Last year my birthday was a quiet time, spent mostly worrying about Geoff and hoping for good things to come. He got/is better, and things are much, much better.
This year, my birthday was suprelative! Geoff was my secretive planner, and managed to surprise me at every step. He simply explained that we would be away overnight and that we were going for my birthday dinner at another John Besh restaurant in New Orleans, “August”. And to bring walking shoes (do I have any other kind?).
Even before, I had asked for my present to be the bedspread we had picked out in Florida a few weeks ago when we went to pick up the trailer, which is now beautifully ensconced out back, ready to be our home away from home while we redo the kitchen and bedroom. He agreed and we decided to use the Chinese garden pot that Wendy gave us for our wedding as the decor theme. Its beautiful, and has special memories as he used it to wash my feet as part of our marraige ceremony - isn’t he amazing!
Well I went ahead and ordered it and was already ecstatic, looking forward to a “decorated” room. I’m going to refinish all the French provincial furniture that was my Mom’s in yellow with white antiqueing, and paint all the walls and ceiling in pale blues (over the heart pine paneling, sort of French rustic country (based on a great book we picked up in Paris - not French provincial the way its marketed here). Anyhow, I was already in happy mode, to be finally starting on making this Dogtrot cabin into a home.
Being in a good mood, I finished repacking all the stuff in the dining part of the kitchen so that it’s ready to move out. Now all I have to do is pack everything on the kitchen side, once we start living in the trailer.
Having followed directions and colored my roots and cut my hair (Geoff not so enthusiastic about the results - a very short bob with bangs, but it works for me and will grow back if it doesn’t grow on him), we were ready to take off. First stop, a potential source of reclaimed cypress near Houma, down in bayou country. Straight shot down to the Causeway, hang a right past the N.O. airport, and south a whole lot more.
Well, that was a bust. After driving around a while we finally found the place, and no one was home. Whatever. So, “where to, Geoff?” “Just keep going down the highway we were on.”
On and on. I thought we were headed south towards the mouth of the Mississippi. But, about 50 miles later, as we passed miles of rice fields, not the wetlands and bayous I would expect neared the Gulf, I guessed. “Hey, baby, are we headed to Avery Island?” With his reply of “yes” I was ecstatic. He explained that the nearby town was New Iberia, where we should go first to get a place to stay.
We got off highway 90 and drove past the typical exit motels, gas stations and crummy stores and restaurants. “Just keep going to the old part of town,” encouraged Geoff. Well what a delightful old center, located along Bayou Teche, a quiet waterway about 200′ wide and lined with beautiful old live oaks hung with moss trailing in the water. Main Street was a one way avenue, lined with old brick buildings and at the intersection where the road from the highway joined it there was a beautiful antebellum mansion where you can tour the old house and gardens that back up to the Bayou. We drove past it towards a line of shops and restaurants, and were delighted to see one that served sushi, a favorite treat of us both.
We parked and walked across the street to a corner building, very well renovated with ironwork balconies etc., that had a big sign: “Guggenheim Bed and Breakfast”. Sounded ok, but when we banged on the door, no one answered. We walked down the block, and found the local Chamber of Commerce filled with brochures. The woman there was very gracious and called the Maison de Teche, where we got a reservation.
We drove there and were happy to see it was just two houses up from the antebellum mansion with a backyard stretching down to the Bayou. Perfect! The people running it explained that it had just opening a month earlier. The woman who owns it wanted a tax write-off so spent over a half-million dollars renovating and furnishing it. Beautiful.
We picked a room on the second floor with a view down to the Bayou. In addition to a big bathroom and king-sized bed, it had a fireplace (all the rooms do) and was filled with chachkas (sp?) and great furniture.
Well, we took off to see if we could make it to Avery Island before it closed. It was about a ten mile drive and we pulled into the shop to get our ticket to tour the garden. The whole set-up was beautiful. A collection of Avery Island souvenirs housed in an old fashioned naturally finished coast style cottage with a wrap around porch. We got our tickets and took off to drive through the 2500 acre preserve.
It was amazing even if we were way off season for the azaleas and camelias that the garden boasts. Just a good reason to go back in late winter. We wound around on a one lane road that took us by ponds overhung with liveoaks, by the wide bayous that encircle Avery Island, and through both a holly lined “allee” and a wisteria hung pergola. We stopped at the site where a Buddha made in China in 1100 was set in a special pavilion above a lovely pond.
