Wayfarer Lens

Action at the Highland Village, Tx balloon festival 2010, image ©Cynthia Burkhardt

Part I: Balloon Festival

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After our stay in romantic little Natchitoches, La. we headed for Texas. Our destination was the Dallas/Ft.Worth area, but since we were road tripping our way there, I just couldn't pass up the "Antique Capital of East Texas" ~ Gladewater. I love antique hunting. I can look for hours...days...weeks...ok, enough. It's a tiny little town, but don't let that fool you. Go check out those shops!

Gladewater is home to some interesting history trivia, too.
Elvis used it as a base during his early career, Johnny Cash wrote Walk the Line there, and on April 7, 1931, the first Gladewater oil well blew...

Gladewater Texas image ©Cynthia Burkhardt

After my Gladewater antique hunt and walk through history were over, we were ready to roll into Dallas. Since we've never taken the RV there before, we weren't sure where we could stay that would be close to the city, but still have that "peace and quiet" nature setting that we were hoping to keep. While planning the trip, we looked into several locations and decided that the Army Corps of Engineers' Hickory Creek Park on Lewisville lake sounded great. We were not disappointed! Almost all the sites are on the lake. Gorgeous views, great lake activities, and you could still see the stars at night. Loved it.

Hickory Creek Park image ©Cynthia Burkhardt

Timing is everything and fortunately we got there just in time for the Highland Village Balloon Festival that was held just across the lake at Copperas Branch Park.
I've seen balloon races from a distance before, but never had the opportunity to get up close and photograph the process of getting them upacked, inflated and off!

I was hoping for good opportunities for shooting, and it was better than I had hoped for....what a fun shoot! I was able to get up close to the whole process! Unfortunately, the winds were not cooperating that morning, so the balloon teams were given the option to fly, or just do a "stand up" for the crowd. Most of them chose to do only the stand up that morning, but the opportunity to be right in the middle of them while they worked to get those balloons inflated was alot of fun, and I was able to photograph those who chose to make the flight.
Here's a slideshow and some photos that show the process from unpacking to up, up and away! (I've posted links to more slideshows of the balloons at the end of the post.)

I have too many photos of the balloon races to post here, so I am providing links to several slide shows, and my Flickr balloon festival collection. Hope you enjoy these!
Balloon 1
Balloon 2
Balloon 3
Balloon 4
Balloon 5
Balloon 6

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Fun in Texas included a day of shopping and dining in Grapevine, too.
Lots of fun stuff, including the farmer's market and wine tasting on Main St.

Some of my fave places on Main include:
Holy Grounds, Gypsy Warehouse , Weinberger's Delicatessen, Cork it!, and of course all the clothes and antiques shops and boutiques ~ who could choose just one?

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When the Dallas fun was done, we headed over to one of my fave Texas spots ~
Ft. Worth Stockyards for Texas Part II: Bullrides and cattle drives!

Yeeeee Haw, baby, see you from Ft. Worth!

Natchitoches, Louisiana

Many of the images you see are available as fine art prints on photographic papers or canvas. Please visit my gallery for details.

Natchitoches, Louisiana

370 miles up the road from Destin, FL, we rolled into Country Livin' RV Park in Ajax, Louisiana. Ajax is just a few short miles from Natchitoches, La. via I-49. The owners, Denise and David are great hosts. They go out of their way to make you feel welcome, and the park is quiet, clean and beautifully kept. Denise was so helpful in recommending the "must see" spots of Natchitoches and surrounding areas. Thanks, Denise!

Country Livin' RV Park

There's a private lake on the property where you can fish or just sit and relax.
They were even kind enough to lend us a fishing pole for a few hours.

Country Livin' RV Park

After getting settled on the grounds and hearing all the inside scoop about where to go from Denise, I knew the first stop would be Front St. and Rue Beau Port, the heart of downtown Natchitoches (pronounced NAK-ə-təsh) historic district, along the Cane River Lake. It took me all day to say the name of the town correctly. Apparently, I'm not the only one who has had trouble with that! I kept wanting to make it sound something like Nagodoches, TX, which, as it turns out, is Natchitoches sister city.

