Sneaky Little Boys

June 14, 2013

 

Even though I checked in with Mrs. Richard several times last night and asked Graham repeatedly if I needed to be home at a certain time, I was still worried Mrs. Richard would be upset with me for coming in so late. Much to my surprise, she seemed to be very pleased that I had such a great time. Once Graham got home, she sat us down and explained to me my options for the day. One option was to join Mrs. Richard, D, and Peyton on a kayaking venture, and the other was to hang with Graham and meet up with a couple of his girl friend’s whom he hadn’t seen in a long time. Graham and I had a blast last night, but I didn’t want him to feel like he was forced to hang out with me so I was hesitant to accept the offer to tag along. When Mrs. Richard left the room to get ready, Graham told me not to feel obligated to go kayaking with his mom and that I was genuinely welcome to come hang with him and his friends. It wasn’t that I felt obligated to go kayaking with Mrs. Richards; I’m sure it would have been a blast, but with a sincere invite from Graham, I decided to hang with him instead.

I’m not positive of the reason, but we didn't end up being able to hang out with the girls, so Graham took me to a neighborhood called Tchefuncte, a beautiful area which the Tchefuncte River runs throughout. He and I went to sit on a dock within the neighborhood while we chatted about everything under the sun. After that we went to check out the country club and golf course which was also located in the neighborhood and ran into David, one of Graham’s friends who resides there. David joined Graham and me as we sat and looked out over the immaculate golf course.

Dock side with Graham- Covington, LA

 

After a text conversation between Timmy and Graham, our plans were made to go back over to Timmy’s for the evening. We departed from David and headed over to Timmy’s where Will had already arrived. I assumed we would have a night similar to the one before, short of the adventure walk through the forest (hopefully), but little did I know, Timmy had asked his parents if I could stay over. Huh? As soon as Graham and I were introduced to his parents, his mom exclaimed to me, “Oh, you’re the couch surfer!!” “Yes! Yes, I am!” I responded, feeling cool knowing Timmy had shared my trip details with her. She told me to follow her, so into the house I went. It caught me off guard when she started showing me around and telling me where everything was located that I might need for the night. I had my own room with a large bed and private bath. This was all awesome and very kind of her, but I was so confused! It was news to me that I was staying over, but SHE seemed to know all about it. Before we walked out back to join the boys, I thanked her for her generosity, but explained to her I thought she was referring to my trip when she recognized me as the couch surfer, not the girl that would be sleeping on HER couch. That’s when she filled me in that Timmy had asked earlier on in the day if it would be okay for a girl to spend the night. Ah, now things are starting to make sense. Sneaky little boy. Since the game plan for the night was to build a fire and enjoy a couple beers, I didn’t immediately turn down the offer and figured I would make the decision as to whether or not I would stay when that time came later in the night.

We, well, the boys, I should say, built up the fire out on Timmy’s property next to the river and set up chairs for us to gather around. Nothing too crazy happened tonight. It was a mellow, relaxing time, with stories and jokes and music and beer. We stayed by the fire until 3 in the morning before we headed inside. Since it was already so late, I figured it would be a better idea to crash at Timmy's rather than cause a commotion walking back into Mrs. Richard's house. Will put on a scary movie, but before we could even catch a good scream, everyone passed out.

Goats On the River

June 13, 2013

A quick stop in the Walmart bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth preceded a phone call from Mrs. Richard, another contact from family friend, Angie. Mrs. Richard lives in Covington, LA with her husband, D, 3 boys, Peyton, Hayden, and Graham, and big white Labradoodle named Beans. They graciously agreed to let me stay in their home for as long as I need to. When I told her I didn’t have any plans for the day, she asked if I would be interested in coming over and joining her oldest son, Graham, on the river a bit later. Looks like I have plans now!

