I’ve been lazy. I haven’t been keeping up with blog posts like I intend to. So this is about three months after I visited Oak Alley, but better late than never. Also it’s super old. Things don’t change that quickly. The grass has probably been cut, and that’s about it.
Walking in the grass at Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana. | DressRoots of a live oak and the big house at Oak Alley Plantation.
Oak Alley is just one of those places. It is absolutely stunning; so much so, it has become iconic. The grounds are an hour outside of New Orleans in Vacherie. Driving between NOLA and Vacherie gives you a good idea of what rural Louisiana looks like. What used to be a running plantation is now a museum with a restaurant and inn serving as a reminder of the American South’s unfortunate history.
Standing in between the rows of live oaks at Oak Alley Plantation. | Dress | Jean Jacket | Sandals
I remember driving passed Oak Alley at fourteen. My family was visiting relatives after Katrina, and we spent a day driving around the countryside outside of New Orleans. It was dusk when we drove by stopping just outside the front gate. The house was lit up from the outside at the end of a path lined by ancient live oak trees. It was magnificent, and a vision I will never forget. It wasn’t until I was in New Orleans for a bachelorette party a few years ago that I actually toured the plantation. The house is beautiful, but the grounds are the truly wonderful aspect. The plantation earned its name from the twenty-eight live oaks lining a walkway up to the front door of the house. It features a guided tour of the “Big House,” a slavery exhibit, a sugar cane exhibit, and more. There is a restaurant and inn on the grounds. The restaurant has some seriously amazing bread pudding. The gift shop also has some amazing pralines. If you’re lucky, you can have some warm and fresh.
View of the big house and the live oaks at Oak Alley Plantation.
Some of the oak trees are almost three hundred years old. The larger branches extend and drop to the ground. The roots are knotty and huge. Spanish moss grows on the trees. When the light hits them just right, it’s what bayou dreams are made of. Movies and pictures will never do it justice.
Roots and live oaks at Oak Alley Plantation.
Oak Alley was a sugar cane plantation built on the suffering of slaves. Sugar cane was known as white gold because of how much it was worth. Growing, harvesting, and refining was back breaking and dangerous. Slaves were bought and sold, so people could have their sugar. In those days, there was rich, then there was sugar cane rich. Oak Alley was the latter. The history goes back almost 200 years, but the live oak trees are even older than that. Walking the grounds is simultaneously enchanting and haunting. It’s difficult to think about how one place can be home to so much beauty and misery. All history is fraught with abuse, but it should never be overlooked. Remembering what really happened is an important part of embracing history.
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My dad has an obsession with stereo equipment to the point he builds his own to my mother’s dismay. (Watching Deadpool with those speakers is definitely cool.) Last year, he went to Axpona in Chicago. He called me the night after and gushed for an hour about all the amazing stuff he saw. It was obvious to the deaf and blind he couldn’t wait to go next[this] year. I’m a little bit obsessed with my dad (if you knew him, you would be too), and I told him I would go with him. I have always liked spending time with him at activities he’s passionate about because he shares his wealth of knowledge with me. I know a bit about cars, and now I’m learning about sound systems. I made plans for this weekend a year ago.
Axpona, Audio Expo North America, is a three day convention for audiophiles. Read that as middle-aged men with money to spend on stereo equipment. The price tags range from ouch to holy shit. There are $50,000 headphones; no they are not gold plated or diamond encrusted. The stereos, amps, DACCs, etc. can be exponentially more expensive. I love music. I love making music. I love listening to music. But… How could these men* part with tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of dollars on stereo equipment? I would have to have a gazillion dollars to even contemplate buying the high end stuff. (I’m also very cheap and contemplate if the coffee I want will actually bring me $4 of joy.) There is huge variation in style, engineering, function, aesthetic, and so much more. It is incredibly science driven and very interesting. The more you listen, the more nuanced and differentiated it all becomes. At the same time, they’re all pretty high quality. Most people would be happy with anything there. Still…. why?
We’re here for all three days. Half way through the second day, I started deep diving into what could make people spend that much money on a stereo. I have come up with two reasons. They have more money than they know what to do with. So instead of wiping their asses with $100 bills, they spend it on stereo systems. Fair. If I had a never ending supply of money, I would be going home with a specific system. A girl can dream. I don’t think many people fall into that category, though. Looking around Axpona, the population is predominantly middle-aged. I don’t say this disparagingly. They have more money than the young, and more time to enjoy the expensive stuff than the old.
I love this weird picture. It’s very us.
