Grandpère and I attended the awards luncheon for the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities. In a later post, I'll tell you about the people who won the awards. We did not. Above is Houmas House on the East Bank of the Mississippi River, where the ceremony was held. We headed up Bayou Lafourche, then over to cross the river on the Sunshine Bridge, and - miracle of miracles! - we arrived early and had time to tour the grounds.
Grandpère standing next to a large oak tree. Does he see a spaceship or a vision in the sky? Something up there seems to have captured his attention. He looks good in his suit, doesn't he?
Today the weather was mild and sunshiny, a lovely day for an outing and for walking the beautiful grounds at Houmas House. Usually, I don't like photos of myself, but this one I like. Of course, I'm wearing my old, out-of-style blazer, but so what? I'm old and out of style myself.
Spanish Moss in the oaks.
Do you know what is shown in the picture above?
Since I have more good pictures of the grounds, I'll probably do another post.
Is that an ant hill or a ground wasp nest, or maybe something having to do with termites?
ReplyDeleteI love your pictures. That one of you does not look out of style. It's a classic blazer!
The tree Grandpere stands in front of is absolutely ginormous. If I ever come to see you we will have to go there and make my picture. I will look positively svelte in front of that thing!
Susan, sorry, but you didn't guess right.
ReplyDeleteAbout the blazer, aren't the more up-to-date styles shorter? I tend to wear my clothes for years, so I don't pay a lot of attention.
I've seen larger oaks. I believe the Randall Oak on the property next to us in New Roads is larger in circumference than the oak in the picture.
Yes, if you come, we can go to Houmas House. The interior is open for tours.
Oh --now I want to know more about the history of the house!
ReplyDeleteAnd, Grandmere --blazers of all lengths are still fashionable --from short ones to coat-length. You are gorgeous m'dear. And I like it that Grandpere is looking to the heavens...
Termites?
ReplyDeleteMy word thang is 'antli.' But, you already said it's not related to ants, so I'm not paying it any attention.
You both look great-- wear what you like - that is the joy of being old - we can do whatever. Hard to tell the proportion of the nest.
ReplyDeleteYou are in South LA, that has to be a crawfish hole! Gorgeous day, wasn't it?
ReplyDeleteMimi, you both look so distinguished in these photos. Looks like a happy outing. As for current fashion, who cares? I've never outgrown my youthful habit of buying fabulous wool jackets at Goodwill/Value Village/St. Vincent de Paul.
ReplyDeleteAs for the hole, all I can say is "Yum; must be spring". Susan, March to May is the best time of the year for gardens, plantation houses, weather, & crawfish.
Fine photos! I like the jacket ;=)
ReplyDeleteLovely pictures (now downloaded) of both of you, and of what I think of as a "typical" S Louisiana plantation house. If you're shopping for a change of look, why not bear in mind the style of the Little Old Ladies in the 1951 Alec Guinness comedy, "The Lavender Hill Mob"? Still occasionally a Sunday churchgoing look back in my day.
ReplyDeleteTurns out the Houmas House has strong connections to Columbia, SC. It was built by John Preston and his wife Caroline Hampton Preston, sister of Gen Wade Hampton. Their town house here (the imaginatively-named Hampton-Preston House) was Sherman's headquarters in 1865, and so survived the burning of Columbia. It had a stunningly laid-out botanical garden, later destroyed, now, spasmodically, under reconstruction. The novelist Thackeray, a friend of the Hamptons, stayed there. Houmas House subsequently owned by William Porcher Miles, a SC secessionist, who was president of the re-opened, post-Reconstruction, ethnically-cleansed South Carolina College (now the U of SC) in the 1880's.
ReplyDeleteJoan and Ginny recognized the crawfish chimney. I thought someone who was from Louisiana or had lived in Louisiana would name the little structure. The lone chimney was in the midst of a wide expanse of lawn.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kind comments about our appearances. In hindsight, it appears that I was fishing for compliments.
Lapin, thanks for the imformation. Here's a link to the history of the plantation house.
Crawfish? --In a lawn???? Really????
ReplyDeleteMargaret, several weeks back, we had a spell of rainy weather. The low areas of the plantation grounds probably had puddles for quite a spell. Here's a link to more information on crawfish and their chimneys.
ReplyDeleteMimi, nice pics. Houmas House is certainly an impressive mansion. Grandpere looks very dashing in his suit and I also agree with those posters who say you look very nice in your classic blazer. These things don't change in style that much. Anyway, it's good that you wear clothes for years - much better for the environment.
ReplyDeletewv - "packing". I don't know what to make of that.
I meant to say "crawfish and their chimneys", but the critters must tunnel underground to reach the surface to make their chimneys.
ReplyDeleteCathy, thanks.
ReplyDeleteIs there a trip in your future?
You were EARLY?!
ReplyDeleteLOL! Well, I am going to Germany in about four weeks. I don't plan to pack just yet though.
ReplyDeleteSo that's different from a "Crawdad hole, honey, baby, mine," then?
ReplyDeleteOthers have duly admired your style. Honey, you will never be out of style; we all look to you.
ReplyDeleteSusankay, I was EARLY, and I was a few minutes EARLY for church this morning. That's two Sundays in a row.
ReplyDeleteSusan S., crawdads just don't do it for me.
Paul, you're a sweetie. What would I do without my crazy, but lovable friends?
A crawfish clod! I am from Beaumont, TX and have been living in Dallas for a while so I miss seeing them. I took my partner down to Bmt a few years back and had to tell him what they are. He's originally from Amarillo and had never seen a crawfish mound.
ReplyDeleteHi Bartski. Welcome to my humble abode. I've never heard the chimneys called crawfish clods, but, at least, you call the critters by their proper name. Every time I type crawfish, the word is underlined like a misspelling. The spell check folks are clueless.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to have supplied a moment of nostalgia for you.