Happy New Year!!!

Gina and I hope everyone is enjoying 2011. We spent New Year’s Eve with Dana & Rickey (my sister and BIL), Mike & Janna and Nicole, our daughter. Dana & Rickey fried catfish and cooked stuffed potatoes with shrimp & corn bisque (it’s a soup). Everything was superb and tasted great. We enjoyed a wonderful evening with family and friends to bring in 2011.

Mike & Janna, Gina & myself, Dana & Rickey

Earlier in the day Gina went with Nicole to run some errands while I took Mike & Janna to the Bass Pro Shop by our house. It’s a really fascinating store. The store has done a great job of capturing the essence of South Louisiana. From there I took them by to see a distant relative and very close friend, Mr. Homer.

Mr. Homer with a lot of sweet potatoes in the back

He grows a very large garden and sells a lot of vegetables throughout the year along with a lot of other stuff. He and his wife, Mrs. Lee have a lot of stories to tell like most Cajuns. It was Mr. Homer who first told me about the big tent in Quartzsite, Arizona. He used to go every year and sell alligator heads to RV'ers.

We slept in New Year’s Day morning and when we walked outside we noticed this tree with about 13 vultures on it. I sure hope that's not a sign. LOL

A tree full of vultures

Around noontime Mike and myself helped Nicole move some items into her storage unit. While we were gone Janna was making her delicious homemade bread for me (Maybe I’ll share some of it).  Gina on the other hand was cooking all the traditional New Year's Day meal for dinner. Janna spent the afternoon hand sewing Ellie’s quilt.  Ellie is another RV'ing friend of ours. Since Mike had never been to Louisiana and as such had never eaten a King Cake. We went and bought two of them so he could experience yet another Louisiana tradition.  Gina and I sure are enjoying watching Mike experience Louisiana.

A King Cake

A very big cabbage from Uncle Jim's garden

For our New Year’s Day dinner we enjoyed grilled pork tenderloins (thanks to Janna), homemade bread, black eyed peas & cornbread, cabbage, mac & cheese casserole.  We ate dinner with Mike & Janna, Dana & Rickey, Ashley & Parker, and Nicole. A wonderful New Year’s Day spent with family & friends.  I sure am glad Gina can cook so good as the food tasted excellent and as Janna stated in her blog we will definitely need to diet after all of this eating we have been doing.

Happy New Year and we wish everyone the very best in 2011.


Gina & I hope everyone has a pleasant and wonderful day, enjoying what our Father has so graciously blessed us with.