Our weekend was extremely busy, filled with activities out of our local area. After a great breakfast at home, we started Saturday early with a two-hour car trip to Youngsville, up near Lafayette, to repair a hurricane-damaged stained glass window from the Baptist church in Oak Grove.
The stained glass shop was really beautiful. It was spacious and airy, with many over-sized windows letting in sunlight and showing off the beautiful stained glass and etched windows the owner has created. We loved the clear glass etchings he has done, especially a particularly gorgeous bayou scene.
After the first errand we headed directly to Lafayette to Cathedral Carmel, another half hour away. Jo Ann’s great granddaughter, 11-year-old Alyson, was emceeing the acts at the Children’s Scene at the Festival International. Since we weren’t needed, we had arranged to meet up with Paul Cassity.
We spent the next four hours wandering the festival with Paul, watching some of the acts, grabbing a Greek sandwich, and checking some of the artisan’s booths. We watched a Celtic singing and dance act; Bombe 2 Bal, a French musical group; a Peruvian musical group; and the Crocodile Gumboots dance (it was our favorite).
Though the acts were all professional, and it was fun to get the international flavor, we found them to lack the excitement and liveliness of the other festivals we’ve seen here. Some of it may be that we saw them in the heat of the day, after they’d already played to big crowds the night before.
We were hot and tired by the time we met up with Jo Ann again, and she was more than ready to get going back to Abbeville. We said our goodbyes to Paul – hoping to see him again soon.
It took about an hour to get back to Abbeville and to check into the motel. We were all very quiet, very tired, and very ready to be still. We did make it across the street for dinner at Golden Corral (it was excellent), and all we managed to do for the evening was watch old movies on HBO.
Up early Sunday morning, we had a leisurely breakfast at McDonald’s. Chelsea and I love café mochas, but we haven’t had one in nearly a year, so we tried the ones at McDonald’s. We were delighted to find out they were great; they made the breakfast seem festive.
Since were very early for church services, we took a really slow ride to Esther, a very small town south of Abbeville. Along the way we found fields being drained for rice planting – prime territory for birds. Sure enough, we found one field loaded with birds – dozens and dozens of egrets, black ibis, stilts, and roseate spoonbills.
Jo Ann pulled off to the side of the road as much as she could, and then went up and turned around and came back so we could see the birds. The roseate spoonbills were right by the edge of the road – we had never seen them so close. We didn’t get any decent pictures (we desperately need a decent camera), but we had great fun just seeing all of them.
The Esther Baptist Church has been around for years and years, still standing despite being nearly ruined by hurricanes Rita and Ike. It’s a small white cypress-wood building with a beautiful feeling to it, very airy and light, set in the middle of beautiful marsh and pastureland.
The church members got the church renovated after Rita – they had to gut the building and start over. Just after it was finished, Ike came along and did the same damage. They’ve now repaired to where the building is inhabitable for services, but they’ve decided to halt further repairs until they can build a mound next door and move the whole building. Once the mound is completed, the existing building will be cut in two and moved, then reconnected.
The church services were simple and direct. The pastor has been around for many years – he married Jo Ann and her husband over fifty years ago – and he got right to the point in his message. He was well organized and easy to follow; we appreciated the upbeat positive tone.
After services we met the congregation. I remember Ted and Holly, as I got a bit of a chance to talk to them. Holly was just voted the middle school teacher of the year for Lafayette Parish – quite an honor. Ted is an attorney as well as an interior and exterior designer. He has lived in Miami Beach and New Orleans, and now lives in an old historic home right downtown in Abbeville. He’s been in private practice, and now works in appellate law. I would have loved a chance to talk to him longer.
Back in Lafayette an hour later, we had lunch at Coyote Blues – shrimp quesadillas and corn crab chowder – absolutely delicious. They served corn bread shaped like a cactus, served on a banana leaf. The service was wonderful, and the décor was soft and restful. It was quite a treat to have lunch there – a little oasis in the midst of the busy weekend.
We made it to the Catholic Church by 12:45 to watch Jo Ann’s great granddaughter Reagan celebrate her first communion. Since the event was scheduled for 2 p.m., we were easily the first ones there, waiting well over an hour in the church pews.
Chelsea and I were impressed with how organized the event was. As the children walked up the aisle, a woman at the back of the church motioned to each child when it was time to go, keeping the rhythm and spacing perfect. When the children went up to the altar, women stationed on each side of the aisle straightened clothing, adjusted hand positions, fixed hair ties and bow ties; and a professional photographer took a photo of each child individually receiving communion.
The children were seated in a specific order in their own pews; and each set of parents was seated in the exact same order in rows behind the children. As the children filed out of their rows to receive communion, the parents and siblings filed out behind them so they’d meet in the center and walk up together.
The children had been taught songs specifically for the event, and sang not only as part of the group, but sang several songs in front of the congregation as well.
By the time all parts of the service were over, it was an hour and three quarters, which meant we had been sitting in the same seats for three hours. We were very ready for it to be over, but glad to have seen Reagan on such a special day for her.
Before services started, we spotted Meceal Smith (from the Gueydan Journal) only about two rows ahead of us. We discovered that her grandson had married Jo Ann’s granddaughter, so Reagan is Meceal’s great granddaughter as well. Meceal was surprised and happy to see us, and we got a chance to talk a bit after the service. What a character Meceal is! She did an imitation of her mother greeting people, and it was worthy of a stand-up comedy night – it reminded me of a Mae West routine.
Though it was nearly 4 p.m., we were scheduled for another party – over to Deano’s in Lafayette for a pizza party birthday celebration for Alyson and Reagan. Both sides of the extended family were there, so it was quite a crowd – lots of food, wonderful birthday cake, children and presents…. I have no idea what time we left, but at least it was still light out.
I thought we were done for the night, but we stopped in Maurice for a visit with friends of Jo Ann – Luda Mae and Raywood. We got involved in a very spirited discussion with Raywood about politics and the United States’s standing in the world. By the time we left it was nearly dark, and we didn’t get home until just before 9:30. Talk about tired…
Oak Grove LA