Any Cajun swamp mers out there?

[Aziara]

Hi everyone. Not sure if I can call myself a mer precisely, I have no tail and I'm looking for monofin. I live in Abbeville, Louisiana. What can I say about myself... I love to swim! I can remember as a kid I nearly had a lifeguard dive in after me because my favorite thing to do in a pool is to sit on the bottom of the deep end. She thought I was drowning because I was there so long, lol. It's just so peaceful down there.
Anyway, are there any other Louisiana mers? Be cool to meet some.

[ButterflyVision]

Yay! Louisiana!! I'm sorry as soon as i read Cajun I thought "Louisiana... *squeal*. I live in New Orleans. You can call yourself a mer! I don't have a tail or mono fin yet either. Good to know you love to swim. I never mastured treading-water which i a bit problematic... but i still love the water! Sorry if i came off hyper. If you look on the member map you can generally see where mers are located. Most are in Florida. :p Anyway, glad to see another Louisianan.

[Aziara]

Nice to know I'm not alone in the state. :)

[pyrana]

Hi! I'm in Baton Rouge!! 3 mers in Louisiana that we know of, not bad!

[Aziara]

Sweet! The Louisiana pod is growing! Love it.

[Mermaid Brighid]

Im in LA also! I am a new orleans mer! I am getting my tail soon (hopefully!) WOOHOO Louisiana MERS

[pyrana]

We should have a meetup one day! What tail are you looking at Brighid?

[Mermaid Brighid]

I really like the merbellas tails but haven't completely decided. :) we should definitely meet up! I'm in the uptown/garden area!


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[BayouMermaid]

I would also love to do a meetup. I know that the LA renfest is coming up...*ideas*

[Mermaid Brighid]

I'm looking at the merbellas tail but haven't decided yet! :) I would love a meet up it am in the garden district/uptown area!


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[pyrana]

i think it starts this weekend, but cold water = count me out!

[Aziara]

A renfair this weekend??? Where? I've always wanted to go to one!

[pyrana]

Yep, its in Hammond and opens this weekend. http://www.larf.net (http://www.larf.net/)

[Mermaid Brighid]

This looks amazing!! I've never been to a Ren fair


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[BayouMermaid]

So I definitely want to do a Louisiana meetup, perhaps in May or June. It looks like most mers are in the Southern part of Louisiana. There are two locations that I think would be good.

The first (and my preferred option) is Fontainebleu state park on the north shore of lake Pontchartrain. There is a beach in the park that allows swimming. The lake is high brackish and does not attract critters like alligators and snakes (though there are some that live in other areas of the park). There are also cyprus trees along the shore that could make for some neat photo shoots. They also have showers and bathrooms by the camp sites.

The second location is Bogue Chitto state park. Swimmable areas include the Bogue Chitto River and several small lakes in the park. The river is popular for tubers and canoers, but not deep enough to have to worry about motor boat traffic.

I tried to pick locations that are known for swimming to try and keep everyone safe. Other suggestions are welcome.

[Aziara]

Wow! I was just thinking when I saw your tailmaking thread this morning that we should arrange a meetup. I'm going to Scarborough Ren Fair in early May, so either late May or June should work for me. I do like the thought that Fontainebleu state park has showers and bathrooms, so we won't be dirty/wet for the drive home :thumbs-up:. That's my vote.

[pyrana]

I am in but I am not keen on getting into water with low visibility. If a pool will work I know a sweet place in Springfield, LA we could hit up. Does everyone have a tail?

[BayouMermaid]

I believe Aziara and I both have fabric tails. Not sure about the other mers on here. According to the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, this week's water visibility at Fontainebleau was .83 feet, so yeah, murky water. Where is the pool located in Springfield? Is it public?

[Mermaid Brighid]

I should have a tail within the week. I'm sticking with fabric for a while as I am a college student and.....well... tuition at a private university eats up all the money from my three jobs haha! :) But I would love to meet up and swim with you guys.

[BayouMermaid]

Oh my gosh I'm so excited! So I'm thinking the weekend of May 24th (Saturday) or May 25 (Sunday). I personally will be out of town May 16-18 and June 6-8 for scuba certification, but all other days are currently open. I think that end of May is the best time to do this because people will be out of school and it is far enough away to request a day off of work.

Brighid, do you have any preference for pool vs. natural water way?

[Prince Calypso]

Not from Louisiana but i have relatives down that way and most of my blood line come from the swamps lol
aunt and uncle live in Shreveport and i visit from time to time.

[pyrana]

There is a campground with a decent but smallish pool. Good enough to do photos and play around though. And its surrounded by swamp if we wanted to do something artsy or bring a canoe. I haven't asked but I am sure they would be happy to have us. I am a performer so my weekends are usually jam packed through the Spring, would have to check on dates. I wonder if a hotel would be willing to host us somewheres? I'm not opposed to travelling to New Orleans maybe. Right now I have a fabric tail with lots of white so like I said kinda want to avoid the merkiness if possible! Should we exchange emails/facebook/phone number or something?

[BayouMermaid]

I can bring a canoe or pirouge with us. I drive a truck! I sent everyone in this group a pm with my contact info.

[Mermaid Brighid]

I am ok with either murky or clear! :)

[BayouMermaid]

Possible Swim Sites in Louisiana:

19674

Located 4 miles South of Franklinton, LA. This park has a river running through it along with several lakes.