My life has a soundtrack. At almost 28 years old, there are songs that immediately transport me. Fergie’s Big Girls Don’t Cry takes me to the summer I turned 16. Chopin’s 24 Preludes is a rollercoaster of 12 year old feelings at being frustrated and angry at my hands and mother for making me fail at piano and eventually the love I have for piano because I practiced so much I’m still not terrible to this day. Elton John’s Your Song will forever be the image of my parents dancing on their anniversary in the living room of our bungalow in the last millennium. Vivaldi’s Four Seasons is the pride I had at having my first duet en pointe. S&M by Rihanna is a sarcastic college song I share with one of my close friends. I fell in love to Lonely Island’s I Just Had Sex. I always smile thinking about the time my dad taught me an inappropriate song at five with one line “it’s wrinkly and it’s crinkly.” I made my abrasive grandpa proud at eight playing Bluebell Waltz during my first piano recital. My life has a soundtrack. The songs are not all winners, but they immediately take me to memories, people, emotions of years gone by.
Wandering around Axpona, the music was primarily of yesteryear. I heard very little current music, which was fine by me. Genres and songs of all kinds. There was a lot of music rooted in the youth and young adulthood of the attendees, who were in their 40s, 50s, and 60s predominantly. When certain songs came on, they would all start bopping along a little more enthusiastically than before. Not just because it’s a good song, but you could see in their eyes a recognition of something personal not just great chords.
People aren’t buying stereos. They’re buying time. Years go by so quickly, and life is always shorter than we think. Music is a time machine taking us back to the time we first heard that song, what we were going through, the people we were with, or any number of things. Music, like smell and taste, is intrinsically linked with memory. We, as a world, do everything we can to stave off aging and death trying to grasp at what we had before. It was always better than it is now, it seems. Music doesn’t change our age or health or the fact we will die someday. It does have a profound impact on our souls. People aren’t just buying stereos. They’re buying a high quality time machine conveniently sized to fit in their living room. Not only does it look nice, it is the gift giver of history. Music is intimate and personal. Can you really put a price on hearing the song on the radio the first time you got behind the wheel without your parents or your first kiss or watched you child walk or won a trophy? Youth has a lot of downfalls, but those emotions were so powerful. Being able to throw back in surround sound from your very own couch can be absolutely intoxicating.
Axpona is an incredible experience. I didn’t think of myself as an audiophile when I began the weekend. I still don’t know a percent of the science or information that goes into the equipment. I learned a bunch, and I can impressive my friends with my rudimentary knowledge that is now a gazillion times more in depth than theirs. I realized my deep love of music makes me a novice audiophile. I found speakers I can afford, and I will probably be the proud owner of. I have a new obsession with a particular sound system I can’t fathom to afford. More importantly, I spent time watching my dad geek out over his passion.
I added a few more songs to my personal soundtrack.
*I say men because it is truly almost completely men. I honestly don’t think I saw a single woman there that was not there because of her husband. Truly 98.5% of the people attending are men.
Starting our day in Jackson Square!Exploring the aquarium.The most adorable little birds!My dad is the cutest.I like paddle wheels.Dinner at Tujague’s.
Growing up, my dad was always good at carving out time just to spend with me. We would go out to dinner, see dance productions, car shows, and more. As an adult, carving out daddy-dotter time is a little harder. (My dad has always called me “dotter. D-O-T-T-E-R.” He can spell, but he sacrifices grammar for humor.)
Before heading on my grandma’s 80th birthday cruise, my parents and I spent five days in New Orleans with family. The first full day we were there, Mom spent time with friends of hers, so Dad and I were left to fend for ourselves. Our only instructions from Mom: Don’t do anything I want to do. Which left us contemplating all the things she wanted to do that we could jam into one day. We’re asses like that. We decided to continue living on to another day and filled our time with things we’d already done together but not in well over 15 years.
What is the first thing any sane person does in New Orleans? Cafe du Monde is the correct answer, which is what we did. We grabbed two orders of beignets and two cafe au laits to go. We people watched while munching on the food of New Orleans in Jackson Square listening to jazz musicians. I mean, it can’t get more New Orleans than that. Unless of rain, there is always art displayed by their creators lining the square. Dad and I zeroed in on a rather huge image of a bull. He has a thing for cow art, which I have adopted out of love for him. We didn’t take it home. (See “living on to another day.”)
The night before, I had mentioned the aquarium and a boat tour. We bought tickets for the Natchez and headed to the aquarium. I grew up going to the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas. It was one of my favorite places in New Orleans. Not much has changed in the 15 plus years since I’ve been. It’s smaller than I remember, but almost everything is. My dad did, what he probably did when I was little, tagged along as I darted from fishy to fishy. The only real difference time has made is the fact I now refer to clown fish as “Nemos” because when I was little, Finding Nemo didn’t exist yet. Oh, there is now a parakeet exhibit, which was a little bit on the unexpectedly phenomenal side of fun. There were a few hundred bright parakeets bopping around. They were incredibly attracted to Dad, but most people are too.
I LOVE this picture of my dad and a parakeet.I couldn’t stop giggling.
