Dear "Ms." Queens

**It's been awhile since I've written something like this, but once again, life has inspired me.  It's been seven years since I wrote "Dear 'Miss" Queens," and just like then, the words just flowed.  

 Dear "Ms." Queens,

    Respectfully, it's not about you.  You competed just like the "Teen/Junior" contestants, just like "Miss" contestants.  You wore the fancy dress, the interview suits, sat for hours and paid big bucks to look fabulous, but it's not about you. You felt the crown being placed on your head (you may have even shed tears when you were crowned).  You have the banner and the matching outfits, but it's still not about you.  It's about them.

      No matter how great of a Ms. queen you are, as a full-grown adult, you are not going to be representing your title as well as a truly great Miss queen will.  You have the responsibilities of work, and possibly of marriage and children.  You are not expected to be everywhere all the time.  It's not expected, because again, it's not about you.  

    As a Ms. queen, especially if you didn't have the opportunity to hold the title as a young woman, you get to experience something so few others will.  You get to explore the great state of Louisiana through the eyes of one of its festival queens.  You get to participate in events many may not even hear about, let alone take part of.  But you are not the one the spotlight is on.  

    There is a reason most festival queens are between the ages of 17 and 23, not married, and not mothers.  Do you remember how much freedom you had when you were that young, before mortgages and marriages, before babies and bills?   These young women have the time, the energy, the ingenuity that may be in short supply for you now.  Many of them are gaining leadership experience in high school and collegiate athletics, student government, or sororities.  Being a Louisiana festival queen enhances all that they have to offer.  And you get to be there as she grows into herself.  

    But you do not get to usurp her shine.  And if you are doing that, ask yourself why that is. You can offer guidance (when asked), but all she really needs is to know that you're there for her.  For this year you are there to reflect her shine right back onto her.  She's the sun, but you can be the moon.  You can and will light up when she does.  When you do the "Ms." title right, you gain a little sister or daughter, a role model or older sister for your daughter or son, and most importantly, you gain a friend.  

    So be the Ms. queen that she needs.  Help her to be the very best she can be.  You will never regret helping her.  And someday your daughter may be a Miss queen.  Be the Ms. queen you want her to have. 

Adoption Awareness Month-November 2020

    More often that not, when I hear people talk about adoption, they talk about the expense of it all.  And, while it is expensive to go through an agency, a broker, or do an international adoption, many seem to overlook the overwhelming nunber of foster children in the United States.  Policies differ from state to state, and I only have knowledge of Louisiana's DCFS progam.  I rarely write in 2nd person.  Mostly because it was drilled into my head not to by all of my English teachers.  However, in this instance, I think it's appropriate. 

    In Louisiana, when you begin the process of adoption through DCFS, you have to take classes in whatever parish you reside in.  In the parishes with smaller populations, the class may be held in a neighboring parish.  Before the last class, you will be finger printed and have a background check run for every adult in your home.  After you complete the classes, you will hold dual certification in foster and adoption.  This is because in order to adopt a child, you must foster them for 6 months prior to the adoption.  These classes are very informative, and above all else, remind you that the state's 1st goal is reunification with their birth parents.  The following information will not be exact:

    Before a child is placed in your care, you will meet your home care worker.  This person will do monthly inspections of your home, to ensure your family and home are safe and stable for the foster child.  A few requirements--fire extinguishers, medication out of reach of the child, water heater temperature must be set so that a child could push the handle all the way to the hottest setting, and still have their hand under the water for 30 seconds or so.  Pets must be current on all required vaccinations.  They don't want your house to look like a museum, but it must be safe for the child and this depends on the age of the child.  The child's social worker will also visit monthly, to speak with the child and see how he or she is doing.  

    When a foster child (rarely 1 child, sibling groups are much more common), is placed with you, they're going to have very few possessions.  One of the first things their social workers will do is take them shopping.  At the time we did foster care, we could choose Walmart or Target (Always choose Target.  The clothes last longer).  Depending on the age of the child, a car seat may be purchased, some diapers, wipes, clothes, shoes, other necessities, and always, a suitcase.  

    Like I said earlier, single child placements are very rare.  Especially if you want younger children, it's always a good choice to accept sibling groups.  During your home care assessment, you will fill out a form where your state your preferences.  Be honest.  If you cannot handle a child with a mental or physical impairment, admit it.  It doesn't make you a bad person, it just means you're being honest, and a mentally or physically impaired child would not flourish in your home, and you would be miserable.  No one wants the child or the foster parents to be unhappy.  So, be completely honest.  And think about the time commitment for special needs kids.  Will you be able to bring them to frequent doctor's appointments?  Even if the child is not special needs, you will need to be able to make doctor's appointments, to take off of work when the daycare calls.  These are some time considerations.  The state will pay for daycare if the foster parent(s) work 25 or more hours/week.  

    You will also have to go to the WIC office once every1-3 months for vouchers. I can't remember which.  This is especially important for babies on formula.  It is also a pain in the behind.  If you are supposed to get 32 jars of baby food, miscount and only get 31, you have to run all the way back to get the 32nd one.  Many times WIC approved items are not clearly marked.  Sometimes the children must accompany you to the WIC office.  And when I went shopping, with my Coach purse and iPhone and pulled out those vouchers, I could feel the judgment from the other shoppers.  Sometimes I wished I could turn around and shout, "I'm a foster mom."  But, of course, I didn't.  I never drew attention to that fact when our first girls were around.  I didn't want them to feel different.

    Our first placements were two little girls--2 years and 2 months.  They came to our home one evening and were immediately put in the bathtub to be all cleaned up.  I'm not going to get into why they were in care, except to say they were neglected. 

    We were required to meet at the DCFS office once a week so the girls could meet with their birth parents and other sibling.  At first it was for one hour.  Then the parents separated and the visits were two hours long.  I started hanging out at the library during their visits, so I wouldn't be stressed out, dealing with a stressed out 2 year old.  Then the mom started not showing up.  Or she would show up 19 minutes late.  You see, we had to wait 20 minutes, and if she didn't show up, we could leave.  I know she thought she was "sticking it" to DCFS, but all she was really doing was only seeing her girls for 40 minutes instead of an hour.  And you will witness the heartbreak of a hopeful two year old who looked out the window for their mother every time they hear a car door slam, only to sit back down in defeat when it wasn't her.  After the 3rd time of being 19 minutes late, the social worker on the case told us to go and had a chat with the mom.  It got better for a time, but then she just stopped showing up.  After a few no-shows, we were no longer required to go to DCFS for her hour.  

     Bill Clinton passed a law while in office that stated that children should only remain in state custody for 18 months.  And, in theory, it works.  In practice, not so much.  After 6 months, there is a review.     While the children were in state custody, the biological parent(s) are given a plan to follow and complete.  At six months, they look at how the parents are doing with their plans.  Some will follow their plans to the letter, take every class, do everything they possibly can to regain custody of their children.  At 12 months, there is a hearing.  At this hearing, the social workers tell the judge whether the state is still moving towards reunification or whether the goal is being changed to adoption.  Six months later, there is a final hearing where parental rights are either returned or terminated. Keep in mind, even if the goal was changed to adoption, the biological parents can still decide, during the last six months to work their plan and turn the goal back to reunification.  Now...this last hearing may take place exactly 18 months after the child was placed in care, but that rarely happens.  Court dates get postponed.  You may show up at court, with the social workers multiple times, only to wait hours and be told the child's case isn't going to be heard that day.  It is excruciating.  Especially when you're waiting on a termination hearing.  Because the adoption cannot happen before the termination of the biological parents' parental rights.

        Depending on the parish, if the biological parents are in jail, visits are not ordered.  In the parish we were residing in, the judge was adamant that children not be brought to visitations at jail.  She did not want jail to be normalized.  But they will bring those parents to court dates and will hold visits there.  You will get to know your homecare worker.  Ours is now retired and a FB friend.  So are two of our former social workers, both of whom are working to better the system.    

    During the time before the reunification or adoption takes place, the state gives foster parents board payments.  This is to cover the costs of food, diapers, wipes, etc.  Many factors go into deciding how much is paid to the foster parents.  If a foster child with a disability is adopted, they are able to stay on state insurance until they are adults or the family moves out of state.  

    Once an adoption takes place, another birth certificate is issued with the adoptive parents' names in place of the birth parents.  You can change, and it is recommended to do so, the child's social security number.  

    Now, this is where my opinion comes into play.  Once adopted, unless the child is a different race, the adoption story is no longer yours to tell.  It is the child's.  Kids are cruel.  We all know that.  Labeling a child as an adoptive child is begging for them to get bullied.  Particularly in a state adoption, which typically has very different circumstances surrounding the child--the child is removed from care versus a birth mother making an adoption plan and picking out her child's parents.  State adoptions are very different from private adoptions.   And when telling your child about how they came to be yours, it's not rainbows and unicorns, like it may be for others.  

    Adopted is a verb.  Don't use it as an adjective.  And if you have to refer to your child as your adoptive child, and yourself as your child's adoptive parent, you probably shouldn't have gone through with the adoption, because you're looking at it all wrong.  The minute that the judge decrees the adoption is finalized, that child is YOUR child.  You are parents.  You are Mom or you are Dad.  It kills me when kids are referred to as someone's adopted child.  Particularly when the child may or may not know they were adopted as is sometimes the case when they are the same race and/or look similarly to their parents and the rest of their family.  

    DCFS adoptions are not expensive at all, financially.  Emotionally, however, you're going to be on a roller coaster.  And so are the children.  Do everything you can to make them feel part of your family, just like any biological kids that you have.  Calling them "adopted" is not the way to do that.  Let them share it on their own time and to whomever they want.  It's no longer just your story.  It's theirs, too. How you became a family is no one's business except your family's.  You don't walk around shouting about how you became a mom via C-section or IVF or the natural way.  Why would you announce that your child is adopted?

    **Note:  This is one of the best books about adoption I've ever read.  The actress from My Big Fat Greek Wedding wrote it after adopting her daughter through DCFS in her state: Instant Mom

Sing On Review

Sing On Review

                Sing On is a new reality game show hosted by Tituss Burgess, most famous for his role of Titus Andromedon on The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. In Sing On Burgess brings his charisma and vocal talents to a new vocal talent show that mixes The Weakest Link with singing. 

                Season 1 was released with only 8 episodes on September 16, 2020, a bright spot in a dreadful year.  Each fast-paced episode consists of 6 singers of vastly different backgrounds competing to win a possible $60,000.  After the opening song, each of the round begins with a song from the game’s theme.  The singers are judged by a vocal analyzer that will look familiar to anyone who has played any karaoke game on the likes of PlayStation, Nintendo, or Xbox.  For each correct note, the singers earn money to add to the bank the winner will walk away with.  The singer who was most accurate is automatically saved.  Then, here comes the part that is reminiscent of The Weakest Link, the players vote out one player.  The twist is that only the home audience knows which singers were most accurate and therefore banked the most or least amount of money.  They have to choose between those they think are real competition and those who they think were the least accurate and thus kept the bank from growing.  The player saved is the first to vote, and they enter their votes prior to revealing them, so there is no changing the votes once cast.  When there is a tie, the least accurate singer is the one who leaves the game.  There is also a “Titus Prize,” given for the best performance, regardless of their singing score.

The first two rounds can earn the winner up to $10,000, depending on how accurately they sing. The third and fourth songs are worth up to $20,000.  After the six original singers are whittled down to 3, voting is over, and the lowest scoring player is automatically eliminated. During this round, each singer is also given a “golden note.”  If they hit their “golden note,” the singer banks themselves $1000. With two singers left, there are two songs left.  The first one is to decide who gets to pick the final round song.  The contestant with the highest percentage picks the song to end the show.  Interestingly enough, Burgess reveals that the singers are not singing in any particular order.  They have to watch for their names.  Consequently, many first lyrics are missed.  The contestants consistently eliminate each other with grace and poise.  With 48 contestants over 8 episodes, their kindness is what makes this game show different from any others this writer has ever seen.

With themes like Party Playlist, Love Songs, 80s Mixtape, and Summer Anthem, there is enough variety for any music aficionado.  The show is highly entertaining, the game is fast paced and attention-catching without being full of cutthroat drama.  I definitely recommend giving Sing On a chance and hope Netflix extends this show or brings back another 8 episodes in season two, although I do wish Netflix shows would come with the standard 20-22 episodes/per season, instead of the much lower number Netflix is fond of creating.    

Mulan 2020

Mulan 2020 Review

                Like many Disney fans, I could not wait for the promised live-action feature of Mulan.  The movie, originally slated for release in theaters in February 2020, was pushed back to July 2020, and when theaters were not reopened, was finally released in September on Disney+ as a Premier Access release.  As a Disney+ member, I factored in how much it would cost to see Mulan in the theater, bit the bullet, and purchased Premier Access. My 11-year-old daughter and I snuggled up and prepared to watch the live-action version of my favorite Disney role model. 

                The first notable difference between Mulan 2020 and the original was the lack of the musical component.  While there were instrumental hints of the well-loved songs carefully crafted for the original, the live-action movie had no singing actors, but the lack of vocals did not take away from the movie at all. 

                What did take a little away from movie was the lack of several characters from the original.  First, the cricket was removed entirely.  The spider that replaced the cricket in the matchmaker scene just did not do it justice.  Also, noticeably missing was Little Brother, replaced by an actual little sister.  When the animated feature came out, Disney likely went with Mulan as an only child due to China’s current one child per family policy.  However, during the period in which Mulan likely lived, that policy had not yet been enacted.  With Mulan 2020 Disney remained true to the history of China in that respect. 

                The one character that was most missed was the provider of comic relief with impeccable timing, the dragon protector Mushu.  Mushu, played by the extraordinary comic Eddie Murphy, was the one element Disney should have strongly considered keeping in the live action version.  He was replaced, somewhat, by a phoenix, which was an interesting choice.  According to Brittanica.com, in Chinese culture the phoenix is an omen foretelling harmony at the ascent to the throne of the new emperor.  In Mulan, however, she is protecting the current emperor.  We really missed Mushu. 

                Overall, we very much enjoyed Mulan 2020, and very much approved of the change in Mulan’s love interest, addition of her younger sister, and the flawless performance of its star Liu Yifei as Fa Mulan.  I simply cannot wait to see what the Chinese-American actress does next. 

