morgan City. They had docked at the town dock before and we needed to see where we would be going on the next leg of our trip and what we would need to stay here overnight. It isnt the best place and rather public, but we know what to expect now.
The river was covered in Water Hyacinths floating quite rapidly downstream...this is the Atchafalaya River, here. The wet weather had dislodged all the floating islands of plants and they were a bit disturbing in their huge numbers.
Jim used to work out of Morgan City as a Crew Boat Captain. He would ferry crew(people) and things to the different oile rigs up river and sometimes out into the Gulf, which didnt please him as much.

We drove down to see if the crew boat he worked on was in port, but it wasnt there. We did see some interesting sights though in this area. These tow bridges are interesing...the rusty old one in the foreground still operates as a rail bridge. the one in the background is the bridge we went over to get to the town and the place where we would be docking.

love this Lighthouse. They have made a real effort to make this part of the riverfront a bit more palatable...it is otherwise rather unpreposessing.

This is a levee with gate open...the walls have been painted in some places...I thought the boats and crabs were rather fun:)

This is the dock next to the shrimp boats where we will be spending a night, or maybe two. Morgan City is on the Atchafalaya River....just off the ICW, so easy for us to dock here before going on to Houma, and then New Orleans.

 

These old shops are just inside the levee wall opposite the dock. We found a restaurant here..JoJo's where we had lunch, all four of us, and then went into the Hardware store for some fun!

Ever seen one this big?? the tool, that is!

 

On the way back to Delcambre we stopped at the Weedell /Williams  flight museum. A fascinating look back at the beginnings of flying in the USA, the impact of racing airplanes and how that technology was the forerunner of our modern passenger aircraft. The aircraft inside have all been beautifully restored. This A4 Phantom is on show outside.

 

And so, the end of another day of sightseeing and discovery.

The shrimp boats had departed on tuesday morning for fishing...only a couple left in the Bayou.

 

Abbeville Historic District and Tabasco Factory

Yesterday we decided to go into Abbeville in the morning as it is only about 9 miles west, and we had our bedding in the washer downstairs. It provided us with an opportunity to go and visit the Historic District before coming back to hang the sheets on our line and then go visiting on Avery Island and at the Tabasco Factory.

 

We are truly enjoying the old buildings in the Historic Districts of the towns we come to.  Dont you love the colors?

This old bank was the first in Abbeville. I went inside thinking they might have restored the inside too, but only the vault is in existance, and the interior is rather shabby and smells bad...well, like an old bank, actually!

How pretty is this seat in the garden square?

Pere Megret is the founder of Abbeville

I hope you can read most of this story...

This lovely Catholic Cathedral is on the National Historic Places Registry. We noticed that there were a lot of bees buzzing around the top of the steeple, so you could say that they have an active hive up there somewhere.

 

 

This old canon is in the Centre Ville (town center)

 

As is this plaque commemorating the reunion of the Hebert family. It is a very common name in these parts.

This old train station renovation and restoration has been a labor of love for so many, and the present owner, Earl, has been there for 17 years. He told us he is now 70, and his wife is about to retire from teaching special ed. kids locally, at the same age. He made us a cup of coffee, though it was very hot outside. We enjoyed a cuppa on the house and thoroughly enjoyed looking at all the goodies he has for sale, and some things that arent.

 

the old carriage outside the Depot.

 

There are probably 25 stuffed birds on the wall just inside the front door of The Depot. While Im not a fan of stuffed things, it was informative and gave us an idea of what the birds are that we see around us.

 After departing Abbeville, we returned to the boat to hang the laundry, have some lunch and get ready to go to Avery Island, not far away. We left here around 2pm for a factory tour and to see the Jungle Gardens.
This handsome (yes, really!!) bird we think is a turkey buzzard. We may be wrong there though:)

The gift store and sampling place. We tried the Raspberry Chipotle ice cream and the Habanero one also. Lots of sauces and salsa to try...which we did by dipping pretzels into them. The ice-cream has a nice kick in the rear, after you think it is just nice sweet stuff:)

Yes, people here really do buy their Tabasco in these large gallon containers.

Tobasco Sauce bottles without their labels...naked, I guess?? The assembly line was fascinating to watch, and though it is automated, nothing really is and we still need people to check, recheck and fix things when they dont go according to plan...this seemed to happen all the time, while we were watching.

This is an Airboat that we saw at the Jungle Gardens. Had to take a photo of course!

 We didnt visit the Jungle Gardens...by the time we had been on tour and moved to the gift store at the Gardens, it was 4pm, hot and humid and we needed a coffee...which we got there. We sat outside in the heat..yes, I know...and drank our HOT drinks...:) and then decided to do the large gardens another day...or not.

We drove home and as luck would have it, they rail bridge went down and a train made it's way VERY slowly over the old rusty thing.

this photo should come after the next one, but Im sure you can figger that out:)

This is the railway bridge that has come down to allow the train to cross the Bayou Petit anse, just up from where the boat is docked. This was an exciting event for us:)

And so ends another eventful day.

Some random thoughts etc

As we drive around this small part of southern Louisiana, we are struck by the extreme economic deprivation here.We see poverty on a level neither of us has ever experienced before.
 We are fortunate to come from a relatively well off country and though poverty exists on a certain level in NZ, I guess it is all relative.
Since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and yes even Ike, all back to back, the small communities here have not been able to bounce back. FEMA has poured gazillions of dollars into the area to make sure people have housing, but many of the homes we see are really not fit for habitation. I would like to be able to photograph them, but out of respect for their occupants, I dont feel I can give you an example of what I am talking about.
There are many depressed people sitting on their porches...no jobs=no money. They may receive some federal aid...food stamps etc, but that doesnt provide you with dignity or fix your house. I know it is more complex than I understand right now, but it makes us realise just how fortunate we are...and very thankful that we have the ability to do what we are doing.

We knew so little about these southern states before we visited. They are not the places many international tourists come to. We did meet some French people from France, today at the Tabasco Factory, and yesterday at St Martinsville, but other than that, I guess the Tourist season (make that summer) is over for this year. That means it is the perfect time of year for US:) we dont like crowd, and especially not in the extreme heat.
The weather has cooled off somewhat, but today was hot and humid. There are thunderheads  looming and we have had the odd sudden downpour, but otherwise, we just sweat...and sweat. We have found that the only way NOT to sweat, is to sit VERY still, outside, and do nothing. The minute you move, you sweat, lol.
People think we are nuts looking for a hot coffee or other hot drink(tea??)..but they dont realize that it is more thirst quenching than a cold icy drink.

Perhaps the most interesting part about visiting anywhere in the world...is the people. You can look at museums and art galleries all you like, but the real place doesnt come alive without the people. Reading about them on story boards fills in the blanks, but actually talking to someone, getting their history, their family background etc, makes the place come alive through their eyes and experiences.
People are generally generous with their time, their expertise, their family histories and showing us where we can find more...things, people, experiences et al. They dont mind that we dont buy their goods...they give us a coffee if they have one, or as was the case today, he made us one especially:) Thank You Earl at the Railway Museum in Abbeville! you are a gem...
They generously impart their local knowledge, and recount stories of long ago. We love that they also give their time and expertise to restore the past objects/buildings etc and that they value their past and their collective history.

Is it just when we get older that we do these things?

We love that the local culture is preserved through the language, the cooking...oh yes...the food!!!!, and the family pride in their name.

We also love that those who have plenty, have built conservation movements for various things. Wildlife, birds, gardens, buildings etc. There is always more that can be done, but a beginning is a wonderful thing.

Monday 23rd Sept. St Martinsville et al

What a gorgeous beginning to the day...The sun is shining and I felt a need to do some laundry...so that's what I did at 6.30am.
The sun came up around 7.15am.

 

This is looking towards the main road rail and road bridges across the Bayou Petit Anse

These lovely shrimp boats are just opposite us. They looked all clean and lovely this morning. Amazing what a little sun does for ones attitude:)

 

Today had to be a chores day, as we were getting a bit low on t-shirts et al. As it had rained for the past three days since getting into the marina, we hadn't had that opportunity. Three loads of washing later, we were ready to depart for the day...but...

not before a trip into Abbeville to pick up some more plywood to fender boards. One of ours broke in the night...these shrimpers are not easy on the throttle when they pass us, and dont seem to even think that their wake might be destructive. We also got some glue (from Lowes) and a cookbook:) Well, you know how that goes, dont you? Lowes have a great variety of books and soft cover magazines for all kinds of things, at their entry, and it is usually my first port of call when we go there.

However, we went for the plywood, and they happily cut it into two for us at no extra charge. All waz has to do is drill some holes.

He is presently splicing rope to attached to the bottom end of our fenders so that we can hang them horizontally quickly and easily. Always something to think ahead of on a boat. We have some locks to go through in the near future, so we want to be prepared. This dock has also shown us that we are not quite as well prepared as we might be for docks that are not so hospitable. Though this is a new-ish marina, they did not have the casual boater in mind when they built this fixed dock.

 

Having made some savory muffins for our lunch...I had some Canadian bacon that looked like it was dying, so used that, some green onion and cheese in them...yummy:)...we went off in search of more History.

It appears we ventured into Creole territory...all the cafes in St Martinsville were offering Creole food, instead of Cajun...which is interesting, given that St Martinsville is the 6th settlement of Arcadiana.

 

 

 

Good to see the restoration work on this church!

First up, let me say that we have been through some severely economically depressed areas in our travels, but none as bad as where we went today.

the Priorie next to the Church

...and across the street, literally...on the corner of Rue Evangeline....whole other story there...soon!

The main street of St Martinville.

The small cemetery at the side of the church held some significant grave stones. This is one of them. I chose to photograph this because it is so beautiful

My heart bleeds for the state of the this lovely old building. Alas, it is like so many others in this small town. There is just no money to refurbish them. There are so many significantly historical buildings in this town, it would take a fortune to rebuild.

 

The story of Evangeline

 

Evangeline, A Tale of Acadie, is an epic poem by the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, published in 1847. The poem follows an Arcadian girl named Evangeline and her search for her lost love Gabriel, set during the time of the Expulsion of the Acadians.
The idea for the poem came from Longfellow's friend, Nathaniel Hawthorne. Longfellow used dactylic hexameter, imitated from Greek and Latin classics, though the choice was criticized. It was published in 1847 and became Longfellow's most famous work in his lifetime. It remains one of his most popular and enduring works.
The poem had a powerful effect in defining both Acadian history and identity in the nineteenth and twentieth century. More recent scholarship has revealed the historical errors in the poem and the complexity of the Expulsion and those involved, which the poem ignores.

Here is another variation of the story....

Evangeline describes the betrothal of a fictional Acadian girl named Evangeline Bellefontaine to her beloved, Gabriel Lajeunesse, and their separation as the British deport the Acadians from Acadie in the Great Upheaval. The poem then follows Evangeline across the landscapes of America as she spends years in a search for him, at some times being near to Gabriel without realizing he was near. Finally she settles in Philadelphia and, as an old woman, works as a Sister of Mercy among the poor. While tending the dying during an epidemic she finds Gabriel among the sick, and he dies in her arms.

 

 

 

A little more background history on the Arcadians which might aid understanding...

 

Prior to the influence of Longfellow's poem, historians generally focused on the British founding of Halifax (1749) as the beginning of Nova Scotia. Longfellow's poem shed light on the 150 years of Acadian settlement that preceded the establishment of Halifax.
The Expulsion was planned and executed by New Englanders and British. Longfellow omitted from the poem New England's responsibility for the event. Through his poem, Longfellow defines the British as responsible for the expulsion and America is cast as a place of refuge. This omission may explain in part why Americans were able to celebrate a poem that was based on a traumatic historic event for which they were significantly responsible. Longfellow's account was later challenged by Francis Parkman in his book Montcalm and Wolfe (1884). Rather than blaming the British, Parkman defined the real problem in expulsion as the French influence on Acadians, particularly by Abbe Jean-Louis Le Loutre. American historian John Brebner eventually wrote New England's Outpost (1927), which identified how instrumental New Englanders were in the expulsion of the Acadians.
The poem had a powerful impact in both defining Acadian history and identity in the nineteenth and twentieth century. More recent scholarship has revealed the historical errors in the poem and the complexity of the Expulsion and those involved, which the poem obscures. For example, Longfellow's poem renders Acadie a utopia and the Acadians as simply a homogeneous, passive, peaceful, innocent people while obscuring the resistance that certain Acadians demonstrated — both politically and militarily — against the British invasion of Acadie.
The poem also led generations of Protestant Anglophones to sympathize with the plight of a people whom they often demonized and persecuted for being Catholic. The poem also provided a safe symbolic space for Acadians to develop arguments for more recognition and respect.

The sculpture of Evangeline

in the cemetery outside the church

The Evangeline Oak tree...where the two lovers were supposed to have met again.

 

After leaving St Martinville, we came back to the boat just before the heavens opened. While taking in the laundry, this huge  dragonfly flew onto the boat, and then, unfortunately it flew into the water, and there it remained. I was unable to fish it out:(

 

It was about 2 inches long.

 

Time for me to get some dinner. It is 6.15pm, and we are hungry.

Tomorrow...more!