New Orleans Homes

As I pack to move, along with wondering why I need so much stuff, my mind has also been very much thinking about organizing.  Thank goodness we are moving to a larger house!   But as I say that, I do have to admit that I do like small places - the type that are referred to as "cozy" in the Real Estate listings.  And I think that is one of the reasons that I find the architecture in New Orleans so charming.  Of course, I am not talking about the mansions of the Garden District which are absolutely stunning, but those beautiful Shotgun houses and Creole Cottages that you find scattered throughout the city, including the French Quarter.

We stayed in a condo in the French Quarter in 2008.  It was located on North Bourbon Street, in behind a double shotgun house.  It was a converted slaves quarters and it was absolutely delightful!  It was small, but so well thought out organizationally, and beautifully decorated and restored.   I enjoyed the feeling of actually living in the Quarter rather than just being a visitor.  It was removed from the busiest part of Bourbon street and surprisingly quiet. 

This is the living area. The French doors on the left lead to the swimming pool and you can see part of the dining set at the left.

This is the kitchen and dining area. I loved the beamed ceiling and the original brick walls. The floors were slate.

This is the back of the Condo.  The doors in the picture are those shown in the living area picture.  The brickwork around the pool was beautiful and the tiles were also a lovely effect.  The gate on the left leads to the front courtyard and then past the shotgun house that fronts onto Bourbon Street.

I was so amused by this arrangement for the washer and dryer.  This is in the courtyard between the shotgun house and the condo. 

Our stay there prompted me to spend  many an hour thinking about getting settled in a home in New Orleans. I thought about all the places where I would need to build shelves to hold all of my yarn and books, and how to set up a compact little office area, and.that I would still need to have a courtyard so I could continue to do some gardening.....well, you get the idea!  

Along with watching the ships on the Mississippi, one of my favorite pasttimes in New Orleans is just walking around looking at the architecture - the different styles and colours, the ironwork, the lovely courtyards and gates. 

This single shotgun house is on Esplanade.  Long and narrow...and cute.  But I imagine, it would be challenging for furniture arranging!

This is a double Creole Cottage - similar to what we call semi-detached.  And isn't the purple of the townhome next to it beautiful?

Here is a Double Barrel Shotgun House - again - like our Semi-detached.

I have been told that they are called shotgun houses because you could open up the front door and shoot a gun and the bullet would go straight through to the back door without hitting anything.  And, the reason for the long and narrow design is that taxes used to be charged by the frontage you had.  Typically you will also find these homes without closets because you were also taxed on the number of rooms, and a closet with a door was considered a room by the tax collectors.

Here are three different styles side by side.

This creole cottage looks like it needs some serious work.  But if you look closely, you will see new lights at the eves, and there is new intercom with camera at the gate.  Can you say "Shabby Chic"? I would love to see behind those shutters!  I suspect the interior is spectacular!

This is an alleyway between two buildings leading to a courtyard. 

This entrance captured by attention with its white columns and grey ironwork gate and matching shutters.

The iron supports for the galleries were what caught my eye here.

I liked the colours and the gingerbread style supports on this home.

This was a view from our balcony one year.  Wouldn't it be lovely to have a gallery adorned with hanging plants and flower boxes like those in this picture?  A gallery is like a balcony, but supported from below. 

Here is just one example of a Garden District home.  I am usually on the Streetcar when I am taking pictures of these homes, so although there are many homes far more beautiful than this one, many of my pictures are blurry!

This is a home that fronts onto Audubon Park.  Some of the most beautiful homes in New Orleans are in this area.

And last but far from least, is a pictue of some of the Make It Right Nola homes that are being built in the Lower 9th Ward. 

 The Make It Right campaign is spearheaded by Brad Pitt and is still accepting donations.  Can you believe that the 5th Anniversary of Katrina is this coming weekend and there are still people who have not been able to return to their homes?

http://www.makeitrightnola.org/

If you can, take the time to look at the Make It Right Nola site - link above.  I am sure you will find it interesting.

Although I dread packing, I shall not complain because I am thinking of those people who were displaced almost 5 years ago and be thankful that I still have belongings to pack and a roof over my head.

Beads!