Enola Holmes Review

Enola Holmes Review

 

                As a fan of Millie Bobbi Brown’s work in the Netflix Science Fiction phenomenon Stranger Things, I was very excited when I started seeing previews for the latest Netflix production featuring Miss Brown, Enola Holmes.  I was not disappointed. 

                Featuring Millie Bobbi Brown as the titular character, the cast is made up of a host of familiar faces.  Sam Claflin, who typically plays romantic leads, was almost unrecognizable as the notoriously uptight older brother of Sherlock Holmes.  As Mycroft, Claflin delivers a seamless performance, leaving his leading man persona behind in favor of the standoffish eldest Holmes sibling.  Playing the notable detective Sherlock Holmes, Henry Cavill takes away the peculiarities the famed detective is known for, replacing them with obvious fondness and gentility towards his younger sister.  Helena Bonham-Carter rounds out the Holmes’ family as the matriarch whose disappearance pulls Enola into an amazing adventure, despite her brothers’ disapproval. 

                Enola breaks the legendary fourth wall, speaking directly to the audience, imparting much needed background to this new character, Sherlock’s 20 years younger sister. Enola was first mentioned in 2006 in a YA series written by American author Nancy Springer. The movie has a host of producers, including none other than Millie Bobbie Brown.

                A carefully crafted mystery within a mystery, shortly after Enola embarks on her mission to find her mother, she finds herself caught in the middle of a second adventure when a runaway slides into her train car.   Enter Louis Partridge playing Twekesbury, otherwise known as the Missing Marquess.  Partridge gives an amazing performance, holding his own with Brown.  Twekesbury also holds his own with Enola.  She decides to help him stay hidden. The actors play off each other brilliantly, and the characters inspire a “who’s saving who?” mentality, as they morph into partners. 

                One more familiar face is Fiona Shaw as the villainous Miss Harrison, head mistress of the finishing school Mycroft Holmes is insistent that Enola attend.  Shaw makes her characters easy to hate, which, in this writer’s humble opinion is the trademark of a great actor.  Hate is a strong emotion, and from Shaw’s performance in True Blood and Harry Potter to Enola Holmes, she consistently manages to inspire strong feelings from her audience.

                Enola Holmes proves that Netflix productions continue to impress and adds to their growing library of notable films and series.  However, the best part of Enola Holmes is that it followed the first of Nancy Springer’s series about the sixteen-year-old detective, who gives her elder and legendary sibling a run for his money.  Sherlock Holmes may have, at last, met his match with his clever, much younger sister.  And I hope Netflix continues working with this all-star cast to bring all of Ms. Springer’s books about Enola to the screen.  As always, Netflix has produced a film that leaves its viewers wanting for more.

               

Godzilla 1998 Review

 

Godzilla 1998

 

When Godzilla entered the disaster-era movie scene of the late 90s/early 00s, it was almost guaranteed to be a blockbuster hit.  Instead, the content of the movie landed it squarely in the land of The  Worst Movies Ever.

What makes a movie a good movie?  It has a great plot, actions make sense, and number one, it has to be possible, if not even remotely plausible.  This is where Godzilla fails royally.

First, the monster is simply too big to exist on Earth.  For whatever reason, Godzilla appears, seemingly out of the depths of the unexplored ocean for no reason whatsoever.  The opening scene features iguanas, and the theory of how Godzilla came to be is that he is an overgrown radioactive iguana.  The island of the iguanas appears to be in the South Pacific.  Then we move to Japan, where we see the work the giant did on a Japanese shipping boat. 

Naturally, the powers that be immediately recruit a biologist famous for studying earthworms that were exponentially bigger 12 years after the Chernobyl explosion.  They. Get. A. Worm. Expert.  They don’t find the world’s leading herpetologist.  Nope they go recruit Dr. Niko Tatopoulos, an expert in invertebrates that live underground.  Played by Matthew Broderick, Dr. Tatopoulos is as inept as one would think a biologist studying earthworms would be in the situation with an extraordinary-sized lizard. 

When Godzilla make an appearance in New York City, the audience is left to marvel exactly how quickly the monster was able to get from Japan to New York.  An evacuation is called, and the military is called in.  Not only do the writers make the United State military look completely incompetent, with the exception of Doug Savant’s Sergeant O’Neal, the soldiers act like complete idiots. 

Just when you want the monster to be destroyed, he leans down and meets Dr. Tatopoulos face to muzzle…and then walks away, showing that Godzilla just may not be a bloodthirsty monster after all.  Halfway through the movie we find out that not only is Godzilla not bloodthirsty, she is pregnant.  But, since there is only the one monster, how is that even possible?  The writers used the idea of a mutated iguana as the basis for Godzilla.  However, iguanas do not reproduce asexually, as explained by Broderick’s character.  He also explains that the reason she traveled from Japan to NYC is to nest…

First, there are many animals who can reproduce asexually, including an actual lizard.  Whiptail lizards are all born female, but they reproduce.  It seems like the writers of Godzilla could have done a tiny bit of research and chose a lizard that was not an iguana.  But, then again, that would require a herpetologist to be on set, a much-needed factor that was missing everywhere in this movie. 

Then there was the unnecessary French component that featured Jean Reno, playing his usual stereotypical role of the smoking French agent. 

When Dr. Tatopoulos announces that Godzilla may have laid eggs somewhere in the city was one of the most incredible statements the worm-expert made.  Since when do lizards migrate from a very warm climate like the South Pacific to the very cold and rainy New York City?  And why would a lizard, whose eggs need to incubate, lay her eggs in the air-conditioned Madison Square Garden arena? Because eggs apparently incubate faster in cold are, possibly?

Not particularly fond of Matthew Broderick, save for Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and adult Simba in 1994’s The Lion King, he proved to be the awful, unconvincing actor expected of him. 

Overall, the movie was horrible.  The lizard was too huge, showed compassion that made one wish there was some place on Earth she and her eggs could be relocated to, but unfortunately, they were all destroyed. As the movie ended the audience waited with bated breath as, predictably so, one egg remained untouched, leaving room for a sequel. 

 

Louisiana Girls Go North

Last week one of my cousins got married in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.  When I first heard the news that he was getting married there, I was so excited.  I've wanted to go to Eureka Springs since my co-worker told me he had done an internship at Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge (TCWR).  It opened in 1992 and is home to several big cats, two coatimundis, one primate, and at least 4 bears.  But, the best part of TCWR is that they offer overnight lodging, with prices comparable to hotels in the area.  

The Zulu Lodge area is adults-only.  It is set away from the other lodging and has a hot tub and a covered area with a firepit.  Every unit has a balcony off the back, because even if you're staying a Wildlife Refuge, you're still in the Ozarks, and the views are breathtaking. 

All of the other lodging is family-friendly, and the Siberian and Bengal suites even allow pets.  It is important to mention that pets are not allowed anywhere other than the area immediately around the lodging.  They cannot go into the gated area or on the tours.  Only service animals are allowed on the tours. 

The Treehouse Bungalow is probably where I would stay if we go again.  It does have an age restriction.  Children must be at least 5 years old.  The bungalow is 15 feet up and is directly across fom one of the tiger's night area.  We walked by right before bedtime and she was out and about.  

