Saturday, November 3, 2007
If there is anything I have learned in the last 18 months since we moved down South, it is that if you are a true New Orleanian or a true Louisianan, you live with passion. It can vary as to what you are passionate about. It could be the Saints, the Tigers, a fleur de lis, FOOD, your swamps, your gators, music, and the list goes on, but generally everybody has at least something that they support. And because of this passion, it seems that this is a place where there are more festivals than any place on earth. Since we have lived here, we have heard and seen advertisements for VooDoo Fest, Swamp Fest, PoBoy Festival, French Quarter Festival, Jazzfest, Laketown Fest, Essencefest, Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival, Crawfish Festival, Wooden Boat Festival, Jambalaya Festival, Greek Festival, and the festival of all festivals: Mardi Gras. And this is literally only naming a few. There is an entire section of the newspaper dedicated to festivals that keeps current with all of the information for ongoing fest-ivities. So...since there is never a lack of things to do in this city, we attended our second Swamp Fest at the Zoo on November 3. And lucky for us, the whole crew was in town so we all got a fun taste of Louisiana. We love swamp fest as it is a celebration of all sorts of lively Southern fare--food, music, and atmosphere! And what on earth do you do at a Swamp Fest, you ask? Here are a few pictures to give you an idea.
By all means, touring the zoo is an option. There can not possibly be a better zoo than the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans. It is the BEST! Here is my family posing by one of the beautiful old oak trees that adorn the zoo.
Eat, eat, eat. I LOVE this menu as it is so New Orleans and such a great way to get a little taste of everything. The jambalaya was awesome and the crabcake with remoulade sauce was probably the favorite of our bunch.
Sleep? I guess after a week of being on the run, it caught up to this little man. He was sitting in the stroller eating jambalaya and literally fell asleep between bites. So we ate our food and listened to some Cajun music while letting him sleep it out on the grass for about an hour.
And this little guy got pretty tired too I guess. But what a trooper he was!
Listen to some good ol' Cajun music. Here was the line up for the day on this stage. I just LOVE the names of those bands. Nowhere else on earth are you going to get these "big bands"!
Dance. Cut a rug. Bust a move. However you want to say it. After a nap on the grass, this kid was ready to bust it. There was a dance floor in front of the stage and it provided for some of the world's best people watching. Quite the characters out there, I tell ya! But they were having such a great time and a lot of them were great dancers. Made me wish I really knew how to dance.
Laugh.
Smile.
Listen to more music. OK, this little band was pretty much my ALL TIME FAVORITE. I could have listened to them all day. They were playing on the stage right as we walked into the zoo and I immediately fell in love. First off, the name of the band was Guyland Leday's Zydeco Family and Friends. Love it! And that's exactly what it was, an entire family (must have been a friend or two in the mix as well) who knew how to make some Cajun music. These kids had obviously learned how to sing, play the accordian and the zydeco, at a very early age. In fact, this guy above was 10, I believe they said and he is actually Guyland Leday himself. He is who the band is all about. Apparently he is like an accordian zydeco prodigy and is well known for his playing. And let me tell you, he is destined for stardom. Not only can he play, he can sing. He sounded exactly like a young Michael Jackson when he sang with the Jackson 5 (long before MJ was a wacko). He was awesome!
I'm assuming these guys are all brothers...
And here is one with the grandpa too.
This little boy was SO cute. I can't even tell you...and he was so talented too!
Enjoy each other's company. Basically, we all just had a great time at an only-in-Louisiana event. The food, the music, the atmosphere, the weather, and the company made for a great day!
And no trip to the zoo is complete without a ride on the carousel!
9 comments:
I was laughing at the picture of Tyler dancing because I noticed that he is on his tippy toes! Surprise! He looks so cute. Very fun pictures.
Super fun! I love the picture of Sam yawning. Cute!
I'm so impressed with how much fun you had with family in a short time. Thanks for sharing pics!
I loved Swamp Fest. It was so fun and I loved seeing the people so happy and having so much fun dancing. We would have to become dancers if we lived there. That music has such fun beat and the atmosphere too I guess. It was a great time---and you are right---such an awesome zoo. That first band was my favorite too I think but I liked it all. That is such a cute picture of little Sammy ywning. Those pictures brought back lots of great memories. Thanks for the fun times. love and miss you all. s
Looks like you guys had a great time. What a cool picture of your family in the tree, very unique!!
Those were sure fun times. I miss you so much. Maybe we'll have to have a Cajun Thanksgiving next year! Just maybe. Have fun at the beach. I love the picture of Sam yawning, he was so good that day. Did you decide that the zydeco was the washboard thing or the accordian? We had fish today, Todd loved it. We're trying to get him talked into going to see you next spring so he can experience fishing himself. Unfortunately he already mentioned Disneyland to his kids. I know the zoo and the museum and the aquarium, steam boat and swamp tour are way funner than Disneyland. Don't you agree? Let's keep promoting NOLA, ok? Did I tell you that I miss you? Love MomA
What a great taste of the culture down there. Hopefully, Matt and I will be able to get an up close and personal taste soon enough.
Hey Becky! I came across your blog from another blog and thought this might be yours! Your kids are so dang cute! Do you keep in touch with Christine or Paul? I just talked to them last week and we are getting together for lunch in the next week or so! It's great to see your cute family!
-Michelle Armstrong
Ohh, sounds like fun! I'll be you are lovin' the weather. We're all jealous here :)
So fun! Reading this made my mouth water for some festival food. I love the laugh picture. By the way, what it the world is a Voo-Doo Festival? Crazy.
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