May 5th - Cloverdale

Monday
Well the Fiddle competition is over. It has been a great weekend, Sally and I watched some very good musicians fighting it our for champion fiddler, mandolin player or guitarist in this area, although  contestants came from all over California to compete. we also had the time to watch some great bluegrass bands. I think our favourite for Sunday was the Kathy Kallick Band, who have been performing for many years, even though we had not heard of them before.
One of the great things about these festivals is that everyone is very friendly and competitors and players mingle in with everyone else, so you can get to jam with all sorts of really good players.
Talking to the chap parked next to us in his camper, soon moved to jamming, he was obviously, I mean obviously, better than me, so a jam quickly became a lesson. He was so patient and helpful. The lesson continued on Sunday morning. So it then turned out that Jerry Rose was here to compete in the guitar competition, more than that, he was also the California State flatpicking guitar champion five times. So with all the brilliant musicians here this weekend and he was happy enough to spend his time helping someone else. Thanks Jerry for your patience and care, I am still practicing,  and sorry you didn't win yesterday.

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May 2nd - Cloverdale

On Thursday we moved from Calistoga to Cloverdale, all of 40 miles up the road, calling in at Healdsburg for supplies. Healdsburg is very pretty so we decided that we would call back there to have a wander round. We arrived at the Citrus Fairground and set up, clear sky and baking hot, great. On Friday we took our side trisp to Healdsburg and had a lovely day wandering round this pretty town, like Sonoma it has a town square, which has been made into a small park, with lots of large trees, where we had our picnic. Had a very nice tea/coffee in a French Bistro, pavement style and somehow managed to spend nothing in the shops!
By Friday evening people were arriving for the Fiddle Festival, so there was some playing around the RV's. Old Time Music is different to bluegrass. Here the fiddle is the king instrument and in a circle will usually take the lead, with everyone else following, playing the tune all together, though song choice still rotates around.
Saturday was the start of the fiddle contest, with the Peewee, Junior and Youth categories. Unfortunately there were not as many contestants as expected, which was worrying for the organisers, however we had a very nice day sitting and listening to the kids competing, also watching a couple of bands who were playing on a different stage. The Roustabouts were a nice tight band from Bakersfield, who reflected the Bakersfield Sound, though they could not really define it!
Sunday is Senior Day so we shall see what happens.

April 27th - Fishermans festival

Saturday Today in Bodega Bay there is a Fisherman's Festival. We went along to have a look, it was great fun, lots of craft stalls, as one would expect, live music and lots of seafood. The main event was a boat building competition. Four people, three hours to build it, two races, one winner. Using some plywood and soft wood, using only hand tools and an electric drill, (plus several rolls of duct tape). There were 18 teams and all seemed to be working from a plan. It was good fun to watch. The races themselves were over quite quickly, it was surprising how well constructed the boats were. The race was one by the local firemen, to everybodies delight. We really enjoyed our day out at the Fisherman's Festival.

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Fishermans festival

Saturday Today in Bodega Bay there is a Fisherman's Festival. We went along to have a look, it was great fun, lots of craft stalls, as one would expect, live music and lots of seafood. The main event was a boat building competition. Four people, three hours to build it, two races, one winner. Using some plywood and soft wood, using only hand tools and an electric drill, (plus several rolls of duct tape). There were 18 teams and all seemed to be working from a plan. It was good fun to watch. The races themselves were over quite quickly, it was surprising how well constructed the boats were. The race was one by the local firemen, to everybodies delight. We really enjoyed our day out at the Fisherman's Festival.

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Christmas lights and The Riverwalk Boat Parade

We hope today will be a special day as we are planning to go into San Antonio in the evening to see the Boat Parade and the Lighting up ceremony for the Riverwalk lights.

But first, I needed to go and visit with Clint and Joan to make sure that they were happy with their new mobile broadband and to finish giving them campground details.

