Fontainebleau State Park

            Today I am in the Fontainebleau State Park. The park is located in Mandeville, Louisiana. In the past, it was privately owned and named Tchefuncte State Park. The park is surrounded by Lake Pontchartrain, Bayou Cane, and Bayou Castine. It is the most beautiful park that I have seen since I came to the United States. The park is very spacious  and it has many places where you can swim and rest.

            In this moment, I am sitting on the sidewalk in front of the lake. My friends are behind me. Some of them are taking care of their children, and other are still having lunch.

            On my right side there are two people sitting on the chairs near the sidewalk. They are looking around and watching their children. The woman is tall and has blonde hair. She is wearing a beautiful blue blouse and blue shorts. She also has a big black purse on her lap. Her husband is talking to her in a soft voice, and she is listening mindfully. He is wearing a blue shirt and black pants. They both are smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol, so they seem to be rested and relaxed. Their children are playing in front of them. The girls are twins, so they both have straight blonde hair and blue eyes. They are both walking slowly beside the lake. While the girls are walking their dog is biting a little orange ball. He seems to be very excited because he is chasing his tail.

            In front of me there are three teenage girls. One of them is standing on the sand while the other girls are running toward the water. They are trying to climb a large rock in the lake. It is hard for them because the rock is wet. They are laughing a lot and calling their friends to look at them. They were having a good time until one of them hurts her foot. I could not see what happened, but I see that there is blood running on her foot. She is looking around with panic in her eyes while her friends are talking with her.

            Even though today is a sunny day,  there are more people on the grass behind me than in the water. I realize there are people of all ages. Most of them come to here to rest and spend time with friends and family.

Simone Zulpo