A Road Trip Through the Backroads of Louisiana

Two weeks ago today the hubs had work to do in Louisiana.  He knew I didn't have any commitments so he asked me to accompany him on a three day trip through the back roads of our home state of Louisiana.

#lovelouisiana

#southernlifeisthebest

#louisianapeoplerock

#lovethoselouisianaaccents

We had just finished having our yard refreshed (you can read the post here) and I was really ready for some down time.  You know the kind I mean...where no one is scheduled to show up.  :)

So what does the the hubs' do to sweeten the pot?  He dangles a carrot saying we could stop by the Paul Michael Store in Lafayette.  Smart guy!  He knew I'd been dreaming talking incessantly about going to see one of their stores to swoon over their beautiful home decor.  :)  He knows me well.  So I agreed.  (I'll do a separate post on it tomorrow).

#lovepaulmichaelstore

We had beautiful weather on our first day.  Beautiful blue skies.  What's there not to love, right?  We saw field after field of crawfish ponds.  The red things sticking out of the water are crawfish nets.  Crawfish ponds bring back fond memories.  My Uncle Cline had crawfish ponds on his farm.  We would all go to his farm, with all the fixins' for a crawfish boil and ice cold beer, and set up on the levees among the ponds.  We would catch the crawfish and boil it right there.  It doesn't get any better than that!  :)  If we got carried away and forgot our sunscreen we'd get a little sunburned, too, but a good time was had by everyone.  I can still see my SIL eating crawfish for the very first time.  She would peel a crawfish, eat it and wipe her hands clean with her own roll of paper towels.  :)  You should see her peel crawfish now.  She is serious about her crawfish so stay out of her way!  Lucky for them they have their own crawfish ponds.  :)

#loveboiledcrawfish

I love looking at the beautiful fields our farmers have growing.

I wish I had pics of the many beautiful lawns (acres of land) we saw on the hilly backroads.  They were gorgeous!!!  These properties are magazine worthy.  You can tell they have been groomed and nurtured for many, many years.

We came across field after field of trees being grown for harvest.  We encountered quite a few trucks hauling the logs...may have gotten stuck behind one or two on a two lane road.  :)

Some of the roads we travelled on brought us through the Hodges Garden State Park.  I was surprised to see Hodges Garden was no longer what I remembered it to be.  Years ago you could see the gorgeous flowers from the highway.  They had the most beautiful roses.

We stayed in Alexandria on Tuesday night.  While we were on our way to our hotel we stopped at a local Stine Lumber Company to check out their goods.  :)  I've written about Stine Lumber company here and here.  It was the hubs' idea...really!  Here are a few things we saw...

#lovestinelumber

The truth be known we were looking for something for Brooke.  Something she wants for her new house.  We didn't find it.  :(

The hubs claims in small towns I had never heard of before.  I read my book "The Shack" while he was busy.  From there we drove to Natchitoches.  Be still my heart!

#lovenatchitoches

#christmaslights

#magnoliatrees

Here are a few pics I took along the way.

This house reminds me of New Orleans.

Here's a pic of the Cane River.  The Cane River National Heritage Area is a largely rural, agricultural landscape  known for its historic plantations, Creole architecture and multicultural legacy.  Historically, this 116,000 acre region lays at the intersection of French and Spanish colonial realms.

Today, it is home to a unique blend of cultures, including French, Spanish, African, American Indian and Creole.

I couldn't resist taking a few pics of the beautiful Magnolia trees.

Check out this gorgeous fern!!!

There are many shops with lots of Louisiana decor.  Unfortunately for us, it was around 5:30 p.m. by the time we arrived so there weren't many shops open.

Look how big this Magnolia tree is!!!!

This building reminds me of New Orleans with all of the wrought iron and the fleur de lis decor.

In high school I was on the drill team.  Every December we travelled to Natchitoches for the Christmas parade.  We had to be so careful marching in our cowboy boots (with taps) so we didn't slip on the brick street.

I was so surprised to see these pics I captured of an old Magnolia flower.  I don't think I've ever seen one this color before now.

This house is a perfect example of how you make things disappear and enhance your home.  They painted the electrical piping to make it blend in with the color of the house.  Similar to what we did near the patio in our backyard.

Add a beautiful wreath, pretty landscaping and a small water feature and you have a gorgeous home!

Check out these ducks crossing the road.  :)

We were going to do the carriage ride and see where Steel Magnolias was filmed but they weren't running that evening.  :(  I told the hubs that means we have to go back.  :)

We did pick up a few things while there.  I got this towel to hang on my oven door.  So very true!!!

I had to convince the hubs to get this beautiful LSU Tiger eye fleur de lis.  He didn't want to pay for the frame but I convinced him the frame made the art work.  He's glad he got it now.  :)

We travelled 900 miles in three days!!!  And yes, we still love each other!!!  It gave us lots of time to talk, dream and share our many thoughts with each other.  We are so blessed God brought us together to do this thing called life.  :)

I hope you enjoyed a look into the back roads of Louisiana.  I can't wait to share with you all of the beautiful things I saw at Paul Michael.  Swoon!!!

Hope you have a wonderful evening!!!

xoxoxo

Debbie