B is for Bayou

Like elsewhere, work and family responsibilities can be stressful, whether or not in one of Louisiana's major cities, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Lake Charles, Monroe, or Alexandria.People don't step over alligators to reach a vehicle in the driveway each workday. People do cope with traffic going to work, rush to school activities for kids, and so on. And, like elsewhere, weekends offer time (hopefully) to relax.


Now, most Louisianians don't wake up on Saturday morning and head for a bayou, a body of water typically found in flat, low-lying areas, that can refer either to an extremely slow-moving stream or river (often with a poorly defined shoreline) or to a marshy lake or wetland.  (Wikipedia)


But most all have at one time and many do on a regular basis.  Some people have weekend retreats, even second homes along bayous.  Others enjoy going crawfishing, fishing or whatever floats a "boat," from motor-driven to a canoe.  (When we left our family farm for small town life on a lake, my sister got really good at hugging the shoreline in a canoe.)  And those who earn a living from working in the bayou, like people elsewhere, usually want a weekend change of scenery.

Bayous especially lace South Louisiana.  Each is beautiful in its own way, but my favorite is Bayou Teche.  I think this is because a friend and I used to visit a lady there who sold homemade crab cakes. 




Bayou Teche wanders for about 125 miles (near New Orleans and through South Central areas) and is said by many (not just yours truly) to be the most opulent bayou in Louisiana.  


Some of the moss-draped oaks along the bayou have a 150 foot reach, a breathtaking sight that calms the soul.  Mansions from a by-gone era dot the landscape.  More typical are wood-sided homes (and camps) that jut out over the bayou a bit.  It's sheer bliss to sit on one of these decks and nibble on crab cakes at sunset.  Whatever life's stresses, for a long moment, the bayou soothes the soul.

Bayou Teche at sunset. (Photo source unknown.)

Photo of Bayou Teche taken from a canoe.  (Wikipedia)

Bayou Teche at its intersection with the Wax Lake Outlet of the Atchafalaya River in St. Mary Parish.  Bayou Teche runs bottom-top.  It is critically important to protect these bayous, wetlands and marshes because they are considered a drainage gateway to the Gulf of Mexico.  These areas are also storm buffers and wildlife habitats.  Erosion is a major problem in the lower parishes, especially in the east.  We've already lost many outlying islands off the coast.  Various migrating birds from Venezuela must stop on islands to rest.  Already, several species are in trouble because several of the outer islands have disappeared.