Oak Alley Plantation
On Tuesday of this week, I met Ginny S. and her cousins, Mary and Isabelle, at Oak Alley, pictured above, a beautiful plantation house on the Mississippi River not far from Thibodaux. The oak trees which create the alley going down to the River Road are estimated to be nearly 300 years old.
Ginny doesn't have a cell phone, and we had not discussed how we would recognize each other, but she had seen pictures of me online, so she came up to me first, and we went on from there. Ginny is No. 27 on my list of members of our blog world whom I now know face to face.
Mary, Isabelle, and Ginny grew up in Baton Rouge, and Ginny lived in New Orleans and Hammond, Louisiana, as an adult, so we had quite a bit in common. Grandpère was with me, the only man in a group of four women, but I think he likes that. He held his own.
Ginny S. does not have a blog, but many of you will recognize her handle from her comments around our little piece of the blogosphere. She mentioned at The Friends of Jake that she would be in the area, and I asked if perhaps we could meet for a meal, and - lo! - it worked out, and I got to meet the lovely Ginny and her two equally lovely cousins.
We went to lunch in the restaurant on the grounds first. The food was good. The conversation was excellent and always high-toned, which is as it should be with southern ladies. We laughed a lot, another very good thing. Although two of the four of us no longer live in the South, once a southern girl, always a southern girl, and try to keep us from letting the good times roll.
Here they be - the cousins - Isabelle, Ginny, and Mary.
After lunch, we toured the house, which is beautifully restored and furnished with pieces from the period when the house was completed in 1841. Sadly, only a couple of the original furnishings of the house remain.
Here be us - Mimi and Ginny.
After the house tour, we strolled around the grounds and spent more time talking and getting to know each other better at our leisure. I had not visited Oak Alley in years, and I was pleased to see what the owners have done since I was last there.
Grandpère took most of the pictures, so he is not included, but I managed to capture a rear view of him with Isabelle and Mary, as he waves his hands around as he talks, like a typical Cajun.
And now GP and I have three new friends. All in all, a lovely day, indeed!
UPDATE: One more picture with Isabelle to show the size of one of the oak trees.
All four lovely ladies wore top garments of a certain color range, from pink, to rose, to dusty rose, to salmon----
ReplyDeleteWas someone coordinating wardrobe before, all was this all the result of southern belles' predilection for pink in the spring?
Whatever the cause, the effect was lovely. Did Grandpère even notice, or was he content to be Cock of the Walk?
Crapaud, I assure you that GP did not notice. No, we did not coordinate, but our colors blend beautifully, don't they?
ReplyDeleteLovely crepe myrtle colors, I might say. Or is it Crape Myrtles? I could never spell. I love all the pictures, including the one of your Cajun. I bet he is a great guide.
ReplyDeleteSusan, I never thought of crepe myrtle colors, but it's true. As you see, I spell the word with an "e", but I've seen it spelled both ways.
ReplyDeleteYes, GP knows quite a lot about the history of our area. He's a good guide.
oh wow --puts Virginia mansions along The James to shame!
ReplyDeleteMargaret, those in Virginia are older. Give them that.
ReplyDeleteI have two big oaks on the farm. Nothing like those, though. Those are amazing. And, I do love big old oak trees.
ReplyDeleteGlad you had a good day.
Oh how nice to meet some new friends in such a lovely place.
ReplyDeleteWe visited Oak Alley (and 1 or 2 other old plantations in that general area) some time ago. I've wondered if the oaks survived the recent storms. As you know, live oaks have relatively shallow root systems and can be easily blown over in high wind/wet soil combinations.
Mike, Katrina and Gustav took a toll on the oaks. They are not what they were before the two storms, but it appears that they will survive. A couple of the trees have only the highest branches left, but their leaves are green. Thank goodness none blew over.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear that.
ReplyDeleteI do remember some huge branches that had been propped up. They must be the ones that broke off.
Funny, but the night before we left on that trip we had a nasty hail storm here that completely defoliated the live oaks in our yard, including one very old tree with huge branches that had been cabled to keep them from falling.
I love the live oak trees, but I don't like living with them. They are soooo messy. After dropping acorns all winter long, then they drop their leaves in the spring. Just when you've gotten the leaves all cleaned up, then they put out all those fuzzy brown things full of pollen that turns your shoes, cars, and windows yellow for weeks. And if you're allergic like I am it makes matters even worse.
You then get a few months of peace before the whole cycle starts all over again.
Mike, we have three sizable live oaks, between 25 and 30 years old, and I'll take all the inconveniences and messiness that come with them, because I love them.
ReplyDelete