Welcome to Natchitoches!

In mid-March, after traveling back to Dallas to pick up our Crazy Hayesy (sp?!), and after doing a bit of research on where to go next, we landed in Natchitoches, LA.  Pronounced "Nack a tish," it is Lousiana's oldest settlement, dating back to 1714!!  It quickly became our favorite LA town!  It's like a smaller, calmer, cleaner, prettier, more serene New Orleans.  It's got the giant oaks, old brick road, fancy wrought iron and architecture, and...it has a river (well, lake, technically)!  Well, let me show you...

 So, join me as we ride out at the back road into town on a pretty morning...

 And find some Cajun cowboys!

 When I asked one of them (afterwards, of course - they were a little busy and out of reach at first!) if it was OK to take their pictures, he rather begrudgingly said yes.  But I'm sure I provided them with unusual entertainment - they probably don't often have a long lens pointed at them...

 Then we come to an old train station...

 A lot of rain made for nice big reflecting puddles.

 Spectators watching the tourist, while baby kicks up his heels!

 Bayou Pierre.

Natchitoches is also home to this college.  Lucky kids to live in such a neat town!

 Pretty campus.

 And now we get to historic downtown...

 The Cane River Lake (used to be part of the Red River, before it changed course).  While we were there, they were obviously having a huge rowing competition.

The view from a bridge.

 You can see a little New Orleans here, can't you?  But without the "other" elements...

 Like the sign says, "Louisiana's oldest general store."  

They have all sorts of everything inside!!

 And looking up, you see this neat "hole" in the ceiling, now done up with a colorful umbrella display.

  You can stroll up on the street sidewalks...

 or cruise along the grassy riverbanks.

 Down by the river is the Roque House.  Built by a freed slave (Yves or Pacale - he was apparently a man of many names...) by the Cane River in 1803, the house eventually wound up in the hands of the Natchitoches Historic Foundation was moved to the downtown area.  It serves as not only as interesting piece of history but also as an example of French Creole architecture, including the use of a material typical of the area and time known as bousillage, a mix of mud, Spanish moss, and deer hair (reminiscent of adobe, sun-dried bricks made of mud/clay and straw).

 Back up on the streets, I wandered around, looking for cool houses to photograph - there were plenty!

 One of which may ring a bell for many.  Ever heard of the movie "Steel Magnolias?"  Here's the house where much of it was filmed!  And better yet (well, other than the very sad part!!), the movie was based on fact!  The playwright, Robert Harling, was writing about his younger sister (and her death), their family and their mom's friends, about life and death, joy and devastation - you know, all the basics of this experience we pretty much share, one way or another...  Harling was born in Alabama but went to school at Northwestern in Natchitoches, which became his hometown.  For the making of the movie, they apparently were thinking of several different locations but got talked into Natchitoches, which also turns out to be where the real story actually took place.  Now that I know all this, I'm going to have to watch the movie again!  And I will be looking closely for the preacher (when Susan and Pat - aka Shelby and Jackson in the movie - get married), who is played by Robert, the playwright!  If you were a fan of this movie, you'll want to read this about the real story:  http://www.gossiprocks.com/forum/news/234965-real-story-behind-steel-magnolias.html

 Walking on, I found a pretty little garden area shared between houses, with this neat fountain.

 Magnolias...of every kind.  One of my favorites is this one with the beautiful big pink blossoms (as seen at Jungle Gardens too).

 Another incredible house.

 Can you spot what this picture is of?

How much is that doggy in the window??

 One of many beautiful churches in the area.

And another one.

And just a pretty tree throwing its shadows on a vibrantly red house.

OK, so that's Day 1, but there's much more to come!