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?

Tuten Park

Lake Charles is chock full of treasures. Jean Lafitte would be proud. One such gem is Tuten Park. Nestled along Nelson Road, this park, which several years ago had fallen prey to neglect and a bit of ill repute, has been revitalized, thanks to the efforts of the City of Lake Charles, local garden clubs, and park enthusiasts.

Today was a lovely sunny day, so my husband met me at the park for a lunchtime picnic. We had never really explored the park before. 

There’s a verdant picnic grove . . .

And several of these garden boxes throughout the park, maintained primarily by the Lake Charles Garden Club . . .

There’s an educational building where Boys Scouts can earn nature badges and the public can attend talks on anything from landscaping with native plants and trees to growing orchids, roses, or tomatoes. The building also has restrooms. There’s a nice playground. And we had heard there were trails. I was especially eager to find a nearby place to hike. A sign at the park entrance shows a map of the park, complete with a maze of paths. But alas, the trails are closed to the public – gated and locked -- at least at this time.

Here's the map of the trails. It does say "Phase II" will begin this year.

In the meantime, while we wait for the trails to open, Tuten Park is a great place picnic or take children out to play.

What is your favorite park and what do you like to do there?

Gumbo!

Louisianians love food. They love to cook food, celebrate food, talk about food, eat food. And so it’s natural that they would also compete over food. Cook-offs. Who makes the best barbeque, boudin, jambalaya, boiled crawfish. And of course, gumbo.

There are so many things that uniquely define Louisiana, especially when it comes to cuisine. And I remain fascinated by all of them. Gumbo remains near the top of the list.

A Lake Charles Mardi Gras tradition took place this past Saturday -- the annual Gumbo Cook-Off.

The cool thing about gumbo is that no two gumbos taste alike. Most cooks do not use a recipe, but rather make it like their mama taught them. A pinch of this, a shake of that, with varying amounts of spices such as file´. Chicken and sausage gumbo is very traditional. But there are also seafood gumbos with shrimp and crab and wild game gumbos (with who knows what). And in each of those categories are endless variations. Typically, gumbo is served over rice. But some put a dollop of potato salad on top. Some serve it with a hard boiled egg. Should gumbo contain okra? People either love it or hate it.

I’m not sure how many teams competed this year. Twenty or so? Five dollars admission gets you all the gumbo you care to sample. Two bowls fill me up. I prefer chicken and sausage. Seafood is often good, but sometimes a bit fishy-tasting. Wild game – I won’t go there. I’m never quite sure what I’m eating in that category.

It's a great event, complete with live music, dancing, and Mardi Gras merriment. But I’d really like it if the organizers would move the venue to a larger location. It is such a popular event, the place is packed.

Here’s the crew on the PPG team. I don’t know who won the event, but these guys made a delicious chicken and sausage variety.

What is your favorite gumbo and who makes it?

Bon appétit!

Celebrating a Birthday

Facebook sure can make a person feel the love on a birthday, right! I enjoyed everyone’s greetings and well wishes for a happy birthday. Many suggested I do something fun.

And I did. Several things, in fact.

I started the day meeting good friends for coffee.

I went to the gym. Briefly.

I worked. A little. But not too much.

My dear husband came home from work early for the sole purpose of baking me a made-from scratch carrot cake, sweetly adorned with the best cream cheese frosting I’ve ever experienced. Check it out!

Amazing! And it tasted as yummy as it looked.

We had dinner – sushi rolls, rice, veggie tempura, and tea -- at Osaka.

More good friends stopped by in the evening for cake and company.

But the coolest part of my day happened when I went to Oak Park Elementary to meet my new Lunch Buddy (through the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization). I didn't know what to expect. I’d never done this before. I was told she was “shy”. But from the second we laid eyes on each other, I feel like I made an instant friend. She was so thrilled to meet me. And I her. She didn't seem shy to me at all. We spent her lunchtime together. I met some of her friends. She told me her favorite color is pink. I shared my radishes and banana. She’s a picky eater, not much one for fruits and vegetables. I told her I’m a writer. Her favorite subject in school is PE. We started getting to know each other like that. I told her it was my birthday, and that getting to meet her was the best birthday present ever. Her smile said it all.

And it’s true. Don’t we receive the best gifts when we give of ourselves to others?

So here’s to another year in this adventure called life!

