We are on a photography workshop with Mark Zablotsky (https://www.markzphotoworkshops.com) in New Orleans. Driving north, we crossed the Mississippi River, that always impresses me. It is big, appears to be rather fast and is heavily trafficked by barges shipping products.
We visited Oak Alley Plantation. Oak Alley is.a beautiful place with its oak-lined drive, gardens and slave quarters. Turning away from the house, I saw a ship making its way up the Mississippi. The plantation has rooms and cabins for rent as well as an excellent dining room, where we had breakfast.
After some initial shots, we went into the restaurant for a good breakfast.
Picture on the wall of he restaurant
Back outside, we walked the grounds and gardens.
Heading back, Mark had found an eagle’s nest with a young one taking short flights.
Then on to Middendorf’s Manchac Restaurant at the Manchac Swamp Bridge, known for its thin-sliced catfish. A lot of other things also looked good on the menu.
Back at the hotel, Mark reviewed and helped us with our images, pointing out ways to improve and showing us editing techniques and sequence. In the evening, we took a ghost tour, but it was rather disappointing, so we dropped out.
Next up on our photography workshop (https://www.markzphotoworkshops.com) was a cooking class. I didn’t know what to expect as we waited in the store part of the School of Cooking. I did see some interesting books, spices and goods.
We went into the class, in which were round tables with place settings. Things were looking up when they brought us a beer. Our instructor was Harriete, a little lady loaded with personality and local knowledge. She first made corn and crab bisque and gave served us a bowl which was excellent. Although I had heard the term, roux, I didn’t really know what it was. This one was butter and flour and took maybe 15 minutes to make. She emphasized staying with it, stirring or it would burn and you would have to start over. She used Joe’s Stuff seasoning, claw crab meat, chopped green onion, corn and parsley.
Next up was Chicken Étouffée. I had already seen that Étouffées were a common thing. One might have a fish covered with crawfish Étouffée. I learned that an Étouffée is dish of shellfish simmered in sauce made from a roux, usually served over rice. Rice, Harriette told us, was brought by Africans to the area, and it grew well here. She made here dark roux with butter, flour Joe’s Stuff seasoning with onions, celery, green pepper and garlic. It was another excellent dish.
In another pot she heated chicken stock, added it to the roux gradually, cooked 10 minutes, added chicken for 30 minutes adding green onions and parsley and served over rice.
Then she was on to making pralines, a signature desert in New Orleans. I learned it is pronounced “prahlines”, like you are having your throat examined by a doctor.
Harriette was a treat. You just wanted to give her a big hug!
We went back to the hotel for some quiet time, well actually to upload our images and edit them before venturing out to dinner. We walked most places, which is always interesting. The more I walked the streets, the more interesting it became – the people, the street art, the ever-present music and the shops.
We couldn’t get into Superior Seafood, so we went to Carmo where our Cemetery guide, Taylor, used to work. It was quite good.
We were on a photography workshop with Mark Zablotsky (https://www.markzphotoworkshops.com) After walking the streets for a while, we had breakfast at Cafe Beignet’s, a popular, very efficient little restaurant that moves people quickly, and the food is good.
We then took a cemetery tour with Taylor, a very knowledgeable young man. He had been a chef for 12 years, but finally decided to make a change, to work outside and do tours, so he does the cemetery and a ghost tour at night. There is quite a unique history to the cemeteries of New Orleans since it is below sea level, so at first bodies would float up, especially if it was in a coffin. There is also limited space, so a unique way of doing things was developed. The graves had to be above ground. To keep the bodies in place, the plot was often capped with concrete. The Masons were prevalent and the Catholic Church strong. Rules were made and fees charged for maintenance of each site could be quite expensive. Whole families could be buried in one plot. As many as 35 bodies would be uniquely placed. We visited St. Patrick Cemetery that was started by Irish Catholics in 1841
Mosquitoes being prevalent in the area, Yellow Fever epidemics in 1847 and 1853 were devastating. As many as 1300 people died in a week! There were so many people buried so fast, the sites are haphazard, not in their usual neat rows.
Maintenance fees were high and some families couldn’t keep up. There was an eviction notice on one
The soil being so soft, the tombs would sink, cracking or even bending marble doors.
The wealthy had some very ornate tombs with brick and marble, but most impressive were the crosses and statues on top.
In August of 2005 Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, causing 1800 fatalities and $125 billion in damages, the costliest tropical cyclone in US history. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Katrina). A memorial and the dead are in Charity Hospital Cemetery. The horror would strike again with Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
Adjacent to the memorial is a huge field where where the poor or unknown were buried
On our first day of our Photography/Cultural Workshop with Zablotsky Photography (https://www.markzphotoworkshops.com), we explored the French Quarter. We would soon realize that we were going to sample New Orleans’ unique cuisine. The day started with a walk to maybe the best breakfast place anywhere, Mother’s Restaurant. It’s a busy place, where people stand in line to place their order. They give you a number on a metal stand to put on your table. A waitress quickly came by, taking our receipts that she gave to the kitchen while she got our drinks.
