My Louisiana Sky

-Jessica McDaniel

A boy from New York, after hearing I was from Louisiana, asked me how I got to school every day. He asked, “Do you take fanboats?” I told him that swamps aren’t the only thing in Louisiana: I took the bus. While swamps are a major part of our history and our culture, I only ever see one if I go far enough south. When I think of Louisiana, I think about the trees and how they are the only things that border the skyline when I look outside. It’s refreshing to so much open space, especially at the times when the sun is just coming up or just coming down. The colors are a beautiful mix of blues, reds, purples and pinks, and set behind the sprawling branches of the woods, there’s a wonderful contrast of dark and bright. The sky is never the same and every time I step outside, whether to go to work, school or even Wal-Mart, I stop and look up. The untainted beauty of nature in Louisiana is breathtaking. I took this first picture heading to school one morning. I used to take my camera everywhere just for this purpose, to freeze-frame the sky as it changes colors. This picture is striking, almost looking like the trees are on fire. The image looks fabricated, but is more natural than any picture of a sunrise or sunset on a city skyline. This is nature with a natural backdrop.
The natural beauty of Louisiana is extravagant, but our state also has a history. I love technology and indoor plumbing, but there is something intriguing about what’s left of our past. The many plantations left standing today are reminders of where we came from, how we started off. I’m not talking about our history with slavery; I’m talking about the buildings themselves. My friend and I took a road trip a while back and took a detour through St. Francisville to check out the plantations. It was a perfect day and the first thing I noticed after the gigantic mansion was the sky. It was clear, blue, with white fluffy clouds and set a mood with the scene: relaxing. Stepping into one of these structures is like stepping into the past. We live every day in the present, looking towards the future. Back then, they did the exact same thing. Everything they did was done so their children and their children could have a better life. Louisiana’s past is built on the pursuit of a better future. Stepping into these monuments of our history allows us to think of how things were then. Driving in Baton Rouge everyday is depressing after a while, and coming out to a piece of Louisiana like this, where every day is quiet and relaxing, is that first breath of air after being underwater: it’s perfectly natural.