Hurricane Irene

Hurricane Irene barrels up the East Coast as I write. All my friends who live there are on my heart. Here on the Gulf Coast, the threat of hurricanes is part of the fabric of life. During hurricane season – June 1 to November 30 – the weatherman mentions “the tropics” in each and every newscast. Even if there’s not a wave or wisp of wind out in the Gulf, he might say, “It’s quiet today out in the tropics.” And they’ll show the radar to prove it. We get flyers in the mail instructing and encouraging us to be prepared. Organizations host hurricane preparedness seminars. We can sign up for weather alerts on our cell phones or buy special weather radios. It’s everywhere. A part of life.

But that doesn’t make a direct threat any less scary or stressful. We moved here in 2007, so we didn’t experience Hurricane Rita in 2005. (Katrina hit New Orleans – other side of the state. Rita slammed into southwest Louisiana a few weeks later.) Even though six years have passed, local folks still shudder at the mention of Rita’s name. (Read Rita anniversary post here.) I’ve naturally absorbed some of that dread. Hurricanes Gustav and Ike came back to back in the fall of 2008. I remember well the fear, like carrying a heavy weight of impending doom in my chest, as we boarded up, packed up (we evacuated for Gustav) or stocked up and hunkered down (staying put for Ike). So much anxiety and uncertainty. My eyes were glued to the TV, watching the angry red swirl inching closer and closer. I recall praying every waking moment, reading the Psalms for comfort.

I looked in my journal from those dates and found this passage from Isaiah.

Isaiah 41:10,13 Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.

Take care, East Coast readers. May God’s love and power be a shield around you.

Arts and Crabs

Imagine a festival which combines three of my very favorite things – food, art, and music. Such was the event yesterday at the Lake Charles Civic Center, the second annual Arts and Crabs fest. There were numerous jewelry makers – love perusing their wares. A considerable amount of photography vendors – they’re all terrific. And some fantastic fine artists. One of my favorite local watercolorists was there – Sue Zimmerman! I’m giddy as a groupie around her, but her paintings are so incredible! Look at that painting in the background. Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE roseate spoonbills.

Parris Duhon painted the poster at top.

We listened to some excellent Cajun music. On the left, (below) is Chris Miller, who, incidentally, is choir director extraordinaire at my church, First Presbyterian of Lake Charles.
And the food! Ten restaurants. Ten different crab dishes. Ten accompanying flavors of Abita beer. I was so busy sampling and sipping, I forgot to take photos of the food! We savored crab etoufee, crab cakes, crab-stuffed jalapenos, crab-stuffed mushrooms, crab au gratin, crab and avocado salad, crab gazpacho, creamy pasta and crab, crab bisque, and crab ceviche. Talk about passing a good time! Just one suggestion to the planners . . . more tables! There was seating for about a tenth or less of the folks there. It wasn’t easy balancing a cardboard tray piled high with crab dishes and 10 shot glasses of beer samples while eating at the same time. But I managed. When we left, there was still a very long line snaking around the mezzanine. I hope the folks at the end of the queue got food.

All the dishes were delicious, but if I had to choose a personal best of show, I really liked the crab ceviche. It had a strong lime flavor that went well with the crab. It was prepared by Harlequin Steaks and Seafood, one of my favorite restaurants in town. What’s your favorite crab dish?

A Frog Blog

I love frogs, always have. They're so cute. I found this little guy on our back patio this evening.

I have fond memories of frogs. When I was a kid, both sets of grandparents lived in the country and had ponds on their property. Pretty little green frogs, much like the one above, would line the banks, hiding in the timothy grass and cat tails. They’d see me coming and, one by one, hop, hop, hop into the mucky brown mud and leaves on the pond bottom. But I was a whiz at catching frogs. I’d cup one in my hands and think he was my new best friend. I’d put him in a clear plastic cup, add some grass and twigs, and think I’d made the best frog house ever, like I was doing him a favor. I’d name him, usually Hoppy, or something equally original, and carry him around with me everywhere. I’d swat flies and toss them into the cup – I can’t remember if the frogs ate these dead flies. After a few days, I’d start to imagine he was homesick, that he missed his family, so I’d take him back to the pond and set him free. Then I’d catch another one.

