Down in Cajun Country

So far on this trip we have done a lot of driving and we only spent one night in each town that we visited. We actually got to spend two nights in the same hotel in Baton Rouge (what luxury) and on the second night we decided to not set an alarm for the next morning. On Thursday morning we ended up waking up at 8:15am. We got everything packed and the car loaded, had a little breakfast and hit the road. Our destination - Lafayette - the heart of Acadiana (Cajun Country).

Driving down I10 from Baton Rouge to Lafayette you mostly drive over marsh, swamp land and water. The Atchafalaya Basin is spectacular - it is a beautiful natural habitat that is the essence of South Louisiana. It is one of my favorite places. Just before we got to Lafayette we were planning on exiting an finding letterboxes at the Atchafalaya Welcome Center. But due to the past cou///ple of hurricanes (mainly Gustav) the Center was closed. So we drove on past the exit and decided to head a little further west than Lafayette and ended up in Rayne, LA (the Frog Capital of the World). This small town is great - full of frog murals and frog statues. We found two letterboxes here - one at a small park and one at Depot Square thanks to gramatrick and jb kokopelli. Both stamps were great and I enjoyed getting reacquainted with Rayne. From here we took back roads in order to get back to Lafayette - it also enabled us to stop in Kaplan to pick up a box hidden by Wild Dreams. Another nice stamp added to my logbook. While driving through this area we noticed lots of trees down and lots of debris everywhere. There were also large piles of stuff in front of every house we passed. Sofas, chairs, tables, sheetrock, paneling, carpet - you get the picture. We later found out that this area got a huge storm surge from Gustav and the entire area flooded. The people in this area finally got power in the last week but are still cleaning up the damage. It is one thing to hear about this on the news but seeing it first hand really makes you feel lucky.

Before getting to my sister's house in Lafayette we decided to stop and have some lunch. We found a Julian's Po-boys and had shrimp po-boys (my favorite). After eating we arrived at my sister's house and just relaxed and visited. My nephew showed up and then my other sister arrived. We all just hung out, relaxed and talked. My other nieces and nephew came home from their after school activities and we all had some dinner. Later that night my brother arrived from Atlanta. It was good to be home and spend time with the family. I didn't get to bed until midnight and I was exhausted.

I slept well that night and was up around 8:00am Friday morning. Had a little breakfast and lots of coffee and got ready for the day. It was going to be busy. My sister (Donna), Thomas and I needed to go to my dad's house so I could try on my tux. My brother met us there and we ended up visiting with my dad and his fiancee for about two hours. From here we headed to Acadian Village to check on the series of boxes I have planted there. These boxes have been through a lot. One of the boxes went missing twice, but then I found the original box in a completely different spot, Another one went missing and turned up in the director's office. It was suppose to be rehidden in the same spot but we couldn't find it and the director wasn't around. So anyway I rehid the Bienvenue box in a new location and rewrote the clues (I still need to update them), I need to call the director to find out about my other box and then either need her to write out the clues or make a new box and have my sister and her kids go out and hide it - this will have to wait until I arrive home. One of the boxes is in the exact same place I originally hid it and is doing well. There was a surprise box at Acadian Village - the staff started a quest - they planted a box on the grounds and had clues that sent you around to different buildings and you gathered information that eventually led you to a letterbox. It was a store bought stamp but I thought it was a nice effort and we will see what happens with that program. After getting all the boxes taken care of and taking some pictures we headed to another location. One of my first boxes that I planted was Mighty Oak and it was one of my most popular. It has gone missing twice and I had retired it. But I really wanted to try one more time - so I carved a new stamp (same image) and made a new box. I think this time it will last longer. I found a better location to hide it and I think the experience will be nice. We then took a walk through the St. John Cemetery and took some pictures of some of the statues. On our way back to the car we stopped and looked at the Oak. I was surprised to find that things aound the Oak Tree have changed dramtaically. For safety reasons (both for people and the tree) the Oak has been fenced off. You can walk around it but you can't walk under it anymore. They also took out the rectory that was behind the tree and added more parking. So viewing the Oak is actually better. With the box hidden and some pictures taken we drove one block up the road to find a letterbox. We had a little trouble at first because we were looking for an empty lot - there is now a building there and I wrote to the placer that the box may need to be moved since technically it could be trespassing. We found the box and stamped in and replaced it in the exact spot we found it. I'm glad no one caught us. Our next stop was the Masonic Cemetery to find LSS Wildflower - Louisiana Iris by jb kokopelli. It was an easy find in a beautiful cemetery. We enjoyed walking around and seeing all the tombstones. It was getting late and my brother and I needed to be at the church for the rehearsal for my dad's wedding. We dropped my sister off at her house and Thomas, Brent and I headed to the church. It was a simple rehearsal that only lasted 30 minutes. My dad opted not to have a rehearsal dinner so we just went back to Donna's house and she cooked. We just talked and talked and talked until almost midnight.

