Crawfish at Big John's Seafood Patio

Betty wanted crawfish, so she suggested Big John's Seafood Patio.  Reservations were made and after happy hour, about 15 of us headed out.

By no means is crawfish the only thing on their menu.  They have great seafood of all kinds and po boys too.

But crawfish was what most of us came for.  They sold it in 3 lb, 5 lb or 10 lb.  If you wanted anything with it such as potatoes or corn, you ordered that extra.  Notice the plastic boxes they used to bring us our crawfish.

I've had crawfish before, but never as big as some I had last night.  Here is Carleen holding up a crawfish that was big enough to eat the meat from the claws too.

They empty the sacks of live crawfish and clean them before they head for the boil.  The sacks are approximately 40 lb each and when asked how many they used on a Friday night, they said about 60.  That's about 2400 lbs of crawfish.  Wow!

After they are cooked they are weighed before heading out to the tables.

Cajun Country

Following Mardi Gras, we headed to Cajun Country, the area around Lafayette.  We had reservations for Betty's RV Park in Abbeville, LA, but not until March 1, so to Cypress Bayou Casino we headed.  One of my favorite things to do in this area is the Zydeco Breakfast at Cafe Des Amis in Breaux Bridge, LA.

Tom V. was taking the picture, but there was 5 of us who braved the cold and early morning hours to make sure we got a table.  The doors open at 7:30 am, but if you aren't in line by 7am, you may not get a seat.  You are supposed to give up your table after your meal is done, but most people want to stay and listen to the music.  The band starts at 8:30am and plays until about 11am.

From the time the band starts, the dance floor is packed.  And yes, Max and I did get out there and do some cajun dancing.  Chuck and Sherry, you taught us well.

Max and I had stayed at Betty's RV Park back in 2009 and always said we would be back.    Even though it is a small park, you are family when you are there.  Always something going on, even if it is only happy hour.

Betty was inducted into the Cajun Hall of Fame in February.  

Her patio is decorated with fountains and bright painted statues and flowers.

This is Liz, the GatorQueen of Swamp People, a show on history channel.  A friend of Betty's, Liz and her husband, Justin, dropped by to visit on the day we arrived.  If you have never watched Swamp People, it is a treat.  It is on Thursdays at 8pm on the History Channel.

This is Kristie, the Gator Wrangler, Liz's partner on the show.  Together they hunt alligators in the swamps of Louisiana.

More Mardi Gras and New Orleans area

Saturday it rained all day and I thought we might just float away.  Well, we didn't float away, but we did have ponds of water between the sites.  It took several days before the water receeded, and even when we left almost a week later there was still some water standing.  Most of the parades were cancelled for the day.  The Krewe of Endymion rolled in New Orleans, even in the rain, although it quit shortly after the parade started.  New Orleans did not get the rain we did over here on the north shore.

We did go into town on Sunday afternoon to see the Krewe of Bacchus parade.  Along the streets people have brought ladders so they can get up high to see the parades (and also to better catch the beads).  The boxes on top are for small children to sit.

The floats here at Mardi Gras seem to be so much more colorful and decorative than most parades.

We wandered down to Bourbon Street and found  many people in costume.

And of course we had to stop and get a hurricane at Pat O'Briens.

You really never know what you will see on Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras...  

Even on Sunday it was quite crowded.
On our way back to the car we were on Canal Street and a parade was still ongoing.  We found ourselves in a crowd like I have never been in before.  I truly understand now how people get trampled.  People were pushing and shoving and it was all you could do to keep standing.  If someone had fallen, then would have been trampled.  It was scary.

Monday we took the day off from Mardi Gras and took a bike ride on the Tammany Trace from the park to Abita Springs.

At Abita Springs is a statue showing an Indian maiden taking the healing waters of the spring.

On Fat Tuesday we again headed to downtown New Orleans for the parades.  Nancy and I joined the festivities by getting dressed up.  Maybe not as crazy as lots of the costumes we saw, but we had fun.

My intent was to get to town for the Krewe of Rex, which have the King and Queen of Mardi Gras.  But we got there in time to see most of the Krewe of Zulu.  

I think I enjoyed the floats in the Zulu parade better than the other parades I saw.  They also threw the best beads and gifts.

I quit trying to wear all the beads I caught, they got to heavy, so I only kept a few on.  We are taking all the beads to the Bandera Dance Rally since one of the dances is a Mardi Gras night.  I'm ready...

I'm not even going to try and post all the pictures of unusual costumes, there were way too many.  I'm really glad I made it to this Mardi Gras.  It has been a lot of fun.

One of the floats from the Krewe of Rex.

Another from the Rex parade.

It was crowded again on Bourbon Street and the parades were still going on too.  And more people were in costume today than on Sunday.