We chose to stay in the Tigris tent, next to its twin the Bam Bam Bungalow.  These two are best described as glamping.  It's an army tent on a platform.  The Tigris has a bunk bed, a queen-sized bed, a mini-fridge, a table and chairs (inside, as well as on the porch), a coffee pot (Keurig-style), and a large selection of teas and sweeteners.  The fridge was stocked with juice boxes, muffins, and water bottles.  The tents are air conditioned and have ceiling fans and stand alone fans and space heaters.  

They warn you that the tents will be hot during the day and suggest exploring Eureka Springs.  When we got back from dinner, around 7:30 PM, it was still warm inside but it was cooling off outside.  We sat on the porch and watched the sunset (both tents face west).  Then we chased fireflies, sat by the small pond between the tents, and debated over whether or not to use the fire pit (we didn't).  By the time we tuned in for the night, the room was bordering on cold, and it stayed nice and chilly all night.  The only "roughing it" part of glamping at TCWR was that the bathroom was shared by both tents.  It was a bit hot in the bathroom, but it wasn't bad.  And it was about 10 feet away from our door.  They go all out on the safari décor from the lodging to the bathroom.  

While sitting on the front "porch" of the tent, we saw several rabbits and a couple squirrels.  Then the big cats started "caroling," and it was magical.  One we were in the tent with the air and fan on, the lion and tiger calls were muffled and did not disturb our sleep.  In fact, the bed was very comfortable and we slept like rocks.  

When you are a lodging guest, TCWR treats you like a VIP.  There are gates that only employees and lodging guests are allowed through.  The tours are included in your room cost, and you can go on as many as you want.  With your room you also get a trolley ride (we did not do this).  We went to the 4PM tour.  It was very informative, and our guide shared the animals' rescue stories.  There is also a self-guided discovery area where you may catch a glimpse of a black bear (they have 3 acres), cougars, bob cats, tigers, and, our favorite, a grizzly named Bam Bam. 

The rates for the Zulu Lodge, the Bengal and Siberian suites, and the Treehouse Bungalow range from $175-210, depending on when you are staying.  The Tigris Tent and Bam Bam Bungalow are $125/night, and there are a few RV spaces for $65/night.  *All of these prices reflect 2 guests. The family-friendly lodging allows up to 4 guests, but it is an additional $20/guest, even if that guest is a child.  

Overall, it was a great experience, and I am glad we did it.  Even if you don't want to do the tour, the novelty of the cats calling and the gorgeous mountain views make TCWR an amazing place to stay in Eureka Springs.  I just want an attached bathroom next time. :-)

After our night at TCWR and doing the discovery tour in the morning, we headed to Ozark Mountain Ziplines in Eureka Springs.  From the call to reserve our spots to the ride back from ziplining, the customer service was absolutely amazing.  You can book online and pay in advance, but if you call, they let you know there is a cash discount.  And, for 3 people, it ended up saving us around $20, if not more.  Kids under 12 are discounted, as well.  Our tour guides were David and Skylar.  David stayed at the far end of the line, guiding us to a safe landing, and Skylar sent us off.  Both were very good with both the adults and the kids.  We even had a small six-year-old in our group who got to ride with both of them.  We highly recommed this experience.  One of the 10 ziplines was the highest in Arkansas.  I will admit that I was nervous all the way to the first line.  They got progressively higher and longer as we went. One really cool thing about this experience is that we didn't have to hike or climb to any of the platforms.  We were driven to the first, and then to the last three.  I think the farthest we had to "hike" was less than 50 feet.  

In between all of our adventures, we were able to explore Eureka Springs.  The painted steps were beautiful in person.  The mega mocha blended coffee at The Daily Roast was amazing.  From a recommendation by Skylar at Ozark Mountain Ziplines, we ate lunch at Thai House.  It was really good. A hidden gem we found East By West whose resident bunnies help give customers change.  When they're not working, you can find Gumbo and Sushi hanging out, ready for pets.  It was definitely a unique experience. 

The morning of the wedding we decided to check out Float Eureka.  We rented three kayaks for a half day and took the shuttle to the White River.  Even though we road with a bunch of other people and groups, this was honestly the best family time we had.  We were all inexperienced.  And we all managed not to end up in the water.  The water itself was around 45 degrees Fahrenheit.  It was just short of painful to dip our hands in, and was absolutely painful to step in.  However, it was exactly the right temperature for the paddle to dribble into the kayak while sitting under the direct sun.  Because of the temperature difference between the water and the air, there was a nice breeze when it got just a little too hot.  It was absolutely the perfect summer day activity.  The only bad part of the trip was when my daughter got stung by a bee.  Now why the bee decided the seat of her kayak was the place to land, I have no idea.  But her thigh threatened to squish him, so he stung her.  While we were in the middle of the White River.  Thankfully, a family canoeing nearby offered a menthol cigarette to help the sting.  Whether this really works or not, I'm not sure, but she did stop screaming and crying after we applied it to the site of the sting.  

Dear "Miss" Queens

This is going to be different from my normal posts.  It's still about travel and still about the great state of Louisiana, but in a slightly different vein.

Dear Miss Queen,

When you won your title, you were likely filled with a euphoria that cannot be compared. You know who else felt that euphoria, the little queens of your court.  They watched you being crowned, watched as the mantle and train were placed upon your shoulders, and watched as you waved to you adoring crowd.

Do you remember watching your first "Miss" queen being crowned?

In the majority of Louisiana Fairs and Festivals, there are children's pageants as well as a pageant for older girls.  Some of these little girls are doing it for fun, some are pushed by their mothers, and some are doing it to experience the unique fairs and festivals of Louisiana, to find the one or two that will stay in their hearts forever.

Sadly few fairs and festivals include their little queens in activities past the pageant.  It is, understandably, a very lucrative festival fundraiser.  To the fairs and festivals that do include their little royalty, that make private FB groups, and whose "Miss" queen takes an active role in reaching out to her court, I say, "You are awesome.  You realize the potential of your young royalty, and you know that the impression you make on them is lasting."

You were once that young, impressionable, six, eight, or 10-year-old girl.  You once saw the beautiful girl get crowned.  You wanted to be her.  Now you are her, and you have little girls who want to be YOU.  You have your own built-in fan club.

I get it.  Not everyone is a kid person, particularly for the tiny, tiny queens.  Not everyone wants to deal with pageant moms (I really try my best not to be a stereotypical pageant mom. I promise!).  But this is not about them.  It's about the girls who are on the cusp of finding out who they are, who are starting to form opinions of their own, and who are defining their own personalities.  YOU can have an active role in their lives.  And, as their "Miss" queen, you should.

You are not just an ambassador for your festival.  You are a role model.  And you probably relish being a role model, because if you didn't, you wouldn't be a festival queen.

If you take away nothing else from this, please, please do the following:  know their faces, know their names.  Smile when you see them (you are important to them!).  Include them when you can.  Treat them like your little sisters.  Let their enthusiasm bolster you.  Help them be the best little queens they can be.  They want to be just like you one day.  Be worthy of that.

Louisiana Girls head West

This year for Mardi Gras, my daughter and I decided to do something a bit different and (gasp) leave the state of Louisiana for some  girls-only adventures. 

After checking Google Flights, and debating over various locations, we decided that the best choice for us was to fly from IAH to Denver, Colorado.  Because of the location of the Houston airport, we stayed in a nearby hotel the night before.  On the way there, we had a layover in Phoenix, AZ; and on the way back, we had a minute layover in Dallas, TX.  Once in Denver, we rented a car and headed to Manitou Springs. 