After driving through the gardens we drove over to the Tabasco factory museum and managed to squeeze in to the last tour. It was interesting to learn both the history of the island (the point of an 8000 foot deep salt spike jutting up from the depths) and the history of the family that had first operated a sugar cane plantation there and then when the family’s hot sauce recipe became popular, turned it into a pepper farm. Now, in addition to making and shipping Tabasco all over the world (we walked past production lines where the packages were headed to Spain), they also have oil and gas wells since these seem to be prevalent near salt mines.
We wandered into the Factory shop and managed to not buy a thing. There was one cookbook I would have gotten but the fact that I had just started packing all my cookbooks up prior to renovating our kitchen kept me from getting another. I can always go back.
We headed back to New Iberia and went straight to the sushi place. We feasted, since we hadn’t eaten all day. Then “home” where we spent a lovely quiet time talking to Ronnie and resting. Around nine we decided to go out to dinner and walked to the town, but the restaurants had stopped serving. But one was willing to bring us dessert and coffee out on the sidewalk. It was quiet, and pleasant, and just the right end to a perfect day.
The next day was my birthday. Geoff had another surprise in store for me. He had carted our cappuccino machine all the way, and woke me up (as he has every day since we met) with a steaming cup of that delectable concoction as only he can make it. Quelle joie!
We took off for New Orleans after a breakfast prepared by Ronnie (cooking isn’t his strong suit, but he insisted on trying - almost took over but that wouldn’t have been as pleasant as watching him work at it and his relief at our compliments). On the way back, we stopped to see the cypress lumber we missed on the way down. Still a bust - stuff not much good.
We tooled on down the highway into Metairie, and stopped at a kitchen place to check out appliances and cabinets. The fellow who runs it was very gracious and it was wonderful to see so many choices and really nice things. Living in a backwater like we do makes you forget how nice things can be. I dream of being in a beautiful space again, and Geoff is doing everything possible to make this happen. I am soo excited about our new kitchen and bedroom. Really happening!
After leaving there (with a brief check out of an ancient Airstream motor home that has seen better days, years ago) we headed to our next stop, an appliance place where they carry Electrolux that you can’t find at Lowe’s. Hmm.
We met the propriator, Anna, who is a real crackerjack. She had retired from an executive position at AT&T, then decided to open a high end appliance store after Katrina when people couldn’t find good things since all the stores were destroyed. Her brother in law was in the business in Chattanooga and she had helped him out so just set up a branch operation. Unfortunately, he now has a terminal disease and she is trying to liquidate the inventory, so everything is on sale.
OK. Kid in a candy store. She actually didn’t have much Eletrolux so we started looking at the other things like Viking ranges, and Miele. But, crazy us, we found something we loved. Dacor. A 48″ double oven range, a 48″ counter depth refrigerator, and a 30″ dishwasher. All for only twice what we planned on, but what the hell. We told Anna we’d talk it over and get back to her. Because we were the only people there, she let me slip into the dress I had brought for dinner and we bid her adieu and took off to find the special restaurant Geoff had chosen for dinner, ‘August’ - another John Besh place.
Unbelievably, for folks who havn’t been to New Orleans in three years, we drove right to it (with a little help from mapquest) and they had their own parking! It was a nice spot in the business district and very elegant. We were shown to a corner table and showered with attention. I ordered a Lillet, with orange zest, one of my favorite drinks and rarely (especially the places I get to go) available. We were brought a taste of things to come, an eggshell filled with seafood zabayon. Light and creamy, with a bit of something at the bottom that melted in your mouth.
We ordered. I picked beef, not the Charlerois from La Provence but a “USDA prime filet of beef with greens, procini and smoked marrow” and to start,”P&J oysters:crispy fried with Louisiana caviar ‘ranch dressing’, pepper seared with country ham and truffle spoon bread, horseradish crusted”. Geoff picked “Hand-made potato gnocchi topped with blue crab and winter truffle” followed by a veal stuffed ravioli.
We really enjoyed everything (except perhaps the veal ravioli which was a piece of veal, not very tender, in a pasta pocket. OK but not up to par). The best was the oysters, three different tastes and each delicious. Of course, Geoff and I shared everything. The beef was really good, although not so wonderful as the Charlerois, and the marrow was a bit greasy for my taste. Never had had it before though. Now that milestone is passed.
I am guessing that Geoff didn’t say it was my birthday because, thankfully, I was spared the “happy birthday to you” routine. Or perhaps they are too “too” to entertain in that way. In any event we ordered dessert - a rum cake I think - and it was delicious. Coffee.
It was the best birthday ever! Geoff treated me to the best of the best, and made me feel like a queen. His queen. He makes me very happy!
!