catlinyemaker

Welp, J’s work has struck again. This morning I was debating starting my day with the quilting I wanted to do or knocking out a load of dishes before settling in to quilt. Good thing I opted for the dishes, since not five minutes after they were finished, J said: “They want me in Houston.”

“When?”

“Tonight.”

Ok, we can do that. It’s roughly 260 miles from East Fork Park in Wylie, TX, down to New Caney, TX, just north of Houston. Not too far to go in a single day, and it was early enough we’d get in before dark. I called the campground we’d stayed in the last time his work dragged us down here, and they were able to find a space available for a week. Coming in at the last minute the way we are, we’re shoehorned into a tiny site barely wider than the rig with the slides out. But that’s ok, we’re in, we’re set up and we’re on time for his work.

( Ramblings about our recent travels... )

I don’t know why it works out this way (planning maybe?) but every time we leave Baton Rouge headed west, it just so happens that right about lunchtime we’re just east of Lafayette. Just in time to stop at the Boudin Shop off exit 115 for lunch. Well, we’re going right by, it would be a shame not to stop, right?

The Boudin Shop is a long narrow building with windows on two sides. From the outside, it almost looks like an enclosed porch that forgot to have a building attached. Inside, there’s a counter to order at on one end, with cold cases containing pie and packages of boudin, and tables in the windowed area. There’s a rack of Cajun spices and tourist junk in the middle of the eating space, in case you’re inspired to take some seasonings home after lunch.

Etouffee and rice and potato salad, that’s lunch. They’ve got other things, the titular boudin, crawfish boil, but we always get the etouffee. It may not be the best in the area, but it’s crammed with crawfish; and oddly, the potato salad makes a good foil, the crisp crunch of celery chunks complementing the rich stew.

We went pretty much due north from lunch in Lafayette to Ruston, LA, where we settled back into Lincoln Parish Park for a quiet week of R&R after our loud week of R&R with the folks in Baton Rouge. Just hanging out and walking around the lake and enjoying the beautiful weather. It’s coming on spring in Louisiana! Daffodils are blooming in the plantings along the campground road, and the trees are all leafing out in new spring green.

There are a couple of small flocks of ducks in the lake. They’re sorted by color; there’s a set of four or five white ducks, a set of black ducks, and one of mallards. And then there are the miscegenists; one couple, white and mallard, all by themselves across the pond. The black ducks must have been tame at one point; every time we were out on the shoreline path they came over, convinced that this time we would get the point and break out the duck chow. Hope springs eternal.

We’re in Baton Rouge for Mardi Gras. It’s a get together of friends that has been going on for… eight years now? Maybe nine? We’ve been coming, off and on, for eight years anyway. I remember because the first year we came (2005), the Eagles were in the Super Bowl. And the Super Bowl was going to be on the same night that we were planning to go to New Orleans to see the parades. I was really, really torn whether to go or stay back at the hotel and watch the game. Our hosts found out about my dilemma and went out and borrowed a mini-TV and I watched the game and the parade at the same time. That’s pretty much the way they are, the folks we come to meet. Above and beyond the call for people they’d only met online up till then.

We met in Everquest, the very first MMORPG I ever played. We’re still playing together all these years later, in SWTOR now and in the same guild at long last.

( It's like coming home... )

...on a cool winter's day in Louisiana. Left to right, Lilibelle, Mister Guy, and Mercedes.

Mister Guy licked Mercedes very thoroughly, even going so far as to nibble an ear. But she wouldn't move off his blankie (she was sound asleep) so eventually he just nestled back down.

After three days in Mississippi we packed up and headed out on our planned route, aiming to spend some time in Texarkana before making our way to Arkansas for Thanksgiving with J’s family. Our first stop was a two night stay in Louisiana, at Lincoln Parish Park in Ruston, LA. Generally we like county and city parks, but we’re always a little wary because they may be great or they may be nasty and you don’t know which until you get there.

Fortunately we got lucky with this one:

( Two days at the lake then back to Texas... )

It’s an overcast and somewhat blustery day in Wylie, TX. We’re camped at East Fork Park, a beautiful Corps of Engineers park on the south shore of Lavon Lake. We left Livingston, LA earlier than planned, headed for Texas for J’s work. Unfortunately Lakeside RV doesn’t give refunds, so we were shorted four days we’d prepaid. Not a big deal, but something to keep in mind when making our Mardi Gras plans going forward.

( Mardi Gras and back )

After carefully scouting the non-waterlogged routes from Blackwater River State Park, we got on the road bright and early for the drive into Louisiana. We’d made reservations at a lovely state park not too far from Baton Rouge; we’d driven up there last year when we were in the area for J’s work and were looking forward to a two week stay. We had just gotten on the freeway when my phone rang. It was the campground, calling to cancel. Apparently the rains that we’d been watching in the panhandle had completely flooded the campground as the Tickfaw River rose. We had to make alternate plans in a hurry.

( Getting another campground and a surprise Mardi Gras parade.. )

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
			1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8	9	10	11
12	13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30

Entries tagged with louisiana

Familiar Places

Spring in Louisiana

Gumbo is for Mardi Gras

Just the right amount of sun...

Mississippi to Texas

Mardi Gras and after

Louisiana in the time of the Saints

Profile

June 2022

Syndicate

Most Popular Tags

Page Summary

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags