and quite a day it was...

the gumbo contest that never was. weather took a toll on the contestants and only one registered to compete. so they won of course. brian and william were hopeful for a win when they were informed they were the only contestants, disappointed though they were they decided to make gumbo anyhow and invited judy and myself for a personal demonstration on the construction of a proper gumbo. brian and william started preparation at 10:00 am and we ate gumbo and potato salad at 3:00 pm. sacre bleu it was tasty!

these cajun folk are the most friendly people imaginable. we were invited to a family group celebration of swamp cookery for which any outsider would bleed. from roux ingredients to color preferences of the cooked roux to the order in which ingredients are added, it all matters. as far as cooking times go, brian sez "i just like to have time to mess around with it, it's more fun that way." and so it went. yours truly shared oyster shooters made from oysters donated by albert who also demonstrated an enthusiasm for shooter consumption unrivaled anywhere.the women mostly sat around the campfire while the men did the cooking, but they did make a great potato salad and perfect rice to go with the gumbo. all in all it was a fabulous afternoon after the sun emerged from hiding and good food,fabulous music, good cheer and lots of beer punctuated a fabulous visit to frenchmans wilderness campground. not only that judy and i feel we have the knowledge necessary to learn to make a proper chicken and sausage gumbo. the secret is in the roux... it takes patience to make a proper roux. don't rush it, and have lots of friends to share the fruits of the labor. thank you, new friends, for the best day of out trip to date.

later on we were invited to share a campfire and spin yarns from two cultures at opposite ends of our great country. it got cold so we went to bed, full and happy. woke this morning to sun and a nip in the air, today we move to lafayette to a city run campground under the trees. mas anon.