Louisiana?
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I'm from Delhi, LA. This is a very small town you probably haven't heard of but it is between Vicksburg, MS and Shreveport, LA. This is northern LA.
Glad to see there are others from Louisiana.
Glad to see there are others from Louisiana.
Tall: I know the feeling. Back in the 80s I live in Buras, about 60 miles south of New Orleans. MOF, I lived on a houseboat down at Fort Jackson. It's where that awful Hurricane Katrina made landfall when it hit. I'd long since moved to NC to a little Mayberry Incarnate town between Raleigh and Goldsboro but I still miss living there and especially taking the trips w/my cousins into the city (NO).
I can't imagine anything any better than a giant plate of mudbugs downed with Tequila shots and having a great smoke afterward; however, you just can't get crawfish here in NC. There are so many things that are local foods to New Orleans and parishes south of New Orleans unavailable here. One of these days when I can find the $$$ I want to go back for a visit. I still have an uncle and close friends who went back and are living in Braithwaite (they're in a trailer b/c their home in Point a La Hache was wiped out) and my uncle is still in Triumph, not far from Empire and Buras also in a trailer.
AnglVapin:
With the exception of a few weeks to a month, I spent the first 6 or so yrs of my life living in Albany, Georgia. My dad (he's my step-dad but my dad all the same, genetically or not) was a detective on the police force in Albany.
Georgia is beautiful. Even all these years later I still retain the Georgian accent as does my youngest daughter since I was a SAHM with her, even with my love of Georgia, it's not New Orleans or the towns in the lower parishes. I miss it terribly. I miss the people, especially the friends I lost and those I didn't know who lost their lives out of sheer incompetence (mostly due to FEMA & other high-government officials not willing to send the help necessary to save lives).
May those who lost friends & family remember the good times spent together - and all those lost to the hurricane & conditions that followed rest in peace with the knowledge you will never be forgotten.
With the exception of a few weeks to a month, I spent the first 6 or so yrs of my life living in Albany, Georgia. My dad (he's my step-dad but my dad all the same, genetically or not) was a detective on the police force in Albany.
Georgia is beautiful. Even all these years later I still retain the Georgian accent as does my youngest daughter since I was a SAHM with her, even with my love of Georgia, it's not New Orleans or the towns in the lower parishes. I miss it terribly. I miss the people, especially the friends I lost and those I didn't know who lost their lives out of sheer incompetence (mostly due to FEMA & other high-government officials not willing to send the help necessary to save lives).
May those who lost friends & family remember the good times spent together - and all those lost to the hurricane & conditions that followed rest in peace with the knowledge you will never be forgotten.
Absolutely! Welcome!
Want us to send you some GOOD food??? LOL
New Orleans baby =) From Lafayette lived in BT for a while... Walrus lol I've tried your ....! No idea you were from BT!
I've been to Shreveport! I've been through and into Gretna at the hospital there when my cousin was in a wreck that put him in the hospital.
Honestly, some days I wonder how in the world I survived my childhood youth and late teen years. Then again, there are times I wonder how I survived my early adult years as well. I had one bad temper on top of anger management issues as well as abandonment issues. (birth father was a b*stard drunk who beat the crap out Mother and me - mostly me b/c she worked shifts where she didn't have to be around him... then he started on my brother & I put a stop to that by picking a fight w/him so he would leave my baby brother alone...)
The one and only time I ever felt completely safe and free was when I lived in Louisiana. The men and women who were friends of my aunts and uncles assured me over the phone before we moved there that I would be completely safe; in addition, I was assured that if he ever set his feet on Louisiana soil, he'd never live to regret it. I believe that is probably one of the major reasons I love Louisiana so much. The food and friends come in almost but just below 1st place in my reasons for loving the state but to live without the fears, the bruises, and the broken bones and the fact that the man responsible would never do it again.... well, you can likely understand why I hold such high regards for the people, the friends I made, the family I finally got to know other than other reunions when we could manage it or phone calls when we were able to make them.