With a full stomach, we walked the French Quarter, Bourbon Street, Jackson Square and the Market. The iron works, porches, flower baskets, open air restaurants and the ever-present music make up the atmosphere. the street people sleeping in doorways and park benches are blended with tourists from all over the world.
St. Louis Cathedral and Andrew Jackson statue
The French Market
The area was inhabited by Native Americans for 10,000 years. By the time Jean-Baptiste, who was born in Montreal, founded New Orleans in 1718, there were about 15,000 Indians inhabiting the area. The Natchez Indians were predominant in the area. If you follow the Natchez Trace north, there is an impressive Native American history. Today there are four recognized tribes: the Jena Band of Choctaw Indians, the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana, the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana, and the Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana. The United Houma Nation is recognized as a tribe by the state of Louisiana. Standing before the Andrew Jackson statue, I was reminded of his role as president and the “Trail of Tears” so vividly told in the Museum of Cherokee Indian in Cherokee, North Carolina. For a long time the French Quarter was the city of New Orleans, named after Regent Duc d’Orleans.
After a little quiet time, we went to dinner at the excellent Deanie’s Seafood Restaurant on Iberville Street where I had a fabulous grilled Redfish, and their crawfish were outstanding.
Catfish for ChuckWe shared a bread pudding
On the walk back to the Wyndham Hotel, the streets were taking on a more lively atmosphere.
Driving from my Tentrr campsite in Buccaneer State Park headed for New Orleans, the skies opened up and it poured sheets of rain. I pulled over at a Louisiana Welcome Center to wait it out. I was to meet Mark at the Airport where he was meeting Terry, who was coming in on the red-eye from California. Now was going to be late, but safety comes first.
Gulf shore at Buccaneer State ParkA quiet section of Buccaneer State Park
I was coming for Mark’s one-week photography workshop in and around New Orleans. I have been on two other workshops with Mark, and I always learn a lot. He knows New Orleans because he spent two years here for a Periodontics residency at LSU. It is also Jazz Week, so I’m sure there will be big crowds. Big cities are not my thing, but I’m sure Mark will find some great shoots, and it will be interesting to see how he works. This is also going to be culinary tour because the foods of New Orleans are unique.
Fortunately, things worked out as Terry’s flight was delayed due to the thunderstorms. We met at Camellia Grill for lunch, a popular place for hamburgers, omelets and other goodies along with excellent service. The food was good and the service great. Sitting outside on a perfect day, we had a good view of streetcars going by while people continued to line up to get into this New Orleans classic. Terry made it about 45 minutes later.
We loaded all our luggage and photography equipment into Mark’s Honda Pilot, then drove to the airport where I left my truck in long-term parking for $14/day. It costs $40/day in the French Quarter and it is not secure. Well, the Wyndham has a garage, and it is all valet parking.
We checked into the Wyndham French Quarter Hotel and chilled for a few hours, then drove to Harbor Seafood and Bar out near the airport. I was now becoming familiar with I10 and 610, although I was glad I wasn’t driving. There are some very confusing exits and on-ramps to I10 going underneath the highway, turn left, turn right. In heavy traffic, it is wild!
At Harbor Seafood and Oyster Bar, there was a line out the door. A simple restaurant, it can seat a lot of people. Mark used to come here with his fellow residents one or two times a week. It is an interesting menu. I was all set to order the “Swamp Platter” with gator tail, turtle soup, crawfish tails, fried frog legs, crawfish etoufee and cajun alligator sausage. Now you won’t get that everywhere!
We decided to order for the table, so we got crawfish, steamed shrimp, oysters on the half shell, hush puppies and a soft shell crab Po Boy. The three of us couldn’t eat it all. It was quite a table of food!
The day began with Red and White Market sausage, eggs and pancakes. That sausage is so good!
Mt. Pleasant/Charleston KOA is owned by adjacent Oakland Plantation, which has been in the family for several generations. At 236 acres, it isn’t big, but it is very pretty with its Oak-lined entrance. The campground provides a free tour of the property in a tractor-drawn wagon.
