Lafayette: John M. Shaw U.S. Federal Court House

John M. Shaw U.S. Federal Court House, Lafayette, Louisiana

The federal court house in Lafayette is a stunner.

John M. Shaw U.S. Federal Court House, Lafayette, Louisiana

Especially when you're not expecting it when you walk to your car behind the temporary library at night and see it gleaming from the darkness on the other side of a pocket park, with its resident homeless settled in on their benches, and a lone security guard standing watch on the steps.

John M. Shaw U.S. Federal Court House, Lafayette, Louisiana

The people who designed and approved this construction had a vision.

John M. Shaw U.S. Federal Court House, Lafayette, Louisiana

What does the security guard think about all night?  

Lafayette: Vermilionville Spring

Vermilionville Living History and Folk Life, Lafayette, Louisiana

A couple of spring scenes at Vermilionville.

Vermilionville Living History and Folk Life, Lafayette, Louisiana

Lafayette: 2nd Saturday Art Walk: March 2014: Coby Cox

Coby Cox

At the March 2014 Art Walk, the work of Coby Cox, on exhibit at the Acadiana Center for the Arts, pulled me in.

Coby Cox

I admire how these paintings poke my imagination. Are these sentient creatures? Robots? Machines? Vehicles? Bacteria? Flora?
 

Coby Cox

 And when I subsequently find Coby Cox' profile here, my response seems to align with Cox' vision.

Coby Cox

Louisiana: Broussard's Happenin' Goodwill

Backpack left on trail while owner finds a bush

The need to empty one's bladder can lead to unexpected encounters.

Sometimes it's a dead animal.

If I didn't already have to go, this would have scared the pee out of me!

Or a descanso.

An altar on the other side of a wilderpee

Yesterday, on my way to the Dragon Races in New Iberia, on Highway 182 in Broussard, I noted that I had to go to the bathroom. Hmm, wait til I get to New Iberia - find a McDonald's - or ..... oh, look there's a Goodwill Store, and I need a skillet.

I pulled into the parking spot in front of the entrance and saw a woman taking a photo of a man there. Then a photo of the man and a woman. Then I think the 2nd woman clicked a photo of the man with the 1st woman and the man. Cognitive dissonance. Taking pics in front of a Goodwill? Why? New marketing campaign? Some famous person who shops at Goodwill? Both seemed unlikely.

Walked into the store and asked a man within, "Who is that guy?" - referring to the subject of the 1st woman's photos. "Oh, that's a guy on .... what's that pawn show?"

I suggested, "Swamp Pawn?"

"No, that other one ...."

I suggested, "Oh! Pawn Stars?"

"No .... " 

And a woman shopper offered, helpfully, "Cajun Swamp Pawn."

"Yeah, that's the one," the man said. "He's the guy who comes in with crazy stuff to sell. He's the one who makes that show fun."

This guy is no slouch himself - he's a five-time winner of a local pepper-eating contest. He also plays fiddle at a weekend jam in Breaux Bridge.

I love my job as a tourist-in-residence.

I even found a skillet, and used the restroom, of course.  

Louisiana: Country Mardi Gras, Part 2: The Personal Personal

Meat on the grill, getting ready for the parade. Church Point Mardi Gras Parade. Louisiana.

I did say that Louisianans know how to enjoy a parade, right?

Set up shop early in the day. Bring a shade tent. Chairs. Long table. Barbecue grill. Many, many foodstuffs. Beverages. Music. Family and friends.

But for maximum event enjoyment, Louisianans even bring their own personal porta-potties.

Now that is doing it up right, sha. 

 

The private porta-potty is the way to go. Carencro Mardi Gras Parade, Louisiana

Travel Blasphemy #6: It's OK to Pay for Photos

There are travelers who refuse to pay locals in exchange for taking their photos. Some tourists indict locals as greedy or exploitive (!) if they ask for payment. Some tourists think their photos aren't "authentic" or "candid" if they have to pay for them. Then there are those travelers who believe it is corrupting a traditional society if they pay for photos.  


And yet these very same photographers use the photos for their own tangible or intangible benefit, and in ways that the subjects have no control over.

This makes no sense to me. Especially when we're snapping pics of folks who live in a place where it's difficult to earn a sustainable income.

We've all got the right to support ourselves and our families, don't we? 

