So we hit the road again to do something rosemary has wanted to do for over a year. Return to her old home turf of New Orleans. She received a nice size order from an old client of hers for a costume which provided a perfect chance to have good time, all expenses paid. We love it. The costume was finished and Rose also made some masks for she and I to wear. It was nice to leave the dogs at home and for she and I to really vacate. On Monday, Lundi Gras sp??, we got out early and walked the french quarter, the mask market, and took a peak at her old workspace, Jackson Square. It was really a time for Rosemary to gain some closure to her abrupt exit after hurricane Katrina. We visited her old house on the edge of the Marigne sp?? Mardi Gras day we got down to the french quarter early, in costume, and prepared for a day I will never forget. We marched in St Anns parade which was made up of all the locals. It blew me away at the amount of creativity that was present. Everyone was in cosume, everyone. Not just any costume either, these were very elaborate costumes and brass bands. I can honestly say that I have never experienced anything quite like it. The costumes, the energy, the music, the colors and smiles on people's faces. Everyone was having the time of their life. So many of the people Rosemary did business with recognized her, wondering if she was coming back to stay. By the end of the day we were exhausted and ended up hanging out on a balcony that belonged to a friend of hers. I can now say that I did Mardi Gras not as a tourist. What a pleasure it was to meet her friends Tanner and Vic and the many others during the parade and festivities. We drove to see the lower 9th ward as well as visited a place called "the tree house." It is an old mansion that is now an artist community/room house. In the back yard they built an elaborate tree house that includes everything from a spiral staircase, rope bridge, slides, and tree-top outlooks with a pool below to fall into if you choose certain slides. Kind of cool to see this going on. The lower 9th ward consists of slabs of concrete, weeds and about 15 very modern homes with solar panels and new landscaping. I can't really say much about the progress of the city since Katrina. Now that the Saints won the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras continues, maybe the "Who Dat" nation will begin to rise again. It was a great visit.
I'll be headed to Ponte Vedra Beach on Saturday for work. Well, not really work, but I am being paid well to deliver an Airstream which I have somewhat repaired/restored. This is the same Airstream we recovered from the mountains last year, about this time, I think.
