Moving to Louisiana

I forgot to finish this earlier, so maybe better late than never.

 

Monday

The Yogi Bear Jellystone RV Park, the park is located close to I-10 making it a good stop. Reviews I read said the noise from the interstate was loud, we didn’t find that to be the case. If you are sitting outside you can hear the noise but we didn’t think it was to much. When I registered I forgot to ask for a site so we could have satellite TV so when we got to the site we had a huge tree over the camper. We spent the night with no TV. Actually it turned out to be a good thing, I watch to much TV as it is.

We unhooked and set up the camper and then went in search of fuel for the truck. When we returned to the campground there was a mini motorhome at the gate. The owner was inside registering. I missed a picture opportunity because hanging on the ladder of the camper was a walker. I looked at Sarah and said we can do this for a long time to come. So there is hope for us after all.

Tuesday

Foley, AL is a nice town, we spent the night there at the Johnny’s Lakeside RV Resort (formerly Palm Lake RV Resort). Friends Shari & Dave Frantz are camped for the month of March. We arrived about two and were taken to our site, this site was a bit easier to get into than the site in Florida. We got set up in a short time and then Dave and I went in search of fuel for the truck. Robertsdale, just north of Foley, has one of the biggest Camping world's I have been in. I wanted to get the items needed to connect two sewer hoses, I had a premonition I would need the ability to connect the hoses. Sure enough we did but I forgot one piece to use the items I wanted but I was able to get the two hoses together and we were hooked up.

Wednesday was travel day to Schriever, LA, we arrived about 2:30. I don’t like to complain about to many things but I am going to make an exception with the Louisiana roads. I was leery about going through New Orleans, it wasn’t bad, I didn’t know about I-610 which bypasses the city so we made good time. As we approached the town we crossed

1. 

   ►

2. Lake Pontchartrain

on a new bridge. Off to the right was another bridge with the railings missing in places and one whole section was gone. I later learned Katrina caused the destruction of this bridge. Also, we hit one section that had a roller coaster effect where I thought the trailer was going to come off the truck. All in all it was a good trip.

We got set up and Sarah’s brother Bill and wife Mable came out to the campground. Now this campground is nothing special, but I have full hook ups with 50 amp service. We are here because of Mardi Gras and a lot of Sarah’s relatives will be here at Bill’s. So without going into a lot of details Sarah went to the parades in New Orleans on Saturday and Sunday, I went to the parade on Sunday in Thibodaux. The parades are interesting because it seems to me the object of going to them is to collect as many beads as possible. There was a young man next to me who was filling a gunny sack with beads. I later found out the beads are either donated to Goodwill, they recycle them to the krewes, this is the name for the group who puts on the parade, for next year’s parade or the krewes buy them back. After the parades the streets and trees are littered with the beads.

Here is a link and information about krewes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krewe 

Krewe

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"Spanish Krewe" float at Springtime Tallahassee

A krewe (pronounced in the same way as "crew") is an organization that puts on a parade and or a ball for the Carnival season. The term is best known for its association with New Orleans Mardi Gras, but is also used in other Carnival celebrations around the Gulf of Mexico, such as the Gasparilla Pirate Festival in Tampa, Florida, and Springtime Tallahassee as well as in La Crosse, Wisconsin^[1] and at the Saint Paul Winter Carnival.

The word is thought to have been coined in the early 19th century by an organization calling themselves Ye Mistick Krewe of Comus, as an archaic affectation; with time it became the most common term for a New Orleans Carnival organization. The Mystick Krewe of Comus itself was inspired by a Mobile mystic society, with annual parades in Mobile, Alabama, called the Cowbellion de Rakin Society that dated from 1830.^[2]

Krewe members are assessed fees in order to pay for the parade and/or ball. Fees can range from thousands of dollars a year per person for the most elaborate parades to as little as $20 a year for smaller marching clubs. Criteria for krewe membership varies similarly, ranging from exclusive organizations largely limited to relatives of previous members to other organizations open to anyone able to pay the membership fee. Krewes with low membership fees may also require members to work to help build and decorate the parade floats and make their own costumes; higher priced krewes hire professionals to do this work. Parading krewe members are usually responsible for buying their own throws, the trinkets thrown to parade spectators according to Mobile and New Orleans tradition.

Some krewes also have other events like private dances or parties for members throughout the year. Some also make a point of supporting charities and good causes.

Among the most famous krewes are the Mistick Krewe of Comus, the Krewe of Proteus, Rex, the Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club, and the Krewe of Momus.

The floats are interesting:

 

Then Monday evening there was a ball in Thibodaux, it seems there are a lot of balls given by the different krewes. So we went to it with Bill and Mable. Now I don’t have a suit anymore and really didn’t know if there was a dress code, so I wore my jeans and t-shirt, needless to say I was a bit under dressed, but enjoyed the festivies anyway. A lot of the people were in in gowns and tux. Here are some pictures of the festivities.

The the king and queen of the parade;

We were planning on leaving today for Houston, but the forecast was for rain and I don’t like hooking up in the rain so we are leaving tomorrow. We are staying at the San Jacinto Riverfront RV Resort in Highlands, TX, http://www.sjriverfrontrvresort.com/. We will be there for about a week and then on to Dallas.

So until later Dreams Do Come True.