Louisiana!

I wasn’t sure of what my expectation was for Louisiana but I know it wasn’t anything like I expected. I don’t know if I imagined every street to be like Mardi Gras or that there would be more people playing trumpets everywhere but it was not that! What I did realize was that, all the fuel and goods that we need to run this country come from somewhere, and New Orleans is supplying a huge amount of it. The aftermath of Katrina is still present and it felt as if it was a world forgotten and asked to rebuild without adequate resources. As we travelled south of New Orleans we then ventured into an entirely different world. The world beyond the levy. Each house was lifted 20 feet in the air on stilts, waterways littered with trash held boats that saw their hey day last century and people reliant on the ocean for their living. We were going to be spending a week here at a marina in Hopedale. Unlike Florida, nothing was new or manicured, but had a sense of utility in order to survive. Both Walt and I agreed that being able to experience this did not deter or scare us but, honestly, it was nice. It excited me to experience something so different and allowed for me to feel as if we were truly adventuring. It felt as if we were in another world and that discomfort excited me.

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” Mark Twain

This is why we travel. For not only us to open our minds, but to be an example for Olive that, it is ok to live differently. In a time when acceptance and tolerance of others differences is at a minimum, it is imperative to not only learn, but experience others cultures. This little piece of America felt as if it was stretching my understanding of the complexities surrounding the idea of being an American. It was odd and uncomfortable at times but incredible none the less. We met a family living at the marina with 3 young boys with thick Bayou accents who warned us about the possum who gets into garbage and were excited to play tag with Olive.

Mostly, our trip to LA was not just for cultural explorations, it was of course for fishing. We thankfully were able to get a trip with Captain Bailey (our 2nd of 3 guides that had long red hair and big beards) and I was able to catch a lifetime redfish on the fly within the first hour. The enormity of being able to catch this fish did not dawn on me until later but it was an incredible experience that none of us will forget.