Hammond, Louisiana Revisited

We first went to Hammond, Louisiana last summer when Andrew was visiting colleges. (See that post here.) Indeed, Southeastern Louisiana University won Andrew's heart (in large part because it was the only school that had a four-year degree in the major of his choice -- Industrial Technology with an emphasis on Drafting AND marching band and a good music program. He will minor in music.)

So, last week, we returned to Hammond so he could attend freshman orientation. He had a great time -- learned a lot about the school, registered for fall classes, and made new friends.

Bob and I had a grand time too. We stayed in this delightful inn, the Hughes House Bed and Breakfast.

The proprietor, Ms. Lee, makes a tasty full breakfast and gave us a tour of this historic home full of fascinating antiques, art work, and curiosities. In addition to comfortable guest rooms, there's a private pool where Bob and I spent a couple hours relaxing.

Earlier that evening, we found this fantastic specialty wine and beer shop, Red, White, and Brew. Love that catchy name. A nice man named Todd helped Bob and I create a make-your-own six pack. With his vast knowledge of beers, he suggested brews based on what we told him we liked. (Me, dark and sweet, Bob IPA or stouty.)

Then we had dinner at a pizza place called Tommy's on Thomas. (Thomas is one of two main streets in town.) I am not kidding you when I say we ate the most delicious Greek pizza we'd ever had in our lives! We can't wait to go back. Plus, they had my favorite beer on tap, Abita's Vanilla Double Dog. Double score!

What is your favorite adult beverage?

Free Fishing Weekend

Once every year, the folks in charge of fishing in Louisiana host a free fishing weekend, meaning one may fish without a fishing license, without fear of citation. I do not have a fishing license, so I enjoy taking advantage of this event. I fished on this weekend last year, too. I didn’t catch anything then, and yesterday was equally disappointing. Bob and I used both a lure and really old frozen shrimp. But not a single fish took the bait.

 

I suspect those Wildlife and Fisheries people send out a memo. “Don’t bite! They didn’t pay for it!”

 

Fishing reminds me of my father. When I was young, Dad took me fishing quite often. Fond memories. I don’t think I have a photo of me fishing with Dad, but here’s one of Dad and my sons. We went fishing with him in the spring 2007, just prior to moving to Louisiana.

 

It’s a week away, but Happy Father’s Day, Dad!

How about you? Did you go fishin’ this weekend? What did you catch?

Avery Island and the Tabasco Factory

I recently went to Avery Island and toured the Tabasco factory. In 1868, Edmond McIlhenny made some spicy sauce and shared it with friends and family. The condiment was so well received, Edmund decided to make more and sell it. Now this famous hot sauce is packaged in 22 different languages and shipped to 162 countries around the world. All the sauce is made at this one location, and they produce an amazing 700,000 bottles a day!

Only 1% of the capsaicin peppers used to make Tabasco are grown on Avery Island. The other 99% are grown in Central and South America. Only the reddest ripest juiciest peppers are harvested by hand, ground into a mash, and put into 50-gallon white oak Jack Daniels whiskey barrels. (JD can only use each barrel once; Tabasco can use them multiple times.) The mash is stored and fermented for three years, after which time it is mixed with a strong vinegar, stirred for 28 days, and then bottled.

After the factory tour, including small complimentary Tabasco bottles, visit the Country Store for all the Tabasco merchandise you can imagine, as well as free samples of all their many sauces and products, including Tabasco Coca-Cola and Tabasco ice cream, all very good.

Avery Island is near the Gulf Coast, south of Lafayette, Louisiana. These 200 acres sit atop a salt dome that extends deep into the ground farther and larger than Mt. Everest is high. Also on Avery Island is Jungle Gardens. In this lovely garden grow large moss-draped live oaks and many varieties of plants, including 64 varieties of Chinese bamboo. The garden is especially well-known for its azaleas and camellias, and I recommend going when these flowers are in bloom. There is also a large egret and heron rookery on the property. Read more about Avery Island here.

Two questions I have that I did not find answers to while on the tour – how many peppers are needed to make an average-sized bottle of Tabasco? And how did Mr. McIlhenny come up with the name, Tabasco? Does anyone know?

