Mandeville Memories: A nod to the Northshore

Happy Knoll was a museum-like landmark on Mandeville’s Bayou Castine. It was my first immersion into the Northshore.

It was a very special place
That touched so many lives
Family, friends and friends of friends
Were welcomed in its hive.

The rules were all quite simple
There were no clocks to set
We were just to seek enjoyment
With modicum respect.

It cast a rare insouciance
That drove darkness away
Here was divulged life’s secret
If only for a day.

When everything seems stark and trying
We take a mental stroll
To lazy hazy simple times
Embraced at Happy Knoll.

– Intro. by Betsie Gambel, poem by Lisa Slatten