Avery Island - Jungle Gardens

We returned to Avery Island (Home of the Tabasco Factory)to check out the Jungle Gardens. Tabasco brand products were founded by Edmund McIlhenny on Avery Island in the late eighteen hundreds. Today Tabasco is still manufactured there, and the company is still family-owned. McIlhenny's son, later turned 170 acres of the island into today's "jungle gardens" - full of exotic plants, alligators,a 900 year old Buddha (gift to McIlhenny), and a bird observatory. Thousands of migrating snowy egrates return to Avery Island every year. We had the chance earlier this summer to check out the factory - but due to the weather we weren't able to walk through the gardens. We were very excited to return, and the gardens are definitly worth the extra trip. Get ready for picture overload:

The boys are standing in front of some bamboo - this was one of the smaller plants. The island is full of huge bamboo plants

The boys on top of the bird observatory tower

Can you see the alligator behind us? Just to the right, you'll see the reflection of the sky..Then right where the reflection of the trees come in is the alligator.

another alligator

4th of July

When I went to louisiana, I was expecting our 3rd baby - due mid-January. However, on July 3rd, I miscarried at 12 weeks. To say the least, this year's 4th of July festivites were not the greatest. On top of that, I was already struggling to make sure the boys had fun on the 4th, being 36 hours away from any family.

Scott was suppose to work on the 4th - but due to the circumstances that took place the day before, he was able to stay home. I managed to get up long enough to go eat breakfast with the boys at IHOP. I laid down all day while Scott played with the boys.

Since Scott's workers had to work all day on the 4th, the company did a big BBQ for lunch. Scott took the boys back to the job site for the BBQ.

Here are a few pictures of the job site. It's a big Chevron refinery that is being dismantled and moved. Scott's company removes the asbestos from the pipes and towers and dismantles them. This picture isn't scott - I just put it on to give in idea of what Scott does all day. Scott is one of the supervisors so he's also running around doing logistic stuff, but a lot of the day he's in a harness, higher than I like to think about.

My Mom sent the boys a 4th of July party in a box. I can't get over the faces that Parker makes for pictures:)

While I laid around at home, Scott took the boys to a ward members home for food and fireworks. The boys don't love loud sounds, and it takes them awhile every year to warm up to fireworks. So they watched for a while from inside the truck

I couldn't decide which picture I liked the best

Sunday before the 4th

misc. pictures

Can you tell how hot they were??

Go karts at a place called Gatti Town