Mariana's Arrived in Louisiana

Greetings my Gather friends, I've arrived in bayou land safe and sound.  The night is filled with lightening and thunder. It is raining.  The heat of the day has warmed my body.  I'm feeling pretty decent.  Today I went to my first crawfish boil.  It was relaxing to sit on Marlene's back porch with the giant fans blowing.  We drank beer and ate crawfish.  That's a typical thing to do on the bayous.

 It seems that as much as I try I can't escape food.  A good friend from San Francisco is also here.  Last night, we went out to eat. We had crab salads.  The night grew arms and legs, of course.  There's always some kind of drama.  We met some crazy black women from Texas and cut up with them.  I'm sure eventually I'll tell you detailed stories.  We ended up having a blast and then finishing off the evening with more wine and banana pudding smothered in rum sauce.  I couldn't resist.

My best friend since eight grade, Sara Longman, showed up and we went out to eat at a Chinese restaurant.  Then, to see her brother in the nursing home.  Please if you're using aluminum coffee pots or any sort of cooking implements made of it - stop now.  He's only 65 and has advanced Alzheimers.  It is a sad sight.  He was a sugar cane farmer and a welder.  Chemicals did him in.

Shelley invited me over to her pool.  We've been friends since high school.  I totally adore her because despite her busy schedule, she's always happy.  We managed to catch up and have plans this summer to knock off ten pounds.  We said the same thing last year.  Oh well.

Of course, I have many more things to tell you.  They'll just have to wait for the next article  I want to hear from each of you about how you are doing.  Monday, I'll go see if I can get on a faster Cox system as this one moves very slowly.  In the meantime, know that my thoughts are with you and I'll be on as much as I can.  I miss you all!  Thank you.  Salud.