I was up early the next morning to help my dad set up some table and chairs at the reception hall. Brent and I helped out for about an hour and then I had to run two errands. Once those were done I stopped and picked up a letterbox at the Lafayette Welcome Center. It was another jb kokopelli box, LSS Fish - White Perch. After stamping in and rehiding I needed to get back and take a shower. At 11:00am I went to my dad's house and got changed into my tux. At noon Thomas and I drove my dad to the church. A couple of my aunts were there and I got to chat a little with them before the ceremony. I also saw one of my grandfather's sisters (my grandfather was one of 14 kids and only two of them are still alive). So it was time for the ceremony - I thought it was going to be overdone but it turned out to be wonderful. My dad looked very happy and I think this is just what he needed (my mom died 17 years ago) to complete the rest of his life. The ceremony went off without a hitch and then the wedding party spent about 30 minutes taking pictures. Brent and I drove Dad and Janel to the reception and then there were a few more pictures and a couple of required dances. After that my Best Man duties were complete. The tux jacket, the tie and vest were history and I was able to enjoy the rest of the reception. I come from a large family (my dad is one of eight and I am the oldest of 23 grandchildren) so I spent quite a bit of time visiting with aunts and uncles and cousins. There were also a few people from my grandmother's side of the family that I hadn't seen in well over 20 years. The reception turned out to be quite a bit of fun and I now have three step-brothers. They all seemed very nice and I feel that my Dad and Janel will be very happy together.

After the reception we all went to Donna's house for some dinner and also to throw another little party. Brent (my baby brother - he is seven years my junior) will be turning 40 in November. And since we were all together we decided to celebrate. We got him one of those big chocolate chip cookies and we ordered my favorite pizza (a Dupe Special from Pizza Village). We had a lot of fun making fun of Brent and he took it all in stride. But all good things must come to an end. Brent and Wendy had to head back to Atlanta today and Thomas and I needed to start our drive back to Santa Fe. By 10:00pm it was lights out.

Thomas and I got an early start this morning (6:00am) so that we could stop in Fort Worth and see a friend. The drive to Dallas was uneventful. But when we got to Dallas we made a stop at White Rock Lake. My Lady of the Lake box had been muggled a while back - the logbook and box were gone but the stamp was found by another letterboxer and she had mailed it to me. Since it had been exposed to the elements it wasn't in that great of shape. So I had carved a new stamp (same image) and made a new box. We rehid the box in the same general area but in a slightly different spot. I hope it will be much safer now. My friend Eddie lives near the lake so we stopped by to visit for a little bit before heading to Fort Worth. In Fort Worth we met our friend Donna at the Kimbell Museum to see an exhibit of Impressionist. It took us about an hour and a half to go through the exhibit and it was worth it. I thoroughly enjoyed it. We then spent a little time outside on the lawn of the museum just talking. We then went for a little dinner and now we are back on the road. We are hoping to get at least to Wichita Falls, TX for the night and then finish the trip tomorrow. I will post a slide show of pictures from this trip once I arrive home.