The beach runs for a couple of hundred yards and has beach chairs lining the shores. You can get umbrellas and cushions from the park to use on the chairs. The water in this area is shallow when there has not been too much rain. There are several deeper spots in the river but overall it looks to be about 4 to 5 feet deep in the middle. Again, a lot depends on when the last rainfall took place.

The 1,786-acre site includes small streams, cypress tupelo swamps, a hardwood forest, upland forests and a rolling landscape that makes for great hiking trips.

Possible dangers: Alligators and snakes

19675

The 2,800-acre park is located on the shore of Lake Pontchartrain in Mandeville, Louisiana. The site features a beach with a swimming area along with a pier on the lake. On a clear day, visitors can see the lake dotted with multi-colored sailboats of all sizes and types. The sandy beach also is a delight for sunbathers. Located just a short drive from New Orleans by taking a drive across the 24 mile long Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Bridge.

Possible dangers: snakes, sharp shells/rocks in water

19676

This privately owned campground is located outside of Springfield south of Tickfaw State Park. Prior arrangements must be made before camping.

Gryphon's Nest Campground is a picturesque 53 acres of semi- rough land with cleared areas and wooded perimeters in which you can romp and hold gatherings of any type. This camp is designed for "out of the ordinary people" without the fear of judgement or being disturbed by neighbors and owners. The area is surrounded by a swamp, assuring privacy.

Walk along the 80 ft. dock and watch for owls, turkeys, cranes, otters - who knows what you might see! Are you brave enough to bring your kayak and weave between the trees, or try your hand at catfishing? You may make good use of the land your own way, as long as you follow the rules and clean up.

There is a 4 foot deep pool on the property, outdoor showers, and a clubhouse with indoor toilets.

Possible dangers: low cell phone reception, snakes, alligators

[Aziara]

While I like the idea of visibility, that pool looks a little small :/ Could just be the perspective though.

[BayouMermaid]

I have also contacted the UNO Lakefront Aquatic Center in New Orleans. I am waiting for a reply from them via email. If I don't get a response by Monday evening, I'll call them.

http://aquaticcenter.uno.edu/

[BayouMermaid]

I talked to the manager of the pool, and they would love to have us! They were so nice and helpful.

The manager said that the least busy times for the pool are Saturday evening after 2 pm or Sundays. They have a 50 meter indoor pool that goes to a depth of 12 feet. There are lane ropes in the pools, but we could let them know before hand and get the ropes moved. There is also a 4 foot deep outdoor pool. The daily use fee is $5 per person during recreational swim hours. They are also close to the New Orleans lakefront and city park.
19746

So here is what I was thinking: Meet up at City Park for a picnic and photos in the park for noon, then head over to UNO Lakefront Aquatic Center for swimming from about 2pm till 5pm (around 3 hours of swimming). This gives everyone time to get back home.

19748

Also, City park has so many beautiful stone bridges, ponds, and fountains that we could get some really nice photos before getting wet. Please let me know what you all think!

19747


Some ideas for photos in the park: http://www.neworleanscitypark.com/art-and-architecture

[Aziara]

That sounds like a fantastic idea!

[BayouMermaid]

From the responses that I've gotten so far, it seems like the UNO pool is a good option, and it is the one that I personally am leaning toward due to the size of the pool. Looking at the map of mers in Louisiana, New Orleans is also fairly central location, with plenty of things to do before and after if people wanted to hang around longer.

Tentatively, does Saturday, May 31st work for everyone? I need to know well in advance so that I can request off of work. (I work retail, so my schedule is always crazy, lol)

Also, is anyone bringing friends or significant others? My sister said she *might* tag along.

[Aziara]

From the responses that I've gotten so far, it seems like the UNO pool is a good option, and it is the one that I personally am leaning toward due to the size of the pool. Looking at the map of mers in Louisiana, New Orleans is also fairly central location, with plenty of things to do before and after if people wanted to hang around longer.

Tentatively, does Saturday, May 31st work for everyone? I need to know well in advance so that I can request off of work. (I work retail, so my schedule is always crazy, lol)

Also, is anyone bringing friends or significant others? My sister said she *might* tag along.
May 31st will work for me. My husband also might come as a mertender, though that's a bit iffy.

[TheMerDame]

Hmmmmmm, I may actually be able to make it on the 31st even though I'm all the way in north Louisiana.

[BayouMermaid]

That would be awesome.

[BayouMermaid]

Ok, I put in a time off request for May 31st, so I will for sure be there

[pyrana]

count me in, added to my calendar!

[BayouMermaid]

I emailed to confirm with UNO that we will be there for the 31st. Also, check your PMs as I sent out information there. Looking forward to seeing everyone!


EDIT: UNO's pool is unavailable for our date. I am looking into alternate locations and will update.

[BayouMermaid]

Here is a pic from the 5/31/14 meet up! Everyone looked so great in their tails. I am so happy that I got to meet everyone :D
21276

[pyrana]

Here is a pic from the 5/31/14 meet up! Everyone looked so great in their tails. I am so happy that I got to meet everyone :D
21276


I love it! Thanks so much for organizing and my eyes are grateful for that ionic filter water

[Aziara]

So glad I was able to go. I had a blast!

[BayouMermaid]

Thanks y'all for coming. I was so happy that we had a nice turn out, and I really enjoyed meeting people and seeing how everyone made their tails. It was an awesome day, and I'd love to get together again one day.

[Chrissy]

I am so happy I found this pod!!!! My poor fabric tail is falling apart and I am waiting for Raven to start taking orders again so I can get one of my tail designs made!!!! I would love to know when you do another meet up!!!