My family lived on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana when I was in the 6th grade. Before moving to Grand Isle, we lived in Houma for a while and I was the only blond, blue eyed person in the school and people stared.  That was a little scary for me because I had not learned to come out of the woodwork where I normally stayed.  I remember surf fishing for flounder and evacuating for two or more hurricanes during the time we were there,  and highways in front of us covered with crawdads!  but I didn't recall the beauty of the state.