Crawfish Boil. Music & Suprises

The good times continue at Betty's with a whole new group of people. One thing we were able to participate in was a crawfish boil right here at the park. Hal, one of the RVers who is from Louisiana, had all the needed equipment and it was really neat to see the whole process from start to eating.

Top left are two of the three 30 pound bags of live mudbugs patiently waiting for their baths. Top right; Hal adds crawfish boil, salt and water to the cooler of bugs to purge the sh_t (poo) out of them. Bottom; the bugs are being moved to the rinsing tub and into another cooler to await their turn in the hot tub.
Top; we learned that a boil also requires the drinking of beer so they turn out just right. The first test batch comes out of the boiling water and are dumped into yet another cooler where Hal added some Cajun Swamp Dust to enhance the flavor. Then a few of us gather around the test run to make sure they were all cooked to perfection.

Last comes the eating of the crawdads, corn, potatoes and onions Hal also cooked up. This is definitely a roll up your sleeves meal.

We did another Saturday afternoon of Cajun music at the Museum Cafe in Erath. The band is playing in front of the mural of Grammy nominee D.L. Menard whom we met at the Museum when we visited earlier in our stay.

Some old and new friends.

Top is Nanc with Ollie whom we met on our first visit three years ago and have seen on every return visit. Next is Tom & Nancy (seated) and Tom & Marge, two couples who were at Betty's for Mardi Gras and stayed in the area for a few more days. Bottom are Ken & Barbie who were at Betty's on our '10 visit and stopped by for the music. Next are Dan & Merlene our new neighbors for the rest of our stay. Everyone now at Betty's has been here before. She sure knows how to bring people back.

Another potluck dinner was a surprise birthday party for Shirley, pictured with Betty. She thought she was going out to eat after happy hour and was shocked when the cake was brought in followed by all the food. As usual eating is a big part of the stay here.

Fat Tuesday and Farewell

The morning after our late night return from NOLA we were up and on the road by 7AM to go to Lafayette for the Fat Tuesday parade. The others at Betty's opted out of this early morning trip so we were on our own. There were three parades scheduled for that day but because of the threat of rain we only did the King's Parade. That was our fifth Mardi Gras event in two weeks. We had also missed a parade in Baton Rouge on Saturday because a big storm front was coming through. Twenty miles away in Rayne a tornado injured several and killed one.

As part of the pre-parade festivities there was a costume contest. Some of them were very creative. Top left to right are Balloon Man driving a balloon car, Le Petite Chaperon Rouge and the Bag Family; Leaf, Garbage, Lady and Paper. Bottom are a few adult contestants and a young mermaid. It was a fun time for the entrants and the crowd.
Top is a real Mardi Gras parade expert who had a net to catch beads over the barrier. Nanc with a couple of revelers. Bottom is our spot at the rail that we claimed with our chairs and a big umbrella. We are learning this parade routine. The mounted police lead the parade and were followed by a pooper scooper.

Some of the parade floats with the King in the center of the bottom row. There were a couple of quick showers, but for the most part the weather was fine.

More floats. The floats were nicer than the smaller parades in Scott and Church Point, but not as elaborate as those in NOLA. There were also several bands.

Nanc with our booty from five parades.

We may have to get the rig weighed. We sent a box of beads to Nanc's sister Judy for her granddaughters and plan to recycle most of the others. We had a great time at Mardi Gras and got to see a good mix of different events from the Chicken Run to the big parades in New Orleans. The Chicken Run was the most fun while NOLA had the neatest beads and trinkets and is something that everyone should see.

A few of the group who had been at Betty's for the entire month. Since most of them were leaving the next day we had a going away party with a chili pot luck and Jim C. making a gallon of his great apple pie cocktail.

Betty's on Wednesday morning after nine rigs pulled out. The only vehicles were Ruth's and Wendell's, Marvin's and ours. But, not to worry, by 3PM all the spots were full and good times at Betty's continue. We did nothing that day as we were trying to take it easy after two weeks of going, going, going. As we usually do when we stay here, we decided to extend our stay until the end of the month. We are caught in Betty's web.

NOLA Mardi Gras

We wanted to go to New Orleans to get a taste of Mardi Gras there so on Monday we met up with Valerie and Richard in Baton Rouge and rode with them into the Crescent City. They have been there many times so they knew exactly where to park so we could see two parades and get out of town before all the traffic. The parade ended at 8PM and we were in bed in Abbeville before midnight. The parades are sponsored by krewes, social clubs that are all about celebrating during Carnival. Each krewe has a different theme and the floats in that parade reflect that theme.

Nanc, Jim, Val and Richard getting ready for the parade. They are experts at claiming a spot to the point that Valerie bought a $2.00 throw away shower curtain to put on the ground to mark our territory.
This year there were 55 parades and 37 balls in New Orleans beginning on February 19 and ending on Fat Tuesday, March 8, so these people know how to parade and party. Top left are ladders with seats and safety belts so kids can get above the crowd to get beads. Top right is a permanent sign about not parking on the street during parades and middle is a car that was decorated because it was not off the street. Bottom right is a float coming out of the warehouse before the parade. Left is a float rider with a dozen bags of beads he will be throwing to the crowd. Each bag weighs 25 pounds so you can figure there must be over a million pounds of beads thrown during the parades that take place in New Orleans during the two and a half weeks of Carnival season.

