Morning spent on our computers. I actually started on my tax returns. This afternoon we went on the Honey Island swamp tour. It was a 2 hour tour on the Old Pearl River, and off into the swamp on the sides. We actually saw two baby alligators, turtles, a crawfish (brought into the boat and passed around), snakes, and a green snake--also brought into the boat and passed around. We then saw and fed the feral wild pigs, living in the deep swamp. The swamp tour guide/captain was OK. Tried to be funny, but . . .
Decided afterwards to just drive to the north side of Lake Pontchartrain. So we picked a town on the map and went there to explore. Turns out that we actually couldn't get to the lake, only a river flowing into it. And, we noticed that towns in Louisiana look about the same as towns in New England (only no snow). So we found a place to eat, and returned "home".
By the way, Lake Pontchartrain has one of the longest bridges--25 miles long, going from the north side into New Orleans. We only took a short one--just 5.6 miles long, when we went into New Orleans from the east.
I've always wanted to see Lake Pontchartrain, ever since I heard the ballad "The Lakes of Pontchartrain" on a cassette tape that my old friend in Bloomington, Steve Rapp, made for me. It always evoked sad/sweet emotions, that I associate with that Lake. Seeing the lake 40 years later, however, didn't quite do it. Smile.
We chose to work this morning--more tax returns for me, and more blogging for Peter. Besides, it was spitting rain all morning.
This afternoon, we drove over to the coast--all of 15 minutes away. It turns this was one of the nicest coastal highway drives on the panhandle. Unlike Orange Beach, AL, where all you could see from the road were highrise condos, this road went right along white sandy public beaches. It even had parking places all along the road. The houses were all on the side away from the beach and the road. And, the speed limit was 25mph.
Some interesting comments about this area:
--This was ground zero for Hurricane Katrina. It completely leveled the whole area around the coast. Only recently have they started to reissue building permits to build houses along the coast road again, so most are new.
--The houses are all required to be built on stilts/posts, way high above ground, to withstand hurricanes, storms and flooding.
--Apparently, fishing is so commonplace, that every house and beach has fishing piers going out into the Gulf of Mexico.
Nice afternoon. Cooked dinner "in"--it's nice to eat my own cooking.
Bay St. Louis, Mississippi Gulf of Mexico Coast photos:
We drove back into New Orleans, French Quarter for an afternoon bus tour of the area--the French Quarter, the French Market, the Garden District, and a few others. The tour guide was very knowledgeable, but we were not impressed with the tour itself, nor with the sightseeing bus. You really couldn't see much, except out your individual window. Also, we weren't impressed with the two stops they chose to make--the Catholic Cemetery, and a distillery. Actually, the burial practice required here in Louisiana, starting back in the 1800's, was very interesting to hear about. All in tombs, above ground. They even generated sayings, such as "saved by the bell", "graveyard shift" and "I wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole". Enough about that!
We drove over to our next site in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, which is close to New Orleans. On the trip over, I realized that the terrain has changed significantly from the Florida one. Seems more like home--deciduous trees and pines, not as much swampy areas, open fields etc. Also, it is spring here--azaleas blooming and leaves on the trees all green.
This RV site has a much nicer ambiance, but is still an RV parking lot. Oh well.
So we drove into New Orleans, the French quarter. Neither Peter nor I have ever been in New Orleans. The French quarter is an experience. I can now say "been there, done that". Bourbon street is very noisy, with lots of drinking and very loud music. Not my style. The next street over, Royal Street, was nicer--lots of art galleries, not as loud music, and not as many drunks. Then we walked over to the French Market area, which I liked a little better. Each restaurant or bar had live music. Some jazz, some just very loud. We found a bar with a really great jazz/blues band, and had a beer, standing up and listening. Along the street, there was a woman with an old typewriter, selling "prose made up on the spot". I believe Peter posted about that.
Many of the restaurants had long wait times, so we ended up at a really nice Mexican restaurant, and ate outside. Other than when I was in the Peace Corp in South America, I have never been able to eat outside on my birthday. Walking back to the car, we stopped for desert--I got my birthday chocolate brownie (no cake).
Interesting day. But I think I have now "experienced" the French quarter.
Evie will be doing the day by day, as I have other blogs to tend. I just weigh in occasionally - PJR Last night we hit the French Quarter in New Orleans. The young woman at the visitor center advised us to stick with Royal Street, so of course, I wanted to get to Bourbon Street. So we went one way on Royal and cut over a block to go down Bourbon. Bourbon Street is noted, among other things, for celebrating public drunkenness.
I bought us a beer so we could fit in as we walked down the street. Evie has the photographic evidence, which she may share. The most interesting thing I witnessed was a car slowly moving through the sea of people. It was an older couple, maybe even older than us.
