Slightly Changing Course, but Continuing the Adventure

For the past few months, I've been considering the direction I should take with my blog. I feel like I need a change. When I first moved here, everything was so new. I loved traveling around and seeing as much as I could see and then sharing it with you. But I moved here nearly eight years ago! I still feel like the new kid on the block. I still love exploring new places and events. Adventures! But there is increasingly less and less that I have not yet seen or experienced. New opportunities, at least within a 50 mile radius, are dwindling. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy going out and discovering new things in, around, and about southwest Louisiana and Louisiana in general. But I think I want to expand the horizons of the blog to include other things that I am interested in, as well.

The people of Louisiana continue to fascinate me. There are so many talented and interesting characters here. And each one has a story. I want to tell peoples' stories. I want to showcase who they are, what they do, what they are passionate about. When people are passionate about something, they seek out like-minded souls with whom they can share their passion. Invariably, a club is formed. There are countless clubs and groups in southwest Louisiana. Doesn't everyone have a hobby or an activity they love to pursue? So I'm thinking of featuring various clubs on the blog and learning about what they do. And maybe some interesting businesses and organizations that people, both readers and the folks who work or volunteer there, are curious or passionate about.

In the years I have been writing this blog, I've already written about several clubs. I mentioned the Calcasieu Cut-Ups, a local quilting club, after attending their annual show in 2013. And of course, I've written plenty about a club I'm in, the Pelican Paddlers. I mention the Lake Charles Garden Club in this post about Tuten Park. The Cajun Mustangers post about car enthusiasts. The Dutch Oven Society, also called Le Chien Cookers. And I wrote this fun post about the Gulf Coast Bird Club for the Southwest Louisiana Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Naturally, I belong to a great group of writer friends called the Bayou Writers. The invitation on this post is still open!

I've also written about a few local businesses (mostly restaurants) and organizations (mostly arts related.) So I'd like to think I'm off to a good start with this new direction.

I have a several ideas to get me started. But how about you all, my readers? Are you aware of any interesting groups, clubs, organizations, or businesses that you'd like to know more about or you would like me to feature? Write a comment and I'll look into it.

My Southwest Louisiana Home

I can't stop watching this video. Our local Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) made this terrific tourism video showcasing everything that defines southwest Louisiana. I've been blogging for 8 years, and they sum up all the culture, art, music, food, festivals, and fun in one 3 minute video.

What makes the video even more special to me is that the song was written and sung by one of my favorite music artists, Wendy Colonna. In this video, she talks about the writing of the new song.

In this photo, Wendy on the right and Angie Manning, communications director at the CVB.

The Green House Salad Company

This dreary cold winter weather is severely curtailing my outdoor adventures. I need indoor adventures. Okay, so, eating is an adventure right? Especially when it’s a place I've never been.

Fortunately for me, there’s a new eatery in Lake Charles called The Green House Salad Company. It’s at 3625 Nelson Rd. in the Scarborough’s plaza. I think it’s my new favorite lunch spot. And maybe a whole lot of other people’s, too. The place has been packed since their opening last month!

Their business is brisk for good reason. They sell terrific salads! Their menu offers a fascinating array of signature salads. Or you can create your own. Just look at all these options!

Their dressings and infused balsamics and olive oils are equally exciting. Their beverages include specialty iced teas, lemonade, cold-pressed juices, and infused water. I had the cucumber mint. Fabulous!

But green doesn't stop at the spinach, romaine, and kale. This establishment also cares about the environment. Their motto is Eat Green . . .Live Green. They reduce waste, recycle, and their to-go boxes are eco-friendly. A restaurant after my own heart.

The staff is courteous and helpful. Everything is clean and new, bright, contemporary, with cool coffee shop-like music playing in the background. I love this place!

Who wants to join me for lunch?!

Top Five Blog Posts of 2014

You see the lists around this time of year. The Best XYZ of 2014. the Top Ten Whatchamacallits of 2014. A Year End Review of This, That, or the Other.

Which got me thinking . . . what were my most visited blog posts of 2014? What are my readers most interested in? What I discovered is that a popular post, based on number of views, doesn't necessarily mean it is particularly fascinating or poignant. Usually, the posts with the highest number of views are the posts that have been shared by other people who have large numbers of readers on social media sites such as Facebook.

Take, for example, my all-time most viewed post. On August 1, 2010, I wrote a post called Baby Turtle Finds a Home, after my husband Bob brought a small turtle that he'd found at work home to me. He had taken some pretty amazing photographs of this turtle to go along with the story. And at some point, Google Images picked up one of the photos.



So now, if you google turtle photos, that image, with a link to my blog, is one of the prominent sites that pops up. Consequently, over the four years since then, that post has had a whopping 26,483 hits. Really, it's all about exposure.

So here, based on number of views, are my Top Five Blog Posts for 2014.

5. Washington, La. -- people who enjoy antiquing found this post interesting.



4. The number 4 spot needs to be shared by two posts that had nearly identical number of views. Shangri-La Gardens in Orange, Tx. and Lacassine's Bayou Rum. Read here and here






3. Twelfth Night Extravaganza -- a post about the beginning of Mardi Gras season.



2. The Pint House Pizzeria and Brewhouse. Lots of hits on this one, only because the Southwest Louisiana Convention and Visitors Bureau picked the post up and put a link to it on their own site. I now write blog posts for their website.



