We had a lazy morning around the campsite, sleeping in and playing Angry Birds on the iPad. In a matter of a day, the weather went from spring like to humid summer which definitely contributed to us kicking it down a notch. We were also still recovering from our crawfish & shrimpfest at the campsite last night. Our big event for the day was to take a swamp tour. The tour we chose was very low key, in fact we met the guide at a shrimp market, where all the local fisherman have stalls selling their live shrimp, crab, crawfish, etc. Our guide, "Captain James"' was a real character and certainly had the gift of gab. He kept up a nonstop banter, in his Louisiana drawl, telling many stories that were a little off color. We saw probably 20 gators, herons and turtles, and several critters that are indigenous to the swamp. I really enjoyed Captain James stories about how his family has lived off the swamp for generations, from tagging alligators to eating mushrooms that grow on Willow Trees. The breeze on the boat as we were tootling around the swamps was also much appreciated. After the tour we decided to take a detour into New Orleans and check out the Lower Ninth Ward to see what progress has been made since Katrina. Ever so slowly the area is rebuilding, but quite honestly it is still really poor and depressed. The biggest and most delightful surprise of the day was connecting with Becca, one of Megan's best friends. Just as pure coincidence it turns out that Becca is moving to New Orleans. In fact tonight is her second night in New Orleans and the Uhaul was still parked in front of the building. So, Becca, her boyfriend Jared, and all of us met up at Mother's for a jumbalaya and gumbo dinner then walked to the French Quarter and strolled Bourbon Street. Oh, how different this place is on a Friday night than on a Thursday morning!! We took in the sites, aka strip joints and noisy bars with people spilling out onto the streets and an awesome brass jazz band. Oh yes, we partook in the festivities, some of it captured on film, but I'll be discreet in what I post...haha you owe me Becca & Megan! We didn't return to the campsite until close to midnight, so I'm pretty sure tomorrow is going to be another lazy morning. See today's pics - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