Several years ago, when the boys were toddlers, we had a couple tree frogs and fire-bellied toads in an aquarium. They ate crickets. I felt like a kid again watching them. Once we tried to feed them a lady bug. That didn’t go over so well. “Blech,” said the frog who struggled to get it off his sticky tongue.

Speaking of tadpoles, we took Eric back to school today and Andrew starts tomorrow. Junior year here already.

What was your favorite critter when you were a kid?

Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt

Not since the glory days of TCBY have I been so excited about a frozen confection. A bit over a month ago, Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt opened its doors over in Sulphur. It’s not on my way to anywhere I go. Maybe that’s a good thing. But I don’t mind making a trek every now and then. It’s my new favorite culinary destination.

Now I know to all you readers from bigger or more cosmopolitan cities, Orange Leaf and other similar frozen yogurt chains – Pinkberry, Red Mango – are not a new concept. But here in Lake Charles, well, we often lag behind current trends. We catch up eventually. Me, personally, I’ve been waiting for this a long time.

Back in the 80’s, TCBY was all the rage. A novelty at the time. I worked and attended grad school (Pitt) in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh and went to TCBY nearly every day. Couldn’t get enough of the stuff. All I can say is, frozen yogurt has come a long way.

For anyone not familiar with self-serve fro-yo (Being that we live in southwest Louisiana, we can call it Freaux Yeaux) here’s the deal. You walk into a colorful cheery store front and are warmly greeted by a young kid working his way through college.

You choose a cup size – larger or largest (the Sulphur store conveniently runs out of the smaller of the two regularly. These folks know marketing.)

Then you face a wall of 16 yogurt flavors. And of course you can mix and match. A daunting decision-making process. Everything is so tempting. They offer samples.

Next you deliberate over a smorgasbord of toppings. Hmm, more decisions.


And then you pay by the ounce. Guess which one was mine.

I think we need one of these places in Lake Charles. How about you? Do you have a favorite neighborhood frozen yogurt shop? Tell me about your experience(s).

LitStack

Do you enjoy reading? So do I! Great news -- there's a new website/blog devoted to book lovers and readers of all kinds. I'll be contributing book reviews and occasional articles to this new site called Lit Stack.

LitStack is a new reviews site dedicated to readers of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, short stories, literary magazines, ebooks, manga and graphic novels. (We'll probably even be posting some spoken-word stuff for the super-artsy types.) The site also features indie bookstores and literary landmarks across the world (one city at a time), and cool bookish finds and news we run across online.

In addition to daily book reviews and regular spotlights on indie bookstores we love, LitStack also features regular segments to promote current titles and build appreciation for older works.

LitStack’s Featured Author- This month-long series of posts includes reviews of previous releases by our Featured Author, along with a current interview and review to coincide with the author’s upcoming release.

LitStaff Picks- Once a week, we feature a collection of books new and old--the favorites of our staff within a specific theme.

ShortStacks - Original short stories and essays by established authors.

Footnotes - Multiple weekly posts highlighting literary events in history, including the birthdays of famous authors, publication and award dates of classic titles, and memorial posts for beloved figures.

Author Interviews - Launch week will feature interviews with Adam Schuitema and Hannah Moskowitz. In the coming weeks, Locus winner Cherie Priest, NYT Bestseller Terry Brooks and Irish Book Awards winner Marian Keyes are scheduled to appear.

The Book Club - Every month LitStack will have a couple of featured titles; a review, open-thread discussion and author Q&A (when available) will be posted for each book so you can read along and share your thoughts.

So check us out. LitStack debuts today 8:00 A.M. CST.