We went back into town on Wednesday (after Mardi Gras) and many of the trees still were covered with the beads from the parades.  I wonder how long it will take for the city to clean up all the signs of Mardi Gras?
Well, it's over, and I'll be heading on down the road, but I am glad I came.  It was an experience like I've never had before.

New Orleans and Mardi Gras

Leaving Pensacola, we traveled to Gulfport, MS, where we spent the night in the parking lot of Island View Casino.  It is so sad to travel along Hwy 90 between Biloxi and Pass Christian.  The area still has so many signs of devastation from Hurricane Katrina, and the old homes can never be replaced.  But the next morning we were on our way again to Fountainbleu State Park, on the north shore of Lake Ponchatrain.  Just across the 24 mile bridge is New Orleans on the south side of the lake.  Tom V. had never been to New Orleans before, so we headed down to the French Quarter so he could see it before the craziness of Mardi Gras next week.

Even the market dresses up for Mardi Gras

You can find musicians, mimes, magicians and street acts going on all through the quarter.  Notice the man in the air.  He jumped over the group of people by tumbling.

Had to take Tom to Cafe Du Monde for beignets (pronouced been-yeh) and coffee.

This is typical of most bars and restaurants in the area.  Large doors open to the public with tables outside as well as inside.

But what set this place apart from others was this help wanted sign.  

We walked up to Pat O'Briens for dinner.  This is their famous flaming fountain inside the courtyard.

As the sun sets it gets more crowded on Bourbon Street.

This is me with another parade watcher showing off the hats we caught.  They throw more than just beads I found out.  This is my first Mardi Gras and it has a rich tradition going back to the 1700s.  Originally started in Mobile, it gained its notoriety in the 1880s here in New Orleans.  But I did not know the parades do not go through the French Quarter.  The parades start on Feb. 4, and go until Fat Tuesday, which is the day before lent starts.  Towns all throughout Louisiana and along the gulf coast celebrate Mardi Gras.  As it gets closer to Fat Tuesday, there are more and more parades, sometimes 3 in one evening.  We only stayed for the first of 3 parades this night.

Each parade has a theme and is put on by a Krewe.  The floats all represent the theme in some fashion.

Friday evening in Mandeville, on the north shore of the lake, the Krewe of Orpheous was putting on the parade. 

The floats are all beautiful, heavily decorated and they throw everything from beads, to stuffed animals, to cups, frisbees, and even hats.

After the parade we came back to the campground and had a fire.
Saturday is forecast for rain all day and as I sit here posting this blog, it is raining outside and the campground has large puddles of water standing everywhere.  But the rain is supposed to stop tonight and clear out, so more parades tomorrow.  

Pensacola, FL

Parked at the Blue Angel Naval Recreation Area on Perdido Bay.  We tried to get into the campground at Gulf Island National Seashore, but they were full.  After getting here though, I think we have a better campground anyway.  The gulf is just a block away and if it wasn't so cold, I'd put the kayak in the water.

Downtown Pensacola had the Peacemaker docked and you could tour the boat for free.  But as Max said, it wasn't free since we bought some pastries they had for sale and he gave a donation.  The Peacemaker was originally built in 1989 in Brazil by an Italian shipbuilder.  It was taken to Savannah, GA, to be finished, but sat for 8 years untouched.  The Twelve Tribes bought the ship and finished it in 2008.  

The ship, both inside and out, was beautiful.  All wood and stain glass, it was luxury like I have never seen on a masted ship.  The Twelve Tribes is a religious organization which believes in separation from the things of the world.  When you join you give all you have to the tribe.  All money you make from then on goes to the tribe.  You live, eat, and do everything together as a tribe.  For more info, google the Twelve Tribes.

This area is known for its white sand beaches.  Some of the whitest, finest sand I've ever seen.

Fort Pickens is at the end of the barrier island.  It was one of 3 forts built to protect Pensacola Harbor.

It is probably most famous as the home of Geronimo when he was sent out  here after his capture.  Although he only lived here 2 years before being returned to Ft. Sill, OK, Florida capitalized on his presence while he was here.

Pensacola Naval Air Station is home of the Blue Angels, the Navy's premier air show troup, and also has the Naval Aviation Museum.  This is my second time here and neither time were the Blue Angels here.  When they are in town they practice on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and you can go watch them for free.  But the museum is worth going to anyway.

This Stearman is the aircraft Cadet George Bush flew while in training for WWII at the Naval Air Station in Minneapolis, MN.

This funny looking plane is actually the first plane to cross the Atlantic.  We usually think of Charles Lindberg when we think of the first Atlantic flight, but he was the first non-stop Atlantic flight.  This aircraft crossed the Atlantic some 13 years earlier, in 1919, make 2 stops.