It's Coming!

New Orleans Trip~ Part 3 is coming! It will be posted at 6 AM Wednesday morning (that's central time), so check back. Just don't be too hungry when you stop by, you might start craving some powdered sugar and hot coffee!

New Orleans Trip~ Part 2

No trip to New Orleans is complete (or even begins) without a trip to Jackson Square. Again, the beautiful day and the bright blue sky made for the perfect day walking around the square. We parked behind Cafe du Monde, walked up the steps where the entire square can be viewed from up high.

Now, when you arrive in this spot, keep in mind, this is the place where the man will try to bet you $20 he can tell you where you got them shoes. Don't take his bet. The answer is correct, and you'll end up owing him $20! The answer~ You got them shoes on your feet! (Now all the readers have been forewarned, so don't fall for that!!)

For the price of your great-grandmother's wedding ring you can take a ride/tour in a carriage pulled by the many horses lining Decatur Street. (Ok, it probably doesn't cost THAT much.)

Do you wonder what the horses think about all the traffic, street vendors/performers, or real tourists that go walking by day by day!? I think the horse below wonders why someone put such a goofy looking hat on her, but she does appreciate the shade umbrella.

Andrew Jackson, thus the name~ Jackson Square. I could tell you about why his statue is here and what role he had in the history of Louisiana, but I'll let you find that for yourself (I do know). Also, it might be interesting to do a little research of the statues made with military men on horses. Did you know that the horses standing on one, two, or three legs means something different in a military statue!? Interesting.

And a random picture of some adorable (half grown) children that happen to be standing near this statue for me to take a picture of!

New Orleans Trip~ Part I

We love New Orleans. Not all of it, but most of it. It's been part of my childhood as long as I can remember. We would visit the grandparents twice a year, make the drive into the city, walk through the French Quarter, eat beignets, and make the ride back home. As newlyweds, my husband and I were fortunate enough to live in New Orleans for 3 years while we both worked on our graduate degrees. (I have an M.Ed in Special Education from the University of New Orleans, and he has an M.Div in Biblical Studies from New Orleans Theological Seminary.)

Over the weekend we had the opportunity to meet up with the in-laws for a day in New Orleans. I captured most of our trip on film, so you can either re-live your visits to the Big Easy or be introduced to New Orleans for the first time.

The trip always begins on the Northshore. Well not always, but I can't think of too many trips I've ever made to New Orleans that didn't involve riding on the bump, bump, bumpy Causeway over Lake Ponchartrain. It is a 24 mile long bridge, which claims to be the longest bridge in the world. I could have taken a LOT of pictures in the span of 24 miles.

At this point, it feels like it might take forever to get across the 24 miles. The bumping is so monotonous, but soothing at the same time.

The day was absolutely beautiful!

Then you can see it, through the fog.....an outline of a city. It sort of makes your mouth start watering for a good po-boy or some red beans and rice and some beignets when you see it.

The end of the bridge is in sight. Fair warning~ there are almost always cops down at the end of the Causeway to make sure you slow down to the 35 mph the signs demand of you.

New Orleans Trip~ Part 2 coming Monday or Tuesday morning.

Tiger Pride

Remember when I posted here about the pride folks feel in the LSU Tigers!??!http://mylouisianaview.blogspot.com/2008/04/pride-and-joy-sometimes.html

I was serious.

Here is an entire aisle covered in purple and gold. You can redecorate your bathroom, bedroom, or garage with various LSU paraphernalia (and people do)!

However, being a true LSU fan goes further than that. Being a REAL fan means you DECORATE your kitchen with purple and gold and COOK with purple and gold.

Need a closer look? (I did!)

Next time someone says they are the "biggest fan", I'll be sure and ask them how that Tiger Dust Authentic Cajun Seasoning tastes....

I Am A Sheep

The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack.

Psalm 23:1 (HCSB)

Another Game of "What's This Object Going Down the Road Next to Me?"

