Walking In Your Shoes creates connections

Walking in someone else’s shoes helps you understand them better. It helps build connections. And through those connections we can build so much together.  I share stories, photos, videos, and thoughts with the hope of helping us all build stronger connections. Hope you will also share your thoughts along the way.

It was a “tough” assignment but somebody had to do it

I have covered or supervised the coverage of presidents, major breaking disasters and huge celebrations.

Covering last week’s Festival International ranks up there as one of the best assignments ever.

I got to hang out at Carpe Diem! Gelato-Espresso Bar and talk to people about their best memories and moments of a free festival with music from more than 80 bands from around the world.

I got to cover live performances by groups  including Red Baraatt  and  The Wailers.

Wish all my assignments were this much fun.

Yeah, they really do call them boudin balls (Va2La)

In Richmond, we always enjoy going downtown to the 17th Street Market for the Brunswick Stew Festival.

It’s held each November. In the brisk afternoon of fall, you can sample stews made by cooks from all over the state.

Music by local bands fill the air as you stroll from booth to booth tasting the tomato-based stew filled with potatoes, vegetables and tender meat.

There’s a contest to see who makes the best stew. To my knowledge there is not a Brunswick Stew eating contest at this festival.

I can’t say the same for the Boudin Festival in Scott, Louisiana.

One of the highlights of the three-day event was a contest to see who could stuff down the most of these spicy pork and rice sausages in five minutes.

I don’t recommend this as the best way to enjoy this savory south Louisiana dish.

It’s better to take your time and enjoy what one person I met calls “rice weenies.” And if you’re not into pork, there are other options.

I opted for two seafood boudin balls sprinkled with a good  dose of Tabasco sauce. They were good. They tasted sort of like a fried crab cake but with rice filling.

I consumed them at a nice leisurely pace as I listened to an afternoon of Cajun and Zydeco music.

I wanted more but decided  to stop at two unlike the guys ( and one woman) in the boudin eating  contest.

When the street lights came on

When I was a kid, droves of us would play outside near my house.

My five siblings and I would join with our dozen or so cousins and other kids in the neighborhood.

We would  run. We’d play kickball and “I Spy” – our version of Hide-and-Seek.

We played in the small yards near our red brick apartments in College Homes or in the big grassy courtyard out front.

Or we’d gather in clumps on the sidewalks or underneath the huge oak tree near the busy street that I wasn’t allowed to cross without an older sister or brother.

During the school year as soon as we’d finished dinner and homework, we went outside. In the summer, we went out as soon as we could escape after a half-assed swipe at our assigned  chores.

I squeezed every bit of fun out of each day. I knew that when the street lights came on, I had to go inside.

That soft amber glow from the funny-shaped lights atop the green metal poles was the signal that another day of play was over.

Truthfully, I never went inside right away. I always pushed for  a few minutes more.

It usually took hearing my mother call my name before I would grudgingly surrender and call it a day.

She would be waiting on the concrete slab that was our front porch. She’d herd me in the door and up the metal stairs to take my bath.

I was the youngest and was always the first to be called inside.

The street lights in my old neighborhood are different now. The entire neighborhood has changed.

The oak tree is still there. It doesn’t seem so big now.

In an odd twist, here in my new neighborhood in Lafayette, the street lights are almost exactly like those from my childhood.

When I take a walk on these spring evenings, I try to time it just right so that as I walk out of my apartment door and head down the main street, the street lights are just beginning to glow.

Sometimes, I can almost hear my mom calling me to come inside.

Here’s to Milkshakes and Duck Breast Salads Va2La (part 3)

One of the best ways to get to know a region is through its food.

So with that in mind, a big part of my exploration of Lafayette, La. so far has been focused on some of what it has to offer in the culinary department. And it has a lot to offer.

One of my early food adventures here started with a history lesson. Remember Elsie the Cow? She was the iconic image for Borden Dairy for years. Turns out Elsie is alive and well right here in Lafayette. Sort of.