It's not easy to describe the culture there, esp in the lower parishes. People here where I live simply cannot relate and they are so stifling when it comes to the variations of religious beliefs. That was never a problem when I lived in Louisiana. People accepted me for who I was even though I'm not Christian. It didn't matter. We could sit down for a large meal together, go off into the city to any number of blues or jazz clubs to enjoy the ambiance and it was okay despite our differences. In many ways, the people in Louisiana are so far ahead of other areas in this country when it comes to acceptance of differences among people. That and their friendships will be a debt I will never be able to repay no matter if I live to be 100+ years old.
BTW, does anyone know if the phones are all down in Braithwaite? I've tried to call my uncle and a few close friends in that area but I can't get through anymore. The numbers come up as "not available," and there is no listings for new numbers. I've even tried to find numbers in the towns where their homes were before the hurricane but there is nothing. I'd love to hear from them just to say hello and find out how they are doing but also, for my own reasons to hear a friendly voice and know they are all right.
Before I forget, what happened to Emile's? It was a great bar and pub in Plaquemines Parish?
Warmest regards to all in this very small world...
Paise
Honestly, some days I wonder how in the world I survived my childhood youth and late teen years. Then again, there are times I wonder how I survived my early adult years as well. I had one bad temper on top of anger management issues as well as abandonment issues. (birth father was a b*stard drunk who beat the crap out Mother and me - mostly me b/c she worked shifts where she didn't have to be around him... then he started on my brother & I put a stop to that by picking a fight w/him so he would leave my baby brother alone...)
The one and only time I ever felt completely safe and free was when I lived in Louisiana. The men and women who were friends of my aunts and uncles assured me over the phone before we moved there that I would be completely safe; in addition, I was assured that if he ever set his feet on Louisiana soil, he'd never live to regret it. I believe that is probably one of the major reasons I love Louisiana so much. The food and friends come in almost but just below 1st place in my reasons for loving the state but to live without the fears, the bruises, and the broken bones and the fact that the man responsible would never do it again.... well, you can likely understand why I hold such high regards for the people, the friends I made, the family I finally got to know other than other reunions when we could manage it or phone calls when we were able to make them.
It's not easy to describe the culture there, esp in the lower parishes. People here where I live simply cannot relate and they are so stifling when it comes to the variations of religious beliefs. That was never a problem when I lived in Louisiana. People accepted me for who I was even though I'm not Christian. It didn't matter. We could sit down for a large meal together, go off into the city to any number of blues or jazz clubs to enjoy the ambiance and it was okay despite our differences. In many ways, the people in Louisiana are so far ahead of other areas in this country when it comes to acceptance of differences among people. That and their friendships will be a debt I will never be able to repay no matter if I live to be 100+ years old.
BTW, does anyone know if the phones are all down in Braithwaite? I've tried to call my uncle and a few close friends in that area but I can't get through anymore. The numbers come up as "not available," and there is no listings for new numbers. I've even tried to find numbers in the towns where their homes were before the hurricane but there is nothing. I'd love to hear from them just to say hello and find out how they are doing but also, for my own reasons to hear a friendly voice and know they are all right.
Before I forget, what happened to Emile's? It was a great bar and pub in Plaquemines Parish?
Warmest regards to all in this very small world...
Paise
Hi Earthsinger! Welcome to the forum!
Guess we can travel to our State Capitol and chat with them there.
Baton Rouge may be the Capitol, but NOLA is clearly where it's at.
I'm surprised that there's not a NOLA specific sub-forum here.
Back in the 80s I lived just south of New Orleans but spent many a weekend there and in the Quarter; Mother rarely knew. It was a great time b/c few if any places carded and you could go into one of the locals' best restaurants for mudbugs and tequila shots then wander off walking the streets until finding the best sounding blues anywhere nearby, go in, spend much of the night and wee morning there enjoying the music, booze, and somehow all was right with the world. A favored cousin and I went a lot. But then I moved away, he moved away, and then around 2-3am I got a call, which I thought was this cousin but it wasn't. It was a friend calling to let me know that he had died and what happened. I was a little over 21 years old and he hadn't long turned 22. The hardest part, other than the loss or the ..... that put it in motion was my dozing a bit after drinking too much before the sun came up and I must have dozed off or on the verge of passing out - still not sure which, but the phone rang again and I answered it and this time it was a cousin, a male cousin and I mistook his voice but only for a matter of a second or a few seconds b/c when he broke into tears, I knew it was all over. I'd lost my best friend, my partner in "crime," and the one person on this earth who understood me as much as I understood him and the .... we had gone through all our lives. But - I don't regret one minute - not one moment we had together. He was like a brother to me.
I realize 21 and 22 doesn't sound old but when you have spent most, if not all those years on the receiving end of an alcoholic's bad side all because the one they're truly ...... off isn't there and you just happen to be geographically suitable, yeah, 21 and 22 can feel really old. It's been almost 21 years since I lost him and I don't think there's been a day that has gone by when I haven't thought of him or the children he left behind. At least the one solace I have is that the ..... who put him on the path that took his life is dead now and she died from a long bout with cancer. Also, the kids were removed from her home - all of them.
The one good thing about all this is having had the privilege to hear from each of them and know they are okay and especially having the chance to talk to his only son and tell him what a wonderful, giving, and stand up guy his dad was and how he would be proud of the young man he turned out to be. It's amazing how much he looks like his dad too. I only hope that one day we can all get together where I can have my best friend, my best cousin, my surrogate big brother's two daughters and his son - his namesake around me so I can at least have a part of him close by even if it's for a little while. None of them live in Louisiana though.
I'd like to go back for a visit. I know my husband would probably hate it b/c he is under the misconception that the ONLY MUSIC and MUSIC CLUBS in New Orleans and The Quarter all jazz clubs. He doesn't seem to get it that there's all kinds of music played there including rock-a-billy, some county, a great deal more blues than jazz or that's what it was like we were running the streets but in all fairness there were some great jazz bands playing too. It was probably just our crazy family history no matter if we were in the same city or several states away over a few years time we always managed to end up in some small hole in the wall pub with a great blues band playing as we talked, caught up, and just bull-....ting around drinking and enjoying the music or shooting pool. I'd like to show my DH one day there's more to the city than what he thinks. His mother claims to know but she spent a total of a week in the city. I spent about at least a year or or so in the state but you don't live within 50-miles or so and not take off for the city at every chance you get and tehre's lots of chances when you have the one single parent who isn't interested in knowing where you are as long as they get a break from you and go out to do their thing rather than worrying about kids... It worked for us or at least we thought it did anyhow. He never stopped moving until having babies and that's where he lost it all; it's where I lost him - all but his heart, all but my memories.
I realize 21 and 22 doesn't sound old but when you have spent most, if not all those years on the receiving end of an alcoholic's bad side all because the one they're truly ...... off isn't there and you just happen to be geographically suitable, yeah, 21 and 22 can feel really old. It's been almost 21 years since I lost him and I don't think there's been a day that has gone by when I haven't thought of him or the children he left behind. At least the one solace I have is that the ..... who put him on the path that took his life is dead now and she died from a long bout with cancer. Also, the kids were removed from her home - all of them.
The one good thing about all this is having had the privilege to hear from each of them and know they are okay and especially having the chance to talk to his only son and tell him what a wonderful, giving, and stand up guy his dad was and how he would be proud of the young man he turned out to be. It's amazing how much he looks like his dad too. I only hope that one day we can all get together where I can have my best friend, my best cousin, my surrogate big brother's two daughters and his son - his namesake around me so I can at least have a part of him close by even if it's for a little while. None of them live in Louisiana though.
