​2 Chron 5:13b ….they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick….
I can’t think of Louisiana without thinking music! Especially in New Orleans music is as common as wind is in Manitoba. Jazz, ragtime – they all originated here. While living in Texas I was only ½ hr from the LA state line, so went across to Shrevesport a number of times. But a friend and I took my 2-week Christmas holiday to camp across LA & MS. It was an awesome trip. Naturally spending time down in the French Quarter was a must. Listening to the people on the streets ply their styles of music was great. We even went all out and took a carriage ride – which was interesting as the guy was more than happy to give us a running monologue of his city. Another day we did a swamp tour. Since it was Christmas there weren’t many people around and we were able to have the boat and guide to ourselves. I was fascinated by the cemeteries. They build the graves above the ground; otherwise the coffin could float away because some parts of the city are below sea level, or right at sea level. At the end of the trip the man asked if I wanted to hold an alligator. I wasn’t sure about it, but I did!!! He was 3 months old and just about getting feisty, but I told him I’d be nice if he would as well, so we did fine.
I loved the music, but I certainly struggled with the food in LA – whew, they spice it up. Gumbo, jambalaya, everything was too spicy for me. I tried alligator, but even that they highly seasoned, so when people ask what it tastes like I honestly can’t say – my mouth was burning too much to notice anything but Cajun heat!  
The sad thing – I took this trip the end of December … In August, Katrina hit New Orleans and totally changed that poor city. I was so thankful I’d been able to go and see the French Quarter in all its amazing-ness before the hurricane changed the environment.

Photos: Tom Sawyer's place and a Normafn Rockwell postcard of the famous "Whitewashing the fence" in Tom Sawyer.

​OKLAHOMA
Ex 35:14: The candlestick also for the light, and his furniture, and his lamps, with the oil for the light.
I will be quite frank – there is one spot in OK that I really don’t like – Tulsa. Now maybe things have changed in recent years, but in the past, I have ALWAYS gotten lost trying to get around or through Tulsa. Their signposting was horrendous, and I knew if I needed to go through that area with my maps, I’d better leave an extra hour for the multiple times I got on the wrong road because the road names change randomly – or so it seemed to me.
But other than that, some parts of OK are extremely picturesque. I lived 4 years in the northeast section of Texas – just half an hour from the OK border. I made friends there, and spent many weekends up visiting. You think of OK as a flat, wide open state, which it is in the northwest, but the southeast corner is very hilly. In the fall, the leaves turn fantastic shades, and going for a drive in the hills and looking at the leaves was something I really learned to enjoy and did it each fall I was there.
Oil has had a big effect on the economy of Oklahoma. They have 5 refineries now, and have numerous jobs due to that.  As you all know, I’m not a city person, but I can’t mention Okalahoma without thinking about the OK City bombing that happened. Even though it’s almost 30 years ago now, that was and still is the largest domestic terrorist attack that happened to the States. I was teaching in Indiana when that happened, so it had a big impact on me. That’s why I chose this verse – it talks about oil, which OK is big into, and it talks about the oil making light. We need to be a light in this world – especially as dark things like the OK City bombing are going on everywhere. So enjoy the moments you have, and keep on shining for Jesus!

TEXAS
Ezekiel 48:17 And the suburbs of the city shall be toward the north two hundred and fifty, and toward the south two hundred and fifty, and toward the east two hundred and fifty, and toward the west two hundred and fifty.
Oh my, I could write oodles about this state. It definitely has a spot in my heart, as I spent 4 years there. I had to choose this verse since everything is bigger and better in Texas (so they say.) The 250 is not about accuracy as this state is about 1,000 miles north to south, and 773 miles east to west, but gives you the vision of space.
There’s so much to talk about that I don’t know where to begin. From the dry, desert area around Seminole in western Texas, to the hot humidity of Houston, to the citification of Austin (its capital) to the lush greenness of the northeast, Texas has a bit of everything. Its history is amazing as well; you can see some of that if you go through the Alamo at San Antonio. The Riverwalk there gives you a glimpse into the beginning of southern culture. What I appreciate about Texans is their sense of humor. I lived near Paris, Texas, and the landmark that marks that town when you drive in for groceries is a 65 ft “Eiffel Tower”. However, on the top of the tower in perched a red cowboy hat! :0) That’s Paris, Texas-style! It made me chuckle everytime I went to town.  While I did NOT appreciate the rattlesnakes there, the Texas blue bonnets were breathtaking in the spring! Texas is a place that you need time to explore. I’m really glad I had the opportunity to live there for the years that I did.
OK 

