Windows Wednesday

This is one of the stained glass windows hanging in St. Genevieve Church in Bayou Liberty
According to an elderly parishioner, these particular windows hung in one of the original St. Genevieve Churches circa 1852. This lady remembers going to church not via horse or car, but by paddling up Bayou Liberty

Bayou Beauty

I was lucky enough to have my camera with me on this day in March 2007.

The Sun Room

The past several weeks have been more gloomy than sunny. The ground is saturated and it's difficult to play with my "throw the ball" Labrador in the yard without him becoming a muddy mess. So I improvise and we play ball in the house, which entails using nasty, slimy balls that leave snail trails on the floors. I refuse to wash the floors until this rainy spell is over because it would just be a waste of time.

To help pass the time during these gray days, I decided to spend some time in the Sun Room and spruce it up in anticipation of a sunny Spring. So I introduce you to my Sun Room through pictures.


This is the entrance to my room of windows.

This stunning seashell hanging was purchased in Biloxi before Katrina.


I have collected so many shells and driftwood, I decided that the Sun Room would have a "beach" theme.



After years of not having enough space, I have found a place for all my suncatchers!








This beauty was created by New Orleans artist of found object folk art Lance Vargas




The driftwood is safely tucked away from the dog!


This piece - found in Fountainbleau State Park - looks like a gator


An homage to our last trip to Dauphin Island


This piece was found in my husband's mothers house - a minnow trap. I'm looking for a spot to display it


I found this stool/table on Overstock dot com. Made in Vietnam, it's real slices of wood


Big Sam approves of the new cushions.

I can hardly wait for the warmer, sunnier days of Spring to let this room shine in all her beauty!

Pirogue Races Return

After a two year hiatus, the 60th Annual Bayou Liberty Pirogue Races return on June 3rd. During that time, major construction was under way on the property of St. Genevieve’s Catholic Church, which was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. The celebration will be June 3 from 1 to 7 p.m. at the St. Genevieve Landing, located just four miles west of Slidell, on Louisiana 433 at the Bayou Liberty Bridge crossing.


The old Bayou Liberty Bridge

Chaired by the late Junior Pichon for over 50 years, the races have been handed down to his daughter Beth DiMarco.

From nola dot com:
Thanks to DiMarco, chairwoman of this year’s event, her father’s dream will live on.

“We are honored to pay tribute to our dad this year,” DiMarco said. “He’ll be smiling down on us from heaven.”

The day of celebration on Bayou Liberty will feature competitive paddling, including: Men’s championship race; common boat race; two-man canoe race; kayak race; women’s championship race; women over 40 race; men over 40 race; girls 13-16 and 8-12 races; and boys 8-12 and 13-16 races.

ne of the highlights of the day of competition is the hilarious 'blindfold race.'

The prized Bayou Liberty Pirogue Championship raffle also will return. Tickets are $1 each, with ticket holders vying for a 14-foot Fiberglass pirogue, first prize; Propane seafood frying setup, second prize; and fleur-de-lis rocker, third prize.

A separate raffle will be held for a shotgun. Only 300 raffle tickets will be sold for $5 each.

Various game, food and beverage booths also will be featured. Among the traditional race-day favorites being dished out will be gumbo, red beans and rice, hamburgers and hot dogs and snoballs. Ice chests are not allowed on the premises.

Music will be provided by Band of Brothers, and Big Al and the Heavyweights.

Commemorative hats and T-shirts also will be available for purchase the day of the races.

For information on how to support “Back on the Bayou,” contact DiMarco at 985.643.2581

Love playing with light

Rebirth on Bayou Liberty

Almost seven years after it was swamped by Katrina, St. Genevieve Catholic Church on Bayou Liberty has been rebuilt. I pass the church on my daily commute, so I watched in January 2007 as they demolished the old church , built in 1958. I have followed and chronicled her rebirth for the past five years .

On January 15, 2012 St. Genevieve opened to her parishoners. It was a beautiful thing to witness.

This is what she looked like before Katrina

During the groundbreaking in October of 2010, parishioners were asked to place a small amount of dirt from their home into the groundbreaking hole in celebration of their unity.

The doors to the church were donated by Dr. John Breaux and were produced in Honduras. They depict the history of the parish from the time it was a mission until the present new church.

In 1852, a brick chapel was built by Mrs. Anatole Cousin on land she donated.

In 1914, Father Francis Balay renovated the old church and rededicated it

In 1950s another Bayou Liberty Church - St. Linus - was merged with St. Genevieve

In 1958, a new church building was built and dedicated Dec. 28 by Reverend Joseph Rummel.

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina destroyed the church. Immediately following the storm, Mass was celebrated under an oak tree for several weeks and then in the parish hall.

In 2011, the new church was completed!

 

From watching this steeple lying on the ground during deconstruction of the old church,

 

It was such a good feeling to see the old steeple rising toward the heavens again

The original stained glass windows are used in the new church (photo by Slidell Sentry News)

The altar looks out over Bayou Liberty

The old Chapel is shown here after the church was razed

And now the Chapel is once again united with the church

After Katrina, St. Genevieve's pastor is quoted as saying: "The church is not the building, but the people, we are the church."
~ Reverend Roel Lungay

I salute the strength and faith parishioners of St. Genevieve and congratulate them on this long-time coming occasion.

Butterflies and Bayous

We were pleasantly surprised when we finally decided on what to do on Saturday...



we went to Camp Salmen Nature Park to see what updates have been done since our last visit in February. Originally a Boy Scout camp from the 40's to the 70's, Camp Salmen has an interesting history in the Bayou Liberty area.

(click on pictures for larger versions)



When we visited in February we were unaware that the Park would be undergoing a metamorphosis of huge proportions. We truely enjoyed one of the first upgrades of the Park: the butterfly garden. The entire park will be changing under the direction of Edward Blake, director of The Crosby Arboretum in Picayune, Mississippi. If you like interpretive journeys trail system to observe a park’s biological diversity you'll like both Camp Salmen and Crosby Arboretum. But I digress.



The butteryfly garden at the Park contains all native wildflowers. The blanket of purples, golds and reds attract scores of butterflies. During our visit we enjoyed the sights of butterflies and bees enjoying a cool, sunny Saturday morning. Check it out:

















There were several butterflies with these markings.


Can you see the tiny butterfly in this picture?



There are boardwalks that bring you closer to the Bayou and trails that roam throughout the deep woods. It's difficult to take a bad picture there.











I must say that early autumn in Southeast Louisiana - while not as beautiful as the northern states - is one of the prettiest around.



After leaving the park we headed for the Slidell Trailhead of the Tammany Trace and hubby caught two butterflies attempting to mate.








According to him, the female butterfly must've had a headache, because she didn't want anything to do with him.
Guess humans aren't the only ones who have problems "connecting". Good to know.

Have a good week, y'all.