On Sunday, I attended the service at St. Paul Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in New Roads. The rector there is a good friend of my rector. I asked him to report back that I did not skip going to church, just because I was out of town. I preserved my reputation for tardiness, but I was not as tardy as some of the parishioners. I feel less guilty about being late, when others are later than I am. Why is that, I wonder?
Below are the stained glass windows on either side of the sanctuary.
ADDED LATER: In New Roads and the nearby town of Livonia, first there was Ma Mama's Kitchen Restaurant in New Roads, and then there was Not Your Mama's Café & Tavern in Livonia. Dueling reataurants? We chose to have our Mothers Day meal out on Saturday evening to avoid the crowds at Sunday lunch. This time we chose Not Your Mama's - for Mothers Day, no less. That don't seem right, do it?
We had an excellent meal with Grandpère, my daughter, my three grandsons, and, of course, me. At first, I was seated in full view of a bloody boxing match on the huge TV. I use "bloody" not as a swear word, but as a true description of what was happening on the screen - surely not what I wanted to watch while eating dinner.
GP saw that I was uncomfortable and offered to change places with me. We did, and GP and the boys enjoyed the bloody match, and I had my back to it and didn't have to see any of it.
Our food was delicious, rich and spicy, with huge portions. We took home several boxes of leftovers, which were more than enough for the adults to have a full meal the next day. The prices were not cheap, but I wonder why the owners, or the chef, or whoever wouldn't serve smaller portions and charge less.
A good time was had by all, once I moved out of view of the TV.
Mimi, remind me not to read your posts in the afternoon when I'm beginning to crave dinner! Your description of Not Your Mama's has me salivating, and it is not a pretty sight. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI learned some years ago from a professional in the family restaurant biz that huge portions so impress people that they will commend the establishment to others. It's cheaper than advertising, and the actual wholesale cost of the food is far less for the restaurant. We had taken our professional friend to a restaurant that served the largest salad I'd ever seen: literally a whole head of lettuce in a salad bowl a foot across. He said, "Well, not only do you come here, but you brought me. The lettuce did it's trick. It's quite a good deal for the restaurant."
Sadly, said restaurant, "Jimmy's" was an Italian family business, always packed, presided over by the eponymous owner who looked exactly like Frank Sinatra in his senior years, later passed to the son, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, who turned it in the direction of large plates with small portions and decorative sauces -- and it has since gone out of business.
(Is there a hidden message for the Anglican Communion in all this...???)
Tobias, I should have told you what I ate: seafood ravioli in a cream sauce with more seafood and a side dish of zucchini and yellow squash casserole. Yummy.
ReplyDeleteThe Anglican Communion? Hmmm.
First of all I was going to comment on the pretty sanctuary, but all that talk of food by you and Tobias has me salivating too. Except for the bloody bout it sounds like a very satisfying Mother's Day.
ReplyDeleteAmelia, I dragged the post away from the church, so I suppose you can blame me. The restaurant news didn't seem enough for a stand-alone post.
ReplyDeleteI remember St. Paul's/Holy Trinity fondly from my time in Baton Rouge--the pulpit is quite beautiful: brass with enamel plaques, iirc. But what I remember most is a row or two of folding chairs at the very back of the nave, as though to allow people to sit even farther from the front! (Always a good breakfast/coffee hour in those days, too.)
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On another topic entirely, I was able to be at St. Gregory's in Three Rivers for the dedication of their new buildings last Saturday. A lovely service, with both the Diocesan and the Episcopal Visitor in attendance, followed by a tour of the ordinarily private sections of the monastery and a very good lunch featuring three kinds of tamales. Prior Aelred was the deacon of the mass and (later) we got a chance to exchange greetings while standing in the dessert line.
4 May, the pulpit is, indeed, beautiful. Next time I'm there, I'll take a picture and post it. The folding chairs in the rear are gone.
ReplyDeleteThe new building at St. Gregory's is finished? That's wonderful. Prior Aelred doesn't visit around the internet as much as he did formerly. He must be busy.
Mimi, the reason guys like to watch sporting events during meals (at home or at restaurants) is so they won't have to talk.
ReplyDeleteOrmonde, I don't know. I have men in my family who like to talk. Sometimes it's hard for me to get a word in edgewise.
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