Trip to Louisiana (completed)

My last full day in Louisiana was a day full of fun. We went to cousin Karen's beautiful house for the birthday party for adorable and headstrong 6-year old Alison. Karen and Jason had fantastic food and a houseful of family and friends gathered for the celebration. Ree and Quinn especially enjoyed the giant balloon slide. I especially enjoyed the chicken salad sandwiches (no crusts), meatballs and boudin.

Abbie III, Ree, Quinn and I went into New Iberia for a tour of The Shadows on the Teche. We watched an excellent short documentary which included the voice of our own Uncle Pete. The tour guide for the antebellum estate was extremely knowledgeable and fun and the building and grounds were gorgeous. This was a delightful tourist activity.

The day was capped off with a huge family gathering at The Seafood Connection. Crawfish boil for the masses. Family members were there from Lafayette, Franklin, New Iberia, Baton Rouge, North Carolina, Texas, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania. Our group of 30 took up a full row of tables in the cavernous, noisy, wonderful restaurant. We ate, we drank, we talked, we laughed, we dripped crawfish juice. Then everybody slowly left for home and we went back to Stirling Manor for the last night of the trip.

The following morning Abbie III and I went to the airport in Lafayette and Ree and Quinn drove back to Houston. Abbie and I shared a flight to Memphis where she hurried off as soon as we landed to make a tight connection to Detroit where she had an even tighter connection to Appleton. I had a leisurely cup of coffee then waited for the take-off of a delayed departure to Pittsburgh. We landed just a little late.

It was a trip with nothing but highlights. I shall not wait another 15 years to return.