Back to Betty’s Web in Abbeville Louisiana…

No trip through Louisiana would be complete without our annual stop at Betty’s RV Park in Abbeville. Leaving New Orleans we took highway 90 to State Route 14 to avoid Interstate 10 all together. I love driving the back roads so much more than the boring truck infested interstate highways. With only the minor inconveniences of a few traffic lights and some small towns we pulled into Betty’s shortly after lunch.

Because we arrived on a weekend we hit the ground running and drove up with several other RV’ers to the town of Breaux Bridge for an early morning at Buck and Johnny’s Zydeco breakfast. We have been to a Zydeco breakfast in Breaux Bridge before but it was at Café Des Amis which we discovered had closed down.  Apparently soon afterward Buck and Johnny’s began offering their own Zydeco breakfast. While the breakfast wasn't really anything special the Zydeco music and the energy in the place was definitely top notch!

I mentioned we come here annually but actually we didn’t come through last year because of unexpected RV repairs we had to have done in Red Bay Alabama after some framing fell out. Anyway we were very happy to be able to return and get caught up again in Betty’s Web. For those who don’t know Betty’s RV Park is a small RV park that Betty built around her home in Abbeville. It can be a little stressful maneuvering into a site but those cares are tossed away at 4:30 when everyone in the park gathers (with snacks) for Happy Hour on Betty's patio. We are so excited to reconnect with Betty and so many of our Betty’s RV friends!

After breakfast a group of us walked over to the Jam Session held weekly at the Joie de Vivre Café. Locals and travelers alike can be found rotating in and out of a Jam Session featuring lots of Cajun Music and Swamp Pop. We stayed for a while enjoying some warm Beignets (a classic Louisiana pastry) and some music before moving on down the road.

Our next stop was at the La Poussiere to listen to several bands who were performing that day. As is typical of anyplace visited in the Acadian Region of Louisiana we met some friendly Cajuns and spent a great afternoon listening to some wonderful Cajun Music. Afterward we all hurried back to Betty’s for our daily ritual…. Happy Hour! It's so great to be back!!!!!

NOTE: We are still at Betty’s RV Park in Abbeville LA and will move on into Texas in April…

Nokomis Beach and the Drum Circle…

With rain and cooler temperatures headed our way we decided we better get in one last visit to beach before moving further north. This time we planned our trip to a beach in Nokomis with the main objective to stay until sunset to watch the Drum Circle which Nokomis Florida is known for. The Drum Circles only happen on Wednesdays and Saturdays so since we planned to leave for Brookville Florida on Friday we picked Wednesday for our adventure.

The drive took  us about 40 minutes to Nokomis Public Beach. The temperature was in the mid 70’s and there were some clouds giving us hope for a great sunset. We set up our Sunbrella and chilled on the beach for a few hours noticing lots and lots of shells on this beach!

About 4:00 pm I noticed a few people starting to gather near the life guard stand so I told Sharon to take our chairs to snag a front row seat at the circle. I took the rest of our gear back to the CRV and when I returned to the beach Sharon had already made some new friends from Michigan, Linda and George.  Linda had given Sharon a red solo cup of Chardonnay for us to share. We had brought two beers but had already consumed them before we moved to the Drum Circle.

Someone then drew a large circle which demarcated where we were to sit no closer than. Inside the circle was reserved for dancers and children to play. Lots of people began gathering making the big circle. In the center there was some sort of “offering” with shells, sticks, flowers and palm fronds.

Drummers of all shapes, sizes, age and gender began congregating at the base of the life guard shack. (click here - Nokomis Drumming Circle to see a video on Sharon’s Facebook page of the drummers). Kids were frolicking inside the large circle. A pile of silver and pink metallic hula hoops lay in a pile near the offering. A man also entered the circle with a smoky incense filled shell which he spread smoke from head to toe on spectators who stood in line for the "blessing". 

Then the drums began as one member would set the beat and the remaining drummers would follow. Before I knew it my feet were moving to the beat. Some ladies were dancing to the beat and some even appeared to be dancing in a trance like state (click here – Nakomis Dancers to see a video on Sharon’s Facebook page of the ladies dancing). The beat continued… After about twenty minutes the beat would reach a crescendo and suddenly stop for a small break before continuing the drumming all over again.

Dancers dancing… all I could hear in my mind was Neil Young – After The Goldrush Lyrics.

“There were peasants singin' and drummers drumming and the archer split the tree…” 

“There was a fanfare blowin' to the sun that was floating on the breeze…”

Linda and Sharon also felt compelled to join the dancers while George (who had brought his own drum) was drumming right behind me. Yep I could feel the beat and could sense it was indeed a mystical event for us all. Even though the sunset wasn’t as grand as we all hoped it was a blast to spend the evening at the Drummers Circle in Nokomis… Even better is we made two new friends in Linda and George that we hope to see again one day as they were a really fun couple....