May 23, 2010

country

This weekend I took a little trip deep into the heart of Acadiana, Grand Coteau more specifically, where people speak French and the air smells of sweet green grass
and pork fat.
Idyllic.





View from the window of my cell, taken through the window screen.



Cows, out back

Cemetery, which made me re-evaluate my position on fake flowers. Something about seeing them en masse was beautiful.





Still life with Confederate flag and solar light: even the confederates are going eco-friendly.

LSU cup/grave vase.

in other words, Louisiana personified.



Jesus of the Water Tower.


The last supper, engraved and painted in factory baked auto enamel.




The church



Tombstone from the sad days before polychrome laser-engraved Last Suppers


My room in the asylum. college. Creepy no?

Boudin



Sweet dough pies from Breaux Bridge.


A specialty of Grand Coteau called Gateau Na Na, a sort of tart with a buttery crust and praline filling, that I'd never had before. I think the sugar content must have affected even my camera.

Victim of Boudin, c. 1861

17 comments:

BrooksNYC said...

Grand Coteau looks beautiful. Did you stay at a retreat center?

Just so you know where I'M at these days, I find your room at the asylum more soothing than creepy. I wonder if they'd rent it to me through 2030?

I love Napoleon Robin's headstone. Sweet photo.

jason said...

Ah....brooks....I did indeed.
And yes, I think they might rent it to you for that long, but you might have to become a nun.
But that's no big deal.
Make sure to get dining hall's homemade peach pie, with fresh peaches. OMG. It's enough to make you contemplate taking vows.

savannah said...

how very calming, sugar! xoxo

BrooksNYC said...

"I think they might rent it to you for that long, but you might have to become a nun."


Give me the right hat — "coif" in nunspeak — and I'm in:

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm627349504/tt0061252

(Truthfully, you had me at "homemade peach pie.")

Kim Hambric said...

Great photos. Gives one a flavor for that area.

Death just doesn't have the class it used to, though. "Go" cups, Jeez. In my area, there's probably lots of graves decorated with fake flowers in Penn State party cups. I think I'll go out to the cemetery across from the Sheetz station and see if I can find any.

Death by boudin sounds pretty good though. Yum.

Jill said...

Great photos...I've just learned to like boudin. I was always a little grossed out by it before.

hayward said...

I wonder if that water tower ever turns to wine tower.

Michael Guy said...

Lovely photography as usual. I always enjoy cemetery photos. I hope that doesn't read as creepy. Also. 'jesus' looks like he took a lump on the noggin' in that polychrome vision. WTF?

Now I want sausages, too.

Ur-spo said...

pork fat?
Dear me!

ayeM8y said...

Sounds like a pleasant retreat. The kind of place where you go to contemplate becoming a nun.

Confederate flags, solar lights, LSU cups, laser engraved Last Suppers; he world of tacky headstones and burial sites continue to entertain me and I have decided that I want a scrolling text tombstone so I can give updates from the grave.

ricola said...

Why does no one ever have a Tulane headstone flower cup?

Mar gar et said...

I want to find the 'Blue Plate Mayo' cemetary jar faux flower holder w/crusted egg-y maynaize inside!

Anonymous said...

Great pix! I've always enjoyed taking pictures in cemeteries. There's always a story to tell there without saying anything at all. Sacred ground always moves me to respect.

Salty Miss Jill said...

That pic of your room would make a great painting.

Thombeau said...

Very cool!

Marshall said...

How was the actual retreat? Did you meet your, uh, goal?

Dean Grey said...

Looks so serene, Jason!

Love the green walls of your "cell" too!

-Dean