Summer's almost gone

...and I don't want it to be...though dropping temps and humidity make living in the South so much easier, this place blossoms--absolutely bursts forth--life and flowers and pollen and insects and water-- in the warmest of the seasons, a name almost assigned to me by my own parents: Summer.

Pics 1&3- South Louisiana

Pic 2- Salt Lake, Utah

Big landscapes

Four paintings by the late, great Elemore Morgan, Jr.

His paintings of the landscapes of Acadiana are somehow soothing and exciting all at once. He painted on-site--the changing light, its shadows, the wind, and its effects on the prairie-fields are evident in his evocative work. I saw his work in the Contemporary Arts Center of Acadiana in Lafayette a couple of years ago....a huge, beautiful white space that held Morgan's giant sweeping landscapes quite well. (really, some of the panoramas are 20'+ in length!)

All images are from the website of the Arthur Roger gallery in New Orleans, Louisiana.

http://www.arthurrogergallery.com

mamou-Mamou!

Acadiana adventures abound.

The first three pictures are from:

http://www.myspace.com/mamoucajunmusicfestival

1938 Crowley Rice Festival, Crowley, Louisiana

All photos by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration.

I have never been to the Crowley Rice Festival, and I'd like to think that if I did go, everyone would be dressed as in the above pictures...
The festival is held in October, which can mean anything from 40 degree to practically 90 degree weather in Louisiana.

A Cajun Musical Adventure

Arriving. The parking lot...


The Savoy Family Band...

Ahh! The dancers...

Blurry blue dancers...

A nightly dance, as part of the Dewey Balfa Cajun and Creole Heritage Week, held annually at Chicot State Park in Ville Platte, Louisiana.

Driving miles, and miles, through dark woods until finally approaching a lively scene:

a beautifully lit tent, glowing and embracing you like a spicy womb.

Dancers of all ages but mostly middle aged and beyond, circling a wooden dance floor imported for the occasion.

Each couple has such a distinct rhythym, but when your eyes relax a little and you allow yourself to view the entire room at once, everyone is part of one giant rhythym, escorted through the movements by the musicians themselves...

Célébrez votre héritage!!