The parish is the original French colony of Louisiana, established in 1714 by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis, and was named after the Natchitoches Indian tribe. It is the oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana Purchase territory. The buildings are a mixture of Creole and Victorian architecture. Such character, culture and history!
And I would be completely remiss if I forgot to mention that Steel Magnolias was filmed entirely in Natchitoches. The writer, Robert Harling, Jr., is a native and still resides here.

The National Trust named the town one of the"Dozen Distinctive Destinations" for Historic Preservation in 2005. The Natchitoches National Historic Landmark District has much to offer. 33 blocks worth!

The Cane River Lake area is also home to Oakland and Magnolia Plantations, as well as several others we explore.

Natchitoches, Louisiana

We were able to grab the perfect parking spot on Front St. in front of Kaffie Frederick General Mercantile, Louisiana's oldest general store. The store has lots of fun, nostalgic items like the old original working freight elevator, and a 100 year old cash register to ring up your purchase.

Natchitoches, Louisiana

From there we walked down the steps from Front St. to Rue Beau Port, along the Cane River Lake to stroll and capture images of the Roque House, the surrounding park-like setting, and the lake itself. Benches along the way offered great places to sit under huge tree canopies to enjoy the view.

Natchitoches, Louisiana

After our walk along the lake we headed back up to Front Street to continue exploring. The architecture along the street was decorated in beautiful wrought iron balconies and the street and sidewalks were brick. Colorful flowers were in bloom everywhere and a horse drawn carriage waited for a fare. The shops and restaurants had much to offer. A few shops that I found particlarly fun were: Hello Dolly, for clothes and accessories; Dickens and Company, for local and fleur de lis gifts; and the Natchitoches Art Guild Heritage Gallery where you can view and purchase the work of local artists and artisans--always a must see for me!
Our favorite place to eat downtown was The Landing Restaurant. We made a point to be there on Sunday for their wonderful champagne brunch and live jazz. Great food, great time!

Natchitoches, Louisiana

Having enjoyed The Natchitoches National Historic Landmark District, it was time to make plans to explore The Cane River National Heritage Area and tour the plantations...
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The following photos of the plantations and other historical places have links provided so you can read about their histories easily as you view the images. Hope you enjoy these!

Cane River National Heritage Area

The 1830's Cherokee Plantation.

Cane River National Heritage Area

Early 19th century Beaufort Plantation.

Cane River National Heritage Area

St. Augustine Catholic Church built in 1803.

Cane River National Heritage Area

St. Charles Chapel is a mission church to St. Augustine Catholic Church.
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The following set of photos are from the Oakland Plantation:

Cane River National Heritage Area

Plantation general store still open until the 1970's.

Cane River National Heritage Area

Plantation stables:

Cane River National Heritage Area

Plantation quarters.

Cane River National Heritage Area

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The following photos are from the Magnolia Plantation:

Cane River National Heritage Area

General/company store and plantation slave cabins:

Cane River National Heritage Area

The following is an excerpt from the brochure/map, "Cane River National Heritage Area - A Cultural Journey" I thought it was worth repeating...

"History is not always pleasant to recount. As we build our present, we should be mindful of our past... Injustice is part of history, but so are stories of perseverance, hope, community, and success. This area's national park, three state parks, and privately owned historic sites depict aspects of the difficult times that shaped this place.
Explore the real America in the Cane River region."

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Further along the road we drove by this great old piece of Americana and had to turn around to stop for a photo...

We ended our excursion along the Cane River Trail by stopping by Little Eva Plantation in Cloutierville for some Natchitoches pecans! We had a wonderful visit in the Nachitoches area!

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Here are several images from the area that I have created using different filters and imaging techniques. Prints of images from Natchitoches and the Cane River National Heritage area are available for purchase from my gallery.