MIKE C.'S HOUSE NEAR BATON ROUGE, LA 2011

Mike C.'s House

Mike's house is three stories. Behind the house is a levee built in the 1920's after a severe hurricane.

Front Door


As we approached their house we went down a street that holds many memories for both Mike and Marion. They both grew up in that neighborhood. They pointed out their parent's houses, and the houses they grew up in.

Portrait in the Vestabule


Pulled up to their house on River Rd. It is a nice French Style mansion built by a tub boat captain.

Portrait

The plane landed without incident. It was a small plane. The flight was a little over an hour. Got off the plane and went to get my suitcase at baggage claim. It was very easy because there were not many people in the airport. Baton Rogue seems to be a small city. I didn't see Mike and Marion anywhere. I tried my cell phone, but only got a sign that said 'zone'. It didn't seem to be working. Looked around for a pay phone. Found two. There was a sign on both of them that said, 'out of order'. Went to another part of the airport and found a couple more pay phones. More out of order signs. Went outside and talked to a sky cap and asked if there was a phone anywhere. He let me use his cell phone. I dialed Mike's number and got a message. I decided to go back inside one more time to look for Mike and his wife. This time I was more observant. Inside I spotted Mike and his wife sitting in some chairs and recognized both of them from a picture I had seen on the internet. I went over and greeted them. They said they had seen me when I went by them earlier, but thought that I must be someone flying out. Mike thought it was me but wasn't sure. We went out to their truck which was waiting outside. A friend of their was at the wheel.

On the way to their house they took me on a quick tour of the city of Baton Rogue. The first thing I realized was quite a few of the buildings in Baton Rogue are quite a bit older then they are where I live. The style of many were French. The history in this part of the country is at least 100 years older then in Washington state. The highlight of the trip was to the capitol building, which is a building in the shape of a large oblesk.

Things in the Vestabule


Mike walked over to the front of his house. There was a row of plastic lawn chairs lined up in a row. Mike went over and sat down. We stayed outside for awhile and lingered. Neighbors came over with a little girl. The little girl's name was Butterfly. They talked of local drama. Mike's cell phone was constantly ringing. He was constantly engaged on the phone with friends and deals.

Portraits and Knick Knacks


There is a fish pond in the front yard. Mike points out the fish to me. The black one comes when he calls it. There is also a trout living among the store bought gold fish and other species. A bird had landed near the pond with a fish egg on it's leg. The egg fell off and landed in the pond. This trout has grown to a fairly large size in comparison to the other fish. Mike then feeds the fish. We linger outside for a little bit, and then we go in.

Elevator


We walked into the vestabule. Here are a number of pictures of ancestors and knick-knacks of angels and other objects. Mike shows me the elevator.

Living Room


We go to the 3rd floor where the living room and kitchen were. Mike was telling me about the great view he had out his living room window of the Mississippi River where there is a constant flux of barges and and ships going up and down the river.

Kitchen


We go out on the deck. Mike sees someone walking on the levee and hollers over to him. He tells me all about him. We go in and he starts to tell me all about what is going on in the city. Police are corrupt. The police chief wants to kill Mike. Mike carries a gun around the house. The police chief in town cannot trust the police officiers who work for him. We go out on the balcony again where Mike pulls out a cigerette and lights it. The east balcony is too cold. Mike puts on his gloves, constantly hugging himself trying to get warm.

Vanity in the Dinning Room


We go back inside. He talks more of local corruption and the adventures Mike has in town. H e has three kids. They are all in and out of jail. They all take drugs and steal from him. Marrion is tired of it.

Staircase to the Roof


The cell phone continues to ring non-stop. Some calls are regarding their rental property. Mike and Marion are undecided to sell the house or rent it.

Coal Stove in Dinning Room


Mike's two buddies come in and we are introduced. They are childhood friends of his. They've known each other since the 2nd grade, or something like that. Mike treats them as servants. He askes them to do things for him and run errands for him. Both are alcolholics.

In the Bathroom


Marion complains of them. They don't shave, they stink and don't bathe. Can't find work. The one that stays with them used to be a police officier. The other works as a plumber out of state. He comes to stay with Mike and Marion when he comes to town inbetween jobs.

Mike gets a call. He must go to court! He starts to leave. Marion pleads for him to take his pistol out of his pocket and leave it there. Mike balks, but leaves the pistol with Marion and she sets it on the table. Mike leaves.

Sink


Marion is called Pokey by everyone. It's a nickname from childhood because she was a slow poke. She's left handed. Marion tells of Mike playing war with the neighbor kids on the levee that runs along their backyard, and miles up and down the Mississippi River.

