Pense Donc!!

Photo by: The Teche News

PARKS HIT HARD . . .
I visited Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site here in St. Martinville Saturday and the beautiful grounds took a pretty good beating from Hurricane Gustav. The visitors’ center and historic Maison Olivier, as well as the park’s other structures, made it through the storm OK, but a number of big trees were blown over and many others lost limbs and branches. The live oaks held up well, however.
The park staff has picked up around the Maison and visitors’ cen-ter, but they’ll be busy for several more weeks cleaning up the rest of the grounds.
Lake Fausse Pointe State Park, my favorite quick vacation destination, is closed, at least until next week, as the staff gets things back in shape after the site was flooded by the heavy rain that accompanied Gustav. The high water knocked out electrical and water services and left a pretty stinky coating on everything. And, or course, a lot of trees and limbs were knocked down by the wind, leaving a big cleanup challenge. But I don’t think the water was high enough to get into any of the cabins or restrooms.
Other area parks like Chicot near Ville Platte and Cypremort Point have been closed for cleanup and repair, but were expected to reopen, at least partially, by this weekend.
I also understand that Grand Isle State Park really took a beating and is closed indefinitely.
I sure hope things are not too bad at Fausse Pointe as the fall months are my favorite time to spend relaxing there and enjoying the cool evenings around a crackling campfire.

THIS & THAT . . .
Old Musicians – If you attended St. Martinville High School anytime from the late 1940s through the 1960s and studied music under Robert A. Thibodeaux, make plans to attend the special get-together set for this Sunday (Sept. 28) from 1 to 5 p.m. at Ricochet’s in St. Martinville. Thibodeaux will be honored by his former students, many of whom played in rock and roll bands throughout the area and developed a lifelong interest in music. The or-ganizers have put together an interesting program that is sure to stir lots of fond memories. A cash bar and finger foods will be available.

Mosquitoes!? With all the standing water and bushy debris left behind by the two hurricanes, we seem to have a bumper crop of mosquitoes in the area. They really swarm around you when you venture outdoors, especially late in the afternoon. Be sure you (and the little ones) are well protected with repellent and (when practical) long pants and sleeves. Mosquito bites in themselves are not that bad, but there’s always that risk of West Nile disease that can be a real bummer.

Hummingbirds – My buddy Tuffy Resweber enjoys putting feeders out for migrating hummingbirds each spring and fall. The little beauties are passing through the area now and he’s never seen so many around his house. With about 10 feeders out on his patio, they’re thicker than mosquitoes, he says.
Publisher Ken Grissom says he helped a crew in Lafayette band a number of hummingbirds this past Saturday, something I didn’t think was possible.