Yesterday was mostly a meandering along various coastal zones via a scenic highway 182. The goal was simply to end up in New Orleans with some occasional Oddasee stops along the way.
Before leaving New Iberia we went to Avery Island. This was on our list and had been recommended by others. It was beautiful. There's a lot of history, a massive garden walk and a tour through a manufacturing plant. Somehow we were unaware that was "National Load Up All the 'Hyper-Can't Wait for Summer' 1st - 8th Graders and Take Them on an Educational Field Trip Day." We went to the Tabasco Plant and historical sites. This is THE plant for all those little red bottles of fiery condiments -- read that Tabasco bottle and you see Avery Island, LA. It was utter chaos and cacophony. We were crammed in the corner of a small room for the obligatory "talk" and lesson about the plant. Aside from the twitching masses, the worst part was the guide and the teachers that took to speaking to all the fellow torture victims as if we were all third graders -- even thought they were being treated like barely cognizant infants. We endured this only to hear we were about to be herded into another level of hell; another too small room for the video........ Aaaaaaahhhhhh! Life is too short, we bolted. Off we went to the gift shop and diner/cafe. The etoufee and Tabasco smelled wonderful but the writhing and seething hoard of "little humans" was all to much. Run Susan run! We can make it to the car before these Children of the Sauce get us. Run!
Then after an unsanctioned drive around the island we headed east and south. Along the way we stopped into the "Wildlife Gardens - Rent a swamp cabin". An odd place bordering on yet another Stephen King tale. It was closed but we snooped around. The "cabins" were not much beyond plywood lean-tos and the critter cages were all empty - surely lurking out of sight wanting for lunch. We did take some shots of the friendly peacocks. There was the typical showy male strutting his stuff but he was joined by a few completely white buddies. Then in keeping with our Oddasee spirit a freak of nature appeared -- an obvious hybrid of the two versions. See pics below.
Then we made our way to our one Outsider Art site. This astounding site was placed in a very unlikely locale in the midst of a fairly rural and pristine area outside of Chauvin (show-van). It is a remarkable sculpture environment filled with over 100 figures in various allegorical and symbolic situations. Again, many were Biblically-inspired but definitely with a twist. The artist, Kenny Hill, was particularly reclusive and elusive. He had little desire to talk about his work and only begrudgingly shared it with others. He had left his family and just set off on this 3D self-expression journey in 1990. Apparently one day, he just disappeared; leaving a few pieces incomplete. What he left behind is very impressive and fortunately being taken care of by a local college and foundation. Due to the limited visuals of the day, I'll give you quite a few pics of our latest visual overload. It was very impressive; we loved it..... a gem in our ever-growing album of art wonders.
After landing in our marginally safe but clean motel, we headed off for an authentic New Orleans seafood fest at "Perino's Pot Boil" for Susan's birthday dinner. Hardly romantic but very real, very messy (a pot of peel and eat shrimp and crawfish) and very yummy. The gluttony was one of quality and quantity; we practically needed to be hosed down after that feast.
Love and crawdaddy claws,
Rodney and Susan,
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