PS: I found this on the website . . . “Tabasco,” a word of Mexican Indian origin believed to mean “place where the soil is humid” or “place of the coral or oyster shell.”

High School Graduation -- one of many milestones

This is what I did last weekend.

 

I was shocked when I logged on here and discovered how long it had been since I last posted. Well, I've been a little busy. With both boys graduating in the past two weeks, family visiting, a graduation party . . . it's been a bit of a whirlwind.

One would think after all that, I'd have something interesting or insightful to say. I'm not really sure what to say. Or think. Plenty of thoughts and emotions are swirling around and colliding in my head. And I guess I'm still trying to process and sort them out.

Certainly, there is pride. I'm so proud of these two guys. Both have excelled in their own unique ways. And as a parent, I'm pleased for having brought them safely thus far, though I take little credit for that. Safe keeping is out of our hands to a great extent, and I give God all the glory.

And there's also humility. My sons are so far ahead of me when I was there age in terms of talent, maturity, and morality. And I marvel at how that happened. Again, praise God.

There's a bit of sorrow, as I know my life will never be the same once they both enter college this fall. I'll miss them. They won't "live" at home, but will be more like perpetually welcome visitors.

But there's also joy, realizing how far they have come and knowing they have their whole lives ahead of them and I can't wait to see what they do.

There's anticipation, for Bob and I to spend more time together; to do things and go places we've put off over the years, especially since living in Louisiana where we've had no family to keep an eye on the boys if we wanted to go away.

It's a lot to ponder. A lot to look forward to. These are exciting times in the life of my family.

What are your thoughts? Any tips for this soon-to-be empty nester?
 

Starks Mayhaw Festival

The Starks Mayhaw Festival is this weekend. Mayhaw is a southern fruit tree. I'd never heard of mayhaw prior to moving to Louisiana. But I do think it is a fun word to say, even if you can't eat them right off the tree. Kind of like crabapples, in that respect. Mostly people make jelly with them. Or wine. I doubt I'll make it to the festival again this year. But I went last year and had an interesting time. You can read about that trip here.

How about you? Did you find anything fun and interesting to do this weekend?

Mother's Day 2013

It's that time of year again when we celebrate moms. As a mom, I miss my son Eric who has been away at school on Mother's Day for the past three years. As a daughter, I miss my mom (she lives in Pennsylvania) and wish I could be with her on Mother's Day. (I love you, Mom!!)

Here's my beautiful Mom and I, taken on her 70th birthday in 2011.

Me and my boys, taken about a week before Mother's Day last year. Am I really that short?

And here's a flashback to a fun special Mother's Day from 2010.

I have no idea what we'll be doing this Sunday. What are your plans? How will you celebrate Mother's Day?

Cleaning Out the House, Literally and Figuratively

We had a garage sale last weekend. It’s a lot of work – sorting through drawers and closets, gathering things together, sneezing through the dust in the attic, exploring boxes that haven’t been opened since we packed them up in Pittsburgh six years ago. I put a price sticker on each item -- on toys and games we no longer play, CDs we no longer listen to, picture frames, kitchen and house wares, collectibles. On memories.

 

We hauled it all outside to the driveway before daylight. Early birds perused the boxes before we even had everything organized, but that’s to be expected. Then we attended to a fairly steady stream of shoppers until mid-day, when we boxed up the leftovers for Goodwill. For our efforts, we gleaned a few hundred dollars. But more importantly, my house feels lighter. It’s a great feeling, purging the excess, releasing what is unused; the unnecessary stuff that merely takes up space and creates clutter.

The whole process got me thinking about more than uncluttering my house. I pondered what I might eliminate from my life, to make my spirit lighter and less messy. How about stress and worry. Situations that cause me disappointment. Negativity of any kind. Yes, these things need to go. Somehow I suspect this will require a longer process than having a garage sale. But with even greater benefits.

I recently participated in a study with my church, First Presbyterian Church of Lake Charles, on Tommy Newberry’s book, The 4:8 Principle: the Secret to a Joy–Filled Life. It is based on Philippians 4:8:

. . . whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.

It’s the same concept as having a rummage sale of the soul. Purge the negative. Focus on the positive.

It’s a lot of work. But so worth it.

What do you need to rid from your life?