Recon (cont.)

Day One: Slidell

My first day on my adventure in Louisiana was relatively uneventful. After finally catching some sleep at 8 AM following a night of talking with Lacey, we decided it would be a good idea to find some more clothes and pick up all the personal items that I had decided to leave home to avoid any trouble at the airport. While driving for the first time in Louisiana daylight, I was in awe of how much life surrounded the community. In fact, it wasn't just surrounding it. The forest and endless green was a part of the city. Wooded areas surrounded the shopping complexes and neighborhoods. The abundant greenery made exiting the freeway seem like traveling through a dense forest. Tall pine trees rise above their deciduous neighbors and create the visible sky line. It is an odd site for those like me that are used to pines being "christmas tree" shaped. These are all poles with a few branches and far more sparsely packed with needles than looks healthy. The trees also hide a plethora of other creatures that can only be heard as they go about life, their sounds emanating and creating a sort of music that becomes just another part of living there.

Our shopping trips were successful and soon it was time for bed. I felt satisfied with my first day in the South. The scenery is beautiful, the people were far more friendly than what I encounter in Utah, and thankfully I had been able to adjust to the humidity far quicker than I anticipated.

Success. Relief.

Day 2: Old Town Slidell and Lake Ponchartrain

After a late rising and playing with Lacey's brood of adorable children, it was decided that I must experience Old Town Slidell and that we were in need of a stop at the Re-Store--a fascinating store where things from old houses like doors and light fixtures, furniture and miscellaneous odds and ends are donated and sold to benefit Habitat for Humanity.

While we were exploring Old Town, we were hit with a rather intense rain. It seemed intense to me, however I found out that it was just a normal little rainstorm that happens all the time, especially this time of year. After locating the Re-Store and perusing it's treasures, I decided on a pair of cork lamps as my find. They looked rather shabby, but seemed to have potential to be quite beautiful. Meanwhile, the rain had returned and stronger this time. Getting back to the car and loading the children was an adventure, but we were successful. We then began heading back to Casa del Greco, however we spontaneously decided to go for a drive.

We passed many interesting places including a flea market and a nudist colony, however we made no stops along the way. Eventually we came to the turn to go the shore of Lake Ponchartrain. This option we did take and after a detour through a very lovely neighborhood, we stopped along the shore. It was magnificent. The lake is so large that the opposite shore isn't visible, save for the cityscape of New Orleans.

Back at the Greco's we unwound from our spontaneity and soon it was once again time for bed.

I'll be able to continue this sometime tomorrow evening. I hope I'm making this seem interesting because I had a wonderful time and want to share my experiences without boring anyone to tears. :) (And if Lacey is reading this, please correct me if I have any events on the wrong day. I have a habit of mixing up events between days.)