Take Me Off Into the Swamp In an Airboat, Please

What a whirlwind the last week has been.  And with Christmas coming it seems to have even greater urgency.

Frustrated Me

Monday night we put the dogs into boarding and headed down to New Orleans. I had planned on setting up something fun so I could just take a break and relax.  I looked at things like an airboat through the swamp out of Butte La Rose or Des Allemands.  My second though was a more passive tour of the San Francisco Plantation or the beautiful Laura Plantation.

Neither of those goals were achievable because the Baton Rouge Orthopedic Clinic was incredibly disrespectful of my time.  Sine my appointment was 2:15 and the last time I had an appointment I left after sitting in the waiting room for an hour and a half and never getting called back.

I thought I could outsmart them so I got to the clinic at 1:30 and do my waiting BEFORE the appointment time.  Right?

At 3:15 they called me back to let me sit for another 45 minutes in a room.

When I got to the house, Frank had not brought the dogs to the vet, and I still had to do that.  Now we weren't even able to plan going to dinner in New Orleans.

On Tuesday we attended the Tammy's graduation from the Occupational Therapy program in the UNO Arena on the Lakefront.  In 1970, Frank was a student at LSUNO which later became UNO.  So it was a trip back in time for him as well.

Tammy went back to school after being a Medical Transcriptionist for the last 23 years.  She won all kinds of academic awards in the program  as an honors student.  Her sweet personality will provide a great lift for the patients she will encounter in her job.

Tammy's daughter is working on her PhD at LSU in Operatic Music.

Tammy and her dad Howard

Tammy, husband Billy and Daughter Vivian

There were many tears shared between the two of us, Tammy's mother was a dear friend of mine who lost the fight to cancer 12 years ago.  She had a rare brain cancer.  I know Janice was there with us and was so proud of Tammy's huge accomplishment.

It is interesting to note that while their family lived across the street from us in Tickfaw, LA I was attending Southeastern LA University and they attended MY graduation where I won all kinds of academic honor awards including Valedictorian in one of my undergraduate degrees.










Whistful Me.

What an emotional day after the last week with Diane and Rodney and Jason and Chad.

Which, by the way will continue with Rodney's wake tonight.

Happy Mardi Gras!

Keep reading, there is a quilt in here somewhere.  

Still in full swing as I type this, Mardi Gras won't end until the Kings of Rex and Comus Krewes meet at the  foot of Canal Street.  Canal Street is the main street in New Orleans.  For those who have been here before, it is generally in the area of the Harrah's Casino.  Harrah's Casino is the only land based casino in the state!  All others float in some river or other body of water.

I am sure your local news has great shots of the partying in the French Quarter.  But the best parades are in Metairie, a suburb of New Orleans where Frank and I grew up.  He was born in St Bernard and I was born in Arabi next door to St Bernard.  Kinda in the area of the 9th Ward that saw so much publicity from flooding after Katrina. 

Both St Bernard and Arabi saw plenty of flooding in Betsy and again in Katrina.  My friend said a 6 foot wall of water came rushing down her street while Betsy was in full force.  It is widely believed authorities blew the levee in St Bernard/Arabi to save the more exclusive subdivisions further down the river. 

We had just moved to Metairie about 4 months prior to Betsy.  Frank's family was one of the first in our subdivision and was already there by then, but his  extended family still lived in St. Bernard in the same house when Katrina hit.  His Aunt Emma didn't live to make it home.  Neither did my Aunt Evy see her home in Metairie again.  She died just weeks before house was to be completed.

We always went to the parades Downtown (as opposed to Uptown) when we were young.  We would park at my Grandma Graci's  house on Frenchman St. and take the bus to see MidCity.  My mother would make the most amazing costumes for my brother and I for Mardi Gras Day.  Then we would go to see Rex on Canal Street and catch glass beads.

They used to throw really beautiful glass beads; not the plastic junk they throw today! 

Last year after the flood, my friend Patty the Quilt Lady made me this Louisiana Quilt.  It is part of the rotating hangings I have in my bedroom and quilt  room.  Sometimes it is in one or the other. 

It is a t-shirt piece and done with Patty's impeccable handwork.  Every time I stop and look at it, I am wowed all over again by the work in this piece. 

And in the mail today came my Treasure Trove win!  Purple and green fabric with a package of Mardi Gras beads! 

Have I Got A Treat For You! Post #1

New Orleans photos!

Michael walks Mary Kate

Caroline's Son William

Caroline Sister of Bride

Wedding Photos at St Patrick’s Cathedral.  Such a beautiful church, it was established in 1833; stunning architecture inside and out.  Church was completed in 1840 and the fir mass was recited.