Another one of those 'grab the camera and take lots of pictures of this thing going down the road' moments. Never seen one of these before so does someone want to take a guess at what it is? I know there are readers out there that know. It's just new to me.

Southern Cooking...Really Southern (as in 90 miles south of Key West)

For 30 of my 36 years I lived in Florida. There are many things our family still misses about Florida, and Cuban food is pretty close to the top of our list.

We had an opportunity to eat at the Cafe Habana in Lafayette for my son's birthday this week. I wish this was a scratch and sniff blog so you could experience the flavors and smells of this South Florida food we love.

The basic black beans and rice (Miami style) with some fresh onion on top~

The rope vieja (shredded beef), with some maduros (sweet fried plantains), and black beans and rice~

The palomilla steak with onions on top, maduros, black beans and rice~

The traditional Cuban sandwich. This is the BEST sandwich I've ever had. The perfect blend of ham, shredded roast beef, cheese, mustard, pickles toasted/grilled in just the right way with the right seasonings~

The ropa vieja wasn't as good as usual. The beans needed a bit of salt. We seemed to have cleaned our plates either way! We love cajun culture and cajun food, but it's nice to revisit our culinary past every once in a while.

Waking Up At Walmart

A few mornings ago I needed to wake up and get to Walmart before the sun was up. It wasn't something I looked forward to doing, but we needed some groceries and our day was already looking very full. I arrived at Walmart about 5:45 AM and totally dark, except for the parking lot lights. After about an hour in the store, I walked out and saw the morning sun. It was worth it.

The Cajun People Are Really Nice

....and they really love their rice.

Help Is Coming!!

Dear friends in Louisiana and Texas~

Help is on the way. I was able to go and take this picture earlier this morning, amidst our wind and breeze. These trucks are just waiting to head out. They are tree cutter trucks from Buford's Tree Service in Anniston, AL (that's what it said on the side of their trucks). They spent the night parked here, and I'm sure they'll be helpful somewhere very soon.

There are likely thousands of vehicles that will be carrying help, safety, security, and good news into the areas devastated by Hurricane Ike. We are grateful for them all.

Our thoughts and prayers have been, and will continue to be, with the folks on the western Gulf Coast.

Did I Mention I Love The Birds?

I love how the birds look in the field. I love how the birds look as they fly in groups to their next field. I love how the birds sounds early in the morning as the sun rises while they stand in the field.

I'm not so sure the rice farmers like the birds as much as I do.

While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up.

Luke 8:4-5 (NIV)

My Dad's Take On Lovebugs

A Lamentation On Lovebugs

If on the very first plague's day,
Lovebugs had flown Pharaoh's way,
He would have said, "Israel! You can't stay!
Pack your bags! Leave right away!"

"All things have their place," you say;
But I can't figure out a lovebug's way.

Flying around end to end,
What kind of lesson do they send?
It is as if they don't really care
That the whole wide world sees their rears in the air.

"All things have their place," you say;
But I can't figure out a lovebug's way.

They come in clouds and splat like rain,
On my car's freshly cleaned window pane;
Impale themselves on its' shiny grill,
And some will be there next year still.

"All things have their place," you say;
But I can't figure out a lovebug's way.

And so I wait for fall's COOL air,
When I step outside and they aren't there.
I'll whoop and holler, and shout with glee,
On the day my world is lovebug free.

Bob Adams
September, 2003

A few of my favorite "Lovebugs"...

My Dad (author of the poem) and Mom.

You Gotta Love to Hate Them

For most of my faithful readers (all 3.5 of you) when I say lovebugs, I already know the thoughts that pop into your head.

~ Disgusting!

~ Now I have to wash my car.

~ When will they go away!?

~ Don't even open your mouth, they might fly in!

~ How do I explain THAT to my children?!!

Right??

For those folks that don't live in the south, lovebugs come out twice a year~ late spring and early fall. They have an acid inside them that will ruin the paint on your car after you 'splat' them while going down the road at high speeds. They are rarely not paired up together, thus the name 'LOVEbug', and they just look downright odd. They don't bite or sting. They are just annoying.

