Have you ever heard that old saying about people who have "never met a stranger"? Well, that's just a way of life in southeast Louisiana. Strangers become acquaintances, acquaintances become friends and friends become family. We have a tendency to celebrate for any reason, or sometimes for no reason at all. We live every day with joie de vivre (joy for life) and when there is a special occasion, we love to gather and rejoice in it.
Today was such a day. Some very dear friends of the family have a son who just graduated from Tulane University. In just 5 years, he earned both a bachelors and master degrees, all the while playing on the football team. Soon, he'll be heading off to explore Europe for a few weeks and then moving to Washington D.C. to start his career. This is definitely cause for celebration!
So early this afternoon, we packed the lawn chairs in the car and headed south to Crown Point, Louisiana. Even though it's just 30 minutes from our home in Algiers, it feels like a world away from the suburban lifestyle we live every day. We drove through the Barataria Preserve and came out on the banks of the Intracoastal Canal, taking in the views of some of the spectacular homes hugging the opposite bank in Lafitte, LA and passing swamp tour operations along the way.
But, we had no need to stop for a tour...we were heading to a little piece of paradise tucked away at the end of a road. Wouldn't you like to sit on your back porch and take in this view?
It wouldn't be a true Louisiana celebration without food and there was plenty! The burners were blazing away, boiling the crawfish, crabs and shrimp. The grill was fired up for the hot dogs and hamburgers. The dessert table was groaning under the weight of brownies, cakes, muffins and bread pudding. A pirogue was pulled into use to ice down the drinks for all of the guests.
Once the kids had a chance to eat, it was time for their own, private swamp tour as they piled into the boat and headed down the bayou...passing other boats along the way.
One of the highlights of the paid swamp tours is when the alligators swim up to the boats. They do this because the tour operators feed them and why hunt for food when someone will bring it to you? Well, this little guy must have been hungry, because he showed up to snack on the leftover crawfish tails and shrimp shells...
It was a terrific Sunday afternoon on the bayou. I wonder what our next West Bank weekend will bring?
When buying or selling a home on the West Bank of New Orleans or relocating to the New Orleans West Bank, you deserve local expertise and advice. Lisa Heindel provides full time, professional real estate services to buyers, sellers and military transferees in Algiers, Algiers Point, Belle Chasse, Gretna, Terrytown, Harvey, Marrero, Westwego and more.
Here's the disclaimer part: The opinions expressed here are strictly those of the author, but you are free to share yours in the comments. All information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed,
Copyright 2008. Lisa Heindel, All rights reserved.
Lisa, You not only had a fabulous day, you shared some pretty terrific photos. I would have loved all of it....except for the alligator!
Lisa - sounds like fun for you, but I wouldn't want to be anywhere near alligators, in New Orleans or in Florida. I love crawfish pie (where someone else does all the shelling) but in terms of plain boiling, give me Maine lobster any day.
What a great day, Twin! What an amazing accomplishment for your friend! How in the world did he accomplish so much in so little time? That star will be shining bright.
Carole, it was amazing to watch this alligator. Not very big, but brave. He would disappear each time a boat went by, but then resurface and head back towards our side of the bayou, looking for the cast off shells. I was fascinated!
Sharon, I was so happy to have boiled crabs today! They are my favorite boiled seafood, despite the fact that they are the hardest to pick meat from. Do you get crawfish pies in FL?
Twin, it was an amazing day and a great celebration for a VERY bright young man. He tested out of almost 30 hours of classes when he entered college, so it jumpstarted his education! We are all so proud of him.
Lisa~I love the pictures and the story you have told here. I felt as though I were there visiting. I hope you have a wonderful week!
Lisa - This looks like an awesome way to spend a Sunday afternoon. It was certainly warmer than here today. I have to tell you the "Strangers become acquaintances, acquaintances become friends and friends become family" comment had me smiling. Gotta love that southern hospitality! The feat you guys had set out made my mouth water too. haha
LISA - Sounds like a great day on the Bayou. As usual, you've proven that New Orleans is a great place beyond the beads and the mayhem of the French Quarter.
Lisa looks like you had a terrific day! The view is great...I know I could live with that everyday :)
I'll pass on the gators but the rest sounds like a lot of fun! :-)
Lisa, Congratulations to your friends son. Not sure about those alligaters swimming up to a boat. I'd be a nervous wreck. Love to visit New Orleans, haven't been there in a long time, since I moved to Mid West, but was there often when I lived down South. Glad you had a beautiful day.
Please ship some of those crawfish north! Man do they look good!
Julie, thank you. I hope your week is wonderful too!
Jesse, it was a beautiful day and I actually got just a touch of pink from the sun. Come down anytime and you won't feel like a stranger at all :)
Adam, thank you...it's amazing that you can drive such a short distance and be in another world.
Bill, the view is great. My 12 year old looked around and said "I could live out here".
Kelly, that gator had a huge audience! The kids were watching him very intently and when he would go underwater they would get all excited, wondering where he would show up next.
Missy, this guy was not that big. Probably about 4-5 feet long, and he certainly didn't swim right up to the shore. He waited for the current to bring the food to him - smart guy.
Martin, :)) There's no place like home.
Lisa - Thanks for sharing your day with us. And what a day it turned out to be. Great photos! I wish I could take a stroll like that someday!
Terrie, thanks! It's a bit different from your mountains, yes?
Lisa,
All that's missing here are some good recipes! Great photos and content.
Mike in Tucson
Heeeey Lisa, It's been a busy busy week but I finally made it here! Oh, what a beautiful location! HMMMMMM, I can smell the crawfish, shrimp and crabs boiling in that spicey water!!! YUMMM I would have definitely eaten my share of boiled crabs -- they are my favorite too -- of course, I would have thrown in a few boiled shrimp and crawfish just to taste them. :) Desserts sound wonderful too. OHHH, I've never taken the swamp tour -- always been on my list of things to do though. Maybe when we go visit you, we can take one of the swamp tours. :)
Mike, see Judi right below you for recipes - she's a Cajun girl who likes to cook :)
Judi, I was wondering why the seafood didn't bring you around!! LOL! The swamp tours are really very cool, as long as you take a lot of stories with a grain of salt :)
Yeah, I promised to cook when I go to New Orleans to visit Lisa!!! :)
Lis - Nicely done on this post, which I am going to include in the Family Ties recap for the week. Very evocative!
Wow...five years and all that! I know a guy who dropped out of community college with no degree...after five years!
What a cool way to celebrate, too. Alligators in the wild are awesome.
It sounds like a beautiful day. You must've had a wonderful time. Thanks for sharing! :)
Amazing! I love it there! I need to come for a visit. My husband just opened an office in Baton Rouge. Is that far from you?
Judi, and I'm holding you to that promise!
Jason, thank you so much for including me - I really appreciate it.
Joey, the alligators were VERY cool - I couldn't stop taking pics of him/her!
Debi, it was a wonderful time...good friends, good food...what more could you ask for on a Sunday afternoon?
Mel, you do need to visit. Baton Rouge is about 90 miles from NOLA - you could be here in 1.5 hours!