Iternary For Bayou Lafourche

After Hurricane Katrina laid bare the fragility and environmental peril of South Louisiana, author Ian McNulty set out on a series of daytrips to delve into the area's diverse cultural landscapes. He explored communities staked up and down the Mississippi River, nestled into the teeming bayous, braced along the edge of the Gulf, and planted out on the golden prairie stretching to the west. Louisiana Rambles is his richly evocative guide to those journeys. McNulty delivers an inimitable take on Cajun and Creole Louisiana—the siren call of zydeco dance halls pulsing in the country darkness; of crawfish “boiling points” and traditional country smokehouses; of Cajun jam sessions, where even wallflowers are compelled to dance; of equine gambits in the cradle of jockeys; and of fishing trips where anyone can land impressive catches. In South Louisiana, distilled European heritage, the African American experience, and modern southern exuberance mix with tumultuous history and fantastically fecund natural environments. The territories McNulty opens to the reader are arguably the nation's most exotic and culturally distinct destinations. McNulty quests for the heart of these places and people. Much more than a travel guide or collection of travel narratives, Louisiana Rambles is a seasoned writer's witness to an epic locale that is very often joyous, sometimes heartbreaking, and always vital and stimulating. An extensive, chapter-by-chapter appendix filled with travel tips and notes from the road (or the bayou) will let visitors explore well beyond the beaten tourist paths and help Louisiana residents appreciate their own terrain in a new light.

"Toward the end of the 19th century, journalist Field traveled by boat and buggy around Louisiana, writing columns under the name of Catharine Cole for the New Orleans Daily Picayune. Her work spread to other papers, and she was read widely throughout the South. This collection details her journeys around the state in the 1890s. With evocative and adjective-filled prose, she describes the beauty as well as the practical aspects of Louisiana life, including shrimp drying, levee building, and the cost of land. Field conjures up vivid images of the places she visits, such as the town that "lifts its comb of roof and gray gable and soft-colored adobe chimneys from out the clumps and clouds of the chinaberry tree." The editors, both retired professors of English at Clemson University, add brief introductions to each piece. Although Field's travel adventures depict a time without modern convenience, when women were not expected to journey alone, her enjoyment of travel for its own sake resonates with readers today. Recommended for Louisiana libraries and for academic libraries with a Southern history collection.-Janet Clapp, Athens-Clarke Cty. Lib., Athens, GA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information." --Library Jour.

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DIVRich survey ranges from pioneer cabins to French Provincial and Neoclassic revivals. Extensive commentary on each building, with over 100 detailed illustrations, including 36 floor plans. Bibliography. /div