Mrs. Richard was very helpful and shared a few spots in Slidell where I could take some pictures on my way to Covington. After stopping by the park and a canal for a few shots, I continued on my way. Before I could get out of town, I spotted a sign for Dippin Dots. Since I have been craving Dippin Dots for about 4 months now, I immediately made a u-turn and headed toward the dots! I quickly learned that even though Dippin Dots may be mouth-wateringly good, the burgers at this joint were supposed to be better. I had the pleasure of meeting the owner, Russell, a funny, friendly and outspoken man who did not approve of me calling him, “Sir.” When I explained a little bit about my trip to him, he was shocked. “Give me your parents number right now, I’m calling them and telling them what you’re doing!” he joked. He insisted that I sit down and talk with his good friend, Ben, who would be able to give me some directions to Covington. Ben told me about him and Russell’s friendship and how he’s been coming to the restaurant for 30 of the 100 years it’s been in business. He told me that he drives for an hour just to come eat the burgers, so you KNOW they must be killer! After chatting with Ben for several minutes, it was time for me to continue on my journey. I thanked Russell for the Dippin Dots and told him I wished I had never ordered them after hearing about the burgers. Russell promised that if I ever came back my burger would be on him, and with those kind words, I was on my way.

As soon as I walked in the door to Mrs. Richard’s home she offered me some of her homemade jambalaya. YUM. I knew at that moment this was going to be a great place to stay. She was so welcoming and upbeat and very on top of things, which I suppose is a must when you’re the mother of 3 boys. I met Peyton and Hayden who made impressive first impressions with their manners, but D and Graham hadn’t quite made it home yet.

While eating my delicious jambalaya, Mrs. Richard told me about some great places to take pictures in Old Covington and other places around the town. Since I was planning to go on the boat with Graham and his friends, I tucked that information away in my brain and saved it for the next day. Not too long after finishing my food, Graham got home with his friend, Jordan, and after a quick introduction, we were off to meet up with the rest of the boys for some river time. Timmy, the guy who owned the boat, wasn’t quite ready for us to come out, so Graham, Jordan, and myself went to pick up another friend, Will. To pass the time, the boys took me to get my first Louisiana Sno-Ball. The weather in Texas is hot, but Louisiana heat is different. It was very humid and on days like today, there was no wind for reprieve. With that in mind, I’m sure you can imagine my heavenly experience with the finely shaved, sour-watermelon flavored ice. It tasted like little baby angels were dancing around on my tongue.

After wasting a bit more time, Timmy was finally ready to take the boat out so we headed to the ramp on the canal.

Now that the whole crew was together, the funny times commenced. They each had such unique personalities and even though 60% of their jokes were inside jokes between them, I thoroughly enjoyed our time. Timmy gets picked on by the boys from time to time, but he knows it’s all in good fun and accepts the beating with a smile on his face. Will is kicked back and I would pick him as the mellowest of the group. Jordan is the goofiest of the bunch. Graham is the cool guy without even trying and I feel like the boys look up to him in a way. And all of them together are a hilarious time and had me dying from laughter the entirety of our hang out.

Once we were on the water, we putted through the canal and eventually ended up in the river where two rope swings were located. All of the boys, minus Will, jumped off the boat as soon as we pulled up and started to make their way to one of the ropes so I went, too. A few other people were out there enjoying the water as well, so we waited our turn to swing. A younger boy climbed up the boards nailed on the tree and grabbed hold of the rope. Right before he jumped, he completely freaked out and couldn’t make it off! Everyone was hollering commands at him on how to jump and telling him it would be okay, but even still he couldn’t seem to ooch his toes to the edge. “Come on, you got this! It’s easy!” I shouted along with the others. After about 5 minutes of coaxing, the boy finally swung and plunged into the water. “See, that was nothing.” I thought in my head, but boy was I wrong. Only once I had shimmied my way up the tree did I realize why the poor little dude was scared. This rope swing was extra sketchy! The boards were barely nailed into the tree and some of them turned whenever you grabbed hold. I had the rope in my hand and shoved the knot at the end of it between my legs. I was just going to go for it when I heard Timmy from down below telling me to climb a little higher so it would be safer. I shakily stepped up a few more boards and felt my heart racing. Now I was the one up there with everyone else yelling at me! Graham and Will shouted words of encouragement and I knew I had to stop acting like a girl and just jump. With a big push off from the edge, I swung high in the air and penciled straight into the water. Geez, I definitely didn’t think that was going to be so hard! It was fun, but not fun enough for me to go again. Once the boys finished with the swing, we jetted down the river for a cruise while jamming out to some music before stopping in an opening for a swim. Timmy conjured up the idea to put life jackets on like diapers so we could float without effort in the water. These boys were so entertaining and a blast to hang out with. Everyone put on their diapers and continued to laugh and have a great time.

 

 

Rope swing- Covington, LA

 

Awesome dudes, (from left to right) Timmy, Jordan, Graham, and Will- Covington, LA

 

At nightfall, we headed back to the boat ramp and dried off to go to dinner at a restaurant called The Chimes. It was located directly on the water and if you walked out on the board walk, there were goats. Yes, I said goats, and yes, that’s kind of weird, but it was awesome. After placing my order for boudin balls, we all walked out on the pathway to hang with the goats and listen to the water pass. This place was so cool. When we came back to the table, another one of the boy’s friends, James, had arrived and planned to chill with us the rest of the night. We all decided to go to Timmy’s after eating. That’s where the adventure really began.

Timmy lives in a town about 30 minutes away from Graham and has a place in a more remote location right on the water with a forest of swampy trees surrounding. Will came up with the plan to go on an adventure walk in the woods on the way to the neighborhood pool. This was probably not a good idea, but we did it anyway. After barreling into the forest, we quickly realized we could not see ANYTHING and had no idea where we were going. The weeds that reached the tops of my knees and bugs that bit me every 2 seconds were a constant reminder that my flip flops and shorts were probably the worst outfit choice for this journey. After walking for only a short amount of time, we all voted to get out of the woods and find a better way to get to the pool, but of course, we wound up lost. The trek out of the forest lasted for at least an hour before finally finding a concrete road. THANK GOODNESS WE MADE IT OUT ALIVE.

We made it to the pool, but the swim was short lived since it was infested with bugs and even a toad or two. At 1:30 in the morning, we made it back to Timmy’s house. The boys decided they were hungry and decided to go to Butter Crisp, a local donut shop that remains open 24/7. The greatness that is Butter Crisp was explained to me the entire way there, and after eating the ooey gooey fresh glazed donuts, my expectations were deliciously met.

The boys taxied me back to Graham’s house where I quietly crept up the stairs and snuck into bed. What a day.

Bourbon Street, Ball Pythons...and Hubert

June 12, 2013

 

NEW ORLEANS HERE I COME! With a pit stop by McDonalds first…of course. I still haven’t been able to get my wifi device to work.

Today I learned that there is no such thing as free parking in New Orleans. I ended up paying $14 to park my car somewhere for only 2 hours. What a jip! During that time, I was able to walk around and experience day life on Bourbon St. and other streets surrounding. I think a new record was made for how many times I was hooted and hollered at in a day, but everyone I encountered was very friendly. Instead of me asking people if I could take their picture, people were asking ME to take their picture, which I found to be rather funny. Two gentlemen in particular grabbed my attention and asked me to snap a photo of them.

The man on the left said to make sure I let everyone know that he is a Hurricane Katrina survivor, so here ya go, friend.

 

“Roses are red, violets are blue, when I see that Texas smile, you make all my dreams come true!”

 

I saw more boobs and bottles of liquor than I think I have in my entire lifetime…okay, maybe that’s not true, but there was literally a cabaret every direction I looked and about 80% of people walking around had either a fancy New Orleans style drink or brown bag in their hand. I spotted a man wearing a jester costume and gold face paint heading my direction. I asked him if I could take a picture of him, but he suggested taking one with me instead. Just before a nice lady snapped our photo, I heard him say, “Just don’t forget to tip me.” Oh, right…silly me. I told him I didn’t have any cash and his response was, “Ain’t nothin’ free out here on the streets, baby.” Whoops, another lesson learned for me!

Street performers- New Orleans, LA 

 

On the way back to my car, I saw a young man hanging out by a fountain holding a snake. I introduced myself to him and learned that his name was James and his ball python’s name was Valatorous, which meant “strength” and “power.” I was super excited when James offered to let me hold Valatorous and I was able to get a picture with him.

 

James and Valatorous, the ball python- New Orleans, LA

 

After almost making it back to the car, I ran into a bike taxi guy that I had seen earlier in the day. He told me that he was off soon so he wouldn’t have time to take another passenger anywhere and offered me a ride for free. I was hesitant to take the ride, feeling terribly that I didn’t have any cash to pay him, but after chatting for a few moments, I decided I would let him drive me to a cluster of old buildings nearby for a few good photos. Zack and I talked as he peddled and I found out that he’s a really cool dude who grew up here in Louisiana. He was able to tell me interesting facts about the town and give me a bit of insight about good spots to go out at night. At the end of my ride, it came up that I was traveling and was planning to sleep in my car. After hearing that, he very politely and as un-forwardly as possible offered to let me sleep on the sofa at his place. He actually has a profile on Couch Surfers himself, but has it marked inactive since he has a friend staying with him for the time being. I love the way things seem to just fall into place. (I can thank the man upstairs for that one.) I didn't know if I would be taking Zack up on his offer for the night, but it was nice to make the contact for future reference.

DID I MENTION RICKY, ONE OF MY GREATEST FRIENDS, HAPPENS TO BE IN LOUISIANA TONIGHT?!

Ricky came to Slidell, a town close to New Orleans, and we were able to get together for the night. We went and grabbed a couple drinks from a gas station and headed to the pool at Ricky's hotel around midnight. We noticed a sign saying the pool had closed at 10:00 pm, but decided to stay until we were told to leave. After all, we weren’t doing anything loud or obnoxious to disturb anyone. Earlier we noticed an older security guard walking around who wore high water pants and a bald head. We decided he looked like a “Hubert,” so that’s what we called him. We were able to swim and chill in the pool for about 30 minutes before Hubert made his rounds and told us we couldn’t be in the pool or the gated area enclosing it. Being the clever thinkers that we are, we moved 2 pool chairs right outside of the gate and had ourselves a sit. While we were catching up, we noticed a toad sitting next to us and you know what that meant. It was frog hunting time! We caught several frogs throughout the night and had a great time just goofing off, talking, and taking sneaky pool dips in between Hubert’s nightly rounds. The simple things in life like experiences like this are what bring me happiness.

Part of the Ricky Adventure- Slidell, LA

 

After hanging outside of the pool UNTIL 5 IN THE MORNING, we figured it was about time to call it a night. Ricky retired to his room, and I to my car.
 

Goodnight moon, goodnight frogs, and goodnight Hubert.

Beignets for Breakfast

June 11, 2013

 

Pleasant conversation over coffee and beignets made for a delightful Louisiana style breakfast with Mr. Boudreaux this morning in a nearby town called Scott. We went to the Scott Museum after that, where Mr. Boudreaux knew everything about everyone. While we were inside, I overheard the man who worked there tell another lady that Mr. Boudreaux was the man to talk to if anyone ever wanted to know anything about Scott or the original families that resided there. I felt pretty honored to be able to be shown around town and have stories told by such a well-known and well-liked man.

Once we finished up at the museum, I went out on my own to take some pictures of peoples properties and horses. Earlier in the day, Mr. Boudreaux pointed out that all of the roads between his house and Scott were 90 degree turns because they were once dirt roads, tromped only by horse-drawn carriages. When they laid concrete over the roads they didn’t bother to change their direction, and also didn’t leave any room to park on the side of them. The lack of parking room caused me a little bit of trouble when trying to take photos. I was unable to capture quite as many shots as I wanted, but I made do with what I could get.

 

Mr. Boudreaux's favorite road- Scott, LA

 

A dinner for retired railroad workers is held every second Tuesday of each month, and lucky for me, today was that day! When we walked into Golden Corral, Mr. Boudreaux whispered to me, “Look, I’m about to have all them old farts talkin’!” As soon as we walked into the private room, one of Mr. Boudreaux’s friends walked up to him, took a look at me, shook Mr. Boudreaux’s hand, and said, “Congratulations, Cowboy!” Mr. Boudreaux just looked at me and laughed. He had previously shared with me that his nickname for the 25 years he worked on the railroad was "Cowboy." Once we were in the room with all his railroad buddies, I realized that to be true. Everyone hollered after him, “Cowboy this!” and “Cowboy that!” He told a lot of the same stories that he had already shared with me, but I didn’t mind hearing them again. One story he told was this: “One day, a priest was driving down the road and he was jerking and swerving all over the place. A police man pulled him over and asked him, ‘Father, have you been drinking?’ Father replied, ‘No sir.’ The police man noticed several bottles in the back seat of the priest’s car, and he asked him, ‘Well Father, what have you got in the back of your car?’ Father replied, ‘Well, that’s holy water, son.’ The officer asked him, ‘Do you mind if I taste it?’ Father said, ‘Sure thing.’ When the police man tasted what was in the bottle, he said, ‘Father, that’s not water, that’s wine!’ Father shot his hands up in the air and shouted, ‘He did it again!’” Everyone in the room, including Mr. Boudreaux, bust into laughter. Listening to Mr. Boudreaux catch up and joke with all his friends was a great time, and he kindly introduced me to each and every one of them.