When in New Orleans do what the New Orleanians do.

Actually I was just putting on my sweatshirt and wanted my Mardi Gras tee on the outside. This was the most vulgar act of near nudity we saw in the neighborhood where we watched the parade. It really is a family affair. The most violent thing that we saw happen was Nanc getting hit in the nose with flying beads. Since the beads here were bigger than the other parades we have seen, she does have a black and blue mark across the bridge of her nose.

We wondered where all the beads come from and discovered they grow them on trees along the parade routes.

The first parade was the Krewe of Proteus which is the second oldest krewe in the city. Proteus was known in Greek mythology as the shepard of the sea so the floats and trinkets they threw had that theme. Nanc got a neat stuffed seahorse that is one of the prized items they throw.

Floats from the Proteus parade.

More Proteus floats.

The second parade was the Krewe of Orpheus, the musical son of Zeus and the Greek muse Calliope. This krewe was started in 1993 with a musical theme and Harry Connick Jr. was one of the founders. The theme of this year's parade was Visions of Other Worlds and, as you can see above, some of the costumes (bottom) were out of this world. Top are the Shriner motorcycles with Nanc and Val who begged a seat. Bottom left are Nanc and Val with two of the Muff-A-Lottas, a dancing group that marched.

This parade was after dark so the pictures are not very good but it was great in person. There were many bands in this parade and the floats were the most beautiful and elaborate we have seen. Bottom center is a flambeau, a person that carries a flaming torch or flare. They are part of the tradition going back to when there was no electricity to light the way. This flambeau has money pinned to his shirt as a reminder that you should give him a donation for the group. We caught some very nice trinkets including a much valued Orpheus metal doubloon. We really had a great time at this parade as it had the best floats, beads and other trinkets of any of the parades we have seen.

Courir du Mardi Gras

We all gathered for a 7AM departure to caravan to Church Point for the 50th annual Mardi Gras Chicken Run (Courir). Everyone at Betty's was invited to Mr. Johnny Stanford's farm to watch this traditional Cajun celebration. This custom dates back to the Middle Ages and is a tradition carried on by the Cajuns. Back then the poor would dress in strange costumes to mock the aristocrats while traveling from farm to farm collecting food and money.

Top, the group from Betty's settles in and do what we do best, eat and drink, while we waited for the fun revelers to arrive Bottom left, Wendell, the master chef for the day, brought his grill, ribs and pork chops while others contributed sausage, shrimp, hot dogs and boudin. Middle, CeCe, Irene and Lori show off their hats. Right, Nanc discovering that you can drink wine for breakfast.

As part of the Chicken Run tradition the Captain arrives on horseback and asks the owner, Mr. Stanford, for permission to come on his property to gather chickens for the end of the run gumbo.

The "chicken chasers" arrived by the wagon load around 11AM. They had been at it (chasing chickens and drinking) since 6AM and had already been to several farms. This added to the craziness of the whole affair.

They wear colorful fringed costumes, wire mesh masks and pointed hats called capuchons. Many show their disdain for the rich by NOT wearing the traditional green, purple and gold. Middle bottom is a beggar asking for money to help pay for the meal.

One of the wagons had a live band that played Cajun music as the revelers asked the ladies to dance. Top dancers from our group left to right are Bobby, Linda and Irene. Bottom is Betty dancing with The Captain, Diane and Nancy Doyle.

The wildest part was when the chickens (guinea hens) were released and the revelers captured them for the gumbo. Today they don't eat these particular birds as the gumbo is ready for the group at the end of the parade. But, there was a pickup that had a pen loaded with all the captured birds.

Top is the Captain with a captured chicken and the young man who got the first one. Bottom is a bird about to be released and its captor giving it to one of the Captains. Center are a few of the birds in a "pet taxi" to make them think they were just going for a ride.

In addition to the people on horses and the floats there were many walking and stopping to dance with spectators. Mardi Gras is a participation event.

A few of the more than fifty floats in the parade that followed the capture of the chickens. Many floats have generators so they can play music and most have the traditional port-o-john so they can recycle the beer. They came in all shapes and sizes and the revelers on board looked like they were having as much fun as we were watching and catching beads.

There were hundreds of horses, some with riders and others pulling wagons and floats.

And of course the goal of a Mardi Gras parade is to get beads. Top are an exhausted Bobby and Jim, Ruth, Irene and Nanc. Bottom are Nicole, Betty, Diane and Scott, and Terri and Rich. All of them weighed down with their booty. Everyone had a GREAT time and we all agreed we have never seen anything like this. This was the most fun of the five Mardi Gras events we attended. If you are ever in Acadiana for Mardi Gras make sure you see a Chicken Run.