They surprised us by inviting us to have lunch with them at the local Mall. So we set out to see for ourselves the other Thanksgiving tradition that has frown in the U.S.A. –‘Black Friday’ not, as you would think, an evil day! (though some would think that) but the first day of the Christmas Celebrations – Thanksgiving is over, out come the Christmas lights, the canned music and –Christmas Shopping. The shops have sales and everyone is out looking for bargains. We needed to see this first hand (we have always been at the Thanksgiving Bluegrass Festival before), so we set out at about 11.00 to join the traffic jams and the general throng at the Mall. It was busy, but did not seem unusually so, still it was good fun to just get those last bits of Christmas shopping. At 1.00 we met Clint and Joan for lunch at a cafeteria called Luby’s. The food is cheap and was surprisingly good, even that nemisis of American restaurants – the vegetables, we cooked properly (not done to death). After a pleasant lunch we returned to the trailer to get ourselves organised for the evenings entertainment, because the weather forecast had let us know that the temperature was going to plummet down to freezing, so it was two pairs of socks, two pairs of trousers, T-shirt, shirt, sweatshirt and fleece for me, carrying a blanket and a cushion (those folding seats can get very cold). Sally was similarly prepared, just as well because although it was not down to freezing while we were there it was jolly cold and frost appeared on the car the next morning.

The parade would pass where our allotted seats were at about 7.15, so we were advised to get there early – by 5.00!, so being overprepared we decided to get there for 4.30, of course we found a parking space very easily and then had a couple of hours to wander round and look at what was happening. Sally wondered if anything might be happening at the Alamo (a stones throw away form the Riverwalk), as we approached we could hear music, the all lady Mariachi band was playing, there was a massive tree erected in front of the Alamo’ distinctive front wall and crowds of people were standing listening. San Antonions were celebrating the lighting of their City Christmas Tree.

We stood and watched the spectacle as the band played and Santa arrived in front of The Alamo in a white carriage, lit with fairy lights (Not Santa Anna this time) and flags were trooped and the national anthem sung and then the switch was thrown and the Christmas Tree and the whole area was lit up with little lights (which we had been assured were energy friendly LED’s). Oh what fun.

This was the appetizer, we now wandered our way, along with the whole of San Antonio, through the streets and down the elevator to the Riverwalk level and to our allotted seats for the Boat Parade. There we sat by the riverside, across the river the restaurants were serving to those people who were making a night of dining on the Riverwalk (and paying up to $100 a head to do it). At about 7.15 the Riverwalk was suddenly lit up as the lights came on, lots of twinkling coloured lights set in the trees all along the banks, which added to the restaurant and house decorations made a very pretty sight. As we sat the decorated boats came along with lots of music, some of it live, some of it canned. Lots of Santa’s, fairies, elves, a Ronald Macdonald, waved madly at us all, it was another great American Spectacle.

We made friends with a lovely family sat next to us (as well as about a dozen passers by, the volunteer steward, his wife and a security guard), who had come down from Fort Worth for the weekend. So ended another great day as we drove wearily home.

Opelousas and the Great Yambilee Festival

We returned from Eunice too late on Saturday to catch any of the Halloween Fun (oh yes, don’t let the wrong night get in the way of a good Saturday night). On Sunday we had considered going to Opelousas because they were celebrating their most celebrated item – the Yam, not to be confused with the Sweet Potato (because I am). Yes it was The Yambalee Festival in Old Opelousas. It had been going since Wednesday, so today was the last day and the day of The Great Parade.

So we set out at about lunch time, found our way to Opelousas, got out the lawn chairs and joined the throng on Main Street, just in time for The Great Parade to come past.

The Great Parade was made up of the police, bikes and cars. Two high school marching bands, a couple of dance schools and then an assortment of company cars, a couple of floats and, and, for some reason I cannot explain…… The politicians who were running for Congress, The Senate, The State Governor and The Opelousas City Mayor. Why, because Tuesday is VOTIN’ DAY, not for the president, but for almost everyone else. And they was out in force. They all came past with their campaign slogans, and music and shaking hands with folk and kissing babies, and throwing out sweets and garlands and shaking hands with babies and kissing folk and asking for their vote.

Well, because I like to be loved, as they came past I told each one of them I thought they were the right man (though one of them was a woman) for the job and I would vote for them (then quietly to myself I had to say, well I would if I could, but I is British, so I can’t). Still it made for a great parade.

When the parade had gone past we picked up our lawn chairs jumped back in the van and went on down to the funfair and met Miss Yambilee 2010 and some crazy woman dressed in a Whoopie Cushion! (Only in America)

We then came home via Wal-Mart. We tried to find somewhere to eat out, but there was nowhere that was suitable, so we came home and I cooked Chicken and Rice with Gravy (which my friend Kathy had taught me to cook last week).

Just as a footnote, while at Chicot Park we have made friends with a full timer called Camilla, she comes from Oregon. She is very sweet and so we invited her to join us on our trip to The Great Yambilee Festival Parade and we all had fun together.

Baton Rouge Day 2

"Busted flat in Baton Rouge, waiting for a train
And I's feeling nearly as faded as my jeans.
Bobby thumbed a diesel down just before it rained,
It rode us all the way to New Orleans."

How many times have I heard those romantic lyrics sung either by Kris Kristopherson or Janis Joplin? And here we are in that famous city.
Today we were going to get some music, we planned to be in Baton Rouge for the 'Live After Five' concert behind the Old Capitol building.
So we had a lazy morning and drove into Baton Rouge for lunch, parked and had Crawfish Etouffe in Lloyds, a Po Boy Seafood restaurant (though cafe was probably a more apt description. "Etouffe?" I hear you say. This is the third dish that is famous in Cajun Culture. As per usual the dish is served over rice. It is a roux sauce (oil and flour and milk) with all cajuny bits added. In this case it was their secret spices and Crawfish Tails, (small freshwater lobster). It was very nice.
We then toured the Old Capitol building which was built in 1835, only to be burned out by the Union army due to a cooking accident! The rebuilt in 1880. It has a beautiful cast iron spiral staircase right in the middle of the entrance hall. Apart from that not a lot really. So after that we went for a nice cup of coffee (tea for Sally) and unleashed ourselves into the concert. Curtis Coubello and the Insta-gators. Three guitars, fiddle (sometimes accordion) and drums playing coutry, zydeco and swamp-pop. It was great fun, as we joined about 3000 other people in the small arena area. We talked to loads of people and the music was excellent.
Came home about 7.30 having had a great day.

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Sunday in New Orleans

Sunday was another wonderful day weather wise - clear blue skies and constant sunshine. We drove across the Mississippi by another bridge and travelled along the north bank to get into downtown New Orleans. This lead us through a very nice district, obviously old, with huge, beautiful houses lining the streets. I thought they were real Pollyanna style houses - wooden slatted with huge porches and massive front doors - some had wonderful stained glass windows. They were very grand and, I imagine, you would need a fortune to buy and maintain one. They were next to a college- apparently a very old and distinguished college- which was housed in some magnificent buildings and opposite to a beautiful park. Eventually, we arrived in Lafitte Square in downtown New Orleans where there was a Blues Festival in progress. Thank goodness for my Blue Badge which enabled us to park in a handicapped space as there was nowhere else to park nearby. The square was shaded by very old and magnificent live oak trees which provided much needed shade - the temperatures being in the 80'sF (30C). There were two stages giving a platform for some very loud, but good blues bands. People were either sitting on their lawn chairs or wandering round looking at the many craft stalls displaying everything from photographs, jewellery, paintings to musical instrument's. Down one side of the square were the stalls selling food - creole, Mexican, burgers, BBQ, etc. We ate our lunch there listening to the music and just enjoying the atmosphere of local New Orleans enjoying their Sunday outing. After a couple of hours, we moved onto the French Market which is located on the river bank near the French Quarter. This market is on 7 days a week and is worth wandering through. They sell lots of touristy things - T shirts, masks, voodoo paraphernalia etc. as well as food and drink - but at a price!!! It really caters for the tourist but it was still worth a visit. We had a drink at a street cafe while listening to a live band - they were good! Kathy bought a hat - like a man's trilby but she looks good in it.
On our way home, we stopped at the fish market again and bought shrimp for our tea. Terry had a lesson in how to prepare fresh shrimp for cooking and then was initiated, by Kathy, into the secrets of making Shrimp In Brown Gravy Over Rice. It was delicious and the huge pot that was prepared disappeared in a trice!!! Thank you, Kathy and Jim for a new recipe added to the Phillippe menu! Tonight we are going to BBQ jumbo shrimp and cook them on the grill. Kathy and Jim leave us tomorrow and travel back to Destin, FL to attend a bikers meet. Jim rides a beautiful Harley Davison and they often go to bikers meets and meet up with fellow Harley Davison enthusiasts. We have very much enjoyed our time with Kathy and Jim - thank you for putting up with us!!

Busy Day in New Orleans - Part One

Today is Saturday and we are planning to be out and about today. Our first stop is the Westwego Jambalaya Cook Off Festival,then later we will adventure out after dark into French Quarter of New Orleans
Westwego is the town which is at the entrance to the Bayou Segnette State Park we are staying in. It is a sleepy suburban town on the other bank of the Mississippi, i.e not in New Orleans.
When we arrive we had seen the advert for the Cookoff today, but knew little about it. So bright and early we set off to find it. We found it. Following Katrina, Westwego built the equivalent of a town meeting place. It is a small outdoor arena (100yards x 50), grassed and paved, with a stage at one end. Round the edges are what look like decorated garages, with no front or back. There are toilets and small rooms as well. Here they can hold concerts, meetings, family events and COOK OFF'S, which is what we are going to.
A Cook Off comes in a variety of forms. I have seen Chile Cook Off's, BBQ Cook Offs and Chicken Cook Offs, but you could have one for any dish you like. It is a team event, so you have 2 -4 people per team who enter to make a large quantity of a dish. People come in and taste each team's offering and then judge which is the best. It is usually meant as a money raiser for local charities and often the Fire Department feature prominently. I am assuming that the teams pay for the Jambalaya ingredients themselves, as their part of the money raising.
Well this cook off was a Jambalaya Cookoff, so each team was making a huge pot of Jambalaya, using a special, huge pot. The teams area from all sorts of places, perhaps one family, a business, the local Fire Squad, or a church. They just kept making it all day.
For this cook off each team is assigned one of the areas round the edge of the arena. We paid $10 entry to the event. That meant that we could then go to every table and eat as much as we wanted to. The Cook off opened at 11.00 and went on until 10.00 at night. As well as the Jambalaya there was food and drink available (you paid for that), music on the stage, fire trucks to look at and lots of people to watch. Everyone brings their lawn chair, finds a favourite place and sets up, then wanders round tasting each Jambalaya being offered, talking with the teams, trying to find out their secret ingredients and generally having a great day out with the family. Frankly, I do not know of any parallel in England, except maybe a local Horticultural show (where you get to eat the competition entries).
Well we had a great time, eating and drinking and talking in the warm sun, with clear blue skies overhead.
As for the Jambalaya, well. Jambalaya is a rice dish - basic ingredients pork, sausage and rice, but individual recipes vary, garlic, secret seasoning, chile, tomato, mushroom, onion, chicken, dozens of local sausage - we are not talking Walls Pork here, there are dozens of locally made sausage,from pepperoni style to gator tail sausage. Even when a standard sausage, such as pepperoni is used, there may be a dozen different pepperoni sausage styles. Westwego is known for its seafood (shrimp), but almost everyone makes their own sausage.
Consequently no two Jambalaya taste the same, so of course the best one is down to personal taste and how nice the makers are. Oh yes it is great fun and a cheap way to get dinner. Well, we had a good old mooch around the festival at Westwego, doing lots of eating, listening to the bands, and people watching, but after a couple of hours we thought it time to move on into New Orleans to see the sights there.

Soggy Bottom Weekend

We travelled down to Soggy Bottom, other wise known as The Sertoma Youth Ranch, on Wednesday. This followed a bit of a scare with the van.
On the Tuesday I went to start it and found it would do nothing! So we checked the battery, took the battery out, took it to Walmart to see if it was no longer servicable,but it was OK. Tried to jump start it, finally left it charging overnight. Next morning, no joy, changed the battery. Finally Jim tried to start it, wiggled the Auto shift stick and away it went, we were relieved!
Because of various difficulties we have done a lot of eating out, on Wednesday we ate at Remmingtons' Wesley Chapel, as this is the favourite eating place of Brenda's (who's birthday it was), however Brenda was not with us, still we had a great meal. Thursday a number of other people showed up-, some people we had not seen for more than a year. So we had a great time sharing gossip and jamming together under Connie's awning. Friday,we out to Remington's again, this time we took Brenda (because it was her birthday and it was her favourite place to eat). Saturday we relaxed and talked with more friends. In the afternoon there was the Soggy Bottom Auction, which was fun.
Last night we had a big jam session at Connie's When Sally retired to bed I had a bit of a wander around the campground and played with a couple of other people. It was another great night at Soggy Bottom.
This morning we will meet together inthe pavillion to share a Gospel Hour before breaking camp to leave Soggy Bottom behind.
We are moving on with Jim and Cathy Mobley to their house near Fort White in the north of Florida, hopefully to have a bit of a relax before moving west to the Gulf Coast and New Orleans. This will give us the chance to provide a first hand report about this summers oil spill in the Gulf

Connie's Fall Party

It’s been along time since I last wrote on the blog, but then lots seem to have happened.

First, we are still at Connie and Jim’s. When we arrived last week Connie told us that she had invited all our old friends up for a party on Sunday for both us and for Brenda, her sister, as it was her birthday. This turned out to be a whole load of us camped in their field and having a great weekend. We had already been there for several days, getting our trailer cleaned out, so we waited excitedly for friends to arrive. First came Larry and Jan, in their big blue bus, then Jim and Kathy, our friends from White Lake. Soon after Christina and Geoff arrived in their brand new Hyundai. Later on, Marilee arrived in her old Chevy Jamboree, closely followed by Ed with his 1985 Ford, with a camper on the back. Last of all Lois arrived with her daughter Liz, as she had picked her up from Orlando Airport. So went to The Oakwood at Lady Lake for supper and then we jammed together on Friday night.

Saturday started with breakfast together, PANCAKES! Then we all went to a big Flea Market at Marion. You could get all sorts there, but I managed to buy a nice socket set. Saturday night we all went to Oxford to a local bluegrass and country get together. Some of the girls got together and reformed The Crooked Halo’s for another performance. That is Brenda, Jan, Marilee, Judy and Connie. They sounded really good. They were then asked to perform at a‘Pickin Parlour’ over towards Sanford next month, so the starlets are on their way to fame, well done!

Saturday night we all sat round the kitchen table and had a great time together just relaxing in each others company, telling stories and jokes, eating supper and really enjoying our time together.

Sunday we started with a gospel jam at about 10.30 and went through to 5.00, with a break for lunch. Some people had to leave, some of us collapsed and watched the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Indianapolis Colts in one of the most thrilling finishes to a football game. Others just went to bed exhausted.

Monday, more people were supposed to be going home, but Connie mentioned ‘Bealls – 15% off Senior Citizens Day’, so we went to Mary’s Grill for breakfast and the girls piled into one car and the boys into another. The girls set off for Bealls and we returned for a really quiet day back at the house. Sally may tell you about her record breaking day shopping.

Tonight there were eight of us left and we went to the Olive Garden for supper, the company was great, the food was good too.

A WOW of a weekend