ABBEVILLE DELIGHTS

Abbeville is a small, old town with a couple of jewels. One is  Magdalen Square. The square has precious ancient oaks impossible to fit in your camera, so you must go and look for yourself. As you can see one tree can easily cover  a city block.

These old oaks are often covered with rattan, commonly called resurrection fern, because it turns brown when it is dry and green when it rains. It is a plant we see often on old oaks. These trees have earned their whiskers.l

Metal arms help  hold up  long heavy branches

There are four of these giants, if memory serves. So huge, their branches mingle until you cannot actually take a picture of a single tree without getting parts of another. In a word, magnificent.

Across from the square sits the St. Mary Magdalen Church with a tree branch looking like a giant hand reaching for the building.

I look for something unusual wherever I go and I’m rarely disappointed. This tombstone sits in front of the church.

In the cultural center/museum/gallery, as usual, I found something I’d never seen before. This item is a change counter used by the church before they started handing out envelopes and urging people to put bills in the collection basket.

In the cultural center, I discovered the second jewel of Abbeville. Well,  great pictures of their Giant Omelette Celebration. If you decide to come, it is held the first full weekend of November every year. You are looking at the cooking of a 5,000 egg omelette.

One chevalier (chef) puts the butter on the 19 foot skillet. I’m going to give you the recipe in case you need it. 5029 eggs. (The confreres add an egg for each year of the celebration). 50 lbs.  onions, 75 bell peppers, 4 gallons onion tops, 2 gallons parsley, 11 1/2 gallons cooking oil, 6 1/2 gallons of milk. 52 lbs butter, 3 boxes salt, 2 boxes blk pepper, and tabasco sauce to taste.

To the original recipe, the chefs now add crawfish tails. After all, this is Cajun country. Ya gotta have crawfish in your omelette.

And hot french bread to eat with it.

Can you tell these people are having fun? The festivities include a Procession of Chefs, and an antique car show, etc. and etc. Everybody who wants a taste of the omelette lines up. It is free. But the tradition began with Napoleon. His army was traveling in Southern France and they stopped in the town of Bessieres to rest. A local innkeeper cooked him an omelette which was such a culinary delight, he ordered the townspeople to gather eggs in the village and prepare omelette for his army.  It then became a tradition to cook a giant omelette to feed the poor of the village at Easter. Of course, the tradition spread to other villages in France and eventually to the little town of Abbeville.

The cultural center has some great old pictures and history. This from the premiere of The Louisiana Story, a movie that was filmed on Weeks Island but the movie crew stayed in Abbeville

I was surprised to see JAX beer in the 1930′s. There is a JAX brewery in New Orleans and I thought it was a new beer.

A series of photos about the ravages of Rita. Much of the town was under water. Pretty horrific.

The center hosted a children’s art exhibit while we were there. This one was my favorite from their permanent collection, by Robert Baxter.

We took a pass through an old cemetery next to the church. Everything we saw was within walking distance of our parked car. Easy and neat.

Abbeville, Louisiana

The motorhome is currently parked at VFW Post #9822 in Duson, Louisiana.

Yesterday we drove the Bronco the about 15 miles south to visit the Town of Abbeville which you can read about by clicking this link…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbeville,_Louisiana

First stop was in the central square where there are some beautiful huge old Oak trees. I would say without a doubt that these Oak trees are the largest we have seen during this current visit to Louisiana. Several of the branches are so long and heavy they have to be supported by metal poles…

Here are some photos that I took…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

Then we crossed the street into the Abbeville Museum in which the docent Cheryl was very knowledgeable and helpful by describing all of the artifacts. You can read about the museum by clicking their official website link…
http://www.abbevillemuseum.org/

In early November, Abbeville has a giant 5,000 egg omelet festival which you can read about by clicking this link…
http://www.giantomelette.org/

After Hurricane Rita in 2005, Abbeville was under water…

A short walk to the nearby church…

Around the side of the church we saw these huge Steen’s syrup cans. We didn’t stop in, but here’s their website link…
http://www.steensyrup.com/

To the cemetery in the back of the church…

Back at the motorhome later in the afternoon I shot these two photos of the sunset which I decided to do in black and white…

All in all…another nice day.

