USA

Lafayette

On Monday morning I headed to. Gauthier's Rv Service Center in Lafayette. I explained the fridge breakdownr whose it was necessary to diagnose the cause, but the person I met did not want to occupy himself because he does not know this material. He sent me to another company, same answer. Not knowing what to do I went to KOA Kampground at Lafayette to think about… I explained to the receptionist my problem. She spent more than one hour to telephone and find a company, all gave her the same answer, NO, we do not know this material. The receptionist was scandalized by this attitude. I think that Americans want to know only American products. Finally she found a man (!) who will come tomorrow here to look at  the problem… As of Saturday I had sent a message to Th Ritter, UNICAT, who answered me very quickly and gave me technical information to diagnose the cause of the fridge breakdown. I kept in touch with him.

Mick's RV Repair-one-Site arrived around 12:30. With the explanations given by Th. Ritter he connected the 2 wires of the thermostat with a paper clip, the compressor started a couple minutes afterwards. Now the paper clip remained in place. He told me that there is no risk but that all days I was to stop it during around two hours. I ordered  the spare part to UNICAT which it will be installed as of its reception somewhere in Texas.

Mick's RV Repair	Kissmann thermostat

St Martinville

On Wednesday I left KOA to do shopping in Walmart then to head to St Martinville where the legend and the Evangeline poem by Longfellow locate the action of the Acadian romantic tragedy which had the advantage of making worlrdwide available the intrigues of the British having expelled them out the province of Novia Scotia after the Seven Year War. This deportation from 1755 to 1762 is known under the name: "Le Grand Dérangement or The Great Upheaval".

St Martin de Tours Catholic Church

The Visitor Center has two rooms one devoted to the Acadian deportation as well as their implication in the Civil War and the other with the trade of the slavery organized by France. In another building the Acadian Memorial pays homage to the 3000 men, women and children who took refuge in Louisiana with in particular a mural whose characters tell their stories.

St Martinville, Civil War

St Martinville, Acadian Memorial

Lake Martin

In end of the afternoon I bought a Swamp Tour to see fauna and flora of the lake. Of course it rained, animals were seldom and flora little developed in this season. Back to my truck I discovered the French motor home of the Brun family with whom I exchanged much information. I noted that the fridge did not work again after a two hours stop per safety.

Breaux Bridge

Thanks to the GPS I found without difficulty the residence of Mick's RV Repair. It took him only a few minutes to diagnose the benign problem as well refrigerator as Generator Panda. I begun again my visits around 9 a.m. In Breaux Bridge except the metallic bridge which gave its name to the village, there is nothing to see if not Visitor Center where a lady accommodates the visitors with courtesy.

Breaux Bridge

Henderson

I continued my road to Henderson, even report. But there is the best rrestaurant in the area, PAT's where I lunched of Crawfish Dinner (Fried, boiled, cocktail, étouffée over rice, pie, stuffed bell pepper, boulette and hush puppies). I was satisfied crayfishs. I remained there up to 3 p.m. with my computer on Internet.

Pat's Restaurant at Henderson

Lake Martin

Boat Landings at Atchafalaya Basin were not very accessible. I returned to Lake Martin where the Brun family was still to carry out a Swamp Tour with Norbert LeBlanc who speak French.

Norbert LeBlanc

Lafayette, Acadian Cultural Centre

On Friday morning I left the family Brun, we hope to see us again in San Antonio.At Lafayette I visited initially Acadian Cultural Center. It very didactic about the acadian culture, also called the cadiens. A video room shows a film very moving on exiles acadians driven out of their grounds by the British. It was within the meaning of UN a genocide.

Vermilionville

Next door Vermilionville is an acadian village reconstituted with restored houses of the era. Some introduce craftsmen in costume of the 19th century.

Maison Mouton	Le Cabanage de Latanier

Beau Bassin, Filage du coton

L'école

Ebeniste

Opelousas, Museum & Interpretive Center

Then I was going to visit in Opelousas the Museum & Interpretive Center whose only interest is a room devoted to dolls.

Eunice

Finally it was Eunice the goal of this day where I was accommodated by a very obliging police officer who offered to me to station on the carpark in front of the Eunice Municipal Complex and he gave me the n° of telephone of the police. Moreover he led me to the hostess of the Visitor Center. While walking I threw an eye at  the Cajun Music Hall of Fame. Tomorrow I will attend concerts of Zydeco.

The stay at Eunice was justified to attend representations of music Cajun only on Saturdays. In the morning I took part with a Jam Session in Savoy Music Center. People of the area come to do shopping or simply to meet their neighbors. It is usual that the shop keeper offers coffee, boudin and donuts. The music is spontaneous. Musicians are amateurs perpetuating the tradition of the music Cajun. I spent 2:30 to listen to and look at the user-friendliness of participants. Each one spoke with me to get to know, undoubtedly I was not a neighborhood. Spectacle was total. I bought Cajun Cd.

Savoy Music Center

The afternoon I was going to spend one hour to Jean Laffite Prairie Acadian Cultural Center where a ranger sang songs of the Cajun folklore. Then from 6 pm to 7:30 pm it was the spectacle at Liberty Theater. The two buildings are joint and opposite the Eunice Municipal Complex where I bivouacked. This day was a great moment of immersion into the Cajun folklore,"la Joie de vivre" and "le bon mange".

Jean Laffite	Liberty Theater

Jean Lafitte Prairie Acadian Cultural Center

Liberty Theater

Abbeville

For a few days batteries of the bodyl had given signs of weakness by not holding the load. On Saturdays I sent an e-mail to the dealer of Lifeline batteries in Bastrop close to San Antonio. On Sunday morning I took the road to go & visit Abbeville founded in 1843 by the Father Antoine Désiré Megret after the name of the city wherehe was born. It preserved the charm of the brick houses in the 19th century as well as the syrup silos of sugar cane. On the way I consulted my mailbox and I read with fright that the dealer of the batteries did not install them and that het was on holiday from July 26th. I decided to go immediately to San Antonio to find a workshop to check and change, if necessary, the batteries of the body and perhaps of the truck. I was able at San Antonio around 10 p.m. after approximately 800 km to station on a carpark of Walmart.