Doctors and attorneys aren't going to dispense their services for free just because they happen to be standing on the street, are they?

Louisiana: An Addition to the Crawfish Collection #2

In wooden form:

Crawfish, Iberville Parish Visitor Center, Louisiana

In metal:

Crazy Bout Crawfish Cajun Cafe, Breaux Bridge, Louisiana

And in signage:

Crazy Bout Crawfish Cajun Cafe, Breaux Bridge, Louisiana

And here's a lagniappe below - Elvis Presley and Kitty Bilbrew (White) singing Crawfish, in the movie King Creole:

The lyrics: 

Crawfish
Well I went to the bayou just last night
There was no moon but the stars were bright
Put a big long hook on a big long pole
And I pulled Mr. Crawfish out of his hole
Crawfish

See I got him, see the size
Stripped and cleaned before your eyes
Sweet meat look, fresh and ready to cook
Crawfish

Now take Mr. Crawfish in your hand
He's gonna look good in your frying pan
If you fry him crisp or you boil him right
He'll be sweeter than sugar when you take a bite
Crawfish

New Mexico Loose Ends: Mora, New Mexico

 

Mora, New Mexico

In August, 2013, passed through Mora, New Mexico, during a weekend whirl around some state parks.  

Mora, New Mexico

Whenever I see the word mora, I think of the delectable blackberry juice I drank in Quito, Ecuador, many years ago. Cold, dark, with seeds. Mmmm.

Mora, New Mexico

 Before I swung into Mora, I went around this block building, cracking like an egg:

Outside Mora, New Mexico

 

And before that, I checked into Coyote Creek State Park.

Coyote Creek State Park, New Mexico

I didn't find the park all that remarkable. Except for two things. It had the coolest - the coolest - campsite shelters I may have ever seen. I say that as a tent camper who likes shade and, obviously, shelter from rain.

Coyote Creek State Park, New Mexico

I think the shelters were constructed by a sort of CCC-model organization for teens.

The other notable feature about the park was the affability of the campground hosts who, it happened, were snowbird friends of a couple from .... get this ... Lafayette, Louisiana! I don't think I'll be compromising anyone's privacy by revealing their friends' surname is Broussard and that they dance.

Before Mora and before Coyote Creek State Park were these cabins on Highway 64:

Highway 64, New Mexico.

 

Getting back to Mora - it was the launching off point for the little jewel of a state park: Morphy Lake State Park.

Morphy Lake State Park, New Mexico

New Mexico Loose End: A Monsoon Day in the Neighborhood

The other night we had a wicked thunderstorm in Lafayette.


The storm the other night reminded me of the start of monsoon season in New Mexico. And specifically of this one day in July 2013, outside my apartment:

A rainy, windy day doesn't draw much comment in other parts of the country, but in the high desert, after years of drought, it's something of note.

Louisiana: Country Mardi Gras, Part 1: Throw Me Sumtin' Sha!

The Carencro Mardi Gras Parade was my first for the 2014 season. It was the weekend before the weekend that preceded actual Mardi Gras day.

Carencro Mardi Gras Parade, Carencro, Louisiana

It was at the Carencro Mardi Gras Parade that I learned that southern Louisianans know how to enjoy a parade.

More to come. In the meantime, look at the photo. Chairs, of course. A tent. A long table. Said table covered with soon-to-be displayed foodstuffs for the inner circle who staked out this spot. You can be pretty sure there's some form of alcohol in the vicinity, as well.

Not to mention the hopeful bead catcher.

Louisiana: The Coozie Collection

Coozies, Louisiana

When I moved to Lafayette, I kinda knew I'd collect some beads. Had no idea about the coozies.

I don't think I've ever owned a coozie in my life (not these style, anyway), but I've only been in Lousiana for four months, and I already have TWELVE.

In New Mexico, I kept a tally of tarantulas and sonic booms. Looks like in Louisiana I'll be counting coozies. I'll keep track on the right side bar.


Brooke & Ron - If you're out there and you want your coozie back, give me a holler.  I found it in St. Martinville. 
 

Louisiana: Holi Festival 2014, Girard Park, Lafayette

Holi Festival 2014, Girard Park, Lafayette, Louisiana.

The Holi Festival in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Before. It was rather sedate. 

