Before the blooms of the winter flowering bulbs have completely faded, the faithful Azalea graces us with her abundant blooms, no matter what the weather. This one is near the front porch of The Cypress House.
I’m not sure of her name, but this particular type is very popular down here and grows almost as tall as a house. They are absolutely gorgeous right now. Enjoy!
For days after my first crew boat excursion, all I could think about were the mysteries that lie beyond the mouth of Bayou Grand Caillou in that vast ocean called the Gulf of Mexico. Previously, those were just words on the map sitting below Louisiana, between Florida and Texas. Now, those words denoted a real…
Ah, the joys of having a big brother. On one of their first fishing trips together, Daboo initiated Termite into the Fisherman Club by telling him he must kiss this catfish for good luck before releasing it. Because big brother knows everything about fishing, and because big brother basically hung the moon, Termite didn’t hesitate—not…
Seasons are real. We have four a year. Everyone knows it, though no one really notices exactly when the seasons change. But honey, I promise you, I don’t care what the calendar says, last weekend marked the end of winter and the arrival of spring on Bayou DuLarge. Honestly, winter came to a screeching halt,…
We wound our way up a curvy bayou, looking for fishy water, and around the second curve she spotted a fishy-looking current line running from the western bank across the middle of the bayou and around the curve. We drifted in, and not long after she slung her bright yellow popping cork, it disappeared below the surface.
“F I S H O N!” Patti yelled with as much enthusiasm as a die-hard football fan screaming “TOUCHDOWN!”, and I was as happy for her as she was about reeling in that yellow-mouthed speckled trout.
We continued to pull in fish every few minutes at that spot until boat traffic scattered the fish, making them too spotty to find. Trolling on up the bayou, we cast around a few points that looked like ideal spots for trout to be hanging out waiting for bait fish. However, none of those spots were as profitable as our first stop.
Once we traveled to the end of my GPS bread crumb line and farther than I had ever explored before, we tested the waters. Nothing. We looked for cuts in the marsh, where the bait-filled water flowed into the bayou, carrying the unsuspecting bait to the bigger fish that awaited. We fished a couple of those spots without much luck.
It was a busy week for the tour business. Dede Lusk, a professional photographer and photo workshop teacher, contacted me about taking out groups of women photographers with varied interests in photographing landscapes, skies, wildlife, birds, and anything of beauty and interest. Well, y’all know I love photography, and a chance to meet eight or…
After posting up the recipe for Blackberry Dumplings, I went back to the berry patch to pick more wild berries. Returning to the same patch, I was determined to pick only the blackest, plumpest, ripest berries. At the first picking, I had been so excited to find ripe berries, that I picked berries a little prematurely. However, since that first picking, we’ve had hard rains, coupled with days of sunshine in between, and now the berries have had time to fully ripen. While picking this morning I learned that if my shadow falls across the berries, they appear darker than they really are. So I made a conscious effort not to block the sun and to pick all of them in the glaring sunlight.
Boy, do you have me homesick now! I haven’t missed an azalea bloom in 30 years. Spring in LA is the best time of the year.
I’m sorry! They are so gorgeous, though!
GORGEOUS color! Man, I need spring. Bad.
Come on down!!!
Those are good old-fashioned Formosa azaleas. They can be spotted all over the south, growing and blooming like bright petticoats around house foundations and trees. Just beautiful but the blooming period is so short-lived. But so glorious!
Thanks or naming them, Patricia!
Beautiful. Love the new header. I’m contemplating one myself.
I can’t wait!
oh how I remember driving up Fairfield Ave in Shreveport and seeing that (now old fashioned) variety of azaleas as tall as the 1st story roof tops on those beautiful estate homes…..they were spectacular. Now everyone has those little dinky dwarf types….sorry, I know they are pretty, but never as breathtaking as a “wall” of large welcoming blossoms eagerly announcing spring is HERE!!! Thanks for that georgous shot and trip down memory lane…………
Deb in TX
sorry to doubledip…but I also remembered when I was in nursing school & living on Dudley/Highland with a bunch of medstudents James (a toddler) was enthralled with azaleas.. He absolutely could not pass by those large, bright blooms without literally “embracing” them. It was so sweet, yet challenging, for he would NOT budge until he got his fill of appreciating those graceful pink sirens…………….I just had to learn to leave earlier…………….lol.
Deb the double dipper in TX
I always love your comments.!!! You really take me back, Deb. My mom used to make a special trip out to Fairfield just to see the Azaleas in bloom!