"Nu'Awlins"

So much to say!!Where do I begin??!!! This place is EXACTLY WHAT I PICTURED AND SO MUCH MORE!!

First,the drive here was GREAT!! There isn't a direct highway from Arkansas to New Orleans, so I drove through Mississippi and spent a little time there. The scenery was amazing and when I got to Louisiana I drove through some of the bayous and neighborhoods and got a real feel for what it's like. The water sidelined with gorgeous Oaks or Cypress half covered with water and people spending a lazy day fishing.


First thing I did was go to the French Quarter where Bourbon St, Margarita ville and the famous Cafe Dumonde are located. Cafe Dumonde is an indoor/outdoor cafe where you can buy Beignet (basically fried dough) and coffee and sit outside watching the frenzy of activity.You can hear jazz and country music everywhere with artists and street performers all over.
There were 2 college graduations that day so the streets were flooded with partying people. It seems to me that graduation or not the streets would be flooded with partying people. It was hot and sunny and everyone was happy. I have to say there was a time when buying "beer to go" and having drive through Daiquiri stores would have made me happy,too. One of the locals told me that the police are at the drive through, not to make sure you don't drink and drive but to make sure the establishment is safe. Go figure. It is amazing to me how differently we live from one place to another.


I loved the Louisiana accent. It is definitely distinct from the southern accent which I've become accustomed to in varying degrees over the last month. When Steve the air boat driver (more on that in a minute) said "Shrump season stawts tahmora." I thought,Huh? Took me a minute to figure out what he said. Their words seem to all blend together in a choppy, yet flowy way. I can't even explain which letters are dropped and which stay but it sounded kind of musical to me. Some people almost sounded Australian or English, or is that because the guy selling water looked like Jude Law, hmmm...


Since New Orleans is also famous for it's food and spices, I wanted to try something local. I love seafood so I went for craw fish and char-broiled oysters. OH MY GOD!!! I loved them both. I do have to say that I like lobster better than craw fish (though the locals think lobster is too chewy). The oysters were encrusted with butter, garlic and Parmesan cheese and then charbroiled. I wanted to cry they were so good.


One of the things I've always wanted to do was to ride in one of those "air boats" (which I've seen on discovery channel in the Florida Everglades) through a bayou (which I didn't know was called a bayou until now). When I was in the French Quarter I saw lots of signs for "Swamp Boat Tours". I checked it out and thought, "Here's my chance". It was AMAZING!! Now I know why there are so many shades of green in the Crayola box. It was magnificent. I went early one morning and there were 6 of us on the boat. We went on an illusive search for wildlife, namely alligators. The area was all swampy and marshy with the cypress trees hung overhead.
It was ominous and exciting; dark and light at the same time. The possibility of alligators and snakes lurking in places unknown was so exciting. Steve our guide, grew up in the area. He was in his 60's and had a permanent tan and like all commercial sea people had crevices in his skin from the sun and sea and great stories to match. He had all the character of a down home Louisiana boy who has seen alot on these bayous. He LOVED what he did, where he was from and was genuinely interested in us. He was happy we asked alot of questions because he wanted to let us know about the area and who they were.
We saw lots of alligators and he caught a little one that I got to hold.


I couldn't get enough, so after the swamp boat I went to a National Park a few miles away because I had heard it was worth the hike. The Ranger said "be careful to stay on the boardwalk because of the alligators".Well, do you remember my fear in Arkansas of seeing a snake? Yup...first thing I saw, two feet into my walk; a snake.
I was terrified, but not too scared to get a picture....then trotted quickly back to the parking lot...I didn't want this to keep me from taking the hike though,so I leaned against my car and started praying for courage. Well, along came a small group of people and I told them my dilemma. I asked if I could walk near them. I wouldn't intrude on their party, I promised. They were great and welcomed me. As it turned out (thank you, God) one of the guys was an off duty Park Ranger, there with his girlfriend, her dad and aunt, for Mother's Day. The Ranger and his girlfriend had just moved there from Michigan 3 months before for his job. It was great because I got all the details of species of snakes,and we saw many,gators,turtles and other wildlife so it was like having another tour. It took a couple hours and we had lots of laughs and a great hike.
I also got to hear the story of how the two of them got to Louisiana and her struggles of wanting to become a teacher after leaving college to become a hairdresser. I told her I'd send a prayer her way which got us started on a great conversation about God. We got to share a spiritual moment that touched me deeply.

Back at the ranch, my hotel, I went to the pool and met another native where I had a conversation of a different kind. He was there so his son could swim in the hotel pool for the afternoon. I loved hearing more about the local area from his perspective at which time I was reminded that Peyton and Eli Manning are from Louisiana. They love the Mannings in Louisiana. Their dad, Archie is considered a legend here. After alot of debate about the Mannings, the Patriots and Tom's numbers versus Peyton's, I did concede that it was great the brothers pour lots of money into the community, but I think I put up a pretty good argument for why we should all be annoyed at Peyton's whining on the field. The guy was too drunk for a fair fight. He soon backed down or at least couldn't formulate anything coherent, so I, cheaply,proclaimed myself the victor!

Oh...I wish I could give you every detail of every day. They are all so precious to me; all the people I see, the things I feel. Each experience is being woven into the fabric of my life adding color, depth and strength to who I am. As people cross my path chances are I won't see them again so it intensifies the moment. Each one feels like finding a lost treasure. A great life reminder; whatever moment I'm in is the only one I have so live it like it's the last and it will get the attention it deserves!