Bayou Grosse Tete??

Bayou Grosse Tete??

Is there such a place?  I pronounce it Grosstate.  But, that’s me.

I’ve a lot of memories as a youngster.  There was this bar (no I wasn’t drinking, I was just a kid) that my parents would like to frequent on Sundays when my dad was off from work.  At one point I recall the name of the rockabilly place being “Palisades Park”.  It was located across the highway from the bayou and on a canal of sorts.



Today there’s a mobile home with an attachment and it’s obviously lived in.  I didn’t take any pictures as I felt uncomfortable doing such.

I believe it was probably named after the song “Palisades Park” by Freddie Cannon (http://www.freddycannon.com/default.htm).  That would have been the early ’60s.



It was a ‘fun’ places to be, listening to the rockabilly music, watching and doing a little dancing myself (I was quite the lad back in my day, ladies just liked little Johnny. anyway) but mostly playing with play mates during the band’s breaks.  Back then, I was a big Buddy Rich guy, so the drummer was my focus.  Loved the drums.  But not that’s what this is about!  Maybe another time.  There were a lot of bands around back then.

This wasn’t in the village part also called Grosse Tete, this was a ways from there down the bayou roads (like country roads).  The village part (I’m referring to it as a village because that’s what it was back then, now it’s a town) has the I-10 Interstate meeting it and is a growing city today.

Much has changed from back in those days.

Bayou Grosse Tete??

  This is a view from the bridge at Bayou Grosse Tete….looking to the bend and left of there is about where Palisades Park was located.

One thing was very obvious (other than the mobile home) is that the boat launch across from the rockabilly joint is now gone.  I thought it would still be there, but now it’s only trees and mud.

Looking at the picture above, never mind, this view is the opposite direction and to the right way down the bayou but not too far was another bar room my dad would occasion, usually after taking me a little fishing trip to Horse Shoe Bend (pictured further down).  I don’t recall the name of the bar but it’s the first bar that I saw that my dad put salt in his beer.  Always amazed me.  Later I tried it, it was okay but not a practice I hold dear.  Back in those days there weren’t pull tab beer cans or twist off beer bottles.  Life was different for sure.



I never was a big fan of the water in the bayous…..that dark brown.  I preferred even back then the beauty of the clear waters like this,  but that’s just me.  Others live on this water and love it, kudos to them!

Horse Shoe Bend.  That’s where my dad would more than likely take me fishing, that’s where my memories are at and it wasn’t because we caught a lot of fish, we didn’t.  It was my dad doing his dad thing with me the best that he knew how.

  This is the very area that my dad would take me fishing. Hop in his Ford pickup and take his little boy fishing.  That was about the limit of father-son activity though.  But, it’s a memory.



There’s one road and only one road there.  I can’t tell you if is runs north/south or east/west.  It’s just 2 lanes of good road traveled by locals that live nearby and hunters (it’s not really known for fishing in this area, maybe that’s why I never caught any fish).

Here’s a gander at the road it.

It wouldn’t be a complete blog without a picture of the road.

And closing this event out is this photo of the bridge year.

Meanwhile, I back in Mexico for a short visit.



When I get back to Louisiana, I’ll visit a few more places with some historical significance that’ll be of interest.

As for now….

Peace, love, and beaches,

John

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