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    Tattered Jeans

    Getting invited into a stranger's home brings a marriage surprise: An only in Louisiana story

    Katie Oxford
    Jun 20, 2013 | 1:22 pm

    Editor's Note: In 2010, Katie Oxford filed a series of riveting columns from the heart of the Gulf oil spill disaster. She recently returned to Louisiana. This is her ninth column in a new series. It picks up with her departing the Bayou DuLarge and finding an unexpected oasis.

    Leaving the Bayou DuLarge ain’t easy. Raw beauty alone will keep you. Something else might too.

    Light streams through here like the water. Depending on the time of day, it appears to be either sitting on things or striking them. Either way, the light makes the Bayou DuLarge go from beautiful to something beyond.

    After visiting with local fisherman Rickey Verrett at the STAB-N-CABIN, I headed north on Bayou DuLarge Road. I drove past Tommy’s STOP-N-GO, a structure across the road painted in a brilliant color of blue and a cabin that I pictured myself living in.

    I spent hours with strangers who felt like kinfolk. Only in Louisiana.

    Finally, I reached a place where I’d stopped three years before. To a statue known as Our Lady of the Bayou that I was glad to see, still stood. I parked on the shoulder of the road and moseyed over.

    I’d promised a writer friend that I would return to this place and call out her name loud and slow. Remember Kathy Bates in Fried Green Tomates crying, “Towanda”? Like that.

    The promise kept, I was now walking back to my car when I looked up and noticed a fellow sitting on the front porch of a house across the road. A little embarrassed, I laughed. “You must think I’m a nut!” I yelled.

    Next thing I knew, he was coming down the steps, asking politely, why in the world I’d parked on the shoulder of the road and not in his driveway. “Here,” he said, tossing his hand out like feeding chickens, “Park anywhere you like.”

    I did, under the shade of a tree on his property, and as so often happens, spent hours with strangers who felt like kinfolk. Only in Louisiana.

    Louisiana Tough

    Buddy Wilbert Champagne and Claire Rose Champagne celebrated 56 years of marriage last February. Inside as well as outside their home, pockets of peace live everywhere. Statues, some draped in moss, are next to birdhouses that sit on the ground.

    “It hurts our heart to see the dead cypress."

    For a while we sat on their front porch and visited. Then, we moved to the back porch where Claire’s favorite flowers, sweet pea and orange blossom, were blooming and visited longer. The vista from here was both sad and stunning.

    “It hurts our heart to see the dead cypress,” Claire said softly, like reciting poetry. “In Louisiana, the salt water has killed millions of them.”

    But as she pointed out later, it’s also a living forest. Indeed. As we chatted there, my eyes continually returned to a Bald Eagle’s nest in close proximity. Claire explained that in addition to the adults, it was home to new babies and to two eagles she called teenagers, who interestingly, I learned, had returned to the nest.

    During Hurricane Rita, five feet of water came into the Champagnes' house. After Hurricane Ike, the house had flooded six times.

    No surprise to me, they’d chosen to re-build for the same reason they’d re-built before. To the people of Louisiana, place is not only at the heart of everything, it is the heart. At the Champagnes especially.

    A plaque hanging on their front porch reads: "Love Blooms Here." Peace too, I thought.

    Hours later, it was time to head back to Galliano. We walked down the steps of their front porch and Claire pointed to a plant below. Weeks before, she’d thought it was a weed and had almost pulled it up. But her daughter said, “Mama, leave it alone!”

    Turns out, the plant was a favorite food for caterpillars. Caterpillars that later Claire explained became monarch butterflies. Still later, the plant bloomed. “It’s an example of how good God is to us,” she said.

    I thanked the Champagnes for their hospitality and for opening their extraordinary place.

    “You can come here and pray anytime,” Claire offered. Then, I turned onto Bayou DuLarge Road sitting in light the color of Ginger Gold apples.

    I spent hours with strangers who felt like kinfolk. Only in Louisiana.

    Katie Louisiana Revisited Part 9 June 2013 In the yard at the Champagnes
      
    Photo by Katie Oxford
    I spent hours with strangers who felt like kinfolk. Only in Louisiana.
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    Where to travel right now

    Hill Country's historic spa reopens + 10 more Texas travel ideas for June

    Amber Heckler
    Jun 3, 2025 | 9:15 am
    Ottine Mineral Springs pool
    Photo by David Brendan Hall
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    Texas, it's time to make those summer vacation plans. June is shaping up to be a big month full of travel ideas, from fun wine tastings in Austin to a lively mural festival on the coast. There's also plenty to explore at home in Houston, such as a Japanese culture festival. Here are our top picks for summer travel events, hotel deals, and more in June.

    Austin

    The Loren Hotel is introducing two new wine programs this summer, open to all visitors. The "Boxed or Bougie" wine tastings will be offered on the first Saturday of each month, starting June 7, where guests can taste different wines to discover if fine wine is worth the price tag. On the second and third Saturdays of each month, the hotel will host "Varietal Wine Tastings" with different themes to spotlight wine regions, flavor profiles, and winemaking styles. Since June 14 is National Rosé Day, the first varietal tasting will focus on rosés. Both programs are free to the public and events will be held from 3-5 pm in the hotel lobby.

