Surprises
November 28 – December 2, 2005
The joint operations center and the Long Term Recovery Program headquarters are in the Louisiana State Capital of Baton Rouge. This is about 80 miles north west of New Orleans. Like New Orleans, Baton Rouge is on the east bank of the Mississippi River.
Monday night I left Baton Rouge after dark to head for my hotel. I have been booked at the Quality Inn in Lafayette. This is about 55 miles west-south-west of Baton Rouge on Interstate 10. I spent the trip concentrating on the road, the traffic and looking for signs for the Quality Inn since I was not sure exactly where to find it. It was a very straight road and in the darkness on either side of the highway were trees. I noticed one sign saying I was crossing Henderson Swamp and another for the Atchafalawa River.
I spotted a sign for the hotel at exit 103. Not a problem and a relatively quick ride. I checked in and was then given directions to a local WalMart where I picked up some supplies and then had dinner at a Waffle House. The last time I had eaten at a Waffle House was a few years ago in Alabama and the only problem was the smoking. I was pleasantly surprised to see the smoke free sign on the door. I am not sure if there is a smoking ban in restaurants but it looks that way.
Tuesday morning I drove back in the morning light and was amazed to discover that about half of my journey last night was on an elevated highways crossing approximately 25 miles of swamps, rivers and bayous. It was beautiful with the sun coming up over the bayou.
After spending the morning reading four of us went to lunch. About two blocks away was a comfortable place called the Buzz Café. It was a restaurant occupying the lobby of a building occupied by a legal firm. In order to reach the firm’s offices, you walked through the restaurant to the ornate staircase of this grand old building. The restaurant was furnished with old square wooden plank tables and a mixed assortment of old wooden chairs with upholstered seats and backs. The atmosphere, the service, the selection, the soup and the sandwiches were all very good. A group of us returned each day and as luck would have it the same table was the only one available each day and the same woman was our waitress. By the third day she told us what our drinks were!
Last night and tonight driving back to the hotel my nostrils were invaded by a familiar smell that brought back memories of long ago. A farmer was burning the stubs left from the crop he had harvested. Growing up in New England, it was not unusual at this time of year for people to burn leaves and to even burn their grass. They said this made the lawn grow back greener and fuller the following spring. I always like the smell of the burning leaves and grass. Until sensing that smell once again I hadn’t really noticed that it was something I rarely experienced anymore.
The joint operations center and the Long Term Recovery Program headquarters are in the Louisiana State Capital of Baton Rouge. This is about 80 miles north west of New Orleans. Like New Orleans, Baton Rouge is on the east bank of the Mississippi River.
Monday night I left Baton Rouge after dark to head for my hotel. I have been booked at the Quality Inn in Lafayette. This is about 55 miles west-south-west of Baton Rouge on Interstate 10. I spent the trip concentrating on the road, the traffic and looking for signs for the Quality Inn since I was not sure exactly where to find it. It was a very straight road and in the darkness on either side of the highway were trees. I noticed one sign saying I was crossing Henderson Swamp and another for the Atchafalawa River.
I spotted a sign for the hotel at exit 103. Not a problem and a relatively quick ride. I checked in and was then given directions to a local WalMart where I picked up some supplies and then had dinner at a Waffle House. The last time I had eaten at a Waffle House was a few years ago in Alabama and the only problem was the smoking. I was pleasantly surprised to see the smoke free sign on the door. I am not sure if there is a smoking ban in restaurants but it looks that way.
Tuesday morning I drove back in the morning light and was amazed to discover that about half of my journey last night was on an elevated highways crossing approximately 25 miles of swamps, rivers and bayous. It was beautiful with the sun coming up over the bayou.
After spending the morning reading four of us went to lunch. About two blocks away was a comfortable place called the Buzz Café. It was a restaurant occupying the lobby of a building occupied by a legal firm. In order to reach the firm’s offices, you walked through the restaurant to the ornate staircase of this grand old building. The restaurant was furnished with old square wooden plank tables and a mixed assortment of old wooden chairs with upholstered seats and backs. The atmosphere, the service, the selection, the soup and the sandwiches were all very good. A group of us returned each day and as luck would have it the same table was the only one available each day and the same woman was our waitress. By the third day she told us what our drinks were!
Last night and tonight driving back to the hotel my nostrils were invaded by a familiar smell that brought back memories of long ago. A farmer was burning the stubs left from the crop he had harvested. Growing up in New England, it was not unusual at this time of year for people to burn leaves and to even burn their grass. They said this made the lawn grow back greener and fuller the following spring. I always like the smell of the burning leaves and grass. Until sensing that smell once again I hadn’t really noticed that it was something I rarely experienced anymore.
posted by J Corlss at 6:39 PM
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