USA 2007 - Gulf Coast, Mississippi, Lewis&Clark,
Oregon Coast, Sierra
Nevada, Las Vegas, Grand
Canyon, Salt Lake City,
Denver, New Mexico, Texas,
along I-40 to the east
coast and out thru Orlando
Got up 10am and after a snack of Maw's brownies (which she brought round from next door on her golf-buggy) took a ride in Huck's golf buggy around the estate. We visited Keith and his wife who have the 10 acre plot down from Maw's and are currently living in a trailer while they finalise the house plans (they have a house and nursery business 60 miles south). Soon after we returned a friend of Huck and Kathy's called Dan turned up with his wife Desiree - he is kinda large and larger than life. They are both lawyers in town. Dan explained how he'd picked up a 2 bedroom house on three acres with a timber wood for $50k at an auction yesterday - he seems to think it might be worth $125k. Nice work if you can get it. But either way it seems like a bargain. Apparently he already has 4 other houses. Breakfast of bacon and eggs was followed by the arrival of Michelle (Kathy's daughter) and a Randy - a male friend from Pre-Med school they both attend in Alexandria. She was very lovely and the guy was a cool dude.
We all took a ride out to town and a walk around the shops followed by a trip to the local college football pre-match tail-gate party. This originated as people eating and drinking outside the stadium from the tailgates of their pickups. Nowadays they seem to have huge gazebos, massive BBQs and no-one spends anytime anywhere near the pickups. We watched the brass band and "dance line" (a higher class of cheer-leader) in a procession and then headed out to this fish restaurant in the middle of nowhere- where we ordered too much and indirectly provided Michelle with a few nights meals back at college via the American habit of ordering a "box" for the left-overs.
After the meal we went back into Natchitoches to watch the music festivities which were on an area down by the river next to the main French-style street (much like New Orleans French Quarter) and eventually paid $5 each to watch the band and have a small dance. The girls had a margarita each while Huck (who doesn't drink) and MJ (who is on the wagon for the duration of the visit) watched on. The music was excellent in a mostly black and Creole crowd from all around and MJ made some pretty niffy steps as we danced to the music.
We didn't stay long as MJ's dancing was proving too much for everyone and as we drew up back at the house Huck spotted some skunks wandering around >>> which he then proceeded to go hunting for on his golf cart (we told him he couldn't go killing Pepe le Pew and seems for whatever reason he didn't get any of them - phew!). Back home we said goodbye to Michelle and Randy who were going back to Alexandria and then all turned in quite late.