As soon as we had decided on Colorado, I turned to Pinterest to search  kid-friendly places to visit.  We'd had a decidedly mild winter here in Louisiana, temperatures, rarely dipping near freezing, and my daughter, 7, had no real memories of snow.  I wanted to change this.  One of the best sites I found on Pinterest was that of the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo's giraffe cam.  I was able to check the weather in real time. 

When we got to our hotel, Comfort Inn in Manitou Springs, we checked in, headed back out for some allergy meds (the altitude was messing with my sinus pressure), and picked up a pizza at Domino's.  Then we made the most of the cozy hotel room and inside pool and hot tub. 

The next morning after breakfast, we headed out to the Garden of the Gods.  This is a Colorado park and costs nothing.  The land was donated with the specification that it would always be free to the public.  And it is a magnificent sight to behold.  Start at the visitor's center.   We were surprised that with few exceptions (like the bighorn sheep and the buffalo (bison), there were several native Colorado animals that were also native to Louisiana.  We explored the visitor center and the gift shop before driving across the road to the garden.  There are a few places to rock climb, but overall, most of the rocks are off-limits, especially to novice climbers.  Here's a tip I didn't know:  there are several parking lots around the garden.  I parked in first one I came to.  We walked around for about half an hour before heading back to the car. We did not realize the incline, and there may not have been much of one, it just may have seemed that way to us.  I say that because we were going from a home elevation of  sea level to 6,358' elevation.  Also, because an elderly man was pushing his wife in a wheelchair ahead of us with no problems, but my very athletic daughter and I were huffing and puffing.

Remember I wanted to make sure my daughter saw snow? I needn't have worried about this.  There was snow on the ground in several places, but I had wanted to make sure, so I had booked the only train that runs during winter, the Broadmoor Cog Railway.  In the winter, the railway only goes as far as they can go, that is, as far as the track can be cleared.  We were able to go a bit past the halfway point and were able to stop and get out at one point.  We were able to play in the snow, which my daughter and I both enjoyed.  We could see Pike's Peak, but we did were no able to summit the mountain, however we knew we wouldn't be going to the summit well in advance.  We literally stopped when we met a wall of snow.  The train ride was very informative, as well.  Did you know that America the Beautiful was written by a woman?  I didn't.  Turns out Katharine Lee Bates wrote the lyrics after being inspired by the sights that lay before her from Pike's Peak.  And I can see why.  When we came to a certain area, an entire side of the train collectively made a sound of awe.  Seats are assigned randomly, but if you happen to be on the side with 3 seats, you're on the side with the best view.

We headed back into Manitou Springs for a quick, late lunch at Sahara Café.  Now, the first thing my daughter noticed was that one of the employees went into the basement.  Again, we live at sea level, which means, she's never seen a basement before.  She was ah-mazed.  The café has Greek food, coffee, and ice cream.  It doesn't seem like that should work, but it does.  The  best part, other than the food, though, was that our server ended up being from our general area.

Then it was time to head to the Cave of the Winds for our 4:00 tour.  I think our tour guide's name was Sara.  She was really entertaining.  I'd seen stalactites and stalagmites before, around San Antonio, when I was around 4, so it'd been awhile.  Seeing remnants of explorers' ladders and tunnels and one of the darkest places on earth were all amazing things to share with my daughter.  By this time, I'd also exhausted the battery on my phone and left my camera in the car, so at the end of the tour when w were given the option of buying a USB with our picture (taken at the entrance of the caves) that included other pictures and videos), I jumped at the chance. This was probably my favorite souvenir.

The next day I woke up not feeling well, so before we went anywhere, we headed to an urgent care in Colorado Springs.  One thing about driving in Colorado:  roads are well marked and signs are easy to follow.  One thing that was truly baffling for a state where marijuana is legal and mountain roads are plentiful:  the lack of guardrails.

For our last full day in Colorado, we spent a few hours at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.  Remember the link I posted earlier?  We sent it to several family members, found the camera, and were able to wave to them over the world wide web.  Not only were most of the exhibits unique, but everywhere we looked there was a simply stunning vista. There is also a ride that looks like a ski lift that was only open on the weekends ( I missed this online or I would've gone the day before). You can also drive into the zoo up to the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun, which I didn't know either, and honestly I wasn't feeling well at this point.  If they upgrade the parts of the zoo that are still in the "old-school" style, this zoo will truly be one of the best in the country, along with being the only mountain zoo. 

After leaving the zoo, we headed to Denver, spent the night near the airport, and spent the next day exploring Denver before flying out at 4.  Around 2, it really started snowing, so not only  did we get to see snow on the ground, we also got to see it coming down, as well.  Denver and the general airport area were both easy to navigate, everyone we encountered was friendly and welcoming, and we had a wonderful time.  Honestly, it felt a bit like Louisiana in the mountains. 
-Till next time, Colorado!

A different list about Louisianians...

So...lots have been written about being from Louisiana. Much of it true, but much I'd never heard of:
1.) We're not all from New Orleans.
2.) Some of us have never (gasp) even been to New Orleans.
3.) We don't have to go to New Orleans to celebrate Mardi Gras.
4.) However, if we're talking about Saints, it's usually not the Catholic kind.
5.) We don't have to have gone to LSU to like the Bayou Bengals.
6.) Most of us have survived at least one hurricane.
7.) We don't all speak French, but we can all pronounce French last names. Silent "T's" really aren't that difficult.
8.) We don't do snow. Stop making fun of us because we can't drive in it. None of us have snow tires. It only happens every few years.
9.) We do have festivals for darn near everything.
10.) Back to Mardi Gras--if you're from SETX, don't bother coming to shop on Mardi Gras in Lake Charles. Stores close early. Also, check out Creole, Mamou, and Lafayette for some awesome Marsi Gras celebrations.
11.)Most of our state is very natural and there's lots of water. We like it that way.
12.) Until the first hard freeze, bug spray is the perfume of choice.
13) Even with the mosquitoes, and muddy water at the coast, we still love living here.
14.) Because, hello, you can get it shipped, I guess, but you can't get fresh crawfish or king cake anywhere else. And...
15.) If you've ever had real Cajun or Creole (and yeah, there's a difference) food in Louisiana, you'll be able to recognize how it's not REALLY the same thing out of state.
16.)We know not to mess with alligators. Because if you don't mess with them & their babies (btw, like one of the only reptiles who do that) they don't mess with you. They're afraid of you. We also know not to feed them. Because when you feed them, Florida happens. That's why we've had not a single human killed by an alligator in Louisiana History.
17.) We are usually friendly people and will respect that you have your opinions, please listen to the reasons we have to support ours. For instance--hunting. Most hunters are also big conservationists. They want healthy wildlife. They want the ecosystem to survive. However, that only applies to native species. The nutria rat was a mistake import. It was brought in because beavers were being hunted too much--we learned our lesson, sadly with both animals. While they've both prevailed, the nutria has destroyed much of our shore protection. Protection we need for hurricanes. And our native animals' numbers are dwindling because nutria are eating their food. So, yes, there's a bounty on nutria.
18.) We are a strong, resilient people. We like our home state.
19.) Different areas of the state are DIFFERENT. I went to college with some women from northwes Louisiana. They don't close anything for Mardi Gras and had never heard of boudin (they were missing out!)
20.) We are very welcoming people. It's not uncommon to be invited in for lemonade, tea, or a cup of Community Coffee.

