The Louisiana Boudin Trail. It includes 29 different places that offer the opportunity to sample the unique Cajun sausage. Sample we did; spicy boudin from a local specialty shop, Savoie’s in Opelousas. Interesting. But, Kent and I agree, we prefer bratwurst!
I researched and checked and found a local parade scheduled for today. It was to be a small town affair in Vinton, LA about 20 miles from home here in Lake Charles. We drove around that town half a dozen times in search of the parade route, no luck. I asked at the grocery store. Is there a parade in town today? “Not here” came the reply from a local. Rats. I guess there will be no ramping up, our first parade experience will be New Orleans.
We checked out a magnificent collection of costumes worn by decades of krewe captains who led Mardi Gras parades in Lake Charles. There must have been millions of sequins and head dresses that looked to be impossible to hold up. It looks like these folks know how to throw a party.
King Cake…it is as much the visual as the taste but still a great beginning to our celebrating Festival. 
…more oil than all other wells in the world combined
That’s what they (the Texans of course) say! It was the year 1901 and they hit the big one at Spindletop. It must have been amazing to watch the boom that followed. They do a pretty good job telling the story at the museum in Boomtown.
Another biggest, a fire hydrant donated by Disney to the Texas Fire Museum….
Lolling around, stretched out on the banks these guys we out in force today. Some of them even showed us their pearly whites…The birds like a sunny day as well. It suited us just fine too!
Brian and Robin took us to the Sea Center of Texas in Lake Jackson. It is a sea life nature center with huge cool aquariums. Plus, we got to tour their hatchery where they raise red drum, spotted seatrout and flounder for release into the gulf. Some tiny eggs, about the size of grains of sand, grow in to really huge (yummy) fish. It was a fun place to visit and a good time with the kids.
We got pretty good at recognizing the tell tale eye ridge of a mostly submerged gator. It was cool and cloudy so they didn’t show themselves too much but Brian and Robin helped us spot at least 20 of them sized from just a couple foot long baby to probably 9ft long as we strolled around the lake. Very cool.
Water birds made a pretty good showing too: rosette spoonbills, egrets, herons, curlews, cormorants, coots and ducks…probably a few more I have forgotten.
We drove in a little rain and now it seems to have settled in around us here at Brazos Bend State Park. This is a fun park for hiking and bird watching so I hope it clears up soon. We already changed our plans to indoor activities with Brian and Robin since we can’t be sure when it will clear up. A bit of a bummer but it will still be fun to spend a little time with them.