Goodbye New Orleans

See ya for the Blues Festival in the fall. We've had a wonderful long weekend and it's time to head back to Lafayette. I won't be back until fall weather brings some cool temperatures back to the city. You know how I feel about the heat and though you were bearable this weekend, I know what it will be like in the bowl called New Orleans in the coming months.

We rolled out of bed at different times this morning and as usual I was the first one up. We didn't get to bed until early this morning so not even I was up at my usual 0500 hrs.

I do not wake the husband. Why stab a bear when you don't have to? I slip into some clothes, grab my purse and laptop and head for my morning hangout. A steaming cup of brew and I take up residence beside the pool to post pictures from last night's play. More photos then words went into that post. It happens.

Soon enough my cell phone rings and it's the husband ringing me to let me know he is up and about and waiting on me. Publishing the post and slapping closed the laptop, I grab a few coffees to go and place them on the tray I had filtched from the room earlier during my escape.

The husband has packed up everything so I headed for the shower. A little eyeliner, some mascara and a tousled head of curls, I redressed and while he went to get the car, I got myself downstairs to wait for him to get back .

To Cafe Du Monde for some cafe au lait and beignets. Never get in a hurry when visiting this place. You'll get your drink and beignets when they get to you. Sit quietly at your cluttered dirty table left by the previous patrons and just be glad you got a table. After coffee we walked up on the levee behind the cafe.

Next stop was the French Market. On the walk there I had to detour frequently. The husband is not into the art work offered in this city but I am. I have to dodge into the shops and stand and gaze at the walls filled with the work of the local artisans. Sometimes he will come in though I prefer he find a music store if he is going to chatter. I like to wander among the paintings quietly without conversation. I like to take my time especially if I find an artist I enjoy.

The artist today painted trees with rooms positioned on sperate boughs as you traveled up the tree. Each painting was themed as to professions. Treehouses dedicated to firemen had different rooms on the tree with scenes from a fireman's life. One paintng was named "The Best Little Treehouse in Texas" after a profession and a movie you may be familiar with if you do some substitions in the title.

I got to look at an artist that was self taught and used lots of reds and blacks in his work. His themes were varied. Snow scenes in New York, females with beautiful skin tones worked smooth with brush along with palette knife for the textures on their clothing. An artist in Jackson Square used bright yellows and reds to paint her vision of the old houses in the Quarters. Her houses curved and swayed as though billowing in the wind. Her signature colors made her paintings pop.

In the art co op not only were oil paintings done but fabric art and jewelry out of local materials of copper and glass. Art work done with fabric pieced together and not of the quilt variety hung on some walls and all of it was interesting to see.

After Cafe Du Monde, we drove around New Orleans while I shot some scenery while hanging out of the window of the car.

Lunch an a very late one, we headed for Tony Mandina's on Canal Street. It was "Red Beans and Rice Monday" with an appetizer of onion rings. Surprisingly the line was long for this late an hour for lunch and it never let up the whole time we were there. We stood around the bar until a table was cleared for us. While waiting on our order, during and after lunch we watched the line waiting for a table steadily surge. When we left, there was still people coming in. In the old days it was busy but not like it is these days. It has since been published in one of the travel books as a good place to dine and now the word is out and the locals have to wait in line for a table at their favorite restaurant. Usually the food suffers from too much popularity but in this case, the food is still as good as it was before the notriety. Post Katrina, 4 months after the storm, we were in New Orleans checking out the damage. We drove by Mandina's to find the water mark 6 ft up on the walls and all of the kitchen stoves sitting out on the street. They were gutting out the building and starting over again. We're glad it made it back.

We are headed down I-10 and almost to Baton Rouge. When I get into Lafayette I'll post this after I add some pictures.

The water is rising. The big bridge over the Mississippi gave a view of the water almost to the top of the levee and the flood waters are still to reach Baton Rouge. 

See ya in the fall NOLA ole girl!