Where The Wind Takes Us... One Doggie Field After Another

Idiosyncrasies of Louisiana

1. In Seattle, once you get off the beaten path and onto the back roads, everyone waves as they drive by. Here, in Ville Platte, it is such a small town that I think most view strangers with suspicion. But after a month of waving at the workers here in the park where we're living, the workers started waving back! I think they were just humoring us at first but after a few months I have seen some genuine waves. They've accepted us into the fold.

2. We were wondering why there were so many strings attached to a bridge over a Bayou in the park. Only during our last days here did we finally understand. This bridge is our favorite alligator bridge and we have seen some beautiful one's snoozing right below. The strings we found out, are for sending food to the alligators to play with them. Probably a good thing we didn't know!


3. In Seattle there are drive through Coffee shops on every corner so you can get your caffeine buzz. Here, there are drive through Margarita shops on every corner... daiquiris to go is a common slogan... well its a little scary driving down here knowing they exist!

4. The local news stations pause in the middle of broadcast to give you bible study class and Merry Christmas signs are everywhere. It just isn't like this in the rest of the country that I'm aware of. We found out also, that the youth ministries are scheduled to come into the public schools. This is just so odd from where we are coming from.

5. If you look closely at the trees in the campground there are Mardi Gras bead necklaces strewn all throughout the branches. After a windy day, they are scattered all over the grounds. Mardi Gras is a big thing down here, and after Thanksgiving partying here, I can only imagine how wild it is here!

6. Coming out as someone who doesn't eat much meat, is a strange thing. I don't think there are very many vegetarians here and when I brought my veggie enchiladas to work, it was a strange sight! At Burger King, I will often order their soyburger, BK Veggie Burger. Here, when I ordered the BK Veggie they gave me a hamburger with extra lettuce and tomatoes. It's the thought that counts!

7. Graveyards here are just amazing! Because of the low water table, the coffins are not buried but closed into cement, marble and even bricks. In many old graveyards, large swirling marble structures hold the dead, and one old crypt had a beautiful marble angel on the top. They are just beautiful.

8. P.S. Spiders are BIGGER here...