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Saturday, May 1, 2010

New orleans 4


(Photo from web site)
A trip to the south without a visit to a magnificent plantation would just not be right. I took several pictures but this professional one captured the unbelievable glory of the trees.

This mansion was built around 1838 and the oak trees (already established) were the inspiration. There is a dirt road at the end of this walkway and on the other side a green berm which serves as a dam for the Mississippi river. Thanks to Mrs. Stewart, the last widowed owner of the estate, the non-profit foundation was set up and allows it to be enjoyed today.

The estate had been sold several times and was abandoned for a time as well so there was little original items inside but the view from the second story was the best......can you imagine sitting and sipping a mint julep with this view.

Like all of the elegant mansions of the south the architecture is wonderful but here at Oak Alley it's all about the trees....

deemed more that 300 years old.
As you can imagine there have been several movies filmed here and of course wedding and receptions. There is also a little restaurant were we had lunch and I experienced Chicken-and-Andouille Sausage Gumbo................mmmmmmmmmmmmm. After I got home I went hunting for a recipe and hope to enjoy it again.
I have to remind myself these beautiful places had no running water, no electricity and no indoor toilets and was dependent on slave labor. Many didn't survive the Civil War.
There were 8 more plantations that could be toured in this area and I would have loved to have seen them all but for hubby.....one was just right.

5 comments:

Nancy said...

What an awesome place!

Looking at the trees, I wonder how many lives will be enriched by the trees that we plant today.

Chatty Crone said...

I love the arch those trees made - awesome. sandie

Granny Annie said...

Believe it or not, I lived in a house like that when I was 12. My dad was a minister and some church members donated their mansion to the church. For some reason the church decided to make it into a parsonage. (But they didn't hire servants, so my siblings and I were the servants!) My poor mother spent her time there cleaning house and manicuring the yard. Yikes. But for this 12 year old, it was a princess dream come true. Standing on any one of the balconies or peeking out the cupola created some of the greatest dreams of my life. This historic home was finally demolished as the cost of keeping it was too great for the church to manage.

Changes in the wind said...

Wow Granny....thanks for sharing.

JeanMac said...

Unbelievable beauty.The trees are just amazing.
I've never heard of that sausage but will try the recipe - sounds great.