Parque Natural Mexiquillo

2.28.2015

Beauvoir

Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate State of America, fell on tough times after the south lost the Civil War. In 1876 the widow Sarah Ellis Dorsey invited him to visit Beauvoir and offered him a cottage near the main house. Sarah moved to New Orleans and Jefferson and his family moved into the main house. Upon her death Sarah bequeathed Beauvoir to Jefferson Davis where he lived for the rest of his life.


Jefferson Davis' bedroom
Daughter's bedrooms

Dinning room

About 80% of the furnishing are original to when Jefferson Davis lived here.

Front parlor

One of the daughter's bedroom. 

There is no wall paper in the house.
All walls and ceilings were painted.
The other daughter's bedroom.















2.24.2015

Elks



When we were in San Antonio the local Elks Lodge agreed to accept Phil, Linda, Linda and my applications for membership. But, we would no longer be in San Antonio when our applications were voted on at the next lodge meeting. The lodge was very accommodating, letting us go through the initiation ceremony at a lodge down the road. We were voted into the San Antonio Lodge last week  are we now camped at the Slidell lodge, where we received a very warm welcome.  We completed our  initiations yesterday and we are now all Elks. This is one the nicer Elk campgrounds with Spanish Moss draped Oak trees



2.20.2015

Laura Plantation

We visited a historic Creole sugar plantation. The word Creole means that you were born in Louisiana. There are French Creole, Native American Creole, German Creole, South African Creole to name a few. The plantation was begun in 1804 with the erection of the manor house by Guillaume Duparc. It remained in the family until 1891, when it was sold to Aubert Waguespack whose heirs resided on the plantation until 1984.















In Creole tradition, the house sits on 7 foot high piers hidden by the fence. 





There are no hallways in traditional creole homes, one room opens into the next. The porch was often used to pass between rooms. 


This door, like all the wood in the manor, is Bald Cyprus. Insect proof against even termites. Then in the custom of the day, the wood was painted to look like other woods,  called Faux painting. 





There was a fire in 2004 and one room was left unrestored. This shows the post and beam with brick construction. These wall are 16 inches thick with a covering of Spanish Moss, horse hair and plater.



Original slave cabins


By tradition, and maybe by law, slave cabins were a duplex, two 16 x 16 foot room. There were between 2 and 5 slave in each room. Each cabin had a garden and animal pens for the slaves to raise additional food. The door and additional roo in the back were added in the 1800's when they were used as workmen's cabins.

We also so visited Oak Alley Plantation, but enjoyed the tour at Laura more. 

2.17.2015

The Big Easy

It's Carnaval time in New Orleans. You might think that one Mardi Gras parade occurs on Fat Tuesday. That's not the whole story. There are 23 Mardi Gras parades over a two week period, culminating with the Rex Parade on Fat Tuesday. Each parade is organized by a krewe, pronounced crew, which is more like a fraternitiey. You are invited to join and may spend thousands in the course of the year supporting krewe's activities. In addition to the parade, there will be the  Mardi Gras ball. The Krewe rides the floats and throw cheap beads to begging, screaming adults.

French Quarter

Andrew in Jackson Square

But Duaine, will it last?

Get geared up for Mardi Gras
Burbon Street

No judgement during Mardi Gras








THROW ME SOMETHING!!

What a great horse drawn fire engine.


2.15.2015

USS Kidd

USS Kidd (DD-661), a Fletcher-class destroyer, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named after Rear Admiral Isaac C. Kidd, who died on the bridge of his flagship USS Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor.



Today, the Kidd rests high and dry on supporting blocks. During the year the river will rise and fall as much as 40 feet. To keep her in place the Kidd is attached to large mooring posts on the river side that allow her to rise and fall with the river. 


The USS Kidd was never modernized and retains her WWII appearance. She has been loving restored by ex-navy volunteers. 

Sick bay
Galley 
Guess who eats here.

Sailor's berths, note the mattress' thickness


The Chief's berths, thicker mattresses

Two or three offices to a state room, and even thicker mattresses.
I think your smart phone may be more
powerful than all this electronics




Only the officers had toilet stalls with privacy curtains 

The flags signal the Kidd's call letter




Phil checks out the 40mm radar guided guns


A couple of 20mm guns.




The USS Kidd was known as the Pirate of the Pacific. She was a small destroyer and did not have the amenities of larger ships, like movies and ice cream machines. So, when they rescued a downed pilot, 5 gallons of ice cream was demanded for his return.