Holi Festival 2014, Girard Park, Lafayette, Louisiana.

And after. Not so sedate.

Holi Festival 2014, Girard Park, Lafayette, Louisiana.

It was pure childlike pleasure.

Holi Festival 2014, Girard Park, Lafayette, Louisiana.

There was dancing before the color flew.









A beautiful day for a beautiful festival that celebrates the coming of spring.

Holi Festival 2014, Girard Park, Lafayette, Louisiana.

Makes me think of other spring rites, such as Bayrami in Vakhtangisi  and Gardabani.


A slide show:


#30

Louisiana: Boudin

Boudin from Eunice Superette, Eunice, Louisiana.

Boudin. A traditional southern Louisiana food.

You pronounce it: boo' - dan.

Sometimes called cajun sausage.

Mixture of rice, seasonings, onion, pepper, and (traditionally) pork (including liver) - stuffed in a casing, which is a fancy way of saying "pig intestines."

Boudin from Eunice Superette, Eunice, Louisiana.

Ya gotcher tamale trail in Mississippi. There's the search for the perfect chiles rellenos in New Mexico.

I like the demonstration of boudin-making in the above video, but I respectfully disagree with the maker's disdain of organ meats in favor of "good cuts" of meat to make boudin. A better cut of meat changes the flavor of the boudin; it doesn't necessarily make it better. And as a prosaic food stuff, it seems more true to the boudin spirit to stick with the original meat sources. 

Louisiana has its boudin trail. In fact, it has at least three: the Cajun Boudin Trail (affiliated with Boudin Link below), the Southwest Louisiana Boudin Trail, and the Southern Boudin Trail. Most of the boudin purveyors on these trails are meat markets. However, there's also a wide fan base for "gas station boudin."

The Boudin Link has a long list of boudin rated by "Dr. Boudin."

I ate my first boudin at the Eunice Superette in March. Tasty.

The Boudin Festival is coming up soon in Scott, Louisiana, the alleged boudin capital of the world. Pretty good chance I'll be there.

Boudin Festival 2014, Scott, Louisiana. Source: Louisiana Boudin Festival. 

Louisiana: State Road 3083

Louisiana's pretty state road 3083:

Louisiana state road 3083. November 2013. 

Louisiana state road 3083. November 2013. 

Louisiana: Cypremort Point State Park

Cypremort Point State Park, Louisiana

In early spring, Cypremort Point State Park is a serene place to be.

There's virtually no one there.




It's on a spit between Vermilion Bay and Shark Bayou.

Cypremort Point State Park, Louisiana

You can see the aftermath of mortal combat.

Cypremort Point State Park, Louisiana

Lovely park rental cabins on tall posts, which have a view of the bay and the bayou, and their own boat slips.

Cypremort Point State Park, Louisiana

Federal wetlands abut the park.

Cypremort Point State Park, Louisiana

I thought this large specimen in the groundskeeper's cart was from a savage creature. In a sense, it was, but it wasn't fauna, it was flora. Some sort of palm.

Alas, no camping in this park. But it's an easy hour drive from Lafayette, so it makes for a good day trip if you're not going to rent a cabin.

Somewhere in Louisiana

What do you do when presented with something like this?

I think the only thing you can do is shake your head and leave it alone. Which I'm guessing is what hundreds of users before me must have also done.

Abbeville, Louisiana: Saint Mary Magdalen Catholic Church

St. Mary Magdalen Church, Abbeville, Louisiana

The interior of Abbeville's Saint Mary Magdalen Church is a visual feast.

St. Mary Magdalen Church, Abbeville, Louisiana

Lush jewel tones. Pascal pastels. Gold leaf. Zodiacal-blues. Alabaster-like carvings.

St. Mary Magdalen Church, Abbeville, Louisiana

The leaded-glass and stained windows tell some stories I'm not familiar with.

St. Mary Magdalen Church, Abbeville, Louisiana

 I sure like that parquet floor in the window above.

St. Mary Magdalen Church, Abbeville, Louisiana

 
The relative grandeur of the church in this small town bespeaks a lot of money invested in it by the community.

St. Mary Magdalen Church, Abbeville, Louisiana

The pews are somber, quiet, amidst the surrounding color.  

St. Mary Magdalen Church, Abbeville, Louisiana