Johnny Horton......Battle Of New Orleans (live unreleased version)

As far as I know, this is an unreleased live version of the song from a Louisiana Hayride show from Harlingen, TX in the late 50's. The audio quality isn't the best, but still a cool and historic recording.

de la Houssaye's Louisiana Swamp Tour August 2011

Jefferson Parish S.W.A.T. hunting nutria in canal

Nutria, an invasive species that cause damage by burrowing into the canals. The team usually goes from midnight until 5 a.m. to avoid traffic. The members have to be a member of the SWAT team for at least a year and take a special training course before the can go out on the shoots.

Nutria hunting in Louisiana

Life In A Day

Swamp trip In alligator's homeland.mp4

The Bayou Swamp Tour

Alaska/Louisiana After Black Pot Festival Jam 2010

Just over a year ago, I accidentally stumbled upon an impromptu gathering at the Blue Moon Saloon and Guest House in Lafayette.




About 30 Bluegrass musicians from Alaska were throwing down on a Monday night,

which is not a typical weeknight for a party at the Blue Moon.





There was an open bar and lots of tubs of ice and beer, not to mention smoked salmon, BBQ moose, and lots of pot luck!



It appears the party started at the Black Pot Festival during the weekend,



and these guys and gals just couldn't quit like that!



Unfortunately, it didn't happen in 2011, and the word I got this year is, not enough people came down from Alaska to do it again...maybe next year?

Opening Day Of Duck Season

Black Bellied Whistling Duck




Is everyone ready?

Wood Duck







Coot










A three story Cajun duck blind! My guess it has a kitchen and a toilet?

All images are copyrighted and courtesy of Claude Nall

George Carlin - Arrogance of mankind

Blue Moon Saloon This Weekend!

There will be two great shows this weekend, Friday and Saturday nights.

Friday:


The Mercy Brothers are a hillbilly gospel outfit dreamed up by Kevin Sekhani and Mark Meaux of the Bluerunners. The Mercy Brothers were born to bring audiences the good news by way of songs of faith and devotion, love and despair, singing songs of the spirit from both sides. A Holy Ghost explosion! Kevin and Mark are currently readying songs for their debut release and getting some shows to the people. Rounding out the Mercy Brothers lineup are the likes of Greg Walls, Garland Theriot. Cal Stevenson and Andrew Duplantis.

6PM Saturday is: Rock The Moon( a variety show) with 4 bands,

Horace Trahan Zydeco,

Jolie Blonde and Les Bassettes

Michael juan Nunez and American Electric

Leroy Thomas and the Zydeco Roadrunners


http://www.bluemoonpresents.com/calendar

Louisiana Satsumas, Everyday At Lake Martin Landing!

If you are planning to join me for a Louisiana Swamp Tour, you can purchase oranges at the lake.




We have organic Louisiana grown satsumas everyday at Lake Martin Landing. You can call Russell at 337 277 1859 to place your order in advance. Sweet and flavorful! Best if you call in advance to insure he is there, because he is sometimes on the road making deliveries.



Satsumas are the easy to peel oranges.




Russell has assured me that he does not spray anything in any season. The only thing that goes into these oranges is sunshine, rain and pure Louisiana Teche Ridge soil.





These trees are loaded down, and need to be picked. Help us out here, because we don't pick until we have orders going out and they are moving everyday. See you at the lake!

DRY Wood (1973)

‎"Our" culture in south Louisiana is not exclusively Cajun or Creole, and so is often misrepresented, and misunderstood. Here is a little taste...

Justin Townes Earle - Louisiana 1927

Darlene And The Bear

My cousin Darlene, made the news with a bear in her yard. While her yard is about 25 miles south of the Cypress Island Swamp where I do my Louisiana swamp tours at Lake Martin, the bear most likely came through the area on it's annual migration from north Louisiana to the Gulf coast last month.





The Louisiana Black Bear is a protected species that has now expanded in population to the point where discussion of an open hunting season is on the table.

The annual fall migration follows the Mississippi River south to the Three Rivers area, and then heads into the Atchafalaya swamp, and finally the last leg is an ancient stream bed of the Mississippi which is now a chain of lakes such as Spanish Lake near New Iberia, and Lake Martin where I do my world famous swamp tours.

GUESTS ON THIS EARTH

We are just passing through, and all we take from this world is what is in our heart.




"Before our white brothers arrived to make us civilized men, we didn't have any kind of prison. Because of this, we had no delinquents. Without a prison, there can be no delinquents. We had no locks nor keys and therefore among us there were no thieves.

When someone was so poor that he couldn't afford a horse, a tent or a blanket, he would, in that case, receive it all as a gift. We were too uncivilized to give great importance to private property. We didn't know any kind of money and consequently, the value of a human being was not determined by his wealth.

We had no written laws laid down, no lawyers, no politicians, therefore we were not able to cheat and swindle one another.