And my number one most viewed post of 2014, with 1512 hits, goes to Scott, Louisiana. This is because the people who live there have a great deal of love and pride in their hometown and pretty much every one of them shared the post on social media. I love them.



Happy New Year, everyone! May 2015 be peaceful and prosperous.

Acadian Village -- Lafayette, LA

There are so many destinations on my Louisiana "bucket list." We scratched one off this past Friday. We went to Acadian Village to see the popular Christmas light display. (Can anyone tell me what LUS stands for?)

Acadian Village is open year around as a historic landmark depicting life of the early Acadian settlers. During the holidays, the site transforms into an enchanted Christmas wonderland. "Noel Acadien Au Village."

This year's theme is "A Blue Christmas." Everyone loves Blue Dog.

We ate funnel cakes.

And warm freshly roasted peanuts. This is Victor. The big green machine behind him is a old time peanut roaster.

Vic says the roaster is over 100 years old. He found it in a dump near Alexandria 27 years ago. He fixed it up and has been selling peanuts since then. Vic is the official peanut vendor at University of Louisiana at Lafayette sporting events. He can also be found at festivals, and apparently, he is a fixture at Acadian Village during the holidays. As we were leaving, I overheard a woman who just arrived say, "I want to get my peanuts before we do anything else."

In the midst of all the lights, there is this lovely nativity scene.

For the kids, carnival rides . . .

Strolling through Acadian Village, we immediately got into the Christmas spirit. We couldn't help singing along with the holiday music playing in the background. For my Pittsburgh readers, it's like a walk-through Hartwood Acres, back in the day. Don't you all miss that?

Special thanks to my dear husband for his photography skills. (I'm in between cameras.)

Merry Christmas, everyone!

A Little Town Called Scott -- Louisiana's Cajun Art Capital

On the way home from a quick trip to Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving, we stopped in Scott to explore this laid back little Louisiana town. We discovered Scott is quite a treat!

The first thing a visitor of Scott notices is the quirky odd roundabout right off the highway. I think an intersection with a light would work better, but that’s only my opinion.

When I go to a town I've never been to before, usually my first stop is the welcome center. Scott has an interesting-looking visitors’ center, easy to find, right by the roundabout, with a nice duck pond. Sadly, it was closed.

But that didn't stop these guys from rocking on the porch.

So we were on our own. We drove up St. Mary’s Street. The town has a historical feel – old well-preserved buildings and small tidy homes. And then this caught my eye.

This gallery was closed, with an “open by appointment” sign. But next door is the Gallery Acadie.

We walked in and found two men painting at easels. Colorful art work adorned the walls. We struck up a fascinating conversation with one of the artists, Bryan Theriot, and learned a lot about the town and how they promote the Cajun culture through their artwork. He told us the 1902 building was originally the town saloon and the original bar still flanks one wall.

Theriot on left and his business partner Brad Oleus Boudreaux.

Theriot also told us about one of his mentors, world-renown Cajun illustrator Floyd Sonnier, who once lived and worked in the building. Sonnier used pen and ink to create scenes depicting the Cajun country lifestyle or buildings in Cajun towns. He also drew festival posters. Across the street from Gallery Acadie is Sonnier’s Beau Cajun Art Gallery, operated by Sonnier’s widow, Virlie. Sonnier died in 2002.

For these reasons, Scott has recently been named Louisiana’s Cajun Art Capital.

Not far from these galleries is a charming antique shop called Revival. They have a large inventory of antique furniture, among other things.

I’m also told there is a Christmas shop in Scott, but we didn't see that. And there’s this coffee shop. I like it when a town converts their old train station into something useful. Trains still zip through the center of town every 15 minutes.

Scott is also well-known for boudin. They have a boudin festival every April. There are several purveyors of boudin in the area. The artists recommended The Best Stop. Supposedly, they were the first to sell boudin in the area.

So we went there first and bought three boudin balls. I prefer boudin balls to links. Just seems easier, not messing with the casings. For my non-Louisiana readers, boudin is a special sausage made (mostly) from a pork and rice mixture. The boudin balls are that same mixture but made into meatballs, breaded and fried.

Then we tried the more visible (right on the interstate) Don’s Boudin. We bought more boudin balls there. I won’t say which I preferred, BUT Best Stop sold 3 boudin balls for $1.50 and Don’s were 2 for $1.50. And Don’s tasted saltier.

Another fun surprise was Candyland Cottage and Ice Cream Shoppe.

They sell a variety of confections, including some hard-to-find vintage candies, and Blue Bell ice cream. They have a large Christmas display and a fun collection of antique toys. There’s a patio with tables in the back by a pond.

Scott is conveniently located right on I-10, just west of Lafayette. Definitely worth a trip!

Delta Downs and Horse Racing

I've recently started sharing some of my adventures with the Southwest Louisiana Convention and Visitors Bureau. When I share with them, I'll share with you here, also.

One of our latest adventures was to Delta Downs. It's a casino/resort, but we went there for the horse racing.

Click on this link to read the story.