Son of a gun we'll have big fun on the bayou....

After leaving New Orleans, we headed to Vermillion Village www.vermillionville.org/ for a history lesson on the Cajuns and their early way of life.

The first thing we learned, when we entered the gift shop to purchase our tickets, is that they have a great sense of humor. They had all kinds of jokes like these two below.

As soon as you enter the museum, there is a tour guide who will take you through the formation of Louisiana and it's topography, weather, etc.

Below is a tornado machine, used to explain how a tornado is formed. Although I didn't picture all of the displays, they also had a fog making machine, a water meandering table and several other interesting displays.

We know if we had Emma and Rachael with us we probably would not have been able to leave this area. It had all kinds of animals and birds, and blocks with footprints on them which the kids (OR adults) could press in the clay and match them to the picture of the animal/bird.

Emma asked Grandma and Pop for a microscope for Christmas. I am glad she is not familiar with this "video microscope" as I am sure that would be the one she wanted.

Since, Salt has the captains license, we were trying to convince him to pull us across the "pond" on the rope barge. Unfortunately it was locked, so we took the long way around.

Here are a couple of the houses which were brought to the museum and reconstructed.

Cajuns are of African/Spanish/French heritage. Here is an oven that the first Africans used to cook their food. They lived in a one room hut.

An early washing machine.....not my idea of a fun day!!

Not all of the displays were open the day we were there, but the ones we did see and the people we talked to were extremely interesting.

This woman is working on a corn husk sheep for a Nativity set she is making. What talent, and everything they make is from what most of us consider trash.

Here are some of her rag and corn husk dolls......

This BEAUTIFUL basket is weaved with pine needles. The jewelry and rosary beads are made from a type of corn and some seeds.

This beautiful chair seat is weaved from corn husks. She has handed these skills down to her children and grandchildren. One of her daughters was weaving a pine needle basket in another building.

In the school house these two gentlemen were playing REAL Cajun music....they were great!!

You could go here to get either your shoes OR coffin.....

Inside this frame is a bundle of curls....I was told that this was what they did if a young child passed away.....

We ended the morning with lunch in a restaurant on the grounds. It was all homemade Cajun food. I had probably the BEST gumbo ever....Ruth, Gene and Salt had the special which was SO much food.....Gumbo, bacon wrapped hamburger steak, mashed potatoes/gravy, green beans and yams. Followed by a berry, apple or pecan cobbler. YUMMMMM.....