The last remaining Borden’s Ice Cream Shoppe is at the corner of Johnston and Jefferson, not far from downtown. The shop has a new owner but she’s carrying on the Borden’s tradition. In fact, she learned all she needed to know about ice cream from Miss Ella, who has been at Borden’s since 1961.

Once I discovered this bit of history I had to check out the shop. Just let me say, their milkshakes bring all the boys (and girls) to the yard. In a wholesome, down home way, of course.

In the span of a few days, I went from enjoying old-fashioned milkshakes to sampling dishes from the region’s best chefs. The Acadiana Culinary Classic allows chefs to showcase their skills while competing for awards.

The biggest winners are guests who get to try dozens of innovative and delicious dishes from soups to desserts. Some guests went straight to the seafood. Others binged on sinful desserts like sweet potato beignets. I tried to be good. I started with the salads.

Trust me, these were no iceberg lettuce and store-bought tomato offerings. For instance, the third-place winner in this category was baby mixed greens with sweet chili basil and Asian BBQ duck breast. It was prepared by the chef from the Isle of Capri Casino in Lake Charles. I think I feel a road trip coming soon.

I realize I can’t keep up this pace. Heck, crawfish season hasn’t gotten into full swing yet.

So this weekend, my explorations will focus more on music and art and less on food.

Wish me luck as I head to ArtWalk tonight. I have to pass at least dozen great places to eat in order get to the art galleries.

Six Days and One Concert Va2La Part 2

I have been in Louisiana less than a week and I have already been able to hang out at the famous Cajundome.

County music fans gathered at the home of the Ragin Cajuns Friday night decked out in boots and cowboy hats.

And I went to see what all the excitement was about. Hint: You ever heard of Jason Aldean?

What we do for love (Va2La Part 1)

When I was a kid, my family moved more than a half dozen times before I turned 18.

On my 18th birthday, I moved out of my parent’s Knoxville, Tennessee home to my first  apartment. It was near UTK , where I was enrolled.

I rented my first apartment on 13th and Highland in Knoxville and moved in on my 18th birthday. The building is still there.

Within a year, I had left Tennessee and moved to California.

And in the past 20 years, my husband and I have moved six times, mostly for my career.
So when I told family and a few friends that I was moving again, no one seemed all that surprised.

But I surprised myself with this decision to relocate.

When we moved to Richmond, Virginia six years ago, I hoped this would be my last big move. We were ready to finally put down roots.

We bought a house (even before we had sold the house we owned from our previous South Carolina stop.) I joined a couple of  local community groups.  After a lot of failed attempts, I found a place to get my hair done where I felt comfortable strolling in, knowing I would leave happy with my haircut.

So why move again?

This move is for love. After being out of the daily newspaper business for more than a year, I realized how much I missed it. I realized how much I love it.

It’s been a thrill launching my company, In Your Shoes Media. I’ve enjoyed helping community newspapers create digital content for their websites.

I worked at the Virginia Department of Transportation and learned more about potholes, tolls and roadkill than I ever imagined.

But I missed the excitement of being in a newsroom each day. I loved working with a team to find the best stories and figuring out the best ways to share those stories with our audience. And I want to be a part of the important changes happening in the industry now.

So I’ve moved from Virginia to Lafayette, La. to get back into the newspaper/online/mobile/media business and to do what I love doing.

It’s surprising what we do for love.

(I’ll share more about my Va2La move over the next few months.)

Music, dancing, and breakfast beyond New Orleans

Today all the attention is on the Super Bowl in New Orleans.

But I’m quickly learning there’s a lot more to Louisiana than the Big Easy. For instance, there’s an area of the state known as Acadiana – it’s the heart of Cajun and Zydeco county.

I was there in January.  I hung out mostly in Lafayette and took a short side trip to Breaux Bridge, which calls itself the crawfish capitol of the world .

A local suggested that I head to for a fun Saturday morning breakfast of good food, Zydeco music, dancing and more.

You can bet that this won’t be my last visit there.