Since Ruff ordered the best drink, we had to try it
Mark Zablotsky (https://www.markzphotoworkshops.com) had recommended Magnolia Gardens. I knew little about it, except that there is a 60 acre Audubon Preserve. A big sign in front listed all the tours. Martha asked what I wanted to do, and I said, “All of it.” We started by walking through the extensive gardens. Extracting from https://www.magnoliaplantation.com/magnolia_history.html,
“Some time later, while in England preparing for the ministry, young John Grimké Drayton received word that his older brother Thomas had died on the steps of the plantation house of a gunshot wound received while riding down the oak avenue during a deer hunt. Thus, having expected to inherit little or nothing as a second son, young John found himself a wealthy plantation owner at the age of 22.
Despite the prestige and wealth inherent in ownership of Magnolia and other plantations, he resolved still to pursue his ministerial career; and in 1838 he entered the Episcopal seminary in New York. While there, he fell in love with, and married, Julia Ewing, daughter of a prominent Philadelphia attorney. Returning to Charleston with his bride, he strove to complete his clerical studies while bearing the burden of managing his large estate. The pressure took its toll, and his fatigue resulted in tuberculosis. His own cure for the illness was working outside in the gardens he loved. He also wanted to create a series of romantic gardens for his wife to make her feel more at home in the South Carolina Lowcountry. A few years later, as though by a miracle, his health returned, allowing him to enter the ministry as rector of nearby Saint Andrews Church, which had served plantation owners since 1706 and still stands just two miles down the highway towards Charleston. But until his death a half-century later, along with his ministry, Rev. Drayton continued to devote himself to the enhancement of the plantation garden, expressing his desire to a fellow minister in Philadelphia, “…to create an earthly paradise in which my dear Julia may forever forget Philadelphia and her desire to return there.”
After walking through the gardens, we took the house tour. No photographs were allowed. Although the house isn’t grandiose, it is comfortable, and the huge porch is wonderful. The original home burned three times, once by Union troops. It was rebuilt as a cabin at first, then gradually, additions were made. The property is still owned by the family through 12 generations.
“After the Civil War and through the Civil Rights Movement Magnolia continued to function, though in a distinctly different way. Among the many challenges was establishing a new relationship with the formerly enslaved workers who remained on the plantation as sharecroppers, tenants, and day laborers. All of Magnolia’s residents worked to find a new level of social and economic understanding and accommodation. The plantation’s main house was rebuilt in the 1890s. Increasingly mechanization would replace the need for tenant farmers; what began in the 1930s was accelerated by World War II bringing the end of plantation agriculture at Magnolia. In spite of difficulties the African American community still maintains a strong presence in the Cane River region. Traditions rooted in African, French, Native American and Spanish influences give this area its character.”
Next we hopped on a trolly that would take us through the Audubon Swamp. They have built ramps in the water where alligators, birds and turtles sit. The trees were loaded with roosting Egrets, Great Blue Herons and Anhingas. John James Audubon spent time here, studying and painting wildlife. Some of his work hangs in the house.
Ducks chowing down
Gator in the duck weed
Slave quarters
Fortunately, we brought sandwiches and snacks, so we had a quick lunch before the boat tour through the rice fields. Thomas and Ann Drayton came to Magnolia near “Charles Towne” in 1676, having made a fortune with a sugar plantation in Barbados. They tried many things including sugar, but none worked in this unique land. Finally they they found success with rice, namely Carolina Gold Rice. Cultivating rice was the most dangerous kind of farming there is. Several on the boat tour simultaneously asked, “Why?”. The slaves walked through this flooded 60-acre field where it is hot, out in the sun. There are alligators all over the place. Cottonmouths live here amongst other snakes. Mosquitoes carried yellow fever, but the most deadly was a cut, which could become quickly infected in these stagnant waters.
Now the fields have returned to marsh, which is a wonderful place for wildlife. It still has gates to control the water. As a duck hunter, I had visions of ducks flocking into flooded rice fields.
Anhinga and Common Moorhen
Coots
Tricolored Heron
After this tour, we went for a walk through the Audubon Swamp. Photographers with tripods were wandering trails and boardwalks. What a cool place in this blackwater swamp where Audubon himself once roamed.
On the way home, we stopped at Mt. Pleasant Seafood to get something to cook for dinner. You don’t know what you are doing when you walk into an unfamiliar place, even though it is highly rated. I wandered around while I listened to Martha ask the nice, patient lady what she recommended for a fish to cook over an open fire, and how to do it. She recommended a Red Snapper that would be big enough for four. I came up to join her and noticed the oysters and asked for a dozen. I was impressed by the knowledge, patience and enthusiasm of this lady. Later I would learn she is an owner, Sarah Fitch. For 75 years and four generations, the family has run the market. From an article in Mt. Pleasant Magazine:
MPM: When did you decide to go into the business you are in?
