D is for the Gueydan Duck Festival -- #atozchallenge

D is for Ducks!

Ducks love Southwest Louisiana. There's so much water for their natural habitat! According to my birding expert friend David Booth with the Gulf Coast Bird Club, approximately 20-25 species of ducks either reside in or migrate through our corner of the state. Not surprising, as this area is known as a "sportsman's paradise," duck hunting is a popular pastime. Also not surprising, there is a festival dedicated to ducks and duck hunting.



The small rural town of Gueydan (gay-don), also known as the Duck Capital of America, hosts its annual Duck Festival each August. You'll see craftsman create duck decoys and duck calls. Watch or participate in skeet shooting. Enjoy the usual carnival rides, food, music and fun. My family attended this festival in 2010. Read about that adventure here.



Tune in tomorrow and read about New Orleans' Essence Music Fest and étouffée.

Birds, Plants, and Roller Derby Chicks

What do bird watching, a garden show, and roller derby have in common?

Nothing, really. Except that Bob and I did all three of them on Saturday. It was a fun day, if a bit busy and tiring.

The Gulf Coast Bird Club hosts a bird walk at Sam Houston Jones State Park on the fourth Saturday morning of every month. I'd been wanting to join them for years and finally had a chance this weekend. We saw wood ducks, various woodpeckers, bluebirds, and a little blue heron, to name a few of the birds these experts spotted that morning. I was amazed at how these people could not only spot birds --  "Where? I don't see it." -- I must have said a dozen times, but also how easily they can identify them by the birds' calls. (The photo below was taken on a previous visit to the park.)

In the afternoon, we went to the Southwest Louisiana Garden Conference and Expo.

Basically, it was a giant plant sale. Vendors sold tomato plants and herbs, orchids and bonsais, bromeliads and hanging baskets of pansies, and fruit trees. I bought a pretty plant I'd never heard of before called a Bear's Ear Tibouchine. Right now it's only lush green leaves, but soon it should burst into showy purple blooms.

Lake Charles has a roller derby team called LaFitte's Ladies. I'd been curious about this for a year or so. Bob and I had wanted to check it out. Seems like there was always something else going on for us when they hosted a home bout. At first, Bob and I were very confused about what was happening, how they score, etc. but we started to catch on by the end of the evening. Seems it's all about the jammers. LaFitte's Ladies beat the Southern Misfits (from Mississippi) 338-118. Sorry for the poor photo quality. It's dimly lit in there and I didn't want to use flash. (And I should get a new camera.)

Tell me about your weekend. What adventures did you find?