It is in the Faubourg St. Mary section of the city .  The  priest celebrating the wedding was from Italy and had the moat amazing accent, bringing me back to the Italian relatives of my childhood.  The architect was James Gallier, who also built Gallier Hall which serves as the seat of the New Orleans government only a few steps down from the church.    The murals behind the altar were painted in 1841.  They are masterpiece works of art.

Brides Parents Renee and Michael

Paintings above the altar

The area surrounding the church was one where the Irish Immigrants lived. Today it is in the heart of the Arts District and where Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie bought several warehouses to be
turned into high rent apartments for their Hollywood set.

14 Bridesmaids!

 Old St Patrick's Cathedral

Michael saying he has THREE girls

The service was personalized so beautifully by the pastor, and he noted that it was the perfect place for a girl named Mary Kate Donahue to be married!

Mary Kate and Brock

The reception was in one of the old warehouses near the hotel called The Chicory.  We actually walked to the church, then the reception and back to the hotel.    I dined on Artichoke Casserole and Shrimp in Brie Sauce, meat pies and leg of roast beef and about 4 Old Fashions and a couple glasses of champagne.  Frank had fruit and tonic water.

Our 20th floor room in the Loews Hotel had a spectacular view,of the Mississippi River.

This is afternoon overcast



                                         Dusk




Morning clearing up



And
Night









Here is the cathedral from 20 floors up!

I will create a second post to show you the quilt shop, my purchases and my brother.

Dogs Are Home, and All My Wash Is Done

Everything is good, except McGee keeps coughing up a bunch of phlegm all over my rug, the sofa, the floor.  We are running around trying to stick towels under his face when he starts coughing, which  annoys the devil out of him and he manages to avoid the towel about 50% of the time.

Did 3 loads of clothes, washed/folded/hung.

Went to grocery and got milk, yogurt, celery.......can't live in South Louisiana and not have celery!

So here are a few photos from the trip and we can get back to quilting stuff.

 Greater New Orleans Bridge on the Mississippi River.  this is where the Cruise Ships dock.




Our Ship, there were 4200 passengers this cruise.  639 were with the band NiklBeer out of Lafayette.  Amazing.  Private parties every night, concerts mid-ship, just amazing.

 Once you leave New Orleans you head down river and out the mouth to the Gulf of Mexico.  Frank calls on all the plants so he was entertaining  group of people pointing out the various companies and what they make.  This one is the Domino Sugar facility and I have no idea what the other one is.  they all look alike to me!  But you can see the bend in the river.

This is the Naval Yard where they have filmed episodes of NCIS: New Orleans!  Remember how good Scott Bacula looked on the show Quantum Leap many moons ago?

Sunset on the river is so beautiful.  the whole cruise we had the most perfect weather.   As it got dark, the Norwegian Dawn (upon which we have also sailed) passed us just before we reached the mouth of the Mississippi.





Sailing right into Key West!

Ernest Hemingway cooked eggs on  that little stove there in the corner!

The garden are beautiful, and full of 54 kitties with 6 toesies!  These polydactyl cats all are descendants of Snowball.  A cat named Jake had 28 toes.



The polydactls were thought to be lucky so they were found on many sailing ships.  Mousers, they were.

Here is the Travel Basset having tea with one of the Mitten Kittens.







Key West is  full of loose chickens.

And here is the Basset hobnobbing with Papa himself.  The Statue Garden in the center of the port area is full of notable personages who loved coming to Key West.

 We kayaked through the mangroves in Freeport, Bahamas.

 And ended up on the most beautiful beach.  The photo with frank is at the point where the fresh water river down the center of the island meets the ocean.




So many animals on the beach!

The beach is truly beautiful!

 Nassau!  Oh My!  Segways!  I LOVE LOVE LOVE Segways!

 This is a LOOP type facility just off the shore.  It takes the oil
tankers and brings their cargo to the holding tanks on land via underwater piping. Those tall yellow things are the pipes that extend to the ships.

 Condomize?  No Problem, Mon.

 Frank ordered fish and chips and got piranha.  When he opened the container, I jumped back about 10 feet.  Man that thing was ugly!

These are conch shells.  I did eat fried conch.  It was certainly prettier than Frank's meal!

4 Cruise ships in port!  It sure is a beautiful  place though.








 Here is the Travel Basset riding the segway with his Bahamian buds.

We left, heading home.

New  Orleans in the dawn is truly beautiful.

When you want to sail again, just let me know!  We are heading out to sail the Panama Canal next!