    Nearly 30 participating Texas Hill Country Wineries will hit the highway for an Austin Road Show at the Austin Central Library. Attendees will get to meet the owners, winemakers, and managers behind some of the Hill Country's most successful vineyards while tasting new wines and dining on charcuterie. Guests will also receive a take-home event wine glass. The Austin Road Show event will be held from 5:30-8 pm on Friday, June 27. Tickets are $60 per person.

    Central Texas

    Floating down the Comal, San Marcos, or Pedernales Rivers while enjoying the scenery and the cool water is a perfect way to spend a hot afternoon this summer. People travel to the Central Texas area every year to tube, and locals love it, as well. However, it's not without dangers, rules, and guidelines that should be observed. Before setting off down the river, check out CultureMap's five essential tips for tubing this summer.

    There's a unique new spa making a splash in the small town of Gonzales: Ottine Mineral Springs is finally celebrating its grand reopening after undergoing an extensive renovation. The 40-acre historic site was previously home to two private mineral-fed pools, but now the property is dotted with five new pools of varying adjustable temperatures, outdoor dining options, saunas, cold plunges, cabanas, fire pits, and much more. Day passes are $65 on weekdays and $75 on weekends.

    Fredericksburg's beautiful new Albert Hotel, whichopened in January, is adding a new barbecue restaurant inspired by the area's German heritage. Junebug's BBQ will open Friday, June 6, serving barbecue classics such as brisket, pork ribs, house-made sausages, and more. Junebug's BBQ will have limited hours from June 6-9, serving food from 2 pm until it’s sold out. Starting June 12, Junebug’s will operate regular hours from Thursdays through Sundays, from 11 am until sold out.

    Junebug's BBQJunebug's BBQ is ready to open at the Albert Hotel. junebugsbbq.com

    TV stars Chip and Joanna Gaines' signature restaurant Magnolia Table in Waco has introduced a new summer menu, featuring dishes like a brunch slider flight and a spicy peach fizz mocktail. The nearby Silos Baking Co. and Magnolia Press café have also added new items on their seasonal summer menus, including a peaches and cream cupcake and a ham and cheddar croissant sandwich. Reservations for Magnolia Table can be made via OpenTable.

    Houston

    Texas-based luxury bus service Vonlane will debut daily service between Dallas and The Woodlands on Friday, June 13. The new route will pick up travelers at Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel & Convention Center and drop off at Dallas' Doubletree Love Field hotel. The ride will take 3 hours and 15 minutes. This will be a second Houston-area destination for Dallas, as Vonlane already offers service to downtown Houston. Tickets can be booked online; fares are a flat rate of $125 for one-way trips with advance purchase. No taxes, baggage fees, or change fees apply.

    Tokyo X, one of Houston's premier celebrations of Japanese culture, is returning to NRG Center from June 14-15, promising celebrities, food, martial arts, anime, and more. Highlights of the festival include the Hot Import Nights Japanese car show series, a ramen showdown, and an anime convention featuring cosplay contests, panels, and voice actor appearances. Tickets can be purchased via Eventbrite. Saturday tickets are $36.22 per person, Sunday tickets are $ 30.48 per person, and two-day badges are $59.21 per person.

    Along the Gulf Coast

    The coastal city of Corpus Christi will celebrate its annual Mural Fest during the first week of June, showcasing its colorful large-scale murals in the Marina Arts District. During the Artist Week days from June 2-5, visitors can take self-guided tours to watch artists paint murals live throughout downtown, and collect "artographs." The festival will draw to a close on Saturday, June 7, with a block party on South Chaparral Street from 3-9 pm. More information about daily events during Mural Fest can be found via Visit Corpus Christi.

    Mural Fest in Corpus ChristiMural Fest will take place during the first week of June in downtown Corpus Christi. Photo courtesy of Visit Corpus Christi

    Across Dallas-Fort Worth

    A long anticipated Fort Worth hotel and restaurant have arrived: The Nobleman Fort Worth, Tapestry Collection by Hilton and the hotel’s in-house restaurant Duchess, have opened at 503 Bryan Ave., with fabulous accommodations and food from celebrity chef Casey Thompson. The property has 121 guest rooms and 32 extended-stay suites with kitchenettes. Hotel amenities include a pool, state-of-the-art fitness center, and 2,000 square feet of meeting and outdoor event spaces, along with terraces. Nightly rates begin at $162 in June.

    Dallas' Perot Museum of Nature and Science recently reopened the Moody Family Children's Museum, unveiling an extensively renovated 11,000-square-foot space sprawling with educational and science-centered activities. Among the new areas for children to explore are an immersive multi-sensory Imaginarium, an expanded toddler area, a hands-on maker area, an open-air outdoor space, and a fiber art playscape created by Toshiko MacAdam. Non-member general admission to the Perot Museum ($15 for children aged 2-12, and $25 for adults and children 13 and older) also includes access to the children's museum.

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