And So it Goes in Shreveport: September 2012

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Estate Sale Treasures

It's been a while since I posted ~~much of anything~~ some estate sale treasures, but I hit a cool one today. I was on my way to the hospital to sit with mom when I stopped by a sale in an older home in one of the nicer neighborhoods in town.

I love looking at these old, fine homes when I go to estate sales. This particular home had a built in gate at the top of the stairs, a built in telephone nook with recessed lighting, a huge, spooky basement, and off the dining room there was a cool, almost round sun room on the side of the house with louvered windows, and beautiful crystal chandeliers in the living and dining areas. What kills me is that in these old, fine homes where the wealthiest first citizens of Shreveport lived, the kitchens are incredibly tiny. What's up with THAT?! The living and dining rooms are grand but I don't get the tiny kitchens.

This home hadn't been renovated or updated ever, I don't think. It was wonderful.

The first thing I found that I couldn't leave behind was these adorable individual jelly bowls. How cute!

I haven't pulled out my guides yet to identify the pattern but I love them.

But here I was, people swarming all around and I'm trying to figure out how to grab all six of these and not break or damage them. I dashed into the kitchen and found an old aluminum cake pan and put the jellies in that. Then I was able to walk around and continue my search.

Soon I added these fabulous Fire King mugs to my stash:

Three are custard colored and one is white. Love! (Would love them more in jadeite but I'm still pleased.)

I fell in love with this white and navy enamelware pitcher:

I also added to my enamelware collection with these white and red bowls:

The one on the right is rather large and then left one is mid sized. Both great for shelling peas!

I could not leave this cake plate behind:

It's in great condition - no scratches.

I found a box of old postcards and picked these three from Germany. They're written on and addressed on the back and that makes them even better:

And finally, on the way out, I found this Vapo-Cresoline burner. SO cool!

Read more about the Vapo-Cresoline lamp here.

What's even better is that I got all of it at 50% off its marked price!

I love a good estate sale!

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Oktoberfest is Here!

So Oktoberfest is open in Munich as of last weekend so you know what that means. It's Oktoberfest blogging at SIGIS! It's a tradition.

What's not to love about Oktoberfest?! A two week festival for beer? OMG! All in!

Don't these people look like they're having fun!?

More great pictures here.

My Oktoberfest dirndl for this year arrived today - it's perfect. Fits perfect (always scary with mail order) and is adorable.

AND it's not a "costume" like my ensemble from last year was. Now, I DID win the costume contest last year (and the year before)...

but I suspect my more "modest" outfit this year won't draw top prize. Besides, it didn't look quite that cute on me:

I don't really care about the costume contest. It's about raising money to bring airmen home for the holidays and I'm all for that. It's a good cause.

To get you going, check out this video from the Choctaw, Oklahoma Oktoberfest. The same band will be at BAFB on ~~Oktober~~ October 5. A road trip might be in order next year!

Good times!

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Take a Picnic Trip to the Lock and Dam and a Detour to Lake Bistineau

I'm here. Blogging is on my back burner right now as I continue to sit with my mom in the hospital after school and on weekends. She's been in the hospital just over four weeks now with a fractured neck. She's still heavily medicated and not clear in her head about just about everything. It's grim but we are praying for a recovery and trying to make her as comfortable as possible.

Every now and then I just have to get out of there, though, for my own mental health. Steve and I took the top off the Jeep today and drove down to Lock and Dam #5 on the Red River. We like going down there and looking at the river and listening to the water.

It's a pretty spot and they've got it all fixed up with picnic tables and grills. There are always people there fishing or just hanging out watching the water. We've yet to catch it at a time when a boat is going through the locks but that would be very cool. Maybe one day we'll hit it at the right time. Steve likes watching the cranes and egrets (I guess that's what they are...). It's just a relaxing spot. Part of it is that I'm just drawn to water, I think.

Today there were several families out there and lots of people fishing. And look down in the bottom right corner of this picture: there's a person swimming in that gross, stagnant looking pool off to the side.

I'm not sure I'd have jumped in right there, ya know? Looked dangerous to me, and all the algae and sticks drift off over there and just sit. Gross.

I packed an Igloo with brats and potato salad, and some snacks, and we fired up one of the grills and fixed lunch. I tried to remember everything, but you always forget something, I guess. I forgot the paper plates.

