Michael Harding captures Alexandria in photos

Visit this blog for some fantastic photos through the eyes of Michael Harding as he passed through Alexandria as part of his Miles2Go tour of the country.  Select image to view.

Old River Control Structure - How Great the Risk?

As the flood waters of the Mississippi system move south each year and pass by where the Red River becomes the Atchafalaya River, how long will the man made Old River Control Structure be able to hold?  Here is a good assessment, not by the Corps of Engineers but by a smart young lady who lives in the area of this old structure that is straining to keep the Mississippi from changing course to overcome the Atchafalaya River.  She explains the situation from a very practical point of view.



See also my post from 20ll.

"Letters from Vietnam" - James H. Leggett III

In1968, Jim Leggett was a First Lieutenant in Vietnam.  Before going, his father made him promise that he would write his mother weekly.  At LSUA in Alexandria, LA on March 11, 2018, Jim read some of his letters.  Matthew Dunn introduced Jim.  The event was sponsored by Friends of the James C. Bolton Library and the Historical Association of Central Louisiana.

View this playlist of 13 videos from “Letters from Vietnam” to hear excerpts from these special letters written by James H. Leggett III.  We are honored to know Jim as a dear friend.

Videography by Dave Curry

Introduction by Judy Curry, (l) Matthew Dunn, (r) Jim Leggett

Plaquemines Parish - NY Times article

As the Mississippi River meanders south of New Orleans, it forms the backbone of Plaquemines Parish, a place beautiful in its starkness which will outlast us but will be gone someday.  A great article appeared recently in the NY Times which tells some of the story.  We have enjoyed some special times at the Woodland Plantation near West Pointe a la Hache.

Best Ribs Ever!

Our next door neighbor, Fred, is a wonderful neighbor and a great cook.  He occasionally knocks on the door unexpectedly with a fine meal he has prepared.  This was one of those days as he brought over a rack of ribs and some roasted corn on the cob.

The ribs were absolutely THE BEST I've ever tasted!  Thank you, Fred.

Crosses - Hurricane Harvey

Hurricane Harvey devastated Houston with severe flooding at the end of August; it also flooded many homes in Beaumont and to the east in Orange and Vidor and into southwest Louisiana.  Alexandria has a mega shelter at the LSUA AgCenter which housed about 2000 residents, mostly from Orange and Vidor.

As the week unfolded and I learned that so many unfortunate guests would be arriving, I decided to make some crosses.  Usually it takes me quite awhile to make a "batch" of crosses, but I eliminated some time consuming steps at the end of the process - staining and two coats of polyurethane with fine sanding in between coats.  I figured that the raw wood crosses, in this case heart pine (from the heart) would be very meaningful to those whose homes had flooded and lost so many possessions.   So after assembling and sanding smooth the surfaces, and then carving all of the corners, I had 96 beautiful crosses to share with those who were displaced.

On a sunny Saturday afternoon, I took the crosses to the mega shelter and shared them.  The responses were very moving - tears, smiles, "thank you"s, hugs, and beyond.  The Harvey crosses were a simple gift that I could share; the responses I received I will never forget.  May God be with all who were impacted as they rebuild their homes and lives.

Poverty Point World Heritage Site

In the northeast corner of Louisiana there is a very special place, once inhabited by indigenous people, thousands of years ago.  We had the opportunity to visit the excellent information center on 3/31/2017, and then took the driving tour.  View my photo video by selecting the image below and also visit this website.

Poverty Point Reservoir State Park

A day in Lake Providence and the Panola Pepper Factory, an evening at Poverty Point Reservoir State Park, and a morning at Poverty Point, a World Heritage Site that is very special.  I'll have a special blog post for it.

The cabin we stayed in was really nicely decorated, like a fishing camp from to first half of the 20th century.

Lake Providence

A Special Thanksgiving - with Special Friends

With perfect weather and great friends (none of us are quite perfect :-), it was a very special Thanksgiving at the Woodland Plantation in West Pointe a La Hache, about 40 minutes south of New Orleans.  We shared many a story, hearty laughs, and outstanding food in Spirits Hall; there is so much for which to be thankful!

(select image to enlarge)

the Big House

view from Big House back porch

across the pond

Randy and Becky

Jim and Babs

Dave and Judy

(photos compliments of Becky and Dave)

Louisiana Flooding

The August flooding of south Louisiana has flooded over 40,000 homes.  We pray for those impacted.  The people of Louisiana have also come together to save and help others.  Pictures say a lot.
National news media coverage has been lacking, but BBC shows some impressive before and after views.  Select image to view on YouTube.

A map from August 15th shows many of the road closures in the Baton Rouge and Denham Springs area.

Interstate 12 was closed for over 50 miles, but the Cajun Navy came to the rescue.  Boaters got their friends together and in some cases drove eastbound on the westbound lanes of I12, and launched their boats to rescue those flooded.  It will be a long recovery.

A Cross for a new church in Mobile

In April I received an email about a post from March of 2013 named "Made a Processional Cross".  It was from a young man, Christopher, who is part of a small Anglican church plant of Church of the Apostles in downtown Mobile, Alabama.  They needed a processional cross, so I agreed to make one for them.  What a joy to be asked!  I made it from mesquite as I did in 2013 in the same basic style. 

