we learn to play accordion...

more on that later in the post-

our day started out with dancing lessons (I of course have a tear in my left knee meniscus so was unable to join in- LOL- thank god for small favors- LOL) but everyone seemed to have a really good time and the teachers (Lou & Cal Courville) were very patient.

after dancing we went on a city tour of Lafayette - many murals on buildings and a number of lovely parks -

 

 

then on to Dwyers (which was one of the Plate Lunch places featured in the movie last night called "Raised on Rice and Gravy"

 

 

 

Phil had the chicken and I had the meatball stew- both were yum yum yummy!

then we went back to the hotel for a lecture on Louisiana history which was extremely interesting including a little known fact that West Florida was once an independent nation! who knew???? the woman (Diane Monteleone) who lectured was fabulous and knew her material- we could have had another hour with her no problem! but- we needed to move along to the accordion factory!

 

where we met Junior Martin and his daughter Pennye and his grandson Joel!

Pennye gave us a brief history of the accordion and some information about the various styles of instruments-

and Joel gave us similar information but about the standard Cajun accordion...

Penny added some more about the manufacturing process-

then they all gave us an in-house concert of some of the local music!

even Junior's dog joined in-

afterward we were free to explore the company quarters-

then we headed straight to DeanO's for pizza samplers which were fab! - I liked the Cajun Executioner and Phil loved the Jacques Boudreaux

tomorrow is our final day of the course (boo hoo! - we have been having such a good time and learning so much we really aren't ready quite yet...)

we see gators!

so Day Two of our class started with the fabulous David Greely who gave us his family's personal history as immigrants from Acadie (the Nova Scotia colony of French Catholics who became the Cajuns) he also was a professional musician and introduced us to Cajun music and its evolution via pieces he performed with the fiddle.

Right after the wonderful David Greely class we headed out to lunch at Poche's Market for a plate lunch- and oh yeah- it cost $10 per person including the drink!

 

 

all decorated for Christmas- after all it was the first week of December!

 

 

After lunch we went to McGee's Landing to do a boat trip on the Atchafalaya Basin where we spotted not one, not two but FOUR gators hanging out just waiting for us to take their photos! LOL The boat captain was 100% local with the thickest Cajun accent we had encountered yet- but he was also a hilarious joke and storyteller. Is there anyone there who isn't a character? LOL

 

and when was the last time you saw one of these? especially with the phone book attachment....

Back to the hotel- and a class on Cajun ingredients and cooking - led by Patti Daigle - during which we saw a super film called "Raised on Rice & Gravy"

We opted for dinner on our own at the Bon Temps Grill in Lafayette. 

wow! the crawfish pie - looks mighty fine! as does the boudin & sausage platter!

 

Our next day included dance lessons, an accordion factory (with in-house concert) and two excellent meals- so don't miss out...stay tuned!