OAK ALLEY PLANTATION

We decided to head north after almost a week at Yellow Cotton Bayside.  The wind remained at 20-30 mph; that wasn't good for fishing.  So, we came back up to visit our friend, Gina, and go to tour a plantation.  Perhaps one of the most famous is Oak Alley Plantation along the Mississippi.  The above view is the reason that the Big House was built right at the end of an "alley" of live oaks that were meant to channel the cooler breezes off of the river to the Big House.  This was their kind of air conditioning in the stiffling southern Louisianna.  Now you can't really get a view of the river from this door/balcony becuse of the levy along the river.

 And here is the view of the Big House from the end of the alley of 300 year old live oaks.  This is the view that guests had as they came to visit the family who lived there. 

 Chris and I on the alley of oaks.

This particular live oak  has a girth of 30 ft.  This photo does not do it justice.

 A bird of paradise adorning the plantation grounds.

 This cradle dates to the original owner of the plantation, and was most likely made by one of the slaves.  What beautiful wood work.  The curtain hanging above the cradle is the mosquito netting that everyone had on their bed.

 Chris enjoying the view down the alley of oaks

Our tour guide wore black in honor of the first matron of the plantation.  She eventually moved back to New Orleans because she missed the social life....and missed the death of her husband.  Therefore she returned to the plantation (to run the sugar cane business) and wore a mourning black dress for the last 20 years of her life.

 An outside view of the Big House

 Chris viewing the "baby oaks"....150 years old...planted from the acorns from the origional 300 year old oaks on oal alley.

 The slave houses are no longer at Oak Alley, but this is a slave house at the next door plantation, St. Joseph Plantation, which is a working plantation these days.

 St. Joseph Plantation.

I promised Gina that I would not put this picture on Facebook....but did not promise to not put it in my blog....(smile)  I personally think that it's a cute picture of her.  When we arrived at Oak Alley Plantation, we went to the cafe and had a wonderfully tastey and warming cup of pecan praline coffee....which had a nice shot of pecan liquer in it. 
Today....a grocery shopping trip to WalMart....then continuing on our Gulf tour by driving to Grand Isle, LA.  There is a State Park down there.  It is only about 40 miles due west from Venice (where we spent the last week)...only problem was, that we couldn't get there from Venice....no big bridge :)  Had to travel up to New Orleans and over to the road that goes south to Grand Isle.  We hear that the fishing is good there, too.
Be careful, all you folks in the snow up north....
So, until we "connect" again....