I was sitting in my knitting room a few weeks back, looking around and thinking about what to make next.  I have so many ideas for projects I would like to make and I have to admit, way too large a stash of yarn to choose from - I have a hard time deciding what pattern to use, what colours to make it with, what size .....  I want to make everything and I want to make it all NOW!  

And my eyes landed on a little pot of beads I have and the idea hit me - knit with some beads! 

And now honestly, who doesn't think of Beads when one thinks of New Orleans? Beads are just one of those iconic things that automatically come to mind when you think N'awlins - Mardi Gras, Bourbon Street, Jazz....... Beads!

I have never been to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, but I do have quite a collection of beads.  AND, for those of you with "Enquiring Minds" - NO - I have never bared any body parts to get any beads!  I have my Saints Beads and my Margaritaville beads, plain old beads from the French Market, and believe it or not - Oktoberfest beads from the (what else?) Oktoberfest parade we saw on Bourbon street -- it was so much fun to watch!   

Don't you just love seeing the tractors on Bourbon Street? 

And of course, every souvenier shop has thousands of beads to choose from.....all colours - all sizes - some naughty and many nice...

And no matter what time of year it is, you will find the trees on St. Charles Avenue festively adorned with beads tossed from Mardi Gras floats in February.

You can see trees like this all down St. Charles Avenue while riding on the Streetcar.  In summer, they are more hidden by the foliage, but the glimpses of bright shiny colours through the leaves bring a smile to my face!

Now, back to knitting....

I made a summer dress/jumper in a black acrylic yarn with a raised stripe in muted green, blue and lavender.  There is a small triangle of multicoloured glass  beads that echo the colours of the stripes on the bodice of the dress.  There is a matching headband with three beads.

And, I have made two pairs of infant socks.  The first pair is almost like a little ankle bootie with a scalloped edging with opalescent beads incorporated into the edging.

This second pair has a folded over ribbed top with various colours of glass beads worked into the ribbing.

These and other new items will be listed in my Etsy Shop (find the link on this page) before the end of this week! 

And now that I have put that in writing, I cannot procrastinate any more!  Gotta go!

Flowers and gardens from here and there

Well, it's definitely difficult to leave that picture of Harry behind, but he is last week's news and it's time for something new!  Gone for now, but never forgotten. 

Belated Birthday Greetings to both Canada and our American neighbours, or should I spell it "Neighbors"?  I was raised spelling the British way with the "our" at the end of neighbour, colour, labour, etc.  And, I suppose since the Queen is actually in Canada right now, I should honour (there's another one!) the British ways.  But enough rambling about that!

Below are a couple of pictures of wild delphiniums that I took while visiting Alberta in 2007.  Although they are not the blue of my garden delphinium (which I unfortunately did not get a picture of before the blooms dropped), they are still very pretty and I wouldn't mind having a few of them in my garden.

And speaking of Blue flowers, I did get some pictures of my hydrangeas that are just starting to come into bloom. I find the changes in colour of these blooms fascinating - the delicate green changing to blue and almost purple - each day they are different and beautiful in their own way.

And here is a picture of my back fence with some of the outdoor artwork we have gathered. 

(That is our Black Currant bush that you see at the bottom left loaded down with berries just waiting to ripen.)

 

This idea was inspired by a French Quarter Garden Tour that we took in New Orleans in 2008.  It was a self-guided walking tour of gardens at private homes in the Quarter. 

 

I was so delighted with these gardens that were so unexpected to find.  The pictures below were taken in a courtyard of a Bourbon Street home just down the street from the condo we stayed in that October.  I would say that these are definitely not the pictures that come to mind for most when they think of Bourbon Street.

I was astounded by the size of the leaves on the plant I was standing next to, and as much as I dislike having my picture taken, I insisted on getting a photo that would convey just how big they were! 

I just loved all the old brick and variety of plants and the fountains and the statuary and lime trees and.....all of it!  I can picture myself curled up with a good book in a chair in any one of the gardens we visited.   That would by my happy place!

There were so many hidden gems that we got to see that you usually only get a glimpse of from the street.  It was a delightful day and the very best part was meeting all of those New Orleanians who were so very proud of their gardens and were so welcoming to us as we have always found New Orleanians to be.  They are one of the main reasons why we go back again and again.