But because we are so clever and resourceful, we made plates out of aluminum foil. Guess which one is mine:

While we waited for the coals to get ready I walked down the rocks almost down to the river. All these people fishing just stomp on down there like it's nothing, but I creep down the rocks slowly, searching tentatively for a sound foothold before taking each step. One too many rolled ankles has made me less of a daredevil than I used to be.

Coming up was much faster for some reason.

Weeds or flowers? I thought they were cheerful, either way:

And then it was time to cook. In honor of Oktoberfest kicking off this weekend in Munich, we opted for brats:

I guess they look a mess here, but they were pretty darn good:

All doctored up and placed on my fine plate:

After we ate we doused the coals, cleaned out our grill, and climbed back in the Jeep to head toward Lake Bistineau.

Back in the day, some thirty-five years ago I guess, I used to go skiing on Lake Bistineau. I had a friend with a 15-1/2 foot Glastron ski boat and I had my own O'brien ski and oh did we have fun on the lake! Long summer days skiing all day, drinking a little beer, listening to some music, laughing and being young.

Boy was it ever depressing to see the lake now. Good golly almighty.

Lake Bistineau has been battling a salvinia problem and it's just about killed the lake from what I can see. I'm sure there are still some pretty spots on the lake but this is at Green Park:

We saw one dilapidated, trashed out trailer after another on the roads around the lake and one dried up marina after another.

When my friends and I went skiing, we used to put in at Plum Orchard. The pictures in my memory are very different from what is there now. The road into the marina is still there; I remembered the big tree and the asphalt turn around, but the store was gone. So was most of the water. This is the boat ramp:

You can see where the water line used to be. La. Dept of Wildlife and Fisheries is drawing the water down to help kill the salvinia:

In an effort to control aquatic vegetation, the water control structure on Lake Bistineau near Minden, La., will be opened on August 8, 2012, for a lake drawdown.
As a result of mild winter temperatures, giant salvinia has expanded beyond the control capacity of herbicide applications and salvinia weevils. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries survey estimates show giant salvinia coverage to be in excess of 2,000 acres.
The lake will be lowered 7 feet below pool stage and will remain lowered until January 31, 2013.

But from the looks of things, that marina died a long time ago.

I walked out on the pier and took this; this is the channel we took leading to the open lake (the sign says "No Wake"):

And this just made me sad:

Really depressing. Here is a history of the Lake Bistineau drawdowns; it's been controversial from day one.

At any rate, it was starting to get late so we headed back to town. What I love about driving with the top down is that you can feel the cold pockets when you're driving down the road, you can smell the pines or a burning trash pile. You can stop and visit with a fellow on the side of the road who is watering his goat. (No, we really did. "That's a prize goat!" he told us!) We waved at old timers sitting on their porch in Doyline, and at a motorcycle group driving down Highway 80. At a stop light in town I took this picture of birds on a wire and I wouldn't have been able to do that with a roof on my car!

Sunset over Shreveport:

It was a nice, relaxing day. Now on to the work week.

The SIGIS Take a Trip Series:

Take a Dinner Ride Through East Texas

Take a Trip to an End of Summer Party and Listen to Soulfish Blues Band

Take a Summer Trip to Jefferson, Texas and Meet New Friends

Take a Trip to Dallas, Texas and The West End

Take a Stocking the Freezer Trip to Ed Lester Farms and Find a Cool Truck!

Take a Trip to Coushatta Down Louisiana Backroads

Take a Sunday Drive in North Caddo Parish

Take a Trip to Minden's First Annual Cinco de Mayo Festival

Take a Trip to the 2012 Defenders of Liberty Air Show at BAFB
Take a Springtime Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden, LA
Take a Trip to Logansport, Louisiana
Take a Trip to the Lock and Dam on Red River
Take a Trip to the 2012 Barkus and Meoux Parade
Take a Christmas Shopping Trip to Second Hand Rose in Minden
Take a Trip to Grand Cane's Fifth Annual Pioneer Trade Day
Take a Trip to the 2011 Highland Jazz & Blues Festival
Take an Autumn Trip to Jefferson, Texas
Take a Fall Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden
Take a Trip to the 8th Air Force Museum at Barksdale Air Force Base
Take a Summertime Trip to Grand Cane
Take a Trip to Desoto Parish
Take a Summer Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden
Take a Trip to Natchitoches and Melrose Plantation
Take a Trip to Ed Lester Farms and a Random Antique Stop
Take a Trip to the Norton Art Gallery and the Masters of Cuban Art Exhibit
Take a Trip to Natchitoches to See the Christmas Lights
Take a Trip to Natchitoches and Oakland Plantation
Take a Trip to Jefferson, Texas

