Great Vacation in Cajunland LoUiSiAna:

My name is Tom Peters from Colchester, Connecticut and I have Usher Syndrome type I.  I'm 61 years old, have been married with Karen for 39 years this coming August and we have 2 grown children named Tricia aged 36 years and David aged 30 years next month plus 5 cherished granddaughters.  I mean FIVE GIRLS!!!!

I was very honored to be invited by LADBC to be the guest speaker at the Annual LADBC Crawfish picnic in Lafayette, LA on April 19^th.  I want very much to appreciate deeply Dan Arabie for his wonderful Cajun hospitality at his sweet home.  It was a very fabulous event to visit ABL, Vermillionville Village, VDL (Special Housing for Seniors and Disabled in Lafayette, the scenic bayou boat cruise for 2 hours, the LADBC picnic with 150 people as wonderful turnout and Homemade Cajun BBQ at Dan Arabie's parents' home in the beautiful open country.  Also I enjoyed delicious, spicy Cajun cuisines at Blue Dog restaurant, Lagneaux’s Cajun Seafood Buffet restaurant, Vermillionville Tavern for delicious Cajun luncheon, Pat's Waterfront Cajun restaurant and Cane's Cajun Chicken Fingers restaurant.

It was very good to have Pi and Mike Wolf to meet me at the Lafayette Regional Airport on Wednesday, April 16^th after my HOT "CAJUN LANDING" on American Eagle turboprop from Dallas, TX after flying down from Hartford, CT.  It was fun for me, Dan and his sweet daughter to pick up Melanie and Harvey Bond from Michigan at the bus terminal.

On Thursday morning, we enjoyed having a tour at ABL as very organized and neat that reminded me of HKNC in Long Island, NY.  It was a pleasure to see Maria Garden and I was surprised to know that she is a teacher of independent living department.  We then went to Vermillionville Village museum to spend all afternoon and had a wonderful old Cajun luncheon with stuffed turkey, corn and potatoes as very delicious, YUM!  After lunch we browsed around the old Cajun village as very very interesting and informative.  That reminded me of my 5 times great grandmother's early life in Louisiana before she met my 5 times great grandfather from New Haven, CT, while he had a branch office in New Orleans and they got married in 1840.  After the memorable tour, we went to the airport to pick up the funniest deaf-blind clown named Mark Gasaway from Atlanta, Georgia, so all of us went to the Cajun Seafood Buffet restaurant for fellowship.  We had a great blast with chitchatting and excellent seafood dinner. 

On Friday, April 18^th Dan, Melanie, Harvey and I were picked up by SSP's for the Special Housing for seniors and disabled to spend all morning meeting with deaf and deaf-blind residents.  It was great to meet more Usher residents with beautiful Cajun personalities.  That's what I dream all my life for a cherished DB and Usher community!!!!  It was fun to chat with Melinda Granger, Annie LeJuene, Judith Perrodin and others.

We enjoyed the delicious lunch with shrimp alfredo, peas and cookies.

After lunch we went to the bayou boat cruise despite of rain on and off, but we enjoyed it so much!  I was amazed to notice many houses in the small towns with pillars supporting houses with no foundations not alike in Connecticut!  It was a beautiful cruise for 2 hours and I was surprised to see several houseboats as very unusual!  After the cruise we zoomed to Pat’s Waterfront Cajun restaurant for Cajun dinner with gumbo and big dinner!  We got so filled up!!!

On Saturday morning, April 19^th it was a very very big day with the special event!  It was LADBC's unique Annual Crawfish picnic along with 150 people.  I was so happy to see Antonia Pitre, Nancy Perry, Sue and Wes Morgan and many very friendly deaf and DB people that touched my heart, wow!!!  Dan Arabie introduced me to be their guest speaker, so I had opportunity to give my address about my background, education, career, family, first experience at my first AADB conference in 1988 Baton Rouge AADB, Seabeck and endorsement for Dan Arabie to be AADB President and Tim "HULK" Jackson of South Dakota for AADB Vice President in 2009!!!!  Lets have DB POWER to make the deaf-blind community to be STRONGER, BETTER with OPEN COMMUNICATION!!!

After the LADBC picnic, Dan invited us over to his parents' house for the Homemade Cajun BBQ dinner and we had a wonderful fellowship with his supportive parents and great aunt.

On Sunday morning, April 20^th I felt so funny to see the living room being empty without Melanie and Harvey Bond, who left for home by bus to Michigan.  Then Leslie Perrodin picked me, Dan and Mark Gasaway up for Cane's Cajun Chicken Fingers restaurant for "brunch" on way to the Lafayette Regional Airport.  We had great brunch with wonderful chats.

Then Leslie dropped me off at the airport for my homebound flight.  I gave big bearhugs to Dan, Mark and Leslie and gave millions of Cajun Thanks to Dan for everything!!!!

In conclusion, I was NEVER bored during my wonderful vacation in LoUiSiAna and learned many many things in my mind!!!  I fell in love with Cajun Culture, DB community in Lafayette, where it is the "USHER CAPITAL OF THE WORLD", wow!!!!  Give millions of Cajun THANKS and HUGS to LADBC members for inviting me to be their special guest speaker!!!

THANKS very very much from bottom of my HEART to Dan Arabie, Judith Perrodin, Philomena and Mike Wolf, Maria Garden and Bob Annis, Cleve and Donna Cormier, Jessica, Yenter and Betty, Leslie Perrodin, and others for being my ssp's and hosts and hostesses for EVERYTHING!!!!!  A to Z!!!!!

BIG CAJUN HUGS,

Tom Peters, Connecticut