Sharing More Cajun Culture

We continue to give Tom and Georgie a crash course in Cajun culture. We went on the Champagne's Cajun Swamp Tour to get up close and personal with many swamp dwellers. We previously took the tour with Bryan in 2008 but that was in the fall and we wanted to go in the spring with the hope of seeing more gators. We were rewarded with seeing many turtles, birds, a nutria and a few gators. Bryan is a Cajun who was born and raised in Acadiana and gives an excellent tour explaining the flora, fauna and culture. Bryan's boat is designed to run in shallow water and the motor is quiet which enables him to get you close to the animals. Another plus is there are no mosquitoes here because of the tannins in the water.

Tom and Georgie enjoy the beautiful Louisiana weather.
They have done a core boring and confirmed that this bald cypress is over 500 years old.

This is a blue heron rookery. If you look closely you can see two or three birds. We also saw many egrets and cormorants.

Bryan got us real close to this heron. This makes Nanc very happy as the heron is her favorite.

A few of the many turtles that were out on this warm sunny day soaking up the warm rays.

Click on this pic to enlarge it and see if you can find the small gator.

No need to enlarge this one. Bryan said you can tell their length by estimating the distance from the eyes to the tip of the nose and just change the inches to feet.

This big boy was about twelve feet long and looked like he was eyeing us all up for an easy meal. This is a wonderful tour that we highly recommend for anyone visiting the area.

We continue to eat well at Betty's. She cooked rice and red beans as the main course for a potluck. Tom said he was starting to enjoy the Cajun cooking. Right are Rich and Terri who are making up for missing the gumbo dinner when someone indulged a bit too much. We had a great week with Tom and Georgie showing them why we love coming to Betty's; the food, the music, the culture and most of all, the people.

First Mardi Gras Parade

There are way too many Mardi Gras celebrations (including a dog parade) going on in the area to see them all so we had to pick which ones we wanted to attend. Our first parade was on Sunday in Scott, a little town near Lafayette. Lori Harvey, who is staying at Betty's, is from the area and acted as our guide so we could get a prime location to watch the parade and catch beads. We arrived a couple of hours before the start and still had to walk a ways to get to the spot. The streets were lined with people, but at our spot we did not have anyone behind us so there was less competition for the coveted prizes.

Of course decorator Nanc put a new flag and beads in front of the rig to keep us in the spirit. The flag has the traditional Mardi Gras colors which represent justice (purple), faith (green) and power (gold).
The King Cake is now a Mardi Gras tradition that dates back to the 12th century where it was baked on January 6 to celebrate the Epiphany, the three Kings' visit to the Christ Child. A small token was hidden in the cake as a surprise. After the French brought the tradition to Louisiana in the 18th century it changed into a Mardi Gras custom. A small baby figurine was hidden in the cake and whoever found it was allowed to choose a mock court and host the next king cake party. In 1870 the Twelfth Night Revelers began using the cake to choose the queen. A large wooden replica had little drawers that contained silver and gold beans. Picking a silver bean meant you were in the court and the gold bean made you the queen. Today the cakes, which come with a variety of fillings and are still decorated with the traditional colors, come with a plastic baby to be hidden in a the cake. The person who gets the baby must then buy the next cake. As you can see by the picture the cake has been very popular here at Betty's.

While walking around before the parade we saw this great homemade Cajun Camper called The Little Whatever Building. The owners Calvin and Marlene saw us taking pictures and invited us in. It had most of the comforts of home including the little porch where they could kick back, drink a beer and watch the parade. They even invited us to stay at their place if we ever go to Breaux Bridge for the Crawdad Festival.

The parade started with police cars and firetrucks, local politicians, and the queen and her court.

Then came the floats that ranged from small wagons to double deck trailers to the old school bus that had been converted into a fifth wheel. Many of the floats had music and a common feature of all the floats was the port-a-john so the revelers could relieve themselves along the parade route. Everyone on board was throwing beads, but we soon discovered that not all beads are created equal and the goal is to get the nicer beads or other prizes they were throwing. They threw toys, dolls, candy, cups and tokens.

Here are a few of our crew begging for beads. I had to ask myself why are we standing here begging strangers for small trinkets? But when I got a couple of "nicer" things I knew the answer, this is a real hoot and a great time was had by all.

Nanc and a few of the partyers on the floats. How about that set of beads on the guy in the middle. What did he have to do to get those????

From Betty's: Linda and Jim; Nanc, Tom and Georgie; Rich and Terri.

Mary Beth and Tony; George and Judy; Jim and Bobby; Jim and Nanc

While some people wore all the beads they got we put most of ours in a bag. I think my neck would have been hurting if I wore all of them. A few people weighed their beads and they had over 25 pounds per couple. No children were harmed by these adults in the collecting of these beads. All those beads and this is only the first parade. We all made signs to show we were out of towners in hopes of getting better gifts. We had people from Quebec, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, California, Michigan and South Dakota. The signs did work as several in our group got some better prizes. We even lucked out and received a handmade doll and a fleur de lis teddy bear.Nanc with the nicer beads in hand and a sack full of other beads and trinkets. I really love the louvered glasses and the "big" beads. We have four or five more parades planned for this weekend through Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras). If this little parade in Scott was any indication, we are looking forward to a fun fun time.

LAISSEZ LES BON TEMPS ROULER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!