Thoughts on the Ice Storm

We had a few ice events here in Southwest Louisiana recently. Last Friday, school was cancelled due to the forecast of severe cold and sleet/freezing rain. Everything outside was encased in ice. If the videos posted on Facebook were an indication, people who park their cars outside got the biggest kick out of rolling down their car windows, only to have a sheet of ice remaining in the space. Fortunately, it was Bob's Friday off, so we hunkered down and had a relaxing pajama day; we watched movies, Bob baked bread. It doesn't affect us anymore, but the school district cancelled school. And wisely so. With the freezing rain and icy roads, driving was treacherous.

Unlike two years ago, when they cancelled school simply because it was cold. I thought it was a bit silly then. You can read about that day here.

We had a short reprieve from the cold and precipitation over the weekend, but Tuesday and Wednesday was more of the same crazy weather. Again, school was cancelled both days. Bob had to go to work. But I went no farther than the mailbox at the end of the driveway.

It's interesting that, just prior to the storms, the grocery stores here were shopping madhouses, just like in Pennsylvania before a storm. Bread, milk, and toilet paper . . . gotta stock up. Having lived through these types of things all my life, I stayed home, avoided the crowds, and read about it on Facebook.

This was once a bread aisle.

So, now that the ice has melted, how are they going to get all that sand off the bridges?

The weatherman speaks of both freezing rain and sleet. What exactly is the difference between those two?

Today, we're back to high 60s. Tomorrow in the 70s.

You know what they say about weather in Louisiana . . . if you don't like it, wait five minutes.

Photos compliments of KPLC-tv. (Because I sure wasn't outside taking any.)

Fur and Wildlife Festival, Cameron, LA

Last weekend, Cameron  Louisiana hosted its annual Fur and Wildlife Festival. This is one I’ve been meaning to attend, but have not yet made it. In addition to the usual fair fare of tantalizing food, amusement park rides and games, craft vendors, gumbo-cookoff, live music and a parade, at the Fur and Wildlife Festival, they also have duck and goose calling, nutria-skinning , trap shooting, and oyster shucking competitions.

Last Saturday was a beautiful day for a festival, and my kayaking friend Ian Wright took his daughter Clairelynn. She agreed to write a guest post for me. So, Clairelynn, take it away!

The Fur and Wildlife Festival in Cameron was really fun. They had plenty of fun games, good food, awesome rides, and music. There were a bunch of people there at least a thousand, we even saw people we knew while meeting others we didn't. 

There was skeet shooting and duck and goose calling. We played a bunch of the midway games and they were really fun.

The food was amazing. They were serving things like alligator sausage, jambalaya, boudin, gumbo, smoked sausage, and crawfish. 

Most of the rides were loud, but really fun.

The music was amazing . Over all it was really great!

Bio:

Clairelynn Wright

10 years old

5th grade at Our Lady Queen of Heaven School, Lake Charles, LA

Hobbies include Art, 4H, Dancing, Volleyball, and Kayaking

Photos courtesy of Claire and Ian.

Twelfth Night Extravaganza!

As of last night – Twelfth Night or Epiphany – the 2014 Mardi Gras season officially began. Every January 6, Lake Charles hosts a “Twelfth Night Extravaganza” at the Civic Center arena. At this event, basically an indoor parade, the royal courts from the local krewes parade and make their exit for the year, paving the way for the new kings and queens. A krewe (for my non-Louisiana readers) is a club of sorts: a group of people who celebrate Mardi Gras together. They have fun krewe names like Krewe of Illusions, Krewe of Mystique, Krewe of Contraband, and Kewe of Mischief. Many have French names that I can't pronounce or translate. Lake Charles has over 60 krewes and is second in the state only to New Orleans with the number of krewes participating in Mardi Gras activities. I had heard of this event since moving to Lake Charles, but last night was the first time my family and I attended. I knew some of the paraders and wanted to witness the pomp and pageantry first hand. The costumes are colorful, feathery, elaborate, and truly something to behold.

My camera does not take good photos in dimly lit settings, so I’m borrowing this clip from the local TV station, KPLC. Please click here to watch.

Here are some of my thoughts and observations from the event:

·         The Washington-Marion High School Marching Band was super. For a small band, they can really make some noise. And they dance well, too.

But I think we could do without the policemen on motorcycles with sirens. That was a bit TOO much noise, especially for an indoor parade.

·         Each person attending the event is given a (very small) piece of King Cake. Twelve lucky winners found the “baby” in their piece. They won some fantastic prizes (computers, cameras, and other electronic gadgets). No one in my family won.

·         I don’t know if it’s a new trend in Mardi Gras royalty attire, but I really loved the peacock feathers in several of the headpieces. They are actually supported on the shoulders and some are so huge, I don’t know how the people walk with them on. See what I mean! Does anyone know what these are officially called?

What is your favorite Mardi Gras activity? 

 Laissez les bon ton roulette!