October 28 – November 3, 2013
SIT hits NOLA! For those of you that aren’t into this slang
that means New Orleans Louisiana! A little swampy scenery!
Almost there
Our temporary landing is at the marina along
Lake Ponchartrain, well one of the canals from the lake anyway. Regardless the view
outside our window is wonderful and Izzy is in heaven as she can simply go
swimming upon opening the door. I bet she wishes she could open the door by
herself!
Our View
I Woke Up to This Out our Window
We left Natchez Mississippi and headed to NOLA to check out
the happenings in Louisiana! I have been here a few times but Steve and Izzy
are newbies to the French Quarter and Bourbon Street.
The first day we headed to downtown to check out the French
Quarter. We wandered around and Steve was amazed to say the least at the
buildings. You do have to admit they are unique and offer a story about each
one. We were getting hungry so stopped in for some lunch at Huck Finn’s. From
there I had a hair appointment which I was thankful for as I was beginning to
feel like the Shaggy Dog!
Bourbon Street
French Quarter Living
We headed back to French Quarter after my appointment and
enjoyed wandering the other streets there. We stopped in a few art galleries
and learned a bit about some of the artists. Of course there were a few
musicians playing so it added to the culture.
The second day we took a tour of the Oak Alley Plantation. The oaks were planted by someone in a row and
as they grew became an alley. The individual who planted these oaks which are
300 hundred years old now, is an unknown person.
The Path to the House
Oak Alley Plantation House
Awesome
The Back of the House and a Sugar Kettle
The plantation tour is pretty amazing and the original size
of the plantation was 1,360 acres and today is 1,200 acres. Jacques Roman had
the house built to lure his wife away from the city as he wanted to live on the
plantation. The second owners’ wife enjoyed gardens so she had the garden
established. Overall the grounds are beautiful and the Oak Alley Plantation
Organization does a wonderful job of giving you the feeling of what life was
like back in the 1800’s. The plantation has also been host to several movies
and TV shows some of which I am sure you have heard of, Days of Our Lives, The
Long Hot Summer, and Interview With A Vampire! There are more but these stuck
in my memory banks for some reason!
Our Tour Guide in the Parlor
The Children Bedroom
Jacques Roman
The Master
The Office
The Alley View from Above
The Gardens
The Second Floor Porch
A Live History Lesson
The Blacksmith's Shop
Bird of Paradise
Sugar Kettle
Slave's House
Starting Over
Izzy went with us so she got a chance to get out and stretch
her legs when we were done touring. Of course we had to go check out the river
since the plantation was across the levee. Izzy didn’t waste any time
convincing her Dad to throw sticks!
Sugar Cane Backdrop
The Plantation Crop
Yay
We headed back into the city on Thursday. It was time to get
our teeth cleaned so we were able to get an appointment with a local dentist.
Dr. Honore was wonderful and her Mother who runs the office greeted you and
entertained us with stories. It made having to go to the dentist memorable for
a good reason! After our appointments we headed back to French Quarter to check
out a few more sites and wander along the river.
Cruising
Bernardo de Galvez
River Traffic
The Pirate
We did a bit of fishing near our temporary location Friday
afternoon. We were luckily enough to hang onto our gear considering the wind
was blowing but also there were a lot of things to snag your line on in the
water. I did manage to snag a couple of
fish before they decided they wanted to be someplace else rather than on the
back. Oh well it was fun and besides I didn’t have to touch slimy fish that
way!
Our last thing we wanted to do before we pull out from the
area was go on a swamp tour. So we headed out Saturday to take the Honey Island
Swamp tour. Steve also wants to wrestle an alligator but they wouldn’t let him.
They said something about insurance and liability. If he does manage to do this
sometime in the future I will up his life insurance!
Along the river
We were able to see raccoons, some birds, many turtles and a
few alligators. The alligators that were out were working on their tans, or
trying to stay warm. The big guys were off somewhere else so most of the ones
we saw were about 3 to 6 feet.
Buds
How do I get down?
Just Call Me Smiley
Just Hanging Out
Peekaboo
Sneaking a peak
The guides feed the raccoons and other animals marsh mellows
so when they hear the tour company’s boats they come out hoping to get a tasty
morsel. Steve was able to get some footage of the masked bandits enjoying a
snack. I will have to figure out how to get the video clips added as when I try there is an error. Too bad I didn't go to computer tech school!
The other creatures we saw were a few snakes. They were
hanging around on tree branches and seemed to be asleep since they didn’t move
at all when we got right up next to them. I think that was probably good as a
few people on the boat would have been scared.
We searched for pigs too but they weren’t interested in
coming and saying hello. Apparently they are quite prevalent in the swamp and
cause a great deal of damage. Our guide told us they are considered a nuisance
species in the area and can be hunted year round.
Our guide was very knowledgeable and provided a lot of
information about the animals, the swamp, vegetation, and the history of the
river and swamp. I am glad Steve was videoing parts of the tour since my little
brain doesn’t remember that well anymore!
The 1936 Bridge
Floating Fishing House
The Cedars and their Roots
Twisted
From here we will be heading to Texas to enjoy all the things
the Gulf Coast has to offer in Texas!
