NOLA

South Louisiana is a world away from Mohave County, Arizona.

Southern Louisiana Christmas...Shrimp, Crawfish and Crab!

My journey east began with the usual drive up to McCarran Airport in Las Vegas, and I got there plenty early, parked, breezed through security, and found my gate.

Time for a reward! You know what’s a good reward? A beer. So I went and had one…and that’s where I met the Comic from Calgary (who legitimately finished jokes/sentences with “eh”) who made friends with the guys on either side of him. I was one of them. He bought a round…or two…and told jokes. We laughed quite a bit, and then he left. I managed to find my gate again, find my seat, and nod off for the short flight to Houston, Texas. There, I found my gate, napped, boarded, napped, and then got to see Colleen!

That first day, we wandered the French Market, ate some Jambalaya (which was awesome…just a first salvo in the “please try everything here” battle I was about to undergo), and got to talk to Jayden on the phone.  We also went down to Jean Lafitte National Park's Barataria Preserve and walked along the bayou for a while. It is a neat little park, changing from forest to wetlands to a floating grassland. It reminded me, in various places, of Blue Spring State Park outside of Orlando, Florida and Payne’s Prairie (Payne’s Prairie…Payne’s Prairie…PAYNE’S ****ING PRAIIRIE) State Park, also in Florida.  Mostly, I took it all in and enjoyed the HELL out of being with Colleen, which was far too long in coming. I am in Arizona working hard, and she is doing wonderful things with and for wonderful people in Louisiana, but the being apart part of this isn’t easy.

Selfies on the banks of the Mississippi

The next day was Thanksgiving! I love Thanksgiving…it’s always been the day we celebrated my birthday at home, but mostly I love to cook with my parents (mostly drinking beer and cooking duck with Dad outback) and spend the day with everyone. So this one was weird…being away from the family also going out to eat. We went to Arnaud’s in the French Quarter, and while I was thinking about preserving the duck tradition, I figured…you’re in Louisiana. Get seafood! So I asked our gracious, too kind hosts what they recommended, and wound up with sheepshead (it’s a fish, I promise) Meuniere. Goodness gracious. I keep dreaming about that fish. We also had these little puffed potatoes that were light as air, and Shrimp Arnaud which was served cold with a “creole remoulade”. The meal finished with two fantastic desserts…but what stood out most was the kindness of Colleen’s host family. I met many, many kind people while I was in Louisiana, and it is really wonderful to know how many great people Colleen has watching out for her!

Friday was my birthday, so it sent us back to Bourbon Street and the French Quarter for a walk and a sandwich at Acme Oyster House. We sat at the bar, had a Abita Amber and chatted with the oyster shuckers. Only in Louisiana! And I got to have the Peace Maker Po Boy sandwich…fried oysters, fried gulf shrimp, lettuce, tomato, and tobasco mayo…oh man. That is a top 5 sandwich (but that’s maybe another post).

Birthday breakfast!

After lunch and another walk through the French Market, we headed south to Grand Isle State Park. The area reminded me a lot of the southern part of the Outer Banks…the Rodanthe and south area. We ate dinner at…hahaha. What a silly night this turned out to be. From the wonderful lunch at Acme Oyster House to Rice-a-Roni cooked in a microwave and bad off-brand potato chips in the hotel room. Honestly? I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. We shared some beers and laughed a lot and watched Modern Family. It was a great birthday.

A gift from new friends.

Saturday found us wandering Grand Isle State Park, watching the terns and pelicans and dolphins play in the waves and enjoying an utterly glorious day. Sunday, I went to church with Colleen at her little Presbyterian Church in Bayou Blue. It was a lovely service, and the little sanctuary was filled with wonderful, welcoming people. The service felt very much like a welcome home for this wandering Presbyterian.

                               

After church, we enjoyed a fantastic breakfast with the pastors, walked through an art show, and then I headed to the airport. As sad as I was to leave Colleen, at least I got to come home to this:

Also…less than two weeks until I’m home!