We left Three Rivers State Park in Florida very excited to head to Louisiana. We drove through Alabama, past the navy vessel Aaron and the boys had spent the night on, under the Mobile Bay (yes we honked the horn in the tunnel…a must for safe passage), into and through Mississippi, and then, finally, crossed the bridge over the Pearl River into Louisiana. There is just something about the air of Louisiana that welcomes and embraces you with its thick humidity, decaying sweet smell, and the feeling of life. Aaron grew up here, we raised our children here and called it home for the majority of our lives. It felt so good to be back. We had family to hug, friends to enjoy and food to be devoured. So we set up camp at Fairview Riverside State Park.
As we sat in stand-still traffic on I-12, I started to remember the other side of life on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain. Traffic, traffic and more traffic. EVERYWHERE. TRAFFIC. The population there keeps expanding and the infrastructure (even with constant expansion) can not keep up. I put that on the list of the very few things I did not miss about life there. The list also includes the blood thirsty mosquitos, and wet, humid winters that made the cold temperatures feel brutal and chilling to the bone.
Aaron and I had a tough decision to make. Do we sell the house there or do we hire a property management company and rent it out? Would we ever want to live there again? That home was built by his family, for his family. He and his brother, Jason, grew up there. Jason’s family lived there, our family lived there. Other family members stayed there for extended time. We have rented the house to friends and family. It has been a safe haven for many. A home of ties and memories, of family and friends, of gatherings and quiet peace, is something hard to let go. On the realistic side, it was a house that needed updating, money, time and attention that we did not have the resources to give to it. We decided that, like us, the house need a new start with someone else, hopefully, giving it the love and care that we could no longer give it. As difficult as it was for me to say goodbye to the house on Destin Street, I know it was even harder for Aaron. One thing we are learning with this new life is that the memories are there even when we let go of the things that were used to create them.
With that decision made, it was time to see family, friends, and EAT! We spent time with Jason and his son, Zack. Jason was so kind and gave us some much needed camper stuff, advice and knowledge he had accumulated over his many years of owning and enjoying a variety of campers. We were discussing what I was planning to do with my time, and I told him about the camera I purchased with asperations of photography as a hobby. Jason generously loaned me his professional grade camera to learn and play. My hope is that, eventually, I will be able develop the skills to be equivalent to the camera. Jason also took us to a great BBQ restaurant in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Unfortunately, his wife Ginger wasn’t able to join us. She was missed.
Our next stop was to see my life-long best friend, Anita. She is the sister of my heart. She also has a washer and dryer and was kind enough to let me do the last free load of laundry for the foreseeable future. We had a great afternoon of catching up, supporting each other in our life choices and just being together. No matter the distance or time between visits, we are each other’s rock and that will never change. It was with tear filled eyes that we said goodbye. I know we will see each other sooner than later, but sooner is relative in this life.
Aaron’s Aunt Peggy and Uncle Ed hosted a delicious brunch for us to see and spend time with family. Their house had been pretty much destroyed in a hurricane and after a very, very long time and process they had just moved back into their beautifully rebuilt home. We had a wonderful visit with cousins and their kids. It meant so much to Aaron and I that Danielle, Ellen, their kids, Lisa and her daughter, Brooke took time out of a very busy weekend to spend with us. As I have said before, family is everything. And we are so grateful for ours.
On our way out of Louisiana we had one more stop to make. We couldn’t leave without seeing his maw-maw. Mrs. Panvelle is 102 years old and incredible! She insisted on cooking us lunch, and is was so, so good! We got to hang out with Aunt Evelyn, Aunt Henrietta, Uncle Timmy and Uncle Sonny. Again we are so blessed that we could spend time with family. His maw-maw also gave me her peanut butter cookie recipe that is one of Aaron’s favorites. I have already made two batches and he destroyed them. They weren’t quite as good as hers, but that is because she has something magical about her that I can’t quite replicate. It was hard to say goodbye, but we knew we had to hit the road. Adventure was waiting and it was time. More hugs and love and well wishes were given and we said goodbye.
I was so enthralled with our time with our loved ones that I forgot to take pictures of the actual people. Apparently, that is a lesson I had not yet learned. And it will take a few more times to get it through my head. Hopefully, I will learn it soon.
Full of family love, drive thru crawfish (yes it is a thing and super delicious), and home cooked Louisiana meals, we stayed just shy of the Louisiana/Texas border that night. The next day, goodbye Louisiana, we were heading west. We had one more family visit planned, my cousin and uncle’s ranch in Oklahoma. So with that destination in mind, our family and friends in our hearts, and our home hooked to our truck, we drove west.
Wandering Cindi 