I'd like to go back for a visit. I know my husband would probably hate it b/c he is under the misconception that the ONLY MUSIC and MUSIC CLUBS in New Orleans and The Quarter all jazz clubs. He doesn't seem to get it that there's all kinds of music played there including rock-a-billy, some county, a great deal more blues than jazz or that's what it was like we were running the streets but in all fairness there were some great jazz bands playing too. It was probably just our crazy family history no matter if we were in the same city or several states away over a few years time we always managed to end up in some small hole in the wall pub with a great blues band playing as we talked, caught up, and just bull-....ting around drinking and enjoying the music or shooting pool. I'd like to show my DH one day there's more to the city than what he thinks. His mother claims to know but she spent a total of a week in the city. I spent about at least a year or or so in the state but you don't live within 50-miles or so and not take off for the city at every chance you get and tehre's lots of chances when you have the one single parent who isn't interested in knowing where you are as long as they get a break from you and go out to do their thing rather than worrying about kids... It worked for us or at least we thought it did anyhow. He never stopped moving until having babies and that's where he lost it all; it's where I lost him - all but his heart, all but my memories.
NOLA (in the 80's) and NOLA present are two completely different animals.
...as for the rest of this post: tldr.
It's my belief, anyhow, that New Orleans and The French Quarter along with the other lower parishes were what they were due to the people who lived there. As Katrina destroyed such an amazing place with all the wonderful people that made it great trying to either hold out until the storm passed or left for safety reasons in an attempt to outrun the hurricane after so many others had passed without much grandeur, I would still love to go back some day.
Certainly, it won't be the NO/Quarter of my past for many reasons. I'm not the same person, it isn't the same place, and the one person who made it so special for me has been gone for 2 decades now; however, even if I did return, I'm not sure if I would enjoy myself as much because I am not sure how many of the locals that survived Katrina returned or if the previous pubs and restaurants that were so great back then are open by their descendents or not or if they even exist anymore.
Perhaps one day I will be able to return and if I do, I hope I can hunt down those who are still around that made it such a magical place for me along with expanding my already diverse love of music. Still, I haven't enjoys the blues as much as I did when I was in New Orleans or the Quarter. It's been close when I was in NYC but still, not the same thing as life moves much faster up there even in the old blues clubs with players who have been knocking about for a lifetime. One thing that doesn't change is the taste of single-malt scotch or high-end bourbon. That's still my drug of choice along with my pack of smokes although even those are gone now as I've switched to the E-cigarettes since so many clubs are now off-limits to smokers, which is almost an oxymoron when discussing blues clubs. It's what made them so great - the ambiance. Only fools who never set a foot in a blues club or a pub would make such a stupid law as banning smoking in music clubs, pubs, and sports bars. It's a part of a system that makes them all quintessentially timeless.
Thanks for the time. If you're ever in the city, take some extra time and enjoy what it has to offer. It's most assuredly worth it and the memories you will carry away will stay with you forever to bring a bit of nostagia and joy to your life when you realize your youth is over and before you realize it the children you had are grown.
Paise
Certainly, it won't be the NO/Quarter of my past for many reasons. I'm not the same person, it isn't the same place, and the one person who made it so special for me has been gone for 2 decades now; however, even if I did return, I'm not sure if I would enjoy myself as much because I am not sure how many of the locals that survived Katrina returned or if the previous pubs and restaurants that were so great back then are open by their descendents or not or if they even exist anymore.
Perhaps one day I will be able to return and if I do, I hope I can hunt down those who are still around that made it such a magical place for me along with expanding my already diverse love of music. Still, I haven't enjoys the blues as much as I did when I was in New Orleans or the Quarter. It's been close when I was in NYC but still, not the same thing as life moves much faster up there even in the old blues clubs with players who have been knocking about for a lifetime. One thing that doesn't change is the taste of single-malt scotch or high-end bourbon. That's still my drug of choice along with my pack of smokes although even those are gone now as I've switched to the E-cigarettes since so many clubs are now off-limits to smokers, which is almost an oxymoron when discussing blues clubs. It's what made them so great - the ambiance. Only fools who never set a foot in a blues club or a pub would make such a stupid law as banning smoking in music clubs, pubs, and sports bars. It's a part of a system that makes them all quintessentially timeless.
Thanks for the time. If you're ever in the city, take some extra time and enjoy what it has to offer. It's most assuredly worth it and the memories you will carry away will stay with you forever to bring a bit of nostagia and joy to your life when you realize your youth is over and before you realize it the children you had are grown.
Paise
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