You may be looking at this picture saying, "This is an unusual home," or something to that effect. Look closely at the picture. See the tired, pudgy, guy at the edge of the stairs with the black t-shirt -- that's me -- Lee Shaffer, III.
This picture was taken after I retired from the US Air Force in 2008 and my wife, Susan and our three boys returned to Terebonne Parish, Louisiana after being away for 25 years. We had travelled all around the world but were excited about coming home to help restore Ardoyne Plantation to it's luster. We learned from the Air Force that wherever you drop your bags was usually where you called home. As long as we were together as a family, we were home. The dreams of moving into a wonderful home that the past seven generations in our family had resided in were simply a great concept -- but maybe not reality.
However, if you look real carefully at the left side of the house on the second floor you will notice the ladder in the upstairs window, the curtains falling on the other side and shutters coming apart all over the house. Susan was breaking her back and working to make this place our home as quickly as possible. The yard was filled with brush and debris. The first step of this restoration was about finished. My three sons, wife and I had taken over 100 truckloads of junk to the dump. If you look carefully you can see me, the military officer, looking south for the reinforcements -- they never came.
What did come about September 2008 were Hurricanes Gustave and Ike. Both left a path of 30 trees in their wake and trash beyond belief. Once again I started to pile up trash and cut trees from all over the yard. It is now November 2011 and we have the yard pretty much cleaned up; we are living in the upstairs of the house; we now have electricity, plumbing, and painted rooms. We have painted most of the shutters and window casings and eliminated two bee hives from the place, and we are beginning to see a beautiful plantation -- but now we see the reality that it takes some time to make a plantation into a home.
I'm glad to know this gem is being restored. I pass on 311 once every few months when I make the trip to visit with my sister down the road in Houma. Ardoyne is the most interesting thing on the entire trip. Also, shooting the movie "Deadline" at Ardoyne completely made up for the poor plot. Good luck to you and your wife. I hope to see more posts soon.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, 5-years late, sorry about that. I hope someone is still checking this blog? I lived in Thibodaux for a while in the late 1980's early '90s and actually stopped by Ardoyne and knocked on the door a rather elderly woman very kindly took me through the house. There were a number of amazing treasures there. I hope you inherited some of them. It was a beautiful house and a wonderful heritage to be in charge of for your family. Best of luck to you.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your response, Robison. I have not done very well working on this blog, but it might change. That older lady was Margaret Shaffer, my grandmother, and she always let people in the house. Many of the same things she had and made are still in the house. In November 2013 we opened the house to the public and it is going well. Maybe you can come and visit again.
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