Mike's parents used to own land near the levee. They had horses and a stable. They sold this long ago. Now homes have been built on that property.



Large Bathtub in Bedroom


Mike comes back. They have to go to the store to get some supplies for the bayou outing for the next day. On the way he showed me their rental house and also the night club he used to run. We went inside. It was a big mess.

After that we stopped by his x-wifes house to pick up a solar panel. He saw his younger daughter while we were there. After that we continued to Walmart Grocery store. In the store they ran into some of their friends. I was introduced as the writer of the Hill 10 story. All were warm and friendly. These friends advised not to eat seafood because people are dying and it being hushed up. On the way back from the store we stopped at a sausage shop where they sell boudin and other kinds of Southern food.

Cane Against the Wall in Bedroom


We get back to the house and they start preparing a meal. They are going to BBQ file minyon with potatoes. I go in the living room and watch tv and talk to one of Mike's friends. Mike and Marion continue to prepare dinner. He goes into his office to smoke some pot. Later he told me that he smokes it to increase his appetite. Earlier I was offered a beer. I took it because I was thirsty. Mike offered me some Bailey's Irish Cream. I had some. It made me sleepy. Mike's parents came. His father is 80 years old. They said he is showing signs of alsthimers disease. We make small talk. Dinner is ready. We sit at table. The menuthat night was; file minyon, potatoes, onions,cream corn, salad and cake for desert. We talk about hurricanes and other subjects and then I excuse myself and go to bed since I had been up since 2am the previous day. I slept soundly for several hours.

Brush and Mirror in Bedroom


The next morning I got up and went downstairs. Marion made breakfast of omelete, toast and orange/mango juice. We ended up talking about some spiritual stuff.

It was decided that we should go to New Orleans that day instead of the bayou because the temporature was going to drop. When this happens and ice gets on the road, the roads are closed because people around there don't know how to drive on ice.(that sounds familiar)

Top of Chest of Drawers


Everybody got in the truck and we were on our way to New Orleans. We went south on a freeway. It is about a 2 hour drive to New Orleans from Baton Rogue, about 72 miles. It's a straight shot. First woods on both sides of the road and then it turns into swamp. Finally we pass Lake Ponsatrain.

Horse Picture


Finally we enter New Orleans proper. We pass graveyards where bodies are buried above ground in tombs. This is done only in certain wards where the land is below sea level. further down the road we see the Super Dome where many people died during Hurricane Katrina. We continue on through the city to the French quarters where we find a parking spot,and park.

Bedroom


We went to the place called Cafe Du Mond where you can go in and order binyees and coffee. They were very good.

There were street musicians and people singing some old ragtime tunes the whole time while we were eating binyees and drinking mellow coffee. The street wasn't crowded at all, so it was easy to walk around. We crossed the street and went through a place where panhandlers, horse and buggy & handler and street artists assemble. Here we were infront of Jackson Park, and in the back was St. Louis Cathedral which is an icon of the area.

Cross on Wall


The park is where the first inhabitants lived when they first came to the area. Then we came upon the church and went inside. We spent quite a bit of time inside looking around at stained glass windows and other religious objects. The French quarter did not flood when Hurricane Katrina came through the area, so it was saved from consideral damage. The rest of the city that was flooded is all mopped up now and life is still coming back to normal. There was not that many in the French Quarter the day we were there as many people stay home nowadays since everyone was hurt by the hurricane and they don't feel like partying that much.

Bedroom Vanity


After that we walked around street after street of shops and stores of all kinds selling everything you would want. There was a very carnival like atmosphere ine New Orleans. There are hotels, resturants and bars in abundance as well. We stopped at a bar that Marion used to go to when she was in college. We sat outside in a courtyard that was very nice and enclosed by buildings with a fountain in the middle. Mike ordered some kind of special drink in a hurricane glass that he is fond of. Marion and I tasted the drink. We talked and Mike drank the drink until it was time to go. We went back to the street and walked some more. We stopped at a store where Mike bought a special sandwich which someone created in New Orleans. It has five kinds of meat and four kinds of cheese on some special kind of bread.

Red, White and Blue Flag Sheets in Bedroom


We got back to the car and drove down the street a little way and parked near the French Market. Marion and I got out and walked through the market. They used to sell more produce but now there are other things sold there with very little produce. We went back to the car and proceeded to drive out of town. We passed two of Emeril La Gasse's resturants. On the way out of town we passed miles and miles of mansions on the main beaulevard. It was very impressive. It is called the Garden section of town. We finally got to the freeway and headed out of town. North of New Orleans is Lake Ponchatrain again. This time we got a better view of it. The lake is so big you can't see land on the horizon. We saw some little duck/like birds in the water. We call those kind of birds coots where I come from. We also saw two pelicans flying close to the car. Pelicans are very prevelant in New Orleans. They have pelicans instead of seagulls.