When dinner was over, we made our way back to the house. Mr. Boudreaux let me use his washer and dryer so that I don’t stink for the rest of my trip, because in the morning- I’m off to my next stop.

14 Karat Cajun

June 10, 2013

Today I met a 14 karat Cajun. Mr. Boudreaux is the father of my long time family friend, Angie, who lives in Louisiana and opened up his home to me for a couple of days. When I first arrived, Mr. Boudreaux shared with me many stories of when he was in the rodeo. He did various rodeo activities, but the one that stuck the longest was clowning, which he began in 1966. I looked through a photo album that was full of memories from a vast amount of rodeos Mr. Boudreaux was a part of. He pointed out all of his clowning acts and explained how each of them worked. “It’s all foolery,” he said. When I finished looking through the album, he took me to a smaller house out back that he calls his “Clown Shrine.” Seriously, this place blew my mind. The walls were lined with posters from several past rodeos and the room was filled with all of the props and costumes from the acts I had just seen pictures of. There was a levitating table, exploding microphones, and even a huge canon! Absolutely everything used in Mr. Boudreaux’s acts is homemade and supremely done. He’s spent two years perfecting the canon act and hopes to debut it soon. Two giant barrels sit next to the canon outside, one made of iron and one made of steel. Even though they’re padded inside, he said he would still get banged around pretty bad once the bulls hit him. I can’t even imagine how much of an adrenaline rush it must be to taunt a bull to charge your direction, and then have it slam as hard as it can straight into you. He mentioned that looking at the barrel once he stepped out was a scary sight. Mr. Boudreaux is 69 years young today, and when asked how long ago he quit doing rodeos, he said, “Cowboys never quit. They just start and stop.”

 

Mr. Boudreaux's "Clown Shrine"- Lafayette, LA

 

For dinner, we went to Pizza Palace. I know what you’re thinking, “Italian food in Louisiana?” Nope! This place had the BEST po-boys, EVER. I was delighted to meet the owner, Dale, and his family who worked there. Dale was a great story teller, and a very wise man. He explained that he’s had some beautiful times in Lake Texoma, back closer to my home town, where he knows a woman by the name of Jodie Foster. He didn't know THE Jodie Foster, but this was close enough for Mr. Dale. One time, he was telling his friends that he could get them a connection with some people at Lake Texoma, and when he told them he knew Jodie Foster who lived there, they just didn’t believe him. When he called her on the phone, he said confidently, "Jodie, what you doin’ baby?” All of his friends nearly dropped to the floor in shock. As he cackled away, he said to me, “Now you need to remember, a Cajun never spoils a good story for lack of facts.”

After a drive around town and stories from Mr. Boudreaux about everyone that lived there, we headed back to the house and called it a night.

Mother Nature Moving In

June 9, 2013

After a toasty sleep in my car last night, I was able to get back in the boat and get my things together for a shower in the morning. I headed off to Best Buy in a town nearby to purchase a device that would allow me to have wifi wherever I go.

Once having my wifi problem solved, I headed to the beach to kick it and eat some lunch. I opted to check out one of the more secluded beach access points along the 30 mile stretch in hopes to avoid some of the chaos that is summer vacation in a beach town. I enjoyed graham crackers slathered in peanut butter while I watched other beach-goers play around in the ocean. Shortly after finishing my meal, I looked behind me and saw the gnarliest storm cloud I had ever seen heading my way. While walking to my car to grab my camera, a brisk gust of wind swept over the beach and I knew Mother Nature was about to unleash her awesome powers. While other people were scurrying to leave the beach, I stayed to watch the storm roll in and was able to snap some awesome photos for about 10 minutes before rain hit. Out over the ocean, the gap between water, blue sky, and clouds decreased until there was no longer any space between each. Looking directly overhead, I could literally see the dark grey clouds churning. It was one of the craziest sights to see. When the rain came pouring down, I headed to the car to bum around town and found myself back at the Strand.
 