Finished - in our backyard

You may follow the progression from slab to finished cross in Mobile at this link.  Most of the crosses I make are 2 or 3 inches tall, and I now have made and given away almost 1800.  I feel very fortunate to have this calling.

the slab of mesquite

Rev. Blake Johnson and Christopher Brinson

Courir de Mardi Gras

Tuesday, February 9, is Mardi Gras.  Weather and all else permitting, we plan to go to the Cajun Mardi Gras celebration in Mamou, LA, known as the Courir de Mardi Gras.  We witnessed this a few years ago and it is quite a unique experience.
We will start at Fred's Lounge at 7 a.m. with the crowd before the riders come through town.

Then we will join the procession of cars/trucks that follow the riders for awhile.  Here is a link to an hour long documentary referred to by "Louisiana Cultural Vistas" as"the acclaimed documentary Dance for a Chicken: Inside the Prairie Cajun Mardi Gras, funded in part by a grant from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities. The article captures the rollicking festivities in Eunice, the "Tee" Mamou run, and the jousting parodies offered up by the revelers. "   Eunice is just down the road from Mamou. 

Laissez le bon temps rouler!

Mamou - 2011

A Great Place to Live

It's the middle of winter and I just came in from trimming plants in the yard which is quite lush right now.  Some of the plants are confused with leaves that died in a recent freeze, while fresh stems are sprouting.
And yesterday was one of the greatest block parties I remember.  20th St. between Jackson and Albert was blocked off in the Garden District, and so many friends gathered in Mardi Gras regalia as "Jamie Bergeron and the Kickin Cajuns" from Church Point, LA, played Zydeco and Cajun music for a couple of hours.  Great snack food from crawfish cheese dip to clam dip to red beans and rice and on and on was plentiful, as was the beverage. 

We are enjoying living life in Louisiana!  View a "home video" and video from KALB.

Alex Winter Fete - a great festival

We are so proud of the very special 3 day festival that Alexandria started last week, the first annual Alex Winter Fete.  You can view a wonderful video on Facebook.  There was a temporary ice skating rink that was so popular, snow making machines on top of buildings, music, vendors, and lots of people having lots of fun.  And the weather cooperated with evening temperatures in the 40s.  This could be is the start of something big!  Congrats, Alexandria!

Lake Fausse Pointe State Park

We enjoyed three days this week in a cabin at Lake Fausse Pointe State Park, about 25 miles south of Henderson along the Atchafalaya west protection levee.  Also enjoyed driving over to St. Francisville and New Iberia seeing the harvest in the muddy cane fields.

Sunrise from the deck of our cabin at Lake Fausse Pointe State Park

Chicken breast stuffed with spinach Madeline, corn macques choux, corn grits from Poches Market

Loading cut sugar cane

Listen to the birdsongs with a view from our cabin.

O. K. Allen Bridge - Demolished

At 8 a.m. on September 26th, the O. K. Allen Bridge was demolished, making way for the new Curtis-Coleman Memorial Bridge connecting Alexandria and Pineville across the Red River in Louisiana.  It was a magnificent sight, which you may view in this video.  The demolition occurs at 1m:12s, and then it is gone.  Right after the demolition, cranes began picking the sections out of the river to clear it for barge traffic.

the instant of explosion

a Louisiana getaway - Opelousas, Grand Coteau, Sunset

On a summer Friday and Saturday, we drove an hour and a half to St. Landry Parish and enjoyed the old towns of Opelousas, Grand Coteau, and Sunset.

In Opelousas we enjoyed breakfast at the Palace Cafe across from the court house and a great lunch at the Back in Time Restaurant.  A very special attraction was the Orphan Train Museum.

We enjoyed a drive around historic Grand Coteau, lunch at the Creola Cafe, and a short jaunt over to Arnaudville.

In Sunset is Antique Woods of Louisiana, a place full of old wood, doors, tables, and some old decorative cast iron.  We wandered through there for quite awhile.  We stayed at La Caboose B&B which is a collection of old rail cars and structures - a caboose, mail car, ticket office, and the depot in which we stayed; not fancy but certainly unique.  Ms. Margaret, the dear owner, also has a shop where she sells her homemade jelly, jam, and decorated gourds.  We bought one with a turtle.

Margaret with our turtle gourd

Cafe Josephine is a fine Louisiana restaurant just a couple blocks from La Caboose.  Enjoy this video of our trip:

Hotel Bentley - Preservation in Progress award

Michael Jenkins, owner, and Sarah Mason, Director AHPC

Owner Michael Jenkins was presented with the Alexandria Historic Preservation Commission's (AHPC) Preservation in Progress Award as reported in today's TownTalk.  I'm pleased that my nomination for The Hotel Bentley project resulted in this award recognizing the significant renovation of this historic hotel in downtown Alexandria.

The Hotel Bentley

The Hotel Bentley - Mirror Room opens

On Friday afternoon, May 1, the Mirror Room lounge opened.  This is the first step in reopening the historic Hotel Bentley, built in 1908, last closed in 2004.  Mike Jenkins is doing a magnificent job of restoring and rehabbing this fine structure which will be a focal point of downtown Alexandria as our downtown continues to come back. 
We enjoyed a drink in the lounge which has been preserved so well.