Chandelier in Bedroom


While we were passing over the bridge Mike broke out the sandwich that he bought and we each got a third of it. It was very good. After that I became sleepy and fell asleep for quite awhile. When we got back to Mike's house I was still tired so I went up to the room where I stayed and slept for a few more hours. After that I got up and went to the living room and watched a little tv.

Bedroom


Mike's daughter was there including some friends. Mike and Marion were in the middle of getting the ingredients for a mud bug boil. There are lots of places where you can get crawfish in Louisianna and people love them down there. You boil them up with potatoes, garlic, mushrooms, corn on the cob and Louisianna seasonings. That night we all went to the basement and in a big pot Mike and the others proceeded in boiling the water and cooking the potatoes and the other ingredients and then the crawfish were thrown in last. When this was all cooked it was drained and then put on newspapers on a table. We all ate this for awhile and then sat around and talked into the wee hours of the morning and then went to bed. I met many of the Cajun people who live in the area. It made for quite a memorable time. I will never forget it.

Picture in Bedroom


The next morning I got up around 9am and when I went downstairs I was offered eggs and grits. I ate this, then after that I had a desire to go for a walk out to the highway. It seemed like at least a mile. I walked out and and back. Sometimes it take awhile for Mike to get up in the morning. This was one of those mornings. I was given some long underwear cause they said it was going to get cold out on the bayou. I got these on and we got everything in the truck and then we left. It was quite a drive to get to Sorrel Bayou. We passed some nice manor houses along the way. We also passed a graveyard where people are buried in cripts above ground. After awhile we met up with a friend of Mike's and Marion's named Saint who was going to take us by boats to a cabin on the bayou.

Flowers Neith the Window Sill


We got down to the dock and Saint pulled up with the motor boat. We all got life jackets on and got in the boat and then took off up the bayou, first at a fairly slow speed, and then kind of fast. We got to the cabin and sat around and listened to Saint tell stories. Saint's two sons were there. They went outside and started shooting their guns which made everyone jump everytime they did. We ate some sandwiches that Marion brought and one of Saint's sons made some hamburgers which I ate part of one.

Window Sill


The second to the last day I was in Louisianna Marion asked if I would like to either go to some ferry or go to New Orleans again. I told her that I would like to see New Orleans again. She was happy because it is her favorite city and always likes to go there above and beyond any other place on this earth. We got in the car and headed south on the freeway and arrived in New Orleans. We passed a couple graveyards and she told me a little about them. Then we stopped at City Park. It is a very large park with oak trees with moss growing on them. She parked the truck and we found a picnic table and she brought some fruit and boudan and other things. We ate and talked for awhile and then went downtown again and went to the French Quarters and then on a ferry and crossed the Mississippi River to a place called Algiers where it is said is the place where the blues was invented when slaves used to sing to comfort themselves in the situation they were in. One person would sing out a line of song, then someone else would sing back a line. After awhile this developed into a singing style that is still popular today.

View from Living Room


We came back to the French Quarters again and then went on a cable car. When we got off of it we got on the street again and went to find a mule driver so we could get a little guided tour of the French Quater before I left. It was 15$ each for the ride. It was quite expensive but I thought it was worth it since I would not be passing that way any time soon once I left New Orleans. It was starting to get dark. He claimed that he took us forty blocks, but he took us down the most deserted streets he could find with less traffic to make things easy on himself. I don't blame him. He spent the time telling us stories and showed us the House of the Rising Sun which I thought was interesting.

Mike C. as a Marine


Once we got off the carriage we went to Cafe du Monds again and had some more world famous benyees and coffee oley which was very good on a cold night. After that we headed back to Port Allen. We had a nice conversation on the way back, and this time I stayed awake the whole way. The next morning I got up and had breakfast and we all sat around and talked. Mike's mother came and we talked some more. Soon it was time for me to go. I had to get to the airport.

Flowers


We got in the truck and Mike showed me where he used to own a grocery store. It burnt down several years ago. He still owns the property and hopes to rebuild someday. After that they took me to the airport where I got on the plane, stopped shortly in Houston, Texas, then onto Seattle.
Three words describe my trip to Louisianna... Fan....tas...tic!!!

THE END