Tag Archives: louisiana

Breaking Bayou

Maybe I should explain this a little bit more… When I was in Louisiana, I was dying to see some gators.  We don’t get to see them in CA and I feel like it’s such a Southern thing to go see Gators on the Bayou.  Of course you can sign up for Gator Tours at various places so my friend, Lauren, and I picked this tour based on the fact that we’d get to hold a gator on this specific tour.  Major win.  Why we would want to do this?  I don’t know except that I think it’s awesome!  We could not have guessed that they feed the gators what they call “swamp crack” which really means marshmallows… So does this mean I love swamp crack????  I guess so.  Anyway, they also eat fish and were fed chicken necks.  It’s a wide variety on the gator menu.

(Our tour was on an air boat!  It wasn’t as fast or exciting as I thought but none the less I still enjoyed it)

(The first sighting was actually a crane, not a gator which I don’t believe are a threat to these beautiful birds because they were everywhere)

(Then we started slinking back into the smaller channels to see what we could find..)

(The guide threw some swamp crack in the water and BOOM!  They started slinking out)

(The guide also pulled out some chicken necks to feed the gators and that’s when they really got cray.  Although the guide was very respectful and the gators were happy to have some fresh food they didn’t have to work for.)

(Yes, he kissed a wild gator)

(Ruh Roh, who’s going to win?)

(Ding, ding, ding!  The further away gator stole the swamp crack out from right under the other gator’s nose!  No fight necessary)

(So pleased with him or herself.  Look at that smile)

(More action!)

(Then Todd the two year old gator came out.  I can’t believe how small they are at two years old)

(Ohhh yeah, then I held the gator Todd.  Anti-climatic?)

(Once the sun started setting, I felt the peacefulness of the Louisiana bayou.  It’s really a beautiful, amazing place)

This gator farm tour was awesome and I’d do it again given the chance.  That’s a wrap for this episode of Breaking Bayou but you can bet your bottom dollar it won’t be the last.  Maybe not always on a bayou but if it’s unique and telling of an area, I’ll be there for the experience.  Anyone else up for some swamp crack?!

NOLA Style

I love little details and quaint colors.  New Orleans is FULL of these things.  I had never been to Louisiana before but absolutely fell completely in love with the place over the past weekend.  I went out there for a friend’s wedding and just found myself wandering aimlessly in every direction I could.  It’s a place that everyone should see in their life for many reasons.  It’s all in the details, isn’t it darling?

(One of the most amazing parts of New Orleans is the music scene.  Performers were everywhere and there’s an area called the musicians village just for recording and a place for musical minds to come together)

(The colors everywhere were brilliant, especially in the stained glass all over town.  These two beautiful pieces were in my friend’s family home but stained glass is in the churches, on the streets, and in homes)

(Beads stay in the trees year round from Mardi Gras)

(The colors of the buildings and shutters were amazing.  I stopped to snap a photo in front of one of my favorites)

(I would like this to be my porch in downtown or uptown New Orleans)

(Have you ever seen midnight in Paris?  That’s what I felt like.  Just wandering the streets <the safe parts of course> and finding beautiful, inspiring things/places.  To the right is a free library!  Take or leave a book of your choice)

(Colorful)

(Of course the infamous trolley and a detailed doorway)

(Classics never get old)

(Beautiful)

(Ceiling decor – I want these in my backyard!)

(I was part of a Second Line Parade for my friend Danielle’s Wedding!  It was a top 5 life experience, so incredible!)

(Drinking in public is completely acceptable and fun in New Orleans)

The colors, the people, the food, the sites, the music, and so much more are all to blame for stealing a piece of my heart this past weekend.  I have many more things to share about my time in NOLA including my food pics while in New Orleans!  What a wonderfully inspiring city, have you been?  What was your favorite thing about New Orleans?