Well, it's that time again.

An Addendum to the Addendum

I promise. Tomorrow I won't post anything related to any hurricane~ past, present, or pending.

Last night my family traveled about an hour to Lake Charles. We assumed we could find a decent meal AND all the groceries we couldn't find in our town. Our meal was good, but the restaurants around were only serving items on a modified menu. We headed to Walmart and found empty aisles, which was surprising.

We were able to get milk, bread, and eggs. I picked up a cucumber and one of the last 2 bags of lettuce available, and I also stocked up on a few of the canned goods we used during Gustav's stay. No sense leaving the cupboard bare with Ike nearing the Gulf Coast.

Lots of apple dips and croutons, but no apples or lettuce!

Ironically, this billboard stands right above Walmart. Lagniappe (according to Meriam Webster) is a small gift given a customer by a merchant at the time of a purchase; something given or obtained gratuitously or by way of good measure.

So this is the land of a "little something extra". We were having a tough time finding some of the the basics of life last night, much less the lagniappe to go with it! (This billboard is actually advertising a local casino, but we are in no way affiliated with that place or promote folks going and blowing their life savings there.)

A Gustav Addendum

Yes, I am tired of Gustav. I'm sure you are too.

I was feeling really normal this morning when I posted earlier. I was feeling that life was all in order. Then I walked out my back door.

I made a third attempt to find some milk, but passed the small store and couldn't hardly find a parking space. Since it was 11:20, I went ahead to see what fast food we might find for lunch. McDonald's was finally open!! So we drove up the to the speaker and found a sign that they had limited items to choose from~ fish filet, quarter pounder with cheese, or chicken nuggets. The kids were thrilled with those items, so they got lunch. I opted out. Where are my salads?? Where is my grilled chicken ranch snack wrap??

As I pulled out of the drive thru and onto the main road through town, I saw this~

Things just don't feel normal when the National Guard comes into town.

Gustav Report, Part 3

The storm didn't last too long on Monday, and we were able to make our way back home from our shelter at the church. We did return to some limbs in the yard, power out, and generators buzzing all over the neighborhood, but overall our town was spared the brunt of Gustav. These trees down were between the church and our house.

We worked in our own yard clearing the branches and leaves, then sat outside and enjoyed lunch while the remnant breeze was blowing.

Now, 4 days later, almost everyone in town has power. The stores are mostly up and running. Several fast food places are open, and school will begin again come Monday morning.

Life is back to normal for us. Normal does mean re-stocking up on the hurricane supplies, watching the weather channel on a regular basis, and following the National Hurricane website to see what Ike is up to.

(One of the windows in our fellowship hall, where we took 'refuge' from the storm on Monday.)

Gustav Report, Part 2

The wind started to blow. (Don't tell my Mom I took this through the window!)


The wind sounded scarier than it looked for most of the storm.

Gustav Report, Part 1

We have power! We have water! We have cell phone service! Things are getting back to normal, but if you step outside and ride around town, you'll see the damage that Gustav left us. The church is still without power, along with most of our town.

Our time at the church all day Monday went well. We started with some good food, fun, and fellowship.

Lots of time + boredom + a captured audience = a marathon game of RISK

All gathered around the television in our church's fellowship hall. The cushy chairs were brought in from around the building. No need to endure any hardships this early in the storm!

Things got a bit more serious once the power went out, but we never felt afraid. Just aware of our surroundings.

(Oh, and Mom~ that is NOT me sitting in either of these chairs. Or any of your grandchildren!)

Gustav Update

What to do when you still have power, a/c, and internet at church...

Breakfast, using up the last of the milk.

Internet connection only in the hallway.

Blowing up air mattresses.

Making good use of that blown up mattress.

For more interesting things to do at church during a hurricane, check this out~

http://www.musingaboutministry.blogspot.com/