On my last trip through Louisiana, I came to a complete halt thanks to a traffic jam on the Atchafalaya Basin. There’s no way to exit once you’re on the 18-mile long bridge, and I could feel my frustration growing. After about 15 minutes, I turned off my car, got out and gazed out over the waters, reminiscing about my last visit to the Bayou State.
My husband and I spent a week in Abbeville because it’s near New Iberia, the city where stories about fictional detective Dave Robicheaux’s take place.
I’ve loved author James Lee Burke’s series ever since I heard the first book, “Creole Belle” read by the actor Will Patton whose true Southern accent makes Burke’s descriptions come to life. Patton does a masterful job of luring the listener into Robicheaux’s world, and it’s one I’ve entered numerous times as I’ve either read or listened to every single book about the lawman.
My husband’s a good sport and willingly humored my wish to visit New Iberia. One of the highlights was visiting the quaint “Books Along the Teche” bookstore where the friendly and knowledgeable owner personally knows “Jimmie” and understood my fascination with Burke’s novels.
I hoped to purchase a signed James Lee Burke novel, and luckily the bookstore had one. I hugged my book to my chest as we left the shop, and we spent the next few days exploring the sights in Cajun country.
One of our first stops was to the Acadian Village in Lafayette. Their purpose is to preserve early Acadiana heritage and to provide employment for people with developmental disabilities.
Ten acres of farmland were transformed into a quaint Cajun village with authentic homes depicting the lifestyles of the early Cajuns. We walked through each home, marveling at the ingenuity and resourcefulness of those early settlers who found a way to thrive in an often-harsh environment.
The next stop was Jefferson Island where we toured the Rip Van Winkle Gardens. The site featured beautiful flowers and exotic landscaping, and the Joseph Jefferson home reflected what it was like to live at the turn of the century when you had a little bit of money.
No visit to southern Louisiana is complete without crawfish, and we found a great restaurant, Cajun Claws, where the waitress didn’t offer a menu. There was only one choice, and that was hot boiled crawfish. Those mudbugs were seasoned perfectly, and we didn’t leave a claw unopened on that platter.
We stayed at a cozy bed and breakfast, Apartment A, in the heart of Abbeville, and proprietor Debbie Garrot made sure we had everything we needed or wanted. We left that part of Louisiana feeling recharged and ready to get back to reality.
As I leaned on the railing of the bridge and looked out over the swamp, I thought about that trip to Abbeville and understood why Cajuns are drawn back to their homeland. The briny smells of a bayou, the eye-watering scent of Tabasco sauce and hearing that distinctive south Louisiana accent calls Cajuns all their lives.
But now, Texas fills my heart, the grit and determination of the peoples who settled this land making me believe that anything’s possible, from taming oil gushers to maintaining dozens of cultures to creating modern, thriving cities out of mosquito-infested swampland.
In every state, one can trace the roots of those who settled the area and people who need to touch base from time to time with the influences that made them who they are. That pride not only calls us home but gives us the courage to strike out and carve a new path.
After an hour, the traffic started moving, and I climbed back in my car and headed west, leaving behind the cypress trees and magnolia blossoms. I was headed home where a meal isn’t complete without either barbecue sauce or tortillas on the table and the stars at night are big and bright.
This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald.