Bridget & Pat were waiting for us at our next stop – their driveway! Pat was actually waiting for us at the truck stop right off the exit, as he wanted us to follow him so he could stop traffic for us to make it easier for Bill to back in off the busy road.

We got settled quickly and I went inside. Bridget was busy making some of her famous cookies – and I was excited to watch her decorate them! Bill and Pat hung around out in their garage, doing – I don’t know – whatever guys do out in the garage.

We had an excellent meal of homemade corn soup and I promptly asked for the recipe. We visited well into the evening before saying goodnight.

The following day we got a driving tour of their immediate area, the town of Thibodaux. We stopped for lunch at one of their favorite places, Big Mike’s BBQ. So much food! Bill and Pat got brisket and Bridget and I got the pulled pork, all was so good!

Pat, Bridget, me, Bill

Bourgeois Meat Market carries all things in the Cajun meat department, and was our next stop. We left with boudin sausage, and smoked andouille sausage, but they had so much more. Pat got this stuff called (I think) turkey head cheese. It’s a spread and is eaten with crackers. Bill liked it; me – not so much. For those doubting it – I did actually try it!

That night we had another awesome meal, trout meunière, roasted potatoes and Caesar salad. Pat caught the fish himself!

Before we left the following day, Pat and I filled a bag with a variety of oranges off the trees in their orchard. He encouraged me to take as many as I wanted, but we only have so much room! (Featured pic – above the post title – is of their orchard)

Also, before we left, Bill had wanted to try  using Pat’s macerator pump to empty our tanks. We will be needing to get one to use when we are in PA staying on our daughters driveway. I didn’t know what to expect, but Bill said it worked like a charm!

Our visit was short but sweet! I’ve said it before but it’s worth repeating, the friends we’ve made along the way of our traveling lifestyle has been the best part of it! Seeing all the places we’ve seen and doing all the things we’ve done have been awe inspiring – don’t get me wrong – but for me at least, the people we’ve spent time with, getting to know them, hearing their stories, developing the bonds we now share, has been such a surprise, such an amazing gift!

Moving on, we stopped later that day in Pensacola, FL, at the Elks Lodge there. Lucky us – that night was their holiday party, which we were promptly invited to.

There was a buffet dinner, including homemade cookies and other sweet treats. They had live music, two sisters on guitars. They were pretty good, although their one song choice caused me to say “what?” Do any of you remember “Pumped Up Kicks?” I remember I was working at a medical/dental office when it came out and I loved the catchy tune that would play over the Sirius radio. The lyrics were hard to understand though. One day, while driving in the car, the song came on the radio station, and I bopped along to it. My daughter, who was with me, asked “Do you know what this song is about?” I replied that I did not. She looked up the lyrics and I read them at the next red light. Needless to say – I didn’t like that song anymore. For those unaware, it’s basically about someone who is a potential school shooter. “All the other kids, with the pumped up kicks better run, better run, out run my gun. All the other kids with the pumped up kicks better run, better run, faster than my bullets”. Seriously? There’s more – but that’s the chorus, which is repeated many times throughout the song. (btw – “kicks” is a slang word for sneakers – only mentioning it because I didn’t know either) It seemed like an odd choice to play, especially for an “older” crowd.

Shortly after we went home to watch a little TV before getting some sleep.

Our final stop before getting to Clearwater, was Perry, FL, at the Elks Lodge there. That lodge has an actual restaurant inside. The bartender told us that its one of the only two good ones in the small town. We decided to try it. The salad bar was good, and the rest was ok. Better than cooking, that’s for sure!

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