Storm Rolling In- Galveston, TX

 

With my semi-scary encounter at the marina last night in mind, I decided to head back to Kemah before dark and got everything situated for when I returned after shooting sunset photos. Earlier in the day I asked several people where an optimal spot to catch some good pictures of sunset would be. Seeing that I find sunsets to be so beautiful, I found it a bit odd that no one was able to give me a good answer. I drove down under the Kemah Bridge where I was able to find at least a decent place to snap. Once the sun began to set, my breath was taken away once again by its beauty. The storm clouds from earlier produced the most amazing change of colors in the sky; from dark grays and oranges it faded to pink and purple pastels, followed by electric oranges, pinks, and yellows before finally becoming dark. In the midst of taking pictures, I noticed that a little alligator was chilling in the water next to me. I’m pretty sure that was my first time to ever see a wild gator, and again, I was reminded of just how fortunate I am to be able to experience these things.

Showering and dinner proceeded shortly after dusk and with a long day of beachy storms and exploring the town behind me, it was time to call it quits for the night.

 

Sunset- Kemah, TX

 

"Take a picture of me, baby."

June 8, 2013

The sun peered through the small sunroof in the boat this morning and that meant it was time to get things going. I immediately headed to town to pick up my laptop from Mr. Virus Remover dude. Starbucks was next on my agenda to grab a cup of joe and swipe some wifi time. Figuring out details for going to school, in another state, while travelling, has proved to be a rather difficult task. A phone call to Mom left me with several new questions to ask an advisor, but that would have to wait until Monday when the campus opened.

I went to the main beach in Galveston and people-watched for a while after leaving Starbucks. It’s so darn crowded here! After chilling for a lengthy bit of time, I figured I better go do something productive and take some pictures. Right as I was about to get up and go, a pretty fine young gentleman approached and asked me if I wanted to come hang with him and his friends. Of course…IT’S LIKE HE KNEW I WAS ABOUT TO LEAVE. Whatevs. TI thought about staying, but used my smarts and decided to leave anyway.

I remembered from a previous visit to Galveston that there was a pretty cool historic district with unique neighborhoods strung about. I thought it’d be a good idea to head over that way to find some cool things to shoot and I was not disappointed with my findings. I shot several different pink houses (yes, I consider that cool), decaying churches and tons other interesting things.

I decided to head to The Strand after that and see what photographic opportunities as well as shopping opportunities it could offer me. Since I’m on a tight budget, I walked away with only spending $3.00, and got some killer photos of blue trees, old buildings, and…attention-grabbing people, for lack of a better word.

 

“Take a picture of me, baby.” Street performer- Galveston, TX

 

I asked a lady earlier where I could see the sunset without obstructions and she told me that the beach would be the best place. So, back to bum the beach I went! I waited for what felt like too long for the sun to set. After a dip in the water, I turned around and saw that the sun had already almost completely set, BEHIND ME. I jumped in my car and sped off to try and find a good viewpoint. I was literally chasing the sunset, but was unsuccessful in my hunt for a good view and headed back to the boat completely bummed out.

When I got back, I realized that the door to the boat was not how I left it. The top part of the two-piece door that I had left completely closed was now off. I also noticed the sunroof that I had left open was closed. With no one else around, I didn’t think it very smart to barge into a dark boat that didn’t belong to me, and headed back to the car to try and figure out what the next best move would be. I attempted to contact Suzanne, but didn’t have any luck. I decided to approach the boat again and this time I came prepared with pink stun gun in hand (I know, super intimidating). When I got close, I hollered several times, but received no response. Feeling brave, I was prepared to bust in and dominate everybody, if anybody, that was inside, but when I saw the top part of the door was put BACK on this time, I figured I ought not mess with this person since they clearly were not trying to be bothered. With my tail between my legs, I went back to the car, cleared out my back seat, hung my towels over the windows, and caught myself some z’s. It was stuffy and a bit cramped, but at least I was safe.