Enjoying historical towns is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows our approximate location in the State of Louisiana. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…
http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2013
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

Laredo, Texas – Day 2

Mary remains at home in California tending to medical and personal business issues. She has made her airline reservations to join me at Harlingen, Texas on January 3, 2013.

The motorhome is parked at Casa Blanca International State Park. I’ll be departing later this morning.

Yesterday I drove the Bronco the about five miles to Old Laredo. My goal was to visit two museums there.

Arriving in Zaragoza Street I parked directly across the street from American Legion Post #59. Originally I had thought about bringing the motorhome down to this area and park in the church parking lot. Glad I didn’t…streets are so narrow it’s no place for a wide-body motorhome. The Rio Grande River with Mexico on the other side is directly behind the American Legion building…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

I walked up the street to the plaza…

The church was originally built in 1755…

Directly across the street is the Republic of the Rio Grande Museum. The building originally was the Garcia house and served as the capital building of the 283 day Republic over which seven flags have flown. You can read about the history of the Republic by clicking this Wikipedia informational link…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_the_Rio_Grande

Here are some of the photos I took there…

Next I walked up the street to the Border Heritage Museum…only it was not a museum as such. All they had on display was a number of photos taken by local photographers as entries for the Webb County Historical Society 2013 Calendar. So I got to see a lot of the city without having to walk all over the place. Here are some of my photos of those photos…

By time I finished there it was time for lunch so I asked the attendant where I could get some good Mexican food nearby. He sent me only one block away which I never would have found by myself since it has no outdoor signs and is known only to the locals…

Here’s the dining area…

And finally the delicious chicken enchilada meal I enjoyed…

If you want to see the other 37 photos that I took yesterday…click this Picasa Web Album link…
https://picasaweb.google.com/110455945462646142273/LaredoTexas

Enjoying old historical cities is another joy of the full-time RVing lifestyle!

The red dot on the below map shows my approximate location in the State of Texas. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…
http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

CHRISTMAS CAROLING LOST

The Sonora Elks Lodge I’ve joined has an organ/piano player, Lenny. At our meeting last night he played Christmas Carols while the rest of us sat around and chatted and sipped pre-dinner cocktails.

A few people gathered to sing along, myself, included.

I enjoyed the sing-along, something I hadn’t had an opportunity to do in years. In high school I relished high school choir, the recitals, the camaraderie, the whole process was so enjoyable that when it came to church choir, I would attend two masses each Sunday so I could sing twice. Fellow Elk member, Judy Roberts, (in pink) told me that she recently attended a community Christmas Party where many young people attended. At a community sing, they were lost. It is something they’ve missed along the way and they didn’t know the words or tunes to the most common of Christmas Carols. She sighed, feeling sorry for them. I hadn’t realized that our Christmas Culture is generational. As children, we caroled on the street from house to house with our school teacher leading the way. At our last stop, (my house one year) my mother had hot chocolate ready for our weary voices and a fire to warm cold hands and feet. I  guess we are turning into old fogies and caroling isn’t hep anymore. Their loss is our loss too.

Santa Rosa Lake State Park, New Mexico – Day 7

Mary remains at home in California tending to medical issues.

The motorhome is currently parked at Santa Rosa Lake State Park, about 125 miles east of Albuquerque. I will depart later this morning.

This past Monday I took the Bronco about 10 miles south of Santa Rosa to the village of Puerto de Luna…which in Spanish means Moon Door. You can read about Puerto de Luna by clicking this link…
http://nenewmexico.com/towns-counties/guadalupe/puerto-de-luna.php

While there I saw the old church and the remnants of the old county courthouse. Here are some of the photos that I took…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

The old county courthouse was behind a fence so I could get no closer…

Enjoying interesting historic places is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…
http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

Espanola, NM – Day 3

Mary remains at home in California tending to medical issues.

The motorhome is now parked at the Fraternal Order of Eagles Airee #3695 in Espanola about 25 miles north of Santa Fe. I expect to be here for several days.

Yesterday I drove the Bronco the about 10 miles to a very important structure in history of this area…the Santuario de Chimayo. You can read all about this place by clicking this link to their unusual website…
http://www.elsantuariodechimayo.us/

You may also click this Wikipedia informational link…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Santuario_de_Chimayo

Photography is not allowed inside of the church. This is one of the prettiest churches I’ve been to in my travels. The setting must have been delightful back in its earlier days.

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

Enjoying historical locations is another joy of a full-time RVer!

