Forest Hill, Louisiana – A Day at the Nurseries

We’ve lived in Louisiana a few months shy of four years now, and I’d heard of Forest Hill. Anytime the subject of landscaping came up, we’d always hear, “Go to Forest Hill.” Ask a neighbor about a particular plant in his yard . . . “Got it at Forest Hill.” Complain about the prices at local Lake Charles nurseries . . . “You gotta go to Forest Hill!” We had no idea where Forest Hill is. But in my mind, it became a landscaping legend, a mecca for mulchkins, the holy grail of gardening. And thus I began my pilgrimage this morning with a few friends of mine. And I discovered that Forest Hill is not a nursery. Oh, no. Forest Hill (about an hour and a half northeast of Lake Charles) is a small town with a population of 400-500 people. And home to approximately 200 nurseries and garden centers! Where does one begin?

We started at one called “Harold’s.” The place is huge. You go into the office, tell the man what you are looking for, and he makes a few circles on a map for you. What fun, just wandering around, looking at plants! The four of us bought quite a few, too. The low prices here will blow your garden gloves off.

This time of year, azaleas and wisteria are in full bloom. They grow tamed and cultivated in yards or wild and haphazard in the woods and along roadways. Either way, it’s a beautiful sight.

We went to Poole’s, although I couldn’t tell you which one. Supposedly, there are several Poole brothers who each own a different nursery. One nursery is simply called “The Other Brother.”

We ate lunch at a delightful diner called Lea’s in a town called Lecompte (pronounced La-Count. Seriously)

As the sign says, Lea’s is known for her pies.

And ham. The ham was good. And I had lemon meringue.

According to this sign, Lecompte has a pie festival in October. Wonderful time of year for another road trip!

So, if you live anywhere in the state of Louisiana and want to buy plants, flowers, trees . . . “Go to Forest Hill!”

Hasenpfeffer, anyone?

Here in southwest Louisiana, we’re always celebrating something. This weekend, it’s the Rabbit Festival in Iowa (pronounced I-WAY. Yes, I know what you're thinking. Just trust me.)

We saw typical festival fare. Vendors hawking their wares, live Cajun music, face painting, air brushing, pony rides. A carnival with carnie food, carnie rides, carnie games. And rabbits.

Rabbits to hold and purchase . . .


rabbits to win . . .


and rabbits to eat.


No, I didn’t eat any, but it probably tastes like chicken.

Mardi Gras in SWPA

Mardi Gras in SWPA! The Dilmores traveled home to Pennsylvania for Mardi Gras this year. We were way overdue to visit family. Sadly, it is still winter there. It snowed all day Sunday.

But that didn’t stop us from having a Mardi Gras party. No parades, but we made masks . . .




wore beads and listened to Zydeco and Cajun French music . . .

ate King Cake and gumbo with potato salad . . .

But the best part was all of us being together.

Monday we drove to the city and spent the day at the Carnegie Science Center . . .

with my sister and her terrific kids.

The Science Center has, among oodles of other exhibits, a wonderful train display which is definitely the high point for my niece and nephew.

The scenes of this model train display fascinate young and old alike.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater is the newest addition.

Tuesday I did an author visit to the 3rd and 5th grade classes at my nieces’ school, Armbrust Christian Academy. Small school, small class sizes, only 8-9 kids per class.

Here’s a glimpse of Pittsburgh as we crossed the West End Bridge. The Science Center is next to Heinz Field, where the Steelers play. (See the white cone, right in the center of the photo.) The large building far left is the new casino. It took the city decades to get a gaming license. Here in Lake Charles, we have several casinos and another possibly on the way. I hear pro and con opinions on their benefit to the community. Pittsburgh readers, what are your thoughts on the new casino? Good or bad for the city, and why? Lake Charles readers, what do you think about the casinos?


I’ll end this post on a beautiful note . . . orchids blooming in Mom’s dining room window.

Planting, Growing, Reaping

I’ve lived here almost four years now, and I’m still figuring out how to garden in southwest Louisiana. At first, I went to farmers’ markets and marveled at how early local fresh produce would appear on the stands. And that’s the key . . . start early. Last year I planted a couple tomato plants – late spring – about the time everyone else was already eating theirs. My plants grew, but never produced a single tomato. Once it gets hot, they can’t pollenate. So this past week (is February early enough?), I planted two tomato plants – one best boy and one grape tomato – and two red pepper plants. I bought some lettuce and spinach seeds, but after I read the package, I learned I should have planted them late fall/early winter and could have been harvesting greens the past several months. I did plant radishes a couple months ago, and have had a few mature. I also planted several broccoli plants and they’re producing more than we can eat!

This past late fall/early winter, I planted daffodil and iris bulbs, hoping for lovely spring flowers. But even though we technically had a "cold" winter, it was warm enough that that the bulbs sent up shoots immediately, though it was too cold for them to actually bloom. Instead of spring flowers, I have stringy dying stalks in the beds with no hope of blooms.

I planted a strawberry plant early last summer, obviously too late to grow any berries. The plant survived a hot summer and a cold winter, but it has yet to bloom. Not sure what’s up with that. We’ve got some blueberry bushes in the back, but the birds always get the berries before they ripen enough for us. And we planted a satsuma tree (Louisiana clementine) a couple years ago that seems to be more interested in staying a baby than growing up and producing fruit.