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Take a Dinner Ride Through East Texas

Steve and I went on a new adventure yesterday: we hooked up with some friends who were taking their motorcycles on a dinner ride into East Texas. The threat of rain pushed a few of them into their cars, but a few brave riders stuck with their bikes. We followed along in the Jeep.

We all met up at "the old Kelley's truck stop" which is now a TA Travel Center. While we were waiting on everyone to gather I perused the aisles in the truck stop. Truck stops are interesting places. Much more than a convenience store, you can buy CB radios, little dog bowls for your traveling companion, audio books, road maps and atlases, mileage log books, a wide assortment of bar mix, beef jerky, popcorn, nuts, dried fruits, and other travel food, as well as standard trade paperbacks and postcards. You could even get a "real" gator tooth necklace and some Texas shot glasses.

I bought three post cards and a coke.

Everyone was in place around 4:15 so we headed west into East Texas. We took Highway 80 through Waskom (and I found an antique store I want to go back and check out). The main drag through Waskom was pretty neat and I'd have taken some pictures but we didn't want to fall out of line with the riders and get behind. I love quaint old downtown districts.

From there we turned north on FM9 and took a succession of scenic Farm Market roads that led us eventually into Karnak where we found our dinner destination, Big Pines Lodge. Here we are!

I guess most people in East Texas have heard of Big Pines Lodge, but it was new to me. What a colorful history it has! You can read about it here. The restaurant is situated right next to Big Cypress Bayou which feeds right into beautiful Caddo Lake. There is no cell phone service there (if you're with AT&T, at least).

The restaurant began in the 1930s as a fishing camp and didn't serve food originally. Through the years there have been cabins to stay in, an armed robbery, at least one flood, one devastating fire, nights of dancing on a paddle boat, and many, many satisfied customers. What you see there now is the new and renovated Big Pines Lodge after a fire destroyed the building in 2009. I loved the outdoor dining area:

Check out the great photos and videos on the website; there is one video about the carving of this tree:

Here's a closer look:

After we ordered our food I went outside and took a few pictures and explored. You can buy fish food for a quarter and feed the fish that come up to the dock:

View from the dock:

Looking down the bayou:

I secretly covet this house right next door to the restaurant:

Loved the trees dripping with Spanish moss:

A view of the bayou from the upper patio:

I liked the alligators in the cement, and note the tree-columns:

Most everyone ordered the catfish for dinner but a couple of us ordered steak. The waitresses brought cole slaw and hush puppies (both regular and jalapeno) to the table when we sat down. Steve ordered catfish:

...and I ordered steak:

The food was all great. We had a fried alligator appetizer, too.

Steve appreciated the decorator's sense of humor:

And I liked the old jukebox loaded with actual 45s:

After dinner we all went our separate ways. Steve and I headed on over to Marshall, TX because we knew Soulfish was playing over there and it was still early.

Marshall is one of the stops on the Holiday Trail of Lights and the town is known for their Christmas light display on the former courthouse. The old courthouse is Renaissance revival in style and is now, I think, the home to the Harrison County Historical Museum.

It's a pretty neat building:

One day we'll go investigate further and see what's inside. It's got to be pretty cool.

There is a confederate soldier out front:

And a canon in the parking lot:

There was some sort of little festival going on downtown and as we walked around looking at buildings, killing time until Soulfish started, we could hear the band playing 80s hits. There were a lot of people down there, and we discovered a new restaurant we want to try: The Blue Frog Grill.

I thought this fountain was cute: water for you and water for your four legged friend:

Eventually we made our way to PJ's - an old hotel bar by the interstate.

We spent a couple of hours listing to the sweet blues of Soulfish Blues Band before heading back down the interstate toward home.

The only thing wrong with last night's adventure is that we weren't able to take the top down on the Jeep.

Good times!