8.26.2015

Sugar

This summer we opted to take a few smaller trips rather than one large trip. The first was at the end of the school year to Great Wolf Lodge and the second was a special invite from Lee and Rebecca to a sugar plantation.

Originally this trip was going to be just me and kids so Rick could stay home and get a few things done and enjoy some quiet but the accident threw us a curve ball and I felt more comfortable having Rick drive and a road trip is always a bit more fun with him. The other added excitement was that we got to take the rental car that had DVD player although we quickly realized that while the Chevy Traverse is fun to ride around town, it is not a road trip car for a family of six.

I don't even know where to start with describing this trip. I should probably start with mentioning how thankful it is to have two natives show us Louisiana. I am not sure the boys (and the girls) would loved red beans and rice, BBQ shrimp, or a host of other treats if it wasn't for Lee and Rebecca. And as I have stated numerous times here and other places, Lee and Rebecca may be the best hosts ever. Along with that the plantation was just beautiful and such a fascinating place.

So let me start with a quick bit about where we were, which was lovely Patoutville, Louisiana; home to Enterprise Plantation.

Deeply rooted in Louisiana history, M .A. Patout & Son, LTD, LLC is the oldest complete family owned and operated manufacturer of raw sugar in the United States.  The company is composed of Enterprise Plantation along with three subsidiaries: Sterling Sugars, LLC, Raceland Raw Sugars, LLC and Patout Equipment Company, LLC.


Enterprise Plantation, founded in 1825 by Simeon and Appoline Patout, is the original M. A. Patout & Son sugar plantation located in Patoutville, Lousiana. Sterling Sugars and Raceland Raw Sugars were acquired by M. A. Patout & Son in 1994 and 1996. The combined capacity of the three mills is 4,600,000 tons of cane annually.

Rebecca's dad is a descendant of the Patout family and shares in the ownership of the plantation. This family legacy includes the ability to stay at the original caretakers house on the plantation property.


Working clockwise from the top right corner is the house we stayed in, which  was beautiful and so large that there was an entire section that we didn't even hang out in. The brick building below at one time was a wine cellar as the family had originally intended to grow grapes and start a winery. The bottom photo is the mill, the original workers quarters complete with mud walls, the big house, the planters are actually huge cast iron bowls that were used in the mill, and then a row of cedar trees.

We had such a relaxing weekend just being lazy, swimming, eating, drinking and laughing.





What is a trip to Louisiana without Rebecca doing something incredibly fun with the kids like tossing marshmallows in to their mouths from upstairs. She even joined in.

The Lucas clan loves us some Louisiana and time with Lee and Rebecca. We are looking forward to our next adventure with them.

5 and 7

Yesterday kicked off the first day of school. JT started 7th grade and Zach is in 5th. The girls won't start for another two weeks.


8.24.2015

Children of the Cane

Finally, after lying to you on my last post, I am working on updating my photos from the summer. Here is another teaser from our trip to Louisiana; this is the girls in the sugar cane.