Louisiana Revisited 12/20/06 (slightly revised)

In honor of Carnival, I thought that I might post an email that I had sent to friends while living in Louisiana (2006). I was fascinated by the region and had just purchased a Nikon FE (1978). I used my weekends (and later, just my Sundays, as the workweek grew to six days a week), to explore and document my experience there.   


Hello Friends,


   I just developed photos from a jaunt I took this Saturday through some of the small towns between Lake Charles and Lafayette, LA. Some of these towns seem frozen in time, their antiquity only enhanced by their single stop light and "Main Street" storefronts. It's such a delight to find them hidden so close by. These are the towns described by Harper Lee, Mark Twain, Alice Walker and John Steinbeck, among others. I wouldn't fault you for accusing me of being overly romantic. I am hopelessly sentimental. And while I might think neglected, decaying spaces can sometimes be beautiful and mysterious, I realize that I am seeing them from the perspective of an outsider. As a resident, the wonderful old Paramount Theater, boarded up and closed since the 70's, would only make me sad. I went to Iota ("The little town with a big heart"), Estherwood, Jennings and Hugo. All towns visited had the same hardware store that (I imagine) smells like sawdust and skittles, has a floor that creeks and is the best place to trade gossip. The most important social event is the Friday night high school football game at the home field.


   I stopped at a "convenience" store to pick up some Chex Mix, and couldn't find the snack isle due to the stock not being organized in any logical way. You would expect to find chips, pretzels, and snack mixes all together, right? No. You aren't allowed such luxury. I had to work for my Chex Mix. It was a store where its shelf space was too great for its inventory, so everything was strangely arranged to create the illusion of abundance. I was not fooled. Finally from behind the counter, the woman with the scraggly blond mullet and missing front teeth soothingly drawled, "whach you wan bay-be?". When I told her, she pointed me in the direction of a rack partially hidden behind a cork bulletin board displaying keychains and necklaces that had been made with brightly colored plastic cord. (You may have learned this craft at camp or as a member of Campfire or Girl/Boy Scouts). As if to harmonize with the other products for sale, the chip bags were also covered in a thin layer of dust. An act of solidarity between the snacks, cans of Spam and bags of Top Ramen that were so thoughtlessly placed around the room. 


   I found my outing so enjoyable that I plan on doing it again next weekend. I need more practice behind my new Nikon FE. It seems that as I learn to use my camera, the more clumsy the photos look. I have included the best shots.
   

Thanks for looking!

-Klara