Fitch: Mount Pleasant Seafood first opened its doors back in 1945, on the banks of Shem Creek, with my great-grandfather and grandfather, Captain Walter G. Toler and Captain Walter D. Toler. For four generations now, we have been serving fresh local seafood to both our local community and tourists from around the world. Whether it’s the fresh catch of the day, the Ready-to-Go Shrimp Boil or we are catering a special occasion, we are extremely grateful for the opportunities that allows our family to serve others.
MPM: How do you find your passion?
Fitch: I wouldn’t say I found my passion, but more so I was born with it. From the time I was old enough to shuck an oyster myself, I fell in love with our family’s legacy and the people of this community. It was a natural fit for me to assume this role and work hand-in-hand with my family, doing what we love to do.”
MPM: What or who inspires you?
Fitch: “My family’s history inspires me and the future of our community motivates me. Along with sharing recipes and smiles with the folks we serve, I equally enjoy working with today’s youth, both within my church community as well as inside our market. To me, the greatest thing we can do to ensure the success of our future is to create a space for them to learn and grow. I believe we do this well at Mount Pleasant Seafood.
MPM: Tell us about how you grew up and who shaped you into the woman you are today.
Fitch: I’ve been fortunate to grow up in a family that has taken pride in hard work. Also, even with our community growing larger and larger by the day, there is a small-town sense about this place that instills care and concern for our neighbors and environment. I think I’ve benefited greatly from my family and community all around.
MPM: Give us some success tips for someone just starting out in your line of work.
Fitch: Keep your eyes and ears open all the time. The natural resources around us are incredible, as are the men and women cultivating the waters for our seafood. Listen to their stories and learn the rhythms of seasonal products to fully enjoy everything the Lowcountry can provide. When we know what goes into the art and hard work of harvesting local seafood, I think it tastes even sweeter and tastier.
We stayed at Mount Pleasant/Charleston KOA while exploring the area. This is a nice KOA with a great staff and facilities on a pretty lake. It is part of Oakland Plantation and managed by the family. A small creek ran behind our campsite and there are woods behind that. Each morning and evening we were greeted by a Barred Owl singing “Who cooks for you?” I never did see it, although I looked hard. Ducks and geese like this little creek, and it has a good population of 5-inch fish and minnows. Unique to this campground, the geese fly down Main Street about 6 feet in the air every morning from the lake, and then back at 5:30 in the evening.
We took several tours to explore the area, the first being the Water Taxi, which runs people across Charleston harbor. We watched two tugboats move a giant cruise ship into position to exit the harbor. The beautiful Arthur Ravenel Bridge looks like a huge sails from a distance.
Downtown, the City Market was fun to explore for a while, then we took a horse-drawn carriage ride around the old part of the city. Another day, Martha and I walked around the old part of the city. I’m not big of cities, but this one is quite pretty with its vibrant colors, innovative plantings, window boxes, iron works and wonderful, wrap-around porches. Before air conditioning, finding a cool breeze on the porch was essential. Beautiful brick and stone-works abound. These houses are solid. Our carriage guide said Charleston sits on a fault, so there have been plenty of earthquakes, about 10-15 a year, so not only do they have to build strong, but the houses are strengthened by earthquake bolts running through them. There was also the great fire of 1861, so building strong is important. I love the gas lights around this part of town.
Charleston is a lovely city with some beautiful surrounding marshes, islands and four rivers. There is a lot we didn’t see, including our friend, Betsy K, so we hope to return.
We have spent several days exploring reserves, preserves and state parks north of Jacksonville, and there are a bunch. There was Pumpkin Hill on Pumpkin Hill Creek, Cedar Creek and Betz-Tiger Preserve. These are on Pumpkin Hill Creek, so there are various kayak/boat launches. We have wandered roads and walked trails. What we discovered is there are some wonderful horse trails in this area. It would also be fun to kayak. It’s good to be alert when walking trails in Florida. I’m also sure there is some great fishing if you know what you are doing. In the evening Sandra fixed a great dinner of Chicken Picata, asparagas, salad and a nice bread 😊
Just east of Jacksonville, Florida is Kathryn Abbey Hanna State Park is an unusual spot. To its north is Timucuan Ecological and Historical Preserve. In fact there are many reserves to the north and west. There is so much water in this area, it boggles the mind – Back River, St. John’s River, Pumpkin Hill Creek, Clapboard Creek, Trout River, Ribauld River and more. We went exploring some of these reserves, but they are so vast, one could spend a lifetime exploring all the waterways. But then, as often happens, the best was right in our back yard – in Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park, a great blend of beautiful beach on one side and a number of lakes on the other, where birds and alligators abound. While Martha, Ruff and Sandra took a Tuk Tuk tour of Jacksonville, I explored Kathryn Hanna.
