Victorian Teddy Bear Tea Returns to The Dansereau House!

I can’t stop them from giggling! Almost two hundred Teddy Bears, sent from the North Pole to the Bayou Country of Southern Louisiana, arrived on the front veranda a bit early. They were just too excited about the Victorian Teddy Bear Christmas Tea to be held at The Dansereau House again this December. I’ve got them stashed on the third floor, but every once in a while I hear giggling. They are cute, and I wish I had time to sneak up and play….

Reservations are now being taken for The Teddy Bear Tea, held this year on Saturday, December 8, and Sunday, December 9. Sittings are at Noon and 3:00 PM both days.  Santa Claus, of course, will be here to listen to desires of all the good little girls and boys, and his  official photographer will be ready in our Photo Corner to capture the moment. Mrs. Claus will be here, too, sharing stories and little-known secrets about their life at the North Pole. We’ve also invited a special princess guest this year!

Every child will take home their own Dansereau House Teddy Bear, and each adult will enjoy a complimentary glass of champagne.  Our menu will appeal to both young and old, with a sampling of  the sweet and savory fit for a queen! And, of course, a variety of teas from which to choose. The cost again this year, is $35 for adults, and $25 for children under ten, not including tax and gratuity. Photos with Santa will be available at a minimal cost, depending on the size.

Last year’s tea was such a success, and sittings filled quickly. Don’t miss this special time to enjoy the Christmas beauty of The Dansereau House with family and friends.

In the Eye of the Storm: Hurricane Isaac

We had a guest at The Dansereau House this week who did not make reservations. We knew he might be in the area, but never dreamed he’d choose to stay with us. His name was Isaac; we never got a last name. He is now on the “No Further Reservations Allowed” list.

Paul and I are not novices to hurricanes. We both grew up in Florida and we know the drill. In my childhood innocence, hurricanes seemed almost fun. While my dad put up storm shutters, we tied sheets to our roller skates and  ‘sailed’ around the block. When preparations were finished, we’d pull mattresses into the living room, and would all be together for the great adventure.

As adults, with a home of our own, the adventure part faded. But, we put up shutters, threw the patio furniture into the pool, brought in the orchids, pulled out the mattresses and waited in the darkness for the storm to pass. After all the hard work preparing, it was a great chance to sleep.

Preparing a 165-year-old, 9,000 square foot house for a hurricane is another kettle of fish! Everywhere you turn, there’s something else that needs attention. The first and second floors have shutters, and it only took two trips to Lowes to get them secured! We could not have done it without the help of Thibodaux Main Street Director Cody Blanchard, who came over to lend a hand. And, we are much appreciative that Trey Folse took some time away from helping his own family, to help us.

Our Innkeepers House sits under two old Oak trees and is structurally a bit more questionable than the Big House. I prepared it as best as I could, packed a little suitcase, and we ‘evacuated.’

We had water and food, batteries and lanterns, books and reading lights. Finally, at 3:30 in the afternoon we sat down to catch our breath and watch the Weather Channel. Within moments the power went out and this big, old house got strangely quiet and dark.

I hadn’t wanted to start using up batteries so early in the game, but there wasn’t much else to do but read. If we had known what the night was to hold for us, we would have slept! It was about to become a roller-coaster ride! About three hours later the power returned, so I began heating up freezer food for dinner. As soon as we sat down to eat and watch the news, off it went again! At least we had a hot meal, in the dark.

We have a wonderful, state-of-the-art alarm system here in the House. And, whenever they detect a problem, including a loss of power, they call to check on us before alerting the fire department. I’m sure that their call center is in some nice, sunny location and the operators were oblivious to our situation. It was nice to hear from them the first time. Paul explained to them that we were taking a direct hit from Hurricane Isaac, and that we had lost power, but were fine. I’m sure we both thought they would put that in their notes, and further calls would not be necessary….

The power returned, and we checked ourselves into The Caldwell Room. (That bed IS wonderful!) We watched TV, and must have fallen asleep for a bit.

Can you be awakened by darkness and silence? I guess. But lying there, in the dark, coming out of sleep, I recognized another sound.   I whispered to Paul, “I hear water. In the house.”  We scrambled toward the sound. As we headed up the stairs to the third floor, I realized that I was getting rained on from above. But, I was in the dead center of the house! I confess, I began yelling, “Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! What is happening?”  But Paul had to shush me, because he was answering a call from the alarm company. The operator was asking, did we know that we had trouble?

Water was coming through the ceiling of the third floor, rolling and bouncing off stairs and handrails, and traveling as far down as the first floor. We continued up to the attic, and what greeted us there, in hindsight, seemed a bit like the Titanic to me.  The air was swirling in the attic, and especially in the cupola. To say that water was ‘dripping’ everywhere is too mild. ‘Running’ is more like it. Every wastebasket and bus pan was put to use. I dumped items out of storage containers and Paul wedged them into place. We dried and rearranged some of the Christmas décor that was in storage up there.

I came down out of the attic before Paul, and as I came into the stairwell foyer, I see the beautiful draperies being sucked in and out of where there once was a window! It was like a pulse, a heartbeat, and I think I was stunned into watching it for a few seconds before I yelled for Paul. Oddly, there was no glass shards, no wood, just rain pouring in and I realized that the window pane had just gotten sucked right out! Paul ran back to the attic for some old boards, and we simply screwed them in place. Later, when the eye of the storm was passing, I went outside for a look-around. There in the grass was the window- completely intact!

Knowing that this 165-year-old house has withstood its share of hurricanes, I felt pretty secure. But, as the night went on, that security began to fade. The house shuddered and groaned. The windows above the front door vibrated badly, making the same sound that a transformer makes as it blows off the pole. The third floor was not a place for the faint of heart! The windows seemed to breathe with the gusts. Finally, the last straw! The kitchen began to leak! Everywhere! More containers! More towels! And after the eye finally passed, they all had to be moved to the other side of the house, as the wind changed direction and the bar began to leak.

When Isaac moved on, we were grateful. On his way out, he toppled the side fence, exposing our A/C equipment area, leaving probably the most unappealing part of the property exposed. As Paul said, “It looks like we got caught in our underwear.” The trees all look as if Fall came early, and there’s a lot a repair work ahead. But we are grateful for safety, and the ability to laugh together even when it’s raining – outside and in.

Romance Steams things up in Thibodaux!

Temperatures have been steamy in Thibodaux lately, and you can blame it on us! Just in one week alone we’ve had three couples celebrating their anniversary here at The Dansereau House. But even more romantic is the special Proposal Dinner that we put together on the Fourth of July!

Who says romance is dead? Not for John Warren! Even though he  knew we were not a restaurant, John approached us and asked if we could provide him with an intimate dinner where he could propose to his sweetheart, Megan, and, of course, we said yes! And, when John asked the important question, of course, she said yes!

John had the vision, and let us do the planning. Because we had guests that night, we chose the third floor foyer to set the stage, as well as the table. Soft piano music filled the air,  candles lined the window sills, and a single red rose awaited.

While Lori prepared the four-course meal, Paul did the serving. But we wonder if either of them really tasted the food, because the big moment was saved until the check arrived.  In it? An incredible ring, tied on with ribbon, and the check that simply said, “Will You Marry Me?” And she said yes.