Sunday, July 13, 2008

My Town Monday: More Rayne

Rayne has become my adopted home while away on business. It's a quaint little city just west of Baton Rouge, LA. My charmer and I were taken with the area immediately with it's many shops and local eateries. The antique stores have been a treasure trove of old books and, of course, the cuisine is excellent but that's to be expected when you are in the heart of Cajun country.

I previously blogged about the cemetery in the center of Rayne, which is unique in its own right, but the first thing that hops out at you when you visit are the frogs. Not live ones but as murals on many of the city buildings, fountain sculptures, road signs, and more. Rayne prides itself as the official Louisiana City of Murals.


The city square with it's frog fountain and stage.


3D mural on the side of a 'dollar' store.


History on the Chamber of Commerce bldg.


Didn't see any frogs crossing here.


Next to the 5&10 Worthmore's mural.


The local newspaper offices.


Hold the presses!


Little d outside the local Post Office.


One of the schools (elementary, I think).


It wouldn't be Louisiana without some crawfish!


The interstate interchange welcome mural.

It's hard to imagine, but I still haven't seen a single live frog. The closest I've come are those on the menu...!

11 comments:

Barrie said...

I wonder if they hold frog races? I know someone who collects everything frog. She'd probably like to move there!

David Cranmer said...

Yes, they do! The frog festival is coming up in September, and if I'm still here, I plan to check out the frog racing and jumping contest (you can rent a frog for this event!) and also the frog derby (they used to dress up the frogs in little jockey uniforms... I wonder if they still do). I think your friend would find Rayne really interesting!

pattinase (abbott) said...

We used to race turtles. I bet frogs are a better bet.
You certainly have a beautiful centerpiece for some of these pics.

David Cranmer said...

Patti, turtle racing must have been fun too. I can only imagine what it takes to keep a turtle or frog focused!

Clare2e said...

Awesome pictures. I'm crazy about frogs and toads.

One of the highlights for my nieces and nephew of our yearly trip to Myrtle Beach, SC, is the evening toad-hunting. Not so much for snacking. The little eyes are good at finding, but I was mostly catching them this year. Then, you wait for them to loose their panic all over your hand if they've a mind to, though some are quite placid and unperturbed. Perhaps last year's victims, I mean, guests of honor? The kids get to scream like lunatics, coo over the cuteness, or chase each other around with them before we deposit them back into the wet undergrowth.

There are so many useful purposes before the deep fryer : )

Unknown said...
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David Cranmer said...

Clare, it sounds like you guys have a blast... kids bring so much joy to the little things in life! I'm definitely all for the catch and release philosophy. On the menu note, I just can't bring myself to try the little critter legs.

Barbara Martin said...

There must be frogs or there wouldn't be so many murals about them. I wonder what different kinds of frogs there are.

David says there's frog racing, a jumping derby with frog's in uniform. Who's taking photos for the post?

David Cranmer said...

Barbara,
From what I've read, the bullfrog is what got the whole ball rolling in Rayne's history.

I'm going to have to take pictures of the frogs in uniform if I'm still here... can't miss that opportunity!

Travis Erwin said...

Good post. I'm glad to see you "hopping" on the My Town Monday bandwagon. Bad pun intended.

David Cranmer said...

Travis, Thanks for adding me to the MTM group! It's been a lot of fun discovering the facets of a new (or at least different) community. I'll have another post in a couple of weeks.