(Glen Campbell, take 2): A little kindness

Today’s post brought to you by: Down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico, Mexico-oo, Mexico-oo

Grateful for: Autumn

Trying hard to accept: Being on my best southern belle behaviour

It doesn’t take long leaving Houston to reach modest old houses so close to the rail track the residents could almost stand on their back porches and swipe the train. But better than a 747 I guess.

Houston was a joy. Train was late arriving from LA so had a bit of time to kill. David kindly whipped up a best-coffee-I’ve-had-in-ages-and-I’ve-had-a-lot-of-coffee hazelnut decaf and we sat on his porch while he played his guitar and sang my favourite Simon & Garfunkel song ‘The Only Living Boy in New York’, with Spook the parrot on background vocals. Perfect send-off to a perfect 2 days. Thank you again David for being such an interesting, welcoming and generous host.

(Don’t waste money on feeding a pit bull. Nothing will make burglars scarper quicker than Spook’s ear-shattering squawk. Ain’t no spring chicken either, all of 42 years old.)

Emptied bulging wallet of coins into rail station vending machine only to be the unlucky 113th customer whose food got stuck. Tried the ol’ shake, rattle ‘n’ roll then went and chewed the fat with the ticketing woman.

Happened to mention in passing, as you do, my loss of $1 and bag of Nutter Butter Bites. Next thing I know she’s rooting round in the drawers and out the back, returning with a wad of $1 notes and giving me one. Glen would’ve been proud. “If you see your sister standing by the machine, with a pissed off look … you’ve got to try a little kindness …”

This is what success looks like.

I tell ya folks, autumn is the time to travel. For the last 2 hours the train has rolled past golden fields and leaves. The sun is setting and, if it wasn’t for the air con blasting arctic air, this lounge car’d be warm as toast.

Passed Lake Houston, the river marking the Texas-Louisiana border and Lake Charles with all the good ol’ boys out there in their boats catching a catfish or 20.

FYI I’m planning on scoffing shrimp etouffee tonight. Just thought I’d mention that. Cholesterol, David? What cholesterol?

2 hrs later. Oh my, Lafayette is everything I imagined. I’m ‘just up the road’ in US terms from Houston but I might as well be on another planet.

I tell you what, if you want to instantly bond with someone, talk food.

First Lafayette-an I met was Pamela from Uber. She was as sweet as the iced tea she was drinking. We talked biscuits the whole drive.

Second one was Betsy my host. I feel like I’m at home with mom, she’s just absolutely lovely. She’s got her fingers in all sorts of pecan pies from Mary Kay cosmetics (“help yourself to anything in the bathroom drawers”) to helping her daughter run a mayoral candidate’s campaign (group of southern belles meeting at Betsy’s tomorrow night to ring around voters). I’ll bet you a few Texas oil refineries that the candidate ain’t a Democrat.

Third one was James from Uber (do they have a buy-10-get-one-free?). He was as Louisiana as crawfish and gumbo. Read as: I couldn’t understand a word he said. Young African American/Creole dude. So lovely. Read as: laughed at all my jokes.

He was raised by his grandmama out by the swamps and nursed her till she died from Alzheimer’s 6 months ago. Grandmama made her own root beer. I tried to grill him for recipe but all he knew was it involved copious amounts of vanilla extract.

Two guys from Dearborn, Michigan (“home of the Ford Motor Co”) in town for a food and music festival, a live country band, 4 drinkers, 7 other (in-bred … who said that??) diners and me are now at Randol’s Cajun restaurant trying hard to decide what to eat from a menu where you want to eat everything. Half of ‘em are up country dancing. Finish this equation: Bulging stomach + a few rounds of the dance floor = ?

Even an alligator would struggle to eat the portion sizes here. (Guess they’d skip the first appetiser – deep fried alligator bites).

This, folks, is shrimp etouffee. That yellow stuff is not a urine sample, it’s melted butter for my corn. When in Lafayette … That red stuff is Australian merlot, not for patriotism but because it’s the cheapest option.

Sixth person I met was Stefan from Uber, ex-Denver, now studying mechanical engineering to get a job in oil biz. Wonder if he’s married. (Meet you in Reno, Jim?)

His first degree was in nutrition and worked at a Denver co developing a candy bar of peanut butter covered in toasted coconut. Perfection in a wrapper.

And here’s an interesting fact, just for you Stephen. Stefan (ha! You’ve got the same name) does endurance road cycling events and swears by peanut butter pouches, beef jerky and something else I’ve forgotten to fuel him. Reckons fat and protein are better than carbs.

7am tomorrow I’ll be first customer at Edie’s Biscuits just down the road. What a coincidence. It’s almost like I chose my accommodation to be nearby. Tell you what though I’ll either be Ubering everywhere or staying downtown all day. Lafayette is as sprawled out as a giant octopus. It’s 4 lane footpath-less roads the whole way.

One happy and 3kg heavier camper signing out.

Where I’ll be resting my head for the next 3 nights. Once I find the bed under the 7 decorative pillows.

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