The State of Louisiana...Belle

Warm greetings from Cajun Country! I'm as happy as a tick on a fat dog. :) Seriously though, I am incredibly thankful for the prayers God has answered after spending 2 years wandering around in the desert. My daughter and I both agree that this is our year, and we are going to enjoy and savor every moment. Here's the "State of Me" bullet points.

• Helping plan my daughter's wedding, though she's so organized, she doesn't need any help. Still, it's fun talking about it with her.
• Making new friends and reconnecting with old ones. (Many, MANY prayers sent up about this issue, as I tend to close myself off when depressed.)
• Displaying my photography in different venues.
• Participating in workshops and photography classes.
• Starting a small vegetable garden.

And the big one...........drum roll..............................

• Opening a booth at a flea market with my friend, B! 

B came up with our name: Bayou Belles. B has been a godsend. She's full of GREAT ideas and we work extremely well together. We have a logo, a Facebook page and a blog!

My cup runneth over. I am so energized every day with all the things I want to do, and there are not enough hours to get it done.

Okay, enough of this chit-chat.

Glimpse into Bayou Belles' space.

A new shrub for my garden: Indigofera

Indigofera with St. Francis statue in background.

Another new shrub: Angel's Earrings.

Planted next to my angel statue. :)

The heart-shaped leaves behind the bird ornament is called Moonflower.

It is vining quickly around my palm tree. I hope to attract hummingbird moths with it.

Bell peppers! Well, a single bell pepper, but the blooms promise many more!

Cherry tomatoes!!

Cucumbers!!

Female House Finch visiting the new feeder.

Linking with

Thanks, Anni!

Afton Villa Gardens II

With images still unprocessed from my March 15th photowalk at Afton Villa Gardens, I made another trip on March 29th. I'm so glad I went! In just two weeks the gardens have exploded in color. The wisteria, tulips, and azaleas were especially full and vibrant. Here are a few I thought you might enjoy.

Two mothers were out doing an Easter photoshoot with their darling girls.
I couldn't help getting my own shot. They were so adorbs!

Thanks again to Frank at FABirding for helping me with my blog crisis yesterday. All of my posts were still in English, but my dashboard and settings were in some kind of African language I'd never heard of! Note to self: Stay away from blog settings when tired.

Also a big thank you to my wonderful blog pals for sticking with me during this blogging transition I'm finding myself in. Not sure once a week blogging will cut it...we'll see how it goes. I will be making rounds the rest of the week, so if I haven't gotten to you yet, please be patient. :)

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Afton Villa Gardens is a historic site located in St. Francisville, LA. Its history began in 1820. You may read more on the web site if you wish. A fire destroyed the main home in 1963 and only the gardens remain. Although not my first time there, I had missed the azaleas and daffodils blooming. I have so many photos that I will have to create another post. I had loads of fun with the photo group on this outing.

Comments closed temporarily
until I can get caught up.

Birds, Blooms and Bees

These photos were captured on the same day in January. The pansy with hover fly was taken at the botanical garden and was the only image I deemed worthy to keep out of the bunch. Feeling disappointed, I returned home and set up my chair blind, first spreading seeds all around and filling the feeder. The male and female cardinals were drawn to seeds on the driftwood; however, I could NOT get ONE bird to land on the angel statue. Too much to ask for in one day, I guess.

Double D talked me into joining the athletic club with him. So! At 8:30 a.m. I will be doing my first spinning class. Yikes! As soon as the rain skedaddles out of town, I will be dusting off the old tennis racket. Life is good! Hope y'all have a great week. 

Visit Anni at

for more birds around the world.

More Randomosity

Another Delete Party where I rediscover shots I had forgotten about. My life is just so exciting right now!! Woot! Warning: this post has pantyhose in it and I also profess to want a pair. And I hate—nay—DETEST, pantyhose. One of my more eclectic posts, to say the least.

Mockingbird with bug, 3/31/13

A snake wrapped around a tree at Bluebonnet Swamp, 4/7/13

This mama bird attempted to feed the baby bird several times; each time she took her beak out with the seed still there.

Finally, the baby had enough and flew off. He was all, "Oh, forGET you!"
The mom was like, "What'd I do?? Come back here Junior!"
April, 2013

A box turtle, perhaps?
Bluebonnet Swamp, April 2

Huey P. Long monument facing the Capitol, April
Huey P. Long (former Governor and U.S. Senator) is buried underneath.

Relief on west side - Long meeting with architects, laborers and craftsmen constructing
the Louisiana State Capitol.

Indigo bunting at Bluebonnet Swamp in April

Fleur de lis stockings in a store window in the French Quarter.  I want a pair! Wait, what?!

This looks like some type of ornamental ginger or lily. Anyone?

The Rural Life

The St. Gabriel, LA area (actually Sunshine) is where my maternal grandparents lived and where I spent many of my formative years. It's located about 15 miles south of Baton Rouge. Whenever I'm feeling lonely or melancholy, I often take long drives there, sometimes remembering days of my youth, or simply to clear my head.

Below are photos from one of my drives on 3/31/13. First stop is usually St. Gabriel Cemetery to visit my mom, sister, and grandparents.

I took two different versions of this statue and couldn't decide which one to post.
So you get both. :)

Following along River Road I make frequent stops. As I'm driving, the levee is on the driver's side, and opposite are homes and pastures. Since Hurricane Katrina, Baton Rouge has become a little too crowded, and with the increase in crime, many are building very nice homes in rural areas such as St. Gabriel; however, I prefer the more rural structures. The unassuming, unpretentious life is how I was raised, and I hope that never changes.

I so wanted to get on the other side of this barn, but I was relegated to one view.

An enormous ditch and a barbed wire fence kept me from crossing over to get more shots.

As a youngster I ate meat from my grandparents' cattle and vegetables from their garden.
Maybe that's why I was so healthy.

Levee with an unusually large patch of grass below.

A unique live oak tree that looks like it's been knocked down by a hurricane or two.
Despite its challenges, it's still growing and thriving. Kind of like me!

I have updated my About Me page; the last paragraph in particular. Check it out if you have time.