Mardi Gras

I'm going to let the pictures speak for themselves. Mardi Gras weekend in New Orleans is basically five nights of mirthful marathon parading, both kid-friendly and R-rated. I, an introvert who covets her quiet, alone time, is now beholden to this wonderful city for an abundance of Mardi Gras tales and memories and really wouldn't change that for a billion strings of platinum and diamond beads.

In order of appearance. First, Krewe de Babylon:

Krewe of Muses:

 Hermes:

 Krewe d'Tat:

 Krewe of Mid-City:

Zulu:

The beach, the President, and the charming city...

...and all the important stuff in between.

Spontaneous trips are sometimes the only way. On this one, we visited beautiful places and experienced a significant moment in history. We fit it all into an tiny amount of time with lots and lots AND LOTS of driving. But I have to say, the best part of this exhausting, busy, wonderful, impromptu visit was spending time with our important people dotted along the route. Love you all. Thanks for making this so worth it and treating us so well.

Hilton Head, South Carolina:

We were approximately 2400 rows back. The crowd was jovial and welcoming, and I felt patriotic:

In the middle of President Obama's inaugural address, this little one shouted, "Oh yes, but who's going to save the animals?!" We all laughed, because it was so cute, but I really do hear you, friend!

We spent a tiny amount of time in Savannah, Georgia. I fell in love with it there and can't wait to get back. There are a million pictures to be taken.

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.