To the Bayou and Beyond

I never thought that living in or near the swamp would be cool or in. I always hated living in Louisiana when I was young. I thought, like most every one of my friends … “I can’t wait to move out of this place.” My dream always included the big city or somewhere where there were things always happening.

Now, that I’m older, it’s funny how things have changed. I appreciate the unique culture of this area. It’s so rich in culture and tradition. The things I despised as a teenager, I now love and find so endearing. I love Louisiana.

Now … about that bayou part … I had really never been way down in the bayou. Never. I expected real-life swamp people and nasty Shrek-like water. But, come to find out, the swamp is quite beautiful. From the cypress trees with the moss hanging down, the gorgeous birds, the sweet little and amazingly huge turtles, and let’s not forget the alligators … all so cool! We saw at least 20 of those alligators.

As we drove down the bayou road, I began to envy the people that lived there with their houses right on the water, able to take their boats out at any time on the lake. It seemed like such a peaceful and simple life.

We spent two days on a three-bedroom houseboat with friends. So fun and so relaxing because honestly, there’s not much to do but be on the water. We fished, rode the speedboat, sat in the hot tub, played games, and ate a lot of good food {not cooked by the wives which made it even more delicious} for two days.

The other great part of our “staycation” was that we spent just as many days at home also doing absolutely nothing. We spent quite a bit of time at the pool and did a little shopping.

Then this past weekend, Beau and I went over to Lake Charles for an overnight getaway. It was a laid back couple of days where we ate some more great food, shopped antique stores, and went to the lake for a bit.

This “staycation” was so laid back that I didn’t even lift my phone much to take any pictures. Here’s the few that I did get:

The only picture I have of the whole family … leaving for the boat.