I will probably never have enough money to travel to Europe or take fancy cruises around the world and that's fine; I've always been pretty adept at making the best of where I am.
I'm reminded of how beautiful Louisiana can be whenever I drive Highway 1 south. Steve and I drove down to Coushatta today for our annual pilgrimage to Ed Lester Farms and as is our way, we eschew the interstate and take the back roads. Not that Highway 1 is exactly a "back road," but it is less traveled now that the folks in a hurry use I-49. We are never in a hurry.
Long time readers may remember my 2010 post down this same road.
And 2011.
And 2012.
You get the idea.
Anyway, as we drove today you could certainly tell that we have had good rains this spring. Everything is lush and green. There was water in most of the roadside ditches and naturally we saw some guys crawfishing in one of them; they were pulling up nets filled with squirming crawfish.
Speaking of lush and green, when you get to Ed Lester's you're tempted to stay a while.
Take a seat among the caladiums, listen to music, and people watch.
Oh and potatoes!
Not everything has come in yet, so I'll make a few more trips down there before summer is over.
From there we made our obligatory stop at Bailey's for big, greasy, delicious burgers.
We always end up sharing the picnic table with someone and today was no exception. We met a nice couple from Shreveport who had hooked up their pop-up camper and hit the road. We sat and ate our lunch together, had a nice visit, and parted ways.
Steve and I hit downtown Coushatta...
...and we went into an antique shop where I bought a nifty Murano whale. His tale has a little chip so he only cost $10 but I don't care. I liked it.
There was an odd mannequin:
We visited with the show owner for a while, pet the shop cat ("Pie") and then headed over to Nichols. If you've never been to a Nichols, it's like a small town WalMart except everyone is friendly and the store is clean. You can buy shotgun shells, baby clothes, and galvanized washtubs. Steve bought weedeater string and some 30w motor oil. I bought a gift bag and some super glue. I love Nichols.
It was time to head back home so we made a pass through town and past an old school to get back to the highway and I had a "True Detective" deja-vu moment. At this abandoned school there was a guy on a riding lawnmower cutting the grass, riding in a big circle.
We had to circle around the block several times before I could take the picture and I never did get it just right, but when I first saw him, well, it looked right out of "True Detective." (pay no attention to the red arrow; it's the only picture I could find that looked like what I saw). I am easily amused.
The old school was neat, though.
I guess you had to be there.
There's a new funeral home in town; Now Open.
Good ol' Shakey Ray is still in business.
But, we had to get home and shell pinto beans.
What is it about driving over a river that makes me always want to take a picture?
Crop duster!
That was pretty cool.
Sometimes you have to take pleasure in the little things. Like a lone tree in a field.
Or a swamp.
Or a relic from another life.
The corn looks good!
And, of course, there are cows. I like cows.
Once back in town we stopped at Bergeron's for boudin balls and smoked chicken wings to go with our veggie dinner.
And you know, if you looked back at the posts from years past of this same trip, it seems that I always take pictures of the same things. Vegetables. Cows. Bailey's. And that's okay...I guess that's why I'm content and happy where I am because I always look at things with a different perspective or a different eye. Sometimes we over look the fun in our own backyard as we look for loftier things.
Would I like to go to Italy or to Oktoberfest in Munich? Sure, but meanwhile, I've got Coushatta!
Tomorrow we are going to a friend's birthday party. The invitation said we would grill burgers and shoot skeet! When I asked what I could bring, the answer was "Bring your gun and whatever you want to drink!"
Like I said, living in the Deep South has its advantages. Where else would you get an invitation to bring a gun and alcohol to a party?
Gotta love it!
The SIGIS Take a Trip Series:
Take a Trip to the 2012 Natchitoches Christmas Festival
Take a Trip to the 2012 Grand Cane Pioneer Day and Christmas Parade
Take a Trip to the 2012 Defenders of Liberty Air Show at BAFBTake a Trip to the 2012 Grand Cane Pioneer Day and Christmas Parade
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 the Fourth Annual Barksdale AFB Oktoberfest
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 the Third Annual BAFB Oktoberfest
Take a Trip to Natchitoches and Oakland Plantation
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