Day 4 "Houston, we have a problem. It's 108 degrees!"

Our second morning in New Orleans dawned as bright and pretty as the first. We ate another pleasant breakfast in the hotel courtyard, and then quickly packed and got on our way. Driving up I-10 from New Orleans to Baton Rouge (Why name a city "Red Stick?), we passed over swamps, bayous, canals and streams. The highway is entirely on pillars and the water below is mostly dark and green with dead trees

and cypress groves. In places it looks otherworldly, and there is little sign of humans. The kids passed the time making goofy faces.

We eventually got to the west Louisiana region near Lafayette and came across a local delicacy called Boudin balls.

We found out that these are balls of pork, rice, vegetables and seasonings that are wrapped in a dough covering and deep fried.

There is much competition among different sellers, in the same way that the southeast has competitive barbeque cooks. There are different flavors and ingredients available, and they are served with "cracklins", which are pieces of pig skin cubed and deep fried.

The balls were a little spicy for the kids, so we drove on to Frog City,

and found a place to eat fried catfish, fried shrimp, fried okra, fried potatoes and a green salad (Amy). It was actually quite good. Did I mention everything was fried? We drove on and finally reached the Texas border.

The welcome Center has a boardwalk over the marsh and information on native wildlife as well as a giant star.

From there it was a short drive through East Texas, so we stopped for tea and sundaes.

. The kids have gotten very interested in using their own money to buy their treats and souvenirs. They each started the trip with a MacDonalds gift card (Thanks PawPaw!) and some cash, including a nice stake from PeePaw. Samuel loves to whip out his wallet and pay for things, as well as give tips to musicians on the street, but he was somewhat chagrined today to find that he has already spent about half his money. He bought a nice pocketknife in New Orleans, and loves to buy his own drinks and snacks when we stop. Sarah got a magnetic plate with her name in the Freench Market, but has been a little more conservative with her spending. They are both learning a lot about saving and spending. Finally we got to downtown Houston and Minute Maid park (home of the Astros)and the car thermometer showed a balmy 108 degrees.

We got to our posh hotel and swam in the tepid pool. We ate TexMex food at a very noisy and very busy Cantina. Now its time for a batch of laundry, quick showers and goodnight. Tomorrow it's onward to San Antonio!! Please leave a comment or email me. Tahnks!