Another – Riding Shotgun Trip

LOUISIANA

There is much traffic between Alberta and Texas or Louisiana.  Gas & Oil companies change their personnel about every two years between these places.  Calgary, Alberta has the largest percentage of Americans outside the USA in the world.  I found that a very interesting statistic.

As my husband was moving furniture at the time he often got moves to these states.  I decided to go with him to Louisiana one time as we could get down there on a Friday and he didn’t have to unload until the following Monday.

We spent a week-end in Lafayette, Louisiana. This trip was the most obvious ‘never seen before’ trip.  Wherever we drove – from eastern States, to the mid-west States and even the Pacific coast States there are similarities between Canada and the USA.  But there is no comparing in Canada when it comes to the bayous.

On Saturday we took a boat tour on the bayous.  From the eerie, hanging moss on the Cyprus trees, I had only read about in romance books  to the alligators we saw, I could only stare and try to drink in all the sights.  Deep pink flowers and waxy green foliage, floated on the water often looking like land.  Our guide told us the trunks of the Cyprus trees could be under water up to forty feet and still tower above us.  I could imagine voodoo rituals, ghosts and crawling monsters.  I saw alligators resting on rotting logs.  (My husband said they weren’t real . Mostly they didn’t move – he thought they might just be props for the tourists).  The water is murky, dark and mysterious.

Then I asked a few people where the best place to eat Cajun food was.  I was already hooked on the scrumptious tastes and since then I haven’t found a better cup of coffee – except maybe Quebec and of course Tim Horton‘s – my addiction of choice.  We went to a restaurant called PreJean’s and dined near a stuffed alligator.  The ambiance was perfect.  The food was out of this world. I can still imagine the taste of the chocolate dessert.  The people were so friendly.

On Monday we went to unload.  Our customer had a huge sprawling house beside the river.  The woman we moved was fun and entertaining. She actually gave me her full-length mink coat, saying she wouldn’t need it.  I could almost hear her ‘ha,ha’ in my mind.  But it was such a wonderful, thoughtful gift.

The air was hot and humid.  She explained that her skin just ‘slurped’ up the moisture when she got off her plane. (Calgary has extremely dry air). She had a long boardwalk along side the river and a boat dock.  Although she warned me to watch for poisonous snakes that crawled in the murky waters I couldn’t resist walking along side the river, drinking in the wondrous sights.

Then as the cardboard boxes were emptied and thrown out on the lawn to be flattened, I saw something else.  Little gecko’s – so irresistibly  cute and inquisitive crawled all over.  There were hundreds and hundreds.  I chased them – thinking this might be a wonderful gift to bring back for my two boys. They sure were quick.  They would stand on a box and wait for me – until I was close enough to reach out then they disappeared.  For anyone who thinks otherwise – I couldn’t have brought them across the border regardless, but the thought was fun.

Overall, my first trip to Louisiana is a warm memory of fun, beauty and a uniqueness I will never forget.  I have been to Louisiana a few times since, but my first trip was special.