The hotel room is beautiful and welcoming but Ben and I are used to sleeping in a king-size bed at home so when we downsized to a queen on the trip, we are cramped for space. Tonight we are each sleeping with a little body. The boys are thrilled to be sleeping with one of us. How long will that last?
As part of our hotel package we ate a great breakfast this morning. The boys were in heaven with made-to-order eggs, omelettes, pancakes, waffles, toast, bagels, bacon, sausage, hot and cold cereals, yogurt, juices, fruit and pastries. None of the Michiganders knew the plan for the day so we ate a large breakfast in case we didn't eat again until 7 pm. That's the relaxed, casual atmosphere in the south.
After breakfast we spent some time in the indoor pool and hot tub. Corbin swims like a fish underwater but not so well on top of the water. Something to work on when we get home, if we finally have summer weather!
At 11:30 a.m., the Wolfsen Family caravan assembled to drive 40 minutes to the hall where the wedding and reception were set to commence. The beer keg was already on tap and the setting was very casual. Several of Simon and Dawn's family and friends gathered to witness the brief ceremony officiated by the Justice of the Peace. Dawn wore a pretty, casual white dress with her cowboy boots, her sister wore a denim dress and boots, Dawn's niece (14 months) stole the show when she toddled down the aisle in a cowgirl outfit and tiny little boots. Simon and Sam wore short-sleeved polo shirts, jeans and cowboy boots.
Soon the party began. There was a small luncheon that included cajun favorites such as ribs, meatballs, chicken drumettes, "boudin" (a spicy pork and rice deep-fried meatball) and jambalaya. The music was great and the dancers were entertaining. We watched Dawn's family dance the two-step to the cajun zydeco music. It looked like fun!
Corbin has been so anxious to see a live alligator so we left the reception and visited Dawn's parents' farm on the bayou. The alligator had been sited on their property earlier this morning but we never found him today. We did enjoy watching their guinea fowl, chickens and rooster, beef cattle, dog "Rebel" and two snapper turtles being held in large tubs, waiting their fate as Turtle Soup. We also enjoyed looking at the fruit (lemon, lime, fig, pear) and pecan trees on the property. But it was hot, so we soon returned to our cars and made a final appearance at the reception.
Being a family with an agricultural background, we stopped at the rice field on the way back to the hotel and fondled the rice. We didn't venture too far into the field though, for fear of rattlesnakes! We also saw fields of sugar cane and milo (commercial sorghum). At first it seemed strange to have rice fields in Louisiana. But then I remembered the popular authentic cajun dishes such as jambalya and dirty rice and it made sense to me.
We went back to the hotel room and refreshed (I took a 10-minute power nap) before we met for dinner. The caravan resumed in search for food. We had been recommended to go to a seafood buffet about 5 miles from our hotel. When we got there, we learned the price was $18.95 per person, and the people were lined up out the door! Two things I steer clear of when dining out? BUFFET (because I can't control myself and overeat) and SEAFOOD (Yuck! besides, Ben is allergic...). I was relieved when we decided to move on. According to our GPS, there was a BBQ restaurant 3 miles away. So Ben and I led the caravan to a deserted parking lot. The place had gone out of business! By then it was nearly 7 p.m., the boys were crabby and everyone was hungry! We ended up back at Picante's. A yummy Mexican restaurant that satisfied everyone.
When we returned to the hotel, everyone was tired, so we crashed without pool time tonight. It was a busy, hot day. Everyone is exhausted, but happy and satisfied.
Tomorrow we will visit Avery Island (a beautiful botanical garden and wildlife area) before we begin our journey back north. We hope to end in Memphis tomorrow night and will visit the Memphis Zoo on Monday.
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