~Thursday, December 31, 2020~
Day 200-Happy New Year’s Eve!!✨🌟🎆
What???? We’re already at Day 200 and isn’t it fitting that our 200th day falls on the eve of a new year that will bring new opportunities, new adventures and a renewed hope for all of us to have some sense of normalcy again. I never thought normal for us would be having an RV escapade.
This New Year’s Eve was like no other as it was a strange one; mainly a day experiencing unknowns and a little fear. Jeff had been up every hour in the night checking on an incoming stormfront coming from the Gulf of Mexico. The forecast for most of the day was heavy winds💨, heavy rain🌧, lightening⚡️, and a tornado watch🌪 ....ya know….the usual stuff! 😝😝. There were even sightings of tornado spouts near Palmetto State Park (where we were originally planning on visiting today), so had to nix that idea, since that would be driving right into the storm. So instead, we opted for going out for a midday lunch to Shucks! in Abbeville, LA. If you remember, this was recommended to us by Bronnie (our new Louisiana friend we met at Grand Bayou Resort). It’s literally a long stone’s throw away from our campground.
In true authentic Cajun style, Shuck’s prides itself on getting the freshest seafood around with the abundant supply that comes from it’s close proximity to the Gulf of Mexico (only 20 minutes away). And the rich farmland that surrounds Abbeville makes for the choicest beef and pork.. They did have outside dining, but we decided on inside dining because of the intermittent bad weather. Right when we were seated, we were asked what we wanted to drink. As soon as I saw Bloody Mary on the list, there was no question what I’d be having. I must say, it was THE best Bloody Mary I’ve ever had. The spice on the rim was delicious.. Unfortunately, there were no IPA’s to be had, so Jeff ordered a peculiar named beer for the south “Ling-Ling” . It was definitely a flavorful, spicy, (but not too spicy) yet delicious, fun lunch. One that you can only get in this part of the country. Our waitress recommended a spicy horseradish Cajun dressing for our salads. Delicious! Jeff had red beans and rice that had Andouille Sausage mixed in, and I had a linguine style pasta dish with carbonara sauce topped with 2 pieces of grilled catfish. Absolutely amazing, and likely THE richest pasta dish that I’ve ever consumed. I felt my arteries hardening as I was eating it. I must have not been too worried though as I ate half of it. When we were offered dessert, Jeff couldn’t resist the bread pudding with lemon/butter sauce that came highly recommended (I only had a few bites since I was just too full). It reminded us of French Toast, but better. I think I’m going to have a glass of red wine tonight to get a dose of those heart healthy polyphenols in my system.
After lunch and with the forecast still not looking favorable, we took a quick drive into the historic part of downtown Abbeville (very small) to snap a few photographs….one of the Saint Mary Magdalen Church. Perfect timing as a service was just ending.
When we got back to our campsite, we weren’t sure if things would be intact, especially with so many trees around us. Maybe until we get out of Dixie Alley, we should plan on staying in places void of trees. I actually didn’t know that there was a Dixie Alley until we met Bronnie in Natchitoches. These tornadoes happen at higher speeds accompanied by more moisture than Tornado Alley, due to their proximity to the Gulf. And they can happen even at this time of year in Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Georgia, and Alabama, and even as far as the Carolinas. Anyway, no branches or limbs had fallen while we were gone, thank goodness! So we hunkered down in our trailer watching the weather reports while we listened to an occasional pounding of rain while playing a few games of dominoes and backgammon. I lost the dominoes but won the backgammon!!-a rarity, so I have to shout it out when it happens. Sadie was enjoying some intermittent outdoor time until too many run-ins with armadillos, exhausting her leash and Jeff.
Our New Year’s Eve evening turned out to be a safe one, determined to keep to our social distancing. So, in lieu of celebrating with a crowd of strangers, we opted for the quietness of our trailer, watching Dick Clark’s Rockin’ Eve. Right before midnight our time, we touched base with our peep’s back on the West Coast 10:00 p.m. their time. An 1-½ later and all caught up, it was time for some much needed shut-eye to dream about all the wonderful things that are about to unfold in 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣1️⃣‼️