The slowly vanishing small Cajun towns
by The state of Louisiana has an online map and guide to scenic roads and historic towns. It’s called Trails and Byways of Louisiana. I discovered …
Author: carollightwood
A Louisiana beach fantasy with a shark and hot feet
This post shows photos of Grand Isle, Louisiana in 2019. In 2021 Hurricane Ida destroyed or seriously damaged all homes on this island, the only …
Unmarked graves, floodwalls, shrimp and sugar cane
On my way to New Orleans I glanced over the side of a bridge crossing the Atchafalaya River and spied, below, what was obviously an …
Crime and punishment in Cajun country
While I was out photographing houses in the poor neighborhood behind my hotel, I noticed one guy in a funny-looking outfit: orange t-shirt and black …
Escape to a California rustic home via AirBnB
Recently, a post online identified the “most googled” interior design searches by state. In California the most popular style was Hollywood Regency–which really surprised me. …
Discovering street murals on my New Orleans “trolley tour”
I came across the Elysian Fields neighborhood by accident. It was the end of the line for the St. Claude-Rampart trolley on my “trolley tour” …
How to make your garden bee-friendly and help save the world
As some of you know I write a blog, Hot Gardens, about gardening in hot dry climates. When I began it 20 years ago the …
Men might pass muster; the women–not a chance
I am now seeing New Orleans under the influence of three books set in the revolutionary Eighteenth Century: An Interview with a Vampire, The Vampire …
Seen…scene..random sights around New Orleans
Since I arrived in New Orleans I’ve taken hundreds of photos of people and places around the city. AND–ta-da!–I’ve managed to organize them into folders. …
Living on the odd side of the tracks in New Orleans
The AirBnB listing stated something like: “Garden District condo close St. Charles trolley.” Quickly I booked it and when I arrived I discovered that description …
Shrimp boats, a carillon and an old Cajun cemetery
What is smaller than a village? A hamlet? With its population of 1883 I think Delcambre, Louisiana qualifies as a hamlet. And it is unusual …
Crawfish crime: attempted murder on the bayou
This is true: a woman and her child were picking crawfish out of a roadside ditch after dark near Lafayette, Louisana a few days ago. …