 If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…
http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

MY FIFTH BORDER CROSSING

Thanks to Arizona Ranger, Ed Suckley, I had my fifth border crossing. We had heard horrible tales about how dangerous this crossing was and Jim was reluctant to go there with  the recent drug wars and problems. Ed put him at ease and assured us that a tourist  crossing into Nogales, Sonora, Mexico for an afternoon was as safe  as in Nogales, AZ, US. He even recommended a nice restaurant. Ed had a Boston accent and I got a kick out of listening to he and Jim reminisce about familiar experiences back in Massachusetts. And Ed’s story of how he came to be an Arizona Ranger after living pretty much all of his life on the East Coast? He was still kind of stunned it seemed that he and his wife had made an enormous change in their lives, were warned about living in an “awful” place like Nogales, and they both love it.

Ed’s partner, Ernesto, explained to me how the Rangers work and how much they enjoy this volunteer job.  The rangers were formed in 1901 to combat cattle rustling and wild lawlessness. They did such a good job, they were abolished in 1909. This small museum in the Old County Courthouse is where they preside.

Today, the rangers, reformed into a volunteer group in 1957, still carry colts like those the old-timers used. Between 1901 and 1909, the official rangers only numbered 26 men,  a grizzly bunch who preferred to go about their business operating as cowpokes. Her is a description of them from a newspaper article in 1942:

A colorful part of the old west is now a colorful part of the new west. The current rangers are a legal law enforcement assistant organization. Ernesto explained that their volunteer services probably save the State of Arizona a million dollars a year. When they are not called upon to help the Border Patrol, the Sheriff’s Department or other law agencies, they hold two major fund-raisers that raise money for charities that benefit children.  They are deputized and legal law enforcement assistance.  There is a lot of history in this little room. They have a website at with several short links at :    http://www.azrangers.us/

 

We left the Courthouse and stopped in to the Pimeria Alta Historical Society Museum. The building is chock full of good stuff. A large collection of wonderful old black and white photos. All volunteer run, no charge, they ask for (and need) a donation. The highlight here was the docent who explained how the local Indian lands stretch across the border but she now has to have a passport to enter her native lands on the other side of a fence. It was quite an education to learn that the names applied to Indian peoples, such as Pima, Yaqui, and others I didn’t retain, all mean nothing or nothingness. When invaders arrive in your land, you tell them nothing. Eventually, they are working on getting their true Indian tribal names changed.

Herman “Ace” Lawson, a Nogales resident, was a Tuskegee Airman and wrote a book about his experiences. He was scheduled to speak at the Museum but we left before he arrived, headed for the border.

This is the only crossing I’ve made where you can actually see Mexico and the fence that divides residents that used to move freely between cities as neighbors. It serves its purpose of keeping aliens from crossing but also keeps animals that one time used territory in both countries from crossing. It seems offensive to me, like the Berlin wall.  I haven’t read the link about this fence but Jim has a link to it in his blog.

We walked through the gates. I’ve crossed at Tijuana, San Luis, Algodones, Las Palomas and now Nogales.

Normally,  we eat at a hole in the wall “joint” when we’ve visited Mexico, so this was quite a change.  The beautiful lobby of the Hotel Fray Marcos De Niza.

The food was good and economical, and the comfort was more like home. But, we kind of missed the charm of  the hole in the wall “joints”.

Nogales, Sonora is a much more “westernized”  city; obviously more affluent. The town is huge and is the major port for truck shipping into the U.S.

We stopped and looked into this 122 year old church.

A beautiful stained glass window.

And yes, the boulevards were modern, but we still found those junky alleys with all that fascinating “stuff” I like to see.  I love doing it, but never buy since we have so little room to carry anything in the motor home.

 

 

A fun day.

WHITE DOVE OF THE DESERT

A National Historic Monument, San Xaviar Mission was founded by Spanish Padre Kino in 1692.   The current church replaced it  in 1783, making it the oldest European style structure in Arizona.  It is situated on the O’oddham Indian Reservation.  It suffered earthquake damage in 1887 and the restoration process was the most fascinating aspect of the Mission to me.

It’s long and narrow and colorful. Now, with electric lights, you can better appreciate the work.  Originally, it  was lit with hundreds of candles and what little light came from four small windows in the center arch of the church. The roof  is divided into four arches with two arched knaves to either side of the altar knave, making the building into the shape of a cross.

