The Wi-Fi here at Chicot is anything but reliable and fast....it comes and goes and the speed is nearly always slow. So we try to get things written and posted, not always with much luck.
The label for the swamp was cyprus-tupelo (whatever that is) in the arboretum. We made it around only one of their walks and passed by this really rather amazing swamp. The threat of rain forced us back to the campground and left other trails to be explored at a later time.
Saturday evening we hit a jackpot combination of good food and music in the small town of Eunice. This part of Louisiana is a hot spot for cajun and zydeco music along with smoked meat (something we learned from a leaflet left in the laundry of the campground). Paul was aware of the music and had read or heard that there was a radio program broadcast each Saturday that one could attend. We lucked out and found the information we needed in the AAA Tour book we both had picked up before the trip. So, our evening was set and we were very much up for adventure and enjoyment.
Dinner was a range of catfish (blackened and fried), shrimp fried and in étouffée. Our dinners came right out and all the dishes were very good. Eunice boasts one restaurant and that's where we ate! There was also a cafe if you wanted something quicker. When we arrived in town there was also some street music with several groups playing. About 30 folks were standing or sitting near the cafe enjoying the music.
On our way to Eunice, however, we took some back roads and discovered just how many rice paddies there are down here. Mile after mile of rice paddy either waiting to be planted or already planted. In one paddy we saw several hundred black headed ducks, which both Dee and Marty think might have been Northern Pintails that winter in this part of the country. We needed to ask directions to Eunice while on our way. Paul pulled into a gas station where a young lady was smoking away on a cigarette while filling her car! Paul asked about how to get to Eunice to which she replied, "are you from Eunice?" Paul said, "no, I want to go to Eunice." And she said back to him, "well, go then." Paul finally got directions from her and then asked if she felt safe pumping gas while smoking and she said "not really." We all wondered then, if that were the case, why was she smoking!
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| Marty Tweedel and Cajun Mixers (sorry the photo isn't better) |
Now, back to the music! As we said, Eunice is known as the place where live radio broadcasts of Cajun and Zydeco music originate every Saturday evening. It comes from an old art-deco theater called the Liberty Performing Arts Center, and attracts both locals and tourists in the audience. We almost won the prize for being farthest away; just beaten out by a couple from Quebec. There were two acts: "Mary Tweedle and the Cajun Mixers", and Mary Jane Broussard and the Sweet LaLa's", each of which got half of the 90-minute broadcast. Each act consisted of accordion, fiddle, guitar, bass and drums, and the music was pretty lively. The whole front row of the audience came to dance at the floor between the seating and the stage. One of the most interesting dancers was a 60ish guy in jeans, plaid shirt, goatee and a John Deere cap. Most of the couples were our age, but also included a pair of pre-teens and a mom and her 13ish son, who did more bouncing than stepping. Who are we to criticize, though; none of the four of us ventured out onto the floor.
Dee and Paul pulled out this am headed to Galveston while David and Marty stayed behind. We'll all meet up again in South Toledo Bend toward the end of the week. Paul has some electrical issues to try to fix with his camper (not a critical thing and can be bypassed if necessary until he and Dee are back in Maine). David and Marty will head to Baton Rouge on Wednesday to get the View fixed again...same problem they had to have fixed in Maryland before heading down south.
Each day is an adventure. Each day lived in awe of what we experience.
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