My Friends, Mon Amies

As has often happened, we ended up extending our stay at Betty's because we had some friends who we did not want to miss passing through Abbeville. In addition to seeing several more people, extending also gave us a chance to enjoy another feast at Betty's, hear one more band at Sounds on the Square, see our local friends who played music at Betty's and attended another cook-off. That sure made for a very busy week. 

Since we were extending our stay, the spot we had been parked in was reserved for someone else so we had to do the famous Betty Shuffle. That required Wayne (who also extended his stay) to move to another spot  and we moved into his old spot. We have done the shuffle several times and it's not really that big of a deal.

Getting to stay meant we got to see Elda, a local who we had not seen since we arrived. We also visited our friend Ollie who had a stroke since we were here last year. She is doing very well but did want any pictures. We sure hope that by our next visit she will be out and about. She and Elda both live up to Ollie's philosophy, there are no old ladies, there are only old clothes. 

Donna and Calvin Touchet wanted to show their appreciation to the support Betty's RVers give to the Cajun jam sessions at their bar, so they cooked lunch for everyone in the park.

A huge pot of Cajun spaghetti, yes it was spicy, salad and rolls for 35 people. A few of the RVers brought dessert, making for a wonderful meal. Thanks Calvin and Donna for a great feed.

A few of our friends waiting to eat Sue, John, Sharon, Mike and B.J.

More friends Priscilla, Betty, Jerry, Gloria, Sandy and Debby.

We always look forward to seeing our friends from Quebec when they pass through Abbeville on their way home from wintering in Mexico. Mon amies Lucie, Michele, Vitale, Jules and Alain.

Mon Amies Mado, Denise and Michelle.

More friends, Merlene, Karen, Reg, Steve and Bill in front. Donna, Calvin, Nanc and Rick in back. As usual at Betty's, the food brought everyone together for a fun afternoon.

Because of the big rain the week before, the Sounds on the Square was held the first Thursday of April. The Bayou Beats Band played a variety of swamp pop, which to me is just adding a Cajun flare to many old time rock songs.

For Friday's happy hour we had a Party on the Patio at Betty's. Dan, Dave, Kristy, Eddie and Joe had the place rockin. We sure will miss these fun times when they play at Betty's.

Our Quebec friends Mado, Denise, Lucie and Michelle enjoying the music.

Paul, Sandy, Merlene and Steve listening to the band and chowing down.

More Quebec friends Michele, Remi in front and Evon and Rick standing.

Nanc and me with Mado. She is the one who originally brought this group to Betty's. A couple years ago we went to Quebec for her 80th birthday. 

Paul, Sandy, Reg and Karen had the front row seats for the music.

Monica and Cordell stopped by for the evening and to wish us good-bye.

B.J. and Mike.

Gloria and Jerry.

Brett, Betty's son, and the best hostess ever, Betty.

Sandy, Bill, Steve and Debby.

As you can see, the band had them out of their seats and rockin and rollin.

One last picture with my Canadian friends Michele, Remi, Vitale, Jim, Evon, Alain and Rick. We always know we are in for a fun time when they arrive.

Michelle, Denise, Mado, Lucie and Nanc saying those last farewells until the next time. Without a doubt, making and seeing friends is one of the best things about our lifestyle and we have made more friends at Betty's than anyplace we have stayed during our nearly 12 years on the road.

By staying through Saturday we were able to go to the Cajun Culture Association's Black Pot Cook-Off at Touchet's. The music started at 10AM with the first of three bands that played all day. All the things in front of the band stand were auctioned off to raise money for the association.

Over twenty groups prepared their favorite black pot creations.  Everything from gumbo to cracklin cooked with many different meats and seafood. Your $5.00 admission let you taste as many as you wanted and no one went away hungry. These cook-offs are the best deal around if you want to try a lot of different food at a very cheap price. My hands were so full I failed to get any pictures of the food. 

The last band really had the place rockin. This accordion player got his start when the Cajun Culture Association bought him his first instrument years ago. The association does a great job of keeping its culture alive. 

Another fundraiser was the 50/50 drawing and look who won, one of Betty's RVers, Sharon. She was a happy gal taking home over $250 after making a donation to the association and buying drinks.

Steve "Rooster" and Nanc on the dance floor. I had to keep a close eye on how he was holding my wife.

Our dear friend Betty and Nanc. We had a great, fun-filled month at our favorite RV park. While we were sad to leave, as we always say, if you don't leave you can't come back.

The Caught in Betty's Web signpost had added a few more names by the time we left. There is still plenty of space for more signs as people pass through what Sharon calls "The Happiest Place on Earth".

We are back in Stuart until after Memorial Day and are looking forward to enjoying the pool, beach and warm weather of the Treasure Coast spring. While we are not in Opus, we are still Running Down Our Dream.