Gator Country

This past weekend, these Louisiana girls decided to go west and get touristy in nearby Texas, specifically Beaumont. My family is a fan of a show on PBS called The Daytripper. After watching the episode on Beaumont, we had a new found respect for Jason's Deli and a desire to check out Gator Country.

So, here's the thing about Gator Country:  There's a website. There's even a FB page. There is not, however, a sign to tell you which exit to take when you're traveling eastbound I-10. It is, however, right off the interstate, and if you pass it up, you'll see it just north of the interstate--if you're paying attention. I'll confess right here that I've traveled this particular stretch of I-10 countless times and never noticed Gator Country.

To get to Gator Country from Louisiana, take I-10E to exit 838. Take a right (head north) after you exit. Then keep an eye out on the left. It's not far, and there are signs where you turn.

Here's a tip: bring swimwear & towels, especially for any children. And be aware there's a gift shop with stuffed animals, soft drinks, and various Gator Country memorabilia.

Upon walking through a plywood cutout of a gator's mouth, we walked onto a boardwalk. Alligators were abundant in the water below. On the front porch, there's a large, fake gator, perfect for taking pictures--just be sure not to sit on its head. There are also a couple of, well bored-looking, raccoons. They had a pool, some food, and an LSU hammock for the raccoons. And their keeper may have been hanging out just out of view, but they really did look bored and like they were trying to get out.

Once inside, we paied--for 2 adults & a 4-year-old, and a small brown bag of dog food to feed the gators--it was a little over $40. This seemed a bit high to me, especially considering you can visit a zoo and see a live animal show for considerably less. However, they did have a snake collection to rival any zoo. They had several albino snakes, including a very large Burmese python. Gator Country is also home to an African Rock Python, one of the world's most aggressive snakes. Theirs is around 3 years old and was probably under 6 feet--they grow up to around 20 feet. They had two venomous snakes that I saw--a copperhead and a water moccasin (cottonmouth), several lizards, and alligators (of course) and two crocodiles. Their labeling could use some attention as not everything was labeled, though. They also had a couple mammals, namely hedgehogs & a chinchilla.

We missed the beginning of the 2:00 show, but did see most of it. The volunteers that were doing the show seemed very knowledgeable about and comfortable with the snakes they handled. I noticed a few bits of information they were probably misinformed about, namely the largest alligator on record (it was, in fact, 19 feet, caught in Louisiana in 1890s and not weighed). But on the whole, the show was very entertaining, educational, and informative.

After a brief intermission, the volunteer led us out to the pond to see the famed Big Al---the biggest alligator on property. I believe he also stated that Big Al is the heaviest alligator in captivity in Texas. Once again, the volunteer was entertaining and informative. And Big Al was Big Al. He's pretty impressive.

Once Big Al's part in the show was over, we headed to a concrete pool. This is the part that you need a swimsuit for; it's also the part we knew nothing about.

You can swim with alligators. Yes, you read that right. You can swim with alligators. The gators are small, probably 3-4 feet, and their mouths are taped shut. They seemed to only be used for one group of people and then returned to their inside enclosures. We were going to let our daughter join the throng of kids in the pool, right up until we saw that the pool was at least waist-deep for children who looked around 5' tall. They all got soaking wet--Gator Country does sell t-shirts if you want to dress your child in dry clothing once they're done swimming. But I had no desire for my child to get soaking wet and drive back to Louisiana. Swimming with alligators did make the entrance fee seem less steep. I mean, where else can you do that?

In between the inside and outside sections of Gator Country, there's a large playground. However, it was so hot the day we went, I was worried that the slides would be too hot for little legs.

We stopped along a couple of the raised walkways and threw dog food to the alligators. Once again, where else can you legally do this? The gators were used to this and, though there didn't seem to be any confrontations over food, they were all very interested in it. I can definitely see why this is illegal in the wild.

All in all, it was a pretty good experience, save for not knowing about the wet activity. Gator Country really should put some funds into a brochure or pamphlet for the Texas Tourist stops in Beaumont & Orange. It would definitely increase their traffic.

Now, just a word about alligators. If you want some reputable information about them, visit or contact a wildlife refuge, specifically Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge in Grand Chenier, Louisiana. The gators in the Baton Rouge Zoo and the world famous San Diego Zoo all came from Rockefeller.

Alligators in the wild are typically not aggressive to humans. The exception is a female with babies around. If a baby feels threatened and calls for help, any female around will respond. This is unusual for reptiles. The lesson here is that if you see a baby alligator, assume its protector is around and leave. Even Big Al, who clearly could've taken the volunteer, should he choose to, simply didn't choose to. The Houston Zoo has even managed to clicker train their white (leucistic, not albino) alligator Blanco. They feature a neat video featuring their training sessions in the reptile house. Blanco is pictured above.

Here's the link to Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge.
Gator Country's website
Gator Country's Facebook Page

Moody Gardens--Palm Beach & the Aquarium Pyramid-- Galveston Island, Texas

Going to Galveston for the weekend means a visit to Galveston Island's newer landmarks, the pyramids @ Moody Gardens.  We found out that when you stay at the Hotel at Moody Gardens, you get passes for Palm Beach, which was awesome, since I'd planned on bringing my daughter there anyway. 

So, thanks to Maw Maw & Paw Paw, my daughter & I were able to partake in some of the water activities Palm Beach has to offer.  Now, if I haven't said it before, my daughter is a water baby.  She loves water and always has.  We have gone to the local mini-water park a couple times a week during the summer for the past couple summers.  Moody Gardens is like a mini-water park on steroids.  It isn't Schlitterbahn or a Six Flags Water Park, but it is more than the community water parks that seem to be springing up everywhere.

It also doesn't hurt that it is on Galveston Bay, so you can also do a bit of nature watching.  We saw countless seagulls fishing, but what was really exciting was the brown pelicans we saw searching for a meal. 

For a beginning of the season Saturday, it was surprisingly uncrowded.  We did the lazy river a couple times, played in the wave pool, and enjoyed the slides for the shorter kids, as my daughter didn't meet the height requirements for the two big slides.  We also ate lunch at Palm Beach.  I'm not sure if we were just really hungry, but the shish-ka-bobs we got were delish.

After a couple hours we were ready to go.  Palm Beach isn't really an all-day thing for young kids.  So, here's the low-down.  They have bathrooms, complete with showers, so if you're not staying at the Hotel, go ahead and bring shampoo to get that chlorine out. They also have lockers for rent.  And they have free (first come, first served) life jackets for kids.  Lockers are rented and life jackets are available in the gift shop, near the entrance. 

Here's the Palm Beach page on Moody Garden's website:
http://www.moodygardens.org/seasonal_fun/palm_beach/

The next day, before heading out of Galveston, my daughter, mother, & I checked out the Aquarium Pyramid.  I was the only one who had ever been before.  Both Mom & my daughter seemed to have a really good time.

Their penguin and their seal/sea lion exhibits are both multi-storied, letting you get different views of the animals.  The animals in both of these exhibits came right up to the glass and seemed interested in the humans on the other side.

