Happy Thanksgiving

I hope you all had a pleasant and peaceful Thanksgiving. We celebrated here at our house, with my sister-in-law Sue and our good friends the Duttons. I've been feeling quite emotional this Thanksgiving season, realizing, after this year, I don't think I'll ever feel quite the same about Thanksgiving. Certainly, there has been loss, such as Sue's tragic car accident. And Eric's ordeal. That was so difficult. But he continues to recover and he's doing so well. As a family, we have so incredibly much to be thankful for; an amazing family, terrific friends, good jobs, wonderful weather (no hurricanes this year). I'm overwhelmed by the blessings. Thank you, God.

To my family in Pennsylvania, I miss you all so much. Happy Thanksgiving!

DeAngelo's Restaurant

Not long after we moved here in 2007, Bob and I, on the recommendation of, well, everyone, tried a popular Italian restaurant here in Lake Charles, DeAngelo's. We loved it. DeAngelo's was our new "favorite restaurant." Then about a week or so later, it burned to the ground. Bummer! Believe me , there aren't too many good Italian restaurants in Lake Charles. There aren't many Italian places, period. Anyway, we heard rumors that they would rebuild. Seemed like it took a long time, a year or more, maybe two. But they finally reopened a couple weeks ago. The fam and I went there tonight. It was crowded, noisy, and the food was excellent. I had Tuscan minestrone and chicken artichoke ravioli. Mmm Mmm. We've got our favorite restaurant back.

What's your favorite restaurant?

Bayou Writers' Conference

The Bayou Writers' annual conference, A Bridge to Publication, this past Saturday was a success. We had a respectable turnout, about the same as last year, wonderful, interesting and informative speakers, good food, and great conferees. Everyone seemed to have a good time. Having been on the planning committee, I can breathe a sigh of relief that it's over. Here's a photo of me and one of our speakers, my friend Melanie Rigney.

Avenue of the Flags-Veterans' Day

I awoke before first light this morning and met the scouts, 6:00 AM, at Orange Grove-Graceland Cemetery for the bi-annual (Memorial Day and Veterans' Day) Avenue of the Flags event for a Boys' Life story I'm writing. Sponsored by the Sons of the American Revolution, scouts have been hoisting these veterans' casket flags for 25 years. The flags are donated by families.

Orange Grove-Graceland Cemetery would be impressive even without the flags. Crumbling tombstones date back to the 1800s. Moss and vines cover elaborate crypts. Ancient live oaks create canopies over the acres of peaceful plots. But today, with 760 flags lining the winding gravel roadways, the cemetery presents a poignant patriotic picture. I'm told this is the largest display of veterans' casket flags in the country.

Today we honor all those who have served our country. Thank you.

Donuts

Who doesn't love donuts, right? Donuts are different here in Lake Charles than Pittsburgh. Or at least buying them is. In Pittsburgh, if you want a donut, or a dozen, you drive to the local Krispy Kreme, Dunkin Donut, or hope that Giant Eagle's aren't leftover from yesterday. The grocery store bakeries here do sell donuts, but there are no chains. Instead, we have these amazing mom & pop donut shops that often sell them hot, just like Krispy Kreme. The photos below are only a sample. These corner confectionaries are everywhere here. As far as I know, most all the shops have drive through windows (so you can buy donuts in your pajamas and no one knows) and walk up windows. Some you can actually walk into and sit down at a table to eat your donuts.

One thing bothers me. I am seriously in the mood for what I call a bear claw. Now, they sell what they call bear claws here, but they're really apple frittery-type things. A bear claw, as I know it, is donut-ish, large, with cinnamon and walnuts, and topped with maple icing. Does anyone know where I can find one? Another bothersome thing is that they close so early in the day, usually when they run out of donuts, often by 11:00, but definitely by 2:00. What if I want a donut in the afternoon? Walmart, I guess.

