JEFFERSON

#1230

 

by: Eddie Trapp

 

 

     Friday, Carol, Junior, Jean and I traveled to Jefferson to see the sights and shops. On the way to Jefferson Jean mentioned someone told her about laughing every time they thought of Clint poking Larry in the mouth with a fork as mentioned in article 1228. That reminded Carol of an old joke. A man was walking beside a board fence that surrounded a mental institution. He heard somebody on the other side saying, “Thirteen, thirteen, thirteen.” Curiosity got the best of him so he stuck his eye up to a little knot hole to see what was going on. Somebody inside poked him in the eye with a stick. As the man walked away in pain he heard the voice from inside, “Fourteen, fourteen, fourteen.”

     For lunch in Jefferson we decided to give Auntie Skinners Riverboat Restaurant a try. It’s right in the middle of the tourist trap area. A long and narrow building that looks to be four hundred years old. Kitchen way in the back. The wait staff would have to stop and catch their breath as they brought food to the front. Our meals were respectable but there was a little wait. I prowled around in the old building while waiting. Ancient brick archways near the back lead you into another room with more dining and a stage. Live music some nights. A few pictures of the past are displayed. One showed a steamboat piled high with five hundred pound bales of cotton. Six bales high and twenty five long. Twenty one men standing on top posing for the picture. An imposing scene.

     Big Cypress Creek begins somewhere south of Mt. Vernon, fills Lakes Cypress Springs, Bob Sandlin, and Monticello before moving on southeast to flow through Lake of the Pines. In keeping with Louisiana style it changes its name to Big Cypress Bayou somewhere near Jefferson before running into Caddo Lake. In Jefferson, you may wish to take a one hour guided river boat tour. Beautiful bayou and the guide is very interesting as he describes the sights. Seven dollars for ages thirteen and up. Five for young uns. We were primed for the tour but this time of the year almost every weekday the town is packed with kids on their end of school trips. The tour was sold out for the day. For bayou boat tour info you can call 903 665 2222 or visit the website at jeffersonbayoutours.com Probably when we go back for the tour we will also take our boats and float the bayou all the way to Caddo Lake State Park.

 

 

 

 

 

     At the visitor center I got a brochure that advertised a book by Neil White. It’s called In the Sanctuary of Outcasts. Tells about a prison in the Old South where some had leprosy. Here’s a few quotes from the characters in the book: Rumor has it there are criminals in here. Doc. Write big ‘cause them lepers can’t see worth a #@%$. Inmate. What people think about you ain’t none of your business. Ella. I hear there is a fifty percent chance we gonna be leopards when we get out of here. Link. Visit Jefferson sometime for an interesting day. Lots of Old South style homes with historical markers.  

     A Monday night or so ago I met with about fifteen guys at the Gary Kesting Back Yard Annual Hamburger Cooking. Mostly retired coaches, superintendents, band directors, and a few stragglers. One of the men asked if I could look across the river bottom from my house and see the new three story house under construction. I didn’t know what he was talking about so he explained. About three miles northeast of Sulphur Bluff at the Old Sulphur Bluff, the land owners are constructing a 52,000 square foot, three story building. A hunting lodge type thing for duck hunting, hog hunting, and more. Search Hageman Reserve in Sulphur Bluff. My spelling may be slightly off. This will possibly be one of the biggest attractions in our area.

          How bout them Rangers! That Josh Hamilton is getting er done. Did you ever see anyone swing a bat like him? He can also sling a bat. One of the first rules of baseball, East Delta style, was that if you slung your bat (let it go and possibly hurt someone) you were out. What keeps fans from getting hurt by those flying bats? While on baseball, one of our favorite games at recess at East Delta was “scrub.” There were more kids than positions to play regular nine man teams so we played scrub. Not really one team against the other. The batter was against everyone. You batted until you got a hit. The pitcher would try to let you hit. When you made an out you went to the field and the catcher came to bat. The pitcher moved to catcher, the first baseman went to pitch, and so on. It was a continual moving up one spot until you got to bat. Sometimes it would be twenty or more in the outfield. If you caught a fly ball you got to swap places with the batter right then. Four people would be “in town” at one time. When an argument came up, Mrs. Imogene Polk was there to deliver a ruling. Did you ever play scrub?

     A taxi driver and a preacher got to Heaven at the same time. The taxi driver got a huge mansion and the preacher was given a little shack. The preacher wanted an explanation and was told, “While you preached, people slept. While he drove, people prayed.”

                       etra327@live.com

    

    

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