There were all the usual suspects you'd expect in an aquarium, including several species of sharks, which kids were encouraged to find.  My daughter was given a handout with all the species of shark and a box next to them to be stamped when we located that particular species.  Even at 3, she really enjoyed doing that.  Or at least, she enjoyed the stamping.

Another exhibit we both enjoyed was the touch pool.  We both got to touch a sea star, and I got to tickle a pencil sea urchin.  It was a truly unique experience and one I highly recommend.

It took a couple hours to see everything, but again, not a full day event. If you do plan to stay at Moody Gardens for a full day, there are passes available that let you partake in all that Moody Gardens has to offer.

Here's the Aquarium Pyramid page:
http://www.moodygardens.org/attractions/aquarium_pyramid/

And here's the ticket info:
https://secure4.gatewayticketing.com/MoodyGardens/Content.aspx?Kind=LandingPage&merchant=OC&CG=TI&C=Aquarium&__utma=1.1566542156.1369835063.1369835063.1370446212.2&__utmb=1.2.10.1370446212&__utmc=1&__utmx=-&__utmz=1.1370446212.2.2.utmcsr=moodygardens.com|utmccn=(referral)|utmcmd=referral|utmcct=/&__utmv=-&__utmk=264279055

Moody Gardens is a definite must-see spot on Galveston Island!

Pleasure Pier, Galveston Island, Texas

This past weekend we had a mini-family reunion of sorts.  My cousin graduated from UT Medical School.  His proud parents rented a huge house in Galveston for the event.  While it couldn't contain everyone (my parents stayed at the Moody Gardens hotel), my daughter & I stayed with the rest of the family.

The house was a couple blocks away from the Gulf of Mexico and 7/10 of a mile away from one of Galveston's newer attractions, Pleasure Pier.

Our day had already been eventful, especially for a mom & a 3 year old.  We'd gotten up early and headed over to Moody Gardens, where we'd spent the morning at Palm Beach.  Then we went back to visit with family and rest before heading to the famed Sand Castle Contest on East Beach in the afternoon and early evening.

So, it was around 8:30 that we started the walk to Pleasure Pier.  My mother came with us, and we ambled along Seawall Boulevard, stopping in a couple stores, before reaching the pier.

There were a couple rides my daughter was just too short for, but I'd done my research and visited Pleasure Pier's website.  I knew there were several rides she was the required height for, so when it came time to purchase a ticket, I bought her the pass.  Some rides I would have to go on, as well, so I bought myself a pass, too.  Here's the thing--to go on the pier, you must have at least a walk-on pass.  Walk-on passes start at $10 for adults (over 48"), $8 for kids (under 48"), and $7 for seniors (must have ID).  Rides start at $4.  But the unlimited ride passes are $26.99 for adults, $19.99 for kids, no senior discount.  We got there late, but my daughter still got to ride everything she was tall enough to ride.  In hindsight, I probably could have gotten away with a walk-on pass and tickets to ride what I need to ride with her.  Lesson learned.  However, it was much cheaper to do the unlimited for her, especially since it allowed her to ride her favorite--kid-sized bumper cars--three times in a row.

Most of the rides are lit up, but the icon of the pier is definitely the ferris wheel. It's all the way at the end of the pier and definitely not something to miss. It was nice to sit down for a bit, though we spent more time hanging in the air, waiting for others to get on or off, than we did making rotations.  Because it was at night, I can only imagine how amazing it would've been during the day, over the water, that high up.  They also had a pretty good band playing (I thought it was recorded music until I saw the musicians). 

Pleasure Pier had typical carnival games--Guess Your Age or Weight, Ring Toss, etc.  We bypassed all of these in favor of the rides.  We also did not eat at Pleasure Pier, though besides typical carnival foods, it is also the location of Bubba Gump's.  They even had a Gump's on the Run (to-go orders).  You did not need to purchase any kind of pass to get food from Bubba Gump's. 

All in all, I'm glad we decided to check out Pleasure Pier. My daughter had a fabulous time. One warning--watch out for Pirate's Plunge.  Even walking too close could leave you soaked. 

Here's the website.  I definitely recommend checking it out before you go. 
http://www.pleasurepier.com/index.html

The Houston Zoo

So...these Louisiana girls packed up and headed to Texas for a couple days.  We had not been to the Houston Zoo since right before my daughter turned two...we were overdue for a trip.

The Houston Zoo has upped its prices in recent years, but with good reason.  It really is an awesome zoo.  Some things haven't changed.  The reflection pool and the lion water fountain are favorites from my youth that can still be found.  But Houston has also dome some major upgrades.

After entering the zoo and donating an extra $4 for bracelets that read LION (my daughter) and TIGER (me), we headed to the Ethel G. and Allen H. Carruth Natural Encounters Building.  My daughter had a fabulous time in here.  She got to duck into dark caves and crawl through tunnels that were surrounded by water.  Some of the exhibits were closed for "remodeling" and there was an odd front porch that was just kind of there.  But overall, it was a nice building that I am sure is very popular during the humid Houston late spring, summer, and early fall.  We went on a weekday in January, and it still had a fair number of people looking at exhibits.

Because of the temperature and because it was a weekday, we were able to see everything we wanted to in just a few hours.  All in all, it was an enjoyable experience.  Houston has a world-class zoo.  The zoo has a FB page that updates daily.  They also have a youtube channel, and, of course, a website.  This summer my daughter is going to be attending a half-day camp (they start at age 4), so I'm sure I'll post some more about the zoo then. :-)
Houston Zoo on YouTube  The Houston Zoo website

Christmas Lights in Natchitoches, LA

The Christmas lights in Natchitoches are why our camping trip took a decidedly road-trip turn.  I hadn't been to Natchitoches to see them since the 1998 Christmas Festival, and my husband & daughter had never seen them.

We missed Christmas Fest by one day.  I was okay with that.  The crowd was much thinner.  And there were no fireworks to convince our border collie that THE WORLD WAS ENDING!

We arrived in Natchitoches about an hour and a half before sundown.  After getting a snack, we headed out to Front Street with the dogs.  We parked down by the water, walked around, and waited for the sun to go down.

Let me tell you, Hodges Gardens has nothing on Natchitoches.  The water towers have Natchitoches labeled as the City of Lights, and with good reason.  Cane River Lake's two bridges were decorated.  There were light displays on the banks of the lake opposite Front Street, and some light displays right where we were. And they were magnificent. 

Something that was rather new to me was the fact that the carriage house was open, and there are now horse-drawn carriage tours of Natchitoches, though I'm not sure whether this was just for Christmas Fest or something being done year round. 

Natchitoches is just beautiful any time of year, and after dark, the light display during the month of December is just amazing. 

One note--if you bring your dog(s), be prepared for the fact that it seemed like more food hit the ground than made it to people's mouths the day before.  We had to constantly make sure none of that food was making its way into our pups' mouths. 

If you've never been, the drive to Natchitoches is definitely worth it.  Just don't forget to visit Lasyone's and get a meat pie!

http://www.christmasfestival.com/
Also, the good hotels book up, so if you don't live in reasonable driving distance, make your reservations early!

South Toledo Bend State Park

My husband & I love to camp.  Or rather we like the idea of camping.  We've gone camping.  We think it's fun.  But to say we love it, I think, implies that we do it all the time.  We don't.

