Southern Hospitality

After almost a full month of not travelling, I hit the road last weekend for a few days to attend the reunion of a large group of alumni from our (closed) chapter at Louisiana-Lafayette, home of the Ragin Cajuns! I had all of these impressions of what it would be like, and within 30 minutes of being on campus, saw an alligator. This picture is, literally, 10 yards from the front step of the student union. They have their own swamp eco-system in the heart of campus. It was my first trip to the Bayou state, which leaves me with only the following states to see to complete the full 50:

Alaska; Arkansas; Delaware; Hawaii; Idaho; Montana; Nebraska; New Hampshire; North Dakota; Oklahoma; South Carolina; Vermont; Washington

I am starting to really love the south. If you can get past the fact that they mostly hate you for being a 'Yankee' every aspect of life down there was fantastic. I can't say the word "y'all" enough and talking with a southern accent is the most comfortable way to talk. I don't know how to describe it, but it just feels easier. Like your tongue got a shot of novacaine and your lips only open half way. No seriously, try it. Say a sentence in your normal voice and then talk with a southern drawl. The muscles in your mouth actually work less.

Got to see every possible combination of denim you could imagine while I was there -

• Two-tone denim outfits: When the top shirt is a few shades lighter than the jeans.
• Cut-off denim: For when it gets hot
• American Pride denim: Flag, eagle, flag and eagle. They all work on the back of your denim shirt
• Upper arm hair matching denim: Just what it sounds like. Dude had a lot of fur going on, but he wore a dark denim shirt that matched the color of his hair. It was like camoflauge for over-pubescent men.
• 2004 denim: It fit then; it doesn't fit now

And I also got to sample the local flavor...

CRAWFISH!

The folks down there were actually shocked (and perhaps offended) by the fact that I had never really sampled 'Mud Bugs' before. The ironic thing is that the serving shown above is not nearly enough to constitute a full meal. I had to go back for another serving, err, I mean shovel full (her words, not mine). I literally imagined a man dying of starvation as the person who discovered this 'delicacy.' If you get a thimble worth of meat out of one, it's a keeper! I love seafood, so it all tasted fine to me, but it made crab look like an endless supply of goodness compared to these little suckers.

The community feel and genuine happiness of the people down there will stick with me for a while. There is something so comforting in going to an area where community togetherness is a big deal. I always feel alienated on the East Coast compared to the Midwest, but then you get to the south, and Midwestern hospitality has been given a triple shot of Red Bull. Nothing wrong with that. Good food, good drink, good people. It makes the job completely worth it.

However, it felt good to get home yesterday. With spring arriving, you just don't want to miss any day of the best season to be in Indianapolis. Golf league starts this weekend, and the weather should be approaching perfect in time for May. And, of course, while I heard there were a lot of stories involving Grace, why do I always imagine her waiting for me at home like this...