Behind the glass cases lined up along the donuts are kolaches. I had never heard of kolaches before moving here, and it took me awhile to figure out what they are. Essentially, they are pigs in a blanket. But the pigs are hardly ordinary hot dogs. Cajuns take their sausage seriously. There are often several different types of kolache to choose from. Mild or spicy, at the very least. Boudin (boo dan) is a blog post all to itself. Some other day.

These first two shops are in Moss Bluff. This one is Dixie Donuts. I love Dixie Donuts. There used to be a sign, but I don't know what happened to it. Seriously, how could Dunkin compete with Dixie Donuts? Well, maybe the coffee is better at Dunkin, but who cares. I can make coffee at home.

I've been told that Donut Palace is actually a chain, but I'm not convinced it's nationwide. I could be wrong.

Dino's is in Westlake. I love Dino's, too. We rarely head west on I-10 without stopping at Dino's for a bag of road trip donuts. I actually met Mr. Dino when I stopped to take the photos. He seems like a great guy.

My guess, and it's only a guess, is that part of the sign fell during a hurricane and never got put back up.

Who could resist Happy Donuts?

I used to have a ring in the 70's that looked just like that yellow O. Actually, I still have it, but I wore it everyday for so many years the cheap metal finally wore through and cracked.

Do I have a favorite? I don't patronize any of these establishments often enough to claim a favorite. But do tell me, what's your favorite donut hole-in-the-wall?

A Fun Fall Birthday Weekend with Flat Stanley

One day not long ago, I received a letter from my niece in Pennsylvania. Folded inside the envelope was a perfectly-colored Flat Stanley, of picture book fame, and instructions to take Flat Stanley on adventures, then return him with a letter and photos. It's all part of a geography/social studies project her second grade class is doing. So, this weekend we showed Stanley around SWLA a bit.

On Friday, I met Bob for lunch at a little diner in Lake Charles called Mary Ann's so Stanley could try some authentic Louisiana chicken and sausage gumbo. He loved it and so did Bob and I.

Later that evening, we traveled north to Reeves with two other families so all the kids could get lost in a cornstalk maze. The maze is so cool, made in the shape of Louisiana.


Saturday was Eric and Andrew’s 15th birthday. Supposedly they are now eligible to obtain their driver’s permits, but that’s a blog for another day. We went camping at Sam Houston Jones State Park, an easy six miles down the road. So convenient I went home on Sunday to feed the cat and take a shower.

We took Stanley on a hike through the swamp. Unfortunately, Stanley didn’t have a bike, so he couldn’t join the boys on their rugged trail rides.

The air was chilly Sunday morning, so Stanley warmed himself by the campfire.

Overall, I’d say Flat Stanley enjoyed his visit to Louisiana, but it’s time to send him home.

Bicycling

Bicycling has aways been one of my favorite activities. I loved biking in Pennsylvania. I miss the rails-to-trails, the challenge of cranking up the big hills, and the thrill of flying down them. Biking in SWLA has its advantages, as well. For one thing, it's easy to bike year around here. More or less. Spring and fall are, of course, the best seasons. In the summer, one has to start early enough or wait late enough so that it's not too hot. In the winter, you have to wait till late morning or afternoon when the sun finally chases away the chill. The terrain here is certainly easy; it couldn't be any flatter. There are miles and miles of quiet country roads to get lost on. And there are challenges. One is dodging roadkill, primarily armadillos, opossums, and snakes. The other more formidable foe is frequent headwinds. Imagine pedaling with all your might, only to feel like you're being pushed backwards. Of course, if there's a headwind, there must also be a tailwind. Depends on which direction you're riding, and from which direction the wind is blowing. Unlike in Pa., where the wind almost always blows from the west, Louisiana breezes blow from any direction, sometimes at the same time. Tailwinds are a biker's best friend. They make me feel like super-biker, effortlessly powering down the road at high speeds, especially if they sneak up and catch me unaware. But sooner or later, usually after 30 minutes, I must turn around and head home. Right into a brick wall. Like I said, I miss the hills. At least once I got to the top, I could coast back down to the bottom.