Get Your Crawfish On!

 Dear Cher,
That is repetitious, but pretend I am Cajun for a moment. If you live in the Washington, DC, area, and want to get your crawdaddy on, head on over to Evening Star Cafe, on Mt. Vernon Avenue in the Del Ray part of Alexandria, VA.
Dey got yo crawfish, yo boiled taters, yo boiled corn and sausage... And you will leave with spicy lips on fire!
Whether you call 'em crawdads, mudbugs, or crawfish, go get you some. For only $14, enjoy a whole pound of finger-lickin' good bugs. Pull they heads off, and suck away. Squeeze they tails, and make some magic. Mmm, mmm. You will need plenty plenty napkins and water to wash down the fiery goodness.

Your Imaginary Cajun,
Patsie

Miami Glamour: The Architecture

Art Deco construction in South Beach

Classy and glassy

jazzy new parking lot in South Beach on Alden Road

Van Dyke Cafe on Lincoln Road; reclaimed by vines

Miami, Florida, is a fairly new city. It was established around 1900, with loads of landfill building it up from the swampy shores of the Atlantic Ocean. Because of hurricanes, non historic architecture is constantly being torn down, and rebuilt. Consequently, there are numerous new buildings of striking architectural styles from Art Deco to yesterday all over downtown and South Beach.

What is cool there? Everything but the weather. The famed Route One which is a mile from my house ends in Miami. And then shoots up north past Alexandria all the way up to Maine. That is one very long road!!

The most devastating hurricane to ever hit Miami in our lifetimes was Hurricane Andrew, which flattened Homestead, FL, just south of Miami, on the way to the Florida Keys. Hurricane Katrina did some serious damage to Miami before it made its more famous landfall in Louisiana and Mississippi.


Believe it or not, the Everglades, which are just to the west of Fort Lauderdale and Miami, are actually a river, albeit a slow moving one. When hurricanes are scarce, the Everglades  become dangerously dry, and there are brush fires every few years from the dry heat. Hurricanes and large tropical storms help flush the water from the wetlands and bring fresh nutrients.


More than you wanted to know!
Patsie

Happy Or Sad

Patsie and Beth contemplate the finer things in life

Dear Imaginary Friends,

Whether you are happy or sad, a snowball makes things better. Especially if it is from Casey's Snoballs in Metairie, Louisiana.

Your snowball fiend,

Patsie

Jacques-Imo's, Cher!

Dear Imaginary Friends,

What says New Orleans more than Jacques-Imo's restaurant on Oak Street ? It is the flavor of the Big Easy, with joyful decor, based on swamp scenes and Mardi Gras.

Seen above are Susan, Patsie and Beth, the three Miller girls, dining on Saturday night.

Patsie snagged some big Barbecue Shrimp. And don't forget the yummy cornbread with green onions on it.

See you there next time, y'all!

Your Imaginary Friend,

Patsie

Louisiana Swamp, Cher!

Watch out for dem gators, now. I think I saw one with a Tulane T shirt on, and one with an LSU Hat.

Your Homegirl,

Cajun Patsie