Candyce and I met Paul for lunch at his office. He works for the Vocations Office for the Catholic Diocese of Houma-Tibbideoux. He does a lot of things around town, but mostly leads prayer groups and Bible studies. He’s an impressive guy.

After lunch, Candyce and I hurried along backroads to find the swamp tour. The pontoon boat had already left us, but they were nice enough to turn around and pick up the stragglers. The only other people on the boat were two college girls and an Asian couple that didn’t speak English.

It’s still early in the spring, so not many of the gators were out. But there were enough to make the tour fun. The raccoons put on a good show, and the owl was stately. A swamp tour is one of those stupid things you just have to do when you get to Louisiana. When it was all over, the tour guide let me hold his tiny pet gator. It was like pre-school lesson for becoming a wild man.

Paul and Gretchen put the kids to be early tonight, and the three of us had a nice dinner of red beans and rice. They are such a cool couple. It was an intimate moment to sit next to Candyce during dinner. It’s been a great night.