So with that, we put Layla in the car seat and, with a big wave goodbye to Lisa, Maggie turned the key. The Ford Galaxie engine roared to life.

It didn’t take us long to clear the New Orleans city limits and within a half hour or so we were cruising through the southwestern Louisiana Delta. Maggie was smiling ear to ear and we had Layla sitting between us, securely strapped in her car seat. The Galaxie had the old-style bench seat and Layla was kicking her legs up and down. She had on a little wool cap and her favorite little blue overalls. She was loving the ride.

The weekend was off to a great start.

Our destination was about ten miles north of a little town called Houma, Louisiana, which is about an hour’s drive from New Orleans.

It wasn’t long after a beautiful drive through the oak-tree-laden Delta that we saw the name “Wilson” on the old, rusty, country mailbox. David had told us that it was beside a massive live oak tree and to use this as our landmark to turn down the long gravel driveway that led to David’s family homestead.