LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS


At the Whole Hog Cafe, there are so many choices of BBQ sauce that you need to eat there a few times to try them all. This is not a problem because the food is so good.


The number of trophies and ribbons all over the walls must make this the best-loved BBQ in the United States.











We joined our friends, Jane and Carl Pierce, for a tour of the William J Clinton Presidential Library.




















An exact replica of the oval office is in the building.









A beautiful glass Christmas tree created by glass artist Dale Chihuly is on exhibit in the Clinton library. The entire ceiling of the foyer of the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas consists of glass flowers by Chihuly. His work is spectacular.



HOT SPRINGS, ARKANSAS




Beautiful buildings in downtown Hot Springs, Arkansas

The Fordyce Bath House is now a tourist attraction.







Our friends, Judy and Max Wehunt and their dog, Doodles, live in Hot Springs. Judy was our tour guide.










There are two things that make McClard's Bar-B-Q famous. One is the fantastic food. The other is that it was here where Bill Clinton proposed to Hillary.







YUM! YUM! What could be better than take-out Bar-B-Q from McClards, and a jug of natural spring water to go?













Lamont is filling a jug with cold, clear, natural spring water to take with us.






The water comes either hot or cold, depending which side of the moutain you are on. Hot water from open springs has an average temperature of 134 degrees Fahrenheit (56 degrees Celsius).



Lamont and Judy check out the Hubbard Tub in the Fordyce Bath House. The tub was installed in 1939. Today, there is only one bath house in operation. Although the hotels offer the service.









The Fordyce Bath portrays the elegance and sophistication of the bath houses of the past.






ACADIANA TRAIL


This is the first time we have seen alstramaria on the bush.

They are an edible flower and we used them to garnish our catering trays long ago when we owned Trios Catering Company.

















Azaleas are everywhere. Beautiful!






















Lamont went for a haircut in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and met Lauren Orazi, Thelma Reder Batiste, and Shonda Gobert. Lauren has a Canadian flag tattoo because her grandfather was Canadian. Thelma's grandmother lived to be 100 and only spoke Cajun French.










Brian Whetstine, security at the Coushatta Casino Red Shoes RV Park in Kinder, Louisianna, shared his recipe for sauce picante. He also introduced us to tasso, a brined and smoked pork meat used to flavor his sauce.








Our friends, Jim & Elaine McGowan,
arrived at the the Red Shoes RV Resort in Kinder, Louisiana. It was great to see them and their little dog, Darby. Like us, they will soon be on their way north.



LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL, LOUISIANA














Kinder, Louisiana






Louisiana Crab boil comes in jars big enough to last a northern cook a lifetime.









Guess who's coming to dinner at Fausto's restaurant?




Now that's a hamburger!
Hey, I'm stuck. I knew we shouldn't have poked our heads through this wall to check out what's cooking.








Lauren Thigpen at Fausto's Restaurant in Kinder said, "The only celebrities that haven't been here are the US Presidents, Elvis, and Marilyn Monroe. We've had an Elvis impersonator but it just isn't the same."







Local specialties:
gumbo, cracklin, boudin, and crawfish pepper jelly, boiled crawfish, fried alligator and catfish.

Wanda Pitre and Kelsey Robert at Boudin & Cracklin Express
Boudin is a sausage made with a mixture of pork or crawfish and rice with lots of Cajun spices.
Cracklin is chunks of pig skin (pork rind with fat and meat attached) deep fried and seasoned with Cajun spices. It's better than popcorn.







What's a family reunion without a good southern BBQ? Randy Bellon, the County Agent for Allen Parish, and family were cooking Boston butt pork steaks. Randy said they had chicken "for those who didn't know any better."

















You want live crawfish? You can only buy them by the sack. Crawfish like to eat rice stubble so crawfish breeders seed the rice ponds with crawfish, wait for them to reproduce and then set traps to catch them.



















AN INTERLUDE

Click the link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enOaJWsdHr0

We have also added a new e-cookbook to our website.

www.thecookingladies.com

More adventures coming soon...
Please stay tuned.

LEAVING MISSISSIPPI

Here we are leaving the Majestic Oaks RV Resort in Biloxi, Mississippi







Good bye Mississippi. Thanks for a wonderful time. We will be back.










ON THE ROAD AGAIN





When we stopped at the Flying J Truck stop to gas up with diesel fuel, this bus pulled up beside us. The dog was from California. We hope he has a fun trip in the hippy mobile.

This is why we love what we're doing so much. How else would we meet such fascinating people?

GULFPORT, MISSISSIPPI, ST. PATRICK'S DAY PARADE




There were beads flying from the floats but who would have guessed they would also throw cabbages? And who would believe that Phyllis can catch so well?













What will these people do with all those beads?






We hope the green is not a permanent hair color.
Lamont is ready to make a quick get-a-way with the "loot."

NEW ORLEANS -after Katrina




You can see how high the flood water went by the rust on the gate.




We saw many front steps with no house.






Lisa & Donnie put this on their home to let people know they were okay.













These new houses are part of the "Musicians Village" a joint venture of well-known musicians to provide housing for people who lost their homes during the flood.







The Lower Ninth Ward was badly damaged by the hurricane.





Brad Pitt's foundation is called "Make it Right" and here is one of his houses under construction.




Maryann Spriggens stands with her family in front of her new home in the Ninth Ward. As soon as the services are hooked up she will be allowed to move in.









"This was Home" is written on the outside wall of this house along with the markings of the people who came by after the hurricane to see if there were still people in the house.




The zeros on this marking on the front door of the house means the occupants are gone.






Here is a house that has been raised up onto stilts and is partially repaired.





The writing on the outside wall of this house says it all.




Here is a house with a hole in the roof chopped open by someone in the actic.


The Mennonite Disaster Service came from Canada to New Orleans to help out. Here is their work site in the Ninth Ward.








A city of contrasts!

Houses of New Orleans.