Best bar-be- que in Mississippi

We explored southern Mississippi today with rolling hills full of slash pines.... Tall and thin. In Hattiesburg we found Leatha's Bar B Que . Since 1974, Leatha and her daughters slow fired old fashioned chicken, beef and pork ribs for 4 to 7 hours leaving it so tender the meat falls off the bone. Her sauce won the best in Mississippi award!
Tonight we watched the NCAA women's basketball with a take home BBQ chicken from Leatha's!

Cal lost....

Alabama

Mobile, Alabama needs to make a comeback... New Orleans metal grates... Downtown empty except for trees full of beads from Mardi Gras. Hal got them out of trees with his cane. Sat at a lunch counter getting chocolate. Later to a barrier island for white sand beach and bird watching. Ended day with most fabulous crab and corn bisque. Up to 86 degrees.

Along the Mississippi River

Oak Alley Plantation on Mississippi River in Louisiana.

Southern Nature

We did 3 nature hikes... Kinda hot for St. Patrick's Day. Saw a gator. Finished the day with mint juleps and then corned beef and cabbage. It was a easy day with good friends.

Boudin

The term boudin in the Acadiana cultural region of Louisiana is commonly understood to refer only to boudin blanc and not to other variants. Boudin blanc is the staple boudin of this region and is the one most widely consumed. Also popular is seafood boudin consisting of crab, shrimp, and rice. Most of Louisiana's Cajuns do not consider boudin a sausage.^{[citation needed]}

Cajun boudin is available most readily in southern Louisiana, particularly in the Lafayette andLake Charles area, though it may be found nearly anywhere in "Cajun Country", including eastern Texas. There are restaurants devoted to the speciality, though boudin is also sold from rice cookers in convenience stores along Interstate 10. Since boudin freezes well, it is shipped to specialty stores outside the region. Boudin is fast approaching the status of the stars of Cajun cuisine (e.g., jambalaya, gumbo, étouffée, and dirty rice) and has fanatic devotees that travel across Louisiana comparing the numerous homemade varieties. From the Lake Charles area to Lafayette boudin taste and flavors vary. 

We stopped in Jennings, Lousiana at Boudin King.  I said I was from California and wanted to know about boudin.  We got the royal treatment including free bumper stickers and pens.  The 88 year old owner came out to meet us.  I got mild....delicious!

Hal with roux gumbo ...no tomato in La. and a boudin.

The boudin...with rice. Lots of rice on the gulf coast.

taking a bite of e tail of a hush puppie

The owner and I became friends.  People are friendly in Louisana!

off the beaten path...great food at fair price.

George H W Bush library

In College Station, Texas...home of Texas A and M University. Barbara Bush's code name was "Tranquility" and her Dad graduated from my school...Miami U. Bush's Dad was born in Columbus, Ohio. He worked at the UN....so there is good in this Republican president.

This was a good modern museum... I liked it lots. Tomorrow we drive 9 hours to Mississippi.

Cajun hospitality

First evening in Houston we meet Kerry and Brent Smith for dinner where Brent's 16 year old daughter is a waitress. You buy crawfish by the pound...$5. I got 4 hush puppies too.
You only eat the tail section so most of it goes in a bucket...and you have a roll of paper towels for your fingers. Pure protein...'celt for dipping it in melted butter. Yummy. This is going to be a great vacation.