November in New Orleans... 2014

Check in here for regular updates, photos and ditties from New Orleans and southern Louisiana 

Nov. 6 -- We're HHHHEEErrRREEEE

Hello from New Orleans :-) After what seemed to be an incredibly looonnnngg drive with nothing but rain , semi truck accidents (those things are apparently really tippy in Tennessee!) we finally made it here yesterday evening -- Yay!We unpacked the car and walked over to Rouses on Royal for coffee and breakfast stuff for the morning; it was SO nice to have flip flops on again! Our son headed back out to roam a bit after that but Jack and I pretty much collapsed- what a long two days! 

  There are no plans for today except to unpack our suitcases and I need to prep a really big order that came in while I was on the road. But for right this very second? I'm enjoying my coffee here in the kitchen and getting ready to go for a walk...

Nov 7

  The full moon last night as it rose over the French Quarter was very misty and creepy- perfect for a November moon! I took this cell phone shot as we strolled down Ursulines toward CCs Coffee... 

 My internal clock is totally screwed from the seasonal time change and the travel and then the time zone switch; this morning I was up and wide awake at 5:45 am. Ugh. This did result in a beautiful early morning walk and a very productive work morning for orders but by 3 pm I was so tired I opted for a quick nap. Which has not helped at all so now I'm drinking coffee-- and thus begins the ugly cycle. 

  Most of the afternoon today was taken up driving to the wilds of suburbia for craft supplies and a few baking pans. Our first stop was Good Will for the baking pans thinking that we could pick up a few pieces cheap since they will more than likely be left here at the house. OMG! $14.99 for a used casserole dish. At Good Will. You have GOT to be kidding me! After the craft supply run we stopped into TJMaxx and found new baking pieces- one cookie sheet, one glass with lid casserole, and one glass loaf pan. Total? $18.00. Take THAT Good Will.

 After we got home I finally put away my clothes while Jack napped so I didn't have to listen to anymore hooey about 'over-packing'. Seriously-there is NO such thing... silly man. And really- questioning multiple purses and shoes? PPht! 
 Tomorrow is another work day and hopefully the Treme Gumbo Fest too :-)

Nov. 8 - Treme Creole Gumbo Fest

We wandered over to Louis Armstrong Park for the Treme Creole Gumbo fest and spent the better part of the afternoon listening to fantastic music from Treme Brass Band

~great show and wonderful music!~

                                               

                                        ~look up COOL in the dictionary and you find this guy~

 and The one and only Hot 8 Brass Band.

~ Hot 8 ~

There were oodles of other bands as well, but these two are the ones that I actually went to the stage to listen to. So much fun!! Everyone dances, everyone was happy and it was just an over-all great vibe.

There were at least a dozen fabulous food vendors and we sampled some gumbo, shrimp jambalaya and duck burrito with black beans. Everything was great! There is no better fair-food than New Orleans fair food :-)

It was a full day and after working on doll orders for the rest of the evening I was in bed and asleep by 10pm..full tummy and sore feet...

Second Line Sunday on Ursulines Nov.9

These lovely sights and dancing people rolled past my front door on Sunday afternoon..

Nov.17 -- Going into the second week

No posts this past week due to huge work load and trying to get through the big order that came in just after Halloween. Almost there with the last of it being delivered this week. But there wasn't just all work-- we wandered Magazine St on one day

I found a small Christmas gift but the majority of stores were outside of my budget; beautiful things though! 

There have been numerous walks--both for enjoyment and to counter the wonderful food! - and stoop-sitting late evening chats with the neighbors. 

Yesterday I was able to get a painting in- it was bugging me to not be painting! Its drying atop a dresser right now. The piece shows my vision of a small house on the corner of Ursuline and Dauphine Streets in the French Quarter..

Today the weather has turned chilly again and no one seems terribly motivated to do much of anything! We shall see....

Nov. 22 -- Of Art & Death

 Today was a gorgeous almost-70* so Jack and I headed Up-town for a walking tour of Lafayette Cemetery #1 and the architecture of the Garden District- not exactly rip-roaring excitement hence the bowing out of our son lol. I'm not much of a guided-tour type normally but our time was kind of limited so we opted for that. It was really well done and very informative. Done by the Save Our Cemeteries group, I highly recommend it.

 While I enjoyed Lafayette Cemetery the feeling there is much more 'tame' than the downtown St Louis cemeteries. And while its quieter, its a 'quiet' with a punch; I have very few pictures to post due to the almost immediate draining of two camera battery packs, a cell phone battery pack and the actual cell phone battery. Just goes to show you- some of the things they yammer on about in the silly 'ghost hunting' TV shows have some validity.. 

~A vault with front piece cracked and fallen. Each is private property and it is the responsibility of the owners to maintain the graves. ~

~A Muses shoe offering filled with coins and trinkets.~

Later on in the evening we headed over to Frenchman Street where a friend of mine told me she was selling jewelry at the Art Market. Her booth was mobbed so no photos but you can find her on Instagram as @stillwaterjewelry, look her up, she does beautiful things! 

Anyway, we were thrilled with the Art Market! Fun, funky, and friendly; its in a small well-lit ally with about 35 booth selling everything from photography and jewelry to metal-work and artsy t-shirts. THIS is what I want to do up north- nothing hoity-toity, fun and available and friendly. No snooty attitudes on what is 'worthy' to get into the show but enough planning to insure quality and variety. And I'm hit with animosity and a brick wall EVERY time I try to organize something like this...

Ah well-- I'm thrilled to have taken the time to wander down- this is an iphone shot of the set up...

-Yes, that is a glow-in-the-dark armchair lol -

I was able to pick up a couple of gifts while there and had a blast listening to a corner brass band before hitting Cafe Envie for coffee then headed back home....

As for my art- I'm super busy with orders for the FQ shop and have painted two of my own pieces while I've been here. I have no idea why both are done in pinks-- when I set them both on the mantle I noticed the similar pallet and was a little annoyed with myself lol...

~The corner of Ursulines & Dauphine in the FQ~

~Esplanade  Ave in the Treme~

So that's it for now-- today I have to work and then this evening is a book signing and a birthday party :-)

November 30th

Haven't caught up on this little diary page for a couple of days but here's a quick re-cap; in the past week we've wandered St Louis Cemetery #1 and tried for #2 and #3 but the hours are cut now due to the excessive vandalism so we haven't made it to those two yet. But I paid my respects to Ms Laveau and a few other tombs where the inhabitants are unknown to me but have spoken none-the-less.

We've walked nearly every night listening to the street bands, grabbing a coffee and enjoying the atmosphere. 

Jack and I headed over to St Francisville to The Myrtles Plantation- very beautiful and a definite active vibe to the place.

We went into the the town proper and explored a beautiful cemetery at the Episcopal Church and wandered a few antique stores.

Thanksgiving was simple and easy and just the 3 of us but that evening I took a pecan pie across the street to visit with some friends. 

I also finished another painting--

During our stay we've become pretty well acquainted with the neighborhood cat population- well fed, cared for communally and fixed; a good feral population to take care of assorted vermin. However, we discovered an orphan living under the house

after a couple of days of cajoling with food we have been able to get this little peanut into a crate where its safe, warm, and fed. The other, well established cats, have been beating up on it and there is a nasty bite on its hind quarters as a testament to its treatment. I'm guessing the age to be about 6 weeks... So our lovely vets will give this little one a good once-over and neutering then we will begin looking for a good adopted home...

There! You're all caught up! :-)