Farmer's Markets, Bookstores, & Old Small Town Charm

Saturday morning: Let the dogs out, got dressed and put my "face on" (as Granny says), made my morning coffee to take in my travel Klean Kanteen with the cafe lid, loaded the dogs back in their kennels with peanut butter treats, pumped some gas into my Honda and extracted some cash from the ATM, and headed out on the road for our favorite lil town of Natchitoches hoping to discover what their farmer's market might hold! 

The highway on the way to Natchitoches this morning.  So many of the roads around here look like originals.  The morning was overcast--the first rain we've had in several weeks.

Baptist churches galore in the south.  Sometimes the husband and I count them along stretches of highway for a lil entertainment. Additional things I noticed this morning: chickens clucking in yards, growing backyard gardens, shacks and nice residences situated side by side. One funny thing we notice in the south: school busses parked in the yards of the people who drive them.  There doesn't seem to be a bus depot, so people who drive certain routes seem to drive the busses from their houses and then back again---maybe not a bad idea since I'm sure it saves on gas and back tracking!

This is an original house to Natchitoches and dates back to the 1700s.  The garden out front extends further and behind as well.  You can see the river flowing along the far side.

Since there were sprinkles, farmer's market booths were limited this morning--only three slots.  One gentleman selling jams & honey.  Another gentleman selling eggs, jam, and breads.  And a truck selling red potatoes, small yellow squash, 2 varieties of onions, snow peas, and turnips.  I purchased honey, blueberry jelly, and a loaf of blueberry bread.  I was a lil disappointed by the limited number of booths, but in conversations with the locals even on non-overcast Saturdays there are only a few more booths.  Farmer's markets here just aren't the same as back in Oregon.

After hitting up the farmer's market, I walked up from the river front to the main street going through Natchitoches (which is cobbled brick by the way). While the hub and I have been in this adorable little town at least every six weeks since moving down here (our favorite Louisiana restaurant is riverside here), I had yet to spend much time checking out the little shops.  As you can see, Natchitoches is quite the historic town--reported to be the oldest in Louisiana and the home to Northwestern University. Additionally, those trees in the pictures are magnolias, so the lighter spots are the magnolia flowers...

This is the General Store and the sign says it's the oldest general store in Louisiana.  The inside is filled with home goods and hardware.  The building dates back to the 1800s with an original skylight, elevator, and cotton scale.  Some other historical elements are included and the building has almost all of its original character.  In the very front when you walk in they have the Coke fridge below.  The white and cardboard tube to the right is available for $1 and you can get an old bottled coke.  You can see empty bottles below it.

After going through several of the other home decor stores, I realized there were a couple coffee shops, a flower shop, more restaurants, and at the very end of the row of shops there was an independent bookstore!  This was the first bookstore I'd been in while living in Louisiana and I loved it for numerous reasons. 1) The inside was charming with books laid out on tables, artwork on the front walls, available magazines up front, and two cats that greeted me.  The guy pictured below, Sam, followed me around the entire time, jumping up on book tables, and playfully chewing on my hand.  When I went to check out with two books about women in the south, I was able to chat a bit with the owner.  We talked about the farmer's market and once I mentioned that I was from Oregon he told me he wouldn't ask if I wanted a bag for my books. ;)  He happened to be wearing Tibetan prayer beads as a bracelet, was selling copies of Pollan and Kerouac in his "favorites" section and Mother Earth News in his magazines, and bonded with me over butting heads with grocery store baggers about not putting plastic in his tote bags.  I felt for a moment like I'd come home! :)  Even though I'm sure I paid much more out of pocket at this book store and to the farmer's market, there's something nice about having the opportunity to support the little man rather than line further the pockets of Wal-mart executives.  Thank God for small towns with heart!

All in all, a pretty decent way to spend a Saturday morning while the husband sleeps off working the night away! Here's another picture that you might be interested in---check out our jalapenos!