MEXICAN TRADITION-DAY OF THE DEAD.

The Day Of The Dead is on its fourth year as a celebration in Murphys. Here is a staged family out for a ride...

I don't know quite how different it would be in Mexico, but this is America, so of course, the dog rides in the back with the kids.

One of the vacation rentals puts on displays, and this year's theme was references to Frieda Kahlo. Beautifully done.

Folklorico representing various states in Mexico with traditional dances and  costuming held in Murphys Park.

Kids and adults dress up and paint their faces in sync with the celebration. This group was watching the dancers with rapt attention.

Like a statue, this little girl didn't move once during the whole set of dancers.

When this fellow came out with two, long blades, I knew we were in for something special.

Flashing blades at considerable speed, over head and under and between his legs made for quite a show. But then, a repeat with a blindfold on had me gasping.

No small feat. And with dire warnings from the MC, "don't try this at home."

Folkorico music always very fast and invigorating, the costuming beautiful. Very enjoyable. Jim attended a Day of the Dead in Mexico and said the music was deafening.

A tourist attraction, with staged displays made for a nice outing, but for some people, the celebration is very real, about the death of and remembrance of a loved one.

SOME CRAZY COONASS CAJUN-DIRTY MILLER

We left Holly Beach headed for Little Chenier country, mostly because Jim wanted to have a look at the area where the Movie Little Chenier was made and because it was on the Creole Nature Trail. We did two trails and found one bird and I didn’t want to do anymore of this vast and much vaunted refuge. We were quickly understanding that it is the wrong time of year to come here for you travelers who may want to try it. Arrange your trip in spring or summer..  The migration is over, the alligators get cold and sleep most of the winter, and then you’ll see the wonderful wildlife, birds and butterflies we were hoping to see.

We stopped by a bridge and poked around and took some pictures.

A beautiful pelican. I guess I’ll never get used to these huge birds being as common as crows around Southern Louisiana.

At Holly Beach we had a gorgeous sunset and sunrise, helped along by drifting smoke. As we moved along the road, we saw several people burning what I learned is called cain grass. The grass is burned and new grass  feeds the cattle.

We came to a gravel road. This big rig doesn’t turn just anywhere and we decided we’d take a circular driveway at the end of the pavement, and then the fun began. By accident or destiny we mat a crazy coonass Cajun hollering at us from what we thought was a bait shop. We learned later his name is Dirty Miller. Well, that is his most used name. He was born Pravate Miller, pronounced pre-bow.

He and his girlfriend, Rachel Hebert, (he calls her Ray-Ray) do not accept no for an answer. Y’all gotta eat and we were not getting away without  joining them and other friends who know to show up on weekends where the party is at, for cowboy stew. Pravate’s mother used to have a restaurant and he teaches all of his buddies how to cook.

Here’s the stew…

And a picture of a picture of the cook in action. We ate it with a coleslaw that was different from any other I’ve tasted. Both were delicious and we enjoyed a second helping like we’d never been fed. The cook shack, gathering place, is loaded with souvenirs, pictures, crazy signs and all kinds of fun stuff. A hurricane took his house and he has a fifth wheel beside this neighborly gathering place. After, eating, I joined him in a cowboy dessert- a little chewing tobacco.

He lost his house to Rita, and Ike flooded up to the dark straight line on the bottom of the cutting board. We saw signs everywhere of uprooted trees, piles of wood and debris where a house once stood.   Pravate says, “Dirty Miller is a crazy coonass cajun and I’m never gonna leave Chenier. Life is about havin’ fun. You good people, we gonna have fun.” And we did.

Dirty Miller works for the Parish, but on the side he takes people alligator hunting. He has taken Hank Williams Jr.’s son and Donald Trump’s son, hunting gator. He collects everything gator. This knife is made from a piece of gator jawbone.
A gator foot cell phone holder.

He showed me pictures of his grandson on a gator he caught. He has twin sons and a daughter. There is bound to be another gator hunter in the family. In fact, Dirty Miller has a pet gator that he calls up from the swamp, that he feeds. He took us for a ride to take pictures of birds and the gator, if it was home. Being winter and all, he doesn’t come up much this time of year. In fact, Dirty Miller told me about the cain grass, and how ranchers burn the grass for their cattle.

We road his property, the very gravel road we avoided. We met cattle.

The truck would flush herons and egrets, majestic birds as common as crows. I delighted in flushing them and trying to get pictures of them flying from the truck.

We would see four to five egrets feeding in a bunch. We saw more birds on Dirty Miller’s property than the refuges. What a treat.