Walking out of the aquarium, the steam calliope from the Natchez bounced off the buildings from half a mile away. I had taken the boat tour about twenty years earlier. My paralyzing fear of falling in and dying in the under currant of the Mississippi kept me from venturing much outside the interior cabin of the boat. This time, I embraced the fear enough to walk around and explore the boat. We wandered to the lowest deck where the steam engine and all the good parts that make it go are held. Dad is a wealth of knowledge and loves engines – in a previous life, he was a mechanic. More than anything, we had a good time laughing watching the river go by.
Getting off the boat, we realized we were in need of sustenance. I decided on Tujague’s because it’s delicious. (Hindsight, I decided on almost everything. Such is the life of a good dad.) We were there before the dinner doors even opened. We sat down to a lovely meal with quite a view. Dad and I are experienced people watchers. New Orleans is an hott spot for just that with Tujague’s being positioned on the corner of weirdo central.
Daylight was gone, but we weren’t ready to go home yet. We walked through Bourbon Street, which is a real treat even at 6:30 pm on a Sunday evening. Gotta love New Orleans. We continued meandering through the Quarter bopping into art galleries along the way. Accidentally walking passed the Carousel Bar, we decided to go in because I had heard of it but never seen it. Now, I have! With tired feet we decided to head towards home.
Except….
The Westin’s lobby is on the eleventh floor of the building. A bar in the lobby overlooks the river and the quarter. Dad was convinced I had been there when I was itty bitty. (We found out later, I hadn’t.) He knew the view was brilliant, so we didn’t go home just yet. We enjoyed drinks (one virgin and one fully alcoholed) in the lobby bar looking out the huge windows before actually heading home.
We didn’t get home until 9:00 pm, but we still beat my mom home. I loved all the activities. Nothing we did was particularly new. The most memorable part of the day was spending it with my dad. There are so few daddy-dotter days in adulthood, so each one means a great deal. I have known him my entire life, but I feel like I’m just getting to know him.
I grew up going to the Iowa State Fair. It’s a tradition. When I moved out of state, it was difficult to make it back in August. I actually missed four fairs. Fortunately for me, my mom broke her ankle skydiving, and I had an excuse to hang out in Iowa for a month. She managed to wheel herself around the fairgrounds, and I got to be a kid again.
If you’ve never heard of the Iowa State Fair, I feel bad for you. It is actually really well known. It’s listed in a lot of “must see in America” lists or what have you. I can’t describe to you how much fun it is.
The state fair always happens in the middle of August at the Iowa State Fair grounds in Des Moines, Iowa. This year it is from August 9 – August 20.
This year was the first time I went on opening day. It was a Thursday and very hot. It may not be the most pleasant conditions, but it means the fair isn’t jam packed, which I greatly appreciate. There are several air conditioned buildings, so when you need some relief you can have it.
Ever since I was a little girl, my favorite thing to visit at the fair has always been the barns. I love seeing all the animals. Horses, cows, goats, sheep, pigs, all the animals. They’re usually there for shows and competitions. There are usually baby animals there with their mamas. There used to be an area where you could pet the calves, and they would suck on my fingers. Fun fact: cows don’t have upper teeth. Now there is a whole building for baby animals. Chicks hatch. Baby ducks swim in a tiny pond. Pregnant cows, does (goats) and sows (pigs) give birth to calves, kids, and piglets on site throughout the duration of the fair. They’re so cute!!! I would love to have goats someday.
The 4H building is very cool. Kids from all over the state enter their projects in competitions ranging from sewing to photography to cooking to woodwork and more. It’s really impressive, and the kids come up with some really ingenious ideas. Pioneer Hall, The Varied Industries Building, Agriculture Building, and Exhibition Center are other can’t misses.
Butter was a movie made in 2011 starring Jennifer Garner, Olivia Wilde, and others. It is about carving butter in Iowa. Surprise, this is a real thing. The Butter Cow is a must see for most fair goers. What is it? It’s a cow carved out of butter. No joke. There are several other butter sculptures featured at the state fair in the Agriculture Building, but if butter art isn’t your speed, there are tons of flowers to look at.
The fair has a giant slide, which I have done every year, and it never gets old. There are tons of fair rides. Lots of stages for entertainment. The grandstand was redone this past year. Every night of the fair, a band or singer is featured.
Food. Fair food is its own kind of strange. At the Iowa State Fair, you can find literally anything on a stick. No longer is the corn dog king of stick foods. No. You can find cheesecake on a stick, salad on a stick, mac-and-cheese on a stick, butter on a stick, and so much more. I always get a pork tenderloin because it’s Iowa and I love them. I also have to get a funnel cake. Funnel cakes are disgusting, and it is important to just embrace the diabetes when eating it. I also always need to have fresh squeezed lemonade in hand. It’s the best at the fair.
