Chapter 4
Smoking Wrecker: Thx, and here it is
The next morning, the kids woke up to the smell of something delicious.
"Smells like Mom and Grandma's got breakfast just about ready." Katie said, as she stepped out of her room.
"Should we change into our clothes before breakfast?" asked Lori, as she stepped out of the guest room.
"No, it'll be fine. Come on." urged Katie.
So the kids and Rita and Lynn Sr. left their rooms, and went to the kitchen. In there, Joseph, Mary, and Audrey were at work getting breakfast ready.
"Morning, kids, Louds." greeted Joseph.
"Morning, it sure smells good in this kitchen." Lynn Sr. told them.
"Thanks, we knew we had a lot to cook, so we figured we'd get an early start." Mary explained.
"Do you need any help?" offered Rita.
"Sure, come and grab some pots and pans." welcomed Audrey.
As the adults cooked, the kids talked about their day.
"So what are we gonna do today?" asked Luna.
"We're going to take you to three of our favorite places." Lucas told her.
Just then, the adults came out with breakfast.
"Breakfast is served." announced Joseph.
"It smells good, what are we having?" wondered Luan.
"We've got grits, biscuits, bacon, sausage, hash browns, and fruit." said Mary.
"Grits?" asked Lynn confused.
Lincoln looked at the white substance in the bowl.
"Is it like oatmeal?" he questioned.
The LeBlancs and Audrey all laughed.
"You northerners. Don't know what you're missing." Audrey laughed.
After getting their servings, they all dug in.
"These grits are pretty good." Lucy complimented.
"Better than oatmeal." added Lana.
"Told you they'd like it." Lucas said to Samuel.
After eating, and getting dressed it was time to begin the day.
"So what's first on our list of fun in New Orleans?" asked Lynn Sr.
"First we have a museum to go to." Joseph told him.
"That sounds positively interesting." Lisa said.
They drove into the city, and after parking, they walked to the museum.
"What kind of museum are we going to?" questioned Lori.
"It's a combo museum. It has history, art, and music." explained Katie.
"Wow." replied Leni.
After walking a couple more blocks, they arrived.
"Here we are." announced Mary.
"It looks nice, but how're we gonna pay for this?" wondered Rita.
"Don't you worry about it." Audrey told her.
It turns out that the LeBlancs were members, and got discount for tickets. First they went to the history section, and learned about the olden days of New Orleans. When the French settled and how it was different than other cities of the time, how it can an important seaport for the country, and the history of Mardi Gras.
Next they went to the art part. They saw many portraits, landscapes, abstracts, and sculptures.
"This is amazing." Lisa observed.
"Hey, there's the music section." Luna pointed out.
"Let's check it out." Lynn Sr. encouraged.
And they went on. There were many brass instruments and old pictures of famous musicians.
"These are all instruments used in jazz music." observed Lincoln.
"You bet. New Orleans is the city of jazz." Audrey informed.
"Cool. We don't hear much jazz music back home." said Luan.
"You guys are in for a treat." Lucas told them.
After the museum, they got lunch in the city. On their way to the restaurant, they heard the music. Many different people played jazz instruments on the streets.
"Wow, listen to those tunes." said Luna.
"It's catchy ain't it?" asked Katie.
"You got that right."
Soon they found a place to eat. They had a great lunch of jambalaya and some beignets for dessert.
"Mmm, those beignets were delicious." said Lynn.
"A New Orleans delicacy." Joseph told her.
"So what's next?" asked Lincoln.
"A tour of the bayou." said Audrey.
"Bayou?" wondered Lucy.
"Just you wait and see." replied Samuel.
They went back to the van, and drove out of the city. They arrived at what looked like an entrance to a state park. After parking they walked a little more until they came to a large body of water and some boats.
"Now time for a tour of the bayou." said Joseph.
"But what's a bayou?" Lola wanted to know.
"It looks like a swamp." observed Lana.
"That's exactly what it is." Mary replied.
"Awesome!" Lana cheered.
"Let's go." declared Rita.
They were all given life vests by the tour guides, and they got into two boats. Once they went over safety instructions, they set out.
"This is extremely fascinating." Lisa observed.
"And beautiful." added Lynn Sr.
"Yes, the bayou is one of Louisiana's natural wonders." the tour guide informed.
The tour guides then explained about the different kinds of wildlife.
"In the bayou we have alligators, snakes, bobcats, many species of birds, and fish."
"Gators, awesome." whispered Lana.
"And there are some to our right." the other tour guide informed.
They looked and did indeed see a large alligator resting along the water.
When the tour was over, they only had one last attraction to see.
"Now for a real bone chiller." said Joseph.
"What?" asked Lily.
"A tour a St. Louis Cemetery No. 1." Audrey answered.
"Oh my gosh. That's one of the most haunted cemeteries in the country." Lucy gasped.
"Lucy's found her sanctuary." Lisa observed.
"Come on, the tour's gonna start soon." instructed Katie.
And they all hurried into the cemetery.
"St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 is the final resting place of many notable historical figures. Including Marie Laveau." the tour guide explained.
"Who's she?" wondered Lola.
"A very famous voodoo practitioner."
"She sounds amazing." Lucy replied.
"And they say you can sometimes still she her wandering around the cemetery. She may be in her regular form, or one of her other ones."
"What do you mean by that?" asked Lana.
"Her spirit is said to take the forms of a black dog or a boa constrictor."
"A ghost snake and dog, cool."
They then saw her tomb, and Lucy put three X's on it for good luck. Then when the tour was over, they all went back to the chateau.
For dinner they all had some leftover gumbo.
"That was a fun day, Joseph." Lynn Sr. told his friend.
"Glad you all enjoyed it." Joseph replied.
"It was really fun." added Lori.
"Yeah." agreed Leni.
"We were happy to show you the city." Mary said.
"So what's on the agenda for tomorrow?" Luna wanted to know.
"Well tomorrow we have to start getting our Mardi Gras float ready." Katie told her.
"Can we help out?" asked Luan.
"Sure you can, we need all the help we can get." answered Audrey.
After having dinner, the kids were so beat they decided to head to bed, ready for another fun day tomorrow.
That's chapter 4, plz review