The windows are beautiful and allow one to see the frescoes during daylight.

There is said to be 50  human figures in the church. This statue of the Virgin Mary appears to be wearing cloth, but all is made of stone as are the drab curtains behind her.

No one knows who designed and painted the original church, but studies of Catholic iconography show that everything in it had a particular place and meaning.

The beautiful arched ceiling frescoes, the figures, paintings and altar decorations, inspire awe, but more so the restoration after the earthquake.

At the four corners of every arch is a painting. And running through out the church is the knotted rope of the Franciscan Robes visible above the painting. The original work was most likely done by a Spanish artist, but the restoration was done and paid for by the O’oddham Indians the church serves. With donations and grants, they  hired experts from Italy to teach them how to do restoration work, a skill they now pass on to a new generation enabling the church to be cared for forever, one hopes.

The outside facade of the building was severely damaged by the earthquake and a lightning strike took off the top of the  North tower in 1939.  Several restoration efforts failed. In 1953, they rebuilt crumbling areas of handmade brick covered with plaster just like the original.   Then they patched cracks and covered everything with a cement wash. The cement wash was a mistake.

The  cement wash prevented the building from breathing and kept the inside damp, further damaging the art work on the inside. Analysis of the materials and the advice of Italian experts who learned from experience, they tried a new wash from materials at hand.  The new wash made from lime and sand and cactus was successful. It kept the building from leaking and allowed the thick walls to breathe and dry out properly.

The facade was restored in 1953. The painstaking inside restoration was begun in 1992 and completed over a period of five years. If you’ve ever seen a wall with flaking paint, you can imagine what it was like. Using hypodermic needles, they injected liquid with a thin epoxy into each flake to get it to re-adhere to the painting. Once stabilized, the spots where no paint remains are sponged or brushed on to blend with the original painting. A video in the museum allows you to see the process and meet the locals who were sent to Italy to learn restoration.

There is much to see here. An adjacent mortuary once used to hold bodies awaiting burial. A school sits behind it.  A hill on the north side of the church has a sanctuary  built into the rocks resembling Our Lady of  Lourdes.

About the place interesting touches of old. A door latch.

A cross of iron in a gate.

The unique way water is drained from a flat roof.

Ignacio Franko explained the significance of this gate design to O’oddham  culture, where a man walks and reaches hard turns in the road but always circles back to the good of life. He is the leader of the band, White Dove Mumsiga.

In the museum, one can see the old saguaro rib and wattle building methods of old.

This bell wheel  turned by the altar boys, old vestments, baskets and everyday artifacts along with  a huge Spanish tome with colorful lettering are on display.

We visited on a Saturday when multiple baptisms were being performed. People were enjoying this wonderful ritual and it was fun to watch them enjoy this time. Vendors were waiting for the crowds to leave the church. They were selling green and red chili burritos, Indian fry bread with cinnamon and sugar, and beans and chili. Great smells and a great tasting burrito.

We climbed the hill for a last look at the White Dove of the Desert.

Mendocino, California

First thing yesterday morning Mary and I traveled the about 10 miles from Fort Bragg to Mendocino, California. It’s a very scenic village on the central California coast. One of my primary reason for wanting to visit Mendocino is that one of my favorite comedy movies…The Russians Are Coming!… was mostly filmed here. In that respect…I ended up disappointed as there was little to be found from the movie released 45 years ago in 1966. My goodness…where have those 45 years gone????

Here’s a Wikipedia link about the movie…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Russians_Are_Coming,_the_Russians_Are_Coming

I did manage to find a field where a scene was shot. The only remaining building I managed to find was the Presbyterian Church…

Mary however…was in her glory visiting all the art and jewelery galleries. Here are some of the other photos I took. You may click on them to see an enlarged view…

To see the other 29 photos that I took…click this link…
https://picasaweb.google.com/110455945462646142273/MendocinoCalifornia

Mary called Mendocino a hipp1e village as there were a number of younger people with long shaggy unwashed hair, backpacks, etc… Here’s a Wikipedia link about Mendocino…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mendocino,_California

After completing our four hours walking around the village…we then drove the motorhome an additional 67 miles to Cloverdale, California where we spent the night at Thousand Trails Russian River RV Resort.

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2011
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust