Margot Cajun dancing at  the Cajun/Creole festival, at .Augusta , West Virginia.                 

Margot with Steve, Mark and Garry at Steve Nash's rub-board work-shop, Cajun/Creole festival, West Virginia U.S.A...

Swamp tour, Lake Martin, Breaux Bridge,

Louisiana..

Margot sitting on the back porch at the Bayou Cabins, Breaux Bridge, Louisiana..

 

 

We went on a fascinating swamp tour through the Bayou Swamps and I had a taste of moonshine provided by our tour guide. Cajun country was just magic, wonderful friendly people and hospitality. The food at the Bayou Cabins was delicious.  Our hosts Rocky and Lisa Sonnier made us very welcome and looked after us so well. I thoroughly recommend a stay there at Breaux Bridge. We enjoyed boudin sausage, cracklin, and hogs head cheese, we also had a taste of crawfish and Gumbo.  All of which I loved and could not get enough of.

 

We found our way to the Acadian Cultural Centre in Lafayette and learnt some of the history of the Cajun people from an interesting film and then enjoyed the photographic display and artifacts of early Cajun people.  We then explored the Acadian Village, Virmillionville in Lafayette  This was a living history and Folklife Museum, which offered a glimpse into the culture of the Acadians during the 19th century, with authentic period homes restored and furnished with native Louisiana antiques.   I enjoyed this immensely being a Historian myself.

 

After Breaux Bridge we journeyed to Opelousas where we stayed with Elizabeth who Garry had met through the Yahoo Cajun/Zydeco postings. She made us very welcome and we enjoyed our stay with her.

 

On Saturday and Sunday we spent the day at the Cajun French Music Awards (CFMA) Show in Lafayette.  Held at the Blackham Coliseum, it was so exciting to be there and hear such good Cajun music.

I met and heard Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys again and also Christine Balfa and Balfa Toujours. Both bands have been to Melbourne and I got to meet them then, as well. I had never seen so many Cajun dancers in all my life, and such good Cajun music.  It was just so good and I got to dance with some real Cajun guys. We also went to Randol’s Restaurant with a French couple who we'd met before and who teach Cajun dancing in France, and we joined the locals and Cajun danced and we then we all went to the jam session at Marc Savoy’s Music Center on Saturday morning in Eunice.

 

As all good things come to an end, we left our much loved Cajun country and traveled for three days back to Michigan. We stopped off at Vicksburg to see the Civil War Memorial Park, and went through places with famous names such as, Memphis in Tennesse, Chattanooga, Jefferson County, Alabama, Nashville, Louisville in Kentucky, and Cincinnati in Ohio. Then we arrived back in Michigan where I had a few more days with Garry playing in his Cajun band, ‘Maison Bleue’ and going to a Contra dance. Then I flew  home on the last part of my trip staying at Toronto seeing Niagara Falls and then onto Honolulu for four days of swimming and relaxing.

 

I don’t know what it is about Cajun music but of all the people I have met around the world and through my web site, once you get hooked on Cajun music it is in your heart and soul.  You can never get enough

 

Cajun music to me, is to dance to the beat, with the joy in my heart and the rhythm of my feet.                            

 

“Laissez le bon temps rouler…”  (let the good times roll..)

Margot playing with Gary Kaluzny in his Maison Bleue band in Michigan

Cajun dancers at the CFMA at Blackham Coliseum in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Bayou Boudin & Cracklin Breaux Bridge where we stayed in our little Bayou cabin.

Augusta at Elkins, West Virginia, where we attended the Cajun/Creole festival.

Photos from Margot’s camera 2001

 

MARGOT'S TRIP TO A CAJUN/CREOLE FESTIVAL AND CAJUN COUNTRY 2001

…. (continued...)