Spring Tease

A Light exists in Spring

        Not present on the Year

        At any other period —

When March is scarcely here
                                                            .......from a poem by Emily Dickinson

       This past week has been more like spring

  with temperature in the 80's on some days.

The little yellow "sweeties" and the

Carolina jasmine look like sunshine.

With the rains that came in January & February,

the lake is once again full and we have water

behind our house.

I took a few pictures to share........

a sight we have not seen in a couple of years.

Pretty reflections of the bare trees in the water.

I understand another dry summer is predicted.

Hopefully, not the drought of 2011.

I know we have more wintry weather to come,

but I love this tease of spring.



Till next time......

Carolyn

The past two weeks have been unusually

sad and unsettling.

 Several families in our church, where I

work as a part time receptionist, have

lost loved ones unexpectedly.

They are like family to all of us and when

our family hurts, we hurt.

I couldn't help but reflect on how much

can change in a week or even a day.

I am showing a few more pictures of our

trip to south Louisiana. I am more

thankful than ever for the precious few

days David & I had to enjoy together,

worry and stress free.

The picture above is the bayou we crossed to

visit Avery Island. If you have ever enjoyed

Tabasco Sauce on your food, this is where

it came from!

It is home to the McIlhenny plantation where the

tabasco peppers were first grown and made into

the favorite sauce of Louisiana.

It is a beautiful island with 170 acres of Jungle gardens

and a aviary with a nesting area for the snowy egret.

It was another cloudy day, but thankfully, no rain.

Since it was the middle of the week,

there were few people around and the grounds

were so quiet and peaceful.

It is about a three mile drive through the gardens with

lots of walking paths for exploring.

 One path led to this stone bridge and the Buddah

 house in the background.

I never was able to get a clear picture of him

without a glare, but wanted you to see

the statue inside. It is from somewhere around

the eleventh century and a gift to Mr. McIlhenny

 in the 1930's.

We saw a few gators as well. They were mostly

out in the water, but I can assure you, I kept

an eye out as we walked down some of those paths!

Here is David walking around in the sunken garden.

Can you find him? Sorta like Waldo isn't he?

Here is the nesting area for the snowy egret

aptly named "bird city". At one time, their numbers

were greatly reduced, but thanks

in part to the McIlhennys' they are once

again abundant.

Out and about, wandering around, and enjoying

God's world together is our favorite way to spend time.

If you ever get to visit the southern part of our state,

be sure to make time to visit Avery Island.

There is beauty down every path........

and around every corner.

Til next time.......

              Carolyn



DAY TRIPPIN' IN BAYOU COUNTRY

On our little get away last week, we spent

a day visiting a couple of nearby plantations.

The pictures are a little dark due to the weather

but I wanted to share because the homes

are so beautiful.

I had always wanted to visit Nottaway and 

in spite of a rainy start, we enjoyed ourselves.

We approached from the side, isn't it beautiful?

This could easily be mistaken for the front of the house.

 This white room is just stunning.

My photography doesn't do it justice, especially

with heavy clouds outside.

Weddings and receptions are held here frequently.

I would love to attend a party here!

The egg and dart crown moldings and the

beautiful medallion are made of hand carved

cypress according to the guide.

Nottaway is also a bed and breakfast with

several cottages on the grounds for overnight

guests as well.

The grounds are beautifully landscaped and kept

immaculate. This is looking toward the levy

between the house and the Mississippi.

The front yard covered over eight acres when

the house was built and now, due to the changes

in the  river and the addition of the levy,

it has shrunk to less than two.

This is one of my favorite pictures, even though

 it was cloudy and wet.

I love, love the live oak tree and the way

it frames the back of the house.

We also stopped at Madewood Plantation

pictured below. They no longer offer tours of the home,

but the gentleman was kind enough to allow us

to snap some pictures of the outside.

This home is also in beautiful condition. The

columns are just awesome.

The back terrace held a lovely fountain made from

a sugar kettle.  Another beautiful live oak

provides shade when needed.

Orange and loquat trees were loaded with luscious fruit.

I hope you enjoyed a bit of our tour.

I have a couple more things to share next time.

Till then...............

                             Carolyn

PLAQUEMINE BAYOU

Several months ago, David attended a Save the

Black Bear banquet where an auction was held to raise

funds to aid in restoring the black bear population

in our state. He came home with the winning

bid on two nights at the Cajun Cabins on Bayou

Corne near Pierre Part, Louisiana.

We decided to use that win to take a little trip

for our anniversary. We took our time, traveling

the back roads on our way, and found ourselves

 passing through the little town of Plaquemine.

As we crossed Plaquemine Bayou bridge, I noticed this

contraption that appeared to be a drawbridge and wondered

why it was there. I looked up the bayou and saw that

it ended abruptly at what appeared to be a canal.

Strange...

 then I noticed a beautiful white building

next to the canal and we decided to check it out.

 Isn't this striking? It is covered inside and out with

 beautiful white glazed brick. It is built in the Dutch

style with round and arched windows and stepped roof line.

We stopped and took a tour with the nicest park

guide. We discovered that Bayou Plaquemine, at one time,

was an alternate waterway to the Mississippi River.

It was filled in just before it spilled

 out into the Mississippi River seveal years ago,

which I think is a shame.

From the balcony on the second floor, you get an

 amazing vista of the Mississippi. We watched tugboats

and barges navigate the bend in the river.

 I was totally in love with that view.

The building is wonderfully preserved.

Here is a picture of the original lock on

the windows. I don't think I have ever seen

any quite like these.

This little unscheduled stop turned out to be such

a pleasant surprise, what

we in Louisiana call laginappe,

meaning a little something extra.

I have more lagniappe to share. This trip turned

out to be one of the most interesting and fun

get-aways we have ever experienced.

I was reminded again and again of how

beautiful the southern part of our state is.

Till next time.......

           Carolyn

Jeremiah Johnson



This week, my hubby and I passed another milestone....

we celebrated our 43rd year of marriage.

I know that is a long time to live with the same person,

so it is a good thing I picked a good man in the beginning!

Those who know me personally understand when

I say I married the updated version of Jeremiah Johnson.

 Even though my husband grew up in the city,

 thanks to his Dad who loved to fish and hunt,

he developed a love of adventure at an early age.



I often joke that if we had lived in the 1800's,

we would most probably be on the first wagon train

headed west. As a matter of fact, these two pictures were taken on a trip out west to Wyoming.....he fit right in.

Our adventures are pretty tame these days.

  We did take a short trip this week to celebrate and

 I am looking forward to sharing some of our adventures.

I'll give you a hint of what to expect.

Not exactly the wild west, but a wild beauty of

a different kind. Stay tuned for further adventures

in our own beautiful state of Louisiana.

Till next time.......

           Carolyn