Me and my sibs.
For most of the last 33 years, Kate and I have hosted Thanksgiving dinner at our house. This was to be our first major holiday on the road, away from friends and family. My younger brother and his family live in New Orleans, and I knew my older brother, my sister, and their families would be joining them for Thanksgiving. I didn’t expect to be anywhere in the vicinity around the holiday, but when we had to get to Lake City, Florida for RV repairs on the 23rd, we figured 500 miles was close enough to make the drive.
Our Campground
We found a state park just outside of town, Bayou Signette State Park, and it was perfect. A 20-minute drive from downtown, the park had large, grassy sites with water and electric for just $20 a night. It’s on a nature preserve, so even though it was just off the freeway, it felt like country.
A spacious, quiet campground.
We got such a late start from Lake City that it was 9:30 before we arrived at the park, and unfortunately there’s no afterhours check-in and the gates were locked. We’d never encountered locked gates at a campground before, but I guess in a high-crime city like New Orleans, it’s a good safety measure. We found a nearby Walmart for the night and came back first thing in the morning. Once we were checked in, we had the combination to the locked gates for late returns.
Beware the foul sting bug.
There were lots of cranes in this refuge park. Unfortunately lots of red ants, too. (I’ve got bites all over my legs from two missteps.) They also have stink bugs, which I’d never seen before. When Gypsy put her nose close to one, it emitted a foul spray that caused her to leap into the air, race away, then foam at the mouth and drool. We were in a panic, worried the bug was toxic. But when I caught it and took it to the ranger’s station, the ranger identified it and said she’d be okay in a couple of hours.
We made a nice connection with the campers across from us. Pam used to own a Chinese restaurant in New York, but when that got too stressful, she reinvented her life as an importer of textiles from Ecuador. She now lives half the year in New York and half in Florida, traveling to trade shows once a month or so. She and her friend Mike get out as often as they can in her trailer, and riding his Harley Davidson around the countryside. I love meeting people who have taken positive steps away from stress and towards something they love to do.
Dinner In
On Wednesday evening, my family was all going to Commander’s Palace, a very formal, expensive restaurant for dinner. Kate and I were welcomed to join them, but we opted to take advantage of Dave and Amy’s house for pie making, laundry, showers, and internet. And although it might sound pathetic to say we ate hot dogs and leftover twice-baked potatoes while everyone else was dining on turtle soup and quail, we were quite satisfied with our choice.
Thanksgiving
My older brother, Chris, is an excellent chef, and each year he happily takes charge of the holiday meal. There would be 17 of us all together, so it was no simple task. Kate and I were assigned mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce (made from the cranberries we’d gotten from the bog in Cape Cod), and pecan pies. With the sauce and pies done, that meant we had a leisurely morning at our campsite, with only potatoes to cook.
Turkey at last!
We went to Dave and Amy’s house around 3:00, and Chris was working madly away with his wife and son as assistants. He had everything well under control, he insisted, and waved us all out on a walk to Audubon Park. When we returned around 4:00, Chris looked pale and shaken when he admitted to us that for whatever reason, the 23-pound turkey had been sitting in a cold oven for hours. Dinner would be delayed.
Everyone took the news in good humor. Dave and Amy brought out a huge reserve of dips and cheeses. Beth took the opportunity to pass out advent calendars to the younger generation (a tradition our mom started with grandkids), and we all enjoyed the extra time to hang out together. With high-temp convection cooking, the turkey was done by 8:00 and tasted all that much better for our added anticipation.
French Quarter
Jackson Square.
On Black Friday morning, Kate and I met my sister’s family down in the French Quarter, and we all got beignets and coffee at Café Dumond (a standard tourist tradition), walked around listening to street musicians, and then stood in line at Central Grocery to get world-famous Muffalettas for lunch. Muffalettas are Italian cold cut sandwiches on giant ciabatta bread with a chopped olive spread. The line goes down the block for them, and when it’s your turn to order, don’t even think about asking for something special. You get the sandwich as they make it, love it or leave it. You want a drink? There’s a soda machine in the back of the store.
Hitching post.
I’ve been to the French Quarter a couple of times, but I never get tired of walking around it, just taking in the atmosphere. The faded patina of centuries old buildings. Hitching posts on the sidewalks. Tiers of balconies decorated with jungle plants and Mardi Gras beads. Unique antique stores and artist galleries. Street performers and musicians. It was good we got there bright and early, because by the time we left at 2:00, the crowds had more than doubled.
Tip: Don’t park in the lots for $10/hour. Get there early and find a metered spot on the street for $1.50/hour. You might half to swing back in two hours to feed the meter, but it’s worth the difference. If you’re lucky, you might find a free spot on one of the side streets.
Mosca’s
Mosca’s.
That night we all went out to Mosca’s, an Italian restaurant outside of town that hasn’t changed a bit since the 1940’s. It’s informal and unassuming, but popular enough to get written up in the New Yorker. The menu is limited but the food is great. Meals are served family style, so you just order up several dishes and pass them around. The last couple of years my family’s gone there on Black Friday night and seen Harry Connick, Jr. with his family. We were hoping for a sighting this year, but they apparently broke tradition. Maybe he couldn’t get away from “American Idol.”
Auto Repair
Ken’s Auto Repair.
The next day, my out-of-town siblings returned home, and our priority was getting a squealing belt replaced on the car. We’d been nursing it along for weeks, but it was now too loud to ignore. We found a place with great Yelp reviews that was open on Saturdays, and they were able to get us in right away. We’d been told by a mechanic in North Carolina that the problem might include a leaky power steering pump, so we were steeled for the worst. But Keith’s Auto Repair was great. While we went on a swamp tour with my brother and his family, they replaced the drive belt for $107, tested it, and declared the problem resolved. We paid with a card over the phone and they left it for us to pick up on the lot after hours.
Charles Sea Foods.
Charlie’s Sea Foods
For dinner that night, my brother took us to a great old-fashioned joint called Charlie’s Sea Foods and we chowed down on some traditional New Orleans cuisine. Kate had Cajun shrimp, I had crayfish pasta, and we all agree the jambalaya grits was the best thing on the menu. The portions were so generous, we went home with enough food for two more meals.
Last Day
Walking the fur kids.
On Sunday, my nephew and his girlfriend came over to tour Bessie and meet Bailey and Gypsy. They couldn’t get over our funny little kitten that walks on a leash like a dog (until she makes a flying leap for a nearby tree and skitters up it). Andy, who’s in law school, had lots of studying to do. But Casey went with us to Whitney Plantation, the only plantation museum in the country that focuses on Antebellum plantation life from the viewpoint of the slaves. (More on this in an upcoming post.)
We finished off our New Orleans visit with pizza at Dave and Amy’s house. This was such a great opportunity for us to connect with my extended family. It was strange to not be with our own kids or the friends we usually share Thanksgiving with, but we had an absolutely wonderful time.