We were really in bad shape before the white men arrived and I don't know how to explain how we were able to manage without these fundamental things that (so they tell us) are so necessary for a civilized society."

— Lame Deer (1903-1976) Sioux Lakota

Jambalaya on the Bayou - Hank Williams

Swamp People In The Rain

As much needed rains fell and soaked the earth for the last couple of weeks, the most amazing part was not one reservation was cancelled because of rain.



Everyone was grateful for the relief in temperatures, and commented on the rain forest conditions.



I went to Grande Avoille Cove this past week with an old friend I met there 20 years ago. Wolfgang Hasenstein



Before getting to Grand Avoille Cove,




we stopped at Lake Martin for a sunrise photo shoot and to greet the momma gator.














Immediately upon entering the cove, I was struck by the "newness" of everything.




The pulse of the tide could be felt beneath the hull, and the imminsity of nature overwhelmed us.





Also accompanying us was my daughter who was concieved on the houseboat in Grand Avoille Cove almost 19 years ago.




Of course, if she has learned anything in her 18 years of life: "You have not lived until you have been embarrassed by your parents".

We the People of the United States

545 vs. 300,000,000 People
-By Charlie Reese

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal budget. The President does.

You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the
President for creating deficits. The President can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? John Boehner. He is the leader of the majority party. He and fellow House members, not the President, can approve any budget they want. If the President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red.

If the Army & Marines are in Iraq and Afghanistan it's because they want them in Iraq and Afghanistan .....

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.

They, and they alone, have the power.

They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.

Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees...

We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!

Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.
What you do with this article now that you have read it... is up to you.



This might be funny if it weren't so true.
Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table,
At which he's fed.
Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes
Are the rule.
Tax his work,
Tax his pay,
He works for
peanuts anyway!
Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.
Tax his ties,
Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.
Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he
Tries to think.
Tax his cigars,
Tax his beers,
If he cries
Tax his tears.
Tax his car,
Tax his gas,
Find other ways
To tax his ass.
Tax all he has
Then let him know
That you won't be done
Till he has no dough.
When he screams and hollers;
Then tax him some more,
Tax him till
He's good and sore.
Then tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in
Which he's laid...
Put these words
Upon his tomb,
'Taxes drove me
to my doom...'
When he's gone,
Do not relax,
Its time to apply
The inheritance tax.



Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service Charge Tax
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Sales Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax


STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?

Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, & our nation was the most prosperous in the world.
We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

What in the heck happened? Can you spell 'politicians?'

I hope this goes around THE USA at least 545 times!!! YOU can help it get there!!!

GO AHEAD. . . BE AN AMERICAN!!!

The painting below is by my friend Francis Pavy in Lafayette, LA.

It symbolizes Louisiana rising up from the oil spill as a Phoenix.

de la Houssaye's Swamp Tours April 17, 2011

The Napoleonic Code: Louisiana's Wild Legal System

Part of rebuilding New Orleans caused residents often to be challenged with the task of tracing home titles back potentially hundreds of years.

With a community rich with history stretching back over two centuries, houses have been passed along through generations of family, sometimes making it quite difficult to establish ownership.

You have to love this lawyer.......

A New Orleans lawyer sought an FHA loan for a client. He was told the loan would be granted if he could prove satisfactory title to a parcel of property being offered as collateral. The title to the property dated back to 1803, which took the lawyer three months to track down.

After sending the information to the FHA, he received the following reply:
(Actual reply from FHA)

"Upon review of your letter adjoining your client's loan application, we note that the request is supported by an Abstract of Title. While we compliment the able manner in which you have prepared and presented the application, we must point out that you have only cleared title to the proposed collateral property back to 1803. Before final approval can be accorded, it will be necessary to clear the title back to its origin."



Annoyed, the lawyer responded as follows:
(Actual response)

"Your letter regarding title in Case No.189156 has been received. I note that you wish to have title extended further than the 206 years covered by the present application.

I was unaware that any educated person in this country, particularly those working in the property area, would not know that Louisiana was purchased by the United States from France, in 1803 the year of origin identified in our application.

For the edification of uninformed FHA bureaucrats, the title to the land prior to U.S. ownership was obtained from France, which had acquired it by Right of Conquest from Spain. The land came into the possession of Spain by Right of Discovery made in the year 1492 by a sea captain named Christopher Columbus, who had been granted the privilege of seeking a new route to India by the Spanish monarch, Queen Isabella.

The good Queen Isabella, being a pious woman and almost as careful about titles as the FHA, took the precaution of securing the blessing of the Pope before she sold her jewels to finance Columbus's expedition...Now the Pope, as I'm sure you may know, is the emissary of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and God, it is commonly accepted, created this world.

Therefore, I believe it is safe to presume that God also made that part of the world called Louisiana. God, therefore, would be the owner of origin and His origins date back to before the beginning of time, the world as we know it, and the FHA.

I hope you find God's original claim to be satisfactory.

Now, may we have our loan?"

The loan was immediately approved.