And, hundreds of these little ducks Dirty calls poudous. He says they are good eatin’ These and some other ducks would flush and tippy toe across the surface of the water and weeds before taking flight.

Dirty owns a 50 millimeter Smith and Wesson, chrome. He fired it. I couldn’t hold it with one hand, I had to use two.

I couldn’t believe he took one shot and hit the can after a day with plenty of V.O. But he did. It got late in the day and we ended up spending the night on the driveway. I don’t remember names very well…

This is little Finley and her mom and dad. She danced and smiled for me.

This is Mammou. He thinks he is human and follows his human around all the time. We talked a good bit about the movie Little Chenier and learned that Dirty’s friend Abe Welsh’s boat, the Sara Jane was in the movie. And, Al Manwellow, (hope these names are right) was part of the band that played the tunes for Little Chenier. Everyone in the Little Chenier area knows the movie of course. Dirty told us his friend got $500 a day for use of the Sara Jane. Now that’s a lotta moola!

In the morning, we danced to Cajun music while RayRay cooked a shrimp, crawdad,and  crab omelette, enough to feed a small army.

We’ll surely come back some day because by accident or destiny we met a crazy coonass Cajun known as  Dirty Miller. An unforgettable character, loving and warm, and his sweet RayRay. There were some tears shed on parting. They brought us a jar of homemade hot sauce before we left the yard. We traded beads, bonded like family, and boarded our rig, (without blogging- no signal) and drove off to that place just around the bend to our next adventure?

THE TEMPLE OF HEAVEN.

It is an early October  morning and our tour bus takes us to the Temple of Heaven, another UNESCO site. We see buses with people on their way to work, like these women catching a cat nap. Vicki, our guide,  tells us Chinese laborers put in long hours for low pay.

This orange hooded stand is a telephone booth, simple, protected from the weather, low-cost.  You have to respect the design. Although, like the US, cell phones are seen  all over China,  more than in my neighborhood.  (Remember this is 2006.)  The street scenes are so interesting here but  I was using a new digital and still taking pictures as though each picture would be developed and being very conservative, not knowing how many pictures would fit on the sandisk. At that time I hadn’t heard of a cyber album where I now keep my pictures.

We entered the complex through a park with many squares. Our first encounter was a group of people doing ball room dancing. We watched for a while.  A single man asked me and another woman from our group to dance. This is very common in China, morning exercise with a huge group.

The next square held a group of people line dancing.  Wanning Determan, in red and my partner Michal joined them. What an enjoyable way to start the day.

This group was performing a kind of fast clapping exercise designed for mental alertness. In between the clapping they make foot figures and turn around and start again, sometimes hands raised above their heads.  Quite tricky and challenging. Like line dancing, they follow a leader in this exercise that also has music to it.

This group, at a distant square,  practices a graceful flag dance.

This group is doing Tai Chi. I’ve tried it since my China visit, and it is harder than it looks. Great for balance and coordination.

This group was doing a type of  Tai Chi with paddles and balls, very difficult Vicki informed us. I was quite taken by the vast amount of people who exercise. It is easy to see why you rarely encounter an overweight  person in China.

We finally arrive at the entrance gate to the Temple of Heaven.

Before passing through the gate,  I grabbed a picture of the ornate decoration under the eaves and you can see the parade of  protective lions on the roof.

The Temple sits on vast square all the way around it.  It is the tallest round building in the world.  At one time animal sacrifices were done here and the meat cooked and eaten  in a great kitchen/dining room.

You enter by way of this huge marble staircase.

Each newel post is carved, each one different.  The rails have decorative carvings. This stairway was meant to last forever.

The unique building is highly decorated with the typical colors of the day. The Chinese people love the color red and you see it in their special places.

Inside, the building is held up by a series of beautifully decorated columns. They all have gold leaf. Magnificent and irreplaceable.

A close-up of the dragon on the roof.  It is no surprise the temple is a UNESCO treasure.

On the way out we passed through the Long Hall which is really long. Without the measurements, I would guess it is the length of a city block.

It is kind of fun to observe the Chinese people.  We are curious about them and they are open and friendly and curious about us, as well though we can’t speak their language, this mother was obviously enjoying all the fuss over her cute little girl. The wooden stroller is unique.

Instead of a cloth sling, this woman carries her baby in a bamboo slat basket.

As we left, a lone woman was practicing her banner exercise.

As we left the temple, we passed the last remaining gate from Mongolian times hovering above the Ring Road that replaced the feudal walls and surrounds the city. Mau was smart enough to preserve it for posterity. It was through this gate the people, dignitaries, and the privileged few passed to have access to their leaders and protection from enemies.