Frog legs, errands, and adventures
We’d really enjoyed Heuetta, but hadn’t had any time to really talk, so she invited us over to dinner the first week of October. Kenneth and Heuetta’s daughter Erika was there, with her two kids. Her cousin Peggy was there with Peggy’s mom, too. We had a quiet time outside talking till dinner was ready – Heuetta cooked potatoes, onions, and an assortment of fish, frog legs, and alligator, all deep-fried outside. It was another big first for us – we’ve never had frog legs before (yes, they do taste like chicken). We’re old hats at eating alligator by now.
We got chased inside at sunset by the Louisiana state bird – the mosquito. We talked a long time inside – Kenneth and Heuetta are avowed conservatives, while Peggy is an avowed “liberal”, so things got interesting with the national elections being so close and so historic. We really enjoyed the evening, and really liked getting to know Peggy. She lives in Lafayette and is a bank examiner for the state of Louisiana, working with credit unions. Since I worked in accounting so many years, her job is a topic I was really interested in, especially considering the current economic meltdown.
We spent more time with Heuetta the next week and weekend – she dropped by to see us right in time to watch the Homecoming Parade on Main Street (we ran around like kids again, collecting candy and beads and cups); we went dancing at Fred’s in Mamou; and went to the Festival Acadiens in Lafayette, catching a ride home to Gueydan with her after the festival, which gave us more chance to talk. Chelsea went to Kenneth and Heuetta’s house to do laundry the following week, then a week later she took us to Wal-Mart in Jennings. That trip was memorable for the fun we had talking to Heuetta, and because we saw a bobcat on the road! Right after the bobcat we saw a goat that looked exactly like a billy goat, but with horns that looked just like a steer…we still haven’t found anyone who knows what it could be. We’ve had reactions ranging from “You’re sure that’s what it was?” to “They probably just had those horns tied on. There are some really strange people around here, you know!”
The next day Kenneth and Heuetta stopped by to look at our alligator skinning photos and help us identify things, and then they took us to weigh our empty trailers. We are very interested in weighing what we have so we can tell how much weight we are pulling. We’ve decided to pack everything up and then go over to the local rice dryer and weigh our whole setup.
Halloween
The day before Halloween Heuetta put on her “costume designer” hat and had us over to dig through a box of costumes they keep. Chelsea ended up as a hunter, wearing full camo, and I went as a scarecrow. I must admit though, I looked so dumb as a scarecrow that I simply told people I was the “Corn Goddess”. That was guaranteed to get a laugh… We had fun on Halloween, sitting with Heuetta on the steps of City Hall giving out candy to the kids who came by. After an hour or so Chelsea and I wandered down the street to say to Jane and Glenn and Rene at the museum. The evening was over by 7 pm and we were in the house eating dinner and watching a movie. It was a very different experience from our crazy Halloween in Seattle last year!
Alligator bone heap
After seeing the alligator skinning, we had been told that a local woman made gator tooth jewelry but we could never track her down, and we heard that she had quit making the jewelry. Kenneth had given us each an alligator tooth, but Chelsea and I wanted to make a necklace. So, the day after Halloween, Kenneth and Heuetta piled us into their pickup truck, along with daughter Erika and her kids, and we headed out into the fields just north of Gueydan to dig through the alligator bone heap. The bone heap is where all the carcasses are dumped after the skinning. There were various piles dating back a number of years, and the ones from this year are still decomposing. You can imagine the smell!
Out in an open marshy field in the direct sun, we stepped over fire ant nests, avoided spiders, and picked our way carefully through heads, spines, jaws, and tails. There was no shortage of teeth! We headed for the older piles, as the cartilage had disintegrated more and it was easier to pull the teeth from the skulls. We had an empty 3-gallon bucket and it didn’t take too long to fill it half full, with several of us scouting for suitable skulls.
We had a great time with Kenneth. He absolutely hates spiders, and will take off on a near-run when he sees one. Now this is a guy who digs bullets out of his skin and shrugs off being lacerated by a gator… There were any number of spiders lurking in the skulls, so of course we had to give him a hard time about it. He jumped so far the first time he saw one that he nearly cleared a whole pile of skeletons in one leap. I’m afraid we laughed pretty hard. However, to give him full credit, he did more than his share of collecting the teeth (wearing gloves of course).
We didn’t stay too long, as the heat and smell were getting to all of us. Chelsea and I were dropped off at home while they headed back to their house to bleach the teeth and get another frog legs and gator and fish dinner ready, and they picked us up again when dinner was ready. Dinner was awesome. Because of the ‘skeeters’, we ate inside again, and Erika and her husband John joined us. We spent the night in conversation, ranging from serious to silly, and we found that Erika and John had all the same qualities we love about Kenneth and Heuetta.
The teeth bleached out really nicely and Kenneth and Heuetta let us take our pick. Chelsea took 6 teeth in varying sizes and I took 5 teeth, with the idea of drilling holes and making an alligator teeth necklace. We then sorted through again and picked out some beauties for Alex. He just had his 21st birthday and we think that a set of alligator teeth for a necklace is the most unusual birthday present he’ll get!
Perhaps our favorite thing about being with Heuetta and her family is how much laughter there always is. They, especially Kenneth, are always poking fun at themselves, and sometimes at others, but never in a derogatory way. They are straight shooters – very down to earth. They are direct and clear and straightforward – what you see is what you get. They are extremely funny to boot. Not only are they really quick in comebacks, and quick to pick things up, they are good-hearted and generous, and extremely hard working. To us they represent all the Cajun qualities we love.
Fat George’s
A friend of Heuetta’s recently started a small local restaurant, after several years of planning it. Maria is from Maine, while her husband Karl is a local. Open only about 2 weeks now, they have been a big success right from day one. We are very lucky – they are only a block away from us. They have a good variety of baked goods and they offer plate lunches after 10 am. Their coffee is great, and they have beignets! We’d been telling Heuetta that we’d be there, and every morning something else came up. We finally got over there on Sunday, and discovered they have a complete breakfast menu, in addition to the sausage-biscuit types of offerings. We splurged (eating out is not in our budget) and had eggs, potatoes, toast and bacon, supplemented with café au lait. The portions were large and the reasonable prices would make city dwellers stare in disbelief. Heuetta ended up treating us to breakfast, and boy were we happy.
We have saved our pennies and we are definitely going back for beignets before we leave! If you are ever in the area – be sure to stop by and eat at Fat George’s (on 6th St right behind St. Peter’s) and tell Maria and Karl hello for us.
Abbeville and Lake Arthur
Heuetta dropped us off in Abbeville on Friday for the fly-in at Thibs airfield since we didn’t have time to ride, and she will take us to Lake Arthur this coming Friday or Saturday when we leave Gueydan. We count our blessings for having had Heuetta and Kenneth be such a great part of our lives!