New Orleans Signs

Well, I am busy packing - 9 days to go - and can't wait!  I have put my Etsy Shop on vacation because even if someone did buy something, I would be hard pressed finding the shipping materials and possibly even the item!

Before we bought the new house, I had planned and paid for a trip to New Orleans at the end of October.  I do hope that I have things organized enough in the new place that I will actually relax and not be thinking about everything that still needs to be done at home!

So my mind has been on New Orleans a lot.  The Saints have started the regular season with a win over Minnesota and we are going to see them play Pittsburgh when we go.  A Saints game is always fun, and this year they have a new open air plaza next to the Superdome built specifically for tailgating N'awlins style.   I thought they already did a pretty good job!

WHO DAT!

And, I thought I would just post some pictures of some of the interesting signs you see in the French Quarter.

Art shop on Decatur Street/

Famous Oyster Bar at the Royal Sonesta Hotel.

Art Gallery on Royal Street

Very good food here.  The name is a take off of the walkway along the Mississippi called the Moon Walk.

"Famous" bar on Bourbon at Conti

Another Art shop - I think the sign itself is beautiful.

A Mask shop - go figure!

Book shop - I love these places with the old books.

This was at the top of a building just outside the French Quarter off Magazine Street - imagine - Asbestos!

This is a great Restaurant on Decatur.

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They have these flip signs on the tables - when you don't need the waiter for anything - leave it flipped as above.



But when you need the waiter for something.......



 And although I have many more signs to share with you, I think the advice above is good for tonight!

See you all next time!

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.

Happy Birthday Louis!

It's Satchmo's Birthday today!  Happy Birthday Louis - wish you were still with us!

As the song goes, "I know what it means to miss New Orleans".  But, I am happy to report that I will be visiting my favorite city again at the end of October.  And, for those of you who don't know - when you fly into New Orleans, you land at Louis Armstrong International Airport.  You can almost feel the welcome of his smiling face and outstretched arms.  Whoever gave his name to the airport got it right!

So, I'm planning my trip (I can barely wait!) and one of the most difficult parts of the trip is trying to fit in all those places you want to go, and also to have time for one of my favorite pastimes while there; sitting by the Mississippi just watching the ships go by. 

I grew up not far from the Welland Canal, so ships have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember.  I have never been on a big ship, but my Dad used to take my brother and I down to the canal on summer Sunday mornings to watch a ship go through the one of the locks.  If you have never seen that, it is really quite interesting. 

The bridge up at Lock 1.

Sometimes my Mom used to come too but I think a lot of the times just the three of us went so that she could have a (well deserved) break from us! 

At Lock 1 of the Canal there used to be large piles of sand - probably 40 feet or more high - that was destined for the Foundry at General Motors which was further along the canal.  But in the meantime, they provided lots of fun for local families with small children.  We used to tear up those piles and then slide down over and over again, and then try to shake the sand off before getting into Dad's car.

 

Sometimes after the canal we would go downtown to Diana Sweets to share a milkshake.  I do miss that place.  It was an old style restaurant with a lunch counter where we would sit and they would make a milkshake in one of those old green milkshake machines that are now again available, but called "retro".  I know you can picture the ones I mean.  At the back of the building, past the saloon style doors, were the wooden booths with thousands of names and initials carved in them.  The floors were the black and white small tiles, and there was stained glass, and all the waitresses wore blue uniform dresses with white trim.  When I worked downtown as an adult I used to go there quite often for lunch.  The food was good old home style cooking and they had the best gravy ever!   It has been gone for quite a few years since it has closed, but I will never forget it.

The front of the shop, with homemade chocolates and the counter where we had milkshakes (just out of the picture)

The wooden booths!

But how on earth did I get from boats on the Mississippi to milkshakes at Diana Sweets?  As the saying on my Priscilla Mae tote says "My mind not only wanders - sometimes it leaves completely!"  I love that!

So, back to ships.

Many of the ships that travel the Mississippi are much larger than those that will fit into the locks of the Welland Canal.  I am in absolute awe of the size of some of them, especially the Oil tankers. 

 Back in December of 1996, a freighter coming down the Mississippi lost power to it's steering and the powerful current took the ship right into the pilings of the Riverwalk - a large Shopping, hotel and condominium development on the shore of the River. 

From WikiPedia: "On the afternoon of Saturday, December 14, 1996, the M/V Bright Field freightliner/bulk cargo vessel slammed into the Riverwalk. No one was killed in the accident, although approximately 66 were injured. Fifteen shops and 456 hotel rooms were demolished. Physical damage to the Bright Field was calculated at $1,857,952 (US). Damage to the Riverwalk, including the pier, condominium properties, shops, and hotel totaled an estimated $15 million (US). The freightliner was unable to be removed from the crash site until January 6, 1997, by which time the site had become something of a "must-see" tourist attraction.  The spot where the Bright Field collided with the Riverwalk is marked on site with a plaque."

The current of the river at this point is so strong, that ships are pushed far to the left before they can turn the "corner" to continue downstream.  This is right at a bend in the river that gave New Orleans the nickname of "Crescent City".   I am fascinated by the tugboats navigating the barges through this spot. 

Tug and Barge.

Right beside Riverwalk is the Ferry that takes pedestrians and vehicles across the river to Algiers, part of New Orleans.  The ferry is free for everyone and runs across about every 15 minutes.  I like to take the Ferry back and forth just to get a view of the city from the River and to enjoy the feeling of actually being on the Mighty Mississippi.  In Algiers there is Mardi Gras World, which is where many of the Mardi Gras floats are made and stored - but that's a story for a post on another day!

Looking at the French Quarter from the Ferry.

And then there is the Steamboat Natchez.  It is one of only two true steam powered sternwheelers plying the Mississippi today. Her 32 note steam calliope was custom crafted and modeled after the music makers of the Gilded Age.  A "calliopist"? plays a few tunes before each departure and the trilling notes can be heard throughout the French Quarter.  The cruise is a truly wonderful experience and I will save the details of this for yet another post on another day!

And, I will leave you with a link to one of Louis' best... and how right he is - "What a Wonderful World".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xotoDy5806Y

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!