SORRY FOR THE PAST MONTH. BETWEEN TRAVEL AND EMAIL CRASHES, TECH HAS BEEN NOT FUN. 
​I'LL SEE IF I CAN DO SOME DAILY POSTS UNTIL I'M CAUGHT UP!

​NEBRASKA         
Judges 5:6b the highways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through byways.
If you look at a map of Nebraska, you will understand why I picked this verse. If you look at the NW section, there are very few roads, and driving along them (Unless you are on the 2 freeways) is very relaxing as you don’t have to watch traffic. But on the other hand, it’s a long way from anywhere if you have trouble with your vehicle. I was traveling through one time in my 20’s with a type of cast on one leg due to some torn ligaments when I picked up a nail in one tire. I was planning to get to a Mennonite-Your-Way place near Lincoln for the night, so every 15 minutes I’d pull over, pull out my tire pump, and attach it. There was a place to step on to stabilize it, and I could easily do that even with the cast on my leg and pump away to fill the tire again. I soon learned how good people can be. Every time I’d stop to pump, the first vehicle coming along would pull over, and the man would jump out and exclaim, “You have a cast on your foot! Let me do that for you.” And he’d take over. The first time I just shrugged and thanked the man – but by the 4th or 5th time I got a little annoyed. What was it with people that made them think a cast meant you were dismembered or something?! (I know they were being kind, but the cast in no way hindered me from pumping up a tire.) I was petrified during one pumping session when an elderly, very portly gentleman and his wife stopped. He was huffing and puffing so badly I was scared he’d have a heart attack. When I tried to insist I was just fine pumping, the lady declared, “Of course you can’t manage the tire pump. Don’t you see that cast on your leg?” I stared at her, but she seemed to find nothing incongruous about what she’d just said! When I finally arrived at my destination, my hosts were so gracious and took charge of getting the tired repaired for me so I could continue on my (pumpless) way the next day.
The east/south section of Nebraska definitely has more people and things to do, but if you come into Nebraska after being at Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota – and are traveling in that southerly direction, make sure to find Alliance, Nebraska. “Carhenge” is worth a stop. It’s a playoff of Stonehenge, but instead of stones in a circle, they have cars. Someone did a neat job of creating this circle of 39 cars spraypainted grey to imitate that famous circle spot of massive stones standing upright in England.

​SOUTH DAKOTA                 
Jer 5:3b …they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return
Any clue as to why I’d pick this verse to go with South Dakota? … well….Does the word “Mt. Rushmore” mean anything to you? If you have the chance, you really need to run through this area of South Dakota. It’s one thing to see a postcard of the famous 4 faces, but when you get there and walk under them, the immenseness of it hits you. It gives you a glimpse of the scope of imagination the sculptor must have had to be able to design such a huge face that has a beauty from a distance. Working in the rock up close he’d not see what we see miles away. That gave me a healthy respect for his artistry as I meandered along the half mile pathway that gave me different views of the faces.
Anyone who likes the “Wild West” would also want to go to Deadwood. It’s only about 50 miles from Mt. Rushmore, and gives you a feel of what life was like as this country was settled. The Boot Hill Cemetery has the graves of Calamity Jane, Wild Bill Hickok and I enjoyed walking around there.
You do (or at least I do!) need to be careful – there’s a lot of twisty, winding roads and canyons out there. I was lost for over an hour trying to get out of there! :0(
For book lovers, you’ll want to head to De Smet, SD. We spent a day there touring the Laura Ingalls Wilder place. Having grown up on those books, Mom, Julie & I all wanted to see that place! (There’s also another house in Mansfield, Missouri, where Laura wrote her books. The De Smet house was where they lived during the time of “By the Shores of Silver Lake”.)
There’s many places of interest in South Dakota – it’s one state you need time if you want to explore a lot of the sites!