Top Ten Lists

You see them everywhere these days. Newspapers, magazines, internet sites, late night talk shows. The top ten best places to . . . , the top ten favorite . . . , the top ten easiest . . . , the top ten worst . . . . A writer friend of mine insists these top ten lists amount to nothing more than lazy journalism. Mere filler and fluff for pages or airwaves. And yet they remain a pop culture staple. Publishers love them. Do readers? Personally, I get pretty excited when I read that Pittsburgh is the number one most livable city, rates high for having a low cost of living, or boasts the most football fans. I feel sad when I read that Louisiana ranks high as one of most unhealthy states or has poor standards for education.

What do you think? Do you read top ten lists? Do you enjoy them? Do they influence your behavior or opinions? Do you really want someone telling you where to find the best pizza in town or would you rather figure that out for yourself?

I guess I was lazy this weekend. I did little exciting or noteworthy. So here are my own top ten best reasons to love living in southwest Louisiana.

10. Shorts and t-shirts in January. Sure, we suffer stifling heat and humidity in the summer – what part of the country hasn’t lately – and occasional hurricanes. But I love not bundling up and shivering in winter, dealing with treacherous driving conditions, and paying $300.00 monthly heating bills. I love that I can get outdoors and play year round. Recently, I'm learning how to kayak. Like I always say, I’d rather be hot in the summer than cold in the winter.

9. Free parking. Everywhere. No kidding.

8. Minimal traffic. Seriously. If five cars line up behind a stop light, the locals think it’s a traffic jam.

7. Roads. Long, straight, basic grid pattern, easy to learn my way around. And without the freeze/thaw thing going on in the winter, very few if any potholes. Okay, enough about driving and weather.

6. Food. Since moving to Louisiana, my taste buds have savored the most incredible new cuisines and some dishes I’d never even heard of before. Gumbo, jambalaya, etoufee, po boys, boudin, crawfish, shrimp and other fresh seafood; it’s all so good!

5. Interesting wildlife. Nutria, roseate spoonbills, armadillos . . . . An alligator in Lowe’s garden center? Why did the chicken cross the road? To show the opossum it actually can in fact be done.

4. Festivals. Louisiana.com states Calcasieu Parish alone hosts over 75 annual festivals. That's only one parish in a five parish region. Suffice it to say, there are a whole lot of festivals around here. I've said it before; we celebrate everything!

3. Music. Zydeco, Cajun, swamp pop . . . if all that doesn’t make you want to dance, there’s no hope for you.

2. Unique culture. I’m learning French by osmosis. I’m fascinated by the traditions of Mardi Gras, pirates, swamp lore, and the Acadians. It’s a daily learning experience. And I love the arts in Lake Charles; the many galleries and museums, theater, ballet, the symphony, the list goes on and on.

And my number one top ten reason why I love living in southwest Louisiana . . . friendly people. The folks here are amazing; kind, helpful, caring, welcoming, shirt-off-their-backs-for-anyone-types. My family and I have been on the receiving end of so much goodness. It’s truly heartwarming. Of course, Pittsburghers rank high on the friendly list, too. On my top ten, Pittsburgh and Lake Charles are tied for first place in the friendly category.

Let me know what you think on those earlier questions. And just for fun, create a top ten list related to your own hometown.

Weekend Happenings

Wow, what an awesome weekend for Lake Charles music fans. Street Side Jazz Band played at Stellar Beans coffee shop Friday evening. Asleep at the Wheel, a favorite of mine from college days, performed at the Civic Center Saturday night. Various bands at the annual Cajun Music and Food Festival entertained all weekend at Burton Coliseum.

And I didn’t see or hear any of it. Nope, except for a writing/work-related thing on Saturday and church on Sunday (which also has awesome music!) I stayed home, read, walked, watched a movie, perused the Sunday paper, baked banana bread, swung in the hammock, rode my bike . . . relaxed. Some weekends are simply meant to be less exciting (busy, stressful) than others. Yay for downtime!

While I wiled away a Sunday afternoon, photographer/writer friend Frank DiCesare went to that Cajun music festival and took a few photos. The guys below call themselves Jamie Bergeron and the Kickin' Cajuns. You can find more of Frank’s photography on his website.