My first camping trip ever took place when my husband & I were dating.  This was back in the late 1990s.  He suggested it, and I readily agreed.  After all, this was something we could do and bring my beloved dog Molly. So we went.  My first camping trip ever was in Kisatchie National Forest.  I have absolutely no idea where we went, and this forest is massive.  It takes up a very large area in the center of Louisiana.  All I know is that when he brought up the idea of camping, I thought we were going to be "roughing it".  And then we got there, picked our site (within walking distance of bathrooms containing flush toilets and hot showers). The site itself had running water and an electrical outlet.  And I, naive as I was, hadn't even thought to bring my blow drier.  :)

My first experience with camping was that, although fun during the day...once the sun went down, it was kind of boring.  So, on our next expedition, I was more prepared.  Right after we got married, we took our doberman pinscher to Arkansas.  We went to Ouachita National Forest in Arkansas.  I remember just knowing we wanted to go camping in Arkansas.  We went to Hot Springs first--there's a national park there.  And there were campsites, but it was pretty much camping in a parking lot, so we searched on.  I can't remember exactly where we camped, but after staying a couple days, we decided to explore some more.  We went in May, probably the beginning of the peak season, and most other places were full.  Eventually, we'd like to go back up to Arkansas and explore a little more.

The next year, our family had grown to include a golden retriever, and it was with him and our dobie that we went on our road trip.  We went to Tennessee and North Carolina via Florida.  Yes.  I told my dear husband we could go camping again, but I wanted to see a beach on the way.  For the record, most of Florida was very dog un-friendly at the time.  I've heard the exception is the Keys, but don't take my word on it.  All I know is that dogs are allowed pretty much anywhere (except in buildings) in any state park in Louisiana.  In Florida, we went to Blackwater River State Park, and our campground was pretty much the only one that allowed dogs.  We drove up through Alabama and Georgia to get to Tennessee.  We stayed in a campground in Tennessee National Forest. A special note here...if you get a flat while camping, ask the park rangers where to go.  That's what we did, and the place was very fair and did an awesome job.

After a couple days in Tennessee, we headed east to Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina.  Our road trip was at the end of April/Beginning of May.  We were completely unprepared for how cold it was up in the mountains.  It was still beautiful, and when you hike with two large dogs, people tend to let you have spots to yourself for awhile. :)

Now....our road trip & last camping experience was two years after we got married.  This weekend's camping trip was to celebrate our 10th anniversary, and was our three-year-old daughter's introduction to camping.  This time, we brought our young dogs, a border collie and a miniature Australian shepherd. It was their introduction to this sleeping in a tent experience we call camping, also.   We had to retired our golden retriever from hiking activities after the last time we brought him to Port Hudson and wore him out.  And to be honest, I don't think our dobie really likes the outdoors much.

To prepare our daughter, we slept on the back porch once.  She was thoroughly intrigue at the idea of "sleeping outside."  For years I'd heard friends and family talk about going to Toledo Bend, so I was pretty curious about it.  I did a bit of research, and we decided to check it out.  Now, in my research, I discovered that South Toledo Bend State Park is very popular, especially the cabins.  Unfortunately, most cabins don't allow any animals except (according to the website) seeing-eye dogs (which, really, cannot be ADA compliant.  They should have to accept ANY service animals, whether for the blind or physically impared, but I'll have to check that out later).  And we tent camp, anyway, which is why we tend to camp when it's not particularly hot or cold.  In Louisiana, this window is small, so it's no wonder we haven't been in several years.

We arrived at the State Park at 4:10.  We were greeted by a friendly employee who let us know that they were pretty empty and we could pick our campsite.  Okay, here's the good info--if you're tent (not primitive) or RV camping at this state park, the best views are at sites 35 & 37--no contest.  The only conundrum is whether you want a view or to be close to the bathroom/hot showers.  It's a good walk or a short drive from the sites with the best views.  These premium sites cost $2/night more than the improved sites.  Now, another insider tip--you can reserve a spot online through www.ReserveAmerica.com.  They will charge you a $6 reservation fee, so we didn't do it.  When we got here, we were still charged the $6 fee, but they called it processing or something like that.  It kind of left a bad taste in my mouth.  I can understand a fee for reserving a spot, especially one with a great view...but if you're going to be charged that anyway, why not state that somewhere on the state parks website?

The weather was absolutely perfect camping weather as far as we were concerned.  After setting up our tent and building a fire, we cooked hot dogs and chili.  Then we turned in for an early night.  This morning we got up early, cooked breakfast on the open flame again--somehow it tastes better that way.  And after nice hot showers, we went off on our adventure.  We started at the visitor's center.  It was unmanned, but still very interesting.  Of course, dogs are not allowed in any buildings, so we had to take turns going in with our daughter.  She seemed most intrigued by the food chain exhibit, as it had a wheel she could turn.  Then, because we saw a sign that said Bald Eagle Nest trail, that's where we went.  We didn't find a bald eagle's nest, though this area is supposed to be a nesting area for our national bird.  However, we did stumble upon a pretty private, pretty rugged beach.  The trail was fairly easy to traverse, even for our daughter.  After we did the trail, we did a little exploring outside of the state park.

One of the places we went to, because frankly, we were intrigued by the sign, was Bass Haven Resort.  We did not get out of our vehicle here.  To call it a resort is an exaggeration.  Unless your definition of a resort is a bunch of rundown trailers all grouped together.  Now, the people may have been nice.  It may have been dirt cheap.  I don't know.  All I know is it's not my idea of a resort.  Or of a haven, for that matter.

Before heading back to our campsite for the night, we visited another state park.  Hodges Gardens State Park is a relatively new state park.  I'd been to it before it became a part of the state park system.  Apparently way back when they had quite the Christmas light display, and this year they were bringing it back.  It was worth the $1/person we paid to get in.  Our daughter enjoyed the lights.  We were able to bring the dogs.  They are planning on expanding the lights over the next four years, according to a news article I read on the subject which made us want to go.  Maybe we'll check it out again in four years.

The Louisiana State Parks system needs some updating.  This summer we went to Fort Pike State Park in Florida and were told our entrance fee was good for the next 7 days at any Florida State Park.  So...maybe Louisiana should adopt this policy.

Also, there is an iPhone app for the Louisiana State Parks system.  It is a paid app that I downloaded last year.  We visit state parks fairly often, and it does have some good qualities.  Is it worth the download?  Well, most Louisiana State Parks have wireless internet now, at least in some parts...and that's good because otherwise there's basically no cell service.  There is an alert feature on the app.  But what are the odds you're going to be in a wifi area when you need assistance?  Also, the Christmas lights event was not on the events page.  What I've discovered is that if a state park has a Facebook page, that's where the most current and reliable information will be found.  Not on the app.  Not at http://www.crt.state.la.us/parks/#maincontent.  And that's kind of sad, in my opinion.  The paid app should, at the very least, be up to date on all events going on at every state park.

One of the more memorable parts of this trip was seeing a black squirrel, a very interesting-looking animal. We also drove across the Toledo Bend Dam, which was pretty intresting.

All in all we had a wonderful experience getting back in touch with nature, and I do thoroughly recommend this state park.  Though if you do take your dog(s), remember they have to be on-leash or crated at all times.  The leash cannot be longer than 6' (no flexi-leads).  And I would also recommend treating them wih a type of flea/tick prevention, as the area is known for being high in tick population.