Sister and I decided it was past time to get our families together, so we took advantage of the long Labor Day weekend. We met (almost) in the middle on the Lake D'Arbonne in Farmerville, LA.
[September 2-5]
Bayou D'Arbonne Lake, the largest man-made lake in Louisiana, was created in 1963. It spans 15 miles in length. The average width is 1.5 miles with the average depth of six feet. Lake D'Arbonne is known for its fishing; "Crappie Now" magazine ranked it as the second best crappie lake in the nation. We were more interested in relaxing and taking in the views and catching up than fishing, though.
Our B-n-B came with a paddleboat and kayaks.
We paddled a lot but didn't go very far.
The sunset and nighttime views were just what we were looking for.
Sister, Tony, Nick and Sabin did not arrive until late. The next day at lunch we inquired of the closest place to see some alligators. We were given directions to the local bayou. We ended up in the middle of nowhere. We did make it down to the shoreline, but there were no gators to be found lurking in the swampy waters.
Daisy and Nick cruised Sister and I around on the paddleboat.
We made good use of the firepit with some s'mores.
Abe and I enjoyed a peaceful kayak ride in the morning.
The bald cypress trees add to the ambiance of the shoreline. The 'knees' poking up are thought to provide air to the roots that are under water.
Sabin loved being on vacation with us and we loved having him there.
There was a variety of mushrooms in the yard.
Since finding alligators in the local bayou was a bust, we decided to see if we could find any at the Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge. What I found most impressive with the refuge was that the visitor center and walking trail were free. đŸ˜€
The visitor center is known as Richland Plantation. It was once used as the owner's second home, aka 'the country house,' that was stayed in while the owner managed the farming on his cotton plantation.
Nick wasn't excited about posing for a picture but he didn't feel like he could tell his aunt no.
Many of the trees along here were planted after 2001 in the fields that were once cotton plantations.
This looks like a pretty green field, but it is green growth above shallow water. We read something about an invasive plant species, and we think that is what all this green growth is.
The boardwalk led us out to the swampy edge of the lake.
Bald cypress and water tupelo trees live in the shallow water.
Everything's bigger in Texas, but Louisiana had some pretty big lillypads and spiders.
An odd looking bird was perched on the tree stump, just watching us watch him.
The Lillypads and lotus pods were reminiscent of Korea.
This cute little wooden trail was eventually flooded so we had to turn around.
In Korea this is the prime time of the year for lotus flowers to bloom. Not sure when the prime time is here, but clearly not early September.
I'm not sure how, but Nick's eagle eye spotted this little baby snake sunning himself on the top of the water. 
I entered a hut that said something about nature viewing of squirrels and prairie dogs. For a hot second I was like, "Wow! I see a squirrel!" The next thought that went through my mind was that Steve could make that. After all this time I my mind still takes me to him whenever I see metal art. Always bittersweet.
Abe and the kids played a competitive game of Monopoly. I love board games, but not this one. I always lost as a kid and it always made me cry as my money slipped away and I watched everyone else get rich off of my losses. It still triggers PTSD of game tears to this day.
Daisy was determined to get the fire started and she did it all by herself.
The kids wanted to swim but I thought it was too cold. Daddy is always a champ and braves the cold water with them.
Time to say goodbye until we meet again.
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