Back from Louisiana!

Hi y'all! Well, when you've been to Louisiana you come back with a southern accent.

We had a great time! First off I have to say my son and his partner really need to move ASAP! They live in this very old house in Lake Charles that has been renovated into apartments. The rent is cheap but this thing wouldn't hold up in a whirlwind let alone a hurricane! I was scared when I saw it! They have got it fixed up really cute and will have nice furniture when they do move somewhere else but yikes! All the windows are sealed up on it and only one exit so if a fire breaks out, they are going to have to break a window and jump. It is too scary.

On our first day there, we drove back to Texas (our plane landed in Houston) and went to the Shangrila Botanical Gardens. (http://www.shangrilagardens.org/) My mom enjoyed this but when you are not used to the humidity, the heat got to us really fast! Our faces were beet red and we were dripping with sweat when we made our way back to the car. When we got back to Lake Charles, we went to the cemetery. My mom's oldest sister lived in Lake Charles so Adam (my son) was kind enough to locate her grave before we got there so mom could visit it. Ironically, Michael's (Adam's partner) grandfather is buried in the same cemetery. This is strange considering Adam and Michael met on the internet and they both have family members who were buried in the same cemetery long before they met. Later Adam gave us a tour of the casino where he works as a massage therapist. (http://www.ldlcasino.com/home.aspx) It is by far the nicest casino in Lake Charles. He's doing quite well there. Sometimes high rollers come in for massages and leave tips ranging from $50 to $100. However, most of his customers are one time so he doesn't really see the health benefits of massage that he did when he worked in a chiropractic office.

The next day we headed to New Orleans but first we stopped in Layfayette where Michael's mom lives. She is a character! Adam had told me she was. She is known for waiting until her neighbors and friends die and then she goes over into their yards and digs up their prize winning irises and transplants them to hers. She says she does it "in their memory." :roflmao: Michael's mom is accepting of her gay son but I think she'd rather stay in the closet. We went to a place that recreated the homes of Cajun people when they first settled there. In each home, they had people doing things that would tell you about the history. In the first house, she introduced Michael and referred to Adam as Michael's "roommate". Well in the school house, there was this old guy probably in his late 70's playing the fiddle and telling stories. He wanted to know where we were from and our relationships to eachother. Michael's mom was sitting inbetween Michael and Adam. Michael told the old guy, "I'm married to him" and points to Adam. I thought Pat (Michael's mom) was going to die. The old guy looked surprised but just kept on with his "routine" but we laughed when we got out of the building. Michael said "I blew Mom's story out of the water, didn't I?" :roflmao: After that she referred to Adam as her "step-son". I call Michael my "son-in-law". Well he's not legally my son-in-law but in my heart he is. So that was our episode of "Meet the Parents".

Then it was on to New Orleans. We stayed at the Historic Whitney Hotel. (http://www.wyndham.com/hotels/MSYWW/main.wnt) It was within walking distance to the Mississippi river, the French Quarter, and Bourbon Steeet. I have never been to another city like New Orleans. So much culture and it is so different than any other place I've ever been. We ate beignets at the famous Cafe Du Monde. http://www.cafedumonde.com/ So much for the diet! There were people entertaining up and down the street all along Bourbon. My mother got an education. She decided one trip down Bourbon Street was all she ever wanted. :roflmao: All the restaurants and bars have live music all the time. Of course, the main music played there is Jazz but you can really find all types of music. I even heard some Garth Brooks coming from one of the bars.

We went on a City Tour which was really interesting. We went to the Garden district and saw some of the historic homes, some Katrina damage, and Lake Pontchartrain which is so huge you cannot see the other side. We learned what it takes to build homes in that area with so much water and the amount of money it takes to maintain them so they don't drop into a sink hole. We learned how they prevent flooding from the Mississippi River. We visited the above ground cemeteries which are amazing if you have never seen them. OMG, some of these have 200 people in them and the remains are disturbed everytime they put somebody new in. We saw where Donald Trump is building a 70 story skyrise which will be the tallest building in New Orleans. They will have to build the foundation down 35 stories to support it so imagine the steel beams that will have to go under that building!

On the last day in New Orleans, we visited a 45 room mansion which was owned by a banker and a Sears heiress surrounded by gardens and a golf course. Very beautiful! They had many famous guests there including some U.S. Presidents and Dr. Seuss.

I loved New Orleans! I wouldn't want to live there but I definitely want to go back for a visit! So that was the trip! The only thing I didn't enjoy was the heat and the humidity! UGH!!!!

 

I'm still trying to get those together. Coming soon!

 

OK, for those interested in the pictures. Here they are!

http://s171.photobucket.com/albums/u296/Bgroves1525/LouisianaTrip2008/

 

That would be my daughter, Dani. She's my youngest. She'll be turning 21 in September.