Saturday, November 12, 2011

A Taste of Louisiana

Below are a few photos I captured while zipping around Baton Rouge and surrounding areas the week of 11/1/11. Sadly, some of the previous years' hurricanes have wreaked havoc on many of the trees in my beautiful state. Many were uprooted or beat to a pulp. Boo to Katrina and Gustav and Ike. You were not welcome and we curse thee.

Magnolia Mound Plantation
Baton Rouge, LA
Found floating inside a rusty basin at Magnolia Mound Plantation.
The caretakers assured me it was not real.
My first spotting of a Belted Kingfisher. Had to crop this down significantly which results in a less than stellar photo; wish I could have gotten closer.
Watson, Louisiana
Grace
An old kettle in my godfather's back yard. We had many a crawfish boil in this kettle when I was a girl.
My godfather's property is on a hill that backs up to a lake which is why there is a slope. This ferocious little dog is his neighbor. Each time I took a step toward him he retreated backwards, barking all the while.
"Don't come any closer! I MEAN IT!"
"Oh, I guess she doesn't mean any harm."
This was the above attacker's sidekick.
I named him Barney Fife.
St. Gabriel Cemetery ~ St. Gabriel, LA
My Uncle Bobby tells me this cross has been black since he was an altar boy in the 1950s, probably to represent death. All the priests in those days wore black vestments at funeral masses.
There's something about these crypts from the 1700s and 1800s that I'm drawn to. 

No visit to Baton Rouge is complete without photographing this unusual tree wart.
I think I pronounced his name Boudreaux last time I saw him.
The rest of these birds I found right outside my mother's apartment:



29 comments:

Kathy said...

I especially like the cemetery and the bluejay shots.

TexWisGirl said...

the cemetary shot of the flowers in the foreground is stunning. nice portrayal all around. loved the old kettle too. so cool.

Karen @ Pieces of Contentment said...

Love your first photo, it all looks so inviting and gracious.

Anonymous said...

I'm drawn to those old cemeteries, too! These are all wonderful photos! I really want to tour the plantations one day.

Hilary said...

I love that copper kettle and that yappy little pooch. The Kingfisher is an elusive little brat, isn't he?

beth said...

what can i say....barney stole my heart :)

Anonymous said...

Wow wow wow! Superb shots! The kingfisher is glorious - as are all the shots.

Sigh - thank you for all this beauty!

La Vie Quotidienne said...

These are great! Almost like being there. But I don't know that alligator looks awfully real to me!

Happy to hear that your Mom is okay and you found a good place for her to reside...this can be such a difficult time, for the parent and for the child.

Rosie Grey said...

Wonderful photos, Gail, and the series with the dog is absolutely hilarious! :-)

Pat said...

What a lovely sampling of Louisiana sights! I love the white house with the wraparound porch! The dogs are adorable, even though they are ferocious. :)

the wild magnolia said...

You are a splendid photographer, I love your choices. Monsieur Barks a Lot, and Barney Fife are adorable, made to make us laugh out loud.

Magnolia Mound Plantation no doubt, my long lost home.

Of birds and kettles I am always enamoured.

Thanks for sharing.

Nancy said...

Loved all of these photos from your neck of the country, Gail. I agree with Tex that the cemetery/flower photo is amazing.

A Creative Grace said...

What an interesting post, filled with beautiful images, thank you for sharing them!

Elliot MacLeod-Michael said...

Beautiful plantation. I've never actually seen that place up close though I've driven by it probably hundreds of time. I moved to BR from South Florida in '08 but a couple of months ago I moved out to Plaquemine. Recently went to Nottoway Plantation for the first time and was very impressed.
+followed

Unknown said...

These are all such great shots.. What a lovely place! I just had to smile at the ferocious little dogie. What a cutie.. And you captured both of them perfectly!!!

Hugs, Linda

Leslie said...

Love the dogs, the house, the kingfisher! Inspiring photography.

Charlotte Wilson said...

I love those shots of the birds outside your mother's apartment. What a spectacular show for her every day.
Funny about small dogs...they must think that they are really bigger than they are. Ha! very cute banter.

Reena said...

It was fun seeing your part of the world ... Love front porches like that. I also have captured some kingfishers but they are usually so far away, so not very good focus.

Robin Johnson said...

Your photos are stunning!

hootnonny said...

Terrific tour of your old stomping grounds!

Kittie Howard said...

Beautiful photos - and I sense you're feeling a bit uplifted. And I have one of those kettles, well, sorta (a bit bigger, and kinda squat) it came over from Spain with my great-grandmother. My grandmother used to stir the stick when the white clothes boiled.

Even a fake alligator makes me cringe. Yikes!

Anonymous said...

Some very beautiful captures & I LoL w/ the Barney Fife comment! =)))

Lisa Gordon said...

These are wonderful Gail!
I especially love the Kingfisher, and the little Yorkie.

Tricia said...

Great shots, Gail. Barney, the dog was my favorite. He makes me think of my own dog and has a cartoonish quality about him...how cute. I wish I could be as good at outdoor photos as you are :)

Hilary said...

Gail and others. Watch out for that comment by "Prasetyo" above mine. It's a spam site, heavily laden with popup videos. I deleted his identical comment on my own blog just now.

Shug said...

Hi Gail..
I just love visiting the old plantation homes down in Lousiana.
I love hearing the stories about the history of the old homes. I once visited the Lloyd Plantation just outside of Alxandria and what a facinating place it was. Ghost and all!

Great pictures Gail...

Justine said...

what a wonderful set of photographs, makes me want to go and visit

Travel With Lulu said...

Such a lovely capture of your area! Birds, trees and all ;)

Kittie Howard said...

Thanks for stopping by, Gail. From connecting your dots, I think the move to BR will nourish everyone's soul. Having said that, I'm sure it was a difficult decision to make, as roots (work, etc.) are roots and can be difficult to untangle. So big applause for you for working with the situation instead of against it.

We'd build on our lot in Ascension Parish in a heartbeat but we've got to go via a house we have in North Carolina first. I've met some from North Louisiana who've never thought of going back. Not so for South Louisiana - everyone I've met longs to return.

Good luck, hon!