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As much as Sammie Cat and I love New Orleans; it's nice to escape, if even for just a day away. We're heading off this afternoon to spend a "day in the country" with our friends John and Mike. Oh, the French Taxes and July workshop preparation will still be waiting for me. But, after a couple of nights and a day away with friends...I'll be refreshed and ready to charge ahead again. See you on Friday!
...Rather Be in NEW ORLEANS?
When I have friends who are going to Paris; I have a list of my "musts" in the City of Light. The two oval rooms with floor to ceiling Monet's at the Musee de l'Orangerie are number one.
There are many days when I'm just passing through Paris on my way home or returning to the states.
On those days, I've found myself grabbing a cafe au lait, a pain au chocolat, and one of these green metal chairs right outside the museum just so I can be close to the Nympheas. I prop my tired tootsies on a nearby chair. I close my eyes and pretend I'm standing all alone in the middle of one of the rooms. There, I can pirouette and dance undisturbed, surrounded and cuddled by these magnificent works of art that speak to my soul.
Their size and presentation are breath-taking. Because they are almost impossible to describe to people; I bought the book about them and the history of their journey. You learn more about Monet and alternate sites for the installation, but when you unfold one of the paintings that takes five full-sized sheets of paper to contain just one; you are able to grasp some their magnificence and indescribability.
Don't miss the magic of Monet at the Musee de l'Orangerie!
Havng survived a weekend of workshops and a week on the run with a friend from out of town; I'd set my Friday aside for me. I got busy right away with laundry, cleaning, purging, sorting and cooking. About half-way into baking the marinated catfish and cheese stuffed meatloaf; I invited Stew and Eric over for dinner. I'd scooped some mozzarella "pearls" so I was ready with all the makings of a tomato basil mozzarella salad. (It's rare that I can offer my guests a choice of entree!) But, the piece de resistance had to be the Henri Bourgeois Sancerre 2013.
Cafe au lait and beignets at Morning Call had been a nice way to say thanks for picking my friend up at the airport, but I knew that Sancerre would be a perfect "merci" to Eric. Not only have Stew and Eric helped with "pick-ups", but I've already told you about my early Friday evenings over on Dupre Street when Eric and I are having a wine and sometimes "milking" the box down to the last drop. Here it was...Friday, a perfect time for dinner together with a very nice bottle of wine. It was fun to watch Eric savor every moment. And, it was a very nice companion to the marinated catfish.
Huge Merci to all of my guys on Dupre Street. Eric, Stew and Louie Boy have become an important part of the "rebuilding" of my emotional infrastructure here in New Orleans.
We are about to become even more colorful here on Columbus Street. My old reliable favorites and the garden haul I brought down from St. Louis are doing their jobs. I'm sure the rain, heat, and humidity are making everyone happy! Even with all of the leaf-eating, grazing, creatures; everyone has blooms and either bloomed or are about to. I'm feeling very "green" at the moment.
I am hoping that we have laid the foundation for ongoing beautiful springs and summers here.
I'm about to go out and enjoy it with a cup of coffee and my journal.
Happy Sunday to All.
At the Monteleone's Carousel Bar and Lounge, my inquisitive friend and I discovered that:
There is no spot for the bartenders to enter and exit. They must jump over the bar to get inside to work, and,
One revolution equals 15 minutes.
Happy Sunday!
Music is everywhere in the French Quarter, but one of the nicest treats is to catch calliope music as the Natchez is getting ready to board.
For the first time on Wednesday,
I heard it AND saw it being played.
What fun!
My visitor and I bemoaned the fact that St. Louis no longer has any excursion boats. I was ready to call Mom and Dad so they could hear the wonderful calliope music, but the boat began to board and the music stopped. I'll have to capture the moment for Mom and Dad another time.
Happy Saturday-off to help with a huge moving sale!
Some days you want to wrap up your wander in the French Quarter at the Monteleone Hotel Carousel Bar because it's threatening rain; others, it's hot, humid, a cold cocktail would taste good, and it's early enough to be able to walk in and get a seat AT the Carousel Bar.
That's what my friend and I did on Wednesday afternoon. Their special drink menus were exquisite with specialties that were beautiful, tasty, and had enough liquor in them to knock your socks off on the first round.
I opted for a choice that had at least a "splash" of something non-alcohoic in it...a Brandy Milk Punch. My friend lived a little more dangerously with the International Star. It looked like Christmas to me. I was reminded that Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was well-known for his mixology skills as well as his incredible art.
As much fun as the Carousel Bar can be, it can also be disorienting and question-raising.
As you're drinking and conversing, you feel the movement slightly. The bartender is stationary, the floor behind you is stationairy, but you are definitely moving. When I put my credit card on the bar, I had a moment of fear as I expected it to suddenly begin to move away from me, but NO-no revolving credit cards.
Our bartender was charming. The other patrons were friendly, fun, and had no hesitation about recommending a favorite libation. And then there were the questions:
How long does it take the bar to make one rotation?, and,
How does the bartender get in and out of the bar?
Do you have any guesses...educated or otherwise?
I'll be back tomorrow with the answers.
Don't miss a chance to come (or return) to New Orleans, and,
Enjoy the Carousel Bar and Lounge at the
Hotel Monteleone on Royal Street!
Having friends and family come to visit from out of town always gets me out and running around. I marvel at the joy and beauty of living in this place. At this moment, the flowers are bursting in the French Quarter with splashes of color up, down and all around.
You want to keep you eyes moving and darting so you don't miss a thing.
New Orleans spoils us and loves us right back. Enjoy!
By the time the last day of Jazz Fest rolls around, everyone is in various stages of "over". I found Eric, Stew and Louie boy on the porch with the Fest playing on the boom box in the back.
They had reason to rest with "festing" almost every day and lots of company and parkers over both weekends. It may look like fun to the rest of the world, and it is...but it can be exhausting.
Eric and I shared the last of my Maison Nicolas Pinot Noir from my adventures at the Napoleon House. Louie boy had a nice nap in the sunshine.
And, this dare-devil blue jay took a chance on Dupre Street that no wise bird would even contemplate over there on Columbus!
Last Days? We find ourselves already thinking about next Jazz Fest. It was fun to share experiences, look at the pros and cons, and reflect on fun. And then it hit me...I don't expect to be here for future fests. I plan to be winging my way to the Chatette! Only time will tell!