Instead of writing on the blog this past week, I have been posting on Facebook. Everyday I posted a picture of a house with a porch from the town of Abita Springs, Louisiana. From comments on the posts, I have learned that my friends on Facebook share my regard for porches. Some have commented on memories they had on porches from their childhood. They wrote of spending time with their grandparents on the front porch. One recalls her grandmother sewing a quilt on the front porch. Another wrote of chatting in Cajun French on the front porch. Some lamented the lack of a porch at their grandparents’ residence.
My grandfather, Yvest, raised vegetables and melons to sell in the French Market in New Orleans. Almost every day, he took a break in the middle of the day from farm work. He would take a rest on his front porch. In fact, he was very punctual with his naps. resting at noon so regularly that he earned a nickname by the neighbors. He was called Noon. It must have been a great porch to inspire a ritual at noon everyday.
I only knew him when he was incapacitated by a stroke. Grandpa Noon in those days spent most of the day, not just noon time, on the porch in his wheelchair. Because he was there most of the day, that porch was the center of family life for my grandparents. They snapped beans, shelled peas, visited with family and friends, and of course, napped on the porch. As noted in another blog post, he taught me little snippets of Cajun French on that porch.
Today, porches are generally ornamental. Life in the South is lived inside, in the air conditioned space, in front of the television or online. However, I still love the look of a good porch. Below I am posting a few porches that I featured on Facebook. Enjoy.
Gumbo Ya-Ya 
We have gone to decks, a platform hung on the back of the house. I have a small front pouch, it has two wire benches where I read in clement weather. The deck looks out over the back fields, it is used for entertaining, even sledding in winter-down the steps kind of fun for the toddlers.
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Ah! The deck! I forgot about the new fad, the deck. In the South we grill and eat on the deck. Sledding in winter sounds lots more fun.
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I am pro-porch, and yet I have never lived in a house that had one. Or, at least, a proper porch. But anyplace that affords the establishment of relationships is something I can get behind.
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I like that phrase, pro porch. Sounds like a statement that a local politician would say. Get well, Steve.
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Being a gal from the south, I can relate to your post. On our last house hunting mission we made an emotionally driven offer due to the front porch. Its a 1930’s house and the front porch reminded my husband of his grandparents’ home in Yoakum, Tx. We’ve skipped sipping sweet tea but have had many glasses of wine out there watching cars go by.
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I wish you many more days of wine sipping on your front porch. Thanks for dropping by the Gumbo blog.
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