And so, do you want the Federal Government running education, and health care, protecting the environment, and our borders, etc.?

Zachary Richard, a true wild man.

I hope I don't scare anyone with this photo, because in person, my friend in the photo below is the most respectful, intelligent, sensitive, quiet, and introverted individual. But you would never know it from the picture below taken at Grant Street Dance Hall for Mardi Gras in 1991.


Blast from the past. Grant Street Dance Hall Mardi Gras 1991. Le bon vieux temps

Below are a couple of more photos which are a little more like Ralph "Zachary" Richard as we know him, when he is not on stage.


Photo courtesy Gregory Holt. From Chartres Street. deep in the heart of the French Quarter


Zachary is one of the people who campaign to represent our Acadian/Cajun/Creole culture in it's true form, and present that to the world. Often we suffer from outsiders attempting to define "What is a Cajun", and grossly misleading the rest of the world. The Renaissance we are presently experiencing culturally here in south Louisiana would not be possible if it were not for people like Zachary who have brought the music abroad.

The Neville Brothers - Fire on the Bayou

How about some New Orleans Funk from the wild men in "The Big Easy"? Enjoy!

A Little Raw And Unedited Footage...

Hi, I am Marcus de la Houssaye, owner and operator of de la Houssaye's Swamp Tours, at Lake Martin. I am also the host of an upcoming reality TV program, called My Wild Louisiana now in production, and soon to be broadcast on the internet and cable.

I decided to release a little of the unedited raw footage of an interesting encounter I had with an American Alligator, on tour with a group of college students from Tulane University, a couple of months ago.



The dog baying the gator is Jesse, who is a Louisiana Catahoula, and he bays a gator as quickly as he would a wild hog! Jesse will be with me on the TV program and also works as a professional blood tracking dog with me during deer season. In the spring and the fall when we aren't doing Lake Martin Swamp Tours, Jesse is a hog dog.

If you would like to contact me for a tour, or if you are interested in my dogs, I can be reached by cell phone at 337 298 2630.

Yvette Landry - It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels

Here is one of the musical wild women of my wild Louisiana.

Louisiana Swamp Tours, and Taco Sisters

It is getting warm, so my Louisiana swamp tours at sunrise and sunset are becoming the norm. And signs of summer are everywhere, such as the American Lotus, now in full bloom.





After the tour yesterday, Christina and I had lunch in Lafayette at Taco Sisters,



home of the smoked fish taco, on the corner of Vermillion and Johnston in Lafayette.

To quote Christina; "These burritos are out of the box. This is the best Mexican food, I've ever eaten."

She had a BBQ brisket burrito



and I had the grilled yellowfin tuna taco





with the homemade salza.

OMG, was it good, and I also ordered a large veggie salad,



thinking we'd have some take home, but we ate it all!





There was no leftovers. The cheese, black olives, tomatoes, greens, and little wedges of apple, topped with house vinnegrete dressing made every mouthful an explosion of flavor, AND, I only used half of the dressing!

And now that I think about it, the salad dressing was the only thing we had to take home, and I did just that.

Open for Lunch
Monday-Friday 11am-6pm
Saturday 11am-2pm

234-TACO (234-8226)
to order ahead and pick up at the drive through

If you are looking for a place to satisfy a healthy vegetarian diet and have fresh smoked fish, shrimp, meat and poultry, Taco Sisters can do.



There are more restaurants per capita in the city of Lafayette, than any othr city in the US, and that means competition is stiff, and the food is very original and almost always has a Cajun twist.

Mexican, Cajun, Mediterreanian, Japanese sushi, or Creole, no matter what you chose for lunch or dinner, the homegrown ingredients and wild caught Louisiana seafood




Lafayette is famous for, will not only satisfy you, it will surprize you with explosions of natural flavor.

Too many travel writers have described our Cajun food as spicy, which is misleading and inacurrate. Described in one word: it should be flavorful. Although for some dishes, and certainly with some chefs, spicy could be an understatement. And in my opinion, a chef who uses too much pepper spice, is not authentic culturally, and not that good.

You will have no problem with the flavor or freshness of the Taco Sisters.

What amazing food Lafayette has.

Prepare to taste the most delicious tacos you've ever had, made with fresh smoked Gulf tuna, smoked Gulf shrimp or savory meats and poultry. Delicious brisket burritos, veggie tacos and salads made with fresh ingredients and lots of love. No frozen food, just homemade specialties with premium ingredients.

I am providing a link to the Taco sisters website here,

and as you can see in the pictures, they have a wonderful outdoor dining



area with a colorful flower garden and some interesting artistic fences.

Typical of Lafayette natives, these women are some of the friendliest

and happiest in the world: open for lunch till 6PM, so if you get there late enough in the day, it could suffice as an early evening meal. You can then go a few blocks up the street to the Blue Moon Saloon for happy hour from 5-7 PM.

Go there, get this amazing food, and you may feel like if you do this too often, a diet and exercise program will be in order.