The Quest

I started out early, on a Saturday morning, before the sun had yet kissed the sky. I was on a quest, in search of a solid answer to a nagging, albiet odd question, that had lodged itself deeply, and inexplicably into my very soul.
There was a very straight forward path to my destination, but on this day, I chose a meandering one. I had one stop to make first.
Visit with me for a while...
Natchitoches, La. is exactly like the ficticious town depicted in "Steel Magnolias"; small, quaint and quiet.
A "Truvy's" truly did exist at one time, although I'm not sure if it bore that name. The location of "Truvy's West" is actually a small sandwich shop, called "Just Friends", where the Ouiser Boudreauxs and Clariee Belchers of today gossip over diminutive cups of tea and luscious slabs of cheese cake.
Stepping out onto the cobblestoned streets of downtown Natchitoches, one may feel a strange and odd "Twilite Zone" aura. If you wait, long enough, you will see a Boy Scout escort a little old lady across the lane. The town hall's clock sounds on the hour, and there is virtually no litter.
The town dentist operates out of his home; a beautiful, pillared antibellum with a wrap-around porch, shaded by massive oaks that drip with Spanish moss.
Perched amongst the sturdy limbs of one of the oaks is a treehouse "cottage", complete with paned windows, shutters, and gingham curtains that flutter with the breeze. Below is a toddler-sized table, "set" with permanently attached plastic plates, flatware, and glasses filled with acrylic "iced tea": An infinite picnic.
There is a Piggly Wiggly, where one may purchase ""pawk-n-beans", in abundance, for the "Drum Eatonton" in your life.
Down the perpendicular lanes off of Main St. there are many beautiful homes much like the good doctor's; some white, some in pale, pastel hues, some lived in by generations of the same family.
During the making of the movie, many of those families willingly vacated their homes so that the stars would have decent accomodations. There are few hotels in and around Natchitoches, and just the idea of Shirley Mac Laine, Olympia Dukakis, or Sally Field cooling their heels at the Best Western or Econo Lodge is well, amusing.
My uncle's home was lived in by Dylan Mc Dermott. How cool is that?
My uncle was the president of Northwestern State University for many years. The football team's uniforms are indeed, a "vibrant shade of purple". Grape or aubergine? Well, I'll leave that to you.
My uncle was the man I had come to see. He had something I wanted, and he was waiting.

To be continued...