Migrating birds, roseate spoonbills, arrive in southwestern Louisiana around this time of year. We learned from Betty (of Betty’s RV Park fame) that many could be seen near the entrance of Rip Van Winkle Gardens.
A little background: Joseph Jefferson, an actor, purchased a tract of land, later named Jefferson Island, in 1870. Having played Rip Van Winkle on stage over 4,500 times, this is the name he chose for his estate. Today you can tour his beautiful home and gardens. We visited the gardens during our last visit to Abbeville a couple of years ago. You can read about it at windsofdestiny-rvlife.blogspot.com/search?q=rip+van+winkle.
Near the entrance is a small lake where we saw hundreds of migrating birds, primarily the unique roseatte spoonbill. From a distance it does not look like anything spectacular, but as I zoomed in on the birds it was a different story!
Juveniles are a paler pink than the adult birds. They nest/roost in trees along the water's edge and forage in the shallow water. Behind every branch there was more pink!
What a treat to see so many of these beautiful birds in one place. And these lovely flowers next to the lake matched their pink colors!
Going out for dinner our last night in a location has become a tradition for us during our travels. We clean and pack up the RV for travel, and then select a restaurant that showcases the local cuisine. On this night, we sent to Shucks!, one of the many great Cajun-seafood restaurants in Abbeville.
Shrimp, oysters, and boiled crawfish (when in season) are the house specialties.
I had the Crawfish Etouffee as an appetizer. It was a little spicy for me, but absolutely delicious. I toned it down with some crackers…ha ha. We both had shrimp entrees that were divine. Fresh Gulf shrimp is the best!
It was the perfect way to end our stay.
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