Interlopers of the Southern Wild

Last weekend, we went on an air boat tour of Bayou Barataria, not far outside of NOLA (though it felt 1000s of miles from civilization, in many not-so-good ways; oh, hello, The South!). Though the tour itself was far less than tasteful, the scenery was delicious indeed. I didn't know that the WPA created the systems of canals in the wetlands of Louisiana. I thought, extremely naively in fact, that they just kind of existed, that they were made by nature. I don't have reason for that naivete, considering I have read the novel Swamplandia! by Karen Russell, about the man-made canals in the Florida Everglades. Anyway, we made our way through the brown sludgy water, lined on both sides with lush cypress trees, palmettos, and swamp grasses, covered with a hearty layer Spanish moss, only to encounter a modicum of wild life, including tortoises, herons, pelicans, and baby gators. It was beautiful and unique. I'm glad we did it, but I don't feel need to go back.

 Two baby gators on each end of the log:

Art Deco, decayed: my favorite building in NOLA

This is a still-functioning high school. These are its real, true colors. Of all the majestic buildings here, this is my favorite.

Algiers

Algiers is a grouping of neighborhoods on the West side of the Mississippi river.  Historic Algiers Point has the ignominious reputation of being a stop-gap for slaves about to be sold to wealthy owners on the other side of the river. The South and its reprehensible history are truly hard to digest sometimes.  Occasionally, it feels like we've come so far, and at other times, not so much.  I just read an article stating that Louisiana is becoming even more conservative and even more segregated than ever in these recent times. I'm reminded of lyrics in Neil Young's song "Alabama" (which could be renamed with almost any southern state, or just The South, in general): "Alabama, you've got the rest of The Union to help you along/What's going wrong?" I also read an article stating that some southern states are signing a petition to secede after this year's reelection of our president.  I'd almost like to see those types try secession, to see how that goes for them.

Well, let's change the direction of this, so far, dour post, shall we? On my most recent visit to Algiers Point, I couldn't get over the rich, verdant yards.  So much "yard space" on our side of the river consists of crooked cobblestones and slanted cement slabs being pushed up by the root systems of some very old trees.  I appreciated the gardenia and banana trees and the lush little bushes in Algiers. 

Cemetery Stroll

Today is All Saints' Day, an important holiday to a very devout Catholic Nouvelle Orleans. Apparently, people come out to the graves of their loved ones and throw little parties with Jambalaya and drinks.  Surprise, surprise; New Orleans finds a reason to party. This afternoon, before the raucous remembrances, I walked around a cemetery on majestic, live oak-lined Esplanade Avenue. This town is so beautiful in its crumbly decay, it's almost overwhelming.  But I love it.

Prince of Wales Social Aid And Leisure Club : Second Line Parade

Second Line parades are sooooooo New Orleans. In the early 1900s, Social Aid and Leisure Clubs (fun clubs) set up little parades (fun with friends and family) with a float (visually fun), some brass musicians playing upbeat, improvised Jazz (fun to hear), with revelers behind the floats and brass, swaying to the music and drinking (boozy, sweaty, dance-y fun). Thus, the revelers become part of the parade, or the second line.  These parades still exist today, many Sundays out of the year..

Fun is New Orleans's primary attribute. New Orleans is the friend begging you to stay for just one more Sazerac, to dance with them in the street, to sing a little louder. New Orleans cajoles you to bridge the gap between just letting go of inhibitions and making a total fool out of yourself. New Orleans always has a hangover in the morning and is slow to rise, and you wonder how long it can keep up this lifestyle; however, it must some hedonistic gene, or least strong endurance, for it always up for next go-round of the concept of fun.

City Park

Bienvenue to the first of my New Orleans blog posts.  I have been building slowly the photos that beg, plead, implore, and entreat to be taken in this most photogenic of cities.  I've been aggregating them by neighborhood, thereby languidly developing several blog posts at the same time.

The first will be of City Park, a sprawling multipurpose park (50% larger than Central Park!) located in the Mid-City neighborhood.  I tend to get overwhelmed by parks this large, but I do love that all the little bridges and benches and details that were WPA projects in the 1930s.

Random beauty on an overgrown hiking trail:

Fog City

90% of Residential blocks look like this.*

The Mission:

 Lands End Park:

This picture was taken against the rules at the hippie hot springs we visited for one night.  We stayied in one of these:

 The Castro neighborhood:

 Near Haight & Ashbury:

 Golden Gate Park:

*Non-scientific observation

Offal, Isaac

 Like space photos.

In The Heart of The Beast : May Day