Anyways, this is a basic rundown of the state fair. If you’re in Iowa, you need to go. If you’re not in Iowa, you should plan a trip to enjoy it.
Iowa State Fair
E. 30th Street & E. University Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50317
Instagram: @iowastatefair
I was very sad because I thought I had missed the Hot Air Balloon Rodeo. With the help of Google, I did a little researching to find out I had, in fact, not missed it because it was being held on both Saturday and Sunday. I guarantee you this is one of two reasons I will get excited about getting up at 4:30 in the morning. Hot air balloons or travel. In this case, I was getting up for both, technically.
I set my alarm for 4:30 on a Sunday morning. Somehow, I managed to get out of bed, put my hair in a messy bun, throw clothes on my body, wake up my Partner-in-Crime, and convince him to get out of bed. I did it. We, in various degrees of sleepy-grumpiness, found our way down the mountain to the shuttle. Everyone was shuttled to the launch site on Steamboat Springs’ buses. They were all very lovely and almost too chipper for a Sunday morning at the butt-crack of dawn. It was a five-ish minute bus ride to the lake, where the hot air balloons would be launched.
I can’t really describe how amazing the view was. At the bottom of a mountain is the lake. On one side of the lake, all the balloons and vendor tents were set up. It was cold. Well, not cold. It was chilly for a mid-July morning. I was in jeans and flannel. I found coffee and donuts because I needed sustenance and something to keep my hands warm. The grass was wet. My feet were a bit numb after a whole thirty seconds.
We trudged around to the far side of the lake. It was less crowded, and I could watch the balloons from a distance. The lake was so perfectly still. The sky, clouds, mountains, and balloons reflected off the lake’s surface. It was absolutely amazing. I took so many pictures. Well over a thousand. I can’t really describe how amazing it truly is.
The Hot Air Balloon Rodeo is an annual tradition in Steamboat. People come from all over to participate and watch the spectacle. The hot air balloons launch between 6:00 and 9:00 in the morning. If you get there early, you can chat with the captains, pilots, I don’t know what they’re called. One of the local organizations sets up a stand with donuts, coffee, and breakfast burritos. When the balloons launch, they try to dip their baskets into the water. It’s fun and, I’m sure, harder than it looks. Unfortunately, it creates ripples in the water causing the reflections to be less crisp. Oh well. There are tons and tons of balloons of all colors and sizes. There’s a “tiny” balloon, and the pilot(?) doesn’t even have a basket; he just straps himself into a chair dangling from the balloon. I love the colorful ones. Remax had a balloon present. There were even some balloons with murals including clowns, creepy, and a western motif.
I love balloons. As a little girl visiting my grandparents’ condo in Colorado, the balloons would come over the mountains sometimes. They were incredible. I have always, always loved them. I get giddy about balloons. This was an absolute wonderful experience. I would love to keep going back for it.
Fish Creek Falls has become an iconic destination in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
This is as close to free as you can get without it actually being free. Parking is $5 per car, so load up and head out. It’s the perfect destination for people of all hiking abilities and ages. There are several trail options. You can’t miss the first falls, which is by far the most photographed and popular option. From the parking lot it’s less than a quarter of a mile downhill – you do have to hike uphill to get back to your car, though. You can hike up the mountain to another bridge, farther up is a second falls, and passed that is Long Lake. If you plan on going to the lake, you’re in for a long day. Even going to the second falls is an afternoon excursion.
The first falls are amazing. On the way up, we pretty much bypassed them completely because there were so many people around. Most people will stop and enjoy the first falls deciding to not hike more after that. We headed straight for the bridge.
We had quite a bit of company on the way to the bridge, but most people turned around there. Taking a small break, there were lots of friendly chipmunks and butterflies to watch. They’re very comfortable with people, so they came right up to us. It took less cajoling to get my Partner-in-Crime to head to the second falls. I didn’t lie this time about the distance because he knew it would be a jaunt.
The hike from the bridge to the second falls is definitely a bit harder. On the way to the bridge, there is usually some buffer between the trail and the cliff. To the second falls, a good bit of the trail is the cliff. It makes for great Instagram pictures, though!
By the time we arrived at the second falls, we were hot. Luckily, there was no one there, and I had the forethought to wear bikini bottoms under my shorts and a sports bra. So I stripped and hopped into the pool at the bottom of the falls. Holy bejeezus! The water was cold. After awhile, your skin goes numb, so it’s fine. Lots and lots and lots of pictures were take. I ended up rock climbing up to another waterfall pool in nothing but my bikini and sports bra. I’m adventurous like that.
It truly is a spectacular view.
To hike all the way up and back, it took us five hours. We kept a pretty good pace, but we stopped and enjoyed the view a lot. We spent over an hour at the second falls. It is definitely worth the hike! I think my butt looked better for a day afterwards.