A few young people started blocking the car. One particularly loutish lad jumped on the hood. The driver started to open the door as if he were going to get out.
I have an irresistible impulse to make up back stories for people. I decided that Driver was a Marine, who had gone to Vietnam twice and Young Lout was going to regret what he had done. Mrs. Driver talked him down perhaps threatening to not bail him out of jail this time.
It only took a few blocks for Evie to be totally done with Bourbon Street.
The French Quater has a little bit of Greenwich Village and a little bit of Northhampton and a lot of some place I have never been and don't want to go to.
On a more staid street, we encountered a young woman sitting at a manual typewriter. It was Kaile H Glick of The Spontaneous Prose Store.
I hadn't done anything for Evie's birthday, so I decided to commission a poem. I told Kaile what we were up to and she went to work typing away on a small piece of paper. You could probably not read it from a picture as Kaile needs to change her ribbon or maybe that is meant to be part of the charm.
She has been at this a long time, so she probably knows how to use the shift key, unless it is broken, so I assume that the lower case is part of the art. Here is Evie's birthday poem.
----------------------------------------------
going till may/happy birthday
when you have put in the hours that
add up to decades and its
safe to say its to hit the
road, to celebrate the ups and
downs, to watch the road roll out
like the bow on the gift that
you give yourselves and eachother
the moments of beauty while the
music flows from unknown doorways
and into the beautiful future
-khg
the spontaneous prose store.
------------------------------------------
I tried to get the spacing correct, but literary scholars will want to look at the original so we will preserve it in our archives.
I asked Evie what she thought of it and she said "It's literature". Actually, that is not a compliment coming from her, but so it goes.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Peter J Reilly writes on taxes for Forbes.com.
So this is our last sightseeing along the panhandle coastal area. We went out on the long, narrow, peninsula that separates Mobile Bay with the Gulf of Mexico. We started at Gulf State Park and drove out to Fort Morgan, at the very tip of the peninsula. Comments about today:
--Unless there is a State or National Park/preserve, the coast is just lined with high rise condos. You drive the "scenic coastal highway" and all you see are condos, or private homes, between the road and the water.
--This area is very developed, so not as interesting.
--The Gulf beaches are very beautiful. Amazing powdery white sand, going on for miles.
--When you are near the water, you don't know that there is a bustling city behind you.
--The Gulf had really nice, high waves today. And they just kept coming and coming. Made a really nice sound too!
--Fort Morgan was interesting. It is amazing the kind of structure they could and did build back around the War of 1812. And, that it is still standing today. This fort was actually used during the Civil War, the Spanish American war, and trained soldiers during WW1 and WW2. The best part was standing right on the tip of the peninsula, and seeing the Gulf of Mexico on my left side, flowing into the Mobile Bay & Bon Secour Bay on my right side.
--Not as nice, was all of the oil rigs marring the view. There must have been 30 of them all along the horizon,
So, an interesting day, but not one of my favorites.
We went to dinner at Lamberts, a local restaurant in Foley. AL. Apparently famous for their unique style of serving. They walk around with certain dishes, that they dish out to every meal. But, most known for "throwing the warm, fresh-baked rolls" across the room to the recipient. Two different people said we absolutely HAD to go to Lamberts, if we were in Foley, AL. Of course, Peter & I thought they were saying "they throw ROSES at you" and it wasn't until we arrived and saw the sign that said "known for throwing ROLLS" that we realized what they were saying.
We arranged to have dinner in Pensacola, FL with Abby, a young friend of Peter's, who stayed at our place for a few weeks, a couple of years ago. Since we were going into the city, we decided to explore it a bit. We ended going to the Museum of Art, and the TT Wentworth, Jr FL State Museum. That one was really interesting, as it had the rooms from Trader Jon's bar moved into it. This was a guy who for 50 years, received, saved and put on the tavern's wall memorabilia from the Naval base that is a huge presence in Pensacola.
We drove over to the Veteran's Memorial Park along the Pensacola Bay. Finally, we went to meet Abby over at McGuire's Irish Pub. What a restaurant! It was huge, with lots of small rooms, and was packed the whole time we were there. Definitely a hot spot in Pensacola. An interesting item--when they first opened many years ago, they taped their first $1 bill to the wall, for good luck. There is now more than $1.9 million stapled to the walls and ceilings throughout the place.
Delightful dinner with young Abby, who is graduating from college this spring.
Pensacola photos--at the art museum:
Veteran's Park, wall memorial--a high school friend of Peter's:
A nice statue at the park, encouraging community:
The ceiling of $1 bills, stapled to it-with Peter adding one more:
