Koryn, Merlene, Water and Music

Recently there has only been from four to ten RVs at Betty's because at this time of year the weather is starting to be very warm.  We have had several days of hot, windy weather and all the water in the area adds to the humidity. We have been running the air conditioner more than we like just to keep it comfortable in the rig. That said, we are not complaining because three couples who left here since we arrived in April have s**w pictures on their blogs and Facebook pages. Check out Anywhere USA and Doing It on the Road if you miss seeing the white stuff.  I don't know why this happened to Mark and Renita but I'm sure Ray and Wendy are suffering the Curse of the Steeler Gnome.  While the park has not been full there are new people coming and going each week.   We continue to have a fun time and have decided to stay through Memorial Day weekend so we don't have to worry about finding a spot during that busy time.

At the beginning of the week John and Kathy (left) pulled out and, as you can see, there were only a few of us to wish them well and send them on their way.

All the talk in Abbeville is about Koryn Hawthorne, a local high school student, who has made it to the top five on the Voice.  Betty made sure everyone at the park is voting to support her. 

Two days after making the top five Abbeville had a parade to show their support.  Hundreds of people lined the parade route and filled the square.  The mayor gave her the key to the city and she was named the Grand Marshall of next year's Cattlemen's Festival.  The folks from Betty's made signs to show our support.

After the parade and speeches Koryn sang a few songs that had the crowd on their feet.  Here is a link to the Voice where you can hear her.  You can also vote for her at this site on Monday as she sings to move on to the next round.

Another big event this week at Betty's was Merlene's birthday and as you know we use any excuse here to have a party even when there are just a few of us.

Here are Judy, Dan, Merlene, Betty, Irene (Betty's aunt), Nanc and I at Irene's home for the party.

Dan and Judy serenaded Merlene with a few songs including one called Merlene that Judy wrote that morning.  Here is a link to Dan and Merlene's Facebook page where you can find a video of Judy singing the song.  What a special birthday for a great lady. 

That same day was also Dave's birthday but he could not make the party so the next day we got together for lunch to celebrate.  Here are Linda, Dave. Dan, Merlene, Betty and Nanc after a fun birthday lunch.

There is a lot of water around Abbeville, but this is about as close as we ever get to it, watching the boats on the Vermilion River.

That changed on Saturday morning when Betty's niece Monica and her husband Cordell invited us to join them for a ride down the canal from Don's Boat Landing to Vermilion Bay on a party barge.

This map shows where we traveled from Don's across the Intercoastal Canal to Vermilion Bay at the bottom.  On the left is the Vermilion River and on the right is Bayou Teche.  Almost all of the waterways that are straight lines are canals dug out by the oil industry.  Because of all the canals there is a lot of erosion that is causing the wet lands, that help protect the mainland from storms, to slowly disappear.  The camps pictured below are right where the canal flows into Vermilion Bay.

Merlene and Dan enjoying the water and the cool breeze.

We were surprised to see a small village of fish camps at the end of the canal near Vermilion Bay.  They ranged from trailers, to hand built cabins, to this houseboat.  All of them are raised as this area is prone to flooding when there is a hurricane.  While there is power here, all the material for the building had to be brought in by boat.

Captain Cordell. Monica and Betty soaking up the sun.

The small canal we were on crosses the Intercoastal Canal, a major shipping route along the coast from Texas to New England.  Thanks to Cordell and Monica for showing us a bit of the area that we have never seen.

On Saturday afternoon it was back to Touchet's for the Cajun jam session and a dance lesson for Nanc.  Ollie, one of our local friends, told her she was now an honorary Cajun. The music is one of the things that keeps us coming back to Betty's.