I’ve planted several herbs. Last year, the basil grew fantastic, more like a shrub than a small plant. But chives withered and died. We’ll see how I do this year with cilantro, cat nip, and again, chives and basil.

I’m learning what flowers grow well and when. Pansies are pretty all winter; snapdragons, not so much. Just today, I saw the first red bud tree in bloom. They take my breath away. Soon the azaleas will spread vivid fuchsia, red, and orange across the landscape. Not much survives the heat of summer except crepe myrtle, oleander, zinnias.

Gardening here, no doubt, will be an ongoing adventure. High on my list of things to do this summer . . . learn to compost.

What grows in your garden?

Lake Charles Art Scene on a Saturday Morning

Andrew has an interest in photography, so today we made a trip to Old City Hall in Lake Charles to see Fragile Nature, a traveling exhibit by National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore. Sartore hopes his exquisite up-close shots of animals and their habitats will not only entertain but bring awareness to environmental issues. The show runs through April 23rd.

Up on the third floor we found another delightful exhibit, Fairy Tale Art -- Illustrations from Children's Books. (Through March 26) Naturally, as a lover and wish-I-could author of picture books, I adored this show, featuring selected works of eight well-known illustrators. My personal favorite is Jane Dyer. She's the illustrator of my personal favorite picture book, Time For Bed, written by Mem Fox. The boys and I wore that one out when they were toddlers.

For a little lagniappe, we went to Frazier Library at McNeese University, where there's currently an exhibit by several local artists including one of my favorite local artists, Imogene Dewey. Art is alive and well in Lake Charles -- there's always something to see or do. And the cool thing is, these events are usually free!

Beaumont, Texas

Had to go to Beaumont, Texas today to get a new part for Eric’s MacBook. *TIP for Lake Charles area businessmen/women who are looking for a new venture . . . open an Apple Store! You’d have a monopoly on the market. Mac users should not have to drive an hour for computer service. Apple Stores are chic, sleek, contemporary, and inviting, if you’re the geeky techie type.

Like always, we try to morph a mundane trip into an excursion by patronizing a few fun establishments. While waiting for the computer repair, we got a bite to eat at (new to us) Geo Burrito, which is remarkably similar to a family favorite here in Lake Charles, Izzo’s Illegal Burrito, except there aren’t as many TVs at Geo’s. Essentially, it’s like a Mexican Subway. Very good. Eric had a burrito, Andrew ordered fully-loaded nachos, and I enjoyed assorted tacos.


For dessert, we went next door to Rao’s Bakery. Look at these beautiful pastries!

No, we didn’t buy pastries. We were there for the gelato. They offer the most incredible selection; raspberry, mixed berry, pear, lemon, spiced chocolate, coconut, mango, red velvet cake, tiramisu, cappuccino, mocha (is there really a difference?) just to name maybe half of the flavors. It’s so hard to choose just one. Thankfully they allow samples.

Why we wanted ice cream in this frigid weather, I don’t know. Because it’s delicious! I countered the cold with a cup of hot coffee. Here’s me sporting my new Polamalu t-shirt Mom and Tom got me for my birthday. Go Steelers!
I had to plead for the boys to pose on the patio with “the Blues Brothers.” They finally consented. They were cold. And I wouldn’t unlock the car until they did.

Bake Sale

Last Saturday was Sam Houston High Band Booster’s annual Bake Sale and Barbeque. All band parents are expected to bake either a cake or two pies. Or for those not inclined to bake, a $12.00 donation may be made. Last year, I poured my heart into a pretty two-layer cake with colorful sliced gumdrops on white icing. My mother made me this cake when I was maybe 5 or 6 years old. The gumdrops look like jewels on a princess crown. To this day, it’s my favorite birthday cake ever. Anyway, back to last year, when I returned to the school later that afternoon to pick up my BBQ dinners, there was my cake, still sitting on a nearly empty bake sale table. No one had bought it. My heart sank. I told myself it was because I had covered the cake with that plastic wrap that’s kind of opaque, and no one could see how pretty it was. Nevertheless, this year, I considered simply writing the check in lieu of baking. Wouldn’t that be easier? But no, I decided I’d make a Pittsburgh favorite – jello cake. Jello cake, for my readers who don’t live in the ‘burgh, is a white cake with holes poked all over it, and liquid jello poured over so the jello sinks down into the cake and makes a pretty marbled effect. Since this is Mardi Gras season, I decided to make a Mardi Gras Jello Cake. I drizzled grape, lemon, and lime (purple, gold and green are Mardi Gras colors) over the cake and spread the top with Cool Whip. I had planned to decorate with purple, yellow, and green sprinkles, evenly dispersed over the cake, but Bob got to the sprinkles before me. With his hand, he deftly poured the sprinkles over the cake, and after about two minutes, this was the result.


Bob still surprises me. He still makes me laugh. He still knows how to make me smile.

By the way, it’s a bronco, not a horse. And notice I used clear plastic wrap this year. I don’t know if anyone bought it. I did not go back this year to find out.