The Morganza Spillway

On Monday, Memorial Day, we took a drive to parts of Louisiana we hadn't visited before. We came across the Morganza Spillway. As we approached it, the swolleness of the spillway was obvious.

The Morganza Spillway is a floodway used in connection with the Old River Control Structure and the Atchafalaya River located in northeast Central Louisiana. The use of the spillway would be used in case of a flood from the Mississippi River. It would ultimately divert water from the river into the Morganza Spillway and into the Atchafalaya Basin. It was used in 1973 to relieve pressure from the Old River Control Structure. U.S. Highway 190 has a 4-mile bridge that travels over the spillway. The old 2-lane bridge is used by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. (Yep, that's from Wikipedia.)

Low Carb, High Cajun

We had an errand to run last week that took us to the town of Broussard. (You make THINK you know how to pronounce that, but I can guarantee you that if you aren't from around here you'll get the syllable emphasis wrong.)

While driving through Broussard we stumbled across Tiny Prudhomme's House of Meat. We didn't stop and eat at the House Of Meat, but evidently if you like meat...it's a place to go.

Check out the sign hanging out front~

I'm not familiar with all the cajun colloquialisms, but "getcha sum N go" is one I haven't heard yet.

Also, anyone else concerned that Tiny isn't HOLDING any meat, but it looks as though he might think about chopping off his hand!? At least he's happy about it!

No Training Wheels

My husband was invited to go for a bike ride this morning.

So?

No big deal, right?

Well, we aren't talking your little brother's red Schwinn here. We are talking motorcycle bike...big, engine, 2 wheels, rev-rev, full-helmet kind of bike.

A few questions came to mind as they drove down the block, out of sight:

Are these guys going to fall off the bike in a horrendous accident this morning? (I hope not since we've already had one accident this week which totaled our car.)

Is my husband going to return from the motorcycle experience and immediately enter a mid-life crisis which requires him buying a motorcycle?

Will my children, upon admiring their father on the bike, begin to dream of the day they can ride a motorcycle?

Does my husband have enough balance to stay on the bike?

But most importantly~ Is my husband going to come home and want to kiss me before he picks all the bugs out of his teeth??

I've Been Feeling Crabby

We love boiled crabs. When they are seasoned just right, boiled just right, they can't be beat...except by a great bowl of seafood gumbo.

Nothing goes better with boiled crabs than Barq's rootbeer...in the glass, of course!

Observations From Today

Three of them:
1. Don't plan a meal requiring pitas in this town. There's a pretty strong chance you won't be able to find any pitas. It's like they don't even exist.

2. Once the 3 o'clock school bell rings, do NOT try to buy a snowball. You will have melted by the time you finally get to the front of the line just to place your order.

3. Camouflage pants go with anything. A N Y T H I N G. Who knew!?


There aren't any pictures for today's blog post because:
1. Like I said...I couldn't find any pitas. Can't take a picture of something that doesn't exist.

2. We didn't even slow down in front of the snowball stand to get a picture once I saw how long the line was. No need to create a further back-up in traffic.

3. The guy in the camouflage pants could have been related to someone reading this blog. Besides, I was really just taking in the whole outfit.

Snow In Summer

Oh yes! Nothing beats a Louisiana snowball (on the sign below spelled sno ball) in the heat of the day. If you haven't tried one, you should!

You can't imagine the delectable treats that come out of the little metal shed set up on the side of the road. This place is sort of fancy though with the two-window service~ one for orders and one for pick ups. Check out the little bell to ring for service, plus all the flavors are listed and neatly printed out on the big yellow sign. This is really a highclass snowball stand!

AND, they stick gummy bears on the top of your snowball!

Grape and rootbeer. Two of my family's favorite flavors. Someone usually gets cotton candy too! (Pink, of course)

So if you are looking for me during June, July, or August...check the parking lot in front of this little snowball shack. (I'll be there during May too since they are already open!) Aren't we glad summer has arrived!?!

A Perfect Finish For Pork Week

A sign posted in our grocery store the last few weeks~

Anyone besides me thinking you might want to take that sign down until this swine flu (excuse me, I mean H1N1) passes!?

(Aw, come on folks. I know that pigs don't cause the swine flu. It's just funny. Isn't it!? A little bit?!)

And The Winner Is....

MEALS ON WHEELS

Congratulations to MIGirlsMom!

However, there was one entry that made me bust out with a laugh as soon as I read it. Then when my husband came home, I read it to him and he gave a chuckle. Anyone that can make us both laugh like that deserves to be the winner too! So congratulations to Angela Stephens-Owens for her entry~

Hey lady over there...you...behind the camera...

yea you....can you kindly turn me around?

Curly over here has digestive issues.

Both MIGirlsMom and Angela will be receiving $5 gift certificate to either Sonic or Wal-Mart. (Send me a regular email or facebook email with your mailing addresses and choice of gift cert!)

Unfortunately, I can't hand out prizes to every person that entered, but there were a few honorable mentions that made picking a winner tough.

1. Butt Head. Seriously fantastic entry. Perhaps it's because we don't say that around the house or in conversation, so it just seemed like that silly/funny entry. Makes you giggle...like when the ketchup farts. (You know what I'm talking about. Admit it.)

2. Heads or Tails? Love it. Totally works with the picture. Very clever.

3. Peek-a-FLU! I'll tell you...this was so close to being the winner. I think if my husband had the final vote, it would have won. The whole concept was fantastic. The little pig peeking out, the timely reference to the swine flu, combined together. Genius!

I can't believe no one came up with "Ham Sandwich"!?! That's what my daughter wanted to post this morning...she's a thinker.

Thank you all for participating. It was fun! I hope to find another thought-provoking picture for next month as well. Stay tuned. You never know when it will pop up!

OH, and now I can change the music back to something not-so-annoying!!

Photo Caption Contest

TIME IS RUNNING OUT! Get your caption in by tomorrow morning. The winner will be posted at 11 AM CST. I had to make a quick change since we need to be somewhere at noon. Stay tuned...the clock is ticking!

Driving back into town today from a doctor's appointment in the big city, we came across this trailer of pigs traveling down the road. They were CUTE!

We pulled up alongside the trailer full of little piggies and I snapped a clearer picture. (The front window of the car is covered in bugs from the country driving!)

Then I closed in for a cozy shot, which is the picture up for this week's caption contest.

Check it out~

YOUR TITLE HERE!

So here's the deal~ post your title for this picture. You can post as many titles as you want to. My family will pick a winner by Friday at noon and post the title and winner. The winner will receive a $5 Sonic gift card or a $5 Walmart gift card...your choice!

Remember~ my children will be reading this.

Parlez-Vous Francais?

My daughter (a first year piano student) was asked to play a hymn she had been practicing for the senior adult gathering at our church this month. The program singer was going to sing the first stanza of the hymn in English and then repeat it in French. He asked the group that had gathered how many of them spoke French, and at least 85% of the people raised their hands. I think our family table was the only one without a hand raised!

I do not share this video to be a bragging mother, although that totally works for me as well, but to show that the French language is still a part of daily life around here. Often I will head into the local grocery store and here 2 or 3 men standing around speaking in cajun French to each other.

Although I couldn't understand what was being sung in French, I could have listened to it a while longer. Enjoy!