Day 209 Saturday March 10
We went into the French Quarter of New Orleans today. After parking we took the trolley along the water front to the French Market.
We walked through the French Market and then strolled around some of the streets looking at stuff.. 
We watch a lady and her band, tiny daughter on drums, and they were fun and good. We went into a store and got some peanuts and sodas and wandered around some more.
We went to lunch and had some crayfish. What a place-crayfish and jazz. 
After lunch we wandered some more listening to a young group of black kids playing by the cathedral. We went walking again, saw a antique shop and walked in. Wow. This place was amazing. They had jewelry, dishes, and paintings and it was extremely expensive. Paintings ranged from $50,000 to $3.6 million. Jewelry is in the many thousands of dollars. Everything was exquisite and we were flabbergasted and amazed at the quality of the pieces. We then went to world famous Café du Monde and got some beignets (French donuts) to go and found a nice bench to sit and eat and watch the people. We wandered a bit more and took the trolley back to the parking garage. Getting back the few miles back to the freeway took a very long time. Lots of traffic and a parade slowed things down. Very fun day.Day 210 Sunday March 11
We went to Bayou Sauvage wildlife refuge this morning after a leisurely morning.
Not much there except lizards. Two different kinds, one a chameleon like lizard that changed from green to brown and a different brown lizard. 
Went to a different area and saw a few egrets and coots and a snake. As we were getting ready to leave two families arrived with 4 adults and 9 kids. They were there to snag (legal) gar fish which they had done several weeks ago and gotten some up to 5 feet. Well, today, the biggest we saw was about two feet long and they threw it back. There kids were a hand full. After watching for a while we left and went grocery shopping for a few items.Day 211 Monday March 12
Easy relaxing day. Thunder storms and rain most of the day. Went to a credit union ATM to get some more cash.
Day 212 Tuesday March 13
We left Slidell, LA and headed East on I-10 to I-12 West. At I-55 we headed North to highway 84 West to Natchez, Mississippi. Crossing over the Mississippi R. into Vidalia, LA we went South a short distance to River View RV park taking spot 109 facing the Mississippi R.
After setting up we drove into Natchez and stopped by the visitor center and picked up tickets for the mansion tour and a vocal history of blacks in the town by a black Catholic Church choir. We then drove around the historic down town looking at some of the old houses and churches.
Day 213 Wednesday March 14
Today we visited three mansions. The first was Governor Holmes house which was originally built in 1794 when Natchez was under Spanish rule. Holmes became first governor of the Mississippi territory.
The current owner and some friends dressed in antebellum costumes , portraying friends of the governor., talked about the house as we walked through. One person was Andrew Jackson and another was Audubon. 
It was very nice. The second house called the Hawthorne house was built in 1813 was also very interesting with period costumes and some original furniture.
The third house was called Elm Court built in 1814. It too was fun to go through but no pictures inside . All the houses have had additions to the original structure and of course now have electricity, plumbing and air-conditioning. After lunch at a local eatery with nice BBQ, we then went to the Johnson house who was a freed slave before the Civil War and did very well financially in Natchez. 
After that we went to the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians. 
There is a small museum and three dirt mounds, on top of which is were the kings, called “Sons” lived. When the king died, his family and staff were killed and all were burned in the house. New dirt was put down and a house built for the new king. There are many of these mounds in the Mississippi valley. It got hot and humid in the afternoon. Whew!!!Day 214 Thursday March 15
Very impressive. Also saw cardinals, sparrows, and jays. The exotic buntings were not here yet. We left there and drove ten miles on the Natchez Trace Parkway which was a native trail from Natchez to the Nashville area. You can still see a lot of the original path. At ten miles was Emerald mound made by natives and used as a ceremonial center from about 800 to 1400 AD and it covered 8 acres .
After dinner we went to a choir performance at the African American Roman Catholic Church in Natchez, the first black Catholic Church in Mississippi. They gave a history of blacks from first arrival to the present day with songs. Judy wanted to hear black gospel music and this show was good and fun. Natchez was the site of the second largest slave market in the south. 
Day 215 Friday March 16
We left Natchez and headed South on 61 to Baton Rouge and then West on I-10. We stopped for the night at Frog Pond RV park just West of Lafayette, LA. We got spot 3. Today was hot and humid. I got a cold and was not feeling well.
Day 216 Saturday March 17 Happy St. Patrick’s Day
Not feeling well still so spent the day sleeping and relaxing. Did laundry.
Day 217 Sunday March 18
I am still under the weather with a cold so we just stayed put for the day.
Day 218 Monday March 19
Ditto. Big storm to the West so we decided to spend one more day recovering. So far Judy has not gotten my cold.
Day 219 Tuesday March 20
Today we went to Avery Island, a salt dome six miles wide and eight miles deep, Southeast of Lafayette, which is the home of Tabasco hot sauce.
They had a very nice tour showing how Tabasco sauce is made. 
It takes three years. The peppers are picked, smashed, mixed with salt, and then put into old whiskey barrels to ferment for three years. Then mixed with vinegar for a month and bottled. The plant puts out about 700,000 bottles a day. Unfortunately, there were a bunch of school buses filled with small kids taking the tours too. Whew. We then went to the Jungle Gardens, a 150 acre park built by the founders of Tabasco, Very pretty.
There is a Buddha statue there made in 1100 ad for the emperor of China.
They have built a refuge for white egrets since they were being hunted to extinction at the time.
It is very